OOTOBEE 28, 1880,] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



245 



iess tban seventy imillets while fishing oil the stpnjner's deelt. 



Tlicso fish run in schools, and will average two and a half 



Ki'iinils each in some schools aojd in otlmrs'^lhey are sinallor. 



illy they fire eiiuid iu aize tbrouKhoui Uie entire school, 



h for them wth trout hooliU, halted with dough mixed 



ii'nigii colliM to touglien it. The fish Suclw the hiiif, 



i^.'j II II - I I I iir- iii.Mrini-:r of eamefltih, but lliev niuke an 



. . ■ I. !■ hfiiiy; hryf.kril. for Ihi-vnre fXtiviiidv 



,- ,, , ,.. .inrnti^. andanKui wiUi a>.H.d, li-ht rod 



. -iiiii i-,..i: ijiii a jiiea>.,uit lnHu- .ir Iwo. Aallir li-sh irmaiii very 



ni at- the surfarie and their lu.jli.Mis arc at all linu-is visible, a 



poi-oii 2e(R very iiiiich iair-rr-sied in wiliiespiiia: tlv' way in 



viiicii tliey hook themselves ; anfl yoi it soon nro\^^s tiitwiiiie, 



I'M llii: sijiv gets old and excitetiieiit cannot be \iiaiyilained 



Inr ih( uM-iai'^e Itsherman. I have seen eorlienoeH eatiL'bl, bnt 



1/ . I , K'li bv Ihrowing over n lot of wa.ste meal, laead, 



, I .1 ■■■. :■ ill il.eir miflRt. 



' the lish would diljruii.«!h in niimliers 

 II nmiiber of slnirks and pelicalis. Tlie 



io /iiiki, 1,1 Inmi a dozen to a hundred, iro out to sea 



eaeli moniiiisr and return just before sund.jwu to tlieir roosts 



oil the islands in the Imy : or, ^vben the tisli are inside the 



.v.-f, rJirse birds ean be seen '-ov'sinii themselves for hours t<i- 



1. How they utilize the DUiulM'rs eaten would ])uzzlr' a 



Milicr. 1 saw one bird devour Iv/entv-seven mullet, liy 



i-uiU.aiid it wasn't a verv a:n,.i(l day for|)elieanseit,brr 



■<mis like a singular sf a-: nii. I 'il i lie jumping Hud 



',- of the hsh about thr- ': ' '.n i :: irie iiiolil quite 



inly kee[i mo awake, !:■ ,■ i iMiigto be fairly 



'III lii.-i!. They cyidcmlj, eoo,.,: lu un the hood tide, 



' i'k i he sui-f ace iu such vast numbers owing to 



; I heir natural enemies, the pelican and the luan- 



1 i n to take a trip into the swamp with nio 

 I I -I. snipe, toueaus, duck, tigers and deer, 

 . . .„u, , ;,iM you in another letter. 

 i unama, U. O. Voiumbm. Dn. .T. O. SwAS. 



jPHE QUESTION OF SHARKS SWALL<jW1NG THEIl? 

 YOUXG. 



IN a recent issue of Fotiest axb SrnKAM an account of 

 the ftndin.g of several young sliark.s in the stomach of a 

 V.w'ji- female hy Mr. E. G. BJaclUord, of i'ldlon market, ^>a>i 

 This article was extensively copied, atid the general 

 -ion seemed to be that the yoimg had been taken in for 

 proieetion. 



Knowing how little is known about sharks in general except 

 stories of their voracity fiy .sailors and details of their stnic- 

 iiu-e by zoologists, and that, although tliey bring forth then 

 iuijiig alive, tlieir character for gluttony was such as to make 

 ii ir,|nar strange that they shoidd earc for any Uviug thing 

 1 hey could either swallow or bite in two, we w-ere inter 

 ill this incident. Awaiting a favorable opportimify ^\e 

 iiii'^ iev.'ed ^Fr. 131ackford, who told us that ho bought the 

 aliiuk iaeaiise i( looked big and strange, and that he had no 

 list for s! ail a beast except the interest which he always takes in 

 , |! I ii I I iiilures, that is, to leam their habits and find out 

 t . :. Ii . and what they eat. He ordered a man to open 

 I i oil , I 1 1 1 o, 1 1 1 i iig imusual was f ormd to Itri ng it to him. The 

 ti.-li was the "mackerel shark," Ixuropu ikkniyl. Gill, and 

 contained ten young ones, each two feet long. 



