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Title: The Ohio Naturalist, vol. II, no. 2, December, 1901
Author: Various
Language: English
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*** Start of this Doctrine Publishing Corporation Digital Book "The Ohio Naturalist, vol. II, no. 2, December, 1901" ***
NO. 2, DECEMBER, 1901 ***
THE
Ohio Naturalist
Volume II. =DECEMBER, 1901.= Annual Subscription, 50
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NATURALIST—THOMAS M. EARL—TAXIDERMIST
Cor. Naghten and Ninth Sts., COLUMBUS, OHIO.
_The_ “Ohio Naturalist.”
A journal devoted more especially to the natural history of Ohio. The
official organ of THE BIOLOGICAL CLUB OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.
Published monthly during the academic year, from November to June (8
numbers). Price 50 cents per year, payable in advance. To foreign
countries, 75 cents. Single copies, 10 cents.
_Editor-in-Chief_, JAMES S. HINE.
_Associate Editors._
J. A. BOWNOCKER, Geology,
J. H. SCHAFFNER, Botany,
F. L. LANDACRE, Zoology,
W. C. MILLS, Archaeology,
MAX MORSE, Ornithology,
F. J. TYLER, Ecology.
_Advisory Board._
Prof. W. A. KELLERMAN.
Prof. HERBERT OSBORN.
Prof. CHARLES S. PROSSER.
Address =THE OHIO NATURALIST=,
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
The Truth, The Whole Truth,
and Nothing but the Truth.
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_The Ohio Naturalist_,
PUBLISHED BY
_The Biological Club of the Ohio State University_.
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Volume II. DECEMBER. 1901. No. 2.
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
TYLER—Meeting of the Biological Club 147
Meeting of the Ohio State Academy of Science 156
KELLERMAN—Fifty Additions to the Catalogue of Ohio Plants 157
KELLERMAN—Botanical Correspondence, Notes and News for Amateurs, I 159
KELLERMAN—Note and Correction to Ohio Fungi Exsiccate 161
GRIGGS—Notes of Travel in Porto Rico 162
MORSE—Salamanders Taken at Sugar Grove 164
WILLIAMSON—Fishes Taken Near Salem, Ohio 165
HINE—Collecting Tobanidae 167
HINE—Observations on Insects 169
MEETING OF THE BIOLOGICAL CLUB.
November 4th, 1901.
The Biological Club met in Orton Hall and was called to order by the
president, Prof. Osborn. As it is customary to elect new officers at the
November meeting each year, the Nominating Committee presented the
following names: For president, Mr. Mills; for vice-president, Mr.
Morse; for secretary, Mr. Tyler. Prof. Lazenby moved that the secretary
be instructed to cast the unanimous ballot of the members present for
the names proposed. Carried. Messrs. J. C. Bridwell, M. T. Cook and
Harvey Brugger were elected members.
The retiring president, Prof. Osborn, presented a very interesting
address, an abstract of which follows:
SCOPE OF MODERN BIOLOGY.
It has been the custom in this society, following a mandate of its
constitution, for the president on retiring from the chair to give an
address, and it is presumed that such an address will either bring to
your attention the results of some special investigation, summarize the
work in some field of research or outline the progress and problems with
which biology has to do.
When a year ago you were so kind as to honor me with this office, two
things I think came especially to my mind; one the success of the club
particularly in the new enterprise of publishing a journal; the other
the duty, honor and privilege of preparing an address for this occasion.
I presume you have all had the experience of contemplating some distance
in the future a certain duty, debating the most suitable theme or
method, and perhaps seen the time grow shorter and shorter with little
real accomplishment. If I were to enumerate the various topics that have
come to my mind as suitable for this occasion it would exhaust quite a
part of our time; if I could reproduce the current of thought that has
flowed from time to time along the pathways of such topics, I am sure
you would experience a weariness that I should regret to occasion.
The parts of biology which we may make thoroughly our own are very few.
It may be profitable, therefore, occasionally to take a general survey
of the field to see what its sphere of influence may be, what phases of
life are being advanced by its discoveries or by the distribution of
knowledge which follows. It has seemed to me therefore that it would be
appropriate this evening to attempt some such survey of biology, even
though it be fragmentary and inadequate.
For convenience in arrangement we may group this survey along the lines
of practical applications of service to mankind, such as occur in
medicine, agriculture and kindred industries, domestic and social life,
and those which have to do with the acquisition of knowledge and with
education.
Applications of biology in medical science, in agriculture and in
domestic life have in many cases assumed such intimate and essential
character that we often look upon them as applied sciences more than in
any other way.
While biology has been the foundation of all rational systems of
medicine and the constant servant of this most beneficent of human
professions, the forms of its uses and the wide reach of its service
have so increased in recent years that we almost have excuse in feeling
that it is a modern acquisition.
Could the ancient disciples of Esculapius, with their views of
physiology and anatomy, have seen the present scope of these subjects
and the marvelous results in cure and control of diseases by the
discoveries and applications in bacteriology, I doubt if they would have
recognized it as any part of their biology. Still harder would it have
been to appreciate the relations of malarial parasite, mosquito and man
whereby a serious disease in the latter is occasioned. Intimate
relations of two kinds of life, as evidenced in the common parasites,
must have been familiar from early times and their effects duly
recognized, though their means of access and necessary life cycles were
long misunderstood. But such relations as are found to exist in the
production of malaria, Texas fever and yellow fever have been so
recently discovered that we count them among the triumphs of our modern
science. Indeed the discovery of such a relationship may be considered
as having been impossible until the methods of modern research and the
basis of knowledge as to life conditions were acquired, and which made
it possible to put the disjointed fragments together. With the fragments
thus related the riddle seems so simple that we wonder it was not solved
before, but we must remember that it is knowledge which makes knowledge
possible.
These direct advantages in medical science are however but part of the
great gift to modern methods of disease control, for the possibilities
in the control of disease by sanitation, quarantine, vaccination, etc.,
and other methods are all based on biological data.
In speaking of these recent acquisitions I would not disparage those
important, in fact essential subjects of longer growth. Modern medicine
would be a fragile structure without its basis of comparative anatomy,
physiology, materia medica and therapeutics, which have for long years
furnished a basis for rational methods in surgery and medication.
With all this knowledge at hand it is grievous to observe how general
the delusion that disease may be eradicated by some much emblazoned
nostrum, that some vile ‘Indian compound’ will be thought to have more
virtue than the most accurately proportioned prescription which
represents the best that modern science can do in the adaptation of a
particular remedy to a particular ailment. That the patent medicine
business is a most gigantic fraud and curse will I believe be granted by
every scientific man who has made himself acquainted with the subject.
Its immense profits are attested by the square miles of advertisements
that disgrace the modern newspaper and magazine. Fortunes made from the
fortunes spent in such advertising, along with the commissions to the
lesser dealers, are drawn from a credulous people who not only receive
no value in return, but in most cases doubtless are actually injured as
a result.
