J2 West American Scientist. 



' But the greatest sound we produced was by having one native 

 He upon his belly, and another taking him by the feet and dragging 

 him rapidly down the incline, carrying as much sand as possible 

 with him. With this experiment the sound was terrific, and 

 could have been heard many hundred yards distant. With all 

 the experiments made, it seemed the sound was in proportion to 

 the amount of sand put in motion with a proportionate velocity. 

 Another consideration seems requisite, that is, its perfect dryness. 

 The dry sand would sound on the surface, where six inches 

 beneath it is wet; but if any of the wet sand become mingled 

 wdth the dry, its property of sounding ceased at once The sand 

 appears to the eye like ordinary beach sand, but ordinary beach 

 sand will not produce the sounds. It has been said that it lost 

 its sonorous properties when taken away from the bank. But I 

 can discover no diminishing of its sonorous qualities, even with 

 the bottle uncorked, and we have had rain frequently and an 

 atmosphere more than ordinarily moist for this time of year. 

 Perhaps, if exposed to a very damp atmosphere, it might absorb 

 moisture enough to prevent its sounding.' 



TREES AWAKE AND ASEEEP. 



Science has found out something very novel, namely, that the 

 fruit tree slumbers in daytime and works at night. This modern 

 idea is that fruit trees acquire most of their growth at night. The 

 fruit of the cherry laurel, for instance, has been found by Dr. 

 Krauss, of Halle, to increase at the rate of 90 per cent, at night 

 and only 10 per cent, by day, while apples increase 80 per cent, 

 at night and 20 per cent, in the daytime. — N. Y, Mail and Ex- 

 press. 



SEA-URCHINS OR SEA- EGGS. 



Strongylocenttrotus purpuratus, A. Ag., is the somewhat long 

 name of the common sea-urchin or sea-egg found so plentiful 

 along the coast from Puget Sound to Santa Cruz, Cal., and I do 

 not know but its range is north and south of those points. It is 

 eaten by some, and it was a choice dish upon the tables of the 

 Greeks and Romans. I never tried to eat them, but have seen 

 others do so, and they have said they were very fine. In color it 

 is dark violet when alive, but the dried tests have a greenish tint. 

 They are found at low tide in little holes in the rock, which they 

 make by fixing themselves to the rock by means of their tentacles, 

 and making an incision by means of their strong teeth, removing 

 the debris with their spines as fast as it is produced It is a 

 beautiful sight to go to Moore's beach at Santa Cruz, at low tide, 

 and look in the tide pools, or aquariums as they are sometimes 

 called, and see them all lined with violet sea-urchins, each in their 

 little homes. They look some like a chestnut with the burr on, 



