Return to LIBRARY OF MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY WOODS HOLE, MASS. Loaned by American Museum of Natural History ,V lARIDC for JUNE, 1914 Publication for May. Vol. VII, No. 1 The volume begins on Agassiz's Birthday (the 2Sth). mm. rm® a m sfc* 53 '2: m, immm i :-.?r ■-&'• Hg&rilH sifefflyS iii ^# r$# "tys ,~!«J-"r^S rJ$v ::-^i ' /•, j$3l§ ■ .r.y&£&L d& ■'■■■ "^ i 2».-r s$ >• ffiaTuSS S3 «MK '**S§ : >' t3fo§fo*;yl Sj'ftwK; an: aafc. 71 „ ooo€2>-c ^ lift GREENWICH THE EDITION DE LUXE OF CONNECTICUT TOWNS GREENWICH IS El PAYING BY CHECK An obligation paid by check avoids disputes — the check is returned after payment and becomes a receipt. Paying by check is busi- ness-like and convenient — it puts safety and system into your daily transactions. This strong Bank wel- comes checking accounts with business firms and in- dividuals. The Greenwich Trust Co. GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT f J«4 nan- -ma GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT has good transportation facilities to New York. 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A* v W«Jworth Snlia/i Published monthly by The Agassiz Association, ArcAdiA: Sound Beach, Connecticut Subscription, $1.00 a year Single copy, 10 cents Entered as Second-Class Matter June 12, 1909, at Sound Beach Post Office, under Act of March 3, 1879 Vol ume VII Guidance for JUNE. Publication for May. Number 1 The Figure Carving and Feather Work of Colombia. By Paul Griswold Howes, Stamford, Connecticut. Photographs by the Author. For years I had read of South American countries, of their snow- capped mountains, their jungles and cities ; and above all of their conta- gious fascination. I had read something of them all, and each seemed equally rich in possibilities ; yet, strange to say, there was but one of these far away countries that I always longed to see. It was Colombia, the most northern of the larger Latin republics. Just why, I do not know, but perhaps Bogota, its capital, mysterious and hidden among the Andean hills had something to do with it. Then at last sweet fortune came my way. I joined a zoological expedition to explore Colombia and we were to pass through Bogota ! First there were ten days upon a fruit liner, spent in cruising the glorious turquoise southern sea, where flying fishes play and brilliant yellow seaweed tells one of the sun-warmed water. At Puerto, Colombia, a baking little coast town, the big steamer drops you. v?*?ii. :*: - ' - EVEN THESE TINY CARVINGS ARE PERFECT IN DETAIL. Copyright 1914 by The Agassiz Association, AkcAdiA: Sound Reach, Conn. THE GUIDE TO NATURE Then, if you are lucky, you board a funny little train of narrow guage cars, pulled by an old-fashioned engine that protests with violent shrieks, each time the steam is sent into her ancient cylinders. As you rattle along through the sun-baked land where lizards thrive and bleaching cattle skeletons tell of many a vulturine feast, it sud- denly dawns upon you that this is South America, and you look from the car window with new interest as tiny of the tropic's most gorgeous trees and plants. Hundreds of beautiful birds of every imaginable color, and an occasional monkey are seen among their branches, while on the sandy banks of the river proper, one sees nu- merous crocodiles and once in a while a pair of Capabarras, a species of huge South American rodent. Many little native towns are also passed whose mud and thatch huts remind one of pictures of darkest Africa. WOOD CARVINGS OF COLOMBIAN PEASANTS. Note the water bottle, chicken, baskets and other details which are life size in the illustration. mud huts with thatched roofs and their quota of half clothed humanity flash past. Two or three hours later, if you are fortunate, the train pulls into Barran- quilla, a clean city of some twenty thousand inhabitants. Here is where the Magdalena river boats dock, huge eld wood burning stern wheelers. The day after arriving in Barranquilla I was on a river steamer named the "Margarita" with a captain who had seen service at one time on an Ameri- can coasting steamer! The river was very low, it being January and the height of the hot F COL( )MBIA row guage railway which takes the traveler some eighteen miles to Honda, where one may be very com- fortable at the Hotel American, owned by a charming English gentleman and his wife. Honda is a fascinating little town, being typically Spanish with barred windows in all of the houses where the Sehoritas may sit and gaze upon the passers-by. The streets are paved with cobble stones and the houses are of cement painted in shades of red, blue or gray, with red tile roofs. Large fine trees, with beautiful foliage are abundant in the streets and court- yards and here and there higher up en the hills, an old mission of Spanish times, gleams white against the greens 01 the foothills in the background. The old market place is extremely interesting and was the scene of a bloody battle in which only knives were used, during the last revolution. It is here that fodder, food stuffs and native wares of all kinds are bought and sold. There are drawbacks to the town, however, chief among them be- ing the presence of many lepers and WAX FIGURE OF A COLOMBIAN PEASANT WOMAN. It is a common sight to see this type of native ■witk a huge cigar in her mouth. A COLOMBIAN PEASANT IN WAX. The features are excellent of a common type. natives with goitre and other danger- ous diseases. At Honda one takes a mula for the last leg of the journey to Bogota, which is a three day trip over the mountains. During the ride the scen- ery grows ever more beautiful and during the first day, if the weather is clear, there is a glorious view of the Magdalena valley, the foothills and Tolima, Isabel and Ruiz, three great snow-capped peaks of the central An- des. One night was spent at Villeta and another at Guaduas, little moun- tain towns. Then came the third day and the tedious climb over the last separating ridge and I found myself, THE GUIDE TO NATURE A CORRECT REPRODUCTION OF CLOTHING AND MANNER OF CARRYING PACKS AS USED BY THE MOUNTAIN AND OTHER PEASANTS. at last, actually descending onto the great historic plain of Bogota ! Two hours later I was on the train which runs from Facatativa, on the plain, to the capital, and it seemed but a few minutes after this, before Bogota, the great inland city, eight thousand, eight hundred feet above sea lever, spread out before me. Flat and white, with the great cathedral stand- ing up above all the rest and backed up by cloud-reaching purple hills with their guarding monastaries, it was in- deed a sight never to be forgotten. Some time later, when I had finished my walk about the city, I said to my- self: "This is indeed Mariana Land," which means, "The Land of Tomor- row." No one seemed to ever be in a hurry or to have anything to do which demanded immediate attention. Men were walking arm and arm, swinging their silver-tipped canes or standing in little groups in the main streets, gaz- THE FIGURE CARVING AND FEATHER \Y< )RK OF COLOMBIA 5. ing at the women who thronged the balconies. Horse-car drivers were shouting, "Permisso, senor," "Permit me, sir," before they could pass ! Ima- gine a New York motorman asking you please to get off the track ! Then I expected to see hundreds of stores, up to date and filled with native wares and products. But there were few of these, save for an occasional one with a stock of imported hardware, clothing, jewelry or junk. There are plenty of smaller stores, to be sure, poor places indeed and not of the type one would naturally expect to find in a city with a population of <>ver one hundred thousand. I knew that there must he a certain amount of native arts and era Its, yet I could find little or nothing in the shops, and even in the market, where it seemed as though most anything might be found, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Then at last I found some exquisite little wood carvings,, but not in a store; they were brought to my room by the brother of the two girls who made them ! .«3&i31 THE UNITED STATES COAT OE ARMS IX EEATHERS. 6 THE GUIDE TO NATURE |^ AN EXQUISITE FEATHER SCENE BY ARROYO. The trees in the background are composed of very finely chopped green feathers. There were little men and women, perfect copies of the Colombian peas- ants, also little animals and houses showing every phase of posada life, far surpassing the carved work for which Switzerland is so famous. He was a keen, dark-skinned stocky fellow who brought them to me, with THE FIGURE CA R \ I NG AND FEATHER WORK OF COLOMBIA 7 a heavy black cape thrown about his shoulders and a dark felt hat covering his oily black hair. The little men and women were two dollars each, but I finally paid forty cents for them ! Later he came back to me with some wax figures, even more perfect in fea- ture and dress than were the wooden ones. These I obtained for less than he had intended to charge me for the carvings ! About a week later I became ac- quainted with a little old man named Arroyo. He was about five feet tall, thin and slightly bent, with a low sad little voice. His skin was dark and his face heavily grown with a black beard, mustache, and side-boards to match. Through his big gold spec- tacles two squinty merry eyes looked out at you. His dress consisted of a once white shirt and collar, a long black coat and a flat comical derby hat. I was sitting in my room one even- ing about six o'clock when a timid hand knocked upon the door. This was my first meeting with little Ar- royo, and as he entered he handed me a card which caused me to smile at the wording and spelling, but he was my friend from that minute. It read : "ABRAHAM ARROYO, FEUTHER PICTURE MAKER. THE BEST OE AMERICA." He had brought some of his feather work with him and it was indeed a levelation. Perfect in combination of colors and beautiful in design, Arroyo is a born artist. Miniature birds and MINIATURE GROUPS OF BIRDS AND FLOWERS. In a bright light, these are beautifully iridescent. 8 THE GUIDE TO NATURE flowers are his specialty and these he mounts upon Mother of Pearl. The illustrations to my article give no idea of their beauty as it is impossible to describe the coloring. Suffice to say that the feathers are taken from the most beautiful of tropical birds. One day he invited me to visit his which contrasts greatly with the bright vermillion banner with its let- tering of deep purple. The inner parts ot the wings are of lovely green feath- ers, taken from the jacama, while the outer parts are of soft, shaded dove feathers. The delicate barring on the eagle's tail is made from the feathers ALL MADE OF FEATHERS. work shop and I went, expecting to see all kinds of instruments and ap- pliances, but his outfit is of the sim- plest nature. A reading glass or two, a pair of forceps, a bottle of glue, scissors, paint and a few carpenter's tools is all that he uses. Here also he has countless bird skins of every known color from which each feather is selected, cut to the desired shape and then glued in its position in one of Arroyo's scenes or designs each of which is exquisite and perfect to the last detail. This work is a terrific strain upon the eyes owing to the minuteness of many of the objects. Arroyo told me himself that his eyes were beginning to bother him greatly and owing to the fact that he knows no other trade, it has become necessary for his little son, who is only seven years old, to start learning the work of his father. The United States coat of arms shown in the illustration is an inter- esting example of the patience of its creator. It is entirely of feathers of gorgeous tropical birds and is mounted upon a sheet of plate glass, eighteen by twenty-four inches square. The stars at the top of the plate are of greenish blue with a touch of shining coppery iridescence in their centers, of a South American family of birds known as Trogons. As these birds are difficult to find at all times, it gives an idea of the time which must be spent in completing a single mount. The legs, arrows and branches are of shining green with bands of purple and the berries are in vermillion. The shield is perfectly colored, and each star is made from five separate points with a little touch of gold in the cen- ter which was made by powdering the feathers from a humming bird. Taken altogether, it