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such an interest in science ns is indicated by the presence of local scientific sotnetieB strong enough to publish proceedings of some sort ; and the result appears to be, that these aocieties are not, to any appieciable extent, feeders of the association. It is more probable that they are oftener its children. Thus San Francisco numbers but seven members ; Denver, two only, losing one during the past year, which has witnessed the publication of a whole vol- ume of proceedings from the local society ; the great city of Chicago has hut thirty members, even with an increase of four during the past year; Daven|>ort, lo.. has only two; Albany, with its long- established Albany institute, only fifteen, a loss of one during the year ; Buffalo, with more than one society flourishing from time to time, eleven, a loss of one member during the year; Poughkeepsie, five, a loss of one ; Troy, twelve, a gain of three ; Wilkes- barre, six, a gain of four during the past yenr ; Milwaukee, four, a gain of one ; Toronto. twelve, a gain of one ; and Halifax, N.S., a single member.

University and college towns are very gen- erally represented, but, excepting at lai^e cen- tres, by only three or four memhers. How widely distributed the memberahip has become, is shown by the significant fact that no less than 597 places contribute to the list ; indicat- ing clearly that the assembling of five hundred or a thousand scattered members once a year, must be an important factor in the advance of science in this country, far more than it is possible it should become in such a country, for instance, as England.

��AuoMi RECENT naval orders, we note that of Rear-Admiral Franklin to the command of the EurojWfln squadron. That this able oflicer, who has been superintendent of the observa- tory only about a year, shoiild be so soon relieved of bis duties and iissigoed to another station, will be a matter of regret to all those friends of the observatory who hold to the belief thiit its efflcicucy under an exclusively

��naval management is be under any other.

��[ToL. T., No. Iff

��IS great as it ever fl

��LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

��The carnivorous habita of the Rodentia.

In [-eceut numbers of Science Bereral obierven have s|>oken of the habit possessed by the muskral, Fiber zlbethicuB, of feeding upon certain musMla to be found at its places of resort. As already retemd to by one of these contributors, inslances were broueht np' before the Biological society of Washington, a fe* HWotlis ago, of their destroying for food-piupotei carp In the carp-ponda. I wish to enter here bat on« tiddltloQal charge against this animal, which has been

��Island Sound, I saw upon a number of occasions, when collecting during moonlight nights, muskrala swimming along the stone wharves where the ship- ping moored. It never struck me, however, that the; were In search of food, until I observed one, on one occasion, dive, and return in a moment to the surface with a lish In its mouth some five or six Inches long. I killed tbe animal in the act, and secured both fish and rat. The former proved to be a specimen ol Gadus tomcod, ~a lish which in early winter swims nluggishl; along close to the wharves in those lati- tudes, and one easllj captured, I Imagine, by siteli a

��The muskrat.liowever, does not stand Alone In this particular propensity among the Rodentla. While collecting near Fort Wingate, N. Blex., a few days ago, I was so fortunate as to capture alive a speci- men of Hesperomys, of what species I am not posi- tive as yet Tbis trulj' beautiful little animal was taken from Its nest Id a tree in the immediate vicinity of several lodges of Neotoroa floridana. On arriving borne, about nightfall, It was consigned to a wooden bos in my stud)-. My work-table in this room was covered with things familiar to those who are ac- quainted with the doings of a naturalist in the field. Among them was a vessel containing coane com- meai, used in skinning animals and binls. Near this lay fresh specimens of pine-linnets, blue crows, and several other birds, which 1 intended lo convert into skeletons. My Hesperomys escaped during the night, and although he had been a prisoner hut a few hours. and presumably not hungry, he aio nearly the entire body of one of my pine-linnets, never touching the saucer of cornmeal which stood imraedlalely by It.

Nest morning the contents of his stomach proved his gullL The flesh-eatlng habits of rats are too well known to call for comment in this connection.

R. W. SnuFKLnr,

Furt WiBgile, N. Mvi.. '

March to.

��PoIaI

��Mr Melville's plaji of reaching the north

If you can spare the apace In your journal, I would like lo make a few concluding remarks on Dr Boas's criticism of my proposed route tuward the north pole, and my theonr thereon.

Dr. Boas, in his letter lo Hcieitcf, conftnes me t|

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