448 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 660 



tera {Arthmius globicollis 6, Ctenistes piceus 2, 

 Sunius proUxus 1, Glyplionyx rectioollis 1, Tele- 

 pliorus sp. (larva) 1, Odontota n. sp. 1) 12; Lepi- 

 doptera (caterpillars) 2; Hymenoptera {Ponera 

 pennsylvanica I, Aphcenogaster aqua 1, Lasius 

 americanus 6) 8; Pseudoscorpionida 1; Araneida 

 (Xystious transversus 1, Ceratinella emertoni 1, 

 Anyphwna saltabunda 1, Oribata angusticeps 1, 

 Philodromus ornatus 1, Synemosyna formica 1, 

 Ceratinopsis interpres 1, Glithonius pennsylvanicus 



I, Fuentes vittata I, Lycosa pratensis 1, Theridula 

 sphcsrula 1) 11; Acarida 1; Gastropoda 11. 

 Total, 85. Cocoons and Eggs: Orthoptera (eggs 

 of Diapheromera femorata) 2; Lepidoptera (co- 

 coons) 6; Diptera (Puparise) 6; Arareeido (egg 

 sacs) 4; imidentifled : 3 eggs; 4 cocoons. Total, 

 27. Grand total, invertebrates, cocoons and eggs, 

 112. Seeds: Juniperus virginiana 9; Panicum 

 sp. 89; Carex sp. 1; Quercus sp. 2; Liriodendron 

 tulipifera 57; Rubus sp. 7; Ghamwcrista fascicu- 

 laris 6; Trifolium repens 4; other Leguminosse 

 17; T'l o?a. sp. 2; Gornus florida 1. Total, 194. 



MEADOW: Inveetebbates : GMlopoda 4; OZi- 

 gochceta 33; Thysanura 102; Homoptera [Li- 

 iurnia sp. 4, Agallia Ji-maculata 8, TettigoniidcE 

 3, Goniognathvs palmeri 1) 16; Heteroptera 

 (Corimelwna atra 3, Gapsidce 1) 4; Goleoptera 

 (Pterostichus lucublandus 2, Stenoloplius con- 

 junctus 1, Gryptohium pallipes 1, Scopwus opacus 



II, Stilicus rudis 1, Erohomus Iwviusculus 5, i^aZ- 

 Of/rta venuatus 1, Apocellus sphcericollis 6, Euces- 

 thethits americanus 1, Philonthus thoracicus 2, 

 Taohyporus jocosus 1, Diochus scliaumii 6, Mj/- 

 cetoporus flavicolUs 2, Trichopteryx haldemani 6, 

 Melanophthalma americana 2, Lampyridse (larva) 

 1, Elateridse (larvae) 3, Tomoderus constrictus 7, 

 Sitones hispidulus 1, (unidentified larva 1) 61; 

 Lepidoptera ( caterpillars) 6 ; Hymenoptera ( Te- 

 tramorium cwspitum 933, Lasius sp. 2, Formica 

 sp. 1, Ghalcididce 4) 940; Araneida 53; Acarido 

 15; Gastropoda 20. Total, 1,254. Cocoons and 

 Eggs: Beteroptera (Pentatomid eggs) 2; Orthop- 

 tera (grasshopper eggs) 4; other insect eggs 2; 

 unidentified pupa cases 12. Total, 20. Grand 

 total, invertebrates, cocoons and eggs, 1,374. 

 Seeds : Andropogon sp. 46 ; Panicum sp. 39 ; C?iCB- 

 tochloa viridis 138; Eragrostis sp. 8; Eulalia 

 i:ebrina and other grass seed 2,783; AHittm vineale 

 (bulblefs) 3; Rumex obtusifolius 2; Amaranthus 

 sp. 4; Portulaca oleracea 1; Pyrus sp. 1; Gliamce- 

 crista nictitans 5; Trifolium repens 3; T. pratense 

 1; T. sp. (sprouting) 18; Robinia pseudacacia 6; 

 Ficia sp. 1; Euphorbia maculata 4; Fiiis sp. 1; 

 Verbena urtiocefolia 3 ; PaxiXoimiia tomentosa 1 ; 



Ambrosia artemisiwfoUa 1, Bidens bipinnata 40; 

 Sonchus asper 1; unidentified 3. Total, 3,113. 



The most interesting point about the esti- 

 mates, for the woods and the meadows, aside 

 from their astounding magnitude (contrasted 

 to previous figures based wholly on hypo- 

 thetical grounds), is the wide discrepancy be- 

 tween them. The population of the meadow 

 is so much more dense than that of the woods. 

 Weighing the items separately, it is easily 

 seen which contribute most largely to the dis- 

 crepancy. Of the very great number of 

 Hymenoptera (940) found in the pasture, 933 

 were of one species of ant (the cosmopolitan 

 Tetramorium cwspitum). Yet there was no 

 ant colony on the plot; hence direct evidence 

 is lacking that the number found is excep- 

 tional. Only 8 ants, however, were found in 

 the forest. Further, the meadow yielded 102 

 spring tails to 15 in the woods where the 

 decaying leaf mold seems the optimum home. 

 Turning to seeds, it must be admitted that 

 2,'llQ of the 3,113 seeds found in the meadow 

 were of a single gramineous species, but this 

 hardly can be termed extraordinary since an 

 abundance of grass seeds must be expected in 

 a meadow. However, to be entirely on the 

 safe side let us subtract these strongly con- 

 trasting elements from the totals above stated. 

 Still there remain 39Y seeds and 239 animals 

 for the meadow plot, an average of more than 

 double the number secured in the woods. 



This result is in harmony with many of the 

 conspicuous phenomena of sylvan and cam- 

 pestran life. Witness the variety and copious- 

 ness of the vegetation of roadsides and 

 meadows; their wide expanse of flowers at- 

 tracts a humming swarm of insects. Enter 

 the deep forest, comparative monotony at- 

 tends and 'tis quiet as the tomb. As one 

 progresses through the more open woods to 

 the meadows' again, step by step, variety and 

 number increase. In no respect are phe- 

 nomena of this sort better exemplified than in 

 the relative density of the bird population. 

 It is a matter of repeated observation that 

 birds are more abundant in open country, but 

 it has remained for Professor S. A. Forbes 

 first to give the matter definite expression 



