FOREST AND STREAM. 



65 



A New Fish Discovered. — Ms. G. Brown Qoode give.s the 

 following description oi the ik'\v species of flounder, which 

 has been fouud by the United Stales Fish Commission : " On 

 Monday the dredging party discovered, ten miles oil' Salern, a, 

 isl entirely new to America— the Pole or Craig flounder 

 ,. ■ . . twglossus), heretofore known only from the 

 coasts of Europe. This fish appears to tie a resident ,of 

 Massachusetts Day, since both adult and young' specimens 

 were taken in considerable numbers. It does not take the 

 book, and its existence had not been suspected. The largest 

 weighed about four pounds, and is doubtless an excellent 

 {ahle fish. Another small fish (Icelus urteimim,') hitherto 

 known only from Greenland, was also taken. During the two 

 summera" work on the southern coast of Massachusetts, seve- 

 ral new fishing grounds were discovered." — N. T. Tii/us. 



Thk AQrATutnr.— The special expedition to Bermuda for 

 (ropical fishes was very successful. Last Monday, as a result 

 (if this trip, more than three hundred rare and valuable speci- 

 mens were placed in the tanks. Among the specimens are ten 

 yellow tails, thirty yellow grunts, male and female; fifty of 

 the celebrated angel fishes, five four-eyed fishes, a group of 

 butter fish, gray snappers, Margate fish, with changeable col- 

 ors: twenty breams, twenty pink squirrel fishes, fifteen spot- 

 ted kinds, fifteen Hamlets, fifteen Bermuda lobsters (a very 

 odd creature), ten cow pilots, several surgeon fish, ten rare 

 sunflower anemones, corals, a young frigate bird, and several 

 marine curiosities. The Aquarium is now even more interest- 

 ing as a place of resort than ever. 



T?n?DS of Central New Yokk. — In the Auburn Daily 

 Advert'Jicr, Aug. 14, Frank R. Bathbun publishes a full list, 

 with classificationandnot.es, of the birds of Cayuga, Seneca 

 and Wayne Counties. This list, it will be remembered, origi- 

 nally appeared in this journal. It is worthy of more perma- 

 nent form than the columns of a newspaper. 

 .- .-•♦^ 



—A New York taxidermist has during the past summer 



st uffed sixty pet canaries. Forty of these were in such poor 



feather thai he was obliged to supply their places with yellow 



birds, which he said answered every purpose, so long as the 



Owners were blissfully ignorant of the exchange.— Boston 



Journal. 



»-.». 



— Orioles, blue birds, cat birds, wrens "and swallows, hith- 

 erto not known in the neighborhood of Virginia, Nevada, 

 ha\ r e made, their appearance there this summer. 



iIEUWLO .Vf PHILADBLPHIV ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS FOR WKKK KNT1TNG 



. 14, iis7T. — One racer (Sajtophi.i a,Ue§1tensia), presented; oue Cuiwn 

 teg atfji'lf/i-'') • three Mexican hogs, presented; one Sa- 

 :mti aeer ((>/•««» .lavauoaruvt), born lu garden; oae loggerhead 

 le (Thasxatocliclys caonana), presented; one six-banded armadillo 

 ^Msswrfvtc/W), purchased. 

 a- Week Ending Aug. 21.— Que raccoon {I'roeyon lot or), presented ; 



GilleS 



Is (('/. 



(Tulophvs ijillenpii'), pm-chased 

 albino), presented; Uiree ooppernea 

 nlr'.rlrfx), purchased ; eight, water moccasins (Aiweetr 

 OiOliaaed; live nlack snakes (BiMramon ••</,< stridor) ; t 

 tB/ujoto-MS vmtralU). ARTHUR E. Brov 



i white 



zh'i'Jon 



snakes 

 Supt. 



faodlmd, S mm un ^ §&#w> 



IMMORTELLES. 



IV France, as in this country, an affectionate remembrance 

 of the dead is manifested by periodical votive floral offer- 

 ings which relatives and friends lay upon or suspend over 

 the last resting-places of those who were dear to them in life. 

