Notes and Nt'ws. yj 



many years the home of a naturalist and the house in which he 

 died, is to be sold at auction soon. — Fo7'est and Stream. 



The largest turtle known to have been captured in Kansas 

 weighed 59 pounds. It was taken in the Neosho river in 1885. 

 A party of scientists are boring in the s( il at the delta of the Nile 

 in search of rock. A depth ot 308 feet has been reached, but no 

 rock was found. The overlying soil to a depth of loc feet was 

 sand. 



A large deposit of terra colta clay has been found near Bethel, 

 Kansas. The bed is about three feat thick, and is said to pos- 

 sess excellent qualities. 



A subscriber informs us that Amsinckia goes by the name of crow- 

 foot in the country, and that Krynitzkia is known as wild sweetalys- 

 sum. The true sweet alyssum, Alyssum maritimum, has become 

 partially naturalized around San Diego. 



An Italian Microscopical Society has just been formed, whose 

 articles and papers are to be published in Italian, French. Eng- 

 lish, and German. The address of the secretary is J. Platania, 

 14 Via S. Giuseppi, Acireale, Sicily. 



Hawaiian Butterflies — At the last meeting of the Ento- 

 mological Society of London, Mr. E. Meyrick communicated a 

 paper On the Pyralidina of the Hawaiian Islands.' Mr. Meyrick 

 pointed out that the exceptional position of these islands renders 

 an accurate knowledge of their fauna a subject of great interest. 

 He stated that of the fifty-six known species of Hawaiian Pyra- 

 lidina nine had probably been introduced through the agency 

 of man in recent times; but he believed the remaining forty- 

 seven to be wholly endemic 



Mr. W. Saville Kent, formerly naturalist at the Brighton and 

 Great Yarmouth Aquaria, is now Inspector of Fisheries in Tas- 

 mania. Mr. Kent is a distinguished scientist, and is well known 

 from his great work on 'Infusoria ' We may expect important 

 and valuable work from his new field of labor. 



The Summer Meeting of the Chautauqua Assembly at Pacific 

 Grove, July 5th to 15th inclusive, promises to be an interesting 

 one. Particular attention will be given to natural history, the 

 facilities for study being good The department of General 

 Botany is in the care of Miss M. E.B. Norton, for ten years teacher 

 of this branch at the State Normal School, San Jose: Marine 

 Botany will be taught by Dr. C. L. Anderson, of Santa Cruz, a 

 distinguished Algologist ; while Prof Josiah Keep, of Mills Col- 

 lege, will have charge of the class in Conchology. 



EDITORIAL. 



Librarians east and west are asking: 'Are you never going to 

 publish an index and tide page for The West American 