is a very striking and brilliant piece of work. It took Arroyo twenty-two days to finish it and although his regular price for a coat of arms is thirty dollars, he let me have it in exchange for a sixteen dollar gun ! I found one or two other feather workers in Bogota, but their work could not compare with that of the lit- tle man with the beard. They were crude in detail and the color combi- nations were equally bad. Arroyo goes into the field and hunts for his own birds and in this way he is enabled to secure specimens whose feathers are of the proper colors for his work. This I presume is why he wanted my gun. I bought many things from him, all THE FIGURE CARVING AND FEATHER WORK OF COLOMBIA 9 that I could afford, and I prize every one of them as 1 would a relic of pre- historic man. Whenever I look upon Arroyo's work it carries me hack over the mountains to the hidden city and the little man who was my friend. He came down to the train the morning I left, at six o'clock to say good-by. His last words to me were, "I wish you a very happy journey. You have been very good to me." I have seen the Mexican feather work and the arts and crafts in many foreign countries, but to Colombia be- longs the wreath of laurel, for never have I seen anything equal to the art of Arroyo the feather worker, or the wood carvers of Bogota, my dream city of the Southland. Novel Editing in Nearness to Nature. The pretty, bustling little town of Westfield, in the Woronoco Valley in the western part of the old Bay State, renowned for its manufacture of whips and cigars, and famous as the "pure food" town of New England, and well known for its educational institutions, now claims another distinction be- cause it is the home of the Woronoco Valley Calumet, unique among present day publications. This little periodical is issued from a sanctum in the wilds of the historic valley — a typical Indian tepee, "Seneca Wigwam, The Press in the Forest." The Woronoco Valley Calumet — 7.'he Peace Pipe, is a little magazine owned, edited, illustrated, printed and published by Joseph C. Duport, a well-known journalist, artist and out- of-door enthusiast of Westfield, Mas- sachusetts. It made its appearance some three years ago, and at once met with public favor. Since that time its growth has been sure and steady. It savors of the wilderness, and links the historic past with the teeming present. It teaches the gospel of sunshine and of good cheer, and is rich in Indian traditions, philosophy and records. The home of the Calumet is Seneca Wigwam, where the editor, far from the hurry and the pressure of the con- ventional business life, prepares his editorials in the wilderness, with the chirp of birds and the soothing mur- mur of the pines about him, sets his type in the shade of a hemlock and prints his little "Indian" magazine 'COMPOSING" AN ARTICLE DIRECT FROM THE CASE, WITHOUT MANUSCRIPT, AT THE "PRESS IN THE FOREST." IO THE GUIDE TO NATURE SENECA WIGWAM VIEWED FROM TDK "BIG TRAIL." ENGRAVING ON NATIVE WOOD CAN FOREST. IN MOHI- with the fragrance of the forest in his nostrils. When the weather is inclem- ent or the storms of winter howl about the wigwam, the editor, seated before his cheery fireplace, works content- edly, and the elements, savagely rag- ing without, act as an incentive to ar- ticles on the wilderness and its mys- teries. The Calumet has blazed a trail of its own. It is the originator of the "Press in the Forest," and its headquarters stand unique. Its home — the wigwam —a structure modeled on the lines of an Indian tepee, is located on "Aquit- tamaug Terrace in Mohican Forest, overlooking Pocahontas Garden," about four miles from Westfield. In this sanctum, besides editorial work, artistic and exclusive bits of woodcraft and stone-craft are made, native woods are engraved and carved, printing in the original style of the Mohican press is done, and limited productions of unique totems, Indian arms and "den" ornaments are originated in artistically crude and backwoods style. The wigwam is located on the side of Little Mountain near the state road between the towns of Westfield and Woronoco. It rears its vari-col- ored pyramid against the green back- NOVEL EDITING IN NEARNESS TO NATURE I E ground of the forest, and stands a sen- tinel as it were, to guard the traditions of the past and to remind the present generation of the days when the red man followed the "trail." Close by the trolley cars rumble, across the river speeds the express train ; on the highway automobiles and other vehi- cles pass and repass ; through the gorge the Westfield River Mows peace- fully, and back in the hills reign the tranquility and the mystery of the wilderness. To the right Mount Te- koa rears its imposing height, and at the eastern portals of the Berkshires the traveler pauses between the past and the present. Where else in New England can be found such a con- trast— the busy present day life, and the quiet and primitive beauty of the forest? Approaching the wigwam one dis- covers on the terrace the word "Calu- met," printed on the green lawn in letters of white stone five teet high. A little further on letters in the same style and size state that the "pale face" has entered Mohican Forest. The wig- wam stands on an abrupt prominence, and its primitive covering and fantas- tic decorations blend harmoniously with the green of the woods. About it bloom bright flowers in beds made and cared for by the "white chief.'* Nearby is an observation platform from which the visitor may gaze at the scene for miles around, while the "sachem's seat" is an interesting and enticing nook. The walls of the sanctum are cov- ered with skins and furs, and a cheery blaze in the stone fireplace invites us to slip into the rough hewn but ser- viceable chair. From the depths of a wooden chest the "white chief" pro- duces some lunch, and, while we munch contentedly, he waves his magic wand, and, following his hand, we behold on the opposite side of the room an up-to-date, twentieth century printing plant and the editorial depart- ment of the Calumet. Then he may deliver a little sermon on out-of-door life, on communion with nature and the mysteries of woodcraft. The day is far spent when we leave the wig- wam, but a feeling of rest, of refresh- ment and of hours well spent lingers as we "trail" back to the "big town'' and its contrasting life and work. SENECA WIGWAM. SHOWING THE PROPRIETOR IN INDIAN COSTUME. 12 THE GUIDE TO NATURE The editor states that he is "blazing a trail of his own," which is probably true, for, where in the country, from coast to coast, has there been seen such a modernized "wigwam"-— a new note in American architecture? From him we bear this message to the reader: "Brother, whoever and wherever you are, go into the fields and woods and penetrate into shady nooks ; explore new country; all the time with open eyes and a receptive mind and heart. You will be made to think of the great Power behind these works. You will be educated — refreshed !" Dreamers of Dreams. [Quotations from an editorial in "The Green- wich Press" on the originator of the parcel post.] "One summer afternoon nearly seven years ago, an old gentleman entered the office of a Greenwich newspaper, where I was then employed, and asked to see the editor. He said his name was Cowles. "He was a rather remarkable looking old gentleman, with the face of a dreamer, and long snowy locks, and the outer evidences of refinement and education. He wore a long black cloak, though the weather was warm, and a big black slouch hat. He was mild mannered and unusually polite, almost apologetic in his air. He was accompanied by a middle-aged woman, who, I afterward learned was his daughter. "He wanted to talk to the editor about a great idea of his, whereby the Postoffice department should carry large packages, just like the express •companies, but at much lower rates. Incidentally he mentioned that he was taking a rest at a local sanitarium, after a prolonged nervous strain. "I conveyed his message to the edi- tor. As I told it I could see an expres- sion half of contempt, half of pity flit over the editor's face, and there was a trace of irritation in it. As I men- tioned the fact that the man was stay- ing at a sanitarium, an understanding smile was directed at me, and I was told that the man could tell his story to me. It was clear, though he did not say so, that the editor had no time to waste in listening to 'bugs.' * * * * "And now I think of it, it seems to me that nearly every great reform, every big step in the progress of the race comes in a like manner. There is always the theorist, the dreamer, who thinks it all out — the man who sees a vision of the world as it might be, tomorrow. And the vision becomes so bright to him that he can see naught else, for its brightness. And he is im- pelled to go forth into the highways and byways and preach it. The one consuming longing of his life is to make others see it as he sees it. Eventually he is generally broken on the wheel. His frail life is burned out by the fire within, or battered to pieces on the rocks of a dull, unseeing human- ity. If his truth is too great, he is im- prisoned and scourged. If it is very, very great, he is forced to drink the cup of poisoned hemlock. And the great- est of all truths brought crucifixion as its reward." 3jC SfC 3f£ )|C Editor Talcott has well expressed the course with many great inventors. With natural scientists who would aid in the uplift of humanity through na- ture the course is similar but a little varied. Take, as an example, Sir Rich- ard A. Proctor, the famous missionary astronomer who toured this country before applauding audiences. They eulogized him for his great work, for the heroic self-sacrifice of himself and family- This country of great wealth cheerfully let him struggle against every phase of poverty and then let him be buried in the "poor" part of a cemetery. But he had his reward even in a pecuniary sense. Years after his death his bones were dug up by the great philanthropist, Geo. W. Childs. who moved them to a more conspicu- ous part of the cemetery and gave him a costly monument. "All things come to those who wait" — if they only wait long enough. This earth with its infinitude of life and beauty and mystery, and the uni- verse in the midst of which we are placed, with its overwhelming immen- sities of suns and nebulae, of light and motion, are as they are, firstly, for the development of life culminating in man ; secondly, as a vast schoolhouse for the higher education of the human race in preparation for the enduring spiritual life to which it is destined. — Alfred Russel Wallace in "The World of Life." CARE AND EXHIBITION OF ANIMALS E3 Care and Exhibition of Animals in Zoological Gardens. BY R. W. SHUFELDT, M. D., CORR. MEMBER OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, ETC. [Photographs by the author made especially for this article.] There has been very considerable interest aroused lately in regard to the care and comfort of all manner for, if properly conducted and main- tained, a zoological park constitutes an educational center of a very far-reach- ing importance. Indeed, if equipped, stocked, and managed as it should be, its influence upon many of the arts and sciences is truly marvellous, while it has long been recognized as an es- tablishment where biologists, artists, FIG. 1. BOX-CAGES CONTAINING COUGAR, COYOTES. OCELOT, LYNX, ETC. TWO BEARS. AT ONE TIME of animals kept in captivity. This has manifested itself in various ways, as the convening of important Con- gresses, composed of delegates and others, from many places in different parts of the country, and the atten- tion it is constantly receiving in the press. To maintain a well stocked zoologi- cal garden, of a size worthy of the name, is an expensive proposition for any city ; so it is no wonder that we have, notwithstanding our ninety mil- lions of people — and in common with many other populous, civilized na- tions— so few institutions of this class. Aside from the National Zoological Park at Washington ; the Bronx Park of New York City I the Philadelphia "Zoo," and the Zoological Garden at Cincinnati, there are no others of un- usual extent in the United States, or any that contains large representative collections of animals. This is very much to be deplored ; sculptors, anatomists, physicians, zoo- geographers, and