_ FEBRUARY 29, 1884.] 
by parentheses, and the sedges and grasses, 
which were well developed. 
Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi. 
Bryanthus empetriformis. 
Kalmia glauca. 
aLedum latifolium. 
(Moneses uniflora. ) 
Pyrola secunda. 
Dodecatheon Meadia, var. 
Polemonium humile. 
Mertensia paniculata. 
Polygonum viviparum. 
(Betula glandulosa. ) 
(Alnus viridis. ) 
Salix glauca. 
Salix Sitchensis. 
Habenaria dilatata. 
Streptopus roseus. 
Carex (2 sp.). 
Deyeuxia Langsdorffii. 
Festuca ovina. 
Lycopodium 
tum. 
Lycopodium annotinum. 
Anemone parviflora. 
Aquilegia formosa. 
Aconitum Napellus, var. 
Barbarea vulgaris. 
Arabis petraea. 
Cardamine hirsuta, var. 
Viola cucullata. 
Lupinus arcticus. 
Rubus Chamaemorus. 
(Poterium Sitchense?) 
Saxifraga tricuspidata. 
Saxifraga leucanthemi- 
folia. 
Parnassia fimbriata. 
Ribes rubrum. 
Epilobium spicatum. 
Epilobium latifolium. 
(Heracleum lanatum.) 
Cornus Canadensis. 
Antennaria alpina. 
Arnica latifolia. 
(Senecio triangularis. ) 
Vaccinium parvifolium. 
complana- 
The rest of the collection was made as op-. 
portunity offered, during the descent to Fort 
Selkirk in latitude 62° 45’, which point was 
reached on the 13th of July. It included the 
following species : — 
Galium boreale. 
Aster Sibiricus. 
Achillea millefolium. 
Artemisia vulgaris. 
Arnica alpina. 
Arnica Chamissonis. 
Pyrola rotundifolia, var. 
’ Primula Sibirica. 
Myosotis sylvatica, var. 
Pentstemon confertus. 
Pentstemon glaucus (?). 
Pedicularis flammea. 
Chenopodium album. 
Polygonum aviculare. 
Zygadenus elegans. 
Hordeum jubatum. 
Anemone multifida. 
Ranunculus Flammula, 
var. 
Erysimum parviflorum. 
Cerastium arvense. 
Arenaria lateriflora. 
Arenaria physodes. 
Montia fontana. 
Linum perenne. 
Hedysarum boreale. 
Rubus arcticus. 
Fragaria vesca (?) 
Potentilla fruticosa. 
Amelanchier alnifolia. 
Parnassia palustris. 
Bupleurum ranunculoi- 
des. 
- The species new to so northern a latitude 
are marked by italics. The season appears to 
have been as forward as I found it in 1868 in 
the lower mountain ranges rising from the 
plateau of western Nevada in latitude 40°. 
SERENO WATSON. 
THE INTELLIGENCE OF SNAKES. 
NEITHER among the scanty early references 
to the serpents found in New Jersey, nor in 
more recent herpetological literature, are there 
to be found statements that bear directly upon 
the subject of the intelligence of snakes. Ga- 
briel Thomas, writing of West New Jersey as 
long ago as 1698, quite ignores the fourteen 
SCIENCE. 
253 
species with which we are favored. Thomas 
Campanius, in his history of New Sweden, 
published in 1702, and which is based on the 
notes made by his grandfather during his brief 
stay in Pennsylvania sixty years before, also 
ignores our harmless snakes, but remarks of 
the rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), ‘‘ It has a 
head like a dog, and can bite off a man’s leg 
as clear as if it had been hewn down with an 
axe.’’ What may we not expect, when such 
statements as this are made by men of intel- 
ligence? Assertions equally absurd are not 
uncommonly made, even in these later days, 
when a correct knowledge of our common ani- 
mals is supposed to prevail. 
Nearly half a century later than the date 
of publication of Campanius’ history, Peter 
Kalm, the Swedish naturalist, travelled in New 
Jersey, and spent much time, particularly in 
the southern counties of the state. In his en- 
tertaining volumes, he has made many refer- 
ences to our snakes, although not enumerating 
all of them, and mentioning some that certainly 
do not now exist. This author relates several 
wonderful stories of the fierceness of the black 
snake, as they were told to him, and likewise 
gives his personal experience with this same 
serpent, which, to his surprise, did not accord 
with what he had heard. The reason is plain 
enough. Kalm desired to know the truth, 
and took the experimental way of learning it. 
His knowledge of the snakes was gained by 
familiar out-of-doors intercourse with them, 
and it has stood the test of time. All that was 
needed, when he wrote, was the moral courage ~ 
to say to the narrators of the marvellous stories, 
‘You are mistaken ;’ or perhaps, more wisely, 
he might have kept silent. The most consci- 
entious man, if afraid of snakes, cannot tell 
the truth about them; and even in the case of 
the truly poisonous species, it is well to re- 
member that ‘the devil is not so black as he is 
painted.’ Stress has been laid upon the ex- 
ageerated statements of authors when treating 
of snakes, for the reason, that, if there were 
any foundation for the marvellous stories nar- 
rated, it would prove conclusively that the 
serpent was indeed wise. But setting aside 
all the literature of the subject, and going di- 
rectly to the woods and fields, what evidence 
do we find there of-the intelligence of snakes? 
On the farm of the writer there have been 
found eleven species of snakes, which is but 
four less than the whole number found in New 
Jersey. Of these eleven species, no one is 
venomous ; and, it may be added, all are per- 
fectly harmless, and, indeed, cowardly. It is 
true that when cornered they will show fight, 
