1 032 The American Naturalist. [November, 
The Home Instinct in Toads.— I originally introduced a few 
toads into the cellar of my house to destroy slugs, and in a few years 
they became more of a nuisance than the slugs had been. I had the 
tenants (my father-in-law and family) to send a lot of them, probably 
a hundred, over to my greenhouses, all of which were on a level with 
the ground. The toads came one-half in a tin slop bucket, and the 
other in a market basket, — both covered. The first day they were to 
be seen almost everywhere, but restless and excited. Next day very 
few were to be seen. On the third day none could be found, but on 
that day a large number were seen by several members of the family 
at the only opening into the cellar, — the cold air flue. None were 
seen again at the greenhouses (except a few that could not jump the 
three steps to the surface.) I firmly believe they found their way back, 
but of course cannot be positive. No toads, except perhaps a single one 
at a time, had ever before been seen in that yard, and their appearance 
there in such quantity, in a reasonable time after the disappearance at 
another place in similar quantity, to my mind is pretty clear. The 
bee-line distance is about a third of a mile, with two races and the 
creek between. We have proof of similar home instinct in the cat, 
carrier pigeon, four-week-old pig, land tortoise, and almost every bird ; 
why not in the toad ? I have had the same little owl return to my 
conductor spout for twenty-five years. — Edward Tatnall. 
Wilmington, Delaware. 
PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 
Natural Science Association of Staten Island. — New 
Brighton, April nth, 1889.— Meeting called to order at 8.30 o'clock. 
Dr. N. L. Britton called attention to several specimens of silicified 
fossils found by Mr. Arthur Hollick in the white Cretaceous gravel on 
the side of a brook near Prince's Bay. They consisted of a brachiopod 
moUusk, allied to Pentamerus, a cyathophylloid coral, perhaps Zaphren- 
tis, and a third one, probably a sponge. Dr. Britton remarked as 
follows : This is one of the most interesting discoveries recently made 
in our local geology, and is of much more than local importance, inas- 
much as it affords valuable evidence towards establishing the origin of 
the formation known as the Yellow Gravel or Pre-glacial Drift, which 
has been frequently alluded to in our '' Proceedings." I have been 
especially interested in this latter formation for several years, as it has 
been a much debated question whence came the yellow gravel, and 