 As emblems expressive of that higher existence which, per- 

 haps in their inmost hearts, tooat men desire to lead, even on 

 this "sin-worn world," flowers, in their lovely and innocent 

 lives are the most appropriate objects which the whole range 

 of nature can present. But even here, amid the highest and 

 pur .-st forms of beauty granted to human perception, occurs 

 the humbling sense of the instability and fugaciousness attach- 

 ed to all sublunary tilings. In 'the expression of that devotion 

 which attributes to the memory of the departed excellencies 

 lightly or it may be hardly at all recognized amid the induced 

 apathy and "dreary intercourse of daily life," the mind, puri- 

 fied by loss, and by the reflection that all other atonement is 

 late would not only present the most beautiful offering that 

 earth can afford, but endeavors to make the token as lasting 

 as possible. And so the flowers of the Immortelle or Everlast- 

 ing offer themselves among the thousands of other flowers, 

 many more beautiful, but none so fitted to grace the long re- 

 pose of the tomb. 



This plant, known to botanists under the name of Helichry- 

 sum orientate was originally a native of the north of Africa, 

 the Island of Crete and some parts of Asia. Although known 

 in Europe since 1629, it was not generally cultivated in gar- 

 dens before the year 1815. At present, it is chiefly grown in 

 Lower Provence, in the south of France, where the land gradu- 

 ally inclines to the shores of the Mediterranean. It comes to the 

 greatest perfection on the slopes of Bandols and Ciotat, in po^ 

 sitions wed exposed to the sun, and surrounded by dry stone 

 walls, where it commences to bloom in June. It is seriously 

 injured by much rain, and to some extent even by heavy 

 dews. It does not thrive in any soil that is not light, saudy 

 or stony, or porous. It is propagated by division of the larger 

 tufts. The flowering stems are gathered in June before the 

 flowers are fully expanded. As both immature, flowers and 

 those which are too full-blown are rejected in the market, it is 

 important that the sterna should be cut, neither too soon nor 

 too late. The flowers are gathered by women, who make 

 them up into small bundles, which are usually placed to dry 

 on the stone walls of the iuclosure in which they grow. When 



properly dried, they are taken away by young girls, who arc 

 employed to remove the downy covering from the stems. A 

 pound weight of the dried plants contains about two hundred 

 steins, each bearing on an average twenty flowers. Each tuft 

 of tile growing plants produces from sixty to seventy stems. 

 An acre of ground contains about 16,000 tufts, which will an- 

 nually yield from two to three tons weight of dried immortelles, 

 and a well established and well managed plantation will continue 

 productive ln»u eight, to ten .years. The flowers are sold 

 either by the bundle or weight, the bundles ranging from 

 three to six cents each, according to size, while if sold by 

 weight, the price varies from three to five dollars per cwt., ac- 

 cording to the state of the market. The natural color of the 

 flowers is a deep yellow, but the manufacturers of garlands, 

 bouquets, wreaths, etc., dye large quantities of them in other 

 colors also, chiefly black, green and orange red. This last 

 named color is very handsome, and is the favorite tint of the 

 people of the south of Europe. It is said to be obtained from 

 a preparation of borax. Large quantities are also bleached 

 white with a preparation of chloride of lime, and with the 

 natural yellow flowers and those which aredyed black,are used 

 to form the wreaths and other devices devoted to the dead. 

 Those which are dyed of brighter colors are used either alone or 

 mixed with natural flowers for bouquets or room decoration — 

 in these, however, the immortelle takes no very prominent 

 place among other flowers. Its great distinction from them 

 seems tononsist in its possession of those peculiarities of struc- 

 ture which have induced a nation of sentiment and refined 

 taste to select it as the most fitting of all "to fill the office 

 and bear the title of "The Flower of the Grave." 



THE USEFUL PLANTS OF MEXICO. 



A FOREST SCENE IN CENTRAL 

 AMERICA. 



