1890.] Zoölogy. 781 
Acad. Arts and Sci., Vol. XX., p. 336.. . . Masclef's Atlas des 
Plantes de France utiles, nuisables et ornamentales has reached Part X., 
and continues its promise of excellence. The later numbers have con- 
tained notably fine colored figures of Ononis spinosa, Medicago sativa, 
Colutea arborescens, Pisum sativum, Coronilla varia, Amygdalus com- 
munis, Persica vulgaris, Prunus spinosa, and Cerasus vulgaris., . . 
Parts 44 and 45 of Engler and Prantl's Dre Waturlichen Pflanzenfamilien 
continue the Euphorbiacez, complete the Myrsinacez, Primulaceg, 
Plumbaginacez, and begin the Sapotacex. The last-named order is 
elaborated by Engler, the others by Pax. . . . Professor Gardiner and 
Mr. Brace published in the Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. an interesting 
provisional list of the plants of the Bahama Islands... . . Another of 
the numerous valuable contributions from the Cryptogamic Laboratory 
of Harvard University has made its appearance in Proc. Am, Acad. Arts 
and Sciences, Vol. XXV., p. 53, by Wm. A. Setchell, on the ‘‘ Structure 
and Development of Zwomeya fluviatilis, a red seaweed ( //oride@) inter- 
mediate between Lemanea and Batrachospetmum. . . . The May num- 
ber of Pittonia is an unusually interesting one, dealing as it does in its 
peculiarly sprightly way with half a dozen or more topics. The 
review of the new edition of G:ay’s Manual contains much plain 
talking, some of which may be deserved, while much certainly is not, 
ZOOLOGY. 
Snakes in High Places !— A discussion occurred some time 
ago in THE NATURALIST upon the question, ** Do Snakes Climb Trees ?”’ 
to which I contributed one or two items. But just now my farmer 
friend, Hiram Carpenter, who lives three miles out of town, invited 
me to call at his place and see where he ‘found a snake four feet and 
three inches in length and one and a half inches in diameter. The 
swallows nest under the eaves of his barn, which project some twenty 
inches from the building. The rafters do not run out more than one- 
half or two-thirds of this distance, the space between them being quite 
thickly studded with the mud-nests of the swallows. One pleasant day 
in June his son noticed quite a commotion among the birds, and called 
him to the spot. They were amazed to see a large snake clinging to 
the end of a rafter, with its head in one of the nests, evidently devour- 
ing the young birds. The reptile was able to cling to the end of the 
rafter by hugging it tightly, and was only dislodged after some effort. 