That no student of biology can be deluded by such preposterous claims as
characterize these compounds, in fact by any system of cure not based on
sound biological principles, seems only a logical result of his
training. I do not recall ever seeing the name of a biologist among the
host of those who sing the praises of some of these rotten compounds.
Mayors, congressmen, professors, clergymen and other presumably educated
parties appear along with the host of those who fill this guilty list, a
list that should be branded as a roll of dishonor. I believe that
educated men owe some measure of effort toward the abatement of this
plague. Naturally the medical profession is thought to be the rightful
source for action, but among the uninformed any effort there is
attributed to selfish motive. Certainly some measure of reform in this
direction would be a service to mankind, and while no sensational
crusade may be necessary, each one who knows enough of the laws of life
to appreciate the monstrous folly of this business has it in his power
to discourage it within the sphere of his individual influence at least.
Newspapers are mostly choked off by the immense revenue derived from
advertising, in fact I have known some which depended upon this as their
main source of support, and have heard the candid statement that they
could not have existed without it. All the more honor therefore to the
few, and there are a few, which absolutely refuse to allow such
advertisements in their columns.
That the modern physician must have a thorough knowledge of biology has
become more and more apparent. He has to deal with life, and life thus
far at least cannot be rendered into mere mechanical, physical or
chemical factors. The activities of the human machine have much that
must be studied from the basis of organic nature. If we do not know all
the factors or forces of life we do know that there is a complex or
combination of forces radically different from any single force of
inorganic nature. Chemical affinity, physical attraction and repulsion,
mechanical forces may furnish many aids, but the study of life
activities must go still further. To do this we must recognize the laws
of organic life, the forces of growth and nutrition, of reproduction, of
evolution, in fact a host of forces which have no counterpart in the
inorganic world.
Modern agriculture and horticulture are so dependent on the principles
of biology that to dissociate them does violence to thought. Indeed this
relation has existed through all recorded history, but in no period has
the utility of biologic laws been so intimately blended with all the
processes of cultivation.
The determination of the zones of greatest productivity for different
crops, their soil requirements, the introduction and acclimatization of
species belonging to other faunal or floral regions, the essentials of
animal and plant nutrition, the control of disease or abatement of
noxious forms of plant or animal, all these and more are embraced in the
service of biologic science to agriculture in its various forms and thus
to human interests.
Among special cases cited, but which cannot be printed here in detail,
were various plant diseases, and particularly various insect pests, and
the discoveries which have brought them more or less under control.
Aside from the sources of food supply, which come under the general term
of agriculture, we derive many articles of diet from sources dependent
on animal or plant life. The various fishery industries and oyster
culture which have been so wonderfully promoted by biological
investigations are excellent examples of the service of science to
mankind. Game laws for the protection of certain forms of life of
utility to man and the possible sources of food from various animals or
plants not yet utilized may be mentioned here. Clothing comes in for its
share, as in the methods for protection of silkworms, the saving of fur
seals and other fur-bearing animals from extinction, and the use of
various fibre plants. The successful growth of sponges, of pearls and
many other articles of domestic comfort or ornament are connected in one
way or another with biological problems, and their fullest development
dependent on rational measures possible when the biological conditions
are known.
In another way these questions enter into our social and commercial
life. The rights of property in the migrant or semi-migrant forms of
life have biologic as well as legal basis and some quite peculiar legal
decisions would doubtless have been very different had the biology been
appreciated. The classification of turtles as ‘vermin’ since they are
neither fish nor fowl may be given as a case in point. Equally absurd
and sometimes more disastrous are some of the rulings by customs
officers whose knowledge of biology was doubtless derived from a Greek
lexicon or some equally good authority. Such quarantine restrictions as
have been imposed upon certain products by some governments show total
lack of knowledge as to the possible conditions of injurious
transportation or else the misapplication of them to serve some special
end.
The exclusion of American pork and American fruits from certain
countries, the controversy over the fur seals in Alaska, the
inconsistent laws of states or nations regarding game, are some of the
instances where it is evident that the law-making power and the agents
of diplomacy need to be re-enforced with definite biological knowledge.
But there is another phase quite distinct from the purely utilitarian.
Biological science opens up to us the facts of life and solves some of
the questions of the greatest interest to mankind. What is life? What
its origin? What are the factors that have controlled its development
and the wonderful complexities which we observe in its distribution and
adaptations? Are the forces that operate in the living organism merely
physical, mechanical and chemical or are there activities inherent in
life itself or that operate only in the presence of the life containing
complex? Certainly, in no other branch of science are there problems
more inviting. In no other has present knowledge given greater
inspiration or greater intellectual service to mankind.
The field for acquisition of knowledge widens with each new discovery.
We no sooner gain foothold in some hitherto unexplored realm than we
become conscious that beyond this lie still other realms, knowledge of
which has been dependent on knowledge of the routes by which they may be
reached.
Thus structure must be known to understand function, and function known
enables us to interpret structure. Evolution could not be demonstrated
until after there had been gathered the necessary materials to show
relations of different organisms, past and present. But, evolution
known, and vast arrays of structure become intelligible. Without the
knowledge of organic distribution no laws of distribution could be
framed, but without the explanation of distribution afforded by
evolution the facts are an unmeaning puzzle. So, too, without an effort
at systematic arrangement of plant and animal forms no fundamental law
of relationship could have been discovered, but given a law of
relationship and systematic biology assumes a totally different aspect.
Recognition of the multitudinous forms of nature are but one step then
in the presentation of the vast concourse in their proper relations.
No doubt biologists will persist till every form of life has been
adequately described and some means of designating it adopted. So much
may be expected from the enthusiasm of the systematist. Some centuries
of effort must, of course, be expected to elapse before the task is
done. But it is evident that the modern biology is much less concerned
in the mere recognition of these innumerable forms of life, these
remotest expressions of the force of evolution, than in the gaining of
some adequate conception of their relations, the forces of adaptation
that have fitted them for their particular niche in the realm of nature,
their relation to the other organisms with which they are associated and
which constitute for them a source of support or a menace to existence.
That is, modern biology concerns itself not only with the elements of
structure in the organism, with the means it has of performing its
varied functions with the aggregate of individuals which constitute its
species, but goes on to its relations to all the influences and forces
which have made it what it is and which sustain its specific existence.
Less than this is too narrow a view of the province of biology. Here is
unlimited scope for the student who pursues knowledge for love of
knowledge.