< lur int'ormant understood that they were m the stomach of 



ilio lich, inil to make sure of this we now have the facts from 



Uw Blackford, who says that the man only brought liini th< 



young and said they were from the stomach, b\it llitit he did 



not believe he cotild tell the difference iHlween tbc stoiuadi 



anil the \yomb, and l.hal,a.s the young sliaiks appeared frcshu 



ho old one, he thinks that thoy had never been bom 



riainly .seems to bo llie most reasonable to any one who 



,.!, . 11 anylliiiig of the liaViiis of sharks, or of the swift action 



of itieir digestive appanitus, and. as wo before slated, theit 



was no mark upon ihe lililo ones to .sliow that digestion had 



nin, even to the removal nf the mucus upon their skins. So 



this case does not prove (hat sharks swallow their yomig 



protection. 



HE MOLLUSCA OF RIVERDALE, NEW YORK CITY 



WlXn NOTES. 



^HAT portion of the Twenty-fourtinYard of New Vtuk 

 citvin which the following .shells were co.llooi.o is h,,o,i - 



Norlb 

 tSpuylen 

 ^ver, and 

 6 about, fo 



by the 



riu\ vol ami Kii 



£.,;, 1,.- ,V:f: 



jd rocky (lisiri< i 



I o ■• o 1 ,,,; ( ounlaud Lake; and 



fcttller ones ; -L 'Oil I r " .ho . if wliieh Tibbet's is the largest 



tfew empty iiito the Hudson, but the greater numbcrlnto 



Hbbet'B Brook, that into Van Courtland Lake, that again 



r a continuation of Tibbel's Brook into Spuyten Duyvd 



' ■ The shon_-s of llie Hudson River adjoining lllis dlS- 



jt are nsunlly sandy heaeh; beyond, mud imd stony bot- 



, with oeeasional eel grass. 



Sf>i" a/xHuriu, Linn.— \'ery abundant m the Ilndsoft be- 

 lidc-marks; young are taken from earlj'- spring till 

 ! .Tmie. 



•fra lalemlU, Say. — A very common shell in the Ilud- 

 tween tides. Our specimens are much smaller than 

 aken on Long Island or in llie Harlem River. 

 <M. fiiMf.i; Phil. — Very common in the Hudson be- 

 lide-murks, but small, the pink variety not so com- 



"hm jmrtumeimnt Say.— In all sliU water ponds very 



'ni/M mkatum, Lam.— Foimd in Van Courtland 

 and Tibbel's Brook. Ot specimens collected in Au- 

 w were adults. Very conmiou. 

 'iitm uhdilum, Hald. — Rather common iu Odell'a Pond, 

 found lUtftchcd to leaves of wat«r plants and lioatiiu; 



Prndium arjwilatitrale, Prime.— Fotmd in small mud holes. 

 Very rare. 



Pisi'dmiii (wnpresnitm, Prime. — OdcU's Pond, common. 



(fmo mmplanatitii, Sol'd. — Small in Tibbet's Brook, with 

 bluish white nacre. In N'an e'ourtland Lake large, with 

 pmk, sahiion, blue -Aud \-, lute ntiero. Very abimdanl in both 

 liX'alilios. 



Mii'tiiitu ]ili,-a!vlii,H^ Desh. — One-half valve Only foimd on 

 the iludson, at Thorn's Dock. No doubt carried fi'om Spiij'- 

 ten l)u\ '^'el ( 'reek, \\ here it is common. 



<j.-<trai ','./oo',-'i. Lam., and vac. cMata. — Iu Hudson Tcrj'' 

 coijimon, liiil smaih 



JIHiiW II, I iir'«iri 'I, 'T'ity. — Side bills in sltady woods under 

 slicks and bark ; alao on tlte borders of swamps, imder sticks, 

 etc. A'tiy abundant. 



Jli/iiiin,' iiif'mfrrfn. Say. — Oti side liiUs in woods oidy, 

 rmdor 1 , i -' t ,i-a>s. Not SO abundant a.s the la.st. 



I'- mruM, Binn.— In rotten stumps, gen- 



erally Not rare. 



('■'!■■■' i|j. — In rotten .Stumps, under leaves, etc., 



ilfl!iv„1ix,iiis !:i,.i 'ii',. Siiy. i.hTiooilly in rolLen wood near 

 watoi', but I'.a'io oikioi p, in dry sitiiaiioms. jModerately 



Li/iiii.r ininn''- I I n i iidor hark of logs near water. 



LuiKix cohijHinirir.. Jji.inoy.— Very common in fields, on 



paths and on roud sides ; generally observed in early morning. 



