Geology and Natural History. 421 
expressed in the foregoing paper. He has procured the very 
specimens which Stenzel, Willkomm, Oersted and Parlatore had 
resets analyzed bho with great care, and gives figures and 
eee the principal forms found. He demonstrates that the 
called hi ‘uit scale in those monstrous cones is not divided into 
ine lateral leaves, but becomes irregularly toothed, folded or 
lobed, sometimes shes ane two or more leaves, and finally devel- 
opes a knob an t last a bud, which may and does sometimes 
grow out into a eke: always on the inside of and pee to the 
metamor phosed scale, i. e. on the side towards the axis of the cone, 
often enveloped by its folds, but never between it ind the bract, 
which ought to be the case if the now prevailing view of the 
nature of the scale (as formed by two lateral leaves connate on 
their axial side) were true. 
Unfortunately he has not had occasion to examine such mon- 
strosities where these two leaves are hears, ated or entirely 
distinct, originating not from the base but from the very axil o 
the bract, and not divided by any possible p cats, such as occur 
at the base, not at the top, of pr oliferous cones of Tuga Canaden- 
is. 
separate leaves in the axil of a leat. Tike bract to the partly satin: 
then to the small page agai scale, at last to the large ov uliferous 
seale in the axil of a se bract 
m may is stated in passing, ~ the first lateral bracts at the 
e of a shoot, in pines at least, are not inclined outward or 
toward thes weber ting rae ‘bat he decidedly inward, toward 
the axis, and are plete ng on the inner and upper side of the 
shoot, leat: bundle ower. 
ssor Kichler has given us a very valuable contribution 
towards the solution of the inter esting question he treats of; but 
he has not yet a it, and it will continue to tax the ingenuity 
of Wy jee G. ENGELMANN, 
bmaiieshon of Wild tg (Bulletin of the Buffalo 
sicotety of Natural Sciences, vol. iv, No. 2.)—In a paper “o 
the domestication of some of our » Wild Ducks,” Mr. Charles Li 
den, the author, states after efforts to domesticate several of th 
thoroughly to this state excepting the os Dusky Duck an 
oose, the progeny of which pros well and attained 
a greater wei ‘ht and size than the Jane domesticated stock. 
5s thems > still living and eee in ape instances a . 
need of resorting to special inducements. says, “it is evi- 
dent that the Dusky Duck is fully as ou as the Mallard 
