BOTANY. 107 
a stick, the shavings are of no benefit to him. But the activity 
which produced the shavings is a power in boy life, other things 
he does which aid both in the purpose and in the results. He 
gathers apples. The action serves him, and the result is food for 
action in the future. 
To illustrate this again in plant life. We all know how much 
time has been given to studying the uses of thorns. What is the 
use of thorns to arose. The sweet briar has a few scattered re- 
curved thorns. But when a certain insect deposits an egg in a 
growing branch, the gall and a portion of stem above and below, 
become densely crowded with straight sharp thorns. I take it 
that these thorns are entirely useless to the plant, and yet the vi- 
tal action which produced them no doubt served a useful purpose ; 
and I should say the same of all the thorns on the whole plant. 
I suppose some might say that this echinate gall was the result of 
abnormal vital action, and is perhaps to be credited to the insect 
which was thus better protected from enemies. But how this lar- 
va is better protected by these pines I fail to see. The principle 
applied to the boy with the shavings seems more philosophical. 
The thorns are useless, but the action which produced them was 
not. 
I have been content in the past with recording my observations, 
only occasionally hazarding a suggestion as to the direction in 
which they pointed. I feel that my field and my opportunities are 
too limited to allow me to put full faith in my own judgment 
when opposed to the views of those much better situated to decide. 
If in this I offer more than my usual quota of opinion, it is out 
of respect to the editor’s inquiry. — Tuomas MEEHAN. 
PLant Dryrers.— The best article I have ever used,—better than 
any blotting paper—is one of the kinds of sheathing paper 
made by Messrs. Roberts and Son, of Waltham. In any large 
quantity it can be had cut to size at the mill. I have just been 
distributing two tons of it among botanists, cut to size of twelve 
_ by eighteen inches. Each sheet is like a pad of blotting paper. 
We stitch from three to five sheets together into a dryer, the 
Specimens being placed between successive dryers, of course en- 
closed in a sheet of thin soft paper; nothing can be better, nor 
so cheap. The maker having a small quantity left over from our 
large order, I have asked the Naturalists’ Agency to take it in or- 
