573 



care of itself generally. A few years after I endeavored to intro- 

 duce the improved "Cater" hollyhocks from England. They 

 did remarkably well the first year, but the next were attacked by 

 a small fungus which destroyed the leaves almost as fast as they 

 appeared ; and it was with difliculty they could be had to retain 

 strength enough to flower at all. Finally, they were all destroyed 

 before flowering, as were the common single ones in the gardens. 

 Since the discovery in England that Puccinia malvacearum causes 

 a disease like this, I have endeavored to find a specimen in order 

 to identify the species, but I have failed, as the whole race of 

 hollyhock about here seems to have disappeared.— Thomas 

 Meehan. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Oporornis formosus breeding in Eastern New York. — A few 

 days ago, while out collecting with a friend, we were attracted by 

 the alarm note of a bird, which he shot, and it proved to be a 

 male of the Kentucky warbler. In passing out of the woods, 

 which were overgrown with ferns and other perennials, we 

 started a female from the ground, and after a careful search we 

 found the nest, which was slightly elevated from the ground, com- 

 posed of dry chestnut leaves and coarse grass, and lined with horse 

 hair. The eggs, which were three in number, were white, thickly 

 marked with small reddish- brown spots on the larger end. The 

 nest was scarcely more than twenty feet from the public road. 

 As I have not heard of its nest being found before in New York, 

 I thought it might possibly be interesting to some of your readers. 

 —A. K. Fisher, Sing Sing, N. Y., June 19, 1875. 



The Purple Gallinule. — A fine specimen of the Purple 

 Gallinule, was shot at "Henry's Pond," "South End" Rockport, 

 Mass., on April 12th, by Mr. Robert Wendel. — G. P. Whitman. 



Caloptenus spretus in Massachusetts.— Specimens not differ- 

 ing in any appreciable respect on comparison with California n exam- 

 ples occurred in September at Amherst, Mass. — A. S. Packard, Jr. 



GEOLOGY. 



Interesting Fossils from Illinois.— -At a recent meeting of 

 the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Professor Cope 



