SEPTE3IBER 18, 1885.] 



SCIENCE 



243 



black ones, etc. Apparently she does not require to 

 pass the alphabet in review to decide this. The num- 

 bers also have colors to her, as follows : — 



1, black; 2, cream color; 3, light blue; 4, brown; 

 5, white; 6, crimson, pink; 7, greenish; 8, white; 

 9, greenish ( ?) 10, brown; 11, black; 12, cream color; 

 13, blue; 14, brown; 15, white: that is, 11 has the 

 same color as 1, 12 as 2, 13 as 3, etc. These colors 

 are also named instantly, and in any order, and in 

 groups. 



No other member of my family has this idiosyn- 

 crasy. A cousin. Miss S., staying with me, arranges 

 the months in an ellipse, in her mind. The major 

 axis of the ellipse is conceived to be horizontal. 

 March is at the left hand, October at the right, July 

 at the upper extremity of the minor axis, January 

 at the lower. The other months occupy equal spaces 

 between those already named. Hence it follows that 

 their lengths are conceived as unequal. Half the 

 ellipse is occupied by the five months, October to 

 March. The direction of motion round the ellipse 

 is indifferent, left-right or right-left. This ellipse is 

 conceived of as having absolute dimensions. The 

 major axis is taken as about three and a quarter 

 inches. In this connection I would refer to Science^ 

 July 31 and Aug. 21. 



These cases appear to me sufficiently noteworthy 

 to deserve this record in passing. 



Edwakd S. HoLDEisr. 



Madison, Sept 7. 



In my mind, there has always been associated with 

 every name or word a color, or shade of color. With 

 some names the color is clear and well defined, 

 with others somewhat vague. I can only distinguish 

 them as light or dark. I give you a few instances : 

 In my mind, John, Jane, Ann, Mary, are red; Wil- 

 liam, Walter, Eobert, blue; George, Nathan, Gilbert, 

 white; Joseph, black; Mark, Judas, Humphrey, 

 brown; James, yellow. 



New York, red; Chicago, light; St. Louis, reddish; 

 Portland, dark; San Francisco, yellowish; Leadville, 

 gray; Denver, yellow; St. Paul, dark, etc. I never 

 mentioned this, excepting once or twice when a 

 boy, and was laughed at as trying to say something 

 peculiar. 



Geo. S. Miller. 



St. Paul, ]!klinn. 



Mr. Ruheit's diagram of the months of the year 

 as pictiu-ed in his mind, and as represented in Science 

 of Aug. 21, is so strikingly similar to a conception of 

 my own, that I am led to present my diagram also. 



my mind, is of peculiar form, and is equally difficult 

 to explain. 



Jxxlvj 



The similarity seems very remarkable to me. I 

 cannot explain the raison (VUre of the diagram. 

 Perhaps, as most boys go through about the same al- 

 ternations of rest and work during their earlier years, 

 Mr. Ruheit's explanation may apply here, and may 

 .also account for the similarity of the diagrams. 



A diagram of numbers which also forms itself in 



0-^ 



xo 



--30 



"L. 



•100 



70 do SO 



I cannot think of any number less than a hundred, 

 that does not place itself immediately in its appropri- 

 ate place in the diagram. Arthur Winslow. 



Raleigh, IST.C., Aug. 27. 



The ginkgo-tree. 



The paper on Salisburia adiantifolia, illustrating 

 the ' phylogeny ' of the genus Ginkgo, by Lester F. 

 Ward, in Science for June 19, is one of great interest 

 to botanists. In the Central Park we have a group of 

 six trees in close proximity to each other, and which 

 bear fruit abundantly. The group is composed of 

 three males and three females, and for the past four 

 years have borne an abundance of fruit. I herewith 

 send you a photograph of a fruiting-branch, which 

 will give an exact idea of how it appears. 



E. B. SOUTHWICK, 



Botanist and entomologist. 



Department of public parks, 



Central Park, New York, Aug. 28. 



An abnormal black bass. 



A black bass, weighing upwards of half a pound, 

 was caught at Webster Lake, Franklin, N.H., Aug. 

 21, 1885, by Mr. Charles Aiken. The head of this 

 fish presented a singular abnormality, which seemed 

 worthy of a short notice. 



The malformation was apparently restricted to the 

 forehead and upper jaw. In other respects, the fish 

 seemed to be normally developed, and in good con- 

 dition. 



The lower jaw was of proper size, and, when the 

 mouth closed, protruded seven millimetres beyond its 

 fellow, expos i n g 

 the tongue for a 

 length of three mil- 

 limetres from its 

 tip. This state of 

 things gave the fish 

 a very grotesque 

 appeara nee, the 

 ' nose ' rising quite 

 abruptly to the 

 ' forehead ' instead 

 of making with it 

 the customary 

 straight line. The 

 teeth of the lower 

 jaw were entirely 

 exposed, and, not meeting those of the superior 

 maxillary, had become very numerous, and nearly 

 twice their natural size, the exterior curving out- 

 ward. The vomerine teeth, and those of the upper 

 jaw which met the tongue, were about normal. The 

 exposed parts of the mouth were unduly pigmented; 



MICROPTERTTS SALMOIDES (LAC. 

 MALFORMED. 



