Zoological Miscellany. 343 
that country ‘to support it. Consequently, to maintain this natural 
balance, if introduced species, finding the environment favorable, in- | 
crease, they can only do so at the expense of the native ones ; and il- 
lustrations of this proposition are seen in the effect of the introduction 
here of the Canada Thistle, Whiteweed, Cabbage Fly, European Spar- 
row, House Mouse, Norway Rat, and so on up to man himself. 
Practically, in the case of the introduced birds, the question seems to 
have solved itself as follows : The European Sparrow, belonging to a 
family (the Fringiliide) already represented in this locality by 29, and 
in North America by 127 species and varieties—finding here an environ. 
ment suited to its needs, has rapidly increased in numbers. In some 
localities this increase has been evidently at the expense of birds of 
similar nesting habits, but belonging to other families,—as the Wrens, 
Swallows, Martins, Bluebirds, ete. | 
On the other hand, in favor of the Sparrows, may be adduced 
the fact that we now have birds where we formerly had none, 
t. é., in the streets of our large cities ; here the Sparrow lends an at- 
tractive air to the monotony of brick walls and cornices, even if he 
does disfigure the latter with his bulky nests, and scatter his lateritious 
cards somewhat too numerously over our window sills and doorsteps. 
As regards the insectivorous birds (Thrushes, Warblers, Tits, ete. ) 
—of which class there are already about 160 species in North America 
——the imported ones have not, so far, exhibited the tendency to increase 
manifested by their gramnivorous relatives, and consequently their 
influence on native species has been pzactically negative. 
The moral of these facts and figures seems. to be—take care of what 
birds we have, by a judicious preservation of thickets and other abiding 
places, and nature will provide effectually against the calamity of an 
ornithological vacuum. 
HERPETOLOGY. 
CistuDO CLAUSA, Gmelin.—Common Box Tortoise.—Remains of this 
Species are quite common in the Madisonville Ancient Cemetery, the 
carapace being occasionally perforated, evidently with a view to use 
as a badge or ornament. 
ASPIDONECTES SPINIFER, Agassiz.—Common Soft-shelled Turtle.— 
Remains found in the ashpits of the Madisonville Ancient Cemetery. 
RANA TEMPORARIA SYLVATICA, Gunther.—Zhe Wood Frog.—On 
March 10, 1879, we observed large numbers of this species in some 
small ponds near Madisonville, Ohio, and as the species seems to be 
