Return to LIBRARY OF MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY WOODS HOLE, MASS. Loaned by American Museum of Natural History n THE humanistic view and the scientific view of the universe supplement each other ; science corrects and guides sense, humanism enlarges and colors and vitalizes science. ***** Science reveals things as they are in and of themselves ; literature, as they stand related to our mental and emotional condition and edification. One is not true and the other false; both are true in their own sphere, true as fact, and true as emotion and idea Science explains the rainbow, but literature sees it as a symbol and a promise. So with the sunset or the sunrise. Science knows all about the diamond, but knows not why it is so prized by us. It explains the pearl, but not the pearl necjclace. — John Burroughs in his recent book, "Under the Apple-trees." Volume li JUNE 1916 Number 1 PUBLISHED BY THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION ArcAdiA: sound beach, CONNECTICUT EDWARD F. BIGELOW, Managing Editor Subscription, $1.00 a Year. Single Copy, 10 Cents GREENWICH THE EDITION D£ LUXE OF CONNECTICUT TOWNS Are You Protected? Savings Mean Success and the Man, Woman or Child who In- dustriously saves a Small Portion of Their Income is Building a Bulwark of Protection. Against Poverty and Unhappiness. This Bank Allows a Liberal Rate of Interest on Savings Accounts. Give It Consideration The Greenwich Trust Co. ESTABLISHED 1887 GREENWICH, CONN. m^tM^:^^^:m^T^ GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT has good transportation facilities to New York. You can buy or rent to good advantage and enjoy living by the water or among the hills to the utmost satisfaction. I have for Sale Elegant Country Estates, Shore and Inland Residences, Farms, Acreage, Cottages and Building Sites. Also a number of selected Furnished Residences and Cottages to Rent in all locations. Would be pleased to have you call or write. Laurence Timmons Tel. 456 Opp. Depot Greenwich, Conn i BEST NURSERY STOCK EVER GROWN Evergreens Fruit and Ornamental Trees Flowering Shrubs Hedge Plants Vines Roses Hardy Perennials j- ^ ^ Preparing of Plans Laying Out of Grounds Grading -:- -:- Road Building Tree Work -:- -:- O GREENWICH NURSERIES DEHN & BERTOLF, Prop*. LANDSCAPE GARDENERS AND NURSERYMEN GREENWICH, CONN. THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. THE STAMFORD SAVINGS BANK INCORPORATED 1851! ASSETS, $6,143,249.30 Interest Allowed irom the First Day of Each Month CHARLES H. LOUNSBURY, President. ALBERT G. WEED, Vice President. J. HOWARD BOGARDUS, Treasurer. Greenwich A New System of Banking by Mail A unique system of Banking by mail has been in- stituted by The Putnam Trust Co. of Greenwich, Conn., intended to afford a simple and safe method by which people living at a distance can carry on interest accounts through the mails. The first and subsequent deposits can be sent by check or a money order with the depositor's signature and ad- dress. The company sends a certificate which looks a good deal like a coupon bond. A number of small coupons are attached, and when the depositor wish- es to withdraw, he can do so by simply filling out a coupon, and rnail certificate, with the coupon at- tached, to the company. These certilicates are non- negotiable and cannot be used except by the person who has the account. In return, a check is sent by The Putnam Trust drawn on the Guaranty Trust Company of New York, which can be cashed in any place where there is a bank. Deposits and with- drawals are noted on the certificates, showing the exact balance. For depositors in foreign countries a bill of exchange is sent payable in the currency of the country. The company pays the usual four per cent, interest and its operations are safeguarded by the laws of the State of Connecticut. * SEND $5.00 FOR TRIAL ACCOUNT Banking By Mail 0 CERTIFICATE original with The Putnam Trust Co. of Greenwich, Conn. Best and Safest Method Deposits of $1 to $10,000 draw interest from the first of every month TO DEPOSIT fill out the blank below and mail with deposit Signature Address ,0/ Amount of Deposit. Fresh New Crop Vegetable and Flower SEEDS Bird Houses and Bird Foods Ask for Catalogue J. B. McARDLE, Florist and Seedsman Merritt Building Greenwich, Conn. Robert Ste^vart choice groceries FLOUR AND FEED SOUND BEACH. CT. Telephone Connection SOUND BEACH PHARMACY C. B. RICHARDSON, Prop. Prompt deliveries on Our Own Ice Cream in any quantity. Tel. 1294 Stamford. D. MAHER & SONS LEHIGH COAL, HYGEIA ICE BUILDING MATERIAL, LIME, LATH, BRICK, SAND, CEHENT, DRAIN PIPE Tel. 1582-2 Sound Beach, Conn. Care for the Birds. Mr. J. B. McArdle, florist and seed- man, has recently issued an attractive catalogue of the nesting devices and feeding arrangements for our native birds, which have been made and sold for The Greenwich Bird Protective Society. Everyone interested in birds whether locally or in distant places will find it worth while to write to Mr. Mc- Ardle regarding these well made and low priced conveniences for our native birds. A Clover Conceit. The clovers are a gypsy band Just running riot o'er the land, And gay, as courtiers were of old, All clad in crimson, white and gold. On highways and on byways too, , They hold high carnival, 'tis true, And nod in courtesy in the breeze! Dame Nature's truant children these. They brighten all the country-side,_ And fling their fragrance far and wide; How much they add to man's abode,, These dear familiars of the road! — Emma Peirce. II THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. Stamford Business Directory JOHN PHILLIPS D eaier in WE SELL LEHIGH VALLEY ANTHRACITE "The Coal That Satisfies' GRAVES AND STRANG 1046. CQAIi (NC 556 Canal St. STAMFORD, CONN. BOOTS AND SHOKS 463 Main St. Stamford, Conn. FOR FINE MILLINERY NEWSTAD'S The place you will eventually go to have your CHIROPRACTIC SPINAL ADJUSTMENTS Latest Painless Methods. Spinal Analysis Free E. BARTHOL, D. C STAMFORD, CONN. Week Days Only, 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. Phone 1727 THE STAMFORD LUNCH ■>76 MAIN STREET STAMFORD, CONN. FRED McDERMANT, Proprietor We cater to Parties, Clubs, Stags and Outing* 200 ATLANTIC STREET, STAMFORD, CONN VOSKA & OXTO TAILORS Suits and Ovei coats to Order Twenty-five dollars up We mean of better kinds 45-47 Bank St. Stamford, Conn. REMOVAL NOTICE Drs. W. H. and E. W. Pomeroy DENTISTS are now located in the Gurley Building, 324 Main St., opposite City Hall. W. H. ARTHUR CONTRACTOR Fine Repairing and Diamond Setting a Specialty Cold and Silver Plating Engraving SAMUEL PHILLIPS Sewers, Pavemekts, Macadam Roads, Concrete Walls, Excavating Rock, Railroads Dealer in Sand and Gravel P. O^Box 88 TeleDhone Connection 332 Atlantic Street - STAMFORD, CONN Koom ^Uo, 1 tJank bt.. stamtord. (^onn. telfphone 516-2 Jeweler and Optician ^Diamonds and Watches THE GUIDE TO NATURE.—ADl'BkTISEMENTS. THE STAMFORD LUMBER CO LUMBER Sash Doors Blinds: and Window-Frames WHOLESALE AND RETAIL OFFICE AND YARD. 297 PACIFIC STREET STAMFORD. CONN. A DAINTY LITTLE FROCK ^ o 9038 (With Basting Line and Added Seam Allowance) Child's Dress, 4 to 8 years. This is one of the prettiest, daintiest little frocks that could be shown. In the picture it is made of rose colored taffeta and it is just as smart a little party frock as could be offered. If the model is needed for simplier ocasions simple materials could be used and there are numberless pretty ones. To give the pretty dressy effect of the frill and the shirrings at the waist line, the upper edge of the skirt is finished and cord is inserted in tucks to be drawn up to the needed size. If a perfectly plain dress is wanted, the skirt can be cut off and joined to the bodice by means of a belt. For the 6 year size will be needed, 3l4 yards of material 27 inches wide, 2^ yards 36 or 2^4 yards 44, for the plain dress i yard 36 inches wide for the ruffles. Beehlep's for IVIen's Xogs Suits and Overcoats to measure Gleaning, Repairing and Pressing a Specialty Big Line of Straw Hats Best Hat Values Obtainable in the Celebrated G & K Line of Derby and Soft Hats 196 Atlantic St. Stamford Connecticut Most of our flies which thrive under conditions created by man are intro- ductions from Europe. The drone fly, for example, entered the United States about 1870 and in ten years became abimdant over the whole country. Ii reached South America about twenty years ago and is now becoming abun- dant there. A related species entered New York in 1906 and has now reach- ed Ohio. Only last year a new ma- nure-breeding fly, already established in Brazil, appeared in Louisana. VI THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS MEN AND BOYS Who Live in Fairfield County for the Year Around or Have Come for the Summer. We Are Clothiers to You by Appointment on Merit. We are Particularly Strong on Boys Clothing and Wash Suits. LAVOY AND SHINE 403 Main Street Stamford, Connecticut. KODAKS $6 up Modern Dentistry Modern Methods Modern Equipment Moderate Charges Artificial Dentures Crown and Bridgework and Gold Inlays or Fillings Artistically Constructed W. A. MXLELLAND INC. Optometrist Opticians 345 ATLANTIC STREET Stamford - - - - Connecticut Sixteen Years Practice Dentistry Children Cheerfully Patiently Treated Dr. D. Kalz Surgeon Dentist Atlantic St. and Beclcley Ave. Work by Appointment. Consultation Hours: 11-12 a. m. 4-5 p. m. or By Appointment Orthadontia (Regulating) and Porcelain Restoration a Specialty, but at Reasonable Prices. During a severe earthquake, the safest spot is, no doubt, the middle of a ten-acre field. But if one must be in- doors, the safest place in the house is the inside corner of a room. If th-j whole building goes, one is at least as well ofif as anywhere else. But very frequently it happens that one outer wall is thrown down, while the rest of the structure holds together. Since then there is no telling which outer wall it will be, the safest place is away from any in an inside corner. In the forests of the United States, it has been calculated, as much wood as is used is destroyed by fire, and as much more is wasted by faulty lumber- ing. So we really get only a third of the product that belongs to us. How far we are from managing our timber supply efficiently appears from the fact that the Government reservations yield, on the average, twelve cubic feet of wood a year on each acre. But the national forests of Saxony average ninety-three ! THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— SERTAE VII Some Local Observations Commodore Benedict and the Birds. E\cr}- bird lover will be dclii^lUed to learn that Conimodore E. C. Bene- dict of Greeiiwich has dedicated his three hundred acre estate at Indian Harbor as a sanctuary for birds and will have it thoroughly equipped under the auspices of The Greenwich Bird Protective Society, aided by such en- thusiastic naturalists as Neil Morrow Ladd, Ernest Thompson Seton and others. The Conimodore is an exem- plification of the benefits of outdoor interest and love of all things natural. He has proved his love of the ocean by traveling many thousands of miles in the spirit of real love for the mighty deep, and he has extensively developed his estate along nature lines. He is an expert on all sorts of plants and has personally made botanical collections in many lands. He knows and loves the birds that frequent his ideal do- mains ; our marine as well as our land birds know of the new development. Indian Harbor even more than ever before will be a Mecca for all birds, and for the Commodore's friends who with him appreciate the feathered songsters. His ideal fittings for the nesting and propagation will attract more birds than ever to this part of Connecticut. It is encouraging to note this good example. May many others follow it. The Commodore is second in the line of owners of large estates in Green- wich that have thus devoted their ter- ritory to the birds. As has been pre- viously announced, Mr. E. C. Converse at Conyers Manor began a few months ago to install a similar equipment, with the cooperation of The Greenwich Bird Protective Society. These eiTorts in behalf of our birds, not only on an ex- tensive scale but among hundreds of people who have smaller places, are having their pleasing effect. It seems as if our spring birds were never be- fore so interesting and enjoyable and plentiful. Extensive Photo-Developing Facilities. Mr. W. A. McClelland, 345 Atlantic Street, Stamford, Connecticut, the well-known, popular dealer in optical apparatus with cameras as a si)ecialty, has recently acquired a complete equip- ment for developing amateur work on a larger scale than ever before. Such work in this vicinity seems to be in- creasing, especially in the summer when it taxes everyone's ordinary fa- cilities. The news that we have at our disposal greater facilities for producing high grade work promptly will be re- ceived with delight by our amateur photographers. Were Nature many miles away. Express you'd take without delay; But since she's waiting at your door. You simply pass her by, ignore. — Emma Peirce. Put a Dandelion with the Carnation. [a LETTRR in the STAMFORD ADVOCATE. MAY 13, BY EDWARD F. BIGELOW]. It is indeed beautiful to celebrate Mother's Day in May, the month when all nature is mother of beauty and use- fulness. It is fitting that this celebra- tion should be on a Sunday when more than on other days all the family is gathered at home. But it is preemi- nently fitting that the emblematic flower should be a carnation that breathes forth the lasting fragrance of purity and the love of home, for the modern carnation of spring is an indoors pro- dtict. But let us along with this lovel}^ in- doors flower put the common dande- lion of the roadsides that goes forth everywhere to give not only beauty but utility. The dandelion gladdens the eye, beautifies the outdoors and feeds the stomach. It sometimes has hard usage and discouraging obstacles but it never gives up. It is preemi- nently a fighter in the battles of life, yet kind and considerate and avail- able for giving happiness to even the little children. So put a dandelion with the white carnation. It is a pretty contrast of colors and of fragrance and the two are an ideal emblem of humanity's life partnerships. And it won't hurt Dad to be taken into consideration a little at the same time that Mother is. VIII THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. THE C. 0. MILLER CO. Atlantic Square Established 48 Years. Stamford, Conn. HERE— FOR— MID— SEASON— ARE— THE— LATEST— CREATIONS— IN —MERCHANDISE— OF— EVERY— DESCRIPTION. The introduction of new styles at the commencement of the season really only be- gins our activities. Thereafter we are constantly seeking new things — introducing them as quickly as they can be obtained. FURNISHINGS FOR THE SUMMER HOME. Rugs — Mattings — Linoleum — Shades — Draperies — Etc Veranda Furniture — Veranda Rugs — Vendor Porch Screens — Porch Hammocks — Etc. Deliveries Daily. Satisfaction Guaranteed. The— Trolley— Briiigs-You-to-Our-Door. THE C. O. MILLER CO. ATLANTIC SQUARE STAMFORD, CONN. ESTABLISHED 185 THEQETMAN&JUDD CO. Lumber and Timber of all Kinds SPECIALTY: High-Grade HARDWOOD FLOORING THE ST. JOHN WOODWORKING CO. Homes Near to Nature Skould De so constructed as to give lasting satisfaction. Our metkod of manuiacturing dependable Imtsrior aad Exterior mouse trim from tfaorcnigkly IcilK dried materiii by skiiied meckanics insures sucii satisfactiom. tkoroughly KilmDiied amd stored im Steam keated kuilo lag until deliTered to our customers. Our steadily in- creasing trade in tkis specialty prores the fact tka' tke country kome is not complete until fitted out witk tkii beautiful and sanitary furnishing. Old residencei may be greatly imp>-aved hy laying tkin floors oyer tkc old ones. CANAL DOCKS, STAMFORD, CONN. Telephone 2180. Canal Docks. Stamford Conn. Telephone 781 DIRECTORS WALTON FERGUSON, Pres. W. W. HEROY, W. D. DA5KAM, Vice Pres. F. H. HOYT. W. H. JUDD. Sec. and Treas. P. W. BOGARDUS. J. G. WIGG, General Manager. /?' '=' "% The LOCKWOOD & PALMER Co. ii Wholesale and Retail Dealers in HARDWARE AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS House Furnishings, Etc. II TOOLS A.11 KindiS 92 PARK PLACE (Cor. Summer Street) STAMFORD - CONN TELEPHONE CONNECTIONS :i: :s!| Published monthl> 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, 1897. Vol IX JUNE, 1916 Number 1 The Inflation of the Puffer. BY C. H. T0WNSE;ND, new YORK AQUARIUM, NEW YORK CITY. Puffer fishes inhabit all tropical and warm seas. There are many species ; some of them reaching: a leneth of about PUFFER IN NORMAL CONDITION. two feet. They have attracted attention from the earliest times on account of their habit of inflating themselves with air or water until they become almost spherical in shape. When puffers are drag'ged ashore in a net they will quickly take in air until the skiiii is stretched to its fullest extent, and remain inflated until thrown into the water. Even when thrown back they may float for a time upside down, with the abdomen, or in some species, with oesoph- ag-us still tightly distended. If left on the beach they can be knocked about without a particle of air escaping and may die in that condition. The habit of inflation is protective, and the fishes will distend themselves with water as tightly as with air, if they are attacked under water. A few good-sized scup or porgy were placed in an aquarium tank containing a dozen young puffers about two inches in length. The hungry scup attacked them at once. In an instant all the puffers were fully inflated with water and became almost globular in form, so that the scup were unable to do more than knock them about like toy balloons, too PUFFER INFLATED. Copyright 1916 bv The Agassiz Association, ArcAdiA: Sound Beach. Conn. THE GUIDE TO NATURE big to be swallowed, and on whicb they could get no hold whatever. When young puffers are fully inflated with air, they are almost incapable of movement, and appear like small globes porcupine. The spines are modified scales and in some species are quite long and sharp. Puft'ers which have been frightened near the surface and are inflated wdth PUFFER DISTENDED V/ITH WATER. with the temporarily useless fins protrud- ing at different angles. The air or water tightly filling the ab- domen or the oesophagal sac is kept there by a valve in the throat and can be dis- charg^ed instantly. Some of the puffers, such as the spiny species so common along our coast, are thickly covered with stout spines which become rigidly erected when the fish is inflated. This species is often called sea LANTERN MADE FROM A LARGE PUFFER. air are easily driven by the wind and often drift ashore to be thrown on the beach by the waves and even rolled along the sands by the wind. When taken from the water, puffers begin to inflate at once, making distinct sucking sounds until the utmost disten- tion is attained. Inflated puffers placed in preserving fluid sometimes die fully inflated. They often die inflated on the sea shore and are dried by the sun and wind. It is a common practice with the Japanese to make lanterns of inflated and dried puffers by cutting out the back as shown in the accompanying photograph of a puffer "lantern" in the New York Aqua- rium. A candle suspended by a wire serves as a light which shows as brightly through the stretched skin of the fish as through a piece of oiled paper. In the tanks of the Aquarium the puffers are rather sluggish fishes, moving cliiefiy 'by their fins rather than by any forceful action of their chunky bodies. Not the least interesting thing about puffers is the fact that some species live only in larg'e rivers. — Reprinted by per- mission, with courtesy of use of the illus- trations, from the "Zoological Society Bulletin." THE HARDEN MEMORIAE The Barden Memorial. BY DR. FRANK CRANlC. Into the home of H. E. Barden, at Kenosha, Wisconsin, stalked that visitor who "descends with equal footstep to the hall and hut." His attendants. Horror and Heart- break, were with him. He laid his hand on the youngest son of the home, and the little fellow fol- lowed him off, into the land of mystery and nevermore, as all of us must go when the order conies. Out of the ashes of the father's grief arose a beautiful thought that unfolded into a beautiful deed. He woidd build a memorial to the child he had loved "and lost awhile." Others have erected memorials. Man is the tomb-building animal. There is the Taj Mahal, jewel of extravagant love. There are the pyramids where kings reposed. There are the churches, libraries, colleges and all manner of buildings, and endowed causes. A thought of pure love is in each of them, but not always a thought of wis- dom nor of beauty. Mr. Barden's thought was beautiful and w^ise as well as loving. On Arbor Day he gave to every child in town a small catalpa tree. Through the public schools he distributed three thousand trees, together with instruc- tions about their planting and care. You see, the little dead boy did not live on as a cold and silent mass of stone, the vain advertisement of vain grief, but he grew, his memory grew, as a green thing in the hearts of many children ; his gone life was reincarnated in the most beautiful thing God ever made — a tree. The next year as many soft maples w^ere given, and the following year elms. Mary D. Bradford, superintendent of schools, tells us that a careful can- vass and report of the tree planting was made the second year, and 934 of the catalpas and 854 of the maples were found thriving, though this number was doubtless too small, as many of the children had moved away or passed on to the high school. "In 191 5," says Mrs. Bradford, "every child carried home a fine, healthy little apple tree. This was re- garded as the greatest gift of all. A careful demonstration of the right way to plant the tree was made at each school by the principal or janitor. It was an interesting sight to see the children pouring out of the schools on Arbor Day, each with a tree, the roots carefully wrapped in paper." Blessed is little Eniil Barden, whose memory lives on in green leaves and running sap, and blessed his father's thought, and blessed too the army of children whose hands have been guid- ed by a consecrated inspiration to do about the cleanest, most unqualifiedly useful thing a mortal can do — to plant a tree. — By permission of The Asso- ciated Newspapers. One Day's Outing. BY W. C. BANKS, STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT. For a long time one of my friends, whose enthusiasm for minerals is peren- nial, has been urging me to accompany him on an excursion to the limestone quarries at Canaan, Connecticut. On a recent October day we started, weighted with a plentiful supply of hammers, chis- els, enthusiasm and hincli. It was a beau- tiful day. The cloudless sky, the brilliant coloring of the hills, set off by the somber green of pine and hemlock, made a picture that will long remain with me. Every new vista from the car window was a revelation of beauty. The river winding among the brilliantly tinted hills was alone well worth the journey to see. But, being practical mortals, we wished for more material rewards, and we got them in the shape of some good specimens of diopside, and bladed and fibrous white tremolite. I was so fortunate as to secure a radiated specimen of tremolite and one large crystal, nearly three inches long, of diopside nicely exposed in bluish gray dolomite. These are good indeed, and will long serve to remind me that one corner of Paradise is situated in Litch- field County, Connecticut. A Correction. In the article, "Some Local Geology," by Mr. W. C. Banks in our April number appears the statement, "It may since have been more than once submerged, but the absence of stratified drift makes this doubtful." Mr. Banks calls our attention to the fact that this is in error, either through a slip of the pen or an oversight on the part of the proof reader, for the stratified drift certainly does occur abundantly. The sentence should read, absence of stratified rock." THE GUIDE TO NATURE ORNITHOLOGY All communications for this department should be sent to the Department Editor. Mr. Harry G. Higbee, 13 Austin Street, Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Items, articles and photographs in this department not otherwise credited are by the Department Editor A Nighthawk Family. BY G. H. SELLECK, ExETER, NEW HAMP- SHIRE. Eight pairs of bright eyes, abun- dance of time to wander in the fields and woods, and an insatiable desire to see everything that old Mother Nature has to show. This is the description of a family of children who lived across the street from me in 1902. They discovered sixty or eighty birds' nests during the first half of