many others may ob- tain data most essential to their sev- eral professional callings and special researches. It is safe to say that, in the matter of acreage, the National Zoological Park at Washington, D. C, with its five hundred acres or more of terri- tory, is of greater extent, many times over, than all the rest of such places in this country put together. Not only is this the case, but the topography of this reservation is of exceptional beauty and diversity. It is a most fertile tract of land on the very boun- dary of the city, and so located that it is of easy access to everyone. Topographically speaking, it is highly rugged and rocky and most of it is rolling or markedly hilly. There is little of it which is more or less level ; some parts are heavily timbered, and many isolated, magnificent trees oc- cur at attractive points. Winding 14 THE GUIDE TO NATURE through all this runs a broad, clear stream, of a size well above the aver- age creek as so designated on the maps. Rivulets, with their frequent little water-falls, empty into this stream, the whole affording, with re- spect to both land and water, an ideal reserve for the purpose for which it has been selected. As to climate, Washington is very fortunately situated and leaves but little to be desired as a place of lo- cation for a zoological garden in this part of the world. Rarely are her winters severe, and the polar bears and fur-seals seem to survive her sum- mers, year in and year out, without any special hardship. Under these favorable conditions, and in face of the enormous wealth of this country — both public and private — there is absolutely no excuse as to why our National Zoological Park should not meet every requirement that the people have the right to expect from such an institution. Of many of its uses, however, it is not the purpose of the present article to treat, for they do not fall within its scope. The questions to be dealt with here, although closely associated with others pertaining to the advantages of a zoological park, can very properly be considered separately. In one way, the scientific care and exhibition of animals of all kinds in a "zoo" en- compasses all other matters involved, while the moral factor, if it may be so termed, enters very largely into our discussion. These captured and confined animals are just as much en- titled to their rights and comforts as are the individuals of any community. In illustration of this, abundant ma- terial is to be met with in the Na- tional Zoological Park at Washington, and it must be understood that it is this park, and it alone, which has fur- nished the examples under discussion here. With respect to the exhibition of animals in a zoological garden, there are a great many thing to be con- sidered, though, generally speaking, these may be arrayed under two re- quirements, first : the maintaining of the welfare and happiness of the crea- tures so confined, and second : that their quarters are sufficiently spacious to admit of the occupants enjoying the majority of the habits they exhibit in a wild state. These demands are in- timately associated and largely de- pend one upon the other. Restricting what is said here to birds and mammals, it is one of the most distressing sights in the world to observe a caged animal in a zoological garden, where its home is so small for it that, notwithstanding the care be- stowed upon it, it gradually pines away from the many causes that mili- tate against its happiness. We will not fully appreciate what many birds and mammals daily suffer in cramped quarters — often perpetually sunless and utterly lacking in everything they need or enjoy in their native haunts— until we come to understand their several languages; their emotions and expressions, and their actions under various conditions. We have no right — beyond the question of might — to subject these creatures to the tor- tures that many of them endure in captivity in our zoological gardens; and, in altogether too many cases, it is a burning shame and an outrage that we do do so. There is every reason to believe that, in far too many instances, some of these animals suffer, day in and day out and at all times (except when asleep), precisely what representatives of our own species would under simi- lar conditions. Frequently, their lives are sustained upon a victualage quite foreign to their requirements. Many diseases attack them, often causing daily torture or premature death ; while everything incidental to repro- duction is interfered with to the men- tal and physical distress of the captive. Much might be set forth on this, the moral aspect of the question, which would prove to be of decided import- ance to humanitarians everywhere; but the limitations of space bar further allusion to it here. Passing to another phase of this question, it is clear that a very poor economy is exercised when a people spends a vast sum of money out of the public exchequer to maintain a collection of living wild animals, for exhibition in a public park, to then be guilty of the glaring error of placing some of the most valuable of those animals in dens, cages, pits, and other miserably small places, where, to be sure, during the life-span of the ani- (ARK AM) KXIIIHITION < >F ANIMALS mal in any case, its form and general appearance may be studied; but where, owing to the lack of the proper addi- tions to perfect its environment, and to the parsimony of space, four-fifths of what it is capable of teaching stu- dents of all professions, who come to study it, is utterly lost. Much is being said and written case of others, the least that can be said is that they present pictures of daily torture, which would force a protest from the lips of the Sphinx of Egypt. Among the first may be mentioned the beaver, the seals, the otters, man}' of the wild-fowl and waders, the various species of deer, and numerous others ; while, as ex- FIG. 2. AN UNHAPPY COUGAR. nowadays about the conservation of our natural resources, which include our fisheries, birds, game, and the rest ; but the questions raised in the present article have been, as a rule, almost entirely ignored. Thousands of people resort to our National Zoo- logical Park annually ; a certain per- centage of them are students in vari- ous professional lines ; many come from abroad to study our animals there, and it makes a vast difference whether such students find the ani- mals they desire to study penned up in box-like cages ; confined to courts and dens of rocks by a caging of iron bars — the whole having the appear- ance of some gigantic rat-trap — or whether those animals occupy quar- ters where not only their form and ap- pearance may be studied, but as many of their habits as possible. Some of the conditions under which the mammals and birds are confined at our National Zoological Park are, in all particulars, simply beyond the pale of any adverse criticism ; while in the emplifying those in the second class, there may be named the bears, the majority of the mammals in the row of cheap cage-boxes shown in one of the illustrations, the condor, and al- together too many others in one of the mammal-houses. It is to be hoped that Congress will soon make far more generous appro- priation for the maintenance of this magnificent national institution in each and all of its departments. It is many a year now since its estab- lishment ; surely it is about time that it was raised to a level coequal with the plane to which American pride usually rises in such matters, and not remain, through an overcautious gov- ernmental economy, at the stage oc- cupied by some modest "zoo" of the provinces. But the verities of human life, the common experience of love, sorrow, hope, faith, action, religion, these do not change. — Dr. David Starr Jordan in "The Stability of Truth." i6 THE GUIDE TO NATURE A VTEW OF THE SUNSET IN THE BEAUTIFUL HARBOR OF VAVAU. FRIENDLY ISLES. Taken with a Goerz-Dagor lens. AN EIGHT YEAR OLD TONGAN GIRL— A REAL CHILI) OF NATURE. The Friendly Islands. BY E. E. THORPE, NEIAFU, VAVAU, FRIENDLY ISLES, SOUTHERN PACIFIC OCEAN. Towards the sunrising lies a group of comparatively small islands, whose snow-white, sandy beaches are bor- dered by emerald seas. Fronded cocoa- nut palms raise their stately heads in the tropical salt breeze, and native houses lie half hidden in the midst of gayly colored trees and flowers. Dark skinned children roll on the sand under the friendly shade, while older ones can be seen searching among the rocks for certain shellfish that are used for food. Formerly the inhabitants of these Friendly Islands, comprising the groups of Tonga, Hasbai, and Vavau, were cannibals. Although they were not of the fiercest type, human blood was mingled with their sacrifices, and every man's hand seemed to be against his neighbor. If only the sparkling seas that break on the white shores of these beautiful islands could speak, what tales of sorrow and of bloodshed could they tell ! The Friendly Islands lie 1,097 miles northeast of New Zealand. The three principal groups comprise about a hundred islands. The native popula- tion is 22,000. There are about two hundred and fifty Europeans in the three groups. The Tongans are a remarkably fine THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS and well formed race. Especially is this noticeable in the high class fami- lies. Their complexion is clear, rich brown, almost approaching light cop- per color. Many of the young chil- dren are nearly white. They are a clean race and in many things compare favorably with the civilized nations of Europe. Formerly their origin was supposed to be Mala}', but recently it has been scientifically proved that they are of Caucasian origin. They are hospitable. They delight in flowers, and in annointing themselves with scented oils. The Tongans believe that they are directly descended from the gods. Their legend relates that one day, cen- turies ago, before the Tongan Islands, which had been fished up by one of the gods, had been peopled, some of the gods put to sea in a canoe and landed Delighted with the land on Tonga. they remained, and were finally trans- formed into mortal beings, and peo- pled the islands. SHOWING A LEAF OF THE CARPIE (ENGLISH SPELLING OF THE TONGAN WORD ("KAPI") PLANT— AN EDIBLE ROOT BELONGING TO THE TARO FAMILY. The stem measures three feet to base of leaf; length of leaf, three feet nine inches; width, through the centre, two feet nine inches. 1 *■■■■ !* V r m H ' * ^H « Mr 1 A COCOANUT PLANTATION AT VAVAU. FRIENDLY ISLES. 1 8 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Commonplace and Common Sense Knowledge. In our laboratory at ArcAdiA we have been growing luxuriantly for nearly three years a plant that has attracted much attention or perhaps BUDS AND BLOOM OF TEA. I should say that we have attracted much attention to it. Every visitor has been requested to give the name of that plant. In three years hun- dreds of adults and school children have been questioned. Thus far not one has been able to give the name. Recently it was in beautiful bloom with a profusion of expanding buds that made it wonderfully attractive. We believe that this one plant alone has been a good example of the cry- ing need of giving information es- pecially to school children, and to •everyone definite notions of common- place things. Every child and every adult knows the tea plant from the utilitarian point of view, yet we have found that no visitor has practical knowledge of it, nor one that has ever heard that it is grown successfully in the United States, nor of the possibil- ity to cultivate it here on a commercial scale. But tbat topic we reserve for a future article. Nature should not be known only through the mouth and the stomach. In itself tea is an es- thetic plant. From its leaves is made a cheering beverage. Undoubtedly many school children can speak in- telligently about the cities and the rivers of China, while they have not the slightest knowledge of the appear- ance of the tea plant, China's principal product, whether it is an herb, a shrub or a tree. It is a shrub that may be grown readily in any household. It is not hardy, but it will bear consid- erable cold. In the laboratory aquaria standing near the tea plant have been filled with ice, and iron water pipes only a few feet away from this plant have been frozen and have burst, yet the tea plant has bloomed profusely notwithstanding the intense cold. It is a regrettable fact that the utili- tarian point of view has so gained the ascendency. Before a number of Teachers' Institutes in various parts of the country I have requested the teachers to form a mental picture of the plant that I would name. When all were in readiness, after a pause of a few seconds, I said, "Onion," only to find upon inquiry that every person in the audience had had vision of the edible portion, never of the plant as a whole, nor of its beautiful flower. It would be safe to say that nine-tenths of the teachers, especially in city schools, have no knowledge whatever of the onion plant, and that even a larger proportion or a hundred per cent have no knowledge of the beauti- ful blossom. It is not unusual in city schools to find both teacher and pupil totally ignorant of the commonplace plants that are used every day for food. To have at least some of these common plants grown in every school would be valuable and practical. A protected portion of a window on the sunny side could easily be arranged so that the plants could be kept there throughout the year. Children and teachers should not only know the tea plant, but they should know the coffee plant and others COMMONPLACE AND COMMON SENSE KNOWLEDGE 19 equally strange to most people. Even more important is it to know, indeed, there is no excuse for not knowing corn, potatoes and other commonplace things. Life does not consist entirely Thoreau were writing of this he would say that all people should take copious mental draughts of the esthetic tea plant. I venture to predict that if ArcAdiA were to send out an appeal for' jB.'