NATUBAL SCIENCE NEWS. 



cies and varieties of Serpents in 

 Michigan; only one Lizard is 

 known, while eleven or twelve 

 Turtles are recorded. Indiana 

 greatly exceeds us in the wealth of 

 her Reptilian fauna, which is to be 

 expected, as that state embraces 

 several Southern species. There 

 are several species in Northern 

 Indiana, which are as yet not re- 

 corded from Michigan, and all 

 specimens should be saved which 

 are taken on our Southern bound- 

 ary. The distribution of our 

 species is also a subject of inter- 

 est, and as yet but little studied; 

 and notes and specimens from all 

 quarters of our territory are de- 

 sired. 



But it is among the Amphibious 

 creatures that we are principally 

 lacking in our knowledge, and in 

 the order Urodela * (tailed batrach- 

 ians) where we are most at fault. 

 There are eight species and vari- 

 eties of these interesting animals 

 in this order known to us in i the 

 Peninsular State, several of which 

 are very rare, and the distribution 

 of all, with but one exception, is 

 little understood. We may expect 

 to find two to eight other species 

 here. 



The range and abundance, or 

 scarcity of several species of our 

 frogs are but little known also, 

 and valuable information may be 

 gathered regarding them. In 

 truth, no note, properly identified, 

 on any reptile, or for the matter of 

 that, on any point in our Sciences 

 can fail to be of value, and may 

 prove of great importance. 



Many, I may say nearly all ob- 

 servers in our State, are unfamiliar 

 with our Reptiles and Amphibias, 

 and therefore notes might be mis- 

 leading unless accompanied by 

 specimens. To those inclined to 

 collect, it is suggested that a pint 

 of alcohol be purchased, and water 

 added to it in proportion of 2 of 

 alcohol to 1 of water. Specimens 

 should be carefully washed and 

 placed in this liquid, in a wide- 

 mouthed bottle, preferably with a 

 ground-glass stopper. For larger 

 specimens, as serpents three to six 

 feet long, and large turtles full 

 strength alcohol should be used, 

 and a cut made in the abdomen of 

 the specimen to facilitate preser- 

 vation, or alcohol should be in- 

 jected into it by the mouth and oth- 

 er, channels. With smaller speci- 

 mens, as small snakes, frogs and 

 salamanders no cut is necessary. 



* The tailed batrachians (salamanders, 

 newts, etc.) are generally known as lizards, 

 but can readily be told from scaled skin lizards 

 by the naked or smooth skin like the skin or 

 our frogs. 



It is rarely necessary to preserve 

 large specimens, but nothing 

 should be ignored. 



In capturing specimens care 

 should be used not to mutilate or 

 bruise them, otherwise their value 

 is greatly lessened. Even a 

 slight blow with stick or stone will 

 cause a snake to lose a portion of 

 skin after it has been in alcohol 

 for a time. There is but the sin- 

 gle poisonous species of reptile, 

 the Massasauga in Michigan, un- 

 less it proves that the Copperhead 

 and Banded Rattler are found up- 

 on our Southern border, and with 

 these exceptions all of our reptiles 

 may be handled with impunity. 

 There is absolutely no danger 

 from poison. 



When a specimen is placed in 

 alcohol a tag should be attached 

 to it. A simple number may be 

 written on paper with a pencil, or 

 better, stamped on metal and tied 

 to leg or about the neck. This 

 label should correspond to num- 

 ber in note book giving date, lo- 

 cality, name of collector, nature 

 of land and water, forest or marsh, 

 habits, abunbauce, etc. 



After a fortnight in the preserv- 

 ing liquid the specimen may be 

 taken from the bottle or can, 

 rolled in layer cotton, wrapped 

 strongly in paper and sent for 

 identification by mail. The ident- 

 ified specimens will be returned on 

 demand or will be placed in the 

 keeping of the officers of the Acad- 

 emy of Sciences. 



In conclusion the request is 

 made for immediate information 

 regarding the Salamanders, Newts 

 and Tritons in the State. Those 

 having notes or specimens for 

 identification in the order Urodela 

 will kindly commuuicate at once. 



Michigan Academy of Sciences. 

 Morris Glims, M. D., 



Kalamazoo, Mich. 



Collecting and Preparing Ferns 

 for the Herbarium. 



The collecting of ferns for trans- 

 planting, and the collection of 

 fronds for preservation as botani- 

 cal specimens, are to be pursued 

 at very different periods the year; 

 and as the former has already been 

 alluded to, it is to the latter that 

 we are desirous of devoting a few 

 pages. It may be premised that for 

 botanical purposes fronds destitute 

 of fructification are worse than use- 

 less unless they belong to species 

 which produce distinct fertile and 

 barren fronds, and in which the 

 characters and appearance of these 



fronds materially differ. In such 

 cases the two kinds of fronds should 

 be collected and preserved togeth- 

 er. 



The period for collecting ferns 

 for the herbarium is therefore man- 

 ifestly that when the frutification 

 has nearly attained to maturity, 

 and it is always better to collect 

 them on a dry day than on a very 

 wet one. The collector should go 

 out prepared, for collecting ferns, 

 if he desires that his herbarium 

 should present a neat and respec- 

 table appearance when completed. 

 Some recommend a vasc.ulum,some 

 a bag, and some a large book un- 

 der the arm; but commend us to 

 two half-inch deal boards, about 11 

 inches by 17, with a strap and 

 buckle for each end, and 20 sheets 

 of good bibulous paper, cut to the 

 same size, and placed between 

 them. Having selected a good 

 frond or two for preservation, tak- 

 ing care not to break the stipe or 

 stalk, but to separate it from the 

 rhizome or root-stock, bend back 

 the stipe just below the lowest 

 leaflets of the frond, breaking the 

 woody portion, but not dividing it 

 from the rest of the frond, and lay 

 it carefully between a sheet of your 

 bibulous paper, and secure it with 

 the spare paper between your 

 boards; then proceed in search of 

 more. Fronds, which with their 

 stalks are not too long for the pam- 

 per, should be laid in without bend- 

 ing. 



In selecting fronds for preserva- 

 tion, it is not the largest that are 

 required, but is rather advisable to 

 collect such specimens as will lie 

 comfortably between the papers 

 without bending, than to aim at 

 procuring fine specimens which 

 may only prove to be a nuisance. 

 A perfect frond of nine inches in 

 length is better than a folded or 

 otherwise mutilated one of nineteen 

 inches. In selecting fronds, the 

 fruit should not be too ripe, or in- 

 stead of spores you will only find 

 empty cases not to mention the 

 rusty dust that will continually tint 

 your papers. It is better that the 

 spores should be scarcely matured. 

 Then, again, it should be noticed 

 whether the frond is eaten by in- 

 sects, broken, or in any other way 

 imperfect. Such specimens are to 

 be avoided if others can be obtain- 

 ed. Finally, the specimen select- 

 ed should be well grown, and not 

 distorted, unsymmetrical, or exhi- 

 bit a tendency to sporting or de- 

 parture from the general type of 

 the neighbouring fronds. 



Having collected what speci- 

 mens are required and conveyed 



