7 
The jYat avalist a’ Companion. 
throat and breast are red, with here and 
there a few feathers of drab and yellow¬ 
ish-green; while the head and back are 
})rettily colored with a variegated mixture 
of green, brown, and red, all of which 
have a peculiar metallic lustre ; wings, 
black, turning to a brownish hue at the 
shoulders ; abdomen, drab ; tail, black ; 
tail coverts, bright red ; bill, black, and 
three-fourths of an inch in length. 
Although Dame Nature has not deck¬ 
ed the female with quite so lavish a hand, 
she is, neverthelessjveiy prettily arrayed. 
The throat, head and breast are clothed 
in a mixture of yellow, green, red anci 
drab ; back, red, green and black ; tail 
feathers, black with white margin ; tail 
coverts, bright yellow ; abdomen, drab; 
wings, black and white. The total 
length of the Crossbill, from tip of beak 
to extremity of tail, is six inches. The 
tail has a very deep nitch in the end, 
which is very conspicuous when flying. 
The nest is generally built in fir trees 
in a somewhat secluded spot, and con¬ 
tains generally fourgreenish-white eggs, 
spotted and dotted with varying shades 
of lavender-brown, with a few heavy sur¬ 
face spots of dark purple-brown. The 
eggs average in size .75 by . 56 . 
OBITUARY. 
Frank K. Rising. 
We now have the sad duty of record¬ 
ing the first death in the ranks of our 
subscribers. Frank K. Rising, the well 
known writer and rubber stamp manu¬ 
facturer, died at his home in Lena, 111., 
on June 29 th, ], 886 , at the age of 19 
years. He was a writer of more than 
ordinary ability, and had written a num¬ 
ber of articles on scientific topics for 
a great many journals, including the 
Companion, under the nom de plume of 
‘‘Kinney.” His friends and relatives 
share the sympathy of the Editor in their 
bereavement. 
Limestone. 
Read at the first annual meeting of Chapter 7(50 of the 
Agassiz Association, Jamaica Plain, Mass. 
Coni blued fj'om Iasi issue. 
In making mortar, the quick-lime is 
mixed with water and silicious sand. 
The strength of the mortar depends on 
the formation ot a compound between 
water, lime and sand. The finer the 
sand, the moie thorough the combina¬ 
tion. Hydraulic cement is so called be¬ 
cause it will set under water. It is made 
from limestone containing silica and 
alumina. Less sand is needed than with 
ordinary lime. 
Almost all shells effervesce with hy¬ 
draulic acid in the same manner as cal- 
cite does, showing that they must be 
composed of calcite or carbonate of lime. 
In the ocean, vast quantities of carbon¬ 
ate of lime are held in solution. This 
is used by the coral polyps and the mol- 
lusks to make their skeletons. When 
they die, their shells are left behind them 
and accumulate on the bed of the ocean; 
and in time they unite and form lime¬ 
stone. 
Coquina, which is found in large 
quantities in P'loiida, is a variety of 
limestone in process of formation. Al¬ 
though it is porous and appears very 
friable, it is really quite firm ; the shells 
uniting strongly wherever they meet. 
In course of time the spaces between 
the shells will be filled and we shall have 
solid rock containing fossils. After 
considerable time has elapsed, it may 
become crystalline, as in marble and 
calcareous s])ar ; and all traces of the 