the sea- son and the varieties ranged from the woodcock in early April to goldfinch and waxwing in midsummer. Many of these bird homes were de- scribed or shown to me, and among the number was the nighthawk's which Elsie had found on the eighth of June. A day or two later she conducted me THE NIGHTHAWK OX HER EGGS. •■ALMOST TOUCHED IT WITH MY HAND." to the spot, and during the next month 1 visited the home and family — for there soon was a family — several times a week. The home site was a triangle of dead pine branches about fourteen inches on a side, and the ground was littered with short bits of broken limbs as is likely to be the case a few years after a wood lot has been cut over. The bird seemed to be asleep and left only when we were almost upon it. Next in order came the inevitable process of obtaining pictures of bird and eggs. Two amateur photograph- ers went with tne as guide and master of ceremonies. We began first at a distance of about twelve feet and ORXITIIOLOGY 'THEY SLEPT FOR THEIR PORTRAIT." gradually worked up to about three or four feet. The bird appeared to be asleep at first, but during the last part of our operations it was very much awake and watched us intently with one big eye, for up to this time the only motion it had made was to open its eyes. Even when a brier was cut away within a few inches there was no mo- tion except a rapid quivering of the throat which perhaps indicated anx- iety. The bird did not stir until I almost touched it with my hand. Then it lift- ed its wings to their widest extent, ruf- fled its feathers, spread its tail and danced just over the edge of the tri- angle where it immediately settled it- self as quiet as ever within eighteen inches of the eggs. This action was accompanied with a slight hissing noise which came from the wide open mouth of the bird. We had taken five time exposures, and it would seem as if the bird had been bothered enough for one day but we wished to get a picture of the open wings, so I went around on the other side and drove the bird back into the home lot. wdiere we left it actually on the eggs after this trying experience of a full hour with tliree large men, by whom it was at times quite surrounded, to say nothing of the camera and its evil eye. Elsie was the first to discover that the little birds were hatched, and that they showed symptoms of Wanderlust almost before their down was dry. Thinking they would be at home at daybreak, I was on the spot early the next morning and found them. In my pocket they were treated to a bicy- cle ride to the photographer's studio, where they slept for their portrait. Another ride home and their faithful father was waiting for them. I say father, for the white throat patch plain- ly indicated the male bird. About two weeks later the young birds, now well feathered, went to the photographer's again and one was photographed in my hand to show its strong foot. At this time they ran swiftly with that peculiar directness which is characteristic of young sand- pipers. Nighthawks are not so entirely noc- turnal in their habits as whippoorwills, which are rarely seen moving in the daytime. In June nighthawks may be seen or heard at almost any time ex- cept from dawn till noon, and the ex- planation is, I believe, quite simple. The females fly afternoons and the males all night. Such was the case in TWO WEEKS OLD. THE GUIDE TO NATURE my nighthawk family at any rate, for the father slept at- home all day, in- cidentally incubating the eggs and urooding the little ones. At night he was up in the air, while the patient mother sat at home, anxious perhaps like human mothers when their men folks are out late.. Of course I do not know that she was on the nest all night, but I saw her there at seven at night and at four in the morning, while the males were flying so near that I could distinctly see their white throat patches. Nighthawks live mostly in the open country, breeding among rocks and broken branches where the eggs, and more especially the young with their mixture of black and white, are almost invisible. Whippoorwills, on the other hand, live more in the woods, and their little ones are almost the exact color of the dead leaves among which their parents choose to lead them for whip- poorwill and night-hawk twins alike leave the nest very soon after hatching, as is the custom of many ground dwell- ing birds which make little or no nest. A State's Attack on Hawks. JOSEPH W. IJPPINCOTT — BETHAYRES, PA. The Hawk Bounty Law in Ohio has, according to Assistant Inspector Alajor Charles Becht's estimate, led to the killing of 10,000 birds in that State since last June. The killing is still going on, the bounty paid being one dollar per hawk — a high reward to put upon the heads of birds which other states find the average gunner only too prone to shoot without such incentive and even the sanction of the law. Many of us know the great good cer- tain hawks do in killing ofif numbers of destructive little rodents whose ranks if unrestrained can increase five to six fold in a year or even less time. That thous- ands of valuable hawks must perish and be thus lost to communities as mousers and insect destroyers in order that a few rascals in their ranks may pay the just penalty of misdeeds seems to me a great pity. We may all unite in condemning four kinds of hawks, for they are proved to be enemies of other birds and therefore also of men — they are the sharpshin, the iP^oshawk, the cooper and the peresjrin falcon, commonly called the duck hawk because of its predisposition to kill wild ducks. To such a black list one might also add that big night marauder, the great horned owl. It is an easy matter to find in any library pictures of these destroyers in order to distinguish them. As a farmer as well as a bird lover I am always indignant when I hear of more or less slaughter of this kind. What will our fields and woods look like if gracefully soaring hawks are forever eliminated from the view and if the land and its crops are throughout the day given over to rodent pests? In comments upon the same State's game laws appears the statement that it is against the law to kill or injure foxes in Ohio. Verily, here is a puzzle. Is there any wild fox that does not destroy more birds, more four footed game ani- mals and more chickens than a hawk? Does the rather small value of his pelt repay the depredation of years? These things may become live issues in other states and it is well to carefully consider them from all sides before it is too late. Just Up the Road. Just up the road are wondrous things, The kind of things the summer brings, That seem to come and go on wings. Green fields refreshing to the sight, Soft shining in the morning light, Deep glowing at approach of night. High knolls where you may win a view, Stonewalls where chipmunks peep at you, Tall ferns that wave the summer through: And trees that give delightful shade, A brooklet where the children wade. In joyous hours that never fade. Gay flowers are nodding all the way. But changing hues from day to day. So evanescent is their stay. Round hills and evergreens galore, And lovely wood-paths to explore. For beauties that they have in store: 'Tis true that these last through the year, But later on you'll call them drear, Enjoy them while <"he summer's here. The mossy carpets for your feet. The air with piny odors sweet. Ripe berries tempting you to eat. The birds and bees and insects too. Don't let them be sealed books to you, But read them ere the season's through. As on and on the roadway winds. One ever some new beauty finds: 'Tis many things to many minds. - — Emma Peirce. ORXlTIl()L()(^.Y Some Cardinal and Owl Notes. BY DR. R. W. SHUFKLDT, WASl 1 1 NCTON, 1). C. (I'hotographs by the Author.) During the early Go's, most of my bird and egg collecting was done in the coun- try about Stamtord, Connecticut, and when I was about thirteen years of age, I had made a collection of the birds of Fairfield County numbering nearly three liundred all told. My boy cabinet also contained a very fair representative series of the eggs of the birds of the same region. Stamford, in those days, was a charming country town of but a few thousand inhalDitants ; and, although the Great Auk had been extinct then for sev- eral years, the extermination of birds of any kind never entered any one's head. During the migrations, thousands of shore birds swarmed on Shippan Point and Greenwich Beach, while in the win- ter ducks, of half a dozen or more species, could be reckoned on the Sound by the acre. ]\Iv collection contained many birds of briglit plumage ; but even so, I w'ell re- member how I vearned to see a cardinal Fig. 1. Nest of Cardinal Grosbeck nalis) photographed ni (.Cardiiialis situ. \ FIG. 2. SAME NEST .\S SHOWN IN FIG. 1, \IEWED FROM ABOVE. THE GUIDE TO NATURE grosbeak, as I had so often pictured him in my mnid in his native woods. I never tired of looking at the beautiful plate of a pair of those birds in my treasured copy of Audubon, nor at a mounted specimen of a magnificent male in the collection of my old instructor in taxidermy, Mr. James Jenkins of Stamford; perhaps some of the old folks there can still re- member him — he has been dead many years now. ]My seeing an old male cardinal gros- beak in the woods, however, came to pass sooner than I had anticipated ; for I was but a few months past my fourteenth birthday when I found myself aboard a man-of-war as an officer, during the third year of the Civil War. One day, when I was ashore alone on Key West Island, Florida, I availed myself of the opportmiiity to get into the swampy woods east of the town ; it was there that I saw my first cardinal grosbeak. It was a magnificent male bird in full plumage, and I can remember his coral red bill set in black ; his scarlet coat and his ele- gant crest of the same color — just as though it were an incident of yesterday. Twenty years after, I saw hundreds of cardinals in Louisiana, Mississippi, Ala- bama, and several other southern states. In these days, my home is in Washington, D. C, and I probably see several hundred cardinals every year, running across per- haps four or five of their nests each spring. A couple of seasons ago, I was in Mary- land with a friend after birds' nests with a camera. Among some excellent results I obtained upon that occasion, a nest of the cardinal grosbeak was one of the most successful ones. The pair had built in a very unusual, and in what they doubt- less thought a very safe place, for they had chosen the slender lim'bs and twigs of the brush, and a small sapling that grew out from the sides of a high bank of one of the branches of the Potomac River. The nest was more than a yard from the solid bank, and upwards of eight or ten feet above the stream w'hich ran rapidly below. I was over an hour plac- jp-r niy old-fashioned camera in piisi^' to get that cardinal's nest ; but I suc- ceeded at last, and the result is here shown in Fig. t. The e^gs are creamy white, sreckled with umber and various shades of brown, and they are here given, natural size, in Fis: 2. This last illustration eives such an excellent idea of the structure of the nest of this grosbeak that no further description is necessary. It now forms a part of the exhibition series of nests of ■OM^^H^HMMK^fVir ■.■^■^■^ ■^^^^^^^Ek'"^'^ j^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^ *"''• ^m^^^^^IkIk^* ^^^^^H^B^hH^^J^H'%" -^ m^^tf 9Hp A..^^||PF j|i^^^ ^^B^^^m^C ^' .^/' . T[ Ea> ■ '.,,-' '~^ FIG. 3. YOUNC. OF THE BARRED OWL (STRIX V. VARIA) AS HE APPEARS AT THE EN- TRANCE TO HIS NEST. About one-half natural size. the birds of the District of Columbia in the L . S. National Museum. Some time ago I had in my possession as a pet a fine nestling of the Barred Owl. He was a gentle and interesting bird, and while I had him I succeeded in mak- ing a number of valuable negatives of him. He was a most accommodating" poser, and one of my best pictures of him is here shown in Fig. 3. He is now full grown and in superb adult plumage, and occupies a comfortable and commo- dious cage at the National Zoological Gardens, where I presented him last sum- mer. My hope is that the specimen will be responsible for letti'ng a good many visitors and others know what an Ameri- can Barred Owl looks like ; its presence there would certainly tend to that end, were the cage to which he was assigned to bear a proper label, giving the neces- sary data for the information of the public. A FLOWER MARVEL.— STARLINGS. A Flower Marvel. BY NEAI. WVATT CII A I'i, I NK, SARASOTA, FLA. Did you ever stop long enough to watch a flower bloom ? You say that is an impossibility? Well I beg to differ — I saw the marvel for myself a few days ago. Three of my children and I were walking down the street late one after- noon and, feeling tired, I suggested that we sit down on the grassy sward just off the sidewalk. We had walked almost to the city limits out Main Street, and felt that we could lay aside conventions and rest by the way if we chose. Glancing up at the vine clambering over the fence and up a huge pine, I spied a beautiful white flower. When the children brought it to me I found it to be a moonflower, pure white, green veined and deliciously fragrant. When I looked again there was another flower where before there had been none. Calling the children to me I said, "Let's watch and perhaps we can see them open." We sat entranced at the sight. Tightly folded buds gradually unfolded and with a breath taking quickness, this flower-o'-the-night poured out its soulful fragrance from a huge white chalice. I fancied this miracle was being wrought for our appreciation alone, until looking up, I saw the queen to whom this sublime obeisance was be- ing made. Calmly she reclined on her silver-edged couch of blue and her sub- jects vied with each other to do her homage. Just as the sunflower is pre- sumed to worship the sun, turning a radiant face always toward him whom she adores, so the moonflower only gives up her frail and delicious incense and beauty on the appearance of her queen, the moon. We sat watching this great marvel of nature until, where there was, at first, a fence filled with green leaves and tightly rolled green buds, we turned homeward leaving hundreds of exquisite, light-green-veined white blossoms, pouring out soulful incense to their queen and any poor mortals who would stop long enough to wait and watch for their wonderful trans- formation. "Moonflower Corner" is now one of our favorite resting places when we take our daily walks. Protest Against Starlings. Nirvana, Stamford, Conn. To the Editor: I notice in The Guidk to Nature for May a protest regarding the indifference so widely shown all over the country concerning some of the pests that menace our national welfare. Your correspond- ent refers to insects, English sparrows and English starlings and asks for opin- ions about the latter. In "Bird-Lore" of July-August, 1907, there was published a letter from me in which I ventured to prophesy, {as long ago as that) not only that these birds would drive away our own more desir- able birds, but would increase in num- bers almost unbelievable. My prophesy has been fulfilled. Every year we hear of some new state being invaded by this pest. In 1905 I could count my starling visitors on my fingers ; now, particularly after nesting time, the meadows are fre- quently black with them. They are very hardy ; they remain the entire year round ; and since they established them- selves permanently I haven't a bluebird on the place where formerly I had five or six pairs that came every year to the same holes or bird boxes. Every spring I used to rejoice in "show- ing off" my bluebirds and goldfinches feeding on the lawns together. Every year for the past six or more, the starlings have fought for a natural hole in an elm tree close to my bedroom window. This hole has been the home of a pair of flickers for nine consecutive years. Owing to my watchfulness the flickers have had the best of it until last spring ; then, after mudi pestering on the part of starlings, sparrows and gray squirrels, something happened to the female, and although the male brooded and hatched out the young (for I could hear them) the raising of six proved too much for one parent, and his persistent calling brought no aid, so the nest was finally deserted. I earnestly wish, with your correspond- ent, that something could be done to rid the country of these two foreigners. What little good they do (if they do any) would be done by our native birds, and probably much more thoroughly. Very sincerely yours, Nathalie Alexandre. 10 1'HE GUIDE TO NATURE ^l WRITE W/lftT YOU MftVE- SEEM , 'THEFONDF ^ fSEEiNGTHINGS FOR YOUNG FOLKS W/IPVr YOU WF^MT TO KINOW. ^ch , Conn. The Wantonoit Club. PROFESSOR HENRY W. BROWN^ COEBY COL- LEGE, WATERVILLE, MAINE. "Is tripe a fish?" This query, in all seriousness, was recently asked the writer by a fourteen-year-old boy. "A fool ques- tion," one says, and so it is ; but no more absurd than hvindreds of others — all but now ! Then, we had none of the short-cut paths to nature knowledge that we have today. Through those intermin- able keys that formed the bulky appen- dices of Wood's and Gray's botanies, we patiently and laboriously sought for the Latin names of perfectly familiar flowers ; always beirinning. I recall with the ob- PROFESSOR BROWX SHOWING THE FL'X OF SEELXd THINGS. showing lamentable ignorance concerning the commonest things of life. To Tom, Dick, and Harry, as well as Maud, the wide-open book of nature is simply one vast, incomprehensible mystery- — hardly less undecipherable than some Gilgamesh epic engraved in cuneiform hieroglyphics upon the sun-baked cylinders and tablets of ancient Babylon. There may have been a grain of excuse for such ignorance, when I was a lad— vious yet fundamental distinction between phgenogamia and cryptogamia. If the specimen in hand was found to belong to the former group, — with what persist- ent analysis we next tried to "tree it" among the orders of either the exogens or the endogens. At last, we arrived at the highly illuminating fact that our dear, modest, sweet-scented, pinklipped arbu- tus is really— £/'?(/aea rcpens. To-day with the help of such a manual as "The THE FUN OF SEEING THINGS II WHERE CAMP BECKET BOYS HAVE THE FUN OF HUNTING FOR THINGS WORTH ESPECIAL SEEING. Fieldbook of American Wild Flowers," by thermore, we spoke of all the ferns, col- Mathews, one can become acquainted lectively, as "brakes." It was next to with more interesting plants in a single impossible to distinguish even the com- afternoon than we were able to deter- monest species. But, last summer, my mine in a full week. In those days, fur- Wantonoit boys, at Camp Beckett, easily 12 THE GUIDE TO NATURE learned to recoig'nize fifteen varieties in one day. Much the same might be said of other Hnes of out-door interest and study. The Guide to Nature and similar excellent publications are constantly fur- nishing for us the "open sesame" that admits to wealths of carefully gleaned information. Museums, gardens, herba- riums, 'helps of every conceivable form and variety multiply and abound. How disappointing, then, that only here and there does one meet a person really filled with enthusiasm for first-hand observa- tion of flowers, trees, birds, rocks, or stars. The masses seem not yet to have been aroused. Even high school and col- lege students, as a rule, take li::tle or no interest in "bugs and things :"" and the natural sciences, in many quarters, are still being taught with pathetic disregard for the real objects under consideration. The fact is becoming patent that in- terest in the things which we are here discussing can not be forced, that it can thrive only where the charms of sensible thin;gs are frankly and freely displayed. Nature never deigns to practice absent treatment methods in order to win the love of her devotees she expects but little adoration from those whose ideas of her rest chiefly upon such limited acquaintance as comes from formal study of colorless dried plants, or cadaverous toads, frogs, and salamanders religiously preserved in hermetically sealed jars. The great Heart of Things pulsates onlv through tbe abounding life of the. world ; hence, it is in the open field, in the fra- grant woods, along the breezy shore that Nature has her smile and her voice of beauty for us. But, in such places, her varied and su'btle charms are utterly irre- sistible to the normal, clean, grenuinely responsive soul. The Wantonoit Club, for this reason, is emphatically an out- of-door organization. It finds its special mission in camps — summer groups of alert, right-minded persons — Y. M. C. A. boys and others — whose 'hearts are open to the words and works of God. "Back to Nature" is its eiTective rallying cry. One strong and persistent tendency the Wantonoit activities set themselves ear- nestly to counteract, — a tendency that does violence to everv refined instinct, — it is the brutal, primitive desire to take blood. Huntinio- and fi.shing from time immemorial have been reo-arded bv our race as the chief, if not the onlv source of pleasure for one who would spend a period of relaxation and rest out in the open. "Arise, Peter, kill and eat" is the only Bible mandate which some men ap- pear willing to follow. Yet there are thousands of campers, I am glad to be- lieve, to whom no real pleasure comes in the taking of life, — even that of the hum- blest sort. But even to these persons the joys of the summer season often are so closely associated with the conventional hunting habit that, although naturally kind-hearted and refined, they come to believe that they have really enjoyed the cruel "sport." For a long time yet, I sup- pose, lie will regard himself as a mighty hunter who, with all the unfair advantage of a modern hunting equipment, can put his human intelligence into successful competition with the simple instinct of some humble, trustful wood creature and bring home its bloody body as indisput- a'ble evidence of his valor and skill. What, after all, is more saddening to one than the sight of the dead thing after the tell- ing shot has been fired and the game brought low? What, in the same con- nection, is more disgustin:g to any right- minded person than the pride of the greedy fish-hog, who boasts of the magni- tude of his catch and who measures his delight by the number of gasping victims he can call his own? In contrast to the foregoing, we have the clearer, more exhilirating pleasure that comes from huntina^ birds with the eve,, through the medium of a good field glass : from welcoming back the newly opening wild flowers : from discovering some r??re species of insect; or from the recognition and namins- of stalwart trees, nodding shrubs, cushiony mosses, em- bossed lichens, gaudy fungi ; and, at night, the silent, friendly stars. The Wantonoit Club, which I am <~lad to have originated, is but one of the manv agencies endeavoring- to infuse a saner, more healthful spirit into the pursuits and pleasures of the summer season. It has spread its influence widely — into the far West and South, and even across the Atlantic. As its name suggests, it is a body of those who zvant to knozv things- - an organization of alert sense-users. Its snirit is not that of the school room. There is no effort to do thorough scien- tific work, — the boy has left all this be- hind with his books. There is simply an attempt upon, the oart of the conductor of the club's activities informallv to in- THE FLW OF SEEIXG TlflXGS 13 i»TII|«?