566 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VI., No. 151. 



and due probably to the comparative freshness of 

 the water. I found Lininea campestris, Planorbis 

 trivolvis, a small Gyraulus, and a Physa, on its 

 banks during the halt of the train. Physa does 

 not object to strongly alkaline waters, or to springs 

 of a high temperature, and probably occurs in 

 most of the alkali ponds. Ducks are not cominon 

 even in the migrating seasons, though one small 

 water-fowl, which seemed to be a grebe, abounded 

 on nearly all the lakes. 



The birds of this region have been pretty thor- 

 oughly collected by Professor McCoun, who, 

 more than any other naturahst, has travelled over 

 these north-western x)lains. He made this year 

 a list of no less than 110 species of birds during 

 a rather limited search for alpine plants between 

 Calgary and the Selkirks. 



The railway, after crossing the South Sas- 

 katchewan, in lat. 50° at Medicine Hat, on a beau- 

 tiful iron truss bridge built in Pittsburgh, takes a 

 northerly course until it reaches the 51st parallel 

 at Calgary. This is on the outemiost edge of the 

 foot-hills of the Rockies, which first come into 

 view at Gleichen, 100 miles away. This was neu- 

 tral ground between the Plains, Crees, and the 

 Blackfeet ; the former wandering northward, 

 and the latter occupying the Cypress Hills and 

 the plains between Bow River and the country 

 of the Bloods and Piegans along the U.S. bound- 

 ary. On the lower Bow River were located a 

 section of the Blackfoot nation, named Sarcees. 

 The site of Gleichen was known to the trappers 

 in the long-long-ago of the last decade as 

 Blackfoot Crossing. Since then the Bow was 

 easily fordable. Thirty-five miles northward, 

 where the Rosebuds flow into Red Deer River, 

 are the Hand Hills, having bluff faces southward 

 forming the * Cree look-out.' The Blackfeet, 

 going north in pursuit of buffalo, would be sighted 

 by sentinels posted here, and instantly chased, 

 whereupon a race would ensue back to the Cross- 

 ing. There may still be discovered remains of 

 intrenchments thrown up by hard-pressed Black- 

 feet as a defence in fighting off their pursuers 

 until they could get to the safe side of the ford. 

 This borderland of constant struggle ought to 

 yield a rich harvest to the archeologist. How 

 Putnam or Abbott would enjoy following the first 

 plough ! 



I was told in regard to these Indians (who 

 look and dress precisely like those in Dakota and 

 Montana) somethiag which was new to me ; 

 namely, that originally (not through white teach- 

 ing) they kept a regular police patrol in their 

 villages all night. This consisted of a few young 

 men appointed daily by the chief, whose business 

 it was to see that no one left or entered the vil- 



lage after bed-time without a thorough explana- 

 tion, and to prevent skylarking or mischief of any 

 kind. This was not a herd-guard or military 

 precaution, but a civil police. 



Calgary is advantageously placed at the junction 

 of the Bow and Elbow, — names given by the In- 

 dians. It stands upon a gravelly plateau, with 

 no trees in sight save the cotton woods in the 

 river-bottoms, and with the mountains grandly in 

 view. It is the site of quite a modern post of the 

 Hudson Bay company, which has now abandoned 

 its stockade for a commodious store in town, 

 and it is the headquarters garrison of the mounted 

 police. The horse -training evolutions of this ir- 

 regular cavalry are very interesting ; and one hears 

 remarkable stories of the fidehty and intelligence 

 displayed by these animals during the arduous 

 campaigns, often in the depth of winter, which 

 they often share with their riders. Many a half- 

 frozen trooper's life has been saved by the kind- 

 ness and courage of his horse. Calgary is a large 

 and growing town. 



The winters here are, of course, very severe ; 

 the mercury often sinking to — 40° F., and staying 

 below — 20° for weeks together. No one com- 

 plains, however, except when the wind blows ; 

 yet harrowing tales of suffering and death are 

 heard, where men have been caught at some dis- 

 advantage. The snow in the foot-hills lies deep, 

 but on the plains disappears rapidly under the 

 influence of the warm, dry wind sweeping up 

 from the great Utah and Columbia basins, which 

 people here erroneously call the Chinook. Cattle 

 feed out all winter among the rolling, partly 

 wood ridges about Fort McCleod, — perhaps the 

 best cattle-region on the continent ; but in the 

 neighborhood of Calgary winter feeding is neces- 

 sary, and as far north as the Red Deer River (a 

 fine summer range) cattle-ranching is considered 

 impracticable on account of the depth of snow. 

 Between Calgary and Fort McCleod the foot-hills 

 are devoted to sheep. Ernest Ingersoll. 



CARBOLIC ACID AS A DISINFECTANT. 



Of all popular ideas, none seems to be more 

 firmly rooted in the public mind than the notion 

 that carbolic acid is a disinfectant of the most 

 powerful nature. When a disinfectant is wanted, 

 people go to a druggist for some preparation of 

 carbolic acid, and he gives them ' carbol,' or ' car- 

 boline,' or ' carbolcine,' or 'carboHc purifying 

 powder,' or some similar thing, which is warrant- 

 ed to be 'the best disinfectant known,' and 'a 

 sure preventive against small-pox, measles, chol- 

 era, mumps, diphtheria, whooping-cough,' etc. 

 Then the buyer goes home, sprinkles his carbolic- 



