EDITORIAL NOTES. 
449 
!per nautical mile. The deep sea portion will be covered with galvanized steel 
•wire and manilla hemp. All the intermediate cables are armed with steel wires. 
The shore ends are of the usual heavy types. Messrs. Siemens are convinced 
that nothing superior has ever come from their factories. They will introduce all 
the improvements suggested by years of research and experience. The length 
of the entire system of cables will be 5,600 miles. They will be laid by the 
steamer Faraday in the course of next summer. A visit to the works at Woolwich 
shows that everything is in a forward state of preparation. 
SAMBO ON THE "RAIL-BIRD." 
" I, just whush," says he, " that some of dese fo'ks wat's all de time stud'in' 
ober bugs an' animals an' thin's wud fin' out wat kind ob a t'ing a rail-bud is, 
anyhow. Der' arn't nobody yit wat's eber 'now'd whar dey cum from or how 
dey cum's, whar dey go's, when dey go's, an' how dey go's. You may cum on 
dese ma'shes one day an' dey arn't no bud's ; cum de nex' an' 'nock on you' boat 
wid you' oar an' dey answe's you f om all 'round : ' Heah I is ! heah I is ! ' 
But cum arter de fus' fros' and you doan' fin' 'em. Dey can't fly, dat's sart'in. 
Dey can't run hun'ered mil's in a nighttim', dat's shuah. Nobody 'nowsnawfin' 
'bout em. Dey mighty cut', and dey can run, swim an' div' jes' same lik' a wild 
duck an' a wild tu'key combin'. Ef dey won't fly yo' might as well lef 'em be. 
Tain't any mo' use in huntin' 'em than any thin' in dis whol' roun' wo'ld." 
EDITORIAL NOTES. 
The Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Kan- 
sas Academy of Science will be held at To- 
peka, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, No- 
vember 21, 22 and 23, 1883. The business 
meeting will be held Wednesday, November 
2ist, at 3 o'clock P. M. Wednesday and 
Thursday evenings will be devoted to lec- 
tures. Papers will be read and discussed on 
Thursday and Friday forenoons and after- 
noons. Friday evening a social meeting and 
reception will be held at the residence of one 
of the local members. 
A full attendance of the members and of 
the friends of science generally is desired, as 
the programme promises to be full of inter- 
est, and business of importance is to be trans- 
acted, which will tend to increase the effi- 
ciency and usefulness of the Academy. 
All persons expecting to present papers, or 
submit specimens, or introduce any scientific 
subject, are requested to send the titles and 
names of the same to the Secretary at their 
earliest convenience, that he may arrange 
them in the programme in time to distribute 
before the meeting. 
The subject of the retiring President's ad- 
dress will be " The Organization and History 
of the Academy." The lecture on Thursday 
evening will be delivered by Dr. R. J. 
Brown, of Leavenworth ; subject, " Deep Sea 
Fauna." 
Reduced rates will be secured at the hotels ; 
and also, from the railroads of the State. 
For information address A. H. Thompson, 
President, Topeka, Kas.; or E. A. Popenoe. 
Secretary, Manhattan, Kas. 