| 1 1 • ' Ai E^aU 'tew. n ■' . ^*. Eks?*^ «» COLORED CHILDREN PLUCKING TEA AT "PINEHURST," SUMMERVILLE. S. C. Illustrations from Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. of shop. It is possible to know how many bushels of corn to the acre, yet not to know corn. There is an in- trinsic, educational, value in even po- tatoes and cabbages. I fancy that if financial assistance after an elaborate series of efforts to make the leaves of the tea plant twenty-one and five- tenths millimeters longer, or to mea- sure the length and the breadth of 20 THE GUIDE TO NATURE ^seventeen thousand stomata or to test the effect of various chemicals on the growth of the plant, we should not be lacking in financial assistance. But when it comes to plain, simple, every- day seeing, to efforts to cultivate the power of observation in adults and young people, aye, there's the rub — that is too simple to be of any value! Agatized Fossils. BY HORACE SYKES, NEWPORT, OREGON. On the coast of Oregon, confined with- in the limits of a few miles, are beds of pebbles in which agates are found in great abundance. Newport, a summer The author does not set this forth as a complete geological treatise but pre- sents a few of nature's interesting records and non-technical description of them. Incased in transparent rock coverings are found such remains as tufts of hair, sea urchin spines, and pieces of shells, while different kinds of coral, polyzoa, and all kinds of wood are found entirely formed in agate. There are many other specimens that are unquestionably re- mains of organic matter, but so entirely transformed or possibly such a small por- tion of the original organism, as to be bevond identification. FIG. 1. CROSS SECTION OF A LRYOZOAN "THAT LOOKS LIKE A PIECE OF BONE.' resort on Yaquinna Bay, the western ter- minus of the Corvallis and Eastern Rail- way, is located in the midst of these beds, and from the dozen or so lapidaries, of which the town possesses without doubt a larger percentage according to resident population than any town in the world, come some of the rarest agates, and greatest curiosities that are to be found. In these prolific beds are found moon- stone of great variety, and fine quality, moss agate of almost every character, cloud or picture agates, the forms in which often represent grotesque or beau- tiful objects, carnelian, onyx, bloodstone, goldstone, jasper in great variety, agate or moss jasper, and lastly many agatized specimens of animal and vegetable re- mains. As suggested by the title the last mentioned will be given special con- sideration. Figure No. i, represents a cross sec- tion of a piece of bryozoan that looks like a piece of bone. It is the inside, or honeycombed portion of a piece of very great size, it makes one think of a sea monster such as the whale. The illus- tration is the exact size of the specimen, and on comparing with the structure of a whale's bone will be found to be very similar. The portions representing cells are filled with agate, while the structural part is softer and a dark brown color. Figure No. 2, represents a stone which contains remains of the hair of some prehistoric animal. The tufts are of a very dark brown color, and the in- dividual hairs lay so close together in parts of the stone as to prevent the light from passing through, making it appear opaque in the photograph, while around the edges the single hairs can be seen. AGATIZED FOSSILS 21 Almost every one has noticed that as a carcass decomposes the hair remains longer than any part except the bones. It is not hard to imagine how it would be possible for tufts to become immersed in water containing the rock forming ele- ments, and be incased in stone and pre- served through the succession of ages, a page in nature's great history. The third and fourth illustrations are of specimens of agatized coral. Figure three is called honeycomb coral, and is by far the most abundant. Specimens like Figure four are rarely found. In these the spaces between the limestone are filled with agate making the whole a mass in which the original coral is rep- resented by the texture of the stone. These as well as the other agate fossils take a very high polish, and are valuable for the making of agate jewelry, as well as for specimens. The stones of which these agate beds are composed are washed from the great banks of quaternary drift against which the waves of the Pacific are eternally hurling themselves. A fresh supply is ever being brought out and prepared in nature's great lapidary for the use of man. They were not formed in the part of the world now found, but were moved there by some of nature's great agencies. The illustrations are from photographs from sections by the author, and it may be of interest to some to know how they were made. Figure 2 is of a stone which FIG. 2. REMAINS OF THE HAIR OF A PRE- HISTORIC ANIMAL. was cut and polished for the making of jewelry. In the taking of this photo- graph the stone was fitted in an opening in a piece of cardboard. The cardboard was placed in the end of a long box facing the light. This was done to pre- vent reflections on the polished surface. The camera was placed at the other end of the box and the photograph taken of the light transmitted through the stone. The remainder of the illustrations are from phc ^graphs made without the use of the camera at all. The dark room was used instead. The specimens from which these were made were very thin slabs sawed for the purpose, and the photo- graphs were made in a very novel and entirely original way. A dry plate was laid on the dark room table, and the thin ■:y:y.\m^ k ■'■■ '"'■'*•, *B - 4t m * 0f *£ «s * * FIG. 3. AGATIZED FOSSIL SOMETIMES CALLED HONEYCOMB CORAL. 22 THE GUIDE TO NATURE FIG. 4. A RARE FORM OF AGATIZED CORAL OF INTERESTING FORMATION. slab of stone laid on it, in direct contact with the sensitive film. A large parlor match was then burned a short distance above, and the shadow cast by the stone impressed itself in the sensitive emulsion of the plate. In all the illustrations the detail in the original specimens is ren- dered faithfully. [The author's illus- trations have been enlarged for publi- cation.] An Easy Experiment with Electricity. BY F. R. GORDON, YPSILANTI, MICH. An instructive experiment on the con- duction of electricity by a liquid can be performed wherever a commercial light- ing circuit is within reach. Let us sup- pose the voltage is 110, which is probably the one which is most commonly used. It may be either a direct or alternating cur- rent. We shall also suppose that a common 16-candle-power lamp is at hand con- nected with a few feet of double lamp cord. The experiment is as follows : Switch off the current from the lamp and cut one of the two cords. Cut off the insulation for about an inch at each of the two ends made by cutting the wire. Place these two ends of wire down in a tumbler of water, and make sure that they do not touch each other. When you have made everything ready, switch on the current. The lamp will probably not light up. If it glows at all, it will be but faintly. Now drop into the tumbler, a little at a time, a few grains of common salt, and stir carefully. As you stir the liquid and the salt dissolves, the lamp will glow more and more brightly until it reaches pretty nearly its full brilliancy. The explanation of this phenomenon is based upon the fact that electricity is car- ried through a liquid by means of so- called ions. There are so few ions in water that it conducts very poorly ; but when a little of the salt has dissolved, some of the molecules of salt (which is a compound of an element called sodium and another element called chlorine) split in two. This splitting apart gives rise to ions of sodium and other ions of chlorine. Hence as more and more of these ions are produced in the water, the more rapidly the current of electricity is carried from one end of the wire to the other. Since all this current has to pass through the lamp, the filament of carbon is heated hotter and thus glows more brightly. No doubt my life as a farm boy has had much to do with my subse- quent love of nature, and my feeling of kinship with all rural things. I feel at home with them ; they are bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It seems to me a man who was not born and reared in the country can hardly get Nature into his blood, and estab- lish such intimate and affectionate re- lations with her, as can the born coun- tryman. — "Our Friend John Bur- roughs," by Clara Barrus. > SI" KING BY AID OF T1IK LKNS 23 BYAID THE LENS A Monument to a Great Optician. All over the country may be found here and there amateur and profes- sional microscopists that pride them- selves upon their efficient outfit. Among their lenses they probably have one or more made by Robert Tolles, a lens maker that gained a world-wide recognition for his optical inventions and improvements. The following clipping from a newspaper has been sent to us. "Robert B. Tolles was one of the notable men whose early years were spent upon a New England farm. It would seem that there was a special influence from the soil that fastened itself upon the youth of New England in the early part of the nineteenth cen- tury, so many men of mark and genius developed from laborious and practical country life. "Robert's father would have become one of the important inventors of this country had he not been hampered by poverty. It is from the consideration of such lives as his that there has arisen the idea of providing materially for men of genius, so that they may give the world the benefit of their thought and labors. Robert saw his father's disappointment and failure, and in his mind was a determination to master some of the problems of life and to better his condition. "He worked on his grandfather's farm and did his share to support the family till he was quite a youth. One day when he was taking a holiday at Canastota, New York, he paid a visit to the workship of Charles A. Spencer, a lensmaker. Tolles was so fascinated by what he saw that he soon after in- duced Mr. Spencer to take him as an apprentice. Day by day Robert be- came more absorbed in the possibili- ties of his work, and his ability was a constant surprise to Charles Spencer. "When he was thirty years old Tolles went into the business of lens making for himself. He had already attracted the attention of scientists, for ROBERT B. TOLLES. he had invented and patented a solid eyepiece, and in 1866 he took out a patent for a stereoscopic binocular eyepiece. "He started his business at Cana- stota, but nine years later he went to Boston and organized