NATURAL SCIENCE NEWS. 



69 



Amount of Volcanic Dust. 



In a paper presented in Phila- 

 delphia a month or two ago, Prof. 

 N. S. Shaler called attention to 

 the importance of volcanic dust as 

 a geologic agent. Basing some 

 conclusions of the great volcanic 

 activity in recent years in the Is- 

 land of Java and the district near 

 by, Professor Shaler thinks that 

 the vocanic dust which settles on 

 the ocean is perhaps quite equal 

 in amount to all the soil that is 

 carried down by the rivers. It 

 may even be equal he thinks to 

 the whole amount of rock material 

 which falls into the sea from all 

 causes, put together, including the 

 true dust of the land which is 

 blown in by the wind. If either 

 one of these suppositions be true, 

 and it is not likely that Professor 

 Shaler has made up his mind with- 

 out good reasons for doing so, it 

 is evident that the relation of vol- 

 canic dust to the formation of land 

 has by no means been appreciated. 

 The supposition finds supporting 

 evidence in the fact that pumice- 

 stone deposits are noticeable along 

 the coasts of our own country. — 

 Happy Thought. 



In the Chemical Laboratory. 



Professor — "What has become 

 of Tom Appleton? Wasn't he 

 studying with the class last year?" 



"Ah, yes; Appleton — poor fel- 

 low: A fine student, but absent 

 minded in the use of chemicals — 

 very. That discoloration on the 

 ceiling — notice it?'' 



"Yes." 



1 'That's Appleton. " — Pearson's 

 U'ccklx. 



A Venezuelan Exhibit. 



One of the latest additions to 

 the Philadelphia Museum is the 

 Venezuelan exhibit from the At- 

 lanta Exposition, which comes as 

 a gift from the Venezuelan Gov- 

 ernment, and which illustrates by 

 a collection of 3,000 objects the 

 researches of her forests, mines, 

 and fields. Such an exhibit will 

 prove very valuable to our manu- 

 facturers and merchants; and it 

 would well repay the statesmen at 

 Washington for the time and 

 trouble expended in looking over 

 the collection, — Philadelphia Rec- 

 ord. 



683. Yellow-breasted Chat. [cteria virens. Rare summer resi- 

 dent. On May 26, 1890, I found a nest at Chili, (see Oologist, Sept., 

 1892 ) containing one egg. Think they are very rare in this latitude. 



684. Hooded Warbler. Sylvania mitrata. 

 Breeds. 



685. Wilson's Warbler. Sylvania pusilla. 

 Davison as a rare migrant. Must be very rare. 



686. Canadian Warbler. Sylvania canadensis. 

 sible summer resident. 



687. American Redstart. Selophaga ruticilla. 

 resident in suitable localities. Breeds. 



Summer resident. 

 Reported by Mr. 

 Migrant and pos- 

 Abundant summer 



Family MOTACILLIDyE.— Pipits, etc. 



697, American Pipit. Anthus pensylvanicus. Irregular fall visi- 

 tor. 



Family TROGLODYTIDAi. — Thrashers and Wrens. 



703. Mockingbird. Mimus polyglottus. Rare visitor and possible 

 breeder. Reported by L. V. Case of Naples. 



704. Catbird. Galeoscoptes c rolinensis. Abundant summer resi- 

 dent and breeds. 



705. Brown Thrasher. Harporhynchus rufus. Rare summer resi- 

 dent, becoming more common in the southern counties. Breeds. 



718. Carolina Wren. Thryothorus ludovicianus. One taken four 

 miles north of Batavia, Genesee Co., about Dec. 22, 1894, by Alfred 

 Garrett of Gaines, Orleans Co. Very rare straggler. 



721. House Wren. Troglodytes cedon. Summer resident. Breeds. 



722. Winter Wren. Troglodytes hiemalis. Migrant. Not very 

 common. 



724. Short-billed Marsh Wren. Cistothorus stellaris. Summer 

 resident and breeds. Local on the lake. 



725. Long-billed Marsh Wren. Cistothon-s palustris. Common 

 summer resident on the lake shore. Breeds. 



Family CERTHID/E. — Creepers. 



726. Brown Creeper. Certhia familiar.is americana. Common mi- 

 grant and often seen in winter. 



Family PARID^.— Nuthatches and Tits. 



727. White-breasted Nuthatch. Sit/" carolinensis. Resident. 

 Everywhere common. Breeds. 



728. Red-breasted Nuthatch. Sit/a canadensis. Occasional win- 

 ter visitant. 



735. Chickadee. Parus utrieapillus. Common resident and breeds. 

 Family SYLVIID/E.— Kinglets and Gnatcatchers. 



748. Golden-crowned Kinglet. Regulus satrapa. Common mi- 

 grant. Said to winter here. 



749. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Regulus calendula. Common mi- 

 grant. 



751. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. PolioptHa ccerulea. Very rare sum- 

 mer resident. Know of only one instance of its breeding. A pair 

 reared their }oung near Coldwater, Monroe Co., during the summer of 



1890. 



Family TURDIDjE. — Thrushes, Bluebirds, etc. 



755- 

 dent. 



75 6 - 

 dent. 



757- 



fHRUSH. Tardus muslelintis. Common summer resi- 



W001 

 Breeds. 



Wilson's Thrush. 

 Breeds. 



Gray-cheeked Thrush 



Tardus fueescen.s. Common summer resi- 



Turdus alicice. Mr. Davison in his 

 list in Rarest and Stream, Sept., 1889, reported it as an uncommon mi- 

 grant. I have never taken the species. 



758a. Olive-backed Thrush. Turdus ustulatus swains onii- Occas- 

 ional migrant and very rare breeder. Reported by F. H- Lattin as 

 nesting at Gaines, Orleans Co., during the summers of 1880-81. 



759b. Hermit Thrush. Tardus aonalasehkcc pallasii. Common mi- 

 grant and rare breeder. Have found nests at Chili during 1889-90-92- 

 93. Also reported by L. V. Case as a rare migrant at Naples, On- 

 tario Co. 



761. American Robin. Merula migr a toria. Abundant summer res- 

 ident. Breeds. 



766. Bluf.bird. Siulia s%alis. Abundant summer resident. Breeds. 