WE were now in the midst of a dense pine forest, with 

 tall trees — every one fit for a spear for the Titans when 

 they warred against the gods — on either side of us. The rude 

 little path which the settlers have hewn out of this dense 

 wooded mass is every now and then barred by one of these 

 forest giants, which the wind has thrown athwart. How 

 paiuf idly silent are these fir forests of the North Pacific ! At 

 one portion of my life it was my happy lot every morning to 

 walk through part of a great tropical forest in Central 

 America. Fragrant odors of many flowers and spires were 

 wafted in the sultry air, and everywhere the forest rang 

 with the scream of tropical birds of gorgeous plumage, and 

 the chatter of the long ring-tailed monkeys, which swung 

 themselves from branch to branch and tree to tree, in utter 

 astonishment at this degenerate descendant of theirs, who was 

 permitted to walk afoot, while they disported themselves 

 among the leaves of the india-rubber trees, and ate the 

 luscious fruits from among the waves of flowers which 

 rolled from forest tree to forest tree, until, as you looked from 

 a rising ground, the whole expanse of country before you 

 seemed in places like a sea of foliage and flowers. Above 

 all, filling up as it were every,vacant space, was the never- 

 ceasing din and hum of insect life which arose from among 

 the trees. That forest seemed like one huge temple, where 

 ten millions of unseen choristers sang a never-ending hymn 

 of praise to the "Unknown God!" Here, 40 deg. to the 

 north, all is different. There are odors, but they are 

 those of the fir-trees and turpentine, and you may listen 

 for hours without hearing the sound or beholding the sight of 

 a living being. We sit down and draw breath for a few 

 minutes. From overhead comes a gende tapping, and from a 

 tree close at hand another similar sound ; we look up and find 

 that it proceeds from two species of wood-peckers boring the 

 trees for insects. They are Audubon's Pious Harm and P. 

 Gairdneri, the only two species found on the island. We almost 

 repent what we said about the scarcity of life in the forest, 

 for down jumps from a tree a little brownish squirrel, which 

 stares at us for a second, then, tail on end, skips along a fallen 

 tree, tears open a fir-cone, extracts the seed, and then skips 

 off on the errand he is bound. There are several species of 

 squirrels in the North Pacific slope of the Rocky Mountains, 

 but this is the common one (Sciurus douglasii). In the mild 

 climate of this region it does not hibernate, but may be seen 

 all the year round jumping about, fearlessly approaching the 

 traveler, and then tossing up its tail as it runs off scolding and 

 barking. As we are moving off, a pretty fawn ambles into 

 the pathway just before us, again trots into the bush, and in a 

 minute is lost among the thick foliage. — From " The Coun- 

 tries of the World," by Dr. Robert Brown. 



— From a work on the Materia Mediaa of t/ie Hindus, re- 

 cently published by Mr. George King, of the Royal Botanical 

 Gardens, Calcutta, it appears that, notwithstanding the pres- 

 ent extensive growth and use of both tobacco and opium in 

 India, neither of these narcotics were known there in ancient 

 times. Opium was introduced by the Arabs, and tobacco was 

 brought hither by the Portuguese from America about the end 

 of the sixteenth century. The "far country" whence the 

 "sweet cane " was brought was India, and our modern word 

 sugar-candy is made up of the two Sanskrit words sarkara 

 khanda. 



» ■«. < 



—The marshall of Tampa, Fla., protects a large alligator in 

 the river adjoining the town, in consequence of Ms valuable 

 services as a scavenger. 



■^ ■ ♦. . 



—Banana culture is successfully pursued in Southern CalV 

 fornia. / 



IN the Centennial Exhibition last season Mexican products 

 came in for a fair share of representation, the useful plants 

 of the country being not only abundantly shown, but also fully 

 described in the catalogue of Mexican exhibits. This catalogue, 

 useful as it is, would have been much more so had more care 

 been taken in the scientific nomenclature ; not only is the spell- 

 ing faulty, but the specific names of many of the plants arc 

 absolutely unidentifiable. The occasional descriptions of 

 Mexican scenery give a tolerable idea of the natural features 

 of the country. Thufcs "Besides the beautiful landscapes 

 presented to the traveler by deep ravines, the elevated moun- 

 tain tops and the splendid vegetation found all along the road, 

 there are other objects which increase the attractiveness of the 

 picturesque views. On leaving the City of Mexico, the beau- 

 tiful lakes of the valley and the elegant tops of the Potoca- 

 tepetl and two Yxtatleihuatl, ever crowned with whitest snow, 

 are presented to the eye of the observer. In San Juan, (T.J 

 Leotihnacan, again are seen the pyramids raised by the Tol- 

 tecks, and dedicated to the sun and the moon. Further on 

 are seen the extensive Maguey fields, that precious Agave (A 

 Americana; |described in Cat.) of which intoxicating liquors 

 and the famous pulque are extracted." This pulque is as 

 much a national beverage in Mexico as lager beer is becoming 

 with us. In small or moderate quantities medicinal or hygienic 

 properties are attributed to it, but in large quantities it is in- 

 toxicating. The fibre is valuable, not only for making ropts 

 and cordage, but also for paper, which is said to be remarkable 

 for its -whiteness, elasticity and strength. It is made in large 

 quantities in Mexico, and so abundant are the plants that the 

 supply is inexhaustible, and the cost of the material very 

 trifling. 



