April 10, 1873] 
_ systems of pipes. 
met with a stranger so nearly like herself, and induced it to take 
her own nightly place in a strange house and witha strange hen. 
—Was it an act of charity towards a stranger wandering in search 
of anight’s lodging? or was the duckling tired of the hen’s 
company, and desirous of joining the birds of her own feather, and 
_so cajoled the stranger so nearly resembling herself to take her 
place, believing the cheat would not be discovered ? 
I commend this fact, for which I can vouch, to Mr. Darwin. 
A. W. BucKLAND 
Bath, March 31 
Acquired Habits in Plants 
ON Oct. 24 last, I found by the banks of the little river Aled, 
in North Wales, a dog-violet, which, in the first place, was in 
flower at that unusual season, and in the second place, growing 
in a hedge, had assumed the habit of a climbing plant. Its stem 
measured 24 feet in length ; it bore sixteen alternate leaves, the 
flowers being axillary, or rather some axils had flowers in them, 
and others had branches of leaves with flowers axillary in these. 
One flower only was actually in bloom, but there were several 
(five or six) seed vessels, I gathered one plant and have it still. 
St. Asaph, N, Wales Wales 
SCIENCE AND THE PRESS IN AMERICA 
(FROM A NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT) 
0 Wee visit of Prof. Tyndall has given an extraordinary 
impulse to scientific affairs in this country. It took 
place at a fortunate moment, just after the heat and tur- 
moil of a presidential election had been transformed into 
the national sorrow over the death of the defeated candi- 
date ; just before the exposures of corruption, which have 
since disgraced eminent public men, had begun to absorb 
popular attention. It therefore happened not only that 
men’s minds were not preoccupied, but that, in addition, 
newspaper columns were not specially crowded. Hence 
all the leading newspapers gave more space than would 
have otherwise been possible, to reports of Prof. Tyndall’s 
lectures. In this particular, however, one paper sur- 
passed the rest, giving the lectures verbatim and with 
illustrations, and afterwards reprinting them in a separate 
sheet, which, as you are probably already informed, 
attained a special circulation outside that of the news- 
paper, of more than 200,000 copies. It is not improbable 
that this enterprise on the part of the Wew York Tribune 
originated in a programme for the management of that 
paper laid down by the late Mr. Greeley. This was 
printed in its columns the second day after the election, 
when he resumed his position as editor of the paper. The 
card specified among other things, first, that thereafter 
the paper would be enabled to give “a wider and steadier 
regard to the progress of science, industry, and the use- 
ful arts.” His successors in the management of the paper 
have been anxious, for obvious reasons, that it should 
tread the path he had marked out for it; Tyndall’s 
coming furnished the first opportunity. Other papers 
have been stimulated by the popularity of scientific topics 
which the success of these lectures revealed, and there 
never was a time when such themes found such general 
acceptance with the newspaper press.” 
The first manifest benefit to science which has resulted, 
is an improvement in the treatment of scientific subjects, 
so far as they are editorially considered. It is not a year 
since one of the New York newspapers contained an 
article upon a proposition to light streets and houses by 
means of hydrogen and oxygen conveyed in separate 
In that article there was displayed an 
ignorance of the commonest facts of chemistry that 
seemed almost incredible. It teemed with the most 
ludicrous absurdities. But even its rivals never perceived 
the blunders—they had a fair share of their own, for the 
most part, whenever they handled such topics. But of 
late the writers in the New York newspapers have ex- 
hibited some knowledge of such subjects; at all events, 
special articles in some of the, papers betray the touches 
NAT URE 445 
of a professional hand, that come not with the surface 
knowledge of journalism, 
The second evident benefit has to-day a signal illustra- 
tion. The efforts of Prof. Tyndall were particularly 
directed toward impressing upon those of our citizens 
who have the means for such aid, the benefit that results 
to the community from the promotion of scientific inquiry 
This has been also a favourite theme with Prof. Agassiz. 
A few days ago a Boston correspondent of the Vew Vork 
Tribune sent a description to that paper of the work that 
Prof. Agassiz had undertaken at the Museum of Com- 
parative Zoology ; his efforts to obtain State assistance 
from the Massachusetts legislature ; his needs and diffi- 
culties, and unsparing, disinterested industry ; his project 
for founding a school of natural history on the coast of 
Nantucket, where practical work with the dredge might 
enable the students to become acquainted with marine 
organisms in a condition of nature, The newspaper 
commented on the correspondence, pointing out the 
value of such services, of such researches. The letter 
and comment interested Mr. John Anderson of this city 
—a gentleman who has gained wealth as a tobacco manu- 
facturer. Some years ago, finding his health suffering 
from too close application to business, he selected as a 
salubrious retreat an island on the New England coast. 
It is one of the Elizabeth Islands, between Vineyard 
Sound and Buzzard’s Bay. You will best know just 
where this is, by the fact that New Bedford, the old 
whaling port of Massachusetts, is on Buzzard’s Bay. He 
expended about 25,000 dols. in improving Penikese Island, 
and in its delicious climate he regained his health. He 
refused 75,000 dols. for the island, valuing it at 100,000 
dols. Last week, after reading about the aims and efforts 
of Prof. Agassiz, Mr. Anderson wrote to him, offering 
him Penikese Island as a gift, and saying to him that he 
could there establish his Marine Naturalist’s School. 
To be a little more specific—as such a munificent gift 
deserves: Penikese is the most northerly of the three 
western islands of the Elizabeth group. Itis of great 
fertility ; it contains a good summer residence ; looks out 
upon a beautiful bay, where there is good anchorage ; 
has a stone dock, and springs of good water. Here is 
everything that Prof. Agassiz wanted for his semi-nautical 
enterprise.—Stay ! not everything. When Prof. Agassiz 
first recovered from his surprise, and was thanking the 
donor, he mentioned a little embarrassment. He had 
made his arrangements for Nantucket, and there was a 
little money expenditure involved in the change. “ Let 
not that trouble you” writes Mr, Anderson, and straight- 
way proffers a money-gift in addition—so,ooo dels. in 
cash, “as a nucleus fora permanent endowment fund.” 
And Prof. Agassiz, his heart as well as his coffers 
running over, says that now his enterprise shall not be 
merely a summer school, but an institution for all seasons 
and all time. 
The correspondence between Mr. Anderson and Prof. 
Agassiz will, | am told, be furnished to the press within 
a few days ; but Mr. Anderson is modest ; and does not 
want much fuss about it. It is his first approach toward the 
hill of science, and he had no personal acquaintance 
with Agassiz whatever. The scientific sensation of to- 
day’s newspapers is a story that the Natural Bridge of 
Virginia is burning up. Itis told with great detail by 
eye-witnesses who testify to volcanic burnings and a 
sulphurous smell, to falling rocks and general danger. 
Prof. Campbell, of the geological department of the 
Washington and Lee University, evidently credits the 
story, and attributes the phenomenon to chemical action, 
induced by high water acting upon sulphurous and bitu- 
minous deposits containing metallic oxides. A New York 
paper decries the whole story, asserting that the fire 
proceeds from tar-barrels, and that the whole display is 
in the interest of hotel-keepers anxious to excite curiosity 
and attract custom, 