Liii>fi.i- f.ariiK, Linn. — Taken m greenhouses. Kiither com- 



JJmiix riuuv.hmtn, Linn.— Found in mushroom beds. Tlie 

 mushroom sjjawn was received from France. At one time 



(pule abundant. 



iii'jiii pun lilliniiila, Say. — ^Foimd at roots of willows in 

 siud) sod 111 u w ikr and also in moist places in woods. 

 Vei\ common 



I'dli h '-in i' ' ii — TTndcr stones and sticks at edges 



of woods boi i. I 'I oherrare. 



hiiohlii hi —Found aintost everywhere, but 



moie common _ i ieks near water's edge. 



'^ < 'ii I o^ II )^Ay — On side hills tmder stones in dry 

 [Ik a ' > I iinmon 



s . 11,1 launii'iiin. Rackett.— On side hills in dry places, 

 main moist ^\ooi- have taken this species on trees several 

 fei_t liom tliL gi' uiid Common. 



Mimi'hin vn J I lUuM. — Same station as the last. Not so 

 common 



1 ittidupiii liujrrtiiitii. Say — Yery common in woods near 

 water and diy lull suits, a beautiful pink lipped variety is 

 sometimes tound. I h ivc taken specimens without any teeth, 

 othLis without tec rh on outci lip, aud others with the i^arie- 

 tal tooth od1\ 



Ml iiii)u 11, yi „i(h ^ Say. — Yery common in woods both in 

 diy and nunst si.u iIioih. Have taken this on trees four feet 

 fiom the giound 



M< •fodoH (dhihbi ii. Say.— Yery common everywhere. The 

 toothed vain ly is also common. 



I ii//,inifi p)i'l'?i'l(i-i, Mull — Common near habitations, under 

 chi| s md baik .nound wood piles; rare in the woods. 



<ii/i,/iii siihnilindnnt, Lmn. — Common in one loctiUty 

 a)'\ moist woodsundei i >tlc n leaves. 



/ ]i I I'l III r I I ^ i\ — A I ly abmidant at one locality only; 

 atth(bis( ,1 \\il!ro\ oi Ku hill near the Hud.5on River. 



I'i'pa jitntidii/i, Sa}.— Rare ; found tmder logs with vertigo 

 ovala ill damp woods. 



Pupa ioniiaitn, Say. — ^\''eiy common near water, hut rare 

 in (hy v, oods. Have tul^en three hundred at one time in one 

 locatiim 



Vntujo u ain. Saj . — Very common tmder leave.?, sticks,etc., 

 in dam]) woods. 



\ali(j<i iniiplcx, Gould.- Taken in company with avata. 

 Rate 



t^ufeuun aiara, Say. — On dry hill sides under stones. Com 

 mon but sm ill 



^iiu'iiiii I I II I ken on salt grass on bordSers of 

 s ill u di 1 |)i I . also on borders of fresh water 



1 'iinii ji, III 'I I I f ^ Bosc. — Very abimdant midei 

 loers m ^\or d- ds / undu tm bark of chestnut trees, and i i 

 hoksin mis inll 1 lUd \,.tl] vator. 



I'lillifmi /' i^iii ■,, Cui.i. — >ot 80 abimdant as theabo\c 

 but not li\ am im aus raie. Taken under logs and in stumi)S 



( nyLlmua i ujumn, Bay.— Under bark and sticks ueu 

 wall! Yri} eonimoii 



JjiiHiuiphi/sa idpeurto, Say. — Common. 



Lniuwpliyin di-odumi, bay. — Common. 



Limnnphy^n pi/lii^tr/'' Mull — Common, but not so common 

 as s inie tv.o >e n- ago m small riuiuing streams. 



f 111 I ijiJ II'. I /mill /is ^ i-\ — Conimon in stagnant pools. 



liiiJn I mill ilii ^ 1^ — ( ommon in sovnral localities. 



A ai III II I * I — in miid-bole, dry in midsummer. Some 

 five yeais u ) tills foHii w s vorv alni'udant, but has now cn- 

 liiely diMpp lod 1 miu li suiiller form of C..';v/?/Vf?te having 

 taken its pi u 



Phy^a liitui ■<tiii/i'tfi, ,Say, — Common in every pond and 

 stream, 



PfiT/vt Primmnii(">), Tryon. — Some time ago took large 

 nmnbcis of n toim which I refer to this species in one loca- 

 tion ojil> \hi'\ b i\e since entirely disappeared. 



Jl I III I III luiii it'iy, Say.— Very common iu Tibbet's 



Htlmiiiintio ifni ^ay.— Vim Coiutland Lake. Rather rai'c. 