the Boston Op- tical Works. He was the superinten- dent for four years, but then became the proprietor of the business and spent the remainder of his life in its development. He devoted all his en- 24 THE GUIDE TO NATURE ergies and gifts to improving the mi- croscope, with the result that he won world-wide recognition. "Tolles was associated with Charles and Herbert Spencer in the invention THE MICROSCOPICAL MONUMENT. of a three system lens that all lens- makers accepted, although it changed the entire opinion and practice of mak- ing and using microscopes. He also invented telescopes that had remark- able penetrating powers. "His real genius should have given him happiness and comfort in life, but he met the sad fate of many an in- ventor. He had all his life had weak lungs, and in his frenzy of ambition and activity he constantly neglected his health, so that the last ten years of his life were filled with hard practi- cal labor to provide for his simple ma- terial needs. "He worked to the last, and even upon his deathbed he had microscopes brought to him and tested lenses. A few minutes before he died he thought he was at work on a lens, and sud- denly he stopped, said 'good-by,' and breathed his last sigh." He is one of our scientific friends that strongly urged the establishment ol this magazine, but he desires with the editor that it may be prominently developed along the line of seeing things by the aid of the lens. Under date of December 25, 1906, he wrote as follows : "I am rereading my 'Observers' and getting lots of pleasure out of them. Why can't we have a scientific maga- zine like that now? There are now people who are hungry for such. The people who wrote many of the papers in the old magazines have passed to their reward, and we who now read them are passing happy hours with old friends. I had a letter from Alfred C. Stokes, M.D., of Trenton, New Jersey, and he seems to be hungering for such a magazine. 1 haven't come to you for so long that I must be a perfect stranger to you, so my words I trust may therefore be more gratifying to you. I have recently had some photo- graphs of Robert B. Tolles's monu- ment, erected by the N. E. Optical Company in Mount Auburn. I would be pleased to send you each with my regards." About eight years ago I had some correspondence with an enthusiastic gentleman with the old-time amateur spirit of microscopy, Mr. Henry M. Brown, of Natick, Massachusetts. He was for many years a subscriber to "The Observer" and continues as a subscriber to The; Guide to Nature. "Science" for March 22, 1912, con- tains an article by George W. Rolfe, on the death of Charles X. Dalton. From that article we quote as follows : "For one or two decades preceding and immediately following the Civil War there was a widespread popular interest in the microscope among cul- tivated people as a form of amusement, although much serious scientific work was done likewise. Microscope clubs were common throughout the land, and in England as well. Many became experts in microscope technique and there was an active demand among the wealthier of these enthusiasts for the best instrument that could be pro- duced, irrespective of cost. This stimulated the instrument makers of England and America to use the ut- most skill and best workmanship, and in the hands of famous opticians, among whom Tolles with his giant genius shone preeminent, the micro- scope was carried to a high degree of elaboration and efficiency. It was under such conditions that Charles Dalton was inspired to use his skill SEEING BY AID OF THE LENS 25 and cunning as an artificer of metals. Dalton was not a workman for wages ly. He had that true love of his whose knowledge and craft partook al- most of the dignity of a profession." on craft and a pride in his workmanship which characterized the true craftsman CHARLES X. DALTON. and which is vital for best results. He would never do mediocre work and was his own severest critic of his product. He made many of his tools and appli- ances and accomplished much by primitive but cunning methods which are a lost art to the mechanician of to- day, or made possible only by the use of elaborate tools. "The wane came in popular interest in the microscope as a recreation for the dilettante and the cheap compact "continental" instrument, of high op- tical efficiency but reduced to the sim- plest terms as to finish and accessories, in short a laboratory tool designed solely for the special work at hand has become common in our schools and colleges. Such instruments of good quality are now turned out by the thousands by the great manufacturers, using labor-saving machinery and modern systems of divided labor, and a good microscope is cheaper to-day than formerly. The elaborate instru- ments of Tolles and other great op- ticians of the past generation, instru- ments in which cost was subordinated to every detail which added to conveni- ence and efficiency, masterpieces of in- genious and perfect workmanship, are no longer made, and with them is dis- appearing the old-time workman Our Educational Vaudeville. If Saint Augustine, who was pun- ished when he was a little lad because he loved to play (and playing, he ob- serves, is the business of childhood), could see the glorification of play in twentieth - century schoolrooms, he might enjoy the spectacle, and question the results. Nothing is too profound, nothing too subtle, to be evolved from a game or a toy. We are gravely told that "the doll with its immense educa- tional power should be carefully intro- duced into the schools," and that a ball, tossed to the accompaniment of a song insultingly banal, will enable a child "to hold fast one high purpose amid all the vicissitudes of time and place." And when boys and girls out- grow these simple sports, other and more glorious pastimes await them ; pastimes which will teach them all they need to know, without effort and with- out exaction. Judge Lindsey gives a glowing description of the schoolroom of the future, where moving pictures will take the place of books and black- boards, where no free child will be "chained to a desk" (painful phrase!), and where "progressive educators" will make merry with their pupils all the happy day. — Agnes Repplier, in the January Atlantic. If there is a ruling and creative power to which the existence of our cosmos is due, and if we are its one and unique highest outcome, able to understand and to make use of the forces and products of nature in a way that no other animal has been able to do; and if, further, there is any rea- sonable probability of a continuous life for us to still further develop that higher spiritual nature which we pos- sess, then we have a perfect right, on logical and scientific grounds, to see in all the infinitely varied products of the animal and vegetable kingdoms, which we alone can and do make use of, a preparation for ourselves, to as- sist in our mental development, and to fit us for a progressively higher state of existence as spiritual beings. — Al- fred Russell Wallace in "The World of Life." 26 THE GUIDE TO NATURE THE FUN OF (SEEINGTHINGS, I FOR YDUNfi FOLKS V • EDITED BY J \ Edward FBigelow / £\ SK W7HM" YOU WPtMT TO KfNOW. ^Soc/no^^Qcach , Conn. The Fun of Seeing Eggs of Moths and Butterflies. Scientists call moths and butterflies by a long name, Lepidoptera, meaning scale wing insects. To say that there are many beautiful forms among the moths and the butterflies, is to say a trite and commonplace thing that everybody knows. To say that their varied forms and varied, often brilliant colors are ap- preciated by all that see them, is equally trite and well known. But boys and girls that use the microscope know something about the curious forms of the mealy material or scales that at a touch are rubbed from their wings. But there is one other subject connected with these interesting in- sects that is not often mentioned. To me this is perhaps the most interest- ing of all. It is the satisfaction of col- lecting and mounting the eggs. Such A "NRST" OF MISCELLANEOUS EGGS OF BUTTERFLIES. THE FUN OF SEEING THINGS 27 1 -V ™ 1 m* 3& mi THE CURIOUS MARKINGS SHOWN UNDER THE MICROSCOFE. eggs may be obtained from twigs and of the size of your little finger nail, leaves in various places where they Many show beautiful patterns when have been deposited in tiny patches or viewed with a simple pocket lens, little dots. They will often be in a There is a lot of fun in collecting the cluster, perhaps a half or a quarter various forms and in arranging them REMARKABLE "CUPS" AND "ROSETTES. 28 THE GUIDE TO NATURE in a collection. This arranging may be done with little difficulty, if you have a sharp eye, a steady hand, and know how to use a simple pocket lens. Take a piece of black cardboard, smear a little mucilage on it, and pick up carefully one after the other of these little eggs by the aid of some slender, pointed instrument — a pin or a very fine-pointed toothpick and gently place them on the card. They may be arranged in miniature pat- terns, much as shells are sometimes arranged on the lawn, especially of some old-fashioned house near the seashore. You should, of course, wait until the eggs have hatched, and the little caterpillar has escaped, as it usually does at one end of the egg, leaving a hole, and making the empty shell look like a cup. Some resemble baskets and some are ornamented by peculiar, often beautiful markings. Young Partridges. BY RUTH CAROLYN W. DOGGETT, SPRING- FIELD, MASSACHUSETTS. Just outside a sleepy country town not far from my home, a friend of ours owns a beautiful woodsy estate called "River Bend." It is the delight of youth- ful hearts to wander through the pine woods, climb the hilly paths bordered with blackberry bushes, and pretend that the cedars standing there with such primness and regularity are in an Italian garden. As we were leisurely walking up one of our favorite pathways, nibbling at blackberries, admiring the scenery and talking about things in general, we suddenly heard a muffled drumming. "A partridge !" whispered our host, creeping cautiously along like an In- dian on the warpath. Instantly we stopped our chatter and tried to emu- late his example. Again that peculiar drumming — and a sudden whirr and rush of wings as a mother partridge flew close by us and high into the air. A moment later we discovered four or five tiny balls of buff-colored fuzz hiding their silly little heads under last year's dead brown leaves. As we "I PICKED UP TWO OF THINGS." THE LITTLE came nearer, one enterprising young- ster scrambled across the path into the underbrush. I picked up two of the little things and while my picture was being snapped we could hear the mother bird anxiously drumming to attract our attention to her. Under a scrubby pine tree we found the nest, but we left it and the little partridges unmo- lested and sauntered on uphill talking excitedly about the cunning, fluffy lit- tle birds, and our pleasing experience. Flossie's Bright Reply. One evening, when the mosquitoes were very troublesome, Bobby cried out, "Oh, dear, if these mosquitoes don't stop biting me, there'll be noth- ing left of me !" "Oh, no!" said Flossie, "the bites will swell up and make you bigger than ever!"