1140 Scientific News. [ November, 
— Editor AMERICAN NATURALIST :—Mr. M. C. Read has called 
my attention to the fact that he has been misrepresented by the 
text as it stands printed on p. 25 of my report upon petroleum to 
the Census office. No one can blame a man of Mr. Read's intel- 
ligence for objecting to being made responsible for the following 
sentence: “ Mr. Read asserted that there were several bottomless 
pits of petroleum beneath an intensely hard, cherty limestone, 
very difficult to drill.” If the previous sentence is joined to the 
one just quoted and the words “ Mr. Read” replaced by the 
word “who,” the text would then stand as it was intended by 
myself. So many stupid and blundering changes were made in 
my text in Washington, that I am thankful no greater injustice 
has been done any of the numerous authors whom I have quoted. 
While many of these changes were discovered and the reading 
restored as originally written by myself, I am aware that some of 
them were overlooked and still remain. Very respectfully, 
S. F. PECKHAM. 
BRISTOL, R. I; Oct. 5, 1885. 
_— The Zoological Garden of Cincinnati is in a flourishing con- 
dition, and has some especial points of attraction. It poss€sses 
probably the finest mandrill in the world. He is twelve years 
— The St. Louis Botanical Garden, or Shaw’s Garden, is a fea- 
ture of that city which deserves imitation elsewhere. It was 
established and is sustained by the liberality of Mr. Shaw, a pri- 
vate citizen. Full representations of the species of several of 
the genera peculiar to our south-western regions are to be found 
there, ¢. g., yucca and agave. A fine private collection of plants 
is that of Mr. Wm. Brown. His palm house and fern house are 
highly ornamental, while in another house nearly if not quite all 
the species of Nepenthes are represented. 
— Charles Wright, of Wethersfield, the well-known botanical 
collector, who graduated at Yale College in 1835, died suddenly 
of heart disease Aug. 11th, aged seventy-four years. Mr. Wright 
_ was one of the leading botanists of the country. He was em- 
ployed by the Government in an expedition to Texas and Arizona 
had also botanically explored Cuba. Last year Harvard Col- 
secured his collection of plants. Several American plants 
ed hid oa He was formerly a valued contributor to 
