-* 
550 NATURAL HISTORY MISCELLANY. 
castrated. They are in the velvet, are heavy and thick, and the branches 
instead of being pointed are palmated, the palmations being seven inches 
broad on some of the branches. It is to be hoped, that as public parks 
and zoólogical collections are being made throughout the country, more 
attention will be paid to these subjects in this country, and better oppor- 
tunities afforded to the naturalist than can be had in the woods while 
hunting. — W. J. Hays. 
THE EGG or THE Great AUK (Alca impennis).—Dr. Baldamus announ- 
ces as the result of recent investigations, that but four eggs of this spe- 
cies are to be found in Germany (one belonging to the Grand Duke of 
Oldenburg, one to Count Ródern in Breslau, and two to the Royal 
Museum in Dresden), none in France, two in the Copenhagen Museum, 
and about sixteen in England, making twenty-two. The Academy of 
Natural Sciences in Philadelphia had two specimens, but, with praise- 
worthy liberality, has recently presented one to the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion. So far as positively known, therefore, less than thirty specimens of 
the egg of this probably extinct species, are now preserved. The exact 
number of preparations of the bird itself we are not at present prepared 
to give. Only three, however, are to be found in America, one each in the 
Museums of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, of Vassar 
College, Poughkeepsie, and of the Smithsonian Institution. Of the Skele- 
tons only two are known, one in the British Museum, and the other in 
the Cambridge Museum of Comparative Zoólogy. Detached bones are, 
however, found in more or less abundance in the ancient shellheaps of 
Denmark and other parts of Europe, and of the New England and Nova 
Scotian Coasts.*,* 
Tur Cow BuxTING.—Mr. Martin Trippe, in his article on the Cow 
Bunting, (Melothrus pecoris) in the August number of the NaTURALIST; 
mentions his having heard of but two instances where this bird depos- 
ited more than two eggs in a single nest. 
On the 15th of May, 1868, I found a nest of the White Crowned Spar- 
row (Zonotrichia leucophrys), of two stories; containing, in the under, 8 
single egg of the Cow Bunting, and in the upper, two more of the same, 
together with three of the rightful owners. 'These were being sat upon 
at the time by the female bird, and on blowing proved to be pretty wel 
advanced in their incubation. Again, this last spring, in the month of 
May, I found a common Pewee Flycatcher's nest, containing, with three 
of its own, also three of the Cow Bunting's eggs. One of these last was 
so forced down into the bottom of the nest as to be almost covered up. 
This nest I have now in my collection. — H. S, Kepner, Potsdam, N. Y. 
Tue House Fry.— Years ago I had hundreds of house flies. I think 
that the perpetuity of the race is provided for in the larval and pupa state 
over winter, and not by hibernating as adult flies. I have seen the great- 
est abundance of pups late in autumn, when I am confident they di 
not then tra SHIMER. 



