216 
county, Minn.,”’ I find an abundance of macrospores, 
besides several species of fossil rhizopods, fragments 
of Diatomaceae, and other organic remains, and 
several species of well-preserved and characteristic 
Foraminifera, — among others, Textularia globosa and 
Rotalia globosa as identified by Professor Joseph 
Leidy, who advises me that these forms are yet liv- 
ing and common in the Atlantic Ocean. A disk form 
with crenate margin, much resembling the lorica of 
an infusorian, is quite abundant, and large quanti- 
ties of forms and fragments not yet identified. I pre- 
sume that these fossils are mostly derived from the 
cretaceous formations, of which the Minnesota clays 
contain large amounts. 
From careful observation and comparison, and the 
great similarity of much of the contents of the Min- 
nesota clays with what I find associated with the 
macrospores found here, I am confident that I shall 
yet find in the Minnesota clays, mingled with the 
Foraminifera, etc., of the cretaceous formation, the 
shale and macrospores of the Devonian. 
All of the fossils yet identified in the Chicago or 
Minnesota clays are undoubtedly of marine origin. 
B. W. THOMAS. 
Chicago, Feb. 11. 
Rare Vermont birds. 
The work of collecting material for a list of Ver- 
mont birds has revealed some notes of particular 
interest to ornithological students. Quite a number 
of rare or hitherto unobserved species have been 
found to be regular summer visitors in certain locali- 
ties. 
The orange-crowned warbler (Helminthophaga ce- 
lata Say, Bd.), a rare straggler to New England, has 
been detected breeding in small numbers at Island 
Lake, Mount Killington, and at Lake Bomoseen in 
Castleton. In the latter locality, also, the blackpoll 
warbler (Dendroeca striata Fonst.) is a common sum- 
mer resident. A specimen of the rare Connecti- 
cut warbler (Oporornis agilis Wils., Bd.) was taken 
at Rutland, April 24, 1879. This is probably the 
first published record north of Massachusetts. At 
Burlington I noted several flocks of the Bohemian 
waxwing (Ampelis garrulus L.), Nov. 25, 1882, and 
Janel. (88a. 
_ The loggerhead shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus L.) 
is a regular resident in certain districts in summer. 
Several nests have been found at Brandon, Rutland, 
and elsewhere. 
White-winged crossbills (Loxia leucoptera Gm.) 
come frequently in winter, and some are known to 
breed. The discovery of two nests with young, at 
Lunenburg, March 22, 1878, by Mr. W. E. Balch, is 
notable. 
The pine linnet or American siskin (Chrysomitris 
‘ pinus Wils., Bp.) was found nesting at Rutland, May 
15, 1879; and Mr. D. C. Worcester discovered two of 
their nests at Hartland. One was built in a pine in 
his yard, and commenced in March: the other was 
1 a spruce, and contained young birds by the first 
week in April. 
The black-backed three-toed woodpecker (Picoides 
arcticus Sw., Gr.), known generally as a casual winter 
visitor to New England, was found in the capacity of 
a resident at Lunenburg, where the nests were taken 
June 1, 1880, and May 29, 1882. 
A nest of the American avocet (Recurvirostra 
americana Gm.) was recorded at Rutland in the 
spring of 1882; and the Florida gallinule (Gallinula 
galeata Licht, Bp.), of southern extraction, breeds 
.at Castleton, where several of the birds have been 
secured. A specimen of the common cormorant 
SCIENCE. 
(Phalacrocorax carbo L., Leach) was shot on Lake 
Champlain, and is now in possession of Mr. Jenness 
Richardson of Rutland, upon whose valuable obser- 
vations many of these notes are based. 
Of the sooty tern (Sterna fuliginosa Gm.), another 
rare straggler from the south, two specimens have 
been recently taken in Vermont, —at Rutland and 
Larrabee’s Point, Lake Champlain. Of the still 
rarer short-tailed tern (Hydrochelidon lariformis L., 
Coues), Mr. Richardson saw three individuals on 
Lake Bomoseen, Castleton, one of which he secured. 
The sea-dove or dovekie (Alle nigricans Sink), a 
winter waif from the arctic regions, has been known 
to occur but once in the state. This was at Sharon, 
where it was found one morning in the autumn in a 
gentleman’s porch. ; 
Several other birds might be mentioned whose 
presence here, or in the New-England States, is 
casual and infrequent. About two hundred species 
have thus far been noticed within the borders of the 
state, and it is likely that future observations will 
largely increase the number. 
FRANCIS H. HERRICK. 
The red skies in the Pacific. 
Only last week J learned from Hon. H. M. Whitney, 
postmaster-general, that on Sept. 5, Mrs. Whitney 
and himself distinctly observed the sun’s disk, before 
setting, to be green.- His residence is an exception 
to most of ours in Honolulu, from which trees cut 
off the view of the horizon. My wife spoke much 
that night of a strange green cumulus, seen by her 
ten minutes before calling me to observe the ‘porten- 
tous masses of color pouring out all over the sky. 
I beg special attention to my remark in the Hawai- 
ian annual upon the ‘ earth’s shadow sharply cutting 
off’ the upper rim of the first-glow: — ; 
‘¢One marvellous effect is often a sudden appearance of thick 
luminous haze where a minute before all was pellucid, unsullied 
blue. Meantime the glow especially gathers and deepens above 
the western horizon along a line of 60 degrees until the whole 
occident is a uniform shect of flaming crimson, shading up into 
lilacand orange. Down upon that creeps the dark earth-shadow, 
sharply cutting off the edge of the blazing sheet, often serrated 
with the shadows of remote cumuli. As the shadow descends, 
the glow deepens, until night has closed down uponit. Atonce 
on the darkened sky arises a secondary or ‘after ’-glow, repeat- 
ing the same phenomena as the stars come out with almost equal 
brilliancy of effect. In this after-glow the defined shadow-line 
is lacking, and the deep fiery red above the horizon bears a sin- 
gular resemblance to the peculiar reflection on the sky of some 
immense but remote conflagration. These appearances occur 
before sunrise with equal brilliancy, but in reversed order.” 
This effect was very manifest in the strong, heavy 
glows of September, showing clearly that the first 
glow reflected the sun’s direct rays, while in the 
after-glow, which had no defined upper rim, but con- 
tinued much longer, the haze reflects only the light 
of the first-glow. This bears upon estimates of the 
height of the haze. 
Observers here are well agreed that during Novem- 
ber there was avery great abatement of the glows,. 
amounting almost to a cessation, although the whitish 
corona was always well developed through the day. 
Early in December the glows were renewed, and for 
six weeks continued with much uniformity, and quite 
as brilliant as in October. They are now somewhat 
abated, although quite uniform nightly. In Septem- 
ber and October they were extremely unequal, as well 
as varying in position of greatest color north or south 
of west. 
The bark C. Southard Hurlburt observed the glow 
on Sept. 8. She was dismasted in a cyclone, Aug. 18, 
and came to Honolulu for repairs. On the former 
[Von TI., No. 55. _ 
. 
