56 



NATUKAL SCIENCE NEWS. 



506. Orchard Oriole. Icterus spurius. A rare straggler. Saw 

 one June 26, 1893, a male. Possibly was breeding. A male, one of a 

 pair, was shot at Chili by W. C. Voke about May 18, 1896. Female 

 was seen at the time. 



507. Baltimore Oriole. Icterus galbula. Abundant summer resi- 

 dent. Breeds. 



509. Rusty Blackbird. Scolecophagus carolinus. Common migrant, 

 especially in the fall. 



511b. Bronzed Crackle. 

 summer resident. Breeds. 



Quisculus quiscula ceneus. Abundant 



Family FRINGILLID^E. — Finches, Sparrows, etc. 



514. Evening Grosbeak. Coccothraustes vespertina. During the 

 winter of 1889 and 1890 the remarkable movement of. this species to 

 the east extended over Western New York. Specimens were taken at 

 Brockport, Albion, Gaines, Chili, Lockport and Naples. 



515. Pine Grosbeak. Pinicola enucleator. Occasional migrant in 

 severe winters. While large numbers passed through New England 

 in 1892-93 few if any seemed to have passed as far west as this. Com- 

 mon during the winter of 1895-6. 



517. Purple Finch. 

 ident. Breeds. 



Carpodacus purpitrcus. 



Common summer res- 

 A winter visi- 



521. American Crossbill. Loxia curvirostra minor. 

 tant. Not common. 



522. White-winged Crossbill. loxia leucopiera. A rare straggler. 

 Reported from Brockport by G. F. Guelf. 



528. Redpoll. 

 times common. 



Acanthis Hnaria. Irregular winter visitor. Some- 



529. American Goldfinch. Spinus tristis. Abundant summer res- 

 ident. Breeds. Often seen in the winter and like the Meadowlark 

 may be classed as an occasional resident in winter. 



533. Pine Siskin. Spinus pinus. Irregular fall and winter visitor, 

 and very rare breeder. One nest taken in spring of 1889. 



534. Snowflake. Plectrophenax nivalis. Abundant winter visitant. 



Calcarius lapponicus. Occasional win- 



536. Lapland Longspur. 

 ter visitant. 



540. Vesper Sparrow. 

 resident and breeds. 



Pooccct 



cs gratninicus'. 



Abundant summer 



542a. Savanna Sparrow. Ammodramus sandwichensis savanna. 

 Common summer resident in suitable localities. Breeds. 



546. Grasshopper Sparrow. Ammodramus savannarum passerinus. 

 Reported by J. H. Langille as a summer resident near West Barre, 

 Orleans Co. A nest containing four eggs found near Maplewood, 

 Monroe Co., June 1, 1893. Eggs were fresh and I positively identi- 

 fied the species. Since writing the above nests have been taken as fol- 

 lows: two at Phelps, Ontario Co., and one at Chili, each containing 

 four eggs. It may safely be called an occasional summer resident. 



554. White-crowned Sparrow. 

 migrant. 



Zonotrichia albicollis. A common 



558. White-throated Sparrow 

 migrant. 



559. Tree Sparrow. Spizella monticola. 

 occasional winter resident. 



560. Chipping Sparrow. 

 dent. Breeds. 



563. Field Sparrow. 

 breeds. Not very common 



Zonotrktna albHolVs. Abundant 

 Common migrant and 

 Spizella sociulis. Abundant summe rresi- 

 Spizella pusilla. Summer resident and 



cles, nerves, and blood vessels 

 broken or shattered," the muscles, 

 ect. appeared to be drawn to a 

 blunt apex, not unlike in shape to 

 the smoothly sharpened end of a 

 pencil. 



The whole end where the divid- 

 ing took place was closely covered 

 by a thin, transparent membrane. 



We reasoned that the convex 

 surface of this- end must have fit 

 into a concave shaped end on the 

 part that had once been attached 

 to it. 



Of the parts that writhed about 

 and disappeared, bremember noth- 

 ing definitely about, except that 

 the ends of them had the same 

 general appearence as the end we 

 examined. 



I do not remember the shape of 

 the head and neck of th ; s reptile, 

 but the party who was with me 

 says that the animal had scarcely 

 any neck, the head merging direct- 

 ly into the body. 



C. E. Purcell, 

 Burlington, Iowa. 



Rock Crystal. 



This is one of the most widely 

 distributed of minerals and found 

 in all parts of the world. A group 

 of crystals in the University of Na- 

 ples weighes nearly one-half a ton. 

 A crystal at Milan is three and one- 

 half feet in length and five and one- 

 half feet in circumference and 

 weighs nearly 875 pounds. Her- 

 kimer Co., N. Y. produces clear, 

 doubly terminated crystals. All 

 along the Upper Mississippi are 

 found round masses of quartz 

 which, when broken open show 

 cavities lined with crystals. Groups 

 of crystals are highly valued in 

 China and Japan as ornaments for 

 the apartments of the rich. 



It is employed for spectacle 

 glasses, being far superior to glass 

 and is not so liable to lose its high 

 polish. It is also used in optical 

 instruments. When used for such 

 purposes it is called Brazilian Peb- 

 ble. In India the natives hollow 

 it out in cups, globes and vases. 

 They believe it to be the mother 

 or external husk of the diamond, 

 and call the crystal the unripe, and 

 the diamond the ripe diamond. 

 The Chinese do not cut it as well 

 as the natives of India. The Jap- 

 anese cut it into round balls used 

 for cooling the hands, for, like all 

 true stones it feels much cooler 

 than paste or glass. The Greeks 

 supposed it to be water congealed 

 by intense cold and believed it 

 could only be found in 'the far 



