NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
5 1 
teleology which too often passes for Natural History, as exemplified by a paper 
on “ Plants that Hide from Animals.” This dealt with underground stems such as 
artichoke tubers, aquatic plants as a whole, climbing plants, the seeds of Ricinus , 
said to mimic pebbles, and those of an Iris that drive olf browsing animals by 
rattling like a rattle-snake ! 
The University of Colorado Studies, vol. iii. , No. I. Boulder, Colorado. Price 
50 cents. 
Of the seven papers here issued two only come within our ken, one on “ Ex- 
tinct Glaciers of Colorado” and “Contributions to the Natural History of the 
Rocky Mountains,” by Prof. T. D. A. Cockerell, which deals with spiders, 
beetles, Coccidce, bees and flowering plants. 
The Plant World for November and December shows the improvement 
which has marked the recent issues. The former number has an article entitled 
“The Mistletoe,” which deals, however, with many plants of similar habit, and 
one on “The Influence of Pollination upon the Development of the Hop,” which 
reaches the same conclusion as that commonly held by English growers, viz., 
that pollination serves as a protection against mould and is conducive to stronger 
development of the valuable resin. Mr. Clute’s conclusion, stated in the Decem- 
ber number, that spinous “ plants produce thorns and prickles . . . because 
it is their nature to,” can hardly be termed illuminative. 
The Garden Album and Review for January. Edited by John Weathers. 
Simpkin, Marshall and Co. Price 7d. net. 
This is the first number of a new monthly magazine of horticulture under the 
very competent editorship of the author of the “ Practical Guide to Garden 
Plants.” Each number is to have four quarto coloured plates, and judging from 
the four in this first number, this renders the magazine phenomenally cheap for 
6s. 6d. a year, post-free. 
Educational Postcards. The Country Press, of 19, Ball Street, Kensington, W., 
are issuing a novel series of educational postcards, the first example of which is a 
series of pictures, on seven cards, of the 42 species of British Ferns, from the 
Nature printed plates of Mr. Francis George Heath’s work, “The Fern Paradise.” 
Received: Our Animal Friends and The Victorian Naturalist for January; 
and The Naturalist, The Irish Naturalist, The Animals ' 1 Friend, The Animal 
World, The Humanitarian , The Agricultural Economist, The Parents' Review, 
and The Estate Magazine for February. 
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 
328. Minks, Musk-rats and Otters.— A recent issue of the Bangor 
News, U.S.A., contained the following interesting note on minks, musk rats and 
otters in the States: “As a rule, swamp, or stream, or pond, where musk-rats 
are plentiful, will hold a good number of mink. The fisher-cat and the otter 
are not so fond of musk-rat flesh, though no mink will think of going fishing when 
it can find musk-rats. The fisher-cat is an animal that roams abroad very much. 
At times a man may go fishing on a lake near Bangor, for example, and have his 
pickerel stolen almost from under his nose, and again he may fish for days and 
weeks and never see a track of one of these animals along the shore. The 
impression is among hunters that fisher- cats are gaining in numbers, and the 
reason for the increase is said to be the fact that many brooks and ponds have 
been newly stocked with trout and land-locked salmon. 
“ One can live about the lakes and ponds of Maine a long time before he sees 
an otter. In fact, the so-called black otter of the northern streams will soon be 
very rare. Still, if a person will walk along the steep banks to inland lakes in 
January and February, his chances of finding an otter slide are very good. 
According to the writer’s belief, as a rule, otters are more social in their habits 
than mink or fisher-cats. From inland lakes comes the report that men have 
seen as many as ten or a dozen of these slim and graceful creatures sliding and 
snorting and racing about in the moonlight in great glee. When driven by stress 