— What To Do. THE FUN OF SEEING THINGS 29. All Treated Alike by Me. This cat looks as if she were carry- ing a dead duck or, if the duck is not dead, that she is treating it cruelly. But both suppositions arc wrong. The duck is the cat's adopted foundling and she evidently believes in absolute im- partiality. She carries her kittens by the nape of the neck, and she sees no reason why, when young ducks come into her family, she should not treat them in a similar way. The photo- graph is sent by Mr. B. H. Hinderman, Omro, Wisconsin. He says that the cat adopted the young duck, and carried it about as she would a kitten. She cared for it until it was almost full grown. The occurrence took place on the farm of Mr. S. H. Perkins, Osh- kosh, Wisconsin. It is evident that this cat is not in sympathy with the modern educational methods, in which everything is adapted to the individuality of the child. The duck would probably have preferred to waddle in the water, but "Nay, nay," says the foster mother, "your wishes are not to be consulted. I am not looking forward toward the younger generation, but to the time- honored traditions of the past. In our family for generations beyond the re- corded history of cats, no cat has ever gone in to swim and no cat would think of wading in water. On the con- trary, mother cats have always carried their kittens by the nape of the neck. No duck geniuses are tolerated in this family. If you come into the cat fam- ily you must accept the conditions. I shall therefore carry you by your neck." What to Eat. If Prof. G. Stanley Hall is right in saying a boy is what he eats, the youth who would be a historian should partake of dates. The prospective elec- trician should eat currants. The one who would become a policeman should choose the beet. In order to drive a cab, perhaps one should dine off cab- bage. As a matter of course, if the baseball player would be in condition to hold the "hot ones," that come his way, he should never indulge in "muf- fins," and, by the same token, the auto- mobile chauffeur should not partake of turnovers. Anyone not abreast of the times or behind with his work should create a little fondness for ketchup and those wishing to get ahead will eat cabbage. To be agile and active, all that is necessary is to choose a diet of hasty pudding. Persons wishing to cultivate a friendly spirit toward all mankind will eat peas and hominy, while those disposed to the contrary will have a salad made of peppers and snap-dragon, and artists wishing to paint still life will select a diet of sar- dines in oil. — Sunshine Bulletin. mM^u ^HBE9^BB9B9HH^B 1 ,'^..\ %. m THE CAT ADOPTED A DUCK AND CARRIED IT AROUND AS SHE WOULD A KITTEN. THE GUIDE TO NATURE $$. ^»^ ^ $& §*& §^ &m*%? About. Bugs. BY J. R. DE LA TORRE BUENO, WHITE PLAINS, N. Y. In England, the name "Bug" is never uttered in polite society. It has only one meaning, and polite people are presuma- bly totally unfamiliar with that for which THEY REAM V ARE BUGS. it stands. In this fair land of ours, how- ever, this term is applied indiscriminately and erroneously to any beasty with a number of legs, from a fly to a thousand legs although strictly it applies only to the true bugs, about which alone speak. An English entomologist, G. W. Kir- kaldy, has sought the origin of this name in the Cymry, or Welsh, and the Gaelic of olden days. According to his conclusions, the Welsh "bwg" (pronounced boog), means a spirit or ghost, one that walks in the night, whence our "bogey" which we in- terpret now as a fearsome thing, although it originally meant a spirit. So, also, that passage in the fa- mous '"Bug" Bible, where it is written ^'He shall not fear the arrow by day nor the bugge by night" and which now reads "terror by night," means, in fact, the spirit or ghost. So it is easy to see how an ignorant people being troubled by night by something they did not see, dubbed it "bugge" or ghost. Now and then one reads an item in some magazine or newspaper about the finding of bed-bugs, chinches, "mahog- any flats," or "lovely strangers" under the bark of logs. Of course, this bit of newspaper science has led many to the entirely erroneous belief that the vermin are really wild things, which, coming into civilization, are quickly corrupted by it, just like any other savages. This is not the case however, for the pest has been a companion of man for ages, and, in consequence of its parasitic habits, has lost its wings, which are now represented only by little scales. It has learnt to know man and his ways, and in the long course of time, has developed a perfectly uncanny aptitude for circumventing him and his schemes for its destruction. But why spread myself out on this topic? Those who have been so unfortunate as to be its victims will not care to be reminded of their sufferings, while those in blissful ignorance are best left so. Of course, there is some foundation for the belief that they are to be found in l<»gs. There are some flat, brownish bugs about the right size to be mistaken for the others whose abode is under the loose bark of dead or dying trees. But, ex- cept in the young stages, these have wings, save one kind that lives under the scaly bark of pine trees, which sometimes is found wingless, at others fully winged, and in all degrees of wingedness in be- tween. These are known to entomolo- gists as Aradis, or, as Comstock calls them, flat bugs. In their favorite haunts they can be found at all seasons of the year. Their glistening white eggs are elliptical in shape and are deposited in clusters on the inner side of the bark, but the bugs themselves generally cling to THE INTEREST IN INSECTS 31 the wood under the bark, according to their kind. Of the flat-bugs that are found in this country, in the East, Aradus similis is the most interesting in its choice of abode. Where the white birches shine ghostly in the leafless winter woodland, there he abides — but not in the living tree. He slumbers peacefully through "WHERE THE WHITE BIRCHES SHINE." the rain and snow and sleet snug and warm under the loosened bark at the base of the trunk, where dissolution has begun to separate it from the wood. There is, so to speak, not much head- room, but the bug is as thin as paper and it contrives to work its way in. There you find in little colonies the grayish, white-spotted young, and the black, glas- sy-winged adults, torpid and motionless with the cold, sometimes, in very severe weather, covered with a white hoarfrost. Hold them a moment in the warmth of your hand, and first the white-ringed antennae will slowly move, and then be- fore you know what is up, the short little legs carry the beasty away on a run. If you touch him, he becomes motion- less and "plays 'possum" for as long as he imagines the danger lasts, and then, away again. When spring quickens all living things, they come to life, and as the days grow warmer, they seek their summer abode, in and about the white fungus Polyporus betulimis, that juts out from the trunks of the dead and decaying white birches. Sometimes they wander into the fungus, itself, but their regular dwelling place is at the base of the fungus, where it springs from the trees. Here it is that the young couples start housekeeping, and when by the mid- dle of summer they pass away at a ripe and hoary old age, they leave behind them a new generation that spend their lives in the same way. And so on, from year to year, since time was until time shall be no more. There are many other kinds of true bugs, and in the tropics they glow with the most beautiful iridescent golden tints, in all the glory of purple and royal blue. Others again have the most peculiar forms and habits. Certain little bugs found in Spain in the Pyrenees, are covered with spines ; others living on the seashore and hiding in the sand are of dull grays and very fuzzy. Some kinds that burrow in the earth have broadened front legs to help them dig, just as the mole has. Others, the Halo- bates, live on the surface of the ocean, hundreds of miles from land. Some of the tropical bugs have the hind legs broad and leaf-like in rich colorings. And finally, in the deeps of ponds and streams dwell the fiercest and the most active of the bugs, from the water boat- men or back-swimmers, to the big elec- tric light bugs, so-called, which we find under the electric lights in city and vil- lage, sometimes in great numbers. In South America these last grow to a length of five and even six inches and attack and kill fish three and four times their size. How can a true bug be told from any other kind of insect? Because it is peculiar in having a sort of jointed beak bent under the head, and all other in- sects have jaws or, like the butterflies, have a kind of proboscis or trunk which curls up into the head. Bugs have rather shield-shaped bodies in many in- stances, and the wings are folded flat on the back in those which have the base of the wing thick and opaque with the end thinner and transparent. The forms in which the wings are all clear and membraneous carry them over the back 32 THE GUIDE TO NATURE like a gable roof, and among these the general example is the seventeen-year locust. But in what precedes only the half-winged forms, or Heteroptera, have been referred to. Many of these have very strong odors, arising from the evaporation of a volatile liquid which is ejected from special openings in the underside of the body between the legs. This gives them the rather vulgar name of stinkbugs, and anybody who wishes to know what some of the odors are like need only bring to mind the nauseous flavor one strikes in blackcaps or black- berries. That's it. Others, though, are said to give forth a more or less pleasant fragrance, like ripe pears, but I have not met them. It has been found that the vapor is injurious and obnoxious to other insects. Perhaps in the future I may be priv- ileged to write about the kinds that live under and upon the waters, and their many adaptations to cope with prob- lems of food, respiration and locomo- tion. Arguments in Behalf of Nature Study. "The Boston Sunday Globe" has been continuing the discussion of the question, "Are We Paying Sufficient Attention to Natural History?" We have had four prominent naturalists contributing to this discussion. We quote a paragraph from each as fol- lows : of our common birds, our common quadrupeds, our wild flowers, trees and shrubs. I believe that if our chil- dren were given sufficient instruction in natural history not only to arouse in them a love for the out-of-doors, but to give them a reasonable introduction to the dwellers of the woods and fields and streams, they would find them- selves in the presence of one of the greatest possibilities for happiness to be found in this world — happiness not dependent upon wealth or social posi- tion or any other condition not with- in control of the average citizen. — Ernest Harold Baynes, Manager of Meriden, N. H., Bird Club. HUMAN PROGRESS IS DUE TO ITS STUDY. Here in New England a century ago farm life compelled every one, of ne- cessity, to learn the ways of nature. Modern gregarious city life loses the tang of the earth. Now comes an awakening to the fact that the conser- vation of natural forces is for man's benefit. The widespread discussion of ■eugenics, the lately established chair of genetics at Harvard, zoos and aqua- riums, bird clubs and boy scouts, pro- tective legislation, all are evidence of renewed regard for natural history. — Ralph Davol, Author and Farmer. IT HELPS TO MOLD ONE'S CHARACTER. Almost daily I hear expressions of regret from people who realize, per- haps too late, how much more they might be getting out of life if they had but a little more intimate knowledge it IT TENDS TO DEVELOP THE INTELLECT/' With utilitarian aims constantly in view, we are losing sight of the neces- sity for developing our people along intellectual, esthetic and spiritual lines. It is our moral duty to give to our children this training and create inter- est in the study of nature in order that the rich and poor, the old and young, the dweller in city or country, may realize the pleasure and profit which can be derived from this free and abun- dant source. We must give as much attention to the avocations as to the vocations, for it is fully as important to learn how to live as to know how to earn a living. — Frances Zirngiebel, Teacher of Biology, Dorchester High School. NATURE STUDY ONE OE THE ESSENTIALS. The great theme of art and litera- ture, next to human life, is the life of nature, a knowledge of which is no less essential for him who would ap- preciate than for him who would cre- ate art in literature. The finer, deeper things are lost on him whose oaks and elms are mere trees. Along with the teaching of a child to read should go the teaching of him to know the face of the fields. He had better be with- out a knowledge of words, mere words, than to go lacking a knowledge of the birds and beasts, the flowers, the seas and stars — the universal language of life — that is, if the child is going to write later on, or read, or live. — Pro- fessor Dallas Lore Sharp, Author and Student of Nature. THE HEAVENS IN JUNE 33 The Heavens in June. BY PROF. ERIC DOOLITTLE OF THE UNI- VERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. The planet Saturn, which for so many weeks has been sinking in the west, will definitely withdraw from the evening sky during the present month and become a morning star. Among the brilliant constellations and