^(P5«" V '^^ SOME OF PROFESSOR BROWN'S BOYS COOLING OFF AFTER A HIKE. troduce the camper to the common things about him in such a natural and friendly way as shall make him love them at sight. From two to five hundred objects are readily listed and learned, under the sys- tem, in a single season. Of course such an accomplishment is of vast importance as an accessory to school and college studies ; but the boy does not have this value in mind. He is required to do nothing; for that reason he wants to do everything. He takes pride in his increas- ing attainments aii.d soon becomes an en- thusiastic teacher of others. The instruc- tion is wholly personal. There are no books, no recitations, no collections to make, no examinations to pass. The cer- tificate of membership is awarded only on manifest merit and the proved abilit}' to recognize and name at least two-hun- dred objects of every-day observation. Seals are attached to the diploma to indi- cate advanced work. Fifty simple ex- periments in out-door chemistry consti- tute one of the features of such work, as it is carried on from year to year. The club is as simple in its plan and establishment as it is in its working. Each chapter is organized by the Na- tional Counselor (the writer), registered by him, and furnished with information concerning its formation and work. The Counselor supplies the certificates and signs them. There are no fees, no charges, no salaries. Each camp pro- cures its own Director for its work. A small gratuity, the amount being deter- mined by the camp itself, is welcomed by the founder to cover the expenses of a large correspondence, printing, etc. Apart from this contribution, the work of the writer is entirely a labor of love. The love of nature is a great source of happiness for cai.aren, happiness of the best kind in taking possession of a world that seems to be in many ways desig"ned especially ior them. It brings their minds to a place where many ways meet; to the confines of science, for they want to know the reasons of things ; to the confines of art, for what they can understand they will strive to interpret and express ; to the confines of worship, for a child's soul, hushed in wonder, is very near to Gad. — [anet Erskine Stuart in "The Educa- tion of Catholic Girls." Verandahs and porches are all very fine. But they "can't hold a candle," I say, To a nook in the heart of the sweet pine woods. Which temper the heat of the day. — Emma Peirce. The edible crib of the Pacific coast lays each fall from three-ouarters of a million to a million and a half egs^s. These she carries attached to her abdominal legs four months, until they hatch. 14 THE GUIDE TO NATURE New and Better Kinds of Fairies. Oftentimes children, and sometimes even the grown-ups say that they are sorry that the age of fairies seems to be over, and yet there are more wonderful fairies of fact than the old romancers ever dreamed of. Creatures tinier than an}^ they could imagine are working day and night building things for man. and others, again, tearing them down. The birds themselves can be thought of as fairies with wings, working every moment for man's good, searching out the insects from the crevices in the trees and adding beauty in color and sound to man's life. The scientist has found more real fairies than all of those which have added to the lore of elf and 5 H fZM 5 . '^' c >-^ u ^ ]■ C £ THE FUN OF SEEING THINGS 15 goblin, gnome and sprite; and tlu- scientists' fairies are more wonderful because they are tinier than was ever thought to be possible. Then, too, they have such changing and marvel- ous shapes. The old-time fairies were always thought of in terms that the folk-lore gatherers could understand — that is. they were in the general form of man, only much smaller. But the scientist finds that the new fairies do not have to be limited to any such forms. So do not be downcast when any one tells you that there are no more fairies, but rather be glad that there are new and different ones — ones that you can study and find out about for yourself, and ones that you know are really alive to-day. Ah, little lad, that seeks for fairy lore, Think not that all is gone — that cold dry facts Must do away with elves and sprites of j^ore With all their witching ways and kindly acts. Here in this time, if we will only learn The ways of wood-folk in their work or play We may be sure of fairyland's return In living wonders of the present day. — "American Forestry." Two Little Girls at a Country Home. As I walked down the hill through the chestnut woods, I fell to picturing the future of these little rustic maidens. One day they would awake to the fact that there was a great, bustling world only a few miles away from their cabin in the woods. The lure of the city that draws people away from just such charming nooks as this in the country would de- velop in them a repugnance for their humble surroundings. They may teach in the country or village schools, they may become "sales ladies" in the city stores, stenographers in the offices, or real nurses in real hospitals ; but, ten to one, they will forsake the country for town or city. Three score summers hence a grandson may buy up the old home site, build a bungalow on the crumbling cellar walls, and there spend the summers with enjoyment, the lure pendulum swung back again. — Milo Leon Norton \n"Sat- urdav Chronicle." A Nurseryman Lover of Squirrels^ Mr. Charles F. Gardner of Osage,. lowa, is not only a nurseryman having extensive business connections with) special interest in strawberries, but he: is also a whole-hearted lover of pets?. We have received from our member, Mr. Eugene Secor of Forest City, Iowa, an eulogistic letter regarding Mr. Gard- ner's interest in nature. Mr. Gardner sent to Mr. Secor the ^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^H ^^m ^ ■ J ^^H ^B ^ ^1 i^H'^^iSi H MR. GARDNER HAS FUN SEEING HIS SQUIRREL EAT NUTS. accompanying photographs because he felt sure that Mr. Secor would share his interest in his pets, especially since Mr. Secor is so charitably disposed that he feeds the birds and other crea- tures during the cold weather. An in- teresting feature of the letter is that it appears to be written by the squirrel, telling the story from the squirrel's point of view. The writer believes that originally human beings were a race of savage and ferocious creatufes, but that the world has so progressed that nobody with ordinary common sense would nowadays willfully shoot even a squirrel. Buttercups. Buttercups, Buttercups, brimming with; gold, Why are you hoarding it so? The scythe of the reaper is sharpened for you, You will go the way all misers go. — Emma Peirce. About one-quarter of the living vol- canoes of the world are within the boundaries of the greater United' States — virtually all of them in Alaska,. Hawaii and the Philippine Islands.. le THE GUIDE TO NATURE A Check List for the Sound Beach Observatory The Sun, Our Star, Radiates Light and Heat in Every Direction. The Diameter of the sun is 866,400 miles; that is, 109.4 times that of the earth. The Surface is 12,000 times that of the earth. The Mass is 333,000 times that of the earth- The Density is about >4 that of the earth or 1.4 times that of water- The Rotation from the east to the west averages 25-35 clays. The rotation is faster at the equator than on either side, showing that it is not a solid mass. The Diameters of the Spots range from about 500 to 6o,ooo miles- This may be estimated by comparing the spot with the diameter of the sun. miles- The thickness of the rings about 100 miles. Composed of "a swarm of separate particles, each an independent moon." Four other moons, not visible except in largest telescopes, are Themis, Phoebe, Hyperion and Mimas. Uranus's Moons : Seen only in largest telescopes- Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon. Neptune's Moon : Seen only in moder- ately large telescopes- One, not named. Densities of the Planets. The only planet which is lighter than water is Saturn, though Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune are each but little heavier than water. The four inner (earth like) plan^ ets are of course much heavier. The larger ones have not yet had time to cool off : it is their high temperature that keeps them so expanded. The Planets, Our Family, All Receive light and Heat in Varying Degrees from the Sun. Av. Distance Planet from Sun in Millions of Miles DIAMETER DAY YEAR MOONS Mercury 36 3,030 88 days 88 days 0 Venus 67 7700 Probably 2^ h., 50 m. 225 days 0 Earth 93 7,918 23 h., 56 m. 36514 days I Mars 142 4,230 24 h., 37 m. 687 days 2 Jupiter 483 86,500 9h., 55 m. ii.86yrs. 9 Saturn 886 73,000 10 h-,i4m. 29>4 yrs. 10 Uranus 1,782 32.000 Probably 23 h.,4 m- 84 yrs. 4 Neptune 2,792 35.000 Unknown 165 vrs. T Jupiter's Older Moons — Four in order from Jupiter: I, lo ; H, Europa ; HI, Ganymede ; IV, Callisto. (Five others are known but they are not seen except in 1 rgest telescopes). Saturn's Moons: lapetus. Titan. Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus. This is in order from most remote. Rings : A, ex- terior diam. 173,000 miles, 12,000 miles wide. The division between it and B is 1,800 miles in width. B, 17,000 miles wide. C, "gauze" or "crape," 11,000 The Stars are Distant Suns. Stars visil)le to naked eye (estimated) ist magnitude 12 4th magnitude 313 2nd magnitude 48 5th magnitude 854 3rd magnitude 152 6th magnitude 2,010 Total— 3,389 ^ In whole celestial sphere on moonless nights seen by naked eye only from 6,000 to 7,000. An opera glass shows 100,000- In big telescope, 100,000,000- There are only twelve stars so bright as to be unquestionably called "first mag- TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 17 nitiuie" but some estimates include a few more. Of these twelve only the follow- ing eight are visible in this latitude. First Magnitude Stars. Sirius Altair Vega iletelgeuze Capella Procyon Arcturus Rigel :^ 5f: * * * A Few of the Other Bright Stars You Should Know. Aldebaran T'ollux Antares o • Deneb ^pica Polaris Fomalhaut Denebola Regulus Famous Variables. Algol ( Beta of Perseus) — a short period (little less than three days). Mira (Omicron of Cetus) — a long period (about eleven months). Delightful Companionable. Rigel (dainty blue with tiny compan- ion) Xi of Ursa Major ( ]\Tizar, a double, with Alcor)- A Few Best Double Stars. Gamma Andromedae (Almaack). Gamma Arietis (^Mesartim). Gamma Leonis Albireo Castor Eta Cassiopeise 70 Ophiuchi Omicron Eridani Quadruple : Epsilon Lyrse. Star Clusters. Naked Eye : Pleiades, Hyades. Opera Glass : Praesepe, Coma Bereni- ces. Telescope: Double in Perseus. 13 AI in Hercules, 35 Gemini. Nebula : Andromed?, Orion. How Far Away Are They? The distances of the planets from the sun (and also from each other) as shown in their table of specifications are meas- ured in millions of miles- Even the near- est stars are too far away for such a measuring scale. Light travels about 186,330 miles per second. The distance that light travels in a year is used as a measuring unit in stating the distances of the stars. The nearest well-known and very bright star is Sirius which is 8.6 light years distant- ( A faint star, La- lande, is 6.9 light years). 61 Cygni is 8 light years- Many of the brightest and well-known stars are so far away as to be beyond measurement. The well-known Pleiades are supposed to be so far away as to take the light (travelling at 186,330 miles a second) 250 years to reach us. Of course such distances are not only unmeasure- able but inconceivable ! A Trio of Good Ones. G is the first letter in good, and the G of the Greek alphabet is Gamma. When I was showing some of my favorite double stars to visitors in the Astro- nomical Observatory, it occurred to me that I had a trio of good ones and that they all are Gammas, and therefore not only really good, but alHteratively good. They are Gamma Andromedae, Gamma Arietis, and Gamma Leonis. I believe that the second one was, ac- cording to some authorities, the first discovered. The first in the list is surely what our feminine gazers would call the sweetest companionship of all ; a well-known astronomer says that the third is the brightest and most spec- tacular. As the small boy might say, "They are all beautiful ;" but an astron- omer might well exclaim, "They are Gamma, good !" Inconceivable Distances of Stars. It is probable that the stars in the Milky Way are from seven hundred to a thousand "light years" away, and as the power of stellar photography has increased, more remote stars are con- tinually revealed. Just think of it! Many of these stars we see not as they existed in our own time or even in that of our forefathers, but as they were before man lived on earth ! Perhaps there are some that the people of this world will never see. — Henry Handy McHenry, in "Popular Astronomy." The Moon. Pale wraith in the sky in morning light It illumes and glorifies the night. — Emma Peirce. i8 THE GUIDE TO NATURE The Heavens in June. BY PROFESSOR ERIC DOOLlTTLE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. The last few months have been note- worthy ones because of the remarkably large number of bright planets which shone in the evening sky. Indeed, at one time, every one of the five naked-eye planets might have been seen in the early evening, and doubtless there are many readers of these monthly papers who de- rived much pleasure from studying these but little effort this most brilliant silvery world could be detected and examined in the telescope. The spectacle presented in the evening heavens at this time far surpassed that of the morning sky, where Jupiter reigned alone, pouring out its steady, golden radiance until the coming of the dawn. But these conditions will very quickly be completely reversed. Already Mercury is again lost in the sun's rays, and even the very brilliant Venus will become quite invisible to us during the present SOOXM Figure 1. The constellations at 9 P. M., June 1. (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.) most interesting worlds in the telescope and from watching their continual and various motions among the winter con- stellations. The first deserter from this company of beautiful worlds was the planet Jupi- ter, which withdrew from the evening sky on April i ; but at this time Venus was nightly becoming so very brilliant in the west, where also Mars and Saturn shone brightly, that the absence of the Giant Planet was hardly noticed. On May 12, also, Mercury ran so unusually far upward in the evening sky that with month, though it will not enter the morn- ing sky until July 3. Saturn will follow on July 12, and from this date on, of all the five brilliant worlds, the single planet Mars will alone be left with us. This little planet, however, runs so very rapidly eastward that it will .ot be overtaken by the sun and so become a morning star until February 28, 191 7. The June Stars. It is in this, the first of our summer months, that the fainter constellations are seen for the first time in the year to pre- TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 19 dominate on the face of our evening heavens. It is true that the bright win- ter groups of Gemini and Leo still linger with us, but these are far in the west, and the former, indeed, has more than half disappeared below the horizon. The whole south and east are filled with the great, faint groups of Ophiuchus, Ser- pens and Hercules, while the wonderful and complex summer branch of the Milky Way encircles the whole eastern area of the heavens from the south to the north. The most interesting of the new arri- vals is without doubt the beautiful Scor- pio, which, with its deep reddish star at A (Figure i) and its striking band of bright stars at D forms the most beautiful of all our summer constellations. In early times the stars at B and C formed the Claws of the Scorpio and were therefore a part of the constellation, but these were afterward removed to form the single group Libra, thus greatly mutilating the original nearly perfect figure. To the beautiful, glowing Antares, lying so near the path of the sun and shining so conspicuously in the summer heavens, there are naturally innumerable references among all earlier peoples. Alany of the Greek temples were oriented to it ; in Egypt it was the symbol of Isis, while in China, as the "Fire Star," it was for centuries invoked for protection against fire. Antares is a beautiful double star in a moderately large telescope. Its com- panion is of a green color, which during the last century has shown no trace of any motion around the principal star. There is no doubt, however, that the two suns form a system, just as the earth and moon do, for Antares is very slowly drifting over the face of the heavens and carryinig the companion with it ; the time required for the companion to revolve once about the larger star is, however, doubtless tens of thousands of years, and possibly much longer. There are many such majestically slow moving systems now known, but the science of exact astronomy is still so young that we know but little of their true natures. The astronomers of today can only secure very exact measures of their present positions, from which — perhaps ten or twenty centuries hence — the true sizes of these stupendous ortbits may be found. The slow drift of Antares, above referred to, will change its position in the heavens by an amount equal to the apparent distance across the face of the full moon in the course of 45,000 years. The stars of Scorpio at F are both beautiful triple stars; that at H is a re- markable quadruple system which closely resembles the well-known Epsilon Lyrae, while the star at C may be seen to be a wide double, even in a small telescope. Figure 2. Photographic plate on which a a new asteroid is discovered. The dots are faint stars. The moving asteroid has pho- tographed itself as a short trail within the circle at A. L'nder good conditions of seeing the ob- server may clearly detect that the star at B is of a distinctly greenish tint, while that at E is red. The former is a very unusual color among the brighter stars. To the right of E, a little above and to the left of the extreme tip of the tail of the Water Snake, there is a rather com- pact little group of faint stars, bordered on the east by a faint row extending in a north and south direction. This very in- conspicuous little sky figure has been named the Solitary Thrush. The observer will find no difificulty in following along the summer branch of the Milky Way and tracing out the brig^ht Eagle, the odd. compact little groups of the Dolphin and the Arrow, and the beau- tiful Northern Cross, with its striking double star at K. The stars below this last and Sagitta form the little-known constellation of Vulpecula, or the little Fox, from which constellation a stream of faint meteors dart outward in all direc- tions during the last two weeks of the present month. 20 THE GUIDE TO NATURE The Planets in June. Mercury enters the niorning sky on June 5 and reaches its greatest western elongation on June 30. During the last few days of the month it may 'be seen low in the northeast for a little more than one hour before sunrise. Venus runs very rapidly into the sun's rays during the month, and, though still a conspicuous object on June i, it will become completely invisible by three weeks later. During this time it may be seen in the telescope to be very rapidly taking the form of the narrowest imagin- able silvery crescent, the apparent diam- eter of which is at the same time grow- ing rapidly greater as our sister world draws nearer to us. This interesting change of form can be viewed even in a very small telescope. Venus will enter the morning sky on July 3. Mars will run rapidly eastward through Leo during the month and so will con- tinue to shine conspicuously in the west- ern heavens. Its distance from us is, however, so great that it is a disappoint- ing dbject in the telescope. It now resem- bles in shape the moon when about three days past the first quarter. Jupiter rises about 2 hours and 30 minutes before sunrise on June i, but this time is increased to four hours by June 30. It will be found almost directly above the east point of the horizon. Saturn, as shown in Figure i, is mov- ing slowly eastward in the constellation Gemini. In its eastward motion it will pass very close to the bluish, third mag- nitude star at L, and its motion from day to day (though this is necessarily very slow, may be clearly observed bv a com- parison with this star. The two objects will be nearest together on Tune 20. nt which time they will be indistinguishable to the eye, though in the telescope it will be seen that the plane is 2 minutes and 33 seconds above the star. The star itself is an interesting double, having an eighth magnitude companion in very slow mo- tion around it and onlv seven seconds away. Saturn will pass to the west of the sun and so become a mornino- star on Julv T2. During- the early days of Tune, however, it will still form a verv interesting object in the telescooe. for the rings at the present time are verv widelv opened. ***** The Longest Dav. On June 21, at i hour 24 minutes P. M. (Eastern standard time J, the sun will attain its highest position in the heavens ; at this instant its upward motion among the stars will cease and its downward motion will begin. This instant will therefore mark the beginning of summer, and June 21 will be the longest day of the year. The So-called "New Planet." A cablegram from Germany printed in many of the papers on May 3 announced Figure 3. A photographic telescope. the discovery of a new planet on April 17, though it subsequently appeared that this object had been seen at the Yerkes Observatory some two or three days earlier. This body was not similar to one of the great planets which revolve about the sun, but merely one of the numerous planetoids, or asteroids, which move in a zone between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Many of these little bodies are discovered each year, the total number now known being no less than 840. They are searched for by photography. The photographic plate is either kept fixed with reference to the stars, in which case the moving asteroid photographs itself upon the plate as a short trail, or line of light, while the star images are points ; or else the plate is moved steadily at about the rate at which the asteriod moves. In the latter case the star images are all T(^ KNOW THE STARRY IIKWKXS 21 short trails, while the asteroid, if there is one within the region of the photograph will photograph itself as a single point, or dot. of light. Figure 2 shows a photo- graph obtained by the first process, the faint, new asteroid having photographed itself at A. The Housewife Who Built a Tele- scope. In western Pennsylvania, thirty miles or so south of Pittsburgh, is the little town of Brownsville. Here, shortly after 1840, Phoebe Stewart was born and here she grew up, a simple country girl, hard working, frugal and poor. Phoebe Stewart married a lad of the village, and as Airs. John Rrashear went MRS. BRASHEAR AS A GIRL. From a daguerrotype taken just before her marriage. with her husband to Pittsburg in search of fortune. Brashear got a job in a roll- ing mill grinding tools. The Brashears were too poor to buy a house, and so they built one with their own hands. They added a little machine shop with a tiny steam engine, where John Brashear might play with lathes and tools of his own. Neither husband nor wife had had much education, hut they spent their spare time in study. Their special inter- est was astronomy. They wanted a tele- scope and were too poor to buy one ; so they made one instead. In their little shop they turned the brass and ground the lenses. While her hus- band was at the rolling mill, Phoebe Bra- shear cleaned and oiled the little engine, set the shop in order and made ready the tools and materials for the evening's work. After supper, she worked at her husband's side, often until midnight. Whenever she could snatch an 'hour or two during the day, she started the machinery and worked by herself. Few men were better mechanics. Lens grinding is slow and difficult. It took the Brashears three years to make their five-inch glass, which they set up in the attic of their cottage. Other bouse- keepers, as they become more prosperous, aspire to larger houses. Phoebe Brashear wanted a larger telescope, one with a twelve-inch glass. It took only two years to make that, for the Brashears were getting skillful. But just as they finished the glass, it broke. The husband was completely discour- aged. He went back to the mill resolved to try no more. Not so the gallant wife. "Never mind," she said. "We'll make a better one." And the very next night, when the husband came home from work, he found the best of suppers awaiting him, steam up in the engine as usual, and a fresh block of glass in the lathe. He took heart again ; and that time the work went through to completion. That was the turning point of the family career. The Brashears became known, both for their skill in grinding lenses and for the discoveries they made with their telescopes. The Allegheny Observatory began to send them repair work that had hitherto been done in Paris. With more experience came more skill and more work. Twenty-one years after John Brashear entered the rolling mill, he left it to set up a shop for the manu- facture and repair of telescope lenses and other optical instruments. The business grew. "The little shop under the hill" became one of the famous optical facto- ries of the world. Langley, who con- structed the first aeroplane that ever actually flew, had his models made at the Brashear works. Here were ground the glasses for the range finders that our navy used in the Spanish War. They were, at the time, the most accurate range finders in tbe world. The Brashears built for the Allegheny Observatory one of the largest telescopes in the world ; its lenses alone cost forty