As an inspiration to the general student the field of biology has always
held an important place, and in these modern times its fascination is as
potent as ever. Men have attacked the problems of life from many
different viewpoints with greatly different aim and great difference in
preparation and method in their work. Some of these have sought merely
for inspiration for literary effort, but so far as their records have
been exact and truthful they are contributions to science, when mixed
with “vain imaginings” they become literature and not science, although
their right to rank here may depend on literary merit. Every gradation
from pure fiction to pure science may be found and every grade of
literary merit as well. White and Goldsmith, Wood and Figuier, Kipling
and Seton-Thompson, with many others that could be cited, illustrate
this wide divergence among writers who have written to the entertainment
and the greater or less profit of their readers. The value of such works
as these is rather hard to estimate, especially from the scientific
standpoint and particularly when one is under the hallucination of a
beautiful piece of literary creation. They furnish entertainment and
cultivate imagination, some of them stimulate observation and awaken an
interest in nature, but unfortunately many of them contain so much that
is inexact or erroneous that they may sadly encumber the minds of their
readers.
But I would like to call attention here to what appears to me a
fundamental condition of scientific work and thereby a necessary result
of scientific training. Science is naught if not exact. Accurate
observation, accurate record, accurate deduction from data, all of which
may be reduced to simple, plain honesty. Anything else is error, not
science. It is not that “honesty is the best policy,” but that in
science honesty is the only possible policy. Hence, scientific training
should give to every student this one at least of the cardinal virtues,
and we may claim with justice this advantage as one of the results to be
derived from pursuing scientific studies. In fact the relation of
science and biological science, no less than any other, to general
schemes of education, has been one of its most important contributions
to humanity.
Biology has influenced modern education both in the matter taught and
the method of its presentation. It has gone farther and farther into the
mysteries of nature and opened up wider fields of knowledge. It has
insisted that the student should be trained not only in the facts and
the accurate interpretation of facts, but in the methods by which facts
may be obtained, thus providing for the continuous growth of the
substance from which its principles may be verified and definite
conclusions reached.
In recent years there has been a wide demand for the more general
distribution of knowledge of nature, and “nature study” has had a
prominent place in the discussions of educators. I must confess to some
fear for the outcome of well meant efforts to crowd such studies into
the hands of unprepared teachers, though surely no one could wish more
heartily for a wider extension of such work well done. It is encouraging
to note steady progress in this line and we should be content not to
push ahead faster than conditions will warrant.
Our science is an evergrowing one, and I wish to mention briefly some of
the conditions of biological research and the conditions essential to
its successful prosecution. The time has passed when it is possible for
the isolated individual to accomplish much of anything of value in the
growth of science. Such instances as the cobbler naturalist can not well
be repeated under present conditions, and biological workers must expect
that some part at least of their time is spent where libraries, museums
and scientific workers are to be found. I recall meeting some years ago
in an obscure little village, with a young man who was following a
trade, but whose ardent love for nature had brought him to take up the
study of a certain group of insects, and in this group he had conceived
the idea of preparing a work covering the geographical distribution for
the world. With scarcely the beginning of a library, with no access to
general collections, apparently with no conception of the stupendous
nature of the task he was so ambitiously undertaking, there was perhaps
little danger of his discovering the hopelessness of his case. He
doubtless gained much pleasure and individual profit in the quest, but
for the progress of science, how futile such attempts. Isolated work is
often necessary, often the only way in which certain data can be
secured, but if isolation be permanent, if it means to be cut off from
the records of what has already been done in one’s line of study,
progress is painfully slow and results of little value. Access then to
the world’s storehouses of knowledge, to libraries and museums where one
may determine the conditions of progress on any given problem is an
imperative condition to satisfactory research.
Another condition almost as imperative is time for extended and
consecutive work. There are comparatively few places where, after
passing the stages of preparation, one may have the opportunity to give
uninterrupted time to pure research, but fortunately such opportunities
are increasing.
Another factor is necessary equipment, a condition varying indefinitely
with the problem undertaken. Studies of some of the simpler processes of
life may be successfully carried on with barely any apparatus whatever,
while others require the most costly and complex of machinery. Deep sea
investigations, for example, are possible only with a suitable vessel
and elaborate apparatus for dredging and other operations, and such
expeditions as that of the Challenger, the Blake, the Albatross and
others involve such vast outlays that only the liberality of nations or
of the very wealthy render them possible.
However, the modest student without a dollar to invest in these
expensive undertakings may have the opportunity to work as diligently
and effectively as any. So, too, the costly equipments of marine
stations, of universities, of national and state museums are open to
every earnest worker.
Still another condition related to the best effort in research is a
satisfactory outlet for publication. Probably no investigator enters on
an elaborate extended research without the expectation that such results
as he may obtain, especially such as are novel and important to the
growth of science, shall at some time be given a public hearing and a
permanent record in the annals of science. However much this ambition
may be overworked and abused, it must be considered the logical and
legitimate outcome of research, valuable as an incentive to work,
essential to the progress of science.
The output of scientific laboratories is always pressing hard upon the
organs of publication, and though we have numerous periodicals open to
all, many society proceedings and transactions devoted to their
membership, university bulletins intended primarily for the staff and
students of each institution, still adequate publication facilities are
often wanting. Especially is this true regarding the suitable
illustration of papers which depend largely on plates or drawings for
the elucidation of the text. Our own modest effort in THE NATURALIST is
an attempt to meet one phase of this demand, but you all appreciate, I
think, that it is insufficient for the needs of our own institution.
Some of the more extended papers resulting from the work of either
students or faculty must suffer oblivion, delay or inadequate
presentation. Evidently a publication fund is one of our pressing needs.
Opportunities for research have been much increased within recent years,
and now it is possible for one to look forward with some assurance to a
career in research pure and simple if that is his desire. As many of
those present doubtless anticipate such career, it may not be amiss to
mention some of the opportunities that now present. Positions in
connection with universities and colleges now as for a long time past
offer some of the most available openings. Fellowships, and positions as
assistants with comparatively light duties with expectation that the
holder will devote himself to investigation that will advance his branch
of science are offered in many places and their value is shown by the
numerous candidates for each position. Many government positions in
Department of Agriculture, Geological Survey and Fish Commission demand
a high degree of training and offer exceptional opportunities for
research.
The first few years following graduation are golden days of opportunity
in the way of research. For the majority, perhaps, these are the days
when the greatest amount of original study may be possible and under
conditions favoring the greatest productivity. As time passes and duties
and responsibilities increase the opportunity for uninterrupted work
grows less and less. Of course original work should follow necessary
preparation but can not be postponed indefinitely, in hopes of a more
favorable season, if the individual hopes to accomplish anything of
value in his chosen science. Too early publication however is to be
discouraged. Most good things will keep for a time at least, and the
opportunity to test and verify investigations before publishing is
desirable. It is unwise to attempt to harvest a crop of glory, in
scientific fields at least, before the seed has had time to germinate.
The extremes of too hasty publication and indefinite delay are both to
be avoided.
But this disjointed address must be brought to a close, I have indulged
in a medley rather than pursuing a connected theme, but it has been in
my mind to show how the influence of modern biology has been felt in
every phase of human life and modified every phase of human thought. It
touches history and illumines it as a record of human activities, the
modifications and adaptations of the most dominant organism of earth. It
touches language and infuses it with life as the highest evolution of
all means of communication among animals. It enters the sphere of human
relations and we see society, government, law, as the most complex
expression of forces operative all along the line of organic life.
