June 10, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



915 



study of some specimens of pellagrous blood with 

 the hope of throwing some light on the etiology 

 of this disease. 



The usual smear preparation was made, stained 

 with methylene blue and studied under a Zeiss 

 apoehromat. Bacteria were seen in considerable 

 numbers in most cases — especially severe ones. 

 Milder cases were more difficult and not as yet 

 entirely convincing. These bacteria are poly- 

 morphic, but generally spherical, grouped often in 

 doubles like a dumb-bell or in irregular clumps, 

 sometimes in chains and usually between .5 and 

 1 yii in diameter. 



A culture derived from damaged corn shows an 

 organism quite similar in grouping, size, color 

 reactions and polymorphism. This is now being 

 tested with animals. 

 Peculiarities in Distribution of North Carolina 



Birds: Feanklin Shebman, Jr., Raleigh, N. C. 



The main points brought out in this paper are 

 as follows: 



1. The song sparrow was long known to breed 

 mainly if not exclusively on the very verge of 

 the coast region. Records were given showing 

 that it nests quite freely in the mountain region 

 also. There is no evidence that it nests in any 

 of the central sections of the state. 



2. The towhee has been known to breed only in 

 the eastern and western sections. Data were 

 given showing that it also nests in the central 

 section to some extent, though perhaps not so 

 abundantly. 



3. The barn swallow has been known to nest 

 only on the coast. A record was given of its 

 nesting at about 2.600 feet elevation in the moun- 

 tains. It is not known in nesting season in the 

 central part of the state. 



4. The loggerhead shrike is mainly a winter 

 visitor, going north to breed. Two or three breed- 

 ing records are on file. Several new records are 

 added, especially from the eastern section. 



5. The robin has been known to breed only in 

 the western half of the state. Data were given 

 showing that in 1909, at least, it nested in a 

 number, of eastern localities. It may be extend- 

 ing its breeding range to the southward. 



The tendency shown by certain birds (confirmed 

 by some other animals and plants) to occur in 

 the eastern and western extremes of the state is 

 attributed to high humidity of the coast region 

 which gives to the plants or animals the condi- 

 tions of a more northern latitude. The western 

 part of the state furnishes the same conditions 

 by altitude. 



The Comet: What is Itf John F. Lanneatj, Wake 

 Forest College, Wake Forest, N. C. 



The Resin of Pinus sabiniana: Chaeles H. Heety 

 and E. N. Tillett, University of North Caro- 

 lina, Chapel Hill, N. C. (Read by title.) 



Medical Entomology : Z. P. Metcalf, Department 



of Agriculture, Raleigh, N. C. 



A short popular account of some of the more 

 recent developments in the science of medical 

 entomology, which was defined as that branch of 

 entomology which treats of the relation of insects 

 and insect-like animals in the transfer of dis- 

 eases from man to man, man to animal and ani- 

 mal to animal. This relation was declared to be 

 twofold : In the first ease the insect is a necessary 

 intermediate host and in the second case the 

 insect is merely an incidental or accidental factor 

 in the transfer of the disease. The work of the 

 board of health of the city of Asheville, N. C, 

 was cited as an example of applied medical 

 entomology. 



The Ammonifying of North Carolina Soils: F. L. 

 Stevens and W. A. Withees, assisted by P. L. 

 Gainet and F. W. Sheewood, North Carolina 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, W. Raleigh, 

 N. C. 



Remarks on the Relation of our Birds to the 

 Farm and Garden: C. S. Bbimxey, Raleigh, 

 N. C. (Read by F. Sherman, Jr.) Published 

 in full in the current number of the Journal 

 of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society. 

 Where to find Amebas: E. W. Gudgeb, State Nor- 

 mal College, Greensboro, N. C. 

 The directions given in the books are very in- 

 definite, as the writer found to his sorrow in 

 his early biological days. Acting on a suggestion 

 made by Dr. D. H. Teunent, now of Bryn Mawr 

 College, he at that time successfully sought them 

 in the yellowish-green diatom deposits on the 

 bottom of stagnant ditches or of quiet pools in 

 brooks. In seven years these have never failed 

 to furnish abundant material. The writer's 

 classes are supplied from a tiled drain at the 

 foot of a bank less than one hundred yards from 

 the laboratory. These amebas vary in size from 

 quite small to those so large that they can not 

 be seen in their entirety under the ordinary high 

 objective. 



The Origin of Thermal Waters, with Special Ref- 

 erence to Bot Springs, Ark.: Coixiee Cobb, 

 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N. C. 



