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Rh world are thought to be derived from that stock.

De Candolle, however, speaks of the more profound hibernal repose of northern plants producing in the buds greater susceptibility to the heat of spring. But, Prof. Gray, commenting on this in the American Journal of Science for September, suggestively remarks that "the way in which this increased susceptibility arises is not stated," and adds, "that natural selection would operate upon trees as upon cereal grains, inducing precocious races better adapted to the short summers, only more time would be required in case of the tree."

Influence of Water on Climate.—At the late meeting of the British Association, Prof Hennessy read a paper on the "InflenceInfluence [sic] of the Physical Properties of Water on Climate." The object of the paper was to contradict the opinion formerly expressed by Sir J. Herschel, that "water does not distribute heat in any thing like the same degree as land." According to Prof. Hennessy, of all substances largely existing in Nature, water is the most favorable to the absorption and distribution of solar heat. A sandy soil, such as that of the Sahara, although capable of exhibiting a very high temperature during the day, becomes cool during the night, and is one of the worst media for storing up the heat derived from sunshine. Water, on the contrary, stores up heat better than almost any other body. An objection was offered by Prof Everett, based on the generally-accepted fact that the temperature of the Southern Hemisphere is lower than that of the northern, despite the greater predominance of water in the former. This Prof. Hennessy denied to be a fact.

Curious Behavior of a Snake.—For the following account of an interesting exhibition of serpent-cunning, we are indebted to Mr. E. Lewis, of Brooklyn: "On the 20th of June last, while visiting at the house of a relative on Long Island, I saw on his lawn an adder, a species of snake common in that region. It seemed gentle, and, when approached, made no effort to escape. Wishing to observe its motions, I touched it with a stick, when, instead of moving away, it commenced a series of contortions that greatly surprised me. Nothing that I had seen in the motion of serpents of any kind showed so clearly as did this instance the extraordinary flexibility of their vertebral column. The contortions ended by the creature thrusting its head and open mouth into the loose dirt on the surface as if in great distress, when, partially extending itself and turning on its back, it lay as if quite dead. I lifted it on the stick, and carried it some yards, and laid it on the grass, but observed, in laying it down, that it showed some rigidity, in its tendency to turn or lie on its back. Others, who had witnessed the action of the snake, now left, and I stepped behind a tree for further observation.

"In two or three minutes the head of the snake rose a little, and I could see that it was observing the situation. Presently it turned on its belly, and was in a position to move away; but, on being touched, it turned on its back again. Finally, it raised its head, turned over, and, seeing no one, crawled slowly away.

"This behavior in the snake was new to me, and has not been observed by any with whom I have conversed concerning it. It seems to me probable that it arose from the instinct of self-preservation, or from the equally strong instinct for preservation of its young. No young ones were seen, however, but they may have been near in the grass, and it was a season of the year when their presence might be expected. There was certainly nothing more curious or strange in the snake's feigning death than in birds feigning lameness, and other animals feigning death, when themselves or their young are in danger; but I conclude the phenomenon is unusual with serpents."

A New Enemy of Submarine Cables.—In 1865 the world-renowned special correspondent of the London Times, W. H. Russell, modestly gave utterance to a prophecy which time has since fulfilled almost to the letter. He then wrote: "As a mite would in all probability never have been seen but for the invention of cheese, so it may be that there is some undeveloped creation waiting perdu for the first piece of