We may gain inspiration in our work from the thought that our field of
labor gives opportunity for the highest service in the advancement of
human interests and the intellectual uplift of the race.
The club extended Prof. Osborn a vote of thanks for his valuable
address.
F. J. TYLER, _Secretary_.
* * * * *
The Ohio State Academy of Science held its eleventh annual meeting at
the Ohio State University in this city on November 29th and 30th.
Between thirty and forty papers were given and the attendance was
considerably above the average. On the evening of the 29th a joint
meeting was held with the Modern Language Association of Ohio, which
held its annual session at the University on the dates mentioned above.
The committee arranged an interesting and appropriate program for the
evening and a large and appreciative audience responded. The Academy
meetings have been held heretofore during the Christmas vacation,
therefore holding it at this time was an experiment, but judging from
the program, attendance, and enthusiasm manifested, the meeting this
year may be said to be one of the best the society has ever held.
* * * * *
It is of more than ordinary interest to be able to record the taking of
specimens of the European ruff, Pavoncella pugnax (Linn.) in Ohio. Two
male specimens are in the Dr. Jasper collection at the Ohio State
University, one taken April 28th, 1879, at Columbus, the other November
10th, 1872, at the Licking Reservoir.
FIFTY ADDITIONS TO THE CATALOGUE OF OHIO PLANTS.
W. A. KELLERMAN.
The plants listed below have been found growing in the State without
cultivation. A large number of them are adventive species but not
hitherto recorded in the Ohio list. Three of the names occurred in the
old lists and were noted in the Catalogue of 1893 by Kellerman and
Werner, but were discarded in the Fourth State Catalogue, published in
1899. These here referred to and which are below restored to the Ohio
list, are Nos. 683_a_, 1423_b_, and 1990½_a_. No. 893_a_ was included in
L. D. Stair’s list of Railway Weeds. All the others are wholly new to
the listed flora. While several persons have contributed to this
increase, special thanks are due to Mr. Otto Hacker, who formerly as
well as at present, contributed largely to a fuller knowledge of the
State flora. Mr. Hacker has furnished specimens of all the species
credited to him below and these are deposited in the State Herbarium.
The rich field for adventive species in the region of Painesville may be
understood when it is stated that the extensive and long-established
nursery grounds of Storrs and Harrison are located at this place.
1_a_. Botrychium lunaria (L.) Sw. Moonwort. Painesville, Lake Co. Otto
Hacker.
201_a_. Apera spica-venti (L.) Beauv. Silky Bent-grass. Wild-straw.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
201_b_. Aira caryophyllea L. Silvery Hair-grass. Rarely escaped.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
253_a_. Festuca myuros L. Rat’s-tail Fescue-grass. Painesville, Lake
Co. Otto Hacker.
272_a_. Hordeum sativum Jessen. Common Barley. Occasionally escaped.
272_b_. Hordeum distichum L. Two-rowed Barley. Rarely escaped.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
470_a_. Lemna cyclostasa (Ell.) Chev. (L. valdiviana Phil.) Valdivia
Duckweed. Richmond, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
557_a_. Gemmingia chinensis (L.) Kuntze. Blackberry Lily. Escaped.
Franklin Co. J. H. Schaffner.
557_b_. Crocus vernus All. Crocus. Escaped. Painesville, Lake Co. Otto
Hacker.
568_a_. Limnorchis hyperborea (L.) Rybd. (Habenaria hyperborea (L.) R.
Br.) Canton. Mrs. Theano W. Case.
670_a_. Quercus alexanderi Britton. Alexander’s Oak. “Ohio;” N. L.
Britton, Manual of Flora, 336. This was formerly confused
with, or included in Q. acuminata, and like the latter is not
uncommon in Ohio.
683_a_. Urtica urens L. Small Nettle. Painesville, Lake Co. Otto
Hacker.
754_a_. Acnida tamariscina prostrata. Uline and Bray. Painesville,
Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
762_a_. Portulaca grandiflora Hook. Garden Portulaca. Sun Plant.
Escaped; Roadsides. St. Marys, Auglaize Co. A. Wetzstein.
775_a_. Lychnis vesicaria L. Lychnis. Escaped. Painesville, Lake Co.
Otto Hacker.
886_a_. Fumaria parviflora Lam. Small Fumitory. Painesville, Lake Co.
Otto Hacker.
893_a_. Sisymbrium altissimum L. Tall Sisymbrium. L. D. Stair in List
of Railroad Weeds. Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
894_a_. Myagrum perfoliatum L. Myagrum. Painesville, Lake Co. Otto
Hacker.
921_a_. Camelina microcarpa Andrz. Small-fruited False-flax.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
984_a_. Rubus neglectus Peck. Purple Wild Raspberry. Painesville, Lake
Co. Otto Hacker.
985_a_. Rubus phoenicolasius Maxim. Japan Wineberry. Escaped from
cultivation; comes freely from seed, and propagates by tips.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1004_a_. Potentilla pumila Poir. Dwarf Five-finger. Painesville, Lake
Co. Otto Hacker.
1026_b_. Sorbus aucuparia L. European Mountain Ash. Escaped.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1051_a_. Prunus mahaleb L. Mahaleb. Perfumed Cherry. Columbus,
Franklin Co. W. A. Kellarman. Painesville, Lake Co. Otto
Hacker.
1054_a_. Acuan illinoensis (Mx.) Kuntze. (Desmanthus brachylobus
Benth.) Illinois Mimosa. New Richmond, Clermont Co. A. D.
Selby.
1071_a_. Trifolium dubium Sibth. Least Hop-Clover. Painesville, Lake
Co. Otto Hacker.
1091_a_. Coronilla varia L. Coronilla, Axseed, Axwort. Painesville,
Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1122_a_. Vicia augustifolia Roth. Smaller Common Vetch. Painesville,
Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1171_a_. Euphorbia cuphosperma (Englem.) Boiss. Warty Spurge.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1195_a_. Euonymus europaeus L. Spindle-tree. Escaped. Painesville,
Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1265_a_. Viola odorata L. English or Sweet Violet. Escaped.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1301_b_. Kneiffia linearis (Mx.) Spach. Narrow-leaf Sun-drops.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1423_b_. Spigelia marylandica L. Indian Pink or Carolinia Pink. Fl. M.
V. A. P. Morgan. North Madison, Lake Co. D. W. Talcott.
1502_a_. Asperugo procumbens L. German Madwort. Catchweed.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1534_a_. Scutellaria parvula ambigua Fernald. “Ohio,” Nuttall. Greene
Co., E. L. Moseley; Montgomery Co., W. U. Young; Franklin Co.,
E. E. Bogue; Gallia Co., J. W. Davis.
1556_a_. Salvia lanceolata Willd. Lance-leaf Sage. By roadside near
Columbus. W. A. Kellerman.
