588 The American Naturalist. [June, 
In describing the new hybrid, Quercus brittonii, in our Proceedings 
for September 10th, 1892, Mr. Davis refers to the pubescence of the 
under surface of its leaves being intermediate between that of Q. ilici- _ 
folia-and Q. nigra. This observation was made from casual inspection, 
without reference to the exact nature of the pubescence. Under the 
microscope it will be seen, as in specimens submitted, that the Q. ilici- 
folia has so dense a pubescence that the epidermis. is completely 
hidden, while in Q. nigra the tufts are quite separated, even isolated. 
In Q. brittoni, the hybrid between these species, the intermediate char- 
acter of the pubescence is most striking, the under surface of the leaves 
being starred at regular intervals by the tufts, which are usually suffi- 
ciently close to allow their spreading hairs to touch one another. 
These tufts seem to be composed of six to twelve hairs spreading from 
a common base and occupying a space about .15 to .2 mm. in diameter. 
An average specimen contains about sixteen tufts per square mm., 
while in any other, representing the strongest pubescence which the 
hybrid seems to attain, about twice this number were present and 
somewhat smaller in size, indicating considerable variation in these 
appendages. 
The wide difference in pubescence of ilicifolia and nigra, however, is 
such that a variation of even one hundred per cent. between different 
specimens of Q. britonii is not sufficient to materially affect the dis- 
tincti of this characteristic. - 
Mr. Arthur Hollick called attention to the fact that an earthquake 
shock had been experienced on the island shortly after midnight on 
March 8th, which had been sufficiently severe to awaken many people, 
especially those who resided on the hills in New Brighton, but that it 
did not seem to have been felt generally throughout the rest of the 
island. 
Mr. Jos. G. Thompson stated than he found, on South Beach, a dead 
specimen of the Tom-Cod (Gadus tomcodus), about eight inches long, 
which had made a meal of eight mud-killies ( Umbri limi). Those that 
were in the foremost part of the stomach were quite perfect, while the 
others that were further down had begun to be dissolved by the digest- 
ive fluids. t. 
_ April 8—Mr. Arthur Hollick exhibited specimens of Indian rub- : 
bing stones and read the following paper concerning them :. ee 
Since our last meeting, while on a tramp across the island from Please 
ant Plains to Rossville, I was struck by the fact that the shell heaps, 
which have been noticed in that region at different times, form pracy 
tically a continuous chain or trail from shore to shore. They follow 
