November 17, 1893.] 



SCIENCE. 



279 



Tertiary beds of the Mississippi embayment and the 

 gravels within the Missouri valleys, I shall not attempt 

 to consider, as they should be seen on the ground before 

 being discussed. As far as presented, they do not over- 

 come the various lines of evidence which point to 

 changes in the level of Missouri since its Paleozoic emer- 

 gence; the last of these changes being the one in conse- 

 quence of which the present valleys were cut in the de- 

 nuded surface of the region. VV. M. Davis. 



Harvard College, Oct. 31, 1893. 



Coon Cats. 

 Seeing Mr. J. N. Baskett's note on page 220 of the cur- 

 rent volume of Science, concerning coon cats, I venture to 

 inform you that I was struck with the extraordinary ap- 

 pearance of one of these cats owned by Mr. Will Carle- 

 ton, who hai it with him in the Catskill Mountains the 

 present summer. I asked him about the cat and he told 

 me the same fable vrhich Mr. Baskett relates, but he went 

 on to say that of course the story was incorrect and that 

 in his opinion this peculiar race of cats from Maine is 

 descended from some Perisian or Angora breed brought 

 down to Maine by early French settlors from Canada. I 

 believe that this was surmise on Mr. Carle ton's part, but 

 it seemed reasonable to me and if you receive no more 

 satisfactory explanation in reply to Mr. Baskett's question, 

 you are at liberty to use this. 



L. 0. Howard. 



Washington, D. C, November g. 



Pump Water. 



In America we often observe that the farmer, in his 

 efforts to economize the steps of the housewife, digs his 

 domestic well in close vicinity of his drains and outbuild- 

 ings, but I have yet to see at home so pronounced a case 

 of unsanitary surroundings as I observed in Germany 

 a short time ago. 



The top of a tall wooden pump, which crowned the 

 family well, just peeped out from a huge manure heap 

 which completely surrounded it. So large was the heap 

 that the pump handle had to be operated by a rope, and 

 the water was carried beyond the heap by a small trough. 



Wm. p. Mason. 



Rome, Italy, Nov. 2. 



In answer to Mr. J. N. Baskett's question regarding 

 "Coon-Cats' in your issue of Oct. 20, 1893, 1 would say that 

 this cross-breed of animals has been known for many years, 

 more jDarticularly in the State of Maine. The error at- 

 tributing these mongrels to a cross between our domestic 

 feline, and the raccoon, Procyon lotor, is as general as it is 

 ridiculous; for it stands to reason that animals of differ- 

 ent families could not interbreed. The notion is about as 

 ridiculous as a prevalent story among the ignorant that 

 (cat) owls bear their young alive. 



The subject of "coon-cats," or sometimes called mule- 

 cats, has been repeatedly discussed in many papers, and 

 it is now generally conceded that this hybrid is the result 

 of an alliance of our domestic tabby with some Oriental 

 feline — probably the Angora. This cross would show the 

 long, bushy tail of the Oriental species. But Mr. Baskett 

 is in error in supposing these animals plantigrade, and if >^ 

 he secures a skull, which he can easily do, he will find ''' ' 

 that the dentition is pronouncedly feline. 



These cats are quite common in parts of New England, 

 and may be purchased at a very reasonable figure, and 

 according to the demands and the supply in the cat 

 market. Few persons are able to distinguish between 

 genuine Angoras and these hybrids, and many are the im- 

 suspecting buyers who have paid a high price for a com- 

 mon "coon-cat" worth not more than two dollars. 



MOBEIS GlBBS. 



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Descriptive pamphlet free on application to 



RuMFORD Chemical Works, Providence, R. I. 



Beware of Substitutes and Imitations. 



For sale by all Druggists. 



Sale.— A very fine telescope, length extended, 



twenty-five inches, closed, seven inches. Power 

 twenty-five times. Good as new. Cost $25.00. 

 Will sell for the best cash offer. B. S. Bowdish, 

 Box 165, Phelps, N. Y. 



For Sale or Exchange for last editions of Standard 

 Works on Vegetable Anatomy or Physiology: 

 Practical Zoology, Marshall & Hurst; Elements of 

 Embryology, Foster & Balfour; Zoology, Macalis- 

 ter; Guide to the Study of Insects, Packard; Geolog- 

 ical Studies and Shall We Teach Geology,Winchell. 

 Also have duplicates o£ Experiment Station pub- 

 lications which would like to exchange for any m t 

 in my file. L. R. Jones, Burlington, Vt. 



For exchange.— Skins of Aegialites nivosa, Ereu- 

 netes occidentalis, Aunnodramus Arldingi. A. 

 rostratus, Chamara tasciata henshawi, etc., for 

 native or foreign skins with full data. Send lists. 

 A. W. Anthony, 2042 Albatross St., San Diego, Cali- 

 fornia. 



I have a Beck New National monocular microscope, 

 accessories, microtome, mounting material and a 

 large number of fine slides. Will exchange the 

 whole or in part tor a first class type-writer or 

 photograph outfit. A. C. Gruhlke, Waterloo, Ind. 



Offered sidebloom eggs of Bulimus oblongus and 

 exotic land and freshwater shells in exchange for 

 Helices not in collection. Send lists to G. K. Gude, 

 5 Gresbach Road, upper HoUoway, London, Eng- 

 land. 



Would like to exchange 100 specimens of Canadian 

 Indian Relics for a photo outfit. E. J. Waters, 33 

 HofEman St., Auburn, N. Y. 



Wants. 



\X; ANTED.— Tuckerman's Geneva Lichenum and 

 ''' Carpenter on the Microscope, Wiley's In- 

 troduction to the Study of Lichens. State price 

 and other particulars. Richard Lees, Brampton, 

 Ont. 



W^ 



ANTED.— Icones Musoorum by W. D. Sulli- 

 vant, with or without Supplement, but both 

 preferred. Address, stating price and condition 

 of books. Dr. G. N. Best, Rosemont, N. J. 



\\/ ANTED.— A copy of Mascart & Joubert's Les- 

 ^^ sons in Electricity and Magnetism, Vol. I. Ad- 

 dress R. W. Clawson, Vanderbilt University, Nash- 

 ville, Tennessee. 



pHEMIST.— Graduate of a poly technical school, 

 ^— ' and studied photographic cliemistry in Ger- 

 many and Austria. Situation teaching or in ana- 

 lytical or experimental laboratory. M. B. Punnett, 

 Rochester, N. Y. 



WANTED.— A recent college graduate to assist in 

 editorial work on Science. Those seeking 

 large emoluments need not apply. N. D. O. 

 Hodges, 874 Broadway, New York. 



A GRADUATE in medicine, experienced, will 

 /^ prepare or revise scientific and medical manu- 

 script tor publication, read proof, compile bibliog- 

 raphies, &c. Will also consult New York libraries 

 lor persons out of town wishing references to rare 

 works. Address M. D., 104 Cambridge Place, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y. 



