FIELD AND FOREST. 53 



large that they had to be hewn down before they could be cut by the 

 double saws of the mills. 



The great size of the Tulip tree depends mainly upon the loftiness 

 and massiveness of its trunk, the top being proportionately small, and 

 consisting of crooked, heavy and rather clumsy branches. Had it a 

 spread of top comparing in proportion to the size oftrunk to that of 

 the Sycamore or Pecan, this tree would rank as the largest in the 

 Eastern hard-wood forests. 



Clad with its luxuriant foliage, of peculiar form, small or middle- 

 sized trees are magnificent specimens of vegetation ; and when be- 

 spangled by the thousands of tulip-like flowers, of pale yellow, green 

 and orange, few trees of temperate or eventropical regions are more 

 beauiful. The larger specimens, however, bear their blossoms and fo- 

 liage at too great a height to be attractive on this account, but in 

 winter when bare of leaves, their lofty tops of crooked dusky branches 

 picturesque from their altitude and rugged aspect. 



Robert Ridgway. 



Potomac-Side Naturalists' Club. 



JVove?nber i^th, iSyj, (igsth meeting. ) 



Mr. Ward exhibited specimens of Halostachys occidentalis from the 

 valley of Sevier River, Utah, covered with crystals, (probably some 

 salt of soda,) also Microstylis ophioglossoides, from the District. 



Messrs. Sanborn and Chickering exhibited several varieties of mi- 

 croscopes, especially the ''Moss-microscope" and some others from 

 Carl Zeiss of Jena, very satisfactory both in price and quality. 



Prof. Goode gave some interesting facts respecting parasitism among 

 fishes, notably in the case oi Brevoortia menhaden known as menhaden, 

 porgies, hard-heads, moss-bonkers, and at the South as bug-fish, from 

 the abundance of these parasites, attaching to the inside of the mouth, 

 and almost filling up the throat. 



Dr. Schaeffer mentioned the recent discovery, or hypothesis, that 

 the famous English "whitebait" are only young herring. Prof. 

 Goode stated that many cases of supposed specific and even generic 

 distinction, had been shown to be only differences of age. 



