414 



nomous. That idea is now exploded, for there is not only 

 no disposition on the part of tlie creature to bite, but every 

 variety of them will always seek to escape from us with 

 all haste, and many of them can do so with exceeding 

 celerity. All of them are perfectly innocent. The Cris- 

 tatella, spoken of at the last meeting has been examined 

 by Agassiz, who inclines to explain its great size, not by at- 

 tributing any overgrowth to this specimen, but by supposing 

 it to belong to a different species from any before examined. 

 He concludes that this gigantic size is perfectly natural and 

 proper to this species wherever found. 



The Chair said no one could overrate the good of preserv- 

 ing specimens of common things, for examination by 

 scientific students. Where no person could anticipate it, a 

 new fact might be brought out, of the firfct importance to 

 science and the world. Who can tell who he may be in- 

 structing by a simple statement of some fact well known 

 to him ? The little fellow who accompanied us this morn- 

 ing will never forget that Salamanders are not poisonous, 

 though he has always thought so till to day. The mere as- 

 surance of a fact familiar to me and others, may thus affect 

 the whole of that boy's future life in favor of truth and cor- 

 rect knowledge in this matter and so of others, we know not 

 who or how many. 



C. M. Tracy of Lynn, in remarking on the plants gath- 

 ered in the rambles, alluded to the Fringed Gentian ( Gen- 

 tiana crinita.') It seems like the farewell of the Summer, 

 pure and beautiful, and full of the very exuberance of peace. 

 The Gentians are quite numerous, and exhibit some very 

 curious characters in the course of the series. The range 

 of color among them is remarkable, for there are yellow, red, 

 blue, purple and white species, with many of intermediate 

 shades. They are difficult or impossible of cultivation from, 

 the supposed fact of a parasitic tendency in the roots ; one 

 genus in the family, Voi/ra, is, in fact, a leafless parasite. 