1586_a_. Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. Horse Mint. Painesville, Lake
Co. Otto Hacker.
1600_a_. Physalis francheti Mast. Chinese Lantern Plant. Escaped.
Painesville, Lake Co. D. W. Talcott.
1609½_a_. Datura metel L. Entire-leaf Thorn-apple. Escaped.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1611_b_. Kickxia spuria (L.) Dumort. (Elatinoides spuria Wetzst.)
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1690_a_. Diodia teres Walt. Rough Button-weed. Painesville, Lake Co.
Otto Hacker.
1702_a_. Asperula hexaphylla All. Asperula. Escaped. Painesville, Lake
Co. Otto Hacker.
1712_a_. Viburnum lantana L. Wayfaring Tree. Escaped. Painesville,
Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1732_a_. Valeriana officinalis L. Garden Valerian. Escaped.
Painesville, Lake Co. Otto Hacker.
1756_a_. Arnoseris minima (L.) Dumort. Lamb Succory. Painesville, Lake
Co. Otto Hacker.
1756_b_. Hypochaeris glabra L. Smooth Cat’s-ear. Painesville, Lake Co.
Otto Hacker.
1766_c_. Lactuca virosa L. Strong-scented Lettuce. Confused with L.
scariola according to Britton, being the commoner of the two
species. (A. D. Selby, Meeting Ohio Academy of Science,
November, 1901.)
1775_a_. Hieracium pilosella L. Mouse-ear Hawkweed. Painesville, Lake
Co. Otto Hacker.
1990½_a_. Tanacetum vulgare crispum DC. Tansy. Painesville, Lake Co.
Otto Hacker.
BOTANICAL CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES AND NEWS FOR AMATEURS, I.
Conducted by W. A. KELLERMAN.
_Item 1._ It has been asked how many species of plants occur in Ohio.
Only a guess can at present be made. In the Catalogue of Ohio Plants, by
Kellerman and Werner, prepared in 1893, there were listed 1,925
Spermatophytes, 68 Pteridophytes, 335 Bryophytes, and 1,400
Thallephytes. The Fourth Catalogue, by the writer, published in 1899,
gave 2,025 species of Pteridophytes and Spermatophytes. While many
additions to the previous list were included, very many species formerly
reported were excluded because unauthenticated by herbarium specimens,
and others were undoubtedly extra-limital for Ohio. Two Annual
Supplements to this catalogue have been issued, bringing the number of
species of the vascular plants, nearly all authenticated, up to about
2,150. The mosses, the higher fungi and the lichens have been listed
with some degree of fullness, but most of the other lower plants have
been very incompletely placed on record, though large collections, only
partially worked up as yet, are now in the herbarium of the State
University.
_Item 2._ Miss Ruth E. Brockett, of Rio Grande, Gallia County, Ohio, has
found the Showy Skullcap, Scutellaria serrata Andr., previously
unreported for this State. The distribution, as given in Britton’s
Flora, is New York and Pennsylvania to North Carolina, Illinois and
Kentucky. In the Rio Grande region many interesting or new plants for
the Ohio list have hitherto been detected by Miss Brockett, as the
Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginica), the Purplish Buckeye (Aesculus
octandra hybrida), and others too numerous to mention.
_Item 3._ An interesting and suggestive study has been published by
Herman Dingler (Muenchen) on the organs for wind-dispersal (flug-organe)
in the Vegetable Kingdom. The title of the book is “Ein Beitrag zur
Physiologie der passiven Bewegungen im Pflanzenreich.” After describing
fully the mechanics involved, and the methods of investigation, the
author enumerates the _Chief Types_ of the flight organs as follows
(prefixing to the word “flyer” the descriptive words, 1, dust; 2,
granule; 3, bubble; 4, hair; 5, pan; 6, umbrella; 7, sail; 8,
disk-twist; 9, barrel-twist; 10, plain-twist; 11, screw, and 12,
screw-twist):
I. Group.
1. Staubflieger, e. g. Micrococcus, Puffball, Spores of Mosses,
Pollen.
2. Körnchenflieger, e. g. Poppy, Species of the Pink Family,
Orobanchaceæ.
3. Blasenflieger, e. g. Ironwood (Ostrya), Valerianella, Rhus
cotinus.
4. Haarflieger, e. g. many Bromeliaceæ, Pitcairnia, etc.
5. Napfflieger, e. g. Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata), Cochleospermum.
6. Schirmflieger, e. g. the Compositæ, Milkweeds (Asclepiadaceæ),
Willows.
II. Group.
7. Segelflieger, e. g. Cross-vine and seeds of other Bignoniaceæ.
III. Group.
8. Scheibendrehflieger, e. g. flattened seeds of the Iris, and Lily
families.
9. Walzendrehflieger, e. g. Silver bell (Halesia), Knotweed
(Polygonum), etc.
10. Plattendrehflieger, e. g. Tecoma stans. (The Ailanthus type.)
IV. Group.
11. Schraubenflieger, e. g. Maples, genera of Coniferæ, Sapindaceæ,
etc.
V. Group.
12. Schraubendrehflieger, e. g. fruit of Liriodendron tulipifera.
_Item 4._ The recent death of Thomas Meehan, horticulturist and
botanist, removes from the list of active American workers one whose
numerous, accurate and original observations contributed greatly to
the advancement of botanical science.
NOTE AND CORRECTION TO OHIO FUNGI EXSICCATI.
W. A. KELLERMAN.
A critical inspection of the nomenclature used for the first Fascicle
of the Ohio Fungi might seem to warrant the conclusion that the
judgment of more recent workers is sometimes ignored and that a too
conservative course has been adopted. But it should be remembered that
the main purpose is to furnish Ohio material accompanied by names
(occasionally synonyms) that were undoubtedly applied to the species
represented. I have preferred to use for the Rust on Sunflower,
Puccinia helianthi, rather than P. tanaceti—recent work on other
species suggesting that with this also when fully studied, a
physiological distinction may supplement the too insignificant
morphological difference. Again, I have used Aecidium album, which
Clinton applied to the first stage of the Uredine found on Vicia, not
ignorant of the fact that Dietel gives this as a stage of Uromyces
albus—but should not this first be substantiated by cultures? It is to
be added that through inadvertency Peck’s later name (Aecidium
porosum) was used, hence here follows a corrected label with both
Clinton’s and Peck’s descriptions:
2. Aecidium album Clinton.
Aecidium porosum Peck.
On Vicia americana Muhl.
Lakeside, Ottawa Co., O. May 17, 1901.
Coll. W. A. Kellerman.
“Aecidium album Clinton, spots none; peridia scattered, short, white,
the margin subentire; spots subglobose, white, about .0008 inches in
diameter.” Report on the State Museum, State of New York, 26:78. 1873.
