44 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 



Mr. L. C. Ditmars has contributed to the ' Proceedings of the Linnsean 

 Society of New York ' a descriptive list of " The Snakes found within fifty 

 miles of New York City." These number fifteen species, belonging to 

 thirteen genera. Only two of them, the Copperhead Snake (Agkistrodon 

 contortrix) and the Banded Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), are venomous, 

 and fortunately the first is reported as of not common occurrence near the 

 city, and the second as becoming very rare within fifty miles of the same. 



A second species of Natrix, N. leberis, has been recorded by Hoi brook 

 ('North American Herpetology ') as being also found in the State, and thus 

 included by Baird in his list of Ophidia; but Mr. Ditmars has found no 

 authentic information of its being taken in the area he has defined, and so 

 excludes it from his list. 



In connection with the recent earthquake shocks in this couutry, 

 attention has once more been called to the premonitory warnings given by 

 Pheasants in Japan. Lieut. C. W. Baillie, of the Meteorological Office, 

 made some corroborative remarks to a representative of the ' Westminster 

 Gazette ' on this subject. He is reported as saying : " Japan is — or was a 

 few years ago — very plentifully provided with Pheasants. And I have 

 heard them many a time in a wood close by my house making a noise that 

 always warned us of the approach of the earthquake ; aud the warning was 

 was always justified within a few minutes." 



Readers of this Magazine may remember that in the volume for 1896, 

 p. 78, attention was recalled to the fact that the Pheasant in this country 

 was incited to crow at the sound of thunder or the firing of cannon. 



In the Zoological Series of the publications of the Field Columbian 

 Museum, Chicago, and in a paper written by Mr. D. G. Elliot on " Sundry 

 Collections of Mammals," are some interesting observations made by Prof. 

 J. B. Steere while collecting in the Philippine Islands. We extract the 

 following : — 



11 The Fruit Bats of the Philippines prefer small islands for theii roosts, 

 but will take up with other isolated localities. I found one roost on Negros 

 occupying one immense hard-wood tree standiug by itself far from the 

 forest on the plains of the western side of the island. Where they are not 