thousand dollars. Phoebe Brashear lived to see her hus- band director of a great observatory, a professor in the University of Pittsburgh and for a time its acting head, and trus- tee of educational funds amounting to 22 THE GUIDE TO NATURE more than twenty million dollars. At her table the most eminent men of science in the world have sat. She believed in her "husband's future when he was only a mill hand, and she helped him to become the foremost living maker of astronomi- cal instruments. When she died, in 1910, the world acclaimed her as the greatest influence in her husband's distinguished career. — The Youth's Companion. An Astronomical Observatory for the Community. -CONTRIBUTED EDITORIAL IX "THE GREEN- WICH PRESS," GREENWICH. CONNECTICUT. BY EDWARD F- BIGELOW- For the first time this part of Fair- field County has an astronomical ob- servatory available to the general public. Every reader should be inter- •ested in knowing what the value of a community observatory may be. In •our utilitarian activity and in our sen- sational age with its multiplicity of attractions, the first questions are : "What is the use of an observatory? Is it worth while? Why should I take any time to gaze at the stars?" If you would experience the satisfaction of filling your mind with uplifting thoughts, then the observatory has its use, but it is of no use to those who can find pleasure only in life's frivolities. Neither the Sound Beach astronom- ical observatory nor any other in the United States, however spectacular the celestial display may be, can compete with the sky rockets and the pinwheels of a Fourth of July pyrotechnic cele- bration. So much has been said in print and elsewhere about the grandeur of astronomv and of the wonderful spectacle visible in the heavens that I "have learned that such statements must be made with discrimination and qualifications. To see a world like Jupi- ter, thirteen hundred times as large as the earth, with its circling satellites, is spectacular when one tries to realize what it really is, but it is a disappoint- ing display when it is contrasted with a sky rocket. Visitors at the observa- tory have often said, "Is that all? I thought Jupiter was bigger than the earth, but it is only a little disc of light with four little 'stars' near it." Visitors gazing upon the volcanoes and the mountains of the moon have T'oiced their disappointment '."I thought those things were big volcanoes ; but the whole afifair looks only like a piece of lace." As the astronomer turned the telescope toward the Orion Nebula, and ventured to say that it is the big- gest thing in the universe, and with delight looked at the trapezium, he thought that it would certainly elicit words of appreciation from the visitor, but the result was, "I don't see much of interest in that little cloud." It is not the eye that sees things as- tronomical. The mind must mentally grasp the tremendous facts revealed by the telescope. When that point of view is assumed and the position real- ized, there is nothing more wonderful in nature than the volcanoes, mountain chains and amazing ocean depths on the moon, the mottlings and streaks on Mars, the brilliancy of Venus, the calm serenity of Jupiter and its moons, the sight of a world in formation as it is in the Orion Nebula, the marvelous dis- tance and dainty, delicate beauty of the Pleiades. These are not spectacular; they eject no sparks of fire, they explode no deaf- ening bombs, they cannot compete with an automobile that surges by at a mile a minute ; they oflFer none of the thrills of an elopement, a burglary or a murder in a novel or a moving picture show. They are quiet, calm, stately, dignified, magnificent. Of all the anomalies and paradoxes in human nature, nothing is more as- tonishing than the general indifference of many human beings to their sur- roundings. We are whirling on celes- tial pivot at the rate of over a thous- and miles an hour, we are rushing through space even more rapidly, amidst marvels of every description, through stupendous distances, and among suns, planets, nebulae, yet few ever seriously give a moment's thought to these things. The other day an old man died, and I heard a friend say that he is walking the gold-paved streets and gazing at the wonders of heaven. I said : "He lived for nearly eighty years on the earth and he hardly ever gazed at any of its wonders. I do not believe he will suddenly acquire a habit of looking at God's creations in any other place." He and hosts of other people are al- lowed to stay on the earth for a few decades, but how little time do they devote to the earth and its surround- TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 23 ings? To the average person the hea- vens are irregularly sprinkled with tiny, bright sjiecks called stars. To most people a planet is only a "star," and the moon only a light to light cer- tain nights in the month, or in erro- neous popular opinion to regulate the weather. To give, especially to another gene- ration, a clearer idea of the wonders of the heavens is the reason for the estab- lishing of this observatory. Yet it is not intended primarily for children. Few, if any, children are sufficiently de- veloped mentally to grasp the signi- ficance of any celestial view. A special invitation is therefore extended to the business man, in the midst of the life's activities, to stop occasionally and ask where he is travelling in the infinity of space and what his next door neighbors are, where they are, what they are do- ing and what they signify to him. And you, gray-haired man or wom- an, devoutly singing, "The heavens de- clare the glory of God ; and the firma- ment showeth his handiwork," stop and seriously ask yourself. Do these words mean anything to me? How do the heavens show the handiwork of God, what is He doing with that work, with what material has He fash- ioned the glory, and what is He intend- ing to do in the future. "Day unto day uttereth speech." What is the utter- ance? What is the message? What does it mean to you? How do the days speak, and why? "Night unto night showeth knowledge." What know- ledge? What value has such know- ledge, and in what way can it influence the human race? Do you believe that the heavens are trying to speak to you? Why do you not listen? Do not ac- cept general statements. Do not chant, "O all ye Works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord ; praise Him and magnify Him forever," and in the next breath say, "I think we shall have a change of weather, as the moon will change to- morrow." You read with some interest the dis- cussions about the canals on Mars. You hear about enormous spots on the sun. Do you know what a sunspot looks like? Have you the slightest concep- tion of the appearance of Mars, or in what part of the heavens it is at the present time? Do you know where Jupiter or Venus or Mars or the moon is at the present time, and which way in the heavens is it travelling? Can you name the brilliant constellations now in the southern skies, and can you anticipate what will be in that position three months from now? I ask not to puzzle you, but to say that the Sound Beach astronomical ob- servatory is ready to make such things clear to you. The observatory does not hope to compete with modern sen- sational amusements, yet in itself it is the most sensational thing in the world. It is a joy to gaze on the dim nebulae when one knows what they mean. The observatory will teach you what they mean. There is nothing of greater vi- tal interest than the sun, gazed upon its surface as revealed by the telescope. Every person in Greenwich enjoys health because the moon lifts the tides that wash out the harbors. Without the tidal influence of the moon the water of Long Island Sound would be- come stagnant, putrid, evil. That it is not so, we may thank the moon. It is worth while to make the acquaintance of this friend of humanity, it is worth while to know something of its history and to study its friendly face. If there were a volcano in Greenwich, throwing its lava westward as far as New York City and in a radius of thirty or forty miles in every direction, I am thinking that you would look at it. That is what has taken place on the moon. The Sound Beach observatory will show you those gigantic rings of cold and hardened lava. To help the observatory the public has responded generously, although there have been so many calls in other directions for other purposes. The ob- servatory is completed. It is ready for use. Every resident of Greenwich and of Stamford, or of any other place, is invited to share in the gifts of our in- telligent friends who believe that intel- lectual pursuit and enjoyment in the "grandest of sciences" are really worth while. Truly to him who has sensed the in- finite charm of the celestial host be- longs untold riches — treasures not to be envied because others fail to appre- ciate the subtle significance which lends them a rare tone. — Henry Handy McHenry in "Popular Astronomy." 24 THE GUIDE TO NATURE New Observatory in Rochester. A complete observatory equipped with instruments and accessories that represent the latest stage in astronomi- cal engineering has been erected by the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company in Huntington park, near the residence of George N. Saegmuller, vice-president of the company. Mr. Saegmuller first planned it as a private observatory, but the needs of the company, which has gone into the construction of astro- While the observatory will be in charge of Mr. Saegmuller and his three sons, all of whom have taken univer- sity courses in astronomy, the instru- ments will be used by other scientists of the Bausch & Lomb Company and by others in the community who take an interest in astronomy. It is intend- ed to set apart an evening for the pub- lic, giving it an opportunity to view heavenly bodies that are of interest at particular times. THE BAUSCH & LOMB OPTICAL COMl'ANY'S UBSERVATORY. nomical instruments, particularly tele- scopes, made an observatory necessary and it was decided that one should be built by the company. The observatory will be used not only for astronomical work, but for testing the instruments of precision that are made by the company and which, because of the ever-increasing demand for accuracy, demand most thorough tests. Tests can be made in the factory only with difficulty because of the vibrations caused by machinery, but will be made with great accuracy in the observatory, since it will be en- tirelv free from vibration. Construction of Observatory. The observatory consists of a tower for large telescopes, thirty-three feet from its main floor to the highest point in the dome, and of an adjoining rectan- gular wing for time and latitude instru- ments. The main part of the tower is hollow tile faced with concrete and the dome, twenty-two feet in diameter, consists of an iron frame covered with wood and overlaid with sheet copper. A layer of tar paper and felt is placed between the copper and the wood to protect the interior from sudden changes in temperature. The wing for time and latitude in- TO KNOW THE STARRY HE WENS 25 strunieiits is to be Iwenty-four l)y twelve feet, of tile with a facing- of concrete. The interior of the tower is linished in white enamel and all woodwork is red oak with a natural finish. A part of the main floor is used as a liljrary and reception room. From the main floor a spiral stairway leads to the observation or equatorial room. In this room is an eleven-inch equatorial telescope of the latest type, designed and constructed under the personal direction of Mr. Saegmuller and embodying several new features intended to add to accuracy and to the comfort of the observer. It is sixteen feet long and has a free opening at the outer or object end of ten and one-half inches. :fc ^ :(c :is :tc The Telescope. The telescope is moved by means of clockwork mechanism and revolves with the motion of the earth, so that once it has been set so that a particular star falls within its field the telescope will automotically follow the star's course as long as it is above the hori- zon. The dome revolves with the tele- scope by means of similar mechanism, electrically operated. The instrument is mounted on a cast iron pier bolted to a concrete column twenty-eight feet high, eleven feet of which is imbedded in the ground. Before the pier was sunk careful tests were made to deter- mine that it was sunk deep enough to avoid the ground tremors that might result from the motion of street cars and the like. As the telescope revolves it describes a circle varying in size with the dis- tance of the object from the astronomi- cal pole, so that the eye-piece will be at varying heights from the floor at different times. In observatories of the older type this difficulty was overcome by using an inclined observing chair. Floor-Raising Mechanism. In the Bausch & Lomb observatory the difficulty is overcome by raising and lowering the floor of the equatorial room. When the observer desires to change the floor level to accommodate himself to the changed position of the eye-piece he will have only to touch a button and the floor will rise or sink to the desired level. The floor, when at its highest level, is at a distance of about twentv feet from the main floor. and when at its lowest level, at a dis- tance of aboat ten feet from the main floor. Only a few of the larger or more recently built observatories have floor- raising mechanism. The wing that houses the time and latitude instruments contains a small office and computing room. It is fin- ished in a manner similar to the inside of the tower. The office is fitted with bookcases, tables and chairs for the use of the observer while he is waiting for stars to come into the field of view of the transit or when he is computing results of his observations. The transit room contains a three- inch transit, mean and sidereal clocks and a chronograph on which the time is recorded. There is a vertical colli- mator below the floor to measure the deviation of the transit from the mer- idian. Wireless time signals are re- ceived from the Naval Observatory at Washington. An opening cut in the two walls and the ceiling of the transit room permit the transit to sweep in the plane of the meridian and permit the stars to be observed at culmination. Regulation of Temperature. Double doors shut ofif the transit room from the ofifice, since the delicate instruments require that the room have the same temperature as prevails out- side. It is planned eventually to erect a wing on the opposite side of the tower in which will be installed a meridian circle and seismograph, the latter to be placed in the basement and used for measuring the amplitude and intensity of earthquakes. The dome and the wood work were built under the direction of Oscar Kal- lenbach. mechanical engineer in the drafting room at the Bausch & Lomb plant: the mason work done by Stall- man & Sons, and the instruments were all designed and constructed under the personal supervision of Mr. Saegmul- ler in the Bausch & Lomb factories. The first original work carried on at the observatory was a series of obser- vations of Jupiter in September of last year. This work was done by Latimer J. Wilson, Director of the Planetary and Lunar Section of the Society for Practical Astronomy. The results of this work, together with sixty-four of the drawings made by the observer have been published by Bausch & 26 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Lomb in their first observatory bulle- tin. Mr. Sinclair of the U. S. C. & G. S. has been engaged for several weeks - past in establishing the exact latitude and longitude of the observatory. For this w^ork the wireless receiving appa- ratus is used to receive the time from Washington. When the exact location has been established the Bausch & Lomb observatory will be regularly listed in the world directory of obser- vatories. Different Life and Conditions. The impossibility of life existing as we know it on the planets, has been generally established — even for Mars. But one must not forget that in all probability millions of the stars are, like the sun, the centers of an invisible retinue of planets and satellites, per- haps even more vast and complex than our own solar system. Surely it is not likely that our planet is the only one in the whole cosmic universe ca- pable of supporting human life. There may be planets where races of human beings live whose civilization surpasses ours by an even greater margin than we have advanced beyond the igno- rance of primitive man, to say nothing of the possibility of life existing of a totally different nature. Bergson has declared that the chemical affinity of the carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms is the genesis of all biological species. May there not be worlds where other elements unite to create species of an entirely different type ? — Henry Handy McHenry in "Popular Astronomy." ^ >j: >!; ;f; ^ Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath pre- pared for them that love Him. — I Cor. H, 9. • It has been roughly estimated that the extinct stars or suns outnumber the lucent ones, one hundred to one. \ erily, the universe is one vast ceme- tery of dead suns and systems of worlds. The process of creation or of evolution of matter is, however, con- tinuously going on, suns and star sys- tems are ever being evolved, and as Flammarion puts it, "in space there are both cradles and tombs." — "The Call of the Stars," (Kippax). Claim of Primary Importance of Na- ture by the Episcopal Church. Everybody seems to admit abstract- ly and more or less concretely, per- haps, that God may be discovered somewhere in nature ; but I am saying that He is primarily revealed in nature. We believe this is contrary to a widely held public opinion where the Bible takes first place and nature second, if indeed it takes any place at all. But since the article, "Nature as well as Revelation Reveals God." in the March number was written, my atten- tion has been called to an authoritative statement by the Right Reverend Chauncey B. Brewster, D. D., Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecti- cut. In his valuable and interesting book. "Aspects of Revelation." he shows his appreciation of nature as of first importance by entitling the first chapter. "A Revelation in Nature," and more than this he distinctly states in the summing up of that chapter. "Na- ture is the primary revelation." I quote the first and the last para- graph of that interesting chapter : "Before any written books was the book of nature. It has always lain open for men as a primer, wherein they were to learn to read their first lessons, deciphering its characters, spelling out the syllables, and guessing at the mean- ing. The material world has teaching for those who can read aright. "The manifestation in natm'e. as re- gards what is revealed and what is concealed, is such as to warrant expec- tation of a further manifestation through something yet higher, that shall more worthily express One who is not only in all. but also above all. Nature is the primary revelation. In order, however, to read it aright, we must have illumination. We need not be surprised to find that the illuminp- tion wherein truly to read nature, ar-d to see its divine significance, is a light that shines within. " 'The li.oiit that never was on sea or land.' " PER NATUREM AD DEUM 27 Every Church Should Have a Nature Sab^^ath School. Carefully Selected Instructors Should Take the Children Out Into the Open and Teach Them the Wonders of Botany, Astronomy and Insect Life. [From the New York Evening Journal. Republished by permission]. BY ELLA WHELLKR WILCOX- Copyright, 1916, by Star Company. What is your opinion on the subject of a "Nature Sabbath School?'' The idea has come to me as a sort of inspiration. We teach children to think of their natural activities, their play, as something to be put aside, till their religious devo- tion is over — and so religion becomes not something to love but merely a duty which they hope will be short — the shorter the Sunday School the better the child likes it — as a writer says "we mask the joy of religion by our long unsmiling faces, our mechanical devotion, our whispers and tragic manner," then^ — is it any won- der that children find religion wearisome ? As Coe writes — "As long as such no- tions prevail we should expect children to exclude God from their play ; to think of religion as unnatural and either grow up indifferent to religion or reserve their reverence for Sunday in the church." My idea would be to take little ones out under the skies to show them the wonderful beauties of Nature, teach them the nearness of the Infinite and, as my little boy has been taught, to "talk to the fairies" (the spirits of light and love) aside from the spiritual teachings — physically the little ones would be benefited and the little flock could be given such an enjoyable outing that they would learn to love "Nature's Sabbath School" (is the name appropriate?)