434 NATURAL HISTORY MISCELLANY. 
‘parts men and ‘‘that the receptacle of a flower is of the nature of 
the stem.” See reed s Botanical Text-Book, p. 230.—W. J. BEAL, 
Union Shing eN. 
IDENTIFICATION OF LICHENS BY A CHEMICAL Test.—The Rev. W. 
A. Leighton continues his series of papers on this subject in the 
“Annals.” He has lately given a notice of the A Comans essay 
which is found so useful, is that of hydrate of potash, which in certa 
cases produces a yellow color, whilst in others there is no reaction, or 
only a slight fuscescence. In no case, says Mr. Leighton, is the reac- 
tion of greater utility than in the difficult tribe of Cladonie, that crux 
the ampere ea and forms which may resemble each other 
xternal character. — Quarterly Journal of Science, parka 
——oe———— 
ZOOLOGY. 
THE Birrern.—I notice in your August issue a letter from Mr. 
Endicott, in which he rather questions the accuracy of my account of 
the habits of the American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), page 405, 
Ornithology of New England. 
I am perfectly familiar with the meadows which Mr. Endicott refers 
serena there in the area of a hundred acres, and doubt if any other 
ver did. They seem to be most numerous in that locality in 
Daban about the time of Snipe-shooting, and doubtless are then 
on the passage from the north. So I do not think it strange that Mr. 
Endicott has never met with many of the nests. But we cannot 
SREY the habits of a species from individual cases, we Mnai gene- 
wea i Bittern, as a general thing, in New England, judging from the 
observation of the majority of my a and correspondents, and my 
Own, oftener nests in bushes than on the ground, and in some locali- 
ties it gathers in communities, es and detached if you will, but 
still c es, not of course extensive heronries, such as we see 
among the Night Herons and others, but still heronries. 
_ Almost every nest that I ever saw or heard of was built in low 