“Aecidium porosum, Pk. Spots none; cups crowded, deep-seated, broad,
wide-mouthed, occupying the whole lower surface of the leaf to which
they give a porous appearance; spores orange-colored, subangular,
.0008–.001 inch in length.” Botanical Gazette, 3:34. April, 1878.
NOTES OF TRAVEL IN PORTO RICO.
ROBERT F. GRIGGS.
By its configuration, Porto Rico is divided into two parts very distinct
from each other in almost every respect and of primary importance in all
the affairs of the island. The north side, which comprises about
two-thirds of the total area, is kept constantly wet with almost daily
rains. On the south it has been known not to rain for a whole year in
some places. On the north side grows an abundance of luxuriant, tropical
vegetation; on the south in many localities are barren hills covered
only with scrub brush. But throughout the island there is great local
variation in all the climatic and physical conditions.
Along most of the north side there stretches a low, coast plain, out of
which rise numberless, small, steep hills. This plain, everywhere well
watered, is in most places very fertile, but in the vicinity of Vega
Baja it becomes a sandy waste. This sand desert is one of the most
peculiar places it has ever been my fortune to visit. There is no grass
(turf-making grass is almost unknown in the tropics), neither are there
large trees. Everywhere are low bushes not much more than ten feet tall.
The sand beneath them is bare in many places, but is covered in others
with various forms of herbage, most of which, instead of being composed
of desert forms, as would be expected, is made up of the most typical
water-loving plants, among which, Sphagnum (two species) and Utricularia
are noteworthy. Imagine, if you can, a sphagnum bog shading into loose
sand in a distance of only ten feet with no change in level. The
explanation of this peculiar fact is, however, not hard to find. The
rainfall is so copious that wherever there is any means of holding it,
the hydrophytes take hold and spread, themselves acting as water holders
when once started, while in other places the water quickly soaks into
the sand and leaves it as dry as ever.
The plain on which this sand desert is located is separated in most
places from the sea by low hills. It is very level and was probably once
covered with water out of which projected many rocky islands—the
limestone hills of to-day. These hills are a very characteristic feature
of the country. From an incoming vessel they are plainly seen projecting
like saw teeth all along the coast; from an eminence back in the country
they appear to have no system or regularity whatever, but stick up
anywhere sharp and rugged as though shaken out of a dice box onto a
board. Further inland they are closer together with no plain between,
though in other respects like those of the coast. It is as though they
were eroded when the sea stood lower than it does to-day, perhaps very
much lower; then the valleys were filled up during a period when the sea
was slightly higher than at present, whence it has receded and left the
island of to-day. They are covered with a characteristic jungle, rising
conspicuously out of which is the “Llume” palm (_Acria attenuata_) whose
graceful stem, only about half a foot thick at the base, attains a
height of a hundred feet, tapering till it is only three or four inches
thick at the top. It is nearly white and at a distance entirely
invisible, so that the crown of leaves looks as though it were floating
around in the air above the surrounding vegetation.
Further inland the limestone hills give way to others of red clay. The
clay, like the limestone, is very deeply eroded. In most places it is so
continually washed down that the sides of the hills stand always at the
critical angle and are ready to slide from under the feet of the
explorer. Indeed it would be impossible to climb them were it not for
the numerous bushes everywhere standing ready to lay hold on. Here
abound ferns, Melastomaceae and other plants of humid regions. Tree
ferns are very common; the largest belong to one species of Cyathia. Its
beauty is simply beyond description. Imagine, you who have never seen
it, a trunk thirty feet tall surmounted by a crown of a dozen or fifteen
great leaves made up of a score or two pinnae of the size and grace of
ordinary ferns and you have the components—not the ensemble—of the tree
fern.
This red clay region is the land of coffee. Everywhere the novice thinks
the hillside covered with jungle, which turns out to be only poorly kept
coffee plantations. The coffee region is coextensive with the range of
several plants. Two or three species of the pepper family, with large
peltate or round leaves, are found only here; and with one or two
exceptions the Melastomaceae occur only in this wet country. They are a
very large group of plants common throughout the tropics, but
represented in the northern states by the common Rhexia. Its members may
be known anywhere by their three-nerved leaves, many of which are
beautifully patterned and marked so that even among other tropical
plants they are conspicuous for their beauty.
When we cross the summit we come upon a different sort of vegetation;
cacti take the place of tree ferns, and instead of wet jungles we have
dry scrub brush full of spiny and thorny shrubs with almost every sort
of prickle one can think of. One who has never encountered them can
scarcely appreciate the abundance and effectiveness of tropical thorns.
These thickets of brush extend over most of the undisturbed portion of
the south side. Everywhere through them there are scattered cacti of
several sorts; but near Guayanilla, a few miles west of Ponce, these
become relatively much more numerous so as to form a veritable cactus
desert. Only here is the largest form present. It is a large Opuntia
with a bare stem and long arms radiating in one or two whorls near the
top. Besides it there are several species of Cereus and another small
Opuntia similar to the common prickly pear, together with a species of
the same group cultivated for its fleshy branches which are eaten. All
through this dry region agaves or century plants are very common. There
seem to be several species, but they are such terrors to botanists that
it is hard to tell anything about them.
From this brief sketch it will be seen what a diversified flora Porto
Rico offers to the student. There are opportunities for several
ecological studies of surpassing interest, and on the systematic side
the work has only been begun. At present there are scant facilities for
the student, but with the fuller occupation of the island by American
government and customs, we may hope that some of our enterprising
universities will establish there a school of tropical agriculture and
botany, fields now white for the harvest but almost without workers.
Washington, D. C., October 30, 1901.
SALAMANDERS TAKEN AT SUGAR GROVE.
MAX MORSE.
On May 25, 1901, Prof. Hine, while collecting in the hills at Sugar
Grove, Fairfield County, O., found a salamander under a piece of pine
log on the slope of a hill, about a hundred yards from water. It was,
for the time, put in a jar along with several individuals of
Desmognathus fusca Raf., which were taken in, or within a few feet of
the rivulets which flow down the valley. Aside from this specimen taken
on the hillside, all the specimens were found not farther than a half
dozen feet from the water. When the collections were examined in the
laboratory it was found that the single specimen just mentioned differed
in many respects from the others. This led to investigation and it was
found that it corresponded closely with the description of D. ochrophæa
Cope. Thus, the posterior portion of the mandible was edentulous; no
tubercle in canthus ocelli; belly paler than in any of D. fusca taken;
length nearly three-fourths of an inch shorter than the others; a light
bar from eye to corner of mouth; tongue free behind; parasphenoid teeth
separated behind. The specimen was kindly examined by Dr. J. Lindahl, of
the Cincinnati Society of Nat. Hist., who is acquainted with the form.
He agreed that it corresponded with the description of Cope. Whether the
characters as given above are sufficient to place the specimen under
ochrophæa is a matter hard to decide. Cope gives the range of ochrophæa
as “in the Alleghenies and their outlying spurs.” Dr. Lindahl has a
specimen from Logansport, Ind., taken November 10, 1900.