(,i/i,iii!i/', pniiv —Tibbet's brook. Common. 



Phiih I 'ml 'I, , I !(<, Say —Common in several ponds. 



An n Adimm-Tibliet's brook. Rare. 



All l[ilil^-In one pond. A^ery ootumon. 



Ii''' I [I — A eiy abundant ondriftiu salt water 



pond • 



Sen - ly. — Some few specimens were co!- 



Icetid dock. 



A" _ —Very common on the muil of Hud- 



sonRi\i.i 



Lmliqii piniiiata, DeKay. — Many specimens were taken last 

 Mav iu shad nets olFRiverdale dock. Henky Pbime. 



liim-du.li', JV. y.. Oct. IG, 1880. 



rine Animals," is given in Xiituri-, and we hi re reproduce it : 

 In the sea, therefore, is generated by f.ii the ^to iter number 

 of animal f\pe,s, and thi so again in ipiautity and in hulk are 

 throughout leHidatui 1)\ tin rsi=|ing supply of nom-ishnieut. 

 This In lis tuiu ilipmds uiou rill organic m.atter of pknts 

 which ill the sea also =u]T]ih uoiuishment to its inhabilant.s. 

 In our own seas, the North Sea and the Baltic, miuiue grasses 

 are diseover.able near the coasf, while twenty to tifly metres 

 lower aie other Icinds of plants ; deeper still if we search wa 

 shall find few or none. Loose strips of plants that have been 

 torn away from their roots have been brought up from a 

 depth of some huuilrpd m( tres ; ui the Baltic and horth Sea 

 these form .adark, soft, spongy- mass. Nothing li\ ing is visible 

 in this if placed in a tub ; but if strained tlnouiih a sir ve tmy 

 iiiu--lK, snails and eiu.stacwa become visible. In the deothsof 

 the sea-mud liniinr the boltom are countless worn.'--, imiss, It, 

 aiidlittleauimals uhiehfeed upon the spouL'V mass. ri..un- 

 dersand other fiisli penetrate into Ihesrumd-di pths and devour 

 the auimals that are there. AYhon the sea-bottom, however, 

 is formed ot soft clay, notliing beyond a few worms here aud 

 there will be found. Thus in the deeper portions of the 

 ?>Iedile]Tanean, otherwise so rich in animal lite, nothing at all 

 is discoverable. The Professor, in llie course of his remarks, 

 went on to show that the supply of noiu-ishmenl to the inhab- 

 itants of the sea was now^ and would be hereafter imdimin- 

 ished ; and that the projiagation of animal life in the sea 

 would continue unchecked so long ii.s the mighty ocean it- 

 self should last. 



Fascisatios. — The phenomenon of snake fascination has 

 never been satisfactorily explained though many explanations 

 of it have been attempted. One of the most recent and most 

 plausible of these has just appeared la ATfrftfre and is given 

 below. The writer says : 



Iu 18.59 (31 years ago) I followed in the rocks of Avon, 

 close by the park of Fontainebleau, the fairy paths of Dene- 

 court, ■when the approach of a storm induced me to leave the 

 blue arrows, indicating tlie right path, for a short cut. 1 soon 

 lost my way, and found myself in a maze of brambles and 

 rocks, Vheii' I was startled by seeuig on my left hand, at a 

 distance of about ten yards, a snake, whose body, lifted up 

 from the groimd at a height of about a yard, was swinging to 

 and fro. "l remained motionless, hesitating whether to ad- 

 vance or to retreat, but soon perceived that the snake did not 

 mind me, but kept on maintaining its swinging motion, and 

 some plaintive shrieks attracted my attention to a greenlinch 

 perched on a branch of a yoiuig pine overhanging the snake, 

 with his teatdiers ruffled, following by a nod ot his head on 

 each side of the branch the motions of t'ne snake. He tot- 

 tered, spread his wings, alighted on a lower branch, and so on 

 until the last branch was reached. I then flimg my stick at 

 the snake, hut the point of a rock broke it and the snake dis- 

 appeared with the rapidity of an aiTow. On approaching the 

 spot— a real abode of vipers- which I did with the greatest 

 precaution, knowing by observation that death may be the 

 result of the bile of "a viper, I saw Ihe greenfinch on the 

 gi'ouud agitated by convulsive and spasmodic motion, open- 

 ing and shutting liis eyes. 1 put him in my bosom to try the 

 efix-cl of heat,, and hastened to reach the park of Fontaine- 

 bleau. The little claws of Ihe bird, opening smd shutting, 

 perhaps as an eft'ect of heat, made me think thai he might per- ' 

