FIELD AND FOREST. 



133 



(A. lagopus, var. sancti-johanis ;) two 

 White Rabbits, (Lepus cuniculus ;) four 

 Hybrid Fowls ; one White Rabbit, (L. 

 cuniculus;) eight Dingoi, (Canis dingo,) 

 born in garden ; one Great Horned Owl, 

 (Bubo virginianus.— Arthur E. Brown, 

 Supt. 



GLEANINGS. 



The Department of Agriculture has just 

 sent to the Paris Exhibition, with other 

 collections, ten cases of Insects, arranged 

 in the same manner as the novel economic 

 collection displayed at the Centennial. 

 There are two cases devoted to the in- 

 sects affecting Maize; two to Cotton; two 

 to Cereal crops; two to Potato, and one 

 each to Grape and Tobacco Insects. These 

 are shown in some cases in the different 

 stages, and all are labelled with the name 

 of the insect, the particular stage in which 

 it is shown, and a short description of its 

 mode of injury, in both English and 

 French. Disks, showing varying propor- 

 tion of white and black, illustrate the 

 amount of injury as "questionable," 

 "slightly injurious," "destructive," &c, 

 these words appearing in an explanatory 

 key at the top of each case. The cases 

 are poplar, stai ed upon the outside, but 

 only varnished upon the inside, the white 

 label cards appearing upon a back-ground 

 of natural wood. Over 250 specimens 

 are exhibited, comprising a majority of 

 our worst American noxious insects. 

 Among them may be mentioned the Col- 

 orado potato beetle, the Western destruc- 

 tive locust, the Chinch bug, the Wheat 

 midge and Hessian fly, the Cotton army 

 worm, the Northern army worm, Cut 

 worms, etc., etc. Where good specimens 



could not be obtained of larvae, etc., or 

 the insects are very minute, colored draw- 

 ings have been substituted. 



The Potomac-side Naturalist Club meets 

 the second Monday in each month, at the 

 Franklin Public School Building. Hour 

 of meeting 8 o'clock p. m. All persons 

 interested in Natural History, or engaged 

 in scientific pursuits, are cordially invited 

 to attend these meetings, and to bring 

 their friends. 



Professors Riley and Thomas, and Dr. 

 Packard, have been in Washington upon 

 business relative to the Entomological Com- 

 mission. Although many new facts and 

 discoveries were added to our knowledge 

 of the western locusts by the commission 

 last year, it is thought another year can be 

 profitably spent in finishing up the work, 

 and pei haps adding to the large amount 

 of material already obtained. The report, 

 which will soon be published, will prob- 

 ably make five hundred pages and will 

 embrace Chronological History, Statistics 

 of losses, Classification and Nomenclature, 

 Geographical Distribution, Migration, Orig- 

 inal Permanent Breeding Grounds, Habitat 

 and Natural History, Embryology, Meta- 

 morphoses, Invertabrate and Vertibrate 

 enemies, Remedies and Devices for Des.- 

 truction, Agricultural Bearings of the Sub- 

 ject, Locust Ravages in other Countries, 

 &c. The labor of preparing the report has 

 been divided among the three gentlemen 

 composing the commission though it em- 

 anates from the commission as a whole. 

 Its publication is awaited with interest. 



A pear tree measuring some eighteen 

 inches in diameter was recently cut down 

 in the gnvunds of the President's mansion, 

 It is supposed to have been planted either 

 by Washington or Adams. The wood 

 was quite solid. 