planets which fill the western heavens it will hardly be missed, however, ex- it, has now become the most conspicu- ous object of the entire heavens. Toward the third week of the month the planet Mercury will attain its greatest distance east of the sun and will be in such a favorable position for observations that everyone who has not hitherto seen this little world will have an opportunity of easily viewing it. At this time it will be no less than one and one-half hours east of the sun HQgTH SOUTH Figure 1. The Constellations June 1, 9 P. M. (If facing south, hold the map upright. If facing east, hold East below. If facing west, hold West below. If facing north, hold the map inverted.) cept by the possessor of a small tele- scope who is accustomed to watching the appearance and changes of its wonderful ring system and the mo- tions of its satellites, especially as the very brilliant Venus, which replaces and so far north of the celestial equa- tor that it enters the borders of our evening map. The observer should not fail to look for this most interesting little world at this time. Another most interesting planet, 34 THE GUIDE TO NATURE which is steadily approaching the evening heavens, is the great Jupiter, but this will not enter our evening sky during the present month. During the early morning hours, however, it is most conspicuous as it shines out with its golden radiance in the south, on the eastern border of the wonderful sum- mer branch of the Milk}' Way. The Stars in June. Beside the planets, or Wandering Stars, whose positions in the heavens are continually changing, the regular, gular little sky figure known as the Dolphin, or Job's Coffin ; above this and lying along the exact center of the Milky Way, is the beautiful Northern Cross, now entirely risen above the ground, while above the Cross and now halfway to the zenith, there shines out Vega, the most brilliant of all the stars of the northern sky. The re-appearance of these summer stars has again brought the wonderful cluster of suns in Hercules into fav- orable position for observation and 4 ioz<>oo.oooj,!:fi- gitfes--- L UUNE /. Plane of Earth's Orbit Figure 2. Showing the path of the new comet in relation to the moving earth rapidly receding from us. The comet is now ceaseless progression of the constella- tions has, since last month, consider- ably modified the face of our evening sky. Arcturus, that immensely great and distant sun, now rides high in the heavens in the south, the brilliant groups of Taurus, Orion and Canis Major have disappeared for the present year, and Gemini has already sunk halfway below the ground. But in the southeast we see the striking Scor- pion, almost entirely risen, while bor- dering the eastern horizon from the south through the east to the north- west is the beautiful summer branch of the Milky Way, bearing upon its golden stream the bright constellation of the Swan. To the south is Aquila, with its bright star Altair at A, Figure I, a yellow star which is drifting rather rapidly across the face of the heavens notwithstanding that it is so far distant from us that the light with which we view it started on its long journey toward us nearly sixteen years ago. To the rigdit of Altair is the sin- the observer should not fail to examine this with a small telescope. It will be found at the point B, almost in a straight line between the stars C and D. It is indeed so brilliant that it may be clearly seen with the eye alone when the air is clear and the light of the moon is absent. But in even a small telescope the appearance of this cloud of suns is one of marvellous beauty. There are here thousands of stars which from the immeasurable depths of space have been gathered to- gether into one compact mass, and although great streams of suns extend out from the cloud in every direction it still has an approximately spherical form. In a small telescope only the stars near the borders are separately distinguished, those nearer the center merging into one uniform light. But under the highest powers the swarm is resolvable to its very center, no less than sixty thousand separate stars having thus been counted. Whether any or all of these distant suns have svstems of worlds, more or less like THE HEAVENS IN JUNE •our own, revolving about them, we at present have no means of knowing'. The Planet Mercury. This most interesting" little work! will be in so unusually favorable a po- sition for observation during the pres- ent month that the reader should not fail to obtain a view of it. On the evening of June 18, he will find it shining in the twilight glow, far to the northwest for an hour and a half after sunset, but it also may readily be detected on several successive even- ings both before and after this date. The path which this planet pursues about the sun lies far within the orbit of Venus, Mercury, in fact, being but little more than one-third as far from the sun as the earth is, and conse- quently the planet is almost always hidden in the sun's rays It can only be seen with the eye just after sunset or just before sunrise a short distance from that part of the horizon below which the sun is shining. When, however, the observer sees the planet for the first time he will probably be surprised by its brilliancy ; toward the middle of this month it will shine with nearly twice the brightness of a first magnitude star, a brilliancy due to the intense sunlight which falls upon it, for upon any part of this little world seven times as much light and heat are being poured down as upon a similar part of our earth. The year on Mercury is only eighty- eight days long, so that on this planet each of the four seasons would be less than a month in duration. But beside this, its path about the sun is so far from being perfectly circular that when the planet is nearest the sun it receives more than twice as much light and heat as when farthest away. To an observer on the planet the sun would appear more than twice as large as we see it, and if we add that one- half of this world is always turned to- ward the sun and one-half is turned away from it, so that on one-half of the planet there is perpetual day and on the other half unending night, it becomes evident that conditions on this little world must be very different from those on our own. The Planets in June. Venus continues to shine brilliantly in the west throughout the month. On June i it is near the center of the con- stellation Gemini, but by June 30 it will have moved out of this constellation, entirely across Cancer, and into the western border of Leo. Having passed Saturn on May 16, it is now drawing continually nearer to Mars, but it will not finally overtake this planet until August 5. Venus in the telescope now appears about as the moon when three days past the full ; it will not become one-half full and enter the crescent phase until September 18, and from now until more than a month after this date it will continually grow brighter. Mars is also moving rapidly east- ward but its motion is somewhat slower than that of Venus and hence it is being steadily overtaken. During the month it moves from the eastern //.2! Figure 3. The Star Cluster in Hercules (at B, Figure 1), as drawn by Sir John Herchel. borders of Cancer to a position a little left of and below the bright star Regu- lus. The announcement recently made that traces of water vapor have been found in the atmosphere of Mars, will, if confirmed, possess the highest in- terest and importance. For the known presence of this water vapor would render it practically certain that the polar caps of the planet are true snow caps and would indicate that this world is as warm or warmer than our own. If the result is made certain, we will therefore know that Mars is far more suited to the existence of such forms of life as exist on our own earth, than we have hitherto had evidence of its being. 36 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Saturn is now too near to the sun to be observed, and on June 13 passes to the east of that body and becomes a morning star. Jupiter rises at 11 hrs. 55 min. P. M. on June 1, and at 9 hrs. 58 min. P. M. on June 30. It will be found in the south toward midnight. On June 22, at 1 hr. 55 min. A. M. (Eastern Standard Time) the sun will reach its highest position in the heav- ens. At this it will cease moving up- ward from the celestial equator and begin to move downward among the stars. This day will therefore be the longest day of the present year. The New Comets. The first comet to be discovered during the year 1914 is a faint tele- scopic object which is now moving northeastward among the stars along the path MN, Figure 1. It was nearest the earth on May 15, but even when in this most favorable position it required a small telescope to render it visible. As shown in Figure 2, it is now re- ceding from us and its brightness will therefore rapidly diminish. A very distant comet, discovered last December, may become brilliant toward the close of summer. This comet must have great intrinsic bril- liancy, for when first seen it was both farther away from us and also brighter in appearances than was Halley's comet when it first impressed its image upon the delicate photographic plates with which it was being searched for. During September this comet will move through the constel- lation of the Greater Bear and will hence be at all times well above the ground, in excellent position for ob- servation. But whether it will then be a conspicuous object or whether it will even be visible without telescopic aid, cannot at this early date be fore- told. kins. The moon is now new ; plant your moon flowers. The moon is now full; harvest your cider apples. The moon is now in the last quarter ; time to plan for squash pies. He seriously informs us that he will offer us every encouragement and fa- cility for such study, in the new "Gar- dener's Calendar," and that there will be found, month by month, and day by day the data necessary for planting according to the moon's phases. All of which is interesting and perhaps im- portant, but as the experiment has re- peatedly been made without appreci- able effect one way or the other, it seems superfluous, not to say a loss of energy to repeat. Still, it has been dis- covered that it is always at least safe to plant in "the dark of the moon," especially potatoes, whose eyes are supposed to be injuriously affected if exposed to moonlight soon after plant- ing. We all know that every sailor lhat sleeps on deck in the moonlight becomes permanently blind. So with potatoes. We all know that a potato blinded by moonlight is peculiarly liable to the "potato blight," because it cannot see the germs of the "blight," and so avoid them. This is all that Ave know on this subject, but it is im- portant and valuable. Like Mark Twain, we are always willing to "leak information." We Will Plant With the Moon. An astonishing editorial, entitled "Astronomy and the Garden," appears in the January number of "House and Garden." The editor thinks that after all there may be truth in the belief that the moon has an influence on the growth of plants. Will he start a de- partment of instruction? He will. Perhaps, for example : The moon is now in first quarter ; plant your pump- Astronomy and the Garden. Somewhere midway between the grotesque superstition of the vulgar and the derisive skepticism of the ul- tra-scientific, it begins to seem prob- able that the truth about many things may lie. And so it is here that it may be well for us, as gardeners, to linger awhile, in contemplation of the orb of night. For the folk-lore of all the earth is rich in lunar prognostications; and where folk-lore gives credit, wise men have come to doubt the wisdom of doubting, even though they are unable to offer scientific explanations. Indeed, it is "quite possible," and perhaps much more ; therefore are we not, quite possibly, neglecting rich op- portunities by failing to make such study? It would seem that we might be. So, in this belief, we shall offer our readers, during the coming year, encouragement and facility for such study, in the new "Gardener's Calen- THE HEAVENS IN JUNE 37 dar" feature, inaugurated in this num- ber of the magazine. Here will be found, month by month, and day by day, the data necessary for planting according to the phases of the moon, and for such other garden