Between the high summits of the Mexican volcanoes which 

 tower at about 18,000 feet above the level of the sea down to 

 both shores on the Pacific and the Gulf, there are a great many 

 intermediate degrees proper for the most varied types of 

 vegetation. The " Guayabas" (Psidium), the Anonaceaj 

 Acacias and other plants five and grow abundantly in the low 

 lands, where coffee and sugar can be cultivated under the 

 most favorable conditions. Leguminosse and Ericaceas nota- 

 bly occupy the medium height, and the Coniferous and Cupu- 

 liferous plants climb up to the limits of perpetual snow. 

 Several families seem to be adapted to a variety of climates, 

 and their genera are found at different levels, living even in 

 dry and rocky grounds. Among these may be mentioned the 

 Bromeliaccse and Amaryllidete, which occupy the greater part 

 of the Mexican Mountains. In the list of medicinal products 

 eighty-six plants are enumerated, showing that this application 

 of the vegetation of the country received a large share of at- 

 tention. Gums, resins, and vegetable waxes were also numer- 

 ously exhibited. The resin obtained from Hymencea cour- 

 baril seems to be known by the name of " Coapinole." It is 

 used extensively in the manufacture of varnishes, in the same 

 way as true copal. Large quantities are collected in the State 

 of Oaxaca, and sold in the city of Mexico at one dollar a 

 pound. A resin called "Peuca copal" is exceedingly abund- 

 ant, and is said to be produced by Elaphrium copalliferum. 

 Under the name of " Brea" is described a resin which is said - 

 to be "the result of the distillation of the turpentine from 

 the Pinus teocote, which grows in the cold districts of Mex- 

 ico." This "Brea," when dissolved in warm alcohol, pre- 

 cipitates after cooling, becomes pure and takes a white color. 

 It is used in the preparation of illuminating gas, and in the 

 manufacture of soap. 



From a description of the "chayote" (Sechium edule) we 

 leam that the plant grows luxuriantly, yielding abundant fruit 

 the first year. Under favorable circumstances a single plant 

 produces annually from eighty to one hundred fruits. It is 

 of very easy cultivation, and is grown extensively for the sake 

 of the fruits, as well as for the great tuberous roots, which con- 

 tain a large quantity of starch or arrowroot, both of which are 



eaten. 



♦*-•■ 



J. H.— Your plants from the White Mountains gave great 

 pleasure; they are : No. 1, Potentilla tridentata ; No. 2, ^4?-- 

 enaria Qrmnlandica, Arctic Sandwort ; No. 3, Diapensia Lap- 

 ponica; No. 4, Loisleuria (syn. Azalea) procumbens; No. 5, 

 Lycopodium lucidulum (the first time we have seen it from so 

 high a latitude), and No. 6, Lycopodium nelago, a fine specimen 

 and very rare. 



X — The Ascension lily is Lilium candidum. It is often 

 seen in pictures of the Virgin Mary, by old masters. It is also 

 known as St. Katherine's lily. 



P. J. — Exoclvorda grandiftora is one of the numerous orna- 

 mental shrubs introduced from China by Mr. Fortune, who 

 traveled in that country for several years. It is a most dis- 

 tinct and perfectly' hardy shrub, and deserves far more general 

 cultivation than it has heretofore received. It is of neat, 

 shrubby habit, growing with us from six to eight feet high' 

 and, like the Spirceas and Weigelias, requires a little pruning 

 and trimming after it has done blooming to keep it neat. The 

 flowers are pure white, borne in racemes, and though we have 

 many white blooming hardy shrubs in May, this has a charac- 

 ter peculiarly its own, and should have a prominent, place in 

 every garden. 



— Hannah More was a canting precision sometimes and said many 

 tilings more pious than accurate. She talks about 



"Fell Luxury t more perUous to youth 

 Thau storms or quicksands, poverty or chains." 

 When luxury and health, however, are synonymous, as lu the case of 

 the use of B. T, Babbitt's Toilet Soap, even she would make an excep- 

 l iou. In this toilet soap you can get the purest, as well aa the moat 

 lileasant and comfortable in use 