- If you think such an idea of use, I shall be glad to outline a plan which is in my mind, though doubtless it could be im- proved. M. H. C- C. The idea contained in the letter quoted above is crude but beautiful. Worked out and properly developed it would be- come of great value to the world. A Nature Sabbath School should be a part of every Christian church. Teachers should be carefully selected and thor- oughly trained to carry out the instruc- tion, which should include the rudiments of botany, astronomy, and the wonders of nature, of insect and star life, should be dwelt upon with reverence and awe. All these studies should be made as en- tertaining as fairy stories or fiction in any form. The children should feel that they are on a picnic and that they are being, amused, while in fact they are being in- structed, mentally, and their souls are unconsciously being awakened to rever- ence for and love of God- A child who attends Nature's Sabbath School under such instruction could never grow into a pessimist or an atheist- Many children have become both who were reared in the depressing environ- ment of the old-fashioned Sunday School. A good man said not long ago that twenty years of his life were marred by his Sunday School experiences. Sunday to him was a day of horror and gloom, and the unwholesome teach- ings he heard expounded by a cruel God who sent unbelievers to hell caused him to fly to the extreme of unbelief in any religion as soon as he passed out of the home environment- After twenty years, however, he came into the light of true knowledge of God through a study of plant life, and the mar- vels which he found in seed and bulb and bud and blossom caused him to realize the majesty and might of the All Crea- tive Power, and to love his Maker. Let us have the Nature Study School by all means- Pass on God's Gifts. We are at our best when we try to> be not for ourselves alone but for our brethren ; and we take God's gifts most completely, when we realize that He sends them to us for the benefit of other men, who stand beyond us, need- ing them. — Phillips Brooks. I wonder why Bishop Brooks used the word "men." Probably in the sense of mankind. Certainly, girls, boys and w^omen. as well as men, can dissemi- nate "God's gifts" for the benefit of others. That is the essence of our As- sociation. Good term, that — ^"God's gifts" — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — the world of nature, books, friends, the wonders and beauties of the heavens above, the earth beneath and the waters under the earth. Life is not long enough to utilize or to be sufficiently grateful for all these gifts. Probably that is one reason for eter- nity. 28 THE GUIDE TO NATURE ^;<€cccc< 0)v Sri'ic>. same plant (monoecious) and with the two kinds of flowers on separate plants (dioecious). We may likewise disre- gard those whose cross-fertilization de- pends upon the maturing of stamens and pistils at different times, and investi- gate a few of those that have unusual removed. Self-fertilization is thus pre- vented. In Oswego tea (Moiiarda didyma) the two stamens grow with their an- thers pressed together like two hands, palm to palm. Thus they form a lasso which catches the bumblebee as he 36 THE GUIDE TO NATURE visits the flower and entangles his shoulders. As he struggles to free him- self, he tears the anthers asunder and from them receives a charge of pollen on his hairy coat. While the anthers are yet united, they hold the long pis- til upright and away from the bee, but after the first insect visit, the pistil falls toward the throat of the flower where it is sure to receive any pollen that may be brought. Apparently the nightshade {Solanum dulcamara) seems to wish to keep all its pollen, for it is enclosed in a kind of balloon formed by the anthers united around the protruding pistil. But as the bee alights on this balloon he com- presses it and, like a puff-ball, it shoots out the pollen in a cloud that dusts the underside of his body, and is by him carried away and deposited on the protruding pistil of another flower. Grass pink, {Calopogon pulchclliis) differs from other orchids as its ovary is not twisted ; hence its pollen is be- low the column and its stigma above. The bee, attracted by its magenta pink color, and its scent of raspberries, alights on the lower sepal and, crawl- ing under the column in search of honey, withdraws with one or two of the pollen masses on his back. How shall these reach the stigma of another flower? The mechanism for accom- plishing this is ingeniously simple. The bee aims at the showy blotch of red and yellow velvet on the erect column of the next flower, clasps it and with his weight drags it down. He falls with his pollen laden back against the sensitive stigma, and the flower is fertilized and will bear seeds. would be difficult to find a more inspir- ing subject or one more calculated to arouse interest in nature and to stimu- late those who already know the delight in such studies. The Mysteries of the Flowers. The former generation of naturalists, and especially general nature lovers and the young folks, were delighted by William Hamilton Gibson's models showing the mechanism of flowers. As previously announced. Mr. Her- bert W. Faulkner of Washington. Con- necticut, is continuing that work in lec- tures that are delighting audiences everywhere. As an active member of The Agassiz Association, he is assist- ing us in our general purpose for the diffusion of knowledge, by supplying a series of illustrated articles for this magazine. The second of the series appears in the current number. It Nature a Resource in Old Age. A generation or more ago every stu- dent and lover of nature was deeply in- terested in the writings of E. P. Roe. Our older readers remember this, and especially their delight in his "Nature's Serial Story." These books are also read with delight by the present gene- ration. We have recently received interest- ing personal letters from his sister. Miss Mary A. Roe of Watertown, New York, in one of which she writes : "I am an old woman now, and most of my generation are gone but I am just as interested in life of all kinds as in the past. I also hope when I too pass Beyond it will be the opening of another and wider door into God's great Universe." She kindly sends us a photograph of herself in her garden. The frivolous things of life do not afford those resources for later years that the observation of real things stores up for us, those wonderful, beau- tiful and interesting things that crowd the world around us. It should be en- couraging to every young person or to the older worker in nature to note how nature has been a lifelong resource to this accomplished lady. Personal Observations of the Larger California Insects. BY MISS MARY A. ROIv, WATHRTOWN, NKW YORK. Among the many tourists who have visited Southern California during the past year, few probably have seen living specimens of the large insects in that semi-tropical country. During a residence there of about three years I had opportunities for ob- serving some rather unusual varieties. Nearly everyone feels a repugnance for spiders, and what I had heard of the big tarantulas (Mygalc), the most poi- sonous of the tribe, made me dread to come in contact with them. One evening about sunset, as I was walking on the carriage drive of a country home, I was startled by the sight of a tarantula leisurely proceeding a short LARGER CALIFORNIA INSECTS 37 distance ahead of me. He was as big' as a mouse. His thick black body was raised above the ground by eight stotit hairy legs. My first impulse was to retreat quickly, but, supposing he was out in search of his evening meal, I resolved to follow him. but at a respect- ful distance. Suddenly he sprang forward. Then MISS MARY A. ROE IN HER GARDEN he stood still for several minutes. When I reached the spot, I saw a large dead grasshopper that he had pierced by a poison fang between the head and body. The grasshopper had died instantly. After sucking the juices from the body, the tarantula proceeded in the search of other victims. As the twilight in that region is short, I returned to the house and told my host what I had seen. He said that one day one of his workmen, in digging a trench, handed him from the up- turned earth what looked like a white silk bag. As he grasped it, a tarantula sprang from it to the ground and fled, leaving a score or more of little ones The tunnel by which the tarantula reached the surface of the earth had been destroyed in the process of digging. My friend consigned the nest and its contents to swift destruction in the kitchen range. Not long after my first sight of a tarantula, I witnessed a terrific battle between one and what is called a sand wasp, as she too builds her nest in the ground. She was the largest and most beautiful wasp I have ever seen. Her body, three inches long and, 1 judged, one thick, was a bright metallic blue. The four large gauze-like wings were shaded scarlet. For more than an hour, i watched the fierce duel between these insects. Their weapons were about equal in power. The spider was not quite as large as the first that I had seen, but by swift movements he strove to insert his deadly fangs into the wasp and to avoid her venomous stiletto. But the wasp's wings gave her an advantage, and gradually the spider's strength was overcome by repeated stings, and he lay paralyzed or dead, I could not tell which, but as I knew that wasps have the power to leave a glimmer of life in their victims, thus providing food for their young, I watched closely to see the next move. The wasp flew to a hole in the sand not far away and disappeared for sev- eral minutes, then she dragged the spider close to the opening, but it was too small. Then I saw her set to work with head and feet, making the sand fly until she was satisfied that the en- trance was large enough. Still she had to push with all her strength to get the spider below the surface and just above the spot where she had evidently deposited her eggs. On returning to the surface, she covered the hole with sand and flew away. Her family cares were ended, for when the little white grubs should emerge from the eggs they would find in the body of that spider all the food required until they also should be ready to rise from the ground in a new and beautiful dress to begin another cycle of life. My last adventure with a tarantula w^as an illustration of their wonderful power of endurance. A young man in one of the California canyons captured a large specimen and put it in a quart can, making holes in the lid for air, and brought it to Los Angeles in July leaving it there for me. I was out of the city and did not return till late in September. In that time the spider had received one grasshopper, yet was still alive. I at once poured into the can through the holes in the lid a tea- spoonful of chloroform. There was a scurrying inside of the can for a few minutes, then all was still, and I sup- posed his sufferings were ended. A week later I put the can on my 38 THE GUIDE TO NATURE desk to remove the specimen. For- tunately the Hd was but partly off when the tarantula sprang to the top and put two legs over the edge. I shall never forget the look of anger in those fierce black eyes, and I did not blame him. But I feared his fangs. By means of a book I pushed him back in the can, and secured the lid. I then called for help from two men in the house. With difficulty in preventing his escape they transferred the tarantula to a glass jar half filled with alcohol. It was some hours after he was immersed in this before all movement of his legs ceased, showing that life was extinct. Once again I had the opportunity for observing at close range the largest and most curious insect I had ever seen. I discovered it one morning on the out- side of the window screen. It was more than five inches in length, light green in color and its slender neck and small head rested on its long forelegs that were doubled back at the middle joint in a kneeling posture. A moment later a bluebottle fiy settled on the screen. Instantly the long legs of this insect new to me sprang forward to grip the fly, and during a last frantic buzz its head was nipped oft' by strong mandibles, and the rest of the body leisurely devoured. I called in a friend to see my visitor and was told that for California it was an unusually large specimen of the mantis. The Mexicans call it "the praying mantis" from its supplicating position when at rest. But from what I had just witnessed I should have spelled that descriptive word with e instead of a. My friend told me that in South America the mantis grows so large and strong that it can catch small birds for food. So closely do they resemble the foliage of the branch on which they rest that birds fearlessly alight close by them. T was assured that they are harmless to human be- ings, but as this mantis caught sight of us it assumed such a threatening atti- tude before flying away that T was thankful for the screen and had no desire for a closer acquaintance. The Birth of a Butterfly. BY h. W. BROWNEIvL, NEW YORK CITY, All of us have doubtless seen hundreds of caterpillars. Most of us dislike them, but were it not for these crawling, and often repulsive, creatures, the world Carnations. Carnations are the floral standbys, Always spicv, always sweet; Not so short-lived as the roses, They are for all occasions meet. — Emma Pcirc MILKWKED CATERriLLAR. would be without butterflies, — those fairy-winged sprites of the air that do their share in Nature's work while help- ing to make the world more gladsome. The butterfly is but the final stage in the metamorphosis ( which is a big word for little people and means a changing from one state of life to another and a more perfect one) of the caterpillar. I am going- to describe for you this wonder, for it is a wonder, and is by no means the least of the many that Nature is con- stantly performing. There are countless thousands of cater- pillars oTOwing- to their full size and changing into butterflies everywhere around us during the summer months and yet few people ever see the process. The Milkweed butterfly, also called the Mon- arch, is the commonest of all our butter- flies. It is not only commoni in this coun- try but is found all over the world, which cannot be said of any other of our but- THE lURTH OF A P.U TTERFLY 39 CATERPILLAR HANGING FROM LEAF, JUST CHANGING TO PUPA terflies. It may be seen in large num- bers on almost any day of summer or fall hovering" about the blossoms of the milkweeds or flitting along country roads. It is particularly numerous in marshy places where milkweeds grow. It is one of the largest of our butterflies, measur- ing from three to four inches across the wings ; its coloring is reddish brown with black borders and veinings on the wings. The caterpillar, or larva, if we wish to use the correct scientific name, is, when full grown, about two inches long and a rather pretty fellow. He is banded around his body with stripes of yellow, black, and white. When first hatched from the egg he is very small, scarcely a quarter of an inch in length. He grows very rapidly, however, and his life as a caterpillar is rarely more than twelve to fifteen davs lons^. He spends this entire time on the milkweed plant upon which he was born, for this is his food plant, the leaves of wdiich he eats. If he cannot get these, he will starve to death : he cannot be forced to eat the leaves of any other plant. He is very greedy and spends nearly all his time, day and night, in eating, but every second day he stops for from four to six hours during which time he chang- es his clothes or moults. This he does five times during his life as a caterpillar- You see he eats so much and grows so rapidly that his skin becomes too tight for him, in the same way that a boy's clothes become too tight, so he changes them frequently for new ones. At such times he remains almost motionless for about two hours before and after the change. The actual change itself is quickly made. His skin simply splits down the back and he crawls out of it with a brand new skin. Is not this an easy way of getting a new suit? If any of you would like to watch what takes place during the various changes that occur between the small caterpillar and the perfect butterfly, find one of these caterpillars (it will take but a short search among the milkweeds) and take him home. Do not handle him any more than you can help, for this is likely to hurt him. The best way is to cut ofi^ the plant on which you find him and carry him home on that. Place the plant in a bottle of water and each day put in a fresh stalk, allowing the caterpillar to crawl from the old one to the new. Your little guest will not try to leave you so long as you keep him well supplied with food, but be careful to supply the same kind of leaves as those upon which you found him feeding. Some day soon you will find him rest- lessly crawling about the plant, stopping now and then to raise his head and look about, as though not quite sure where he wants to go, or what he wants to do. This does not mean that anything is wrong with him, or that he has grown, tired of his home and wants to leave. It simply means that he has reached the end of his existence as a caterpillar, and that he is looking for the spot on the stalk that will be the best and safest place to stav (luring' the next stage of his career PLTPA CASTING OFF SKIN. 40 THE GUIDE TO NATURE PERFECT PUPA. which is known as the pupal or chrysalid stage. When he at last finds this spot, which is generally the uniderside of one of the broad leaves, he hangs himself up by his tail, fastening himself to the underside of the leaf by means of a sticky, silky substance which he spins out. Hanging thus, with his body curved into the form of a hook, he remains without motion for about twenty-four hours. During this time, although we cannot see it, a won- derful change is taking place inside of his body, the results of which we shall soon see. At the end of twenty-four hours his body straightens out and he begins to twitch and wriggle as if he were in great pain. Possibly he is. Who can tell? At all events his head and upper part of his body (or rather lower part, as he is hang- ing head down) soon commence to swell and continue to do so until they burst the skin and the pupa or chrysalid begins to come out. By continued wriggling the skin is slowly pushed backward until it is gathered in a little bunich at the tail. Now, while a part of the skin still holds to the chrysalid, the extreme point, end- ing in a small black hook, is withdrawn, the hook is worked firmlv into the silky substance which has held the caterpillar to the leaf, and, with a final jerk, the skin that was so very necessary to the caterpillar is now of no more use, and is enitirely thrown ofif, the chrysalid hanging free from all coverin^^. During the next two or three hours the shape of the chrysalid slowly changes until at last it hangs a perfect little jewel. It is about an inch in length and of a bright green color ornamented with a circle of golden spots near the top. Per- haps some of you have spied one of these little milk week jewels in your country rambles, but, common as they are, they are not often seen because they are so well hidden by the broad leaf underneath which they hang. Now, for from ten to twelve days we can leave our little visitor entirely alone, for, while a wonderful change is still g-oing on inside the green shell, we can see nothing of it. We shall have ample warning when the next change that we can watch is about to take place, for about ten hours before the butterfly is to make its appearance, the color of the chrysalid will slowly change from green to brown and, at the end, we can see within the transparent shell the folded wings of the butterfly. We must now watch closely or else we shall miss the actual sight of him as he comes out of the chrysalid shell. Sud- denly, with no warning, this shell bursts open and the butterfly pulls himself out by the aid of his forelegs and hangs BUTTERFLY SOON AFTER EMERGING FROM PUPA SHELL. THE BIRTH OF A BUTTERFLY 41 PERFECT BUTTERFLY. from the now useless shell a creature all body with small, much-crumpled wings The process has taken less than one min- ute, and should our attention wander for that minute we shall have missed it alto- gether. We think, at first sight, that something must be wrong- with him and that he must have been "born" deformed, for he looks very little like the beautiful insects that we see hovering about the flowers in the garden. We must have patience, however, and watch closely, for this is one of the most interesting parts of the whole performance. Slowly and steadily the wings unfold, and as steadily the body grow\s smaller, for the life juices are being pumped from the body into the wings until they reach their full size and beauty. They still hang limp and useless, however, for they are damp and need to dry out and strengthen before thev can be used. Pres- ently our little friend leaves his shell and crawls to some higher point on the plant wdiere, for the next four or five hours, he will remain while his wings dry and stififen. During this time he now and then tests them and learns their use bv slowlv ooening and shutting them until, finally, feeling that he can at last trust liimself to wings, he leaves his perch and flies forth into the world. What a beauti- ful and graceful creature he now is, and how different from the crawling worm of but two short weeks before ! We can hardly believe it possible and vet we have watched the change take place and know that it is true. All butterflies and moths must pass through the four stages in their metamor- phosis to the perfect insect. First, the egg; second, the caterpillar or larva; third, the pupa or chrysalid ; and fourth, the perfect insect or imago. Most of them, however, take much longer in the process than does this tiny monarch. Many of them pass the winter in the third, or pupal stage, either wound up in cocoons or buried in the ground or under stones or loose bark, and with these the changes are not easy to watch,. but this royal acquaintance of ours passes: through all the stages in from three to four weeks, and, for that reason, is the best one for us to study. — "The School- mate." (By permission, with courtesy of the illustrations). What Makes "Bird's-Eye" Maple? The explanation of the phenomenon is simple, and a person with a good magni- fying glass can work it out for himself. The bird's-eye figure is produced by ad- ventitious buds. These have their origin under the bark of the trunk. The first buds of that kind may develop when the tree is quite small. They are rarely able to force their way through the bark and become branches, but they may live many years just under the bark, growing in length as the trunk increases in size, but seldom appearing on the outside of the bark If one such bud dies, another will hkely rise near it and continue the irritation wdiich produces the fantastic growth known as bird's-eye. It is said that the Japanese produce artificial bird's- eye growth in certain trees by inserting- buds beneath the bark. The Field Mu- seum, Chicago, has a sample of what is claimed to be artificially produced bird's- eye wood from Japan. — 'American For- estry." The Curtain of the Dawn. Aflame are all its folds When we at first behold; But the coming of the orb of day- Transmutes the flame to gold. — Emma Peirce. 42 THE GUIDE TO NATURE ELEPHANT \"S. L()C().M()TI\-E 43 Elephant vs. Locomotive. It is not often that a wild animal deliberately locks horns with an active locomotive on its own rail. Jumbo was killed by a locomotive, but the en- counter was not of his seeking.. It was an accident. Once, however, a vicious bull ele- up, and, worst of all, two persons were killed. Judging" from the complete openness of the country ; there was no excuse for an elephant on the track, and there- fore the charge of the Siamese "Gun- da" was wholly gratuitous. "N. Y. Zoological Society Bulletin." BAD FOR KLEPHANi .VM> IJJL 0.\lO 11 \ E. phant elected to try conclusions with a whole railway train. In one respect the bad elephant took second money, "but the punishment inflicted upon the locomotive and several cars was so ^reat as almost to jvistify calling the contest a draw. It was in 1906, on the Korat branch of the Siamese State Railway, that a bull elephant disputed the right of way with a freight train running at full speed. He charged the charging loco- motive, and the result to the train is shown in the accompanying reproduc- tion of a photograph kindly furnished by Dr. E. B. jMcDaniel, for twelve years fhe liead of the mission Hospital at Petchaburi, Siam. The elephant was killed outright, and buried under the wreckage of the train. The locomotive was derailed and sent down the side of the grade ; several cars were derailed and piled Another Aquarium Society. There is no other object of nature study more availabe, in city as well as in coun- try, or more interesting if managed in- telligently, than an aquarium. In view of these facts it is surprising that aqua- riists are so few, but it is encouraging to note that a society that bids fair to be enterprising and active has just been formed in Newark, New Jersey. The following officers were elected : Mr. L. Smith of East Orange, President ; Doctor Bachmanm of Newark, Vice-Pres- ident; Mr. George Hoernig of Newark, Secretary ; Mr. Max Hammerschleg of Newark, Treasurer. We extend our heartiest congratula- tions to this new association. Alake the opening course of your morning- meal A cup of the morning air; It will add a zest to all the rest, Is easy to prepare. — Emma Peirce. 44 THE GUIDE TO NATURE All communications for this department should be sent to the Department Editor, Mr. Harry G. Higbee, 13 Austin Street, Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Items, articles and photographs in this department not otherwise credited are by the Department Editor. Bluebird's Nest on the Ground. A most unusual situation of the nest of a bluebird — and in the writer's ex- perience the only instance he has ever known of one nesting upon the ground — is shown in the accompanying illus- NEST AND EGGS OF BLUEBIRD ON THE GROUND. tration. This nest was observed and the photograph taken in company with Rev. M. B. Townsend, Secretary of The Audubon Society of N. H., and was found in Woodlawn Cemetery at Nashua. A stone jar, 6^^ inches high, 4^)4 inches in diameter, and with an open- ing at the mouth of 2^ inches, was found lying upon its side in the grass on one of the cemetery lots, being first noted on the twelfth of May. Both birds were about on this instance and apparently well contented with their unique home. A considerable quan- 'ty of dried grasses formed the nest 'vithin the jar and a few hen feathers served for a lining. Four eggs were deposited in the snug enclosure, and it H'ould have been an observation of un- usual interest to have watched the growth of this family, had not fate in- t.erfered in the shape of a careless passer, who, — little realizing its pre- cious contents, — set the jar upon its base, thus breaking one of the eggs and settling them to the bottom among the grasses, causing the birds to desert their home. The nest was later found in its dis- ''urbed condition by the cemetery fore- man, who first discovered it, and the jar has been preserved with its con- tents,— still showing three of the eggs. One can only speculate as to what caused these birds to choose such a strange location for their home. There were many trees about the place, and only a short distance away was a maple containing a cavity made by wood- peckers such as one might expect blue- l)irds to occupy. It may have been that they first selected this site, and being driven away by the woodpeckers, felt compelled to choose the first convenient hollow at their disposal, which proved to be in the jar here shown. Certain it is that it was an unlucky choice for the birds. In such an exposed position it is extremely doubtful if the young would have here been raised to matur- ity. They would have been an easy prey for the many foraging cats : the sun, beating down upon the unpro- tected jar, might readily have caused their death, while predatory animals and nest vermin would be far more likely to cause their destruction in such a place, than in the cool seclusion of their usual nesting sites. ORXITHOU )GV 45 The Bird Woman at Home. It is always interesting to learn a bit of the home life of an author — espe- cially of one whose books we have read and whose characters we have loved. SHOWING THE SWAMP ANGEL JUST WHY A FLOWER IS RARE Photograph by G. B. Monroe. Copyright 1915 by Gene Stratton-Porter. Mrs. Gene Stratton-Porter is such an author, and through the kindness of Doubleday, Page & Co., who have re- cently issued her latest novel, "Michael O'Halloran,' we are permitted to show our readers some hitherto unpublished photographs of Mrs. Porter at her home, "Limberlost Cabin," in northern Indiana. The accompanying pictures were taken by G. B. Munroe and are copyrighted by Gene Stratton-Porter. One of the pictures shows Mrs. Porter sitting between two of the splendid oaks on her property near the lake shore. Her present home is about sev- enty miles north of that alluring spot. "Limberlost Swamp," so accurately described in her books, and about which center the themes for most of her stories. On account of the gradual cut- ting off of this swamp for commercial purposes, Mrs. Porter felt obliged to change to her new location, at the head of the swamp in Noble County, of which she says, "There are many lakes, miles of broken marsh, and a far greater wealth of plant and animal life than existed during my time in the southern pari. At the north end every bird that trequents the Central States is to be found," and "in one season 1 have located here almost every flower named in the botanies as native to these re- • gions and several that I can find in no book in my library." In the third picture Mrs. Porter is shown kneeling among her beloved flowers, at work with bottle gentian. Those who have read "The Harvester" cannot fail to appreciate this picture, which shows just such a scene as she describes around the swampy margins of "The Lake of Lost Loons," and wherein she depicts them with such wonderful vividness that we are com- pelled to love them as she does herself. In her story of "Freckles" Mrs. Por- ter, in telling us about "The Bird Woman," chronicles a bit of her own painstaking work in photographing the nests and eggs and home life of some of the western birds. Her accurate observations and careful recording of data along this line have long since been recognized by scientific authori- SE ARCHING BRITTON AND BROWN TO IDEN- TIFY THE FLOWER FROM MEDICINE MAT. Photograph by G. B. Monroe Copyright 1915 by Gene Stratton-Porter. 