982 Geneva Notes. [September, 
According to Captain Gray’s notes, this toothed whale attains 
a length of thirty feet and then yields two tons of oil and two 
hundred wéight of spermaceti. It feeds upon small cuttlefish, 
and in pursuit of them stays below longer than others of its 
order, a fact which makes it difficult to kill. After running out 
700 fathoms of line, and remaining below two hours, an old male 
will come up so fresh as to require a second harpoon, and will 
attack the boats with head and tail. So strong are the muscles 
of this whale that it can not only leap clear out of water, but can 
guide itself in descending so as to plunge head first, instead of 
falling helplessly sideways like the larger whales. 
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A SQoueaLING Toap.—On the 24th of May, an unusually warm 
day for this region, while walking on the University grounds at 
Berkeley, I noticed something hopping along on the hot gravel 
of the road; upon close inspection it proved to be a toad. It 
was heading for a small bunch of weeds for shelter ; as it squealed 
like a mouse when I first poked it, I repeated the poking several 
times, taking care not to hurt it; with each poke it squealed as 
at first; if my eyes had been shut, I should have supposed the 
squealing to have been made by a mouse. After experimenting 
or a few minutes, I finally placed it in the shelter of the weeds 
and walked on. : 
Though not a specialist as regards toads, I have had the honor 
of an acquaintance with these animals for many years, but this 
Squealer is the first I have met with—R. & C. Stearns, in Culti- 
vators Guide. 
ingly the ancestors of birds had a two-jointed first ine 
a three-jointed second finger, and agrees so far nes g= a 
e eT 
spurs and claws found in different groups of birds is given, ane : 
it is pointed out that the number of phalanges is least, hi ghest 
