1879. ]. Zoology. 525 
dart swiftly on their prey, almost unperceived. There is a matter 
regarding the snowy owl in which ignorance of their habits or 
scientific assumption must predominate. The assumption is that 
they are strictly boreal, or Arctic, in their breeding habits. Many 
farmers, however, along Lake Ontario assert they are seen there 
during the entire year, and there is consequently a belief among 
them that they breed there. In the “ North Woods” of New York 
the author once saw a young snowy owl—not nearly full fledged 
—shot by a hunter in early spring. The hunter eee that 
the bird was one of several young seen by him in proximity to 
each other. I am not yet prepared to believe that they breed in 
that latitude, but record the current opinions for the use of any 
one who may investigate the matter fully—W. H. Ballou. 
DOUBLE-HEADED SNAKES.—In the Am. NATURALIST (Oct., 1878, 
p. 694), the essay on the Natural History of Guiana (1769) should 
have been credited to Edward Bancroft whose name stands at the 
end of the dedication. The monstrous snake of Lake Champlain 
with two heads side by side seems to be of an unknown species, 
judging from the doubtful checker-board spots, although it is 
compared with “the rattle-snake.” Here ‘‘amphisbcena”’ is a 
misnomer, as the name implies the ability to go in both direc- 
tions (forward and backward), a power possessed by these lacer- 
tians, both ends having nearly the same shape.— S. S. Haldeman. 
AMIA CALVA.—We have received a letter from Jacob Stauffer, 
of Lancaster, Pa., in which he states that a specimen of Amia 
calva has recently been taken in the Susquehanna river, below 
Safe Harbor, and is now preserved in the Linnean Society of 
Lancaster. This is the first definite account of the existence of 
this species in the Susquehanna, though as pointed out by Mr. 
Stauffer, DeKay had suspected it. Mr. Stauffer calls attention 
to the pouch enclosed between the sub-lingual bone and the 
throat of this fish, which has been little or not at all noticed by 
writers. 
Hasits or Ants.—lIn the sixth part of Sir John Lubbock’s 
Observations on the habits of Ants, Bees and Wasps, the author 
shows that the hairs of plants keep insects from climbing up the 
stalks, as he believes, to prevent them from obtaining access to 
the flowers, and from robbing-them of their honey. He also con- 
firms Denny and Lespes’ statement that workers ants are capabile 
of laying eggs, and Forel and Dewitz’s discovery that the eggs pro- 
duce males, stating that he has bred in his nests “a large number 
of males;” thus, as in bees, the fertile workers can produce males 
only. That ants may live three or four years, and that in some nests 
100,000 individuals may be by no means an unusual number, is 
also stated. Many facts regarding the recognition of friends are 
Stated, indicating that “ ants of the same nest do not recognize one | 