 haps be able to stand on my finger, and he did clutch it, and 

 held on with spasmodic siinoezes. In the park I ,got some 

 walei-, and made him drink it. In short, ho revived, and 

 finaUy flew off in the lime-trees of the park. Now, while fol- 

 lowmg the motions of the .snake and bird, 1 experienced a 

 singular sensation. I felt giddy ; a squeozing like an iron- 

 hoop pressed in my temples, and Ihe ground seemed to me to 

 he heaving up aud down. In fact the sensation was quite 

 analogous to that experienced on a beginning of sea-siek- 

 ucss Fiom these facts, would it not seem prolablc th it tas 

 cmation is nothing more nor less than e iticmc fatuue oi the 

 optic neive piodmid b> t rvid em iton motion ot ishming 

 object, and itsultin_ m i niriou at irl i id t coma ^ 

 Cum sitv iivi t it tii'st thi itti utton ot the bud unr onscious 

 t I II uid when aiddim s w ims him (t his pciil il 



flu nil c IS s well iw lie of tnis is ihc loj/i t n 

 t thi eflect of hismimoitni In this \sn,m 

 lui Lit the bud conuiij: down ill) Jl i hi^hci t ) i liwcr 

 br inch would be f\pl lined In the suppo iti uthit „iddii i-ss 

 oveit ikmg him he opened instmc livi ly lus w in.-, md chuig 

 to the next suppoit thit he found the motion li i\ ingp ii lull v 

 ierno\ed the .,iddiness so is to (n lib nun to hold fast OI 

 seive tlut nothing hiudiKd th bud liom flMn„ iwiy iid 



thil the sml L bi in_ at mo t 

 inched e\en tilt lowisibii 

 nr t to pi )teet foi m ttit i 



ue I im \\ ltd m the h jII 

 liotablc on account of mien 



louldiieMi huM 

 iruldhau no 



I ic 1 no w Iter 

 md Ibis 1 not 

 \luf h ptopk It, 



FOOD OP Ms^RINE AJflMALS. 



AT the recent meeting of the Association of German Nat- 

 uralists andPhysieians, held at Danzig in Scptcwber last, 

 a numhfic of papers relating to all branches of science were 

 read. One of the most interesting of all tliese w^aa by Prof. 

 Moebius, of Kiel, whose investigations into the natm'c of 

 Eonoon have recently attracted so much attention in tiesoien- 

 tiflc world. An abjitract of Ma paper " Oa the Food of Ma- 



the mstmct of buds teaching them to avoid it 



Anciekt Hd>,'tin(5 GnouNns or Lorist.^-NA.— The follow- 

 ing extraels are from "An Account of the Red River (Loui- 

 siana) and Country Adjacent." To Gen. Ilemy Dearboni, 

 Sec. of W'ar. By John Sibley, Natehiloehos, April 10, 1803. 

 They were prmtcd in the Amerimn .RegiMn- for IHtif^, and lu'e 

 certainly worth reproducing for the benefit of our readers : 



Near Xatehitoelies there are two lai'ge lakes, one within a 

 mile, the other six miles to the nearest parts. One of tliem 

 is fifty or stxt\ miles in cii-cumfercnce, the other upward of 

 thirty. These lakes ride aud tall ivilh the river. 



'Tis almost incredible the quantity of flsU and fowl these 



lakes supply^ It is not uncommon in wmter for a single man 

 to kill [roin two to four hundred fowl in one evening. They 

 lly between sundown and dark. The air is filled with them. 

 They load and fire as fast as tliey can, without taking any 

 particular aim, eontiiuiing at the .same Stand tUl they think 

 lliev have killed eiiousb, and then pick up what they have 

 killed. They consist of se\eral kinds of ihick, geese, brant 

 and swam In summer the quantities of lish are nearly in 

 proportion. One Indian wdth a bow and arrow sometimes 

 will Idll them faster than anotlicr with t wo horses can bring 

 them iu. They weigh, some of them, lliirly or forty pomids. 

 — Amencaih HeffMer, p. 5.5. 



The accomits given by Mr. Brevel. Mr. Grappe and all 

 other hunters with whom I have conversed of the immense 

 droves of animals that at the beginning of winter descend 

 from the moiuUains southwardly into the timbered coimtry, 

 is almost incredible. They say the buffalo and bear particu- 

 larly ai'e in droves of many thousands together, that blacken 

 theVhole surface of the eiirth, and continue jiassing \pilhout 

 intermission for weeks together, so thiit the )Miole surface of 



