Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/144

 136 SNOWBALL suspected by De Saussure (1760), which were described by Dr. Wollaston as minute spher- ical globules having a transparent covering and divided into seven or eight cells tilled with a red oily-like liquid insoluble in water. Girod-Ohantraus (1797 and 1802) described these as plants under the name vohox focus- trii. Bauer (1820) demonstrated that they are a fungous growth, which he named uredo nivalis. Robert Brown concluded them to be algffl allied to the tremella cruenta. Agardh confirmed the views as to their vegetable na- ture, and gave them the title protococcus per- metina. Bravais and Martins, as members of the northern commission, verified the identity of red (hcematococcus nivalis) and green (proto- cocctu viridis) globules as being one and the same plants in different stages of growth, the green being probably the riper. The most re- cent authority on this difficult subject is Ros- tafinski (1875), who retains the generic name hcematococcus, and has further confirmed the identity of these microscopic alg. Ehrenberg (1847) found, besides vegetable spores, animal- cules properly so called, among which the most abundant in red snow is that to which he gave the name philodina roseola. The glare of the sunlight reflected from snow-covered ground gives rise, unless the eyes are protected by glasses or goggles, to a very severe inflamma- tion of the optic nerve. (See AMAUROSIS, and BLIND.) SNOWBALL. See GUELDER ROSE. SXOWBERRY, the common name for a native shrub, given on account of its large, very pure white berries, which ripen in autumn and re- main after the leaves have fallen. The genus symphoricarpus (Gr. ovfujwphv, to bear together, and /eapTnjf, fruit, from the clustered berries), to which it belongs, is exclusively North Amer- Snowberry (Syraphoricarpus racemosus). ican, extending from British America to Mexi- co, and contains about six species ; it belongs ) the honeysuckle family, and differs from the loneysuckle (Lonicerd) itself in having a regu- SNOW BIRD lar corolla and a fewer-seeded berry. All are small branching shrubs, with ovate entire (or sometimes wavy-toothed), opposite leaves, and small, bell-shaped, four- to five-lobed, white or rose-tinted flowers in short spikes or clus- ters. The snowberry (S. racemosus) is found from Vermont westward to Oregon, and as far south as Pennsylvania; it is one of the most common garden shrubs, and is cultivated for its white berries. The wolfberry (S. occiden- talis), growing from Michigan westward, has also white berries. The Indian currant or coralberry (S. milgaris), found from western New York to Texas, and sometimes cultivated, has small dark red berries in dense clusters. SNOW BIRD, a well known member of the finch family, and genus junco (Wagler). With the general characters of the finch family, the middle toe is shorter than the short tarsus, the outer the longest ; the wings are rather short, and the tail slightly notched ; the second quill is the longest. The common snow bird (J. hye- malis, Sclater) is about 6J in. long, and 9 in. Snow Bird (Junco hyemalis). in alar extent ; the upper parts are nearly uni- form dark plumbeous, darkest anteriorly, with- out any red in the interscapular region ; lower parts white; the external two tail feathers white, the third white margined with black. It is found from the eastern United States to the Missouri and the Black hills of the west, and from Louisiana to the fur countries. It appears in New England from the south early in April, while the ground is covered with snow, going north to breed, and returning south late in autumn. They are found in small fami- lies, which usually keep by themselves, often visiting farm yards and hopping after domestic poultry, and in cold weather retiring into holes in hay stacks. They are fond of grass seed and berries ; the flesh is delicate and juicy, and is often sold in the New Orleans market ; tbt spring notes are agreeable. The nest is on the ground, the entrance generally concealed ; the eggs are four, three fourths by five eighths of an inch, yellowish white with numerous small reddish brown dots. A nearly allied species in the Rocky mountains is the J. caniceps (Baird), having a reddish spot in the inter- scapular region but not on the wings. On the