AuousT 17, 1883.1 



SCIENCE. 



•201 



We have reason for surprise in these circumstances, 

 that it has learned so much, but for equal surprise that 

 so many persons appear to think it a complete and 

 full-grown science, and tliat it is entitled to speak 

 with confidence on all the great mysteries of the eailh 

 that have been hidden from the generations before 

 us. Such being the newness of man and of his sci- 

 ence of the earth, it is not too niucli to say that 

 humility, hard work in collecting facts, and absti- 

 nence from hasty generalization, should characterize 

 geologists, at least for a few generations to come. 



In conclusion, science is light, and light is good; 

 but it must be carried high, else it will fail to en- 

 lighten the world. Let vis strive to raise it high 

 enough to shine over every obstruction which casts 

 any shadow on the true interests of humanity. 

 Above all, let us hold up the light, and not stand in 

 it ourselves. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



•,• Corretpondfnttarerfque^tfdto hfiaithriefa^ pon^thU. The 

 writer's name is in alt lyne.^ reifuired as proof of good faith. 



Kalmias and rhododendrons. 



June 16 of the present summer I chanced to be 

 floating down Crossweeksung Creek in my canoe; 

 and, at a bend in the stream, found myself at the 

 foot of a steep l)luff some seventy feet high, which 

 was densely covered with a luxuriant growth of kal- 

 mias and rlndodendrons in full bloom. The former 

 were laden with niignilioent clu>li'rs of white, waxy 

 flowers; and the more g()r>;eoiis jiink rhododemlroii- 

 blossoms were scattered through them. It was the 

 most beautiful floral display I had ever seen. 



On my return home. I turned to the description by 

 Kalm of the smaller of these shrubs, to which Linne 

 gave the generic name it now bears in honor of its 

 discoverer. Kalm writes, " Liniiiiens, conformable 

 to the peculiar friendship and goodness which he has 

 always honored me with, has been pleased to cill this 

 tree Kalmia." He further .'saj'S, "The spoon-tree, 

 which never ;;rows to a great height, we saw this day 

 in several places. The Swedes here have called it 

 thus, because the Indians, who formerly lived in these 

 provinces, used to make their spoons and trowels of 

 the wood of this tree. In my cabinet of curiosities 

 I have a spoon made of this wood bv an Indian." 

 Again he says. " About the month of Mav they begin 

 to flower in these parts (central New Jersey), and 

 then their beauty rivals that of most of the known 

 trees in nature. The flowers are innumerable, and 

 sit in great bunches," etc. 



Kalm was visiting in New Jersey when he wrote 

 the above ; and it may be that where he was at the 

 time (Swedesboro, Gloucester county), the rhodo- 

 dendron is not found. At all events, he nowhere 

 mention-! this shrul), which is here known as 'moun- 

 tain laurel' to distinguish it from the true kalmia. 

 In calling the latter the 'spoon-tree,' has he cm- 

 founded the two? ('ert.iinly his remarks on the 

 character of the wood, and the use to which it was 

 forra-rly put by the In liarrs. lead to that conclusion. 

 At present, it would be ditlicult to lind a sulficieritly 

 large growth of kalmi.i to enable an Indian to 

 whittle from it a spoon or trowel of respectable size. 

 From rhododendron-stocks, implements of consiiler- 

 able size can be made; and Professor Kalm's descrip- 

 tion of kalmia wood is equally applicable to it. lie 

 tlescribes it as " very hard, may be mide very smooth, 

 auj docs not easily crack ur burst." 



In Britton's Flora of New .Jersey, K.ilmia latifolia 

 is called 'spoon-wood,' which name. 1 suppose, is 

 derived from the remarks m-ide by Kalm, as above 

 <lUoted. I suguest that it is a misnomer, and that the 

 remarks on the uses of the wood maile by the dis- 

 tinguished Swedish naturalist refer really to the tho- 

 doilendron. 



Considering that Kalm was so caivful an ol)server, 

 was particularly interested in botany, and further, 

 nut only enjoyed the friendship of B.irtram, but fre- 

 quently visited him, in whose celebrated garden was 

 a rhododendron-grove, it is strange that no mention 

 is made, in his 'Travels in North America,' of the 

 larger • laurel,' so called ; yet such apiiears to be the 

 case. 



This is an unimportant matter perhaps, but, if I 

 am right, should not go uncorrected. 



Cii.\iiLK3 C. AunoTT, M.D. 



Trick of the English sparrow. 



A curious freak of the imported sparrow recently 

 came to mv notice at Uasin llarbor, on Lake Cham- 

 plain, in Vermont. 



The eaves-swallows had attaclied their mud ' re- 

 torts,' as usu>al, in line under the eaves of the farmer's 

 barn, anticipating, no doubt, a successful and happy 

 house-keeping, notwilhstainling a colony of feathered 

 foreigners hail encamped about the pienilses. 



At sight of these 'bottle-nosed' dwellings, now- 

 arriving at completion, it occurred to the little tramps 

 that these were ciaclly the thing they wanted; but, 

 as the apartments were not to let. a battle ensued, 

 which resulted in tlie rout of Lunifrons. Tlie spar- 

 rows then took possession of the mud-houses, and 

 furnished them to their own taste. But some of the 

 ' masons ' made a successful resistance, and still lield 

 the castle; so that often a swallow-family had their 

 arch enemy .at next door. 



Thus in more w.ays than one does the impudent 

 little urcliin, which has come to us from over the sea, 

 merit tlie name of parasite. Now that the bird has 

 become not onlv a gener.al nuisance, but a sore annoy- 

 ance to our native and useful birds, it is no wonder if 

 the cry goe-s up all over the land, ' The ttparroia must 

 be bloUedoal." F. H. Ukuuick. 



Achenial hairs of Senecio. 

 In a paper read before the .\mericaii association 

 for the advancement of science at Montreal, I'rofes- 

 siir Macloskie referred to the .achenial hairs of some of 

 the Compositae. The paper was afterward published 

 in the .liioerican naluralUt for January, 1SS;<; and 

 here we linil a figure showing the tubes issuing from 

 the hairs of Senecio. A beautiful experiment showing 

 these tubes, or ratlier threads, can be made with the 

 achenes of S. Douglasii. Sor-aning a few of the hairs 

 from an achene, and placing ihem on a slide under 

 the microscope with a two-thirds objective, and apply- 

 ill'.; a drop of water to the slide, the threads are seen 

 to uncoil. As soon as the water touches the hairs, 

 the tips seern to burst, and allow the threads to 

 emerge, rapidly twistiu'^ round and round in a very 

 snake like manner. The experiment is a most satis- 

 factory one, and can be readily made. These threads 

 were noticed loii2 ago, as Liiulley ( Veg. kmg., p. 701- 

 70.i) speaks of Uecaisiie baring seen iheiu. Lindley 

 says in regard to them, " On placing one of these pa- 

 pillae in water, it iniined lately separates into two lips, 

 and these emit niucilagiiions tubes, which issiio forth 

 like wires, spirally unrolling themselves, and finally 

 much e.<cceed the papillae from which they proceed. 

 These tubes are apparently formed by a very consid- 

 erable number of threads placed one upon the other 



