NOTES ARBDSOULE RIES: 
[Under this Department Heading queries relative to all branches of Natural History will be answered.] 
THE ‘‘ ALMA PERDITA” BIRD. 
Alex Starbuck, of Cincinnati, has recently 
presented the Cuvier Club Museum with a col- 
lection of strange and gorgeously plumaged 
birds, from the dense forests of Guatemala, 
containing only species new to the collection. 
Rich green and golden trogons, blue and olive 
motmots, flashing humming birds and crimson 
tanagers are among them. And the first spec- 
imen of the curious Playa cayena (Linn.)—a 
weird bird, belonging to the cuckoo family. 
This is a bird as large as a dove, of a rich, 
glossy, maroon color. It ranges from Central 
America to Northern Brazil, and is called by 
the natives ‘‘Alma Perdita,” or the ‘Lost 
Soul.” One of Whittier’s most beautiful pieces 
is founded on a tradition of these people to the 
effect that the lonely, unearthly nocturnal cry 
of this bird is not the scream of a bird, but of 
‘*The pained soul of some infidel 
Or cursed heretic that cries from hell.” 
This poem so interested the Emperor of 
Brazil that he translated it, very faithfully and 
poetically, into Portuguese, and sent an auto- 
graph copy to Whittier. It was also translated 
by Pedro Linz, a Brazilian poet, and published 
widely in South America. The Emperor also 
sent Mr. Whittier two fine stuffed specimens, 
which were stolen before they reached him, but 
afterward another pair were forwarded as 
skins, which were stuffed and exhibited in 
Boston, where these ‘‘Lost Souls” attracted 
much attention, and then were sent to Ames- 
bury.—Charles Dury. 
A PHENOMENAL ICICLE. 
[COMMUNICATED. ] 
“Curious winter phenomena we have here,” 
remarked the St. Paulite to the visitor from St. 
Louis. ‘You notice that icicle up there on 
the cornice of that eight-story building? 
Should say it was ten feet long. Well, this 
very morning one just like that dropped as 
Sam Bones was passing, and the point struck 
him square on the top of the head. It went 
through him like a shot and pinned him to the 
sidewalk, bolt upright, as stiff as a statue.” 
« Kill him?” 
“Hardly. As soon as the icicle melted he 
walked off all right enough. See?” 
“An extraordinary escape, truly—perhaps 
an isolated case. But I should think he would 
be liable to take cold from the draught through 
the hole in his body ?” 
«Not at all! You see, the winter climate 
here is so dry that—” 
“Bosh !” 

A FEW NOTES. 
There are little events happening in every 
one’s life that partake of the nature of romance 
as well as novelty. And many of these little 
transpirancies (to coin a new word) are pleas- 
ant to the memory of the person, and their re- 
cital sometimes does good to others. One 
evening recently, while riding along the high- 
way with a friend, a fine flock of quail was ob- 
served in a cornfield near the road. The birds 
were quite tame, and were leisurely moving 
along over the deep furrows. One Mr. Bob 
White, who seemed extra proud of himself, 
hopped up on a high point of earth and pro- 
posed to display himself. With body highly 
erect and head proudly elevated, Bob White 
presented a truly spirited scene, and I remem- 
ber wishing I were an artist, so that I might 
have sketched the proud bird. 
It has been a much-disputed question 
whether squirrels hibernate, also if they pro- 
vide themselves nuts and other provisions to 
eat in winter time. My experience and obser- 
vations warrant me in saying that the squirrels 
do neither. The only provision they make for 
the winter months is to conceal in the earth 
various kinds of nuts, which are unearthed 
when wanted. As to their hibernating, they 