FISHES TAKEN NEAR SALEM, OHIO.
E. B. WILLIAMSON.
The present short list is published, not because of any records of
special interest, but in order that a record may be made of the fish
known certainly from the headwaters of Beaver Creek. In the case of fish
the most logical and significant way to indicate distribution is
certainly by streams, and a very small contribution to the ichthyology
of the above named stream is here presented.
About three-fifths of Columbiana County is drained by Beaver Creek,
one-fifth by the Mahoning River and streams leaving the county to the
west, while the remainder enters the Big Yellow and Little Yellow
Creeks. Beaver Creek is practically confined to Columbiana County,
though it empties into the Ohio River in Pennsylvania at Smith’s Ferry,
just above the state line. The relation of Beaver Creek to the Mahoning
River is interesting, the two being in general, arcs of concentric
circles with the Mahoning outside. A person going directly west from
Salem crosses Middle Fork of Beaver Creek first, then the Mahoning, and
the same is true if he goes directly north or directly east. South-west
of Salem the small streams empting into the Mahoning have not been
seined. From one of these Herman McCane has taken a specimen of
Ichthyomyzon concolor which is preserved in the Salem High School
collection with the other species here recorded. All the other streams
in close proximity to Salem are part of the system of the Middle Fork of
Beaver Creek, with the exception of Cold Run, which flows almost
directly south into the West Fork of Beaver Creek, the stream thus
formed soon being augmented by the waters of the North Fork.
Seining has been done only near Salem in small tributaries and where
Middle Fork has an average width of not more than ten or twelve feet.
Mr. Albert Hayes, Mr. J. S. Johnson and Mr. F. W. Webster have helped me
draw the seine. Mr. Webster has also given me many valuable suggestions
as to suitable localities.
1. Ameiurus melas (Raf.). Rare, only in main stream.
2. Catostomus commersonii (Lac.). Common, main stream and tributaries.
3. Catostomus nigricans Le S. Taken only in a small tributary.
4. Moxostoma aureolum (Le S.). In a small tributary.
5. Cyprinus carpio L. Only in main stream.
6. Campostoma anomalum (Raf.). Everywhere.
7. Chrosomus erythrogaster Raf. In two small tributaries.
8. Pimephales promelas Raf. In main stream only.
9. Pimephales notatus (Raf.). Everywhere.
10. Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitch.). Everywhere.
11. Leuciscus elongatus (Kirt.). In one tributary and in Cold Run. The
iridescent coppery red of the sides anteriorly in the living
fish, taken in October, turned scarlet in alcohol.
12. Abramis chrysoleucas (Mitch.). Taken only in main stream.
13. Notropis cayuga Meek. A single specimen taken in Cold Run.
14. Notropis cornutus (Mitch.). Everywhere.
15. Notropis rubrifrons (Cope). Taken only in main stream.
16. Notropis umbratilis lythrurus (Jordan). Taken only in main stream.
17. Ericymba buccata (Cope). Everywhere.
18. Rhinichthys atronasus (Mitch.). In the smallest tributaries.
19. Hybopsis amblops (Raf.). In Cold Run.
20. Hybopsis kentuckiensis (Raf.). Taken only in Cold Run, a single
specimen.
21. Umbra lima (Kirt.). Taken only in the main stream.
22. Eucalia inconstans (Kirt.). Taken only in the main stream.
23. Ambloplites rupestris (Raf.). In main stream and one tributary.
24. Apomotis cyanellus (Raf.). Taken in Cold Run.
25. Lepomis megalotis (Raf.). Taken only in the main stream.
26. Eupomotis gibbosus (Lin.). One specimen taken in a tributary;
determined by Dr. Evermann. Numbers 25 and 26 probably represent
one species.
27. Micropterus dolomieu Lac. Taken only in the main stream.
28. Boleosoma nigrum (Raf.). Everywhere.
29. Etheostoma flabellare Raf. In the main stream and Cold Run.
30. Cottus ictalops (Raf.). Taken only in Cold Run.
* * * * *
MR. A. J. PIETERS, Assistant Botanist in the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture,
has written an interesting and useful article[1] on the plants of
western Lake Erie. This report should be read by all who are interested
in the hydrophytes of Ohio, or in the flora and fauna of Lake Erie. In
addition to some introductory remarks, the paper treats of the plants in
Put-in-Bay, in Squaw Harbor, near Gibraltar Island, in Hatchery Bay and
in the open lake, and the plants of East Harbor. The swamp vegetation is
also discussed, including the plants in the Portage River swamps and in
the swamps about Sandusky Bay. The ecological conditions and the
ecological adaptations of the flora are treated quite fully, and at the
end are given alphabetical lists of the plants studied, including
angiosperms, stoneworts and desmids.
JOHN H. SCHAFFNER.
Footnote 1:
A. J. PIETERS. “The Plants of Western Lake Erie, with Observations on
their Distribution.” Bull. U. S. Fish Commission, 1901, pp. 57–79.
Pls. 11–20.
COLLECTING TABANIDÆ.
JAMES S. HINE.
The habits of flies belonging to the family Tabanidæ, commonly called
horse-flies or gad-flies, furnish much material for study and
observation. I take this opportunity to record some of the notes which I
have taken in the last few years while endeavoring to collect and study
the local species of the family. Although the eggs, larvæ and pupæ of
many species have been studied, what I have to say in this paper
pertains wholly to the adults. Members of the family are usually taken
by every entomologist who does general collecting, but as a usual thing
males are seldom taken; in fact this sex is so poorly represented in
collections that no key has been published for identifying the males of
our American species. The student must use the key to the females as far
as possible and guess at the rest. In very many cases the male is not
even described, so that sometimes, when the sexes are unlike, they can
be associated only by observations in the field. By careful collecting
and observation we have procured practically all of our local species in
both sexes, and the derived benefit, satisfaction and enjoyment have
paid us fully for our time and pains.
In the first place the mouthparts of the two sexes are different—the
male lacks the mandibles which are present in the female. This makes it
necessary for them to procure their food from different sources, the
male obtains his from flowers, while the female lives by puncturing the
skin and sucking the blood of warm-blooded vertebrates. Thus it is
evident that during the time spent in procuring food the sexes cannot
remain together. From an economic standpoint the female most concerns
the student and she is often taken for study without an attempt being
made to procure the male.
At this point I can say collect females around horses, cattle and other
animals, and males on flowers; but this is not enough, for knowing the
general habits of insects we are certain that there is a common ground
where the two sexes may be found together. One finds this common ground
in the vicinity of water, where their transformations take place and
where their eggs are laid, also in various other places, which we shall
take occasion to discuss as we proceed.
The females of all our local species of Chrysops with Tabanus pumilus
and nivosus come buzzing around the collector in numbers, and at such
times may be taken easily with a net. Other species of Tabanus come near
enough that the sound of their wings is recognizable, but are so active
that it is almost impossible to procure them.
