have so powerful an anti-malarious effect, that it is asserted that men working in the swamp and drinking the water are entirely exempt. from chills and fever. It is known to possess the power of keeping sweet a long time and is used for filling the water-casks of vessels going on a long cruise.

all.

In the streets of Norfolk, we found noble specimens of trees that in Washington are only half-hardy and will not endure the winters at Melia azederach, Celtis occidentalis, nearly two feet in diameter Quercus virens, Aesculus pavia, Carya olivaeformis, Lagerstroemia indica and in waste places Rumex pulcher?

An excursion over the plains surrounding the city, and largely devoted to market and nursery gardening, gave several species of interest, Symplocos tinctoria finely in fruit, Gratiola sphaerocarpa, in ditches, Oxydendron arborum, Arnica nudicaulis in quantites Oenothera sinuata, and last but not the least a fine locality of Galax aphylla.

On the beach above Fortress Monroe was found a specimen of Limulus polyphemus twenty-three inches in lenght, and a haul of a seine brought in some bushels of crabs, and a specimen of the curious "Toad-fish," or "puffer," Tetraodon turgidus, as elastic as a football. The lack of Zoological knowledge prevented any acquisitions to this direction.

The trip was, as will be seen rich in botanical results, and full of interest in every way, and is heartily commended to the naturalists, of our club, and of the country.

J. W. CHICKERING, JR.

Collecting Nets for Insects.

A good net is a piece of apparatus indispensible to an entomologist in the field; it must be strong enough te stand rough knocking and the hard usage it is liable to receive, and yet it must be light and easy to handle, or it cannot be used dextrously in the pursuit of butterflies and other insecls that fly swiftly or dart about. Of course every collector has his own ideas about the construction of this simple matter of a collecting net, and, very likely, is well satisfied with the one he uses. We have in our possession various styles of nets that have been made from time to time as we have met with new forms, and as a brief

statement of our experience, in the form of descriptions of the various styles, may be the means of giving some of our younger entomological readers one or two new ideas on the subject, we gladly submit it.

The simplest form is the common gauze net, as represented in Fig. 1, and whether it is made of an old barrel-hoop nailed to a broomgandle, covered with green "mosquito bar" netting, by an indignant agriculturist on the war-path for cabbage butterflies, or, rudely fashioned from telegraph-wire and materials at hand, in the field, to replace a broken net, it is substantially the same thing. It should be of brass wire a little more than an eighth of an inch in thickness, the ends bent at right angles from the ring and together thrust into a tapering socket of tin or brass and there secured; brass is better than steel because it will not rust. The wire is bound with coarse cotton cloth to prevent wear, and to this the net, of swiss muslin or any other gauze is sewn. A rod of ash five feet long, with an averege thickness of 5% of an inch (34 at the butt) we have found to be the most convenient.

A few years ago Mr. Glover proposed a double net, shown in Fig. 2, to be used by farmers in collecting noxious insects when in large numbers on a particular crop, that might be used by entomologists in some kinds of collecting. The bottom of the net is made open, but secured with a string when in use in the same manner that a grain bag is tied. The ring is the same as in the first net, but there is an inner net, funnel-shaped, and terminating in a tin tube. The object of the inner apartment is to secure the insects from flight after they have been taken. Such a net might be useful for beetles or plant-bugs, but butterflies and similar insects would not be able to get into the inner chamber on account of their wings. To empty the net, when in use by collectors, the string is untied, the insects shaken into the opposite end, and the desirable species secured. Of course, a farmer would shake the entire contents into hot water at once.

cases.

Fig. 3 represents an English net-frame particularly useful in some The socket, after leaving the handle or rod, branches into two smaller ones, forming a letter Y, which receive stout pieces of some elastic wood, or better, rattan; a string is then attached to the two ends which are drawn towards each other so as to form the curved sides of the net frame, as represented in our figure, and the net is attached. The advantages are that the square side allows the net to be used

against flat surfaces as walls and fences, or if pressed end-wise against a tree or post, the string yielding, as indicated by dotted lines, allows the net to conform to its shape, and any insect that has alighted above can be knocked into it without danger of loss. Another good feature is that when not in use, the rods forming the two sides of the frame may be taken from the sockets and net and all rolled together into a very small space.

This brings us to folding nets, and although there are many forms, we will describe one which we think infinitely superior to all others we have seen. Fig. 4 illustrates a net frame which we have used for many years and find simple, durable and convenient. The first one made-after an example shown us by Lord Walsingham when in this country-was too "weak in the joints," the riveted ends having been filed flat instead of fitted as in joint d (very much exaggerated for sake of illustration) in our figure, resulting in the wire breaking off at the rivet holes. The whole net frame is of brass, fitting with greatest nicety to secure firmness. The screw should be made of steel, quite stout, and should fit the screw-thread of the socket nicely, passing half way through, and the socket itself should be permanently secured to its rod; however, a glance at the drawing will give a better idea of its construction than a'mere description of its parts.

A shows the net-frame secured to the rod, and as ready for use. B shows the socket g unscrewed, allowing the parts a and b to separate, after which the sides e and fare brought together, and the frame. is folded once, the screw and joint d acting as the axes; it is again folded at the joints e and f, which are made the same as d, but working in a different direction, and the frame is folded, after which the gauze is wrapped tightly around it and the whole can placed in an inside coat pocket with ease. The socket g and parts a and b are made of solid brass, the socket bored out as indicated by the dotted lines. When the parts a and b are brought firmly together and the socket screwed up tight the whole frame is held rigid. The screw is made a part of b, but passes through a without friction, so as to allow the two pieces to be separated instantly, when it is desired to fold up the net. Our rod is jointed, making two sections, one about 18 inches long, which is easily carried in the hand; the other, three feet long, which serves as a cane after a little rosewood knob is inserted in the large

socket at one end, and a screw-plug in the lower one to keep the dirt out. The gauze forming the net should be bound with cotton cloth at the open end, in the form of a deep hem, as the joints of the frame must have room to play, and at the same time to allow easy removal of the net.

Fig. 5 is a form of aquatic net (after Packard). It is made of grass cloth or some coarse material, fastened to a stout ring a foot or more in diameter. A similar net somewhat deeper and made of swiss muslin, is useful for sweeping grass and herbage. The folding net (Fig. 4) may be provided with a sweeping bag attachment of muslin, but it is rather liable to injury with rough usage.

Fig. 6, a little instrument copied from Newman's "History of Insects," is useful for taking diptera or hymenoptera from umbelliferous flowers. It consists of a scissor-like frame with two circular or octagonal rings covered with silk gauze or swiss muslin. When the two arms are brought together by the finger and thumb, the insect is imprisioned between the discs, and can be chloroformed and handled without injuring the specimen.

CHARLES R. DODGE.

Exploration of Ancient Aboriginal Graves in
New Mexico.

During the field season of 1874 of the Expedition for Explorations west of the 100th M., the party under direction of the writer camped for a few days at Abiquiu in the valley of Chama, in order to make a geological reconnaisance of the neighboring mountains, as well as to investigate the contents of certain graves said to be in close proximity to a ruined pueblo not far from the town. Our informant had received his information from the village padre, and to him we paid our respects, and found from his statements that no doubt existed as to the presence of human bones at the point indicated. He had not seen any himself, but had been informed by his herdsman that skulls and bones were frequently washed out after a heavy rain from the arroyas on either side of the pueblo, the location of which he clearly indicated to us by a rude drawing on the floor of his dwelling.