Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/470

 434

��. v.. No. 121.

��welcome shelter is eslemling over the reinaiii- ing sand-hills toivard the ocean. The pine is precccieti, first hj- the sand reed-grass (Am- moiihila), then bj' the wild Uipinea, espeeialiy by the two shrubby species of the place, — the yellow-flowered Lupinus arboreua, and the ailverv-leaved and blue-flowered L. Chamis- souis, — which in apring-dme are aa orna- mental as they are useful.

Tiiesc grounds were most wisely as well as beautifully laid out, the favorable ualiiral con- ligiiralioD of the ground preserved and accen- tuated, the ample driveways led along easy curves around tree- pi an tal ions bo phtced as to afford very needful shelter from the sea-wind whiL'h gives an inclement character to a San Fi-ancisoo summer. I was sorry to see, that, under a new admiiiisli-ation of this park, these gooti ijoinls were not appreciated as they had been, perhaps because they are not appre- hended. For eiianges by no means the belter were in progress: the avenues were being widened and straightened to a cei-tain extent, and shelter cut away, seemingly with the ob- ject of letting in the harsh west wind, or of facilitating fast driving. Neither of these results could be really desirable.

Allliough these two handsome trees, the Slonterej' [line and the Monterey cypress, are wholly unadaptable to the Atlantic United Slates, as may be said of almost every Cali- fornian conifer, it is pleasant to know that they grow fairly well in the warmer parts of England, where they are highly prized. Still the main hope of their perpetuity has respect to their native soil.

There is slill another conifor<iu3 tree on the Califoruinn coast of equally limited range and precarious destiny; namely, I'inna Torreyana of I'arry. According to Dr. Parry (West- Avierican scifitlist, i. 37), this tree " is confined to a coast-line of not more than four miles, and extending scarcely a mile inland," just lielow San Diego. Dr. Parry makes the timely suggestion that this precious bit of ground should be preserved by the town of San Diego, within the coriwrate limits of which it lies.

A. Gkay.

��LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

�� ��xr-aUde

��On April 22 ami 23 occurred Ihe. beaviesl snow-faltl kniiWD at tbU plauu. There was Lui Hule wind, tenipernlure vias so mild lliat titi! ftukps were sligl_.._. motsl M they fell, anil hence wlhered flrmly Log*UMh;1 The snow wu quite porousnt Brst, hui rapidly oeult ' and beenitieiimiewhatconipiicl. Oniiuueilr~ ' on ali'Vp Klildgleil mofs, snuw-i- Hill's iif the sort wei-e rrequenl; but, on shingled roofs of mudrr- ale sloi>e, I n>>iic«d ihut Ihe snow was stuwly moving duwnwftrU^ somewlml like a glxcler. The thicknt»4 of thesuow afUTieltliiig was al>'iut ten iiiL-hes; and its rati) of laotioii downward varied from one inch to two feet per hour, acciirdliig to SLtuaiion. At the eaveB it brnt duwuward like a p1ac mas'', and hung

in broad sheets in tlio air until breaking by \\t -

weight. I have often seen the same Ihlnp, but on su targe a scale. In one case, on the norUi shle of a building, the snnw-sbeet retained the curve w" ' - " it took as it passed tile edge ot ilie roof. It lliiia .. inward so as to nearly touch the building tour f<._ below [lie cornice. Meaiiured along ihe curve, i^o 8u-pended portion wua about five and a liaiT fe*! long, wbicl) certainly sbows cunsidei'alile tenacity of the snow-sheet, considering Ibat it had fallen within thirty-six hours, and that the temperature wxi such that there was a constant drip of water from the ed/ ' of the suuw. It should be noted, that, at the last, whole mass — botb the suspended purtUm and on the niof — went down In a body, with ' _ anywhi-re. G. U. Stokk.

Calaradi Sprlnfi, April is.

A patasltio leech.

In the Bummer of 1877, at Fort Bridger, Wy while partaking of the iiospltsllly of'~niy fiiend iSt. J. Van A. Carter, a tilioBhoiie Indian liruudit to the house a (ish to be served for the table. It was caught in the neighboring stream, Ulack'x Fork of Ureen Kiver. and wan Iinowu in the locality as ihe ' Urla' (Uila?). or wbitellsh. I made it out to be the ao- called Co' upwards of t

directed to it by l)r. Carter, who iniomied me that tbe Ssli was liable to be infested with leeiHet in lb« . mouib. On eiaiulnlug the speoinieii, 1 delected a'~ dozen leeches suspended to the sides of the toni ' by their terminal sucker. On disturbance, theyH came very lively, clinging lightly to their poftUIOl alternately elungatiu;; and >h<>n('nlng, and pr~' ""

and retracting, the bead extri'inity in the u-.u

her of their alllrH. They uppi'un-d of a IranalitQIi blackish hue, with eight hmgltudiNal, equidlH raw-sienna colored siri|M:s. In the cim" " "" " they were imta an inch to an liicb Hiid a quarter h by less than half an inch hruad, eJlipUcal, and « the hrad exlri^niity rather abruptly narrowed ■ more or Icbs prolonged. Et"tigated. they were —

two and a iialf hiclics by about one-lblnl of a

at the broadi'st part. and. as represei>t(-din the acci-io->a panying Ugure, which is of the n.-iinnit eixc, werei f variably cytindro-clavate, thickest bcliiinl. iitid lapel- "l ing forward, and more or less coiisli iclrd at diHM>'>'4 eiit (Kjint*. The caudal sucker, hy which the L tightly adhered to its pofitiun, was ot the u . _ cii'cnlar form and proportions. After reui'ivlng )] tongue of Ihe fish, and laying it In a dish of mwf in the course of an hour Ihn leechea voluuUl detached themselves, and moveil about, or clu^.^ the huitom of the dish. The Intcgunienl la s

��rithin

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