46 THE GUIDE TO NATURE ties, as has also been her work among the insects. Her beautiful book "Moths of the Limberlost" depicts in colors many of our native species, and is a recognized authority for the life-his- tories of those which it describes. The author is pictured on the rustic seat with her daughter, of whom A Study in Bird Psychology. BY ROBERT C. MILLER. 302 EVANS STREET, UNIONTOWN, PA. I was one day walking along a coun- try road, when I noticed a young robin making a iirst and very awkward attempt to use its sparsely feathered wings. Impelled by the inherent desire GIVING THE BOTTLE GENTIAN ITS CHANCE. Photograph by G. B. Monroe. Copyright 1915 by tiene Strattor.-Portcr. she says an idealized picture formed her character of "The Swamp Angel" so prettily described in "Freckles," her first nature novel. i Although Mrs. Porter has written a number of novels, she is essentially a nature writer, and a thorough student in her personal observations of the wild creatures. Through her delightful manner of writing she has accom- plished great good in popularizing the love of nature through first-hand study. The common fault among many other- wise interesting writers upon naiure subjects, of enlarging upon th'^ facts and humanizing the wild things in order to make a good story, is not found in her books. Nothing is more wonderful or interesting than the real facts concerning our wild friends. "Th? Bird Woman" has brought them to us in a way that we can all understand, and has woven the love of them into the lives of her characters as it ought to be woven into the lives and charac- ters of us all. to have "a bird in the hand," I picked the little fellow up, upon which he set up such an outcry that all the birds in the neighborhood were summoned to the scene. Half-a-dozen robins re- sponded to the appeal for help, a dimin- utive song-sparrow came hastening up to join the noisy convocation, and soon all the birds within hearing distance had assembled, raising such an uproar that I felt quite guilty. What I had essayed to do in secret was being pro- claimed from the house-, or rather, the tree-tops, and I hastily put the birdling down and went away, like a foot-pad surprised by cries of "Stop thief !" A few days later I hajjpened upon a young grackle out in the orchard, put it in my coat pocket to see what the results would be. The parent birds raised a great commotion and fluttered wildly from tree to tree above my head. The young bird raised its voice loudly in an appeal for aid, the old grackles chat- tered and squawked, but none of the other birds came to their help. Robins ORNITHOLOGY 47 were hunting worms on the ground all about, a near-by tovvhee was singing unconcernedly, and on a neighboring bush a tiny Maryland yellow-throat called in his sprightly way, "Which way, Sir?" The grackles were noisy, disreputable birds, known to be occa- sional nest-robbers, and in their time of distress, no one would help them. '1 he robins, quiet, respectable birds, might avail themselves of the protec- tion of all the other birds in the or- chard, but the grackles must fight their battles alone. stage of action. It is highly probable that the "Sweet I'salmist of Israel" had some such thought, when he longed for the wings of a dove, that he might flee from earth and be at rest. — From the opening chapter of Swainson's "Birds," published about 1835. Birds. If elegance of form, beauty of color- ing, or sweetness of voice, were pecu- liarities which constituted the superior- itv of one class of beings over another, we should unquestionably assign to birds the highest station in the scale of animal creation. No shadow of fear mixes with those pleasurable sensa- tions with which they are viewed ; and those feelings, moreover, are height- ened by the ethereal nature of the crea- tures themselves. In a moment they may spread their wings, launch into boundless air, and be seen no more. We almost view them as beings of a happier world, alighting upon this "dim spot called earth." more as a place of tem- porary rest, in their voyage through the regions of space, than as their perma- nent abode. They remind us of those invisible spirits of the tinseen world, which, we are taught to believe, tra- verse the air on the wings of the wind ; wdio alight, but for a moment, among the sons of men, and then depart to breathe a purer atmosphere. Of all unintelligent beings, they alone are gifted with a musical voice, possessing hr^-^h sweetness and varied expression. Tl-ieir language, in some measure, is thus intelligible even to man, inspiring hiri with cheerfulness or melancholv. Fence it is, that from among birds the pof^ts have selected their sweetest themes. They are. both poetically and literallv, the butterflies of vertebrated animals : flitting from one plant to an- other, livine less on earth than in the air. and having their wings ornamented with feathers of bright or varied colors. In both we dimlv see an indication of that existence which wnll separate the spirit of man from those cares, anxieties and allurements which chain him down to earth, as if it was his final and onlv A Starling Episode. So much has been said against the English starling in regard to its driv- ing away our native songsters wher- ever it has taken up its abode, that I was especially interested when we dis- covered that a pair had made their ap- pearance in the lot across the street from our home — the first of these birds recorded from Hyde Park as far as I have been able to learn — on the 30th of April, and began to carry nesting material into a flicker hole high up in a dead elm tree. Anticipating, though with some apprehension as to the out- come, the watching of these birds daily to note their actions in relation to the other birds, it was with some regret that I recorded their disappearance two weeks later, and believe that they were, driven off by the English sparrows^ which now occupy the elm stub. For several mornings following the appearance of the starlings a pair of flickers which had been about the place for some time, and which were doubt- less the pair which occupied this cavity during the season of 191 5, came fre- quently to the tree and seemed greatly disturbed by the presence of the foreign birds. When the flickers appeared the starlings merely perched nearby and apparently paid no attention to their out- cries or their presence. The agitated flickers meanwhile would flutter around the trunk and peer into the hole, but made no efifort while I watched them either to pull out the nesting material or to drive away the usurpers of their home, and after a few such visits we saw them no more. For a week or more following, the starlings were observed daily about this nest and going into the hole, but were frequently scolded and driven from the tree by some English sparrows which appeared to be occupying a cavity low^er down in the same tree. On the 14th of Mav I looked in vain for our notorious visitors but have not seen them since. Now the flickers have gone and the sparrows seem to hold 48 THE GUIDE TO NATURE full sway. I cannot say positively that they drove off the starlnigs, but that was apparently the cause of their leav- ing, i think, of the two, we would much have preferred the starlings for our neighbors in the old elm. The Song of the Brov/n Creeper. It always brings a thrill to the bird lover to hear a new song or to see a bird which he has never before ob- served. Such a thrill was mine on the iirst of April last, when wandering about the edge of a swamp near my home I heard a clear, sweet little war- ble, and following up its author, found the bird to be a brown creeper. The song, repeated many times at rather long intervals while 1 watched the bird a few yards away, seemed to consist of four parts: the first note rather high, the second lower, the third again high- er, and the last ending in a little de- scending trill. After feeling well acquainted with these birds as winter residents for some twenty years, and never having -heard any note from them except their usual mouse-like squeak, uttered while running up the trunks of the trees, I was naturally surprised and elated with my new discovery. Their fine note seems always very elusive and the sha- dow-like movements of the bird itself make it often-times a rather difficult •one to locate and observe. In this in- stance, however, it was soon marked by its song; although the bird did not seem to pause while giving it, but kept on its spiral course up the trunks of the swamp maples, — twisting about one for some fifteen or twenty feet, then dropping down to the base of another nearby to repeat the performance. H. D. Minot, in his early work on "The Land Birds and Game Birds of New England" speaks of this song as follows : "Their indescribable song is a very pleasant one, being somewhat like the far finer music of the winter wren, and is varied, some of the notes being loud and sweet, while others are much feebler and less full in tone. It IS repeated in both spring and summer, but never, I think, before March." Wm. Brewster, in a biography of the brown creeper, mentions the fact that in its northern summer home among the spruces and firs this bird has an exquisitely pure, tender song of four notes, aptly describing it as "the first of moderate pitch, the second lower and less emphatic, the third rising again and the last abruptly falling, but dying away in an indescribably plaintive ca- dence, like the soft sigh of the wind among the pine boughs." The Passing of a True Friend of the Birds. Bird lovers generally, and especially those interested in the great study of migration, have lost a valued friend and counsellor in the death of Prof. Wells W. Cooke of the U. S. Biological Survey, who died at Washington on March 30th. Prof. Cooke was acknowledged pre- eminent authority on all matters per- taining to bird migration, and through years of patient study and correspond- ence had built up a most valuable sys- tem of compiling facts concerning the movements of birds throughout the country, for the use of the Department of Agriculture, with which he has been identified for the past fifteen years. The success of this undertaking has been largely due to his devoted personal work. Though but fifty-eight years of age at the time of his death. Prof. Cooke has lived long in the service of his fellow- men. In his gathering together of use- ful information he has accomplished in this time what seems little short of marvellous, and the results of his splen- did work cannot help but show increas- ing value in the coming years. A Singing Blue Jay. While visiting the interesting aviary at the Boston "Zoo" a short time ago, the writer was greatly surprised to hear a new and imitative song from the throat of a common blue jay, which, with three others, was in a large cage inside the enclosure. Surprise was turned to delight when this bird re- peated its performance, not once, but many times, while I stood watching it a few feet away. The song was varied and given after the manner of that of the brown thrasher. It contained nu- merous warbles — one a very good imi- tation of that of a canary. About six feet away from the blue ORXITHOLOGY 49 jays' cage stood another in which were contined a number of St. AndresDerg canaries, and this was doubtless the source of that part of the jay's song. 1 did not need to look far for the remain- der of its "copy," for the room was filled with birds, both native and for- eign, and a continuance of songs, calls and squawks of a most varied character was constantly being poured forth. It seemed difficult to reconcile the soft notes and truly sweet strains which this jay was now uttering with the bird which we kno\v only as harsh, boister- ous and anything but gentle and refined, in both song and habits. It appeared to be amusing itself by softly imitating the various songs and calls that took its fancy, rather than to be performing for the benefit of its hearers. During its song it remained huddled together on a branch, while its companions in the cage were hopping about and feed- ing unconcernedly. A deformed bill and the absence of a tail, probably worn and broken by flying about the cage, added to the strange individuality of this bird. As this was a totally new and un- heard-of experience from the writer's point of view, it would be interesting to learn whether any other of our read- ers have ever heard a blue jay sing. Since writing the above notes I find> in the May-June number of Bird-Lore a similar experience recorded by R. E. Robbins of Brookline, Mass., though the author does not here state the cir- cumstances under which the bird was heard.— H. G. H. One almost wonders sometimes, why it is that the sun keeps on year after year and day after day turning the globe around and around, heating it and lighting it and keeping things grow- ing on it, when after all, when all is said and done (crowded with wonder and with things to live wath, as it is), it is a comparatively empty globe. No one seems to be using it very much, or paying very much attention to it, or getting very much out of it. There are never more than a very few men on it at a time, wdio can be said to be really living on it. They are engaged in getting a living and in hoping that they are going to live sometime. — Ger- ald Stanley Lee. Studying the Nest. in the farm Journal for April the following sixteen suggestions were made for nest study. "Be very careful not to touch the nest or eggs. Use this as a study plan: i, name the bird; 2, when the mating began ; 3, actions dur- ing courtship ; 4, when nest-building started ; 5, whether male or female or both did the building; 6, site of the nest ; 7, materials used ; 8, when the nest was completed ; 9, how the birds acted dur-'ig nest-building; 10, when first egg was laid; 11, number of eggs laid; 12, color of eggs; 13, when last egg was laid ; 14, wdiether male or female or both incubated the eggs; 15, actions during incubation ; 16, w^hen first bird was hatched." The above is an excellent outline for observers to follow, and to it might be added the important study of feeding the young from the time of hatching to their leaving the nest. Long individual observations should be made if possible to secure accurate information. A com- plete study of a single nest is much more to be desired than the haphazard observations of numerous species. Wild Strawberries. Walking around the cellar, my eye caught the glow of red, ripe strawberries in the thin meadow grass. Here was just the dessert I needed after my lunch of sandwiches. There is a well-founded sus- picion that no berry equals the wild strawberry in flavor. Reader, if you have never eaten a shortcake of wild straw- berries deluged with sweet cream which has hung in the well to ripen, then you have my sincerest sympathy, for you have thus far lived in vain. In the city res- taurant where I take my meals, they have little squares of shortcake (so called) upon which, bedded in whipped cream, are a few sour, wilted, cultivated strawber- ries, labeled, "Strawberry Shortcake — 10 cents " I never insulted my palate with one of the detestable frauds. It is an in- sult to any farmer's son or daughter to oflfer such a miserable apology to one who has known the real thing. — ^Milo Leon Norton in "Saturday Chronicle." A Rose. The acme of florescence Proud nature's fairest work; Wherein, to show its limits, A little thorn doth lurk. — Emma Peirce. 50 THE GUIDE TO NATURE The Heavens in July. BY PROFESSOR ERIC DOOLITTLE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. The most striking astronomical event of the present month will be the eclipse of the beautiful full moon, which will take place on the evening of Friday, July 14, while the moon is passing the meridian, high in the heavens. Two all. with the single exception of Mars, disappeared from the evening sky. The reader who has from time to time been ob- serving the morning sky how'ever, knows that for many weeks the beautiful Jupi- ter has been shining brightly there, and as the weeks of July go by he will see the planet Venus steadily climb upward in the dawn, where by the close of the month it will be a no less brilliant object SouTK Figure 1. The constellations at 9 P. M., July 1. (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). weeks later there will occur the fourth eclipse of the present year — an interest- ing annular or ring, eclipse of the sun ; but this will be wholly invisible from the United States. As to the bright planets which for so many months have made our western heavens beautiful, they have in the morning than it has been for so many weeks in the evening. ;(; ^i >|< ;|; * The July Stars. The slow, seasonal turning of the sphere has now brought the brilliant sum- mer group, Scorpio, exactly to the meri- dian south, and has carried the very large TO KNOW THE STARRY JlIvWEXS 51 group. Hercules, with its wonderful, closely packed cluster of sixt\- thousand suns, (at A, Figure i) to its highest position in the heavens. The summer branch of the Milky Way has mounted halfway to the zenith, and the part of this including Delphinus, Aquila. Lyra and Cygnus is unsurpassed in beauty b\- any other like region of the heavens. The reader who is already familir^.r with the brighter constellations and who takes a pleasure in gradually becoming acquainted with the no less interesting but fainter and less well-known groups, cannot do better than to select for his study this month the long and winding Dragon, for this group is now high above the Pole, in its most favorable position of the year. The head of the Dragon is formed by the four stars at H (Figure i) of which both B and C are interest- ing binary systems, though they are ex- cessively difficult, even in the largest telescopes. The orange star at C will always be a memorable one to astron- omers, for it was from observations upon this that the astronomer, Bradley, two centuries ago, made the epoch-making discovery of the so-called Aberration of Light. From the region H, the body of the Dragon extends downward to the yel- lowish star F, and then upward, winding around the Pole through AL meeting the brightest star of the constellation at N., and finally ending in the tip of the tail at \\ The star at D is a beautiful pair with an opera glass, the components being separated 'by an apparent distance equal to that across the full moon, and, in fact, all the stars at J, U, E, F, L, M, R and S are double stars, though many of them are very difficult in the largest telescopes. To the Arabians, the stars, J, B, C, and H, were sometimes known as the Alother Camels, protecting their foal, at U, from the two Wolf Stars, K and L, who were lying in wait for it. The foal is a little pair of stars, easily seen double in a small telescope. The brightest star of the Dragon, at A, was the Pole Star of forty- seven hundred years ago ; the central pas- sage of the great pyramid of Cheoos was directed to it, as indeed, were similar passages in many other of these struc- tures. During forty-seven centuries the slow course of the procession has carried our pole from this star to Polaris (at W) while six thousand years from now the pole star will be the bright object at O, and in twelve thousand years it will be the magnihcent Vega. The reader may now also well trace out the long, winding Serpent of the south- ern heavens, with Ophiuchus, the Ser- pent Holder, who is holding the twining Serpent in his hands. The portion of the Milky W'ay below and to the left of this group is wonderfully rich in clouds ^^^ w / ^^m, ^ k I E > s 1- ■4 s 1 9- Figure 2. The eclipse of tlie moon, July 14-15, 1916. and clusters, and indeed its whole sum- mer branch is so filled with intricate detail and variety that it will well reward many evenings of careful exploration. