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638 NOTES. 
Nore on A New +} Opsectrve.—In the Naruratist for August 
appears the announcement that “ Mr. Tolles has recently com- 
pleted a A; objective perfectly satisfactory to himself.” Now the 
fact is Mr. T. never constructed an objective of any power ‘ per- 
fectly satisfactory to himself,” and I really think it necessary to 
put in a plea in abatement to this effect.— Rost. B. TOLLES. 
Watres.—Wm. Wales, who has been abroad this summer, has 
returned to Fort Lee, N. J., and resumed work in the construction 
of his well-known and much-used objectives. 
s NOTES. 
Ar the second meeting of the Agassiz Natural History Club, 
held at the Anderson School of Natural History, July 30th, Mr. 
Jordan gave an account of two algæ common on our shores, 
known as Chordaria flagelliformis and Dictyosiphon feniculæcus, 
which have been considered as distinct plants and referred to dif- 
ferent orders. Areschoug suggested, some time ago, that the latter 
was but an abnormal state of the former, but this view has not 
been accepted by other algologists. Mr. Jordan showed a drawing 
of a specimen of Chordaria found in Penikese harbor, two of whose 
branches were, to all appearances, Dictyosiphon, both to the naked 
eye and under the microscope. Unless the Dictyosiphon were 
parasitic, which on close examination seems impossible, or unless 
it be not identical with the plant described under that name 1m 
Europe -he thought we must conclude that the two alleged species 
are but different forms of Chordaria flagelliformis. 
Mr. Ingersoll mentioned some of the changes in the general 
forms of terns, in their growth. In the bird just ready to batch the 
head is about as bulky as the whole body, and the distance from 
the commissure to the crown is nearly as far as to the occiput; the 
bill is short and thick, the eyes well forward, large and closed. 
The shoulders are tolerably narrow and the body widens and thick- 
ens posteriorly. The legs are long in proportion, lack color and 
rigidity, and seem fat and useless. The body is covered bind 
xible, hair-like tubes instead of feathers, which, however, indi- 
cate in their areas of growth the pterylography of the spe 
At birth changes begin which culminate in maturity. The bill 
becomes long, attenuated and sharp at the tip, until it measures 
from commissure to tip twice the distance from commissure tO 
