56 



FIF.l.D AND FOREST. 



from Texas; and it w as supposed to have 



ciinic in the fodder for the cattle, which 

 consisted of hay and maize. This was 

 stored on deck above the after hatchway 

 close to the saloon, and the beetle was 

 taken crawling up the wall inside the sa- 

 loon near the ceiling. The weather hav- 

 ing been warm the windows had been 

 open, and it could easily rind admittance 

 from the adjoining fodder, which was all 

 but exhausted. Some delay took place 

 in getting the ship into dock, and the cat- 

 tle disembarked in consequence of a mis- 

 understanding as to the regulations regard- 

 ing the importation of cattle, so that about 

 a week elapsed before the ship got into 

 •dock ; and by the time she did get in 

 fresh fodder had immediately to be got 

 to supply the cattle. This relieves any 

 anxiety which might otherwise have been 

 felt as to other specimens having been 

 distributed on shore with any surplus fod- 

 der. The history of the other specimen 

 was not so clearly traced. It was said 

 to have fallen from a steamer on to a sail 

 of some craft, and to have been picked up 

 by a bargeman, who gave it to a gentle- 

 man who took it for identification to Mr. 

 Moore of the Free Library and Museum. 

 But as far as can be learned it appears to 

 have been taken, if not in the" same dock 

 at least in the same region of docks as the 

 other one, so may have possibly come from 

 the same source. Credit is due to Mr. 

 Moore for the promptitude with which he 

 at once telegraphed to the Privy Council 

 the occurence of both of these specimens. 

 It is only by such prompt co-operation 

 that the Privy Council can expect success 

 in their efforts to exclude this dreaded 

 pest. — Nature. 



It is coming to be generally known that 

 our silver coinage is purely metric, being 

 worth 4 cents per grain ; hence the dime 



weighs 2' 2 \ the twenty cent piece, 5; the 



half dollar, \2)A grains. The 5 cent 

 nickle is also a 5 grain weight. It has 

 been stated that the 5 cent piece is just 2 

 cm. in diameter. This is incorrect. The 

 piece weighs 5 grains, but the diameter of 

 coins are adjusted by twentieths of inches. 

 The 5 cent piece is sixteen twentieths. — 

 Metric Bulletin . 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Life Histories of the Birds of East- 

 ern Pennsylvania. By Thomas G. 

 Gentry, Vol. ii. [16 mo. pages 336.] 

 Published by the Author. Price $2.00 

 The Author ha sour thanks for the second 

 volume of this very entertaining work, 

 which like the previous one, is filled with 

 interesting bits of bird history, that must 

 form pleasant reading to any. one who has 

 a love for nature, and especially for these 

 cherry denizens of the field and. wood- 

 land, whose biographies are here given. 

 The author announces a third volume. 



Fur-Bearing Animals. A monograph 

 of North American Mustelidae, in which 

 is given an account of the wolverine, the 

 martins or sables, the ermine, the mink 

 and various other kinds of weasels, sev- 

 eral- species of skunks, the badger, the 

 land and sea otters and numerous exotic 

 allies of these animals. By Elliot Coues, 

 Miscellaneous Publications No. 8, U. S. 

 Geological Survey. [8vo. pp. 348, plates 

 xx.] Washington, Government Printing 

 Office, 1877. 



Monographs of North American Ro- 

 dentia, By Elliott Coues and J. A. Allen. 

 [4to. pp. 1091.] Vol. xi of the United 

 States Geological Survey of the Territo- 

 ries. Washington, Government Printing 

 Office, 1877. 