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ The Planets in July. Mercury reached its greatest western elongation on June 30 and for the first few days of the month will be seen shin- ing brightly in the dawn for about one hour before sunrise. It should be looked for well to the north of the east point of the horizon. On July 28 it will enter the evening sky but it will not attain its greatest distance east of the sun until September 9. A'enus enters the morning sky on July 3 and toward the end of the month will become a conspicuous object there. It will attain its greatest brilliance on August 9. Alars, the only planet remaining with us. will pass from Leo well into Virgo during the present month. In a moder- ately large telescope the polar cap and the larger markings may still be made out. but this world is now far too dis- tant to be observed to advantage. To the naked eye it is now even fainter than a first magnitude star; in the telescope it has the shape of the moon when about three days past full. 52 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Jupiter is becoming- a conspicuous and beautiful object in the morning heavens. On July I, it rises about four hours be- fore sunrise, but by July 31 it rises before midnight. This planet will be the reign- ing object of our evening heavens during the coming autumn and winter months. Saturn is in conjunction with the sun on July 12, and so cannot be observed during the present month. at the point where the moon passes through it. The center of the moon will reach the point A, and the eclipse begin, at 10 hrs. 19 min. 18 sees. P. M. (East- ern Standard Time) ; it will reach the point C, and the eclipse be the greatest, at 1 1 hrs. 45 min. 54 sees. ; and it will finally reach the position B, and the eclipse terminate, on July 15, at i hr. 12 min. 30 sees. A. M. The moon will thus ^ri (\ A ) WESTEt^M 1 NctrtmerhU*^ \ J Teisian-oRYj ^x, V, ! South ^^ \ ,^^^^^ ^ \ A>USTr3/\UIA^ ^^^L^ SouTm J^ 1 ^^^s. 0 1 New South / X •^■v ^^^P^ °^^ ^•^v 0 ^v? TASMANIA ^ B Figure 3. The path across Australia of the Central Eclipse of the sun, July 29, 1916. On July 3, at 3 A.M., the earth will pass through the point of its orbit which is farthest distant from the sun ; on this date we will be more than three million miles farther away from the sun than when the two bodies were closest to- gether, six months ago. The Eclipse of the Moon. On the late evening of July 14, our moon in its eastward monthly journey among the stars will pass into the earth's shadow and a large part of its light will be cut ofif. The great shadow of the earth stretches out into space directly away from the sun, the extreme tip of the shadow being no less than eight hundred and fifty-seven thousand miles away from us. This length is, of course, far too small to reach to the stars or to any of the planets, but as the distance of the moon is but two hundred and forty thous- and miles, it follows that sometimes the moon plunges into the shadow and is eclipsed. In Figure 2, the large, shaded circle represents a section of the earth's shadow at no time be wholly covered ; it is prob- able that even the portion wholly within the sliadow will not become entirely dark. Instead, the observer will probably see areas of illumination on the dark ball of our satellite which may vary from copper color to greenish, or may even in part be of a deep red. These changing colors during the progress of an eclipse afford a most interesting sight. They are due to rays of sunlight which have passed through the rim of air surrounding the earth, and which have thus become so bent within the shadow that they fall upon the darkened moon. To an observ- er on the moon at this time the "New" earth would be seen as a black ball, sur- rounded by a brightly colored rim of light. Sometimes during an eclipse the rim of air about the earth has been filled with clouds so that no light could pene- trate it and the moon has therefore en- tirely disappeared, but this is very un- usual. The Annular Eclipse of July 29. On the evening" of July 29, the moon TO KNOW THE S TARRY HEAVENS 53 will pass completely onto the bright disc of the sun, thus hiding all of the latter from view except an intensely bright and narrow ring of its outer edge. This eclipse will be wholly invisible in north- ern latitudes, however, the path of the annulus first striking the turning earth at A, Figure 3, sweeping across Australia and Tasmania to B, and linally leaving the earth's surface at a point about nine hundred miles south of New Zealand. Wanted: A Small Telescope. An experience of more than six months in our popularizing and popu- lar observatory has shown that the nights for really good seeing are few^, and that most of our visitors come in large parties. These include chapters of The AA and companies from other organizations, such as churches, schools. Camp Fire Girls, Boy Scouts, Woodcrafters and family groups. We have had the observatory crowded on many of the best nights by from thirty to forty people when it was important to have each moment used to advan- tage. As every astronomer knows, many of the attractions of the heavens may be seen with a three or four inch instrument practically as well as with a larger one. We desire contributions in money, or the gift of a secondhand telescope on tripod mounting and of moderate aperture, that will supple- ment to advantage our six-inch Clark on pillar mounting. The Sound Beach Astronomical Observatory has been so eminently successful, and has so stimu- lated others to establish observatories in other places, that we are sure our friends will come to our aid and wiH give us at least one small telescope. It is becoming more and more evident that the best form of popularizing ob- servatory is one that has several small instruments. For most celestial ob- jects big telescopes reveal no more of real interest than the small ones. If many persons are to be reached and not kept imoatiently waiting their turn . especially on a cold night, when the atmosphere is quiet and seeing is there- fore at its best, then the really prac- tical form should be a battery of tele- scopes. The ideal observatory would be a long room wnth the roof com- pletely removable above a row of small instruments. Any observatory that attempts to entertain and to instruct visiting parties should have more than one telescope. Think of it for a mo- ment. Forty people come into an ob- servatory. To give each one only a minute is really hurrying him too much, but that takes about three quarters of an hour, more than that in actual prac- tice, and even then a visitor, after wait- ing an hour and a half, may have only two brief peeps at the heavens. We feel confident that our philanthropically disposed people will see that we are at once supplied with greater optical facilities. Edward F. Bigelow. Astronomy in Education. In urging a popular education in as- tronomy one might remark that our cliildren would never be homesick if they learned to recognize the heavenly host that still watches over the famil- iar home scenes. But seriously speak- ing, I think that astronomy should be included in every high school curric- ulum. Not the mathematical side, of course, as that is too technical and un- interesting for most people, but a thorough knowledge of the fundamen- tal facts of physical astronomy. In these practical days education has been largely transformed from mere book learning into a means of preparation for our careers. Nevertheless a very proper reaction has set in, and it is becoming more and more apjjarcnt that it is desirable for every student to car- ry several purely cultural studies. — Henry Handy McHenry in "Popular Astronomv." One can glory in a great cliff down in the depths of his heart, but if you mention it, it is geology, and an argu- ment. Even the birds sing zoologi- cally, and as for the sky, it has become a mere blue-and-gold science, and all the wonder seems to be confined to one's not knowing the names of the planets. I was brought up wistfully on Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are. But now it is become : Twinkle, twinkle, little star. Teacher's told me what you are. — Gerald Stanley Lee. Nature's portals are ajar. Her latchstring always out, You do not need to seek her far, Her paths are all about. — Emma Peirce. 54 THE GUIDE TO NATURE t^wjyppppywywwyyyypwyyypw ■ I ■ . 1 . ■ nry ■■■■. . i-yrvwi ■■! n il ■ ivi't tf, t iTtvi t m-f. rrrtTm « I ri tfTM I in I'lfi i> n 1 1 1 n i ivn THE MINERAL COLLECTOR ■ ■■■>i^rro.'riVvrf.-.i-ifrtirir^^..ri-iVir»T>.i'>iir.«rrj'i»viii'l>i'iri«Vi<-rniTY-i.i-iri- nri-i'i ■■/yyii'v«T..-rnrin iff^^^ff^ff^^f^^fRlfRiff^ff^^^M^ff^Mf^ff^ Marvelous Collection of Stones. BY H. E. ZIMMERMAN, MT. MORRIS, ILL. A few miles from Oregon, 111., there resides an old soldier by the name of Virgil Reed. As a result of his army experience he is totally deaf, as a con- sequence of which he is quite lonesome. Some years ago when he found that his affliction prevented him from en- specimen stones from every state in the United States, and also from every capital in the country. These speci- mens range in size from a mere pebble to large rocks, some of them weighing several tons. He has gone to much ex- pense and considerable labor in pro- curing some of these larger rocks, and the manner in which he has handled them, almost alone, forms an interest- A PRIVATE MINERAL COLLECTION ON A HUGE SCALE! joying the companionship of his friends, in order to pass away the time, he began to make excursions over the country in his vicinity, picking up here and there curiously shaped rocks and stones that attracted his attention, and began to study them. These were car- ried back to his home and carefully laid away. Up to that time Mr. Reed never felt any interest in geology, but as his collection grew raj^idly, he be- gan to take an interest in this study, though he lays no claim to any great knowled<^e of this science. He has ing story. He has literally rods of stone fence around his yard, every stone having its own history which he enthusiastically narrates to his visit- ors. Only half of his collection can be shown in the picture. Mr. Reed is the old gentleman with the canvas gloves, to the left. He has been col- lecting these stones for over thirry years, and his place is visited b}' hun- dreds of people, some of them scientific men, to examine these boulders. Some of these stones are arranged in flower- beds, which, in summer, lend an addi- THE MINERAL COLLECTOR 55 tional attraction to the home. In this collection are some tine specimens of meteoric stones, ranging from 700 pounds to 7^ ounces. He takes pleas- ure in showing what, perhaps, is the only specimen of English chap granite in the United States. He amuses his visitors by showing them some speci- mens of scoriaceous rocks which actu- ally float. In this collection are to be found stones of almost every shape, many of them strikingly resembling animals, ships, faces, etc. When he began his collection, Mr. Lewis had rocks scattered so thickly over his yard that his boys, in coming home at night often fell over them. Because of their complaints he decided to adopt some system in arranging his boulders. Hence the arrangement seen in the picture. Mr Reed is being urged to bequeath his collection to some near- by educational institution, as, in al! probability, after his death, others would likely use them to fill ditches, or make road. Why Study Minerals? BY W. C. BANKS, STAMFORD, CONNKCTICUT. This morning a friend gave me a copy of Shepard's "Synopsis of Mineralogy." Beginning with the Introduction I read : "There is no study that can be made more interesting and useful than mineral- ogy, and in no branch of science is the use of a text-book, alone, so inadequate as in this one. To study minerals, the stu- dent must have the specimens not only before him, but actually in his hands, that he may feel, examine, and test for himself." Here we have the explanation of the great value of mineralogy as a nature study. Nothing else is so well fitted to train the faculties in the habit of accurate observation. "He that hath eyes to see, let him see ;" but few really see, or, for that matter, use any of the senses with the nice accuracy required by accurate knowledge. Here I have three specimens of yellow metallic minerals. To the unaided sight they are similar to one another. Let us test them with a knife blade. One yields a greenish black powder : another is too hard to be cut, while the third is sectile, like a piece of lead or of gold. Obviously there is considerable difl^erence here, yet, to the unaided sight, the specimens are all much alike. Let us test them on char- coal, with the blowpipe. Two give off a strong odor of sulphur, and fuse into gray, magnetic globules ; the other fuses without cliange of color. This is another proof that they dift'er. If we take these three fused assays, after crushing them, and drop them into three test tubes, with a little nitric acid, and apply gently heat, we find that tw o are dissolved, while the third remams unchanged ; that one of the first two colors the solution light green, the other light yellow. We add a little caustic ammonia. One remains unchang- ed in appearance ; each of the others pre- cipitates a brownish iron hydrate, and one of them gives a beautiful blue solution of copper hydrate. The first specimen is na- tive gold ; the second pyrite, a compound of sulphur and iron ; the third, chalcopy- rite, a compound of copper, iron and sul- phur. Not only do they differ in these ways, but they are unlike in specific grav- ity and in crystal from. Although they appear to be similar, to bring out their differences requires numerous tests, and some careful observation. The sense of smell detected the sulphur ; the sense of touch, the specific weights, and the sense of sight, the color and the form. I have cited these three merely as examples of the resemblances and differences among minerals, whose study tends to educate and develops the faculty of observation. But aside from the desirable mental disci- pline obtainable from their study, min- erals, perhaps as distinguished from min- eralogy, are well worth our attention. Where can we find more beautiful exam- ples of color and form than among the members of the mineral kingdom? Con- sider the magnificent coloring and form of fluorite, calcite and quartz, not for- getting tourmaline with its many pleas- ing hues and tints. Of the other so-called precious stones, consider the delicate blue of a fine turquoise ; the pure, restful green of the emerald ; the luscious red of the ruby, and the limpid purity of a fine diamond. "But," it may be objected, "we all cannot make collections of gems." No, but we can all enjoy their beauty. Aside from aesthetic considerations, min- eralogy consists of something more than fine, exhibition groups of fluorite and gem stones. In its study we become ac- quainted with useful ores, and even the commonest minerals acquire an interest for one that becomes even superficially acquainted with the subject. Minerals from every point of view are well worth studying. 56 THE GUIDE TO NATURE EDITORIAL Maturity and Old Age Better Than Youth. When one hears an adult or an old person eulogizing youth, when he sees a child dancing along the sidewalk, or running across the fields, when that adult says, "That is the best time of life," then he has not properly used his years for the accumulation of experi- ences. Eulogizing youth is like saying that a green apple is better than the ripe apple, a bud better than a flower, a seed better than the perfect plant. One that lives near to nature finds, as Dr. Van Dyke has said, that the last years of life are the best. I am reminded to make this suggestion to our nature-loving friends by a pleas- ant letter received this beautiful spring morning from Professor D. L. Earnest of Athens, Georgia. He writes in re- gard to the Editor's nature work and his own joy in nature ; "The thing I most like about your work is the spirit of it — you meet nature with a smiling face and you enjoy her beauty. You do not divorce utility and joy — life is a time to be glad in, and you know it and show it ! Athens was never so beautiful as at this time ; no spring was ever so bright and pleasant. As I grow more mature my joy in life increases — the more of life I know, the better it is enjoyed. I have discovered places fragrant and in- spiring. I am not wholly spending my time in pleasure seeking; this winter I have appeared in public eyes seventy- four times — I mean since September. Not bad for a beginner !" In connection with this the words of Thoreau come to mind : "All nature is new in the spring, and fortunate are we if it finds us new." The quotation may not be literally correct, but it represents the spirit of Thoreau's life and of everyone, who, like Professor Earnest, lives near to Old Mother Earth. Since the above was written a letter has come from Professor Earnest in which he states as follows : "The reason the man enjoys life more than does the boy is because he has more with which to see, can understand more, hence appreciate more. We see with what we are and we are what we have seen ; the sooner the beginning is made the bigger and better and brighter life will be. "Who is literary? Who is illiterate? The book of nature is good reading; its alphabet we have barely learned. Is not he illiterate who has not learned to turn and enjoy its pages? Nature study is to see, to vmderstand, to enjoy. If life is misery, life is worthless. Must it be destroyed ? No ! Catch my mean- ing; personally life may be painful but may contribute to the joy of another soul ; but surely unless one gets or gives joy, his life is vain. Start to-day if nature has told you nothing; she will if you but cultivate her acquaintance; know her and she will instruct you, smile upon her and she will give you joy. "As you older grow and know her better Nature speaks to you more as a friend and the best of friendships takes vears for growth. God's book is best for study and for delight ; the thought of man seeks other things than self as he grows more contemplative and less impulsive, and it is not strange that all nature is aglow with God if we seek her face, alive with interest and appreciation." Has the World Progressed? The Bulletin of the Brooklyn Insti- tute of Arts and Sciences publishes a rather remarkable article under the title, "Do We Progress?" and while we agree with the Bulletin in not en- dorsing all the conclusions reached in that article, we must admit that the writer raises some interesting ques- tions. We quote his opening para- graph : "The late Dr. Alfred Russell Wal- lace— he who quite independently of Darwin thought out a theory practi- callv identical with the theorv of nat- EDITORIAL 57 utal select,ion — stated shortly before he died that he did not believe in pro- gress. As a matter of fact, it is ex- tremely difficult to point out definitely where progress in humanity may be observed. There is certainly no pro- gress in man's highest expressions of his intelligence. Viscount James Bryce has observed that the poetry of the early Hebrews and of the early Greeks has never been surpassed and hardly ever equalled. Neither has the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, nor the speeches of Demosthenes and Cicero. No one pretends that there is any progress in art. The masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, and paint- ing date as a rule from long before our time, some of them nearly twenty-five hundred years back. Yet in spite of this, many mortals cherish the belief that there has been an advance beyond our forebears in many things, and es- pecially in education. Why are we so sure that there has been decided pro- gress in education? At the present time we are admittedly far below many preceding generations in art, literature, architecture, arts and crafts, and many developments of taste. Why then should we think that in education, one of the highest of the arts, the moulding of the human mind into beautiful shapes instead of the moulding of more plastic material, we should be far ahead of the past, and, therefore, in a position to find no lessons in it? The fact is that much of the educational work of the past is superior to that of the pre- sent. Today in this country the ten- dency in education is toward an accu- mulation of superficial information rather than a training of the intellect for hard thinking." The philosophy is based on the teach- ing of a book issued 2900 B. C. "The Instruction of Ptah-Hotep," of which a translation has recently been pub- lished by E. P. Dutton & Company, New York City. In this schoolbook of Ptah-Hotep, which is said to be the oldest book extant, it is interesting to note the clear, direct and picturesque style as a piece of genuine literature, and that it contains philosophy, ad- vice in education, in the training of character and for practical everyday life. The book is translated from the Egyptian with an introduction and ap- pendix by Battiscombe G. Gunn. The writer in the Bulletin makes these sug- gestive statements : "Ptah Hotep looks up to God as the giver of all good things. He loves His creatures, and above all loves man, and observes man's actions very carefully, and rewards or punishes them accord- ing to their deserts. Indeed, the picture of God is as striking a presentation of the fatherliness and the providence of the Almighty and of most of the lov- able characteristics of the Deit^v as there is to be found anywhere in litera- ture until the coming of Jesus Christ. And this book was written as long be- fore Solomon as Solomon is before us !" He concludes with this suggestion : "There is no such thing as evolution or progress in literature, and in art and architecture we are far behind the an- cients and the people of the Middle Ages. Everything, indeed, depends on ourselves and not on our predecessors, and this in itself constitutes the highest form of incentive to do our best work." We do not give these quotations our unqualified approval. We reprint them on account of their thought provoking qualities. It is well to pause at times, especially in educational work, to as- certain just how far we really have progressed. There is much liberal thought in this ancient schoolmaster. Ptah-Hotep, that it may be well for us, forty-eight hundred years after his time, to consider. One would naturally suppose that the world would change considerably in that period. Probably it has changed, but is it now all that it should be? That is the question. We live in a wonderful world, and the wonders of the world without us are matched and more than matched by the wonders of the world within us. This interior world has its natural history also, and to observe and record any of its facts and incidents, or trace any of its natural processes, is well worthy of our best moments. — John Burroughs in "Under the Apple-Trees." Wood Lilies. Lifting painted cups to Heaven, To catch the sun and dew, Like torches bright they light the way, The scented woodland through. — Emma Peirce. 58 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Have You Eaten Custard Pie? I was about twelve years of age when one day I came home after a snaring and hunting expedition, as hungry as it is possible for a country boy to be, and that is saying a good deal. I had tramped over many miles and had had no dinner. It was about three o'clock in the afternoon. I said, "Grandmother, I cannot wait until sup- per. I am almost starved. Bring on a lot of things. I want my supper now." I do not recall all that she brought, but I remember fried cakes and custard pie, of both of which I was very fond. I literally stuffed down two or three of the fried cakes after the manner of ravenous country boys and then turned my attention to the custard pie. Al- though I was rather surprised to hear grandmother say, "Eat all you want," I decided to accept her advice. The whole pie should go. The first quarter went in about six pieces — one does not have to chew custard pie. The second quarter slowed down to about eight mouthfuls, but I was well through the third quarter when for the first time I really tasted that pie and began to suspect something. I tasted again. That pie had been kept a little too long. That was grandmother's reason for not keeping it any longer. I looked at the old lady. 