operations as are supposed to be under the influ- ence of Diana. This information is made with the hope that many will be sufficiently in- terested to keep a record of their gar- dening operations so timed, and to make reports of these at intervals dur- ing the summer, or a complete report at the end of the season, to the editor. In this way we may arrive at valuable conclusions and add something to the sum of useful human knowledge — al- ways a consummation devoutly to be wished. To this end the directions of the "Calendar" will not be simply "bumcombe" reprints, but will be compiled, so far as may be possible, from sources as trustworthy and scien- tific as exist ; and among these, folk- lore shall have the high place which alone is consistent with its importance. As with all experimental work, com- parative plantings are of course neces- sary to definite conclusions. Probably the fairest test is a pair of rows al- ways, planted side by side, rather than in two portions of one row. This in- sures the same soil, moisture and light conditions for those things planted during the favorable, and the indiffer- ent or unfavorable, periods ; the two ends of a row very often differ materi- ally in one or two or even all three of these. Of the moon's influence on the waters of the earth, there is no longer any doubt in any one's mind. That it influences the atmosphere and the gases enveloping our planet similarly with the waters, must be perfectly ob- vious ; and that it exerts a mighty physical pull upon the solid portions as well as upon the fluidic subterranean matter, cannot rationally be denied. In- deed, subterranean tides are accepted by many scientists, if not by science generally. Why should not all this great influence and this tremendously powerful pull — powerful even though it is infinitesimal ; it is calculated to be one sixteen-millionth of a given weight — affect vegetation, and indeed all life upon the globe? This is not to say, beyond scientific question of course, that it does — but the question is at least admissible ; and the affirma- tive answer seems, to say the least, the more probable. When white men first came to this continent, they found the red men here firmly fixed in the belief of the moon's great influence upon crops ; and no one has ever questioned the American aborigine's acumen in matters pertain- ing to the great outdoors generally. And every race of men, everywhere on the globe, cherish these moon beliefs, &nd are governed accordingly, except as science has shamed and frightened them out of being. And now even science, in the persons of some of its most eminent followers, is willing to admit the possibility of 'a hidden, mys- terious bond of a magnetic nature' be- tween the moon and the earth. 'Noth- ing proves or contradicts such a hy- pothesis, and it is possible that study in this direction mi^ht lead to inter- esting results.' —House and Garden. A Correction in Auditing Statement. ^ In the auditing statement of Mr. H. E. Deats, published last month, the ex- pression, "of the right size," should have read, "on the right side." The Vastness of Nature. Nature is so vast and overwhelming that we are bewildered by the very wealth of beauty poured out. We need to study consciously this beauty, to isolate from the multitude of forms, mastering one fragment after another, for the sake of deepening subsequent spontaneous appreciation. - - Edward Howard Griggs in "The Philosophy of Art." The Fragrance of the Old Days. Oh, the old farm days ! How the fragrance of them still lingers in my heart! The spring with its sugar- making and the general awakening about the farm, the returning birds,, and the full, lucid trout-streams ; the summer with its wild berries, its hay- ing, its cool, fragrant woods; the fall with its nuts, its game, its apple-gath- ering, its holidays ; the winter with its school, its sport on ice and snow, its ?pple-bins in the cellar, its long nights by the fireside, its voice of fox-hounds on the mountains, its sound of flails in the barn — how much I still dream about these things! — "Our Friend John Burroughs," by Clara Barrus. .38 THE GUIDE TO NATURE EDITORIAL "There is Nothing to Do." In a letter appealing for financial aid to provide an appropriate play- ground for boys and girls, and for young working men and women who have no place for proper recreation, Mrs. Elisabeth Milbank Anderson of Greenwich, Connecticut, makes this as- tonishing assertion : "Five in every ten children observed out of school in the average city are idle, — doing noth- ing because, as they say, 'There is nothing to do.' " This is a tremendously important statement yet it is somewhat incom- plete. Fortunate are the city children if they are merely idle. It is better to be idle than to be exemplifying the old-fashioned teaching that "Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do." To the writer it seems that to offer nothing but play as a substitute for idleness is not enough. Boys and girls, young working men and young women are more than animals. The exercising of their muscles on swings or on vaulting horses, by playing base- ball, or tennis, is not enough. There should in addition be provision for a proper exercise and development of the mental faculties and the control and regulation of the various qualities known as the emotions. The question might be pertinently asked, Why do five out of ten boys and girls, young men and women do noth- ing but play or indulge in idle loung- ing? The answer is truly because "there is nothing to do." It is unfor- tunate that the training of the modern school has for its greatest tendency the strictly utilitarian and that the tend- ency is becoming more and more marked. The training of even a quar- ter of a century ago was different, but it produced results. It is deplorable for these young persons if they have not received some sort of training, some sort of introduction, however meager or imperfect, into modern lit- erature and music. If they are de- prived of these mental resources, they are to be pitied. It is even more un- fortunate for them if they have not been introduced to the entrancing realm of the great out-of-doors and to the myriads of attractions so freely offered by Mother Natnre. Imagine a country boy, if you can, with nothing to do! During his entire school year he looks forward to the vacation when he may get near to Mother Nature. He may not be a "naturalist," but he is a lover of birds and fruits, of fishing and hunting, of tramps over the fields and of the thousand interesting things that surround him. But here comes your city boy. He has played during all the spare time of his school year. For his vacation nothing is left except more play, or idleness, and idleness means work for Satan. When those boys and girls grow up they suffer from a painful lack of mental resource within themselves. Their mind is to them not a kingdom, as it was to the poet. All that they can do is to do something that will pass away the time and here enters the modern, inane, treatment of the unlucky victim. But we are thankful when we observe, as we are beginning to observe, that with sensible men and women these things are becoming things of the past. The modern tendency of back to the coun- try, back to the shore of the "sound- ing sea," back to a c'oser walk with na- ture, shows that men and women are beginning to learn that there is no re- source for the idle, no cure for idleness, except the resource and the cure that nature will supply and apply if al- lowed. It may be garden, estate, pets, anything or everything: around a sub- urban or a country home. It is unquestionably a good thing to erect fine buildings in the name of Christ, for athletics and games, be- cause there are times in the year when the young men who are members of such associations have "nothing else to do." A Y. M. C. A. building has a good place in the community, but when the physical activities therein are limited to athletics and playing games then those young men are not imitat- EDITORIAL 39 ing Christ Who had quite evidently something else to do besides swinging Indian clubs. He took to the woods and fields in all his spare time. He told us about the birds and flowers and the trees and the vines that He had ob- served. When a Y. M. C. A. has none of these things to do it is not fully car- rying out its mission in the name of the great lover of nature who told us to "consider the lilies of the field, how they grow." Within a gymnasium you cannot watch the growing lilies of the field. It is a good thing to build elaborate hospitals for the care of consumptives. The writer can speak with authority and deep personal feeling on this sub- ject because his mother died of con- sumption and he lost a large number of near relatives by that dread disease, tuberculosis. Cod liver oil, swings, vaulting horses and hospitals for the victims of tuberculosis all have their value but all combined are not equal to Mother Nature's sanitorium pro- vided in her realms there is proper in- terest and activity. Nearly a half a century ago after a farmer had in vain exhausted his entire financial resources on various other members of the fam- ily, in the remedies so-called for con- sumption, a wise doctor told him, "Let that boy take to the woods and keep him interested therein." That is the reason he is here giving you the good advice of going to Mother Nature as a preventive. Thousands of dollars have been given to cure the victims of consumption where a penny has been given to prevent the boy or girl from having it. It is good, it has been over and over again proved to be good, to get the business man, or the professional man, or the society woman out of the city into a country home. Why not learn wisdom from this and get the boy or girl from the center of Greenwich into the country or among suburban at- tractions and teaching and influences? Greenwich, it is true, is not a large city, but there are boys and girls within Greenwich as completely iso- lated from nature as are those around the City Hall of New York City. Why in both places do they play? Because "there is nothing to do." Oh, those five words are ponderous with their load of meaning. Consider them care- fully. Much of the future welfare of the nation depends upon your method of handling that significant load of meaning. Why do so many men, weary with the day's labor in the fac- tory, go to the saloon? Because "there is nothing else to do." They know nothing else. They have been taught nothing else. Why are there so many cheap and frivolous pastimes for chil- dren? Because "there is nothing else to do." Why so much thoughtless idle- ness, so much repulsive, perhaps ma- licious gossip, so many evil occupa- tions? Because "there is nothing else to do." Simply this and nothing more, "Nothing else to do." But not so are the principles of The Agassiz Asociation. We believe in activity for the entire person, the body as well as the mind, in the play of the woods and the fields, the walk in the meadows, the uplift of flowers and birds, the country home or the sub- urban cottage, the seeing of things and not only the running after a ball. These should come in to supply the missing link, the tremendously vital missing link that Mrs. Anderson recog- nizes and deplores when she says be- cause "there is nothing else to do." The Knowledge He Prizes. The college may turn out a linguis- tic automaton, with mind blank to chemistry, history, economics, and psychology ; but the result is too dreadful to contemplate. As it is, the scientific training of most of us poor bachelors of art is desultory and pica- yune. The only science that I was taught was a little biology and ge- ology ; but slender as is that knowl- edge, I cling to it with great affection. The broadening effect of even one science is incalculable. When I com- pare the glorious vistas that historic geology laid open before my very soul with Plato's story of the death of Socrates — and there is nothing finer in Greek literature — I stand unhesitat- ingly by the geology. A tribolite is preferable to a second aorist. He, at any rate, is animate. And to think that had it not been for the pornographic plays of Terence, some knowledge of astronomy or botany might have been mine!— Walter Phelps Hall in "Why I have a Bad Education," in "The Out- look." 40 THE GUIDE TO NATURE <<<