During the time the female is ovipositing the male is often sitting near
by on the foliage. At Georgesville, Ohio, June 4th, I observed C. mœchus
ovipositing on foliage overhanging a mill-race; soon after specimens of
the male sex were observed resting on the upper leaves of the same plant
on which females were ovipositing. In a few minutes collecting, a dozen
or more specimens of each of the sexes were procured. The only males of
C. indus I have ever taken were procured at Columbus, on the border of a
small pond, where the females were ovipositing.
The sexes of many species of Tabanus often alight on the bare ground of
paths or roads that run through or along woods. At Cincinnati, June
10th, in company with Mr. Dury, we procured large numbers of the sexes
of different species resting on some furrows that were plowed around a
woods to prevent the spread of fire. We also took the same species
resting in paths and roads that ran through the woods. Some of these
same species were also taken from low-growing foliage in sunny places
among the trees. At Medina, Ohio, males and females of T. vivax and
trimaculatus were taken while resting in a road that ran through a dense
woods.
One of the best places I have ever found to get the sexes of Chrysops
and Tabanus is in the tall grass that skirts the marshes of Sandusky
Bay. This grass is the Phragmites of botanists and grows to a great
height by July 1st. On July 6th, at Black Channel, when the wind was
high I went into a patch of this grass that was so dense that I could
not use a net to advantage. Here I saw an abundance of flies and found
that by approaching them very slowly I could readily pick the specimens
off with my fingers. The male and female of T. stygius, nivosus, C.
æstuans and flavidus and the male of T. affinis and bicolor were taken
in this way. I found that this same species of grass afforded excellent
collecting wherever found, but most material was procured when the wind
was high. On the same date and near the same place the male of C.
flavidus was taken from the flowers of the common spatter-dock, and this
and æstuans were procured by sweeping in the adjacent low-growing
herbage. R. C. Osburn informs me that he has had excellent success in
collecting Tabanids from tall grass near water in his experience.
Tabanus sulcifrons Macq. is an abundant species in northern Ohio during
the latter part of July and all of August. So common that by actual
count twenty-eight specimens were taken from a cow in ten minutes, while
a few that alighted on the animal during that time were not procured.
August 1st of the present year I was at Hinckley, Medina County, and
spent the day taking observations on this species. In the morning about
nine o’clock I went to the border of a woods where I had often observed
the species before. Here males and females were found in abundance
crawling over the trunks and foliage of trees, on the fence along the
woods and flying about generally. One pair was observed in copulation on
the fence, and I am of the opinion that the presence of so many flies in
the locality at the time is explained on the ground that it was the
general mating place of the sexes. On several occasions I have made
observations which lead me to believe that the sexes of various species
of the family copulate among foliage often high up in the trees. As
Tabanids are not easily procured with a net from the surface of a rough
rail, I tried the experiment of picking the specimens off with my
fingers and found that it was surprisingly successful, if the movement
toward them was made very slowly until just ready to touch them when the
fingers were gripped quickly. Near a watering trough where a herd of
cattle drank daily I found males in numbers resting on the ground where
the turf had been tramped off. Along Rocky River I observed both sexes
fly down to the water and dip several times in succession and then away
to alight on a stone on the bank or disappear from sight altogether.
On July 29th I rode from Sandusky to Cleveland by boat. Although we were
from two to five miles off shore all the time, males and females of T.
sulcifrons often came on board and alighted on the canvas and rigging of
the boat. From this it is evident that this species at least may fly for
some distance over water.
We have taken Goniops chrysocoma on several occasions. It has a habit
which is of value to the collector. At Hinckley, Medina County, I took
several females and observed that they have the habit of stationing
themselves on the upper side of a leaf, where by vibrating their wings
rapidly and striking the upper surface of the leaf at each downward
stroke, make a rattling noise which can be heard plainly several feet
away. At Vinton last spring Mr. Morse and myself identified the
characteristic sound of the species and were guided by it to procure
specimens.
I have taken the male of Pangonia rasa on blossoms of sumac at Medina,
Ohio, in August.
OBSERVATIONS ON INSECTS.
JAMES S. HINE.
AGROMYZA SETOSA Loew—The larvæ of several species of the genus Agromyza
are known to mine the leaves and stems of various plants. Cabbage,
potatoes, corn, clover, strawberries, verbenas, chrysanthemums and
sunflowers are among the cultivated plants from which various species of
the genus have been reared; while plantain, round-leaved mallow,
golden-rod, aster, cocklebur, rag-weed and wild-rice are given as their
food-plants. In some cases a single species of fly has been reared from
a half dozen or more different plants. Agromyza setosa Loew, as
determined by Coquillett, was reared in numbers from leaves of
wild-rice, Zizania aquatica, at Sandusky during August of each of the
years 1900 and 1901. Professor Osborn studied the species and its work
in 1900, while my observations were made a year later. Although I
include the notes taken by both of us, many points are needed before a
detailed account of the habits and life history of the species can be
given.
The eggs are conspicuous on account of their abundance and white color,
and are deposited chiefly on the upper surface of the leaves of the food
plant.
The larvæ upon hatching bore into the leaf and feed beneath its upper
covering. When full grown they measure about 6 mm. in length, are white,
or greenish on account of chlorophyl taken in with their food, and are
furnished with strongly chitinous mouth parts. The mines which they make
in the leaves are irregular in width and extend for varying lengths on
one side or the other of the mid-rib. These variations in extent are
usually explainable from the fact that a variable number of larvæ occupy
the different mines. The work of the larvæ is apparent from the first on
the upper side of the leaf, and may be seen beneath after a few days
because of the fact that the parts beneath the mine sooner or later turn
yellow.
The pupa is to be found either in the mine or clinging to the surface of
the leaf. It is brown in color, with two prominences anteriorly where
the attachment with the leaf is effected, and is contained within the
last larval skin so that the legs and wing-pads are at no time visible
from the outside.
BIBIO ALBIPENNIS Say—Larvæ observed in colonies under fallen logs, and
boards which were lying on the ground. Specimens taken April 4th pupated
May 5th and the adults appeared May 13th. The adults were unable to fly
for several hours after they emerged on account of their wings remaining
soft. I observed the first males flying out of doors on the 23d of May.
CHRYSOPILA ORNATA Say—Larva about an inch and a half in length, white in
color, cylindrical, with an enlargement at the posterior end bearing a
number of fleshy elongations which are about the length of their basal
breadth. Found under rotten wood May 1st. Pupa brown, last segment armed
with six spinose teeth, the two on the ventral side arising from the
same base, the remaining abdominal segments furnished with a circlet of
spines near the posterior third. The adult emerged the 18th of June.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
1. Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in
spelling.
2. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed.
3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
4. Enclosed bold font in =equals=.
*** End of this Doctrine Publishing Corporation Digital Book "The Ohio Naturalist, vol. II, no. 2, December, 1901" ***