'Tsn't this pie sour?" She tasted a bit and thought, as if she had a difficult philosophical problem to solve. She tasted a little more. "Yes," she admitted, "I guess perhaps it ha:^ been kept a little too long." I decided with disgust that it had been kept far too long. I had been too hungry to make the discovery but my stomach decided in less than half an hour that it should be kept no longer. No, I have not wholly lost my liking for custard pie. I like it even to this day ; that is, after I have decided that it is eatable, but never since then have I seen a custard pie without an un- avoidable feeling of repugnance. My mind as well as my stomach was then and there poisoned, and what might have been all my life a delight has been greatly marred by the feeling of dis- gust aroused by a sight of this most delicious of all domestic concoctions. I\Iv reason can overcome it but con- siderable force of will is needed to do so. To that extent one pleasure in life has been destroyed. My friend, have you ever tasted cus- tard pie ? I fancy you have ; that is, the spirit of it, because when you first see a toad or a snake you shudder at it although your reason tells you that there are no more beautiful creatures in the world. Perhaps some natural- ist urges you to hold the snake in your hand and you reluctantly admit that it is a glossy, dainty, graceful creature. Some naturalist assures you that it is all nonsense about a toad giving you warts, but it takes much argument and much hesitation before you receive the toad into your hand and notice the jewels in its head, its. beautiful eyes. Perhaps you are persuaded to hold it in your hand until it sings to you its sweet lullaby. Finally you do really enjoy it, if you are strong enough to overcome the impression that you re- ceived in childhood when some one ex- claimed, "Oh, that horrid, nasty thing!" and your mind was prejudiced. Are you afraid in the dark? Is the pleasure of a stroll in the darkest Af- rica of the woods and thickets marred or wholly annihilated because in your childhood, or perhaps in one of your ancestor's youth, some one tasted the spirit of that custard pie and your pleasure has been marred for all your life; in that part of the twenty-four hours you cannot enjoy nature? T remember about midnight in camp when during a severe thunderstorm I sat at the entrance of a tent occupied by some sixteen or seventeen young women in order to keep them from be- ing frightened and that after the storm had abated, and I was on my way back to the Plainville, Connecticut, camp meeting ground, I sat under a tree as the thunder rumbled ofif toward the west, and the lightning flashes were becoming less vivid. I was alone with the grandeur of nature. The time was about two o'clock in the morning. It is good to be alone with nature and with one's self. But why did I enjoy it? Because in my boyhood I had not epten a sour custard pie of the mid- night of nature, as so many other people have done. To me it was a celebration of those days when I felt at home in the woods at night. EDITORIAL 59 Are you afraid to go into a grave- yard and stay there alone at night f your reason tells you that it is only the sleeping place of your friends, and thus to revere their memory should be a joy, but somehow you or some of your progenitors have absorbed the spirit of that custard pie. You have been frightened by the unknown. You are terrified not only by the surrounding- darkness, but by the thought of the untraveled road that each of us must tread. Your reason tells you that it should be a delight to enter into new scenes and unfamiliar places, to enter into those joys that the eye hath not seen nor hath it entered into the heart of man to imagine, yet you shudder at the thought of that unknown region. Yes, but unreasonably so. There is really nothing to fear except one's self. In the darkness where reason tells us there is no enemy nor any lurking dan- ger, yet somehow, because of danger in the past and present of the humai: race, there is the feeling of dread that requires much force of will to over- come. As I grow older, my reason and the delicious qualities of good custard pie have taken much of that dread from my mind, but I wonder how mu:i- older I must be, and how much longer experience must influence the human race before reason and love will wholly annihilate the dread. Afraid in the woods? Afraid in the cemetery? Oh, for a greater love to drive out the fear of things that we should wholly enjoy. Yes, my friend, you have eaten sour custard pie, and some of the happiness of your life has been destroyed. Strug- gle with all your powers so that all the world shall have less dread, less ugliness, less enmity, and a better era of peace and serenity, of loveliness and beautv, shall be ushered in. In Memoriam Hominum! Though some of our Latin scholars may criticise the syntax of that ex- pression they must admit that it recalls at least a suggestion of something in memory of men, but I want to play up- on the word and sing, like Virgil of old, in memory of mankind's once familiar hominy. In all the cornfields, in all the gristmills, in all the kitchens, hominy is only a memory to the older mem1:)ers oj mankind. During a correspondence extending over more than three years in all parts of the country in search of this lost hominy I have yet to find the first particle of the real thing. I have been deluged with letters telling of in- numerable places where one might ob- tain hominy, and into these places I have chased the fleeing will-'o-the- wisp, only to find something entirely different — what every New England boy knew^ half a century ago as hulled corn, or the monstrosity that any self- respecting New England boy would have been ashamed to know, a pale- faced, blanched, Japanese-like form of corn, known as hominy grits. Now it is neither hulled corn nor this so-called hominy grits the loss of wdiicli I am deploring, but real hominy from yellow corn. Good old Noah Webster, and I have no doubt that Daniel too, knew what hominy was, knew that the original w^as common yellow, Indian corn brok- en by the Indians. Of course when they pounded it with a pestle in the hollow of a stone, their breaking was somewhat irregular. The white man improved upon that. He broke the grains bv nlacing the gristmill stones far apart and then sifted out the soft, mealy portion by some process not known to the writer. The thin skin covering the corn was removable. Goo'l old V.'ebster tells us that the word itself is closely associated with the term "rokohamin" used in Virginia, but the Virginians parched the corn before they pounded it. It seems that there was a variety of processes but the process that produced the real ma- terial, dear to the heart of every New^ Englander, is unfortunately no more or is beyond the researches of my three years' correspondence. After something like a year's corres- pondence, an aged miller promised that if he could ever find the spare time he would grind a bushel of the real old stuff. I waited for six months and then wrote inquiring if he were not almost ready to find the time, but a marked copy of a paper mailed to me by one of his relatives told me that he had passed on beyond time. There w^as another miller in the east- ern part of Connecticut Oh, yes, he knows all about it and just as soon as he can complete repairs on the erist- niill he will supply all I need. For a 6o THE GUIDE TO NATURE time he answered the letters, especially when I enclosed a stamped and self- addressed envelope, but as it is now a year and a half since he made the last report on those repairs, I judge that mill is either in a state of collapse, or else that he has joined my first miller in a conference beyond time. In the heart of the country at an old homestead I found a man that said, "I know just what you want," and smack- ing his lips continued, "My, but I can remember those hominy pies even to this day." "That is it. You have got it right," I said. "Pies with luscious raisins and a custard, all made of the real old hominy." "Well," he contin- ued, "I do not know as you can get it in stores nowadays. We have discon- tinued it in the North but they are not quite up to us in the South and they still have hominy." "You mean," I said, "they are far ahead of us if they still have hominy and we have not." "I will give you a few addresses," he said. I wrote to several including a famous old gristmill in Richmond, Virginia. One man was kind enough to write, "We have the real hominy," and to send me a liberal package. Im- agine my disappointment when I found it was nothing but such as is sold at department stores. John Greenleaf Whittier, why do you not come back and reprimand some of these grocers for using your classic "bowl of samp and milk" as a misuse of the name samp? It is about as near what you had in mind as huckleberries are to peas. Went to visit a man in New Jersey. He said, "We have here an old-fash- ioned gristmill. They have just what you want." Gleefully I alighted from the automobile and accosted the man at the desk, "Give me a peck of hominy, will you?" The man at the desk laugh- ed and said, "I know what you want. We have not p-r^f ;t I have heard my grandfather te.ll about it." Then I realized that I had grown beyond youthful years when a full-grown man like that had to refer to his grand- father ! ! A young friend in the back country of Connecticut known as Columbia, tried to sing not only "Hail Columbia," but "Hail Hominy" as having discov- ered the desideratum. She told me where to write to sfet all I needed. Residt, loss of another two-cent stamp and the stenographer's time. Isn't it strange that the human race will let drop out of use such a delicious food ? Where is the wholesale grocer that will make fame and fortune by put- ting up the real material and placing it on the market? He need not try to palm ofif on us any white hominy grits or any hulled corn similar to that made from lye over wood ashes. Nor need he try to convince any one that those white particles are the real thing. I fear that the making of hominy is a lost art. That is my reason for singing this gastronomic epic, "In Memoriam Hominum." "Proofs" that Disprove, or, Arguments That Do not Argue. I want to prove to you that an oak tree is more beautiful than a lily of the valley. Listen carefully and catch the force of the logic. Let us consider this important question as to the relative beauty of an oak tree and a lily of the valley. I am sure that you will recog- nize the force of the indisputable argu- ment, because the robin is a beautiful bird and pulls earthworms from the soil among the lilies of the valley under the oak tree. "Quod erat demonstrandum" — with a flourish of trumpets as if the whole thing were therefore conclusively proved. "What nonsense !" exclaims the reader. "What has a robin under an oak tree among the lilies of the valley got to do with proving that an oak tree is more beautiful than a lily of the valley?" That is your question, and you must answer it or I must refer you to those who have used that kind of logic. In the month of March, I sat in a schoolroom in a town of Maine. The room was packed with school-teachers who were listening to a talk about the rural interests of Maine. The speaker was trying to prove that Maine is the most beautiful and most interesting place on earth, or, as it seemed to me, he was trying to console them for the misfortune of having to teach school under the rural conditions in Maine. The most conclusive proof that that particular place in Maine is the most beautiful and most interesting spot on the earth would have been to tell the teachers to look out of the rear window over one of the most beautiful landscapes that I EDITORIAL 6i have ever seen. The ground was coveretl with snow ; snowflakes were faUing thick and fast ; the valley, hills, and evergreen trees together formed a vision like a vision of Paradise. I have seldom seen anything more beautiful than that view from the window of the Emerson School in Sanford, Maine. My eyes were de- vouring the distant hills, while my ears were assailed by the speaker. Here is the substance of what he said : "Some of you teachers may at times, especially in the winter, feel that Maine is a dreary region, and that your lot has fallen to you in unpleasant places. But Maine is really better than you think. I know a lady who recently left her native Maine and went to Los Angeles. She wrote charming letters about the wonder- ful flowers, and trees that were so beau- tiful through the entire winter, but she said, T cannot like Los Angeles with all its beauty quite as I like Maine, because my friends are in Maine and they make me feel that Maine is the hest place on earth.' " Oh, what a proof! It throws up the whole question. It is presumable that for those who have known both places from childhood there are friends in both places. On that point odds are even. The ques- tion under consideration was whether Maine is the more enjoyable place of resi- dence, or as good as Los Angeles. The questions have as much relevancy to each other as has the robin pulling earthworms to the comparative beauty of the oak tree and the lily of the valley. Much more might have been said of the wonderful kaleidoscopic beauty of Maine as compared with the somewhat monotonous scenery of Los Angeles ! Is there a son or a daughter of New Eng- land that would change the beautiful winter snow for a place where one never sees the miracle of the snow? Who would change that for a land in which there is no burst of spring? That refer- ence to the friends cancels the whole question, and makes the logician throw u'^ his hands in despair at the attempt to prove the intrinsic beauty of Maine in comparison with that of Los Angeles. ANOTHER PUZZLE IN ARGUMENT. In the April number of "The Ladies' Home Journal" is a full page editorial essav with elaborate mvtholos:ical illus- trations, entitled "The Immortality in Our Hands." Many readers undoubtedly have been delighted at first impression by the full page, illustrated treatment of a subject so vital to every human being. The author asks, "What is Immortality?" He then proceeds to sum up the principal qualities in two para,graphs : "To know that you have received from your father and mother, and from the fathers and mothers of their fathers and mothers before them, a foundation of body and character and personality — good, bad, indifferent, all in one : "To take the many qualities thus passed down to you, qualities doubly precious because of their very source, and to com- bine them with the heritance of one who is nobler and finer and dearer to you than anyone else, passing them on, mol- ten and welded into a greater metal, to sons and daughters of your own." He then outlines other features of the giving to sons and daughters of the best that lies within^ one's self, — likeness of the parent, of the mind, of experiences in suft'ering and in joy, of ideals, and of standards that have influenced. The writer concludes that this is "the one Immortality unselfish enough and noble enough and himian enough to have been ordained for the finite comprehen- sion of mortal kind by the infinite wis- dom of a loving God." If all that that editorial writer outlines is Immortality, then there is no Immor- tality. There is only Heredity. He has used all the arguments of annihilation, and has there put the whole of the main question. He has offered a so-called proof that disproves — an argument that does not argue — and has proved that there is no Immortality. He should have concluded as a kind of benediction to his reader, with the epi- taph that an atheist requested his relatives to carve oni his tombstone, "I was. I loved, I am not." If what that editorial writer has out- lined is Immortality, then a rooster is immortal when his head is chopped off and his body used in a potpie. He has given all his characteristics to the suc- ceeding cockerels of the farmyard. If what he has outlined is immortal then horses, cattle, trees, and plants are im- mortal, because they have transferred their characteristics to their descendants. Perhaps in a certain sense they are im- mortal. Perhaps there was a modicum 62 THE GUIDE TO NATURE of truth in Thoreau's exclamation to the pine tree on the summit of a hill. "You tower above me in this life. Perhaps you will still tower above me in some other life." . , That, however, is not the meanmg of the term. Immortality. If Immortality means anything in the hope of the human race, it means a distinctive continuance of individual Hfe in some form after death. According to the fallacious argu- ment of the "Journal" editorial, the only people living are those on earth, and if our earth should gradually cool in eons to come until there is a last final survival of the human race, then the entire human race, with all its principles and methods, has been annihilated. In a homily upon what Immortality should be, this should he included. It is impious to refer to any other Immortality it is only an acceptance of the annihilation of the individual. When one tries to prove the compara- tive merits of two localities, or of two forms of life, and must add a third factor, it is an argument that does not argue except for the other side of the question. Anybody who sees in nature an argument for God and a future life, cannot permit such rank nonsense to pass without comment. There is no form of attack so insidious as that which lulls one to sleep by some quieting brook, and no pernicious argu- ment so subtle as that which is carried on with mellifluous, melodious, but de- ceptive words. There's A Path. There's a path that leads to pure delight, And it starts at your very door. It may take you into a garden sweet, Or around by the breezy shore. It may go far into wooded depths. Where shade and coolness reign, Or out into the sunshine bright. Along a flowery lane. It may follow the shining river down. As it flows its way to the sea. Or meander by the singing brook. As it wanders through the lea. It may climb the hills and mountain heig'hts. Or end in the nearer fields. Whichever way it may chance to take, It untold pleasure yields. For it guides you into Nature's haunts, Her fairyland, her own, Where wonders, inspirations, joys. Are lavishly bestrown. — Emma Peirce. Limitations of Omnipotence. A letter from the Rector of an Episco- pal Church calls attention to the problem of nature's "care for the type, and its carelessness for the individual ; its 'red- ness in tooth and claw-' " In company with this is another from a religious microscopist, who says that he is more and more puzzled by the. problem of pain and evil, and that while looking at nature and at humanity, he is becoming still more puzzled to know where God is, and why He permits certain things to be. Many similar questions appear in our correspondence and in various public prints. It is my belief that all these things, that so pain enquiring and trou- bled souls, arise from a fallacy in the accepted notion of omnipotence as ap- plied to God. But, and I say it with reverence, God cannot do everything. He has not unlimited omnipotence. His power is universal only within the bounds of consistency. He must be pained be- cause humanity is expecting so much of Him and is calling on Him to do the im- possible, to be inconsistent and to break His own laws. Let us consider the matter. There are almost innumerable things that God cannot do. To ascribe to any being the power to undo the things of yesterday is unthinkable. Thus far I have dictated this article- Omnipotence Himself cannot undo that act of dicta- tion, as thus far done. He cannot change the fundamental principles that He has established- Twice two can never be fifteen. Omnipotence is not applicable to such an attempt. After He has creat- ed the law of gravitation that universally attracts, He cannot then prevent two freely movable bodies from colliding, if other and similar bodies should cease to act upon them. He will roll this world together as a scroll when His power of gravitation has worked itself out in the fullness of time, and when his unerring laws bring this planet into collision with soinething else. The result will be a nebula. On the gigantic scale on which the universe is created, these laws may take millions of vears to accomplish such PER NATURAM AD DEUM 63 a result, but that result will cmiie as sure- ly as a ball now falls to the grouud when unsupported. He cannot give individuals or nations, which are t)nl}' a collection of individuals, free will, and at the same time stop them from doing' what they want to do. With all His Omnipotence He could not have stopped the Civil War, and at the same time have decided the human question that the war itself de- cided. Neither the North nor the South was wholh' right nor entirely wrong- Both were right, and the clashing rights had to work themselves out in a way that is ultimately shown to be the best for humanity. H He had interposed by di- vine power at any time during the Civil War, as He could have done, since He had already created gravitation, He could not have stopped that zvar mid at the same tune have settled the question from the hit man point of vieiv. Humanity had to settle that question- He cannot create righteous human beings and deprive them of the ability to do evil. That would be to create mere dummies. The thoughtful person must see that in a world in which there is no possibility of €vil, there can be no possibility of right- eousness- It is equally true that in a world where there is no possibility of a struggle, there can be no development of strength. The stones of the field never struggle with another ; the stones of the field never develop an individual strength ; they are merely acted on by the universal power of gravitation. A struggle for supremacy must give pain to the under dog in the fight, and likewise more or less to the upper dog. But dogs that never struggle would not be dogs as we know dogs. The tooth and the claw in such conditions would be useless, and would never have been developed. Health is meaningless without the pos- sibility of sickness. Joy is meaningless without the possibility of sorrow, as cold is only a term for the absence of heat. If everything in the world had the same temperature, the terms heat and cold would be meaningless. The most thought- less man cannot but perceive the good- ness, the righteousness, the marvelous power of a Creator that could produce a world in which there are extremes, the possibilities of health and sickness, of joy and sorrow, of goodness and of sin- Any- thing that should come short of that pos- sibility would be dead, inert space. One may well question whether or not the Creator Himself in His Omnipotence could have created a world in which there should be none of these possibilities of extremes. Are we not giving the Almighty unkind treatment, when we ask Him to abrogate His beneficent laws, when we clamor for the undoing of all that He has done for the good of human- ity? His beneficent laws are working successfully in the struggle for exist- ence in the daisy field ; in the contest be- tween the tiger and the man ; between the Allies and the Teutons. In some struggles the cause of the contest may not at the time be known. Time and again such examples are visible in the world of nature and of humanity. When the Diplodocus struggled with Triceratops who that stood by and saw one a victor could understand the matter at stake ? At present no one doubts the beneficent effect of those ancient struggles- We human beings are now engaged in a variety of similar contests, the chief of which is the struggle between nations. Even thousands of years may be needed to prepare the right perspective, and to clarify the puddle. Minister, scientist, agnostic, for a moment put yourself in the place of the Almighty, and imagine how you would feel- Say that you are the benefactor of the race, and have provided a perfect home for a certain family under condi- tions that you know are the best for that family, and practically the only ones that can by any possibility be for its welfare. You having so decided, what would prob- ably be your thoughts and feelings if that entire family should begin to clamor for a change and to say, "See, here, you do not exist-" You have established affairs so wisely that you are under no necessity for a con- stant display of your nature in the ad- justment of those affairs. Like a com- petent factory superintendent, you do your work so thoroughly that you seem to make no effort to accomplish your tasks. I wonder if the Almighty does not sometimes, perhaps all the time, feel the ingratitude of human beings who com- plain because He has given pain as a guidepost. Who has ordained that strug- gling shall develop strength, Who has allowed evil surroundings to exist so that rig-hteousness may finally abound, and then is constantly asked to make changes 64 THE GUIDE. TO NAURE and do everything over again in another way. Let us be perfectly frank. Human beings would be called either foolish or vicious if they talked in that way about their human landlord, who had provided a good home for them in best possible conditions. Why do we complain because God has made it necessary for us to work out our human problems for ourselves? God is omnipotent only within the bounds of consistency, while we poor human beings are constantly asking Him to be omnipotent in inconsistency. It is true that the Bible in several places makes the statement that "with God all things are possible." But that self-evi- dently means omnipotence within con- sistency and wisdom- Is it thinkable or possible that God in His all-power can make Himself inconsistent, or weak, or that in His wisdom it is possible for Him to do foolish things ? The North and the South in our Civil War were both right in praying to God for victory. The prayers of both zvere granted- Both North and South were victorious in settling a human question for the best good of all. To the South belongs the greater gratitude because of its greater sufifering and sacrifice, that all may enjoy for all time the settlement of a human question in which both sides were right. But you argue the South might have behaved herself and stayed in the Union and not brought all the pain, loss and sufiferiuig upon herself and the North- Yes, but the question would still be un- settled. Could any referee nation have passed an opinion that would have set- tled it as securely as now? Could God have continued free will of North and South and settled it without permitting the struggle? Don't enjoy the benefits of struggles and then blame God or doubt Him for permitting struggle- God always looks to the happiness of the individual. It is not true and not substantiated that God cares for the type and is careless of the individual. Salva- tion has never come to a nation but to individuals composing that nation. All natural science tells us that there are many types. Indeed, nature does not recognize any such thing as a type ex- cept as a collection of successes. Put an hundred oak trees and an hun- dred ash trees into competition and it is only a struggling of individuals. Buffa- loes, carrier pigeons and extinct species of the past just as readily compete in this struggle as do any individuals of those classes, only a type represents a collec- tion and there are always fewer collec- tions than there are individuals compos- ing that collection. It is recognized at once that rigliteousness cannot exist where there is no evil and even Omnipo- tence cannot be inconsistent with itself- Flowers not to be Honored, but to Honor. Human beings are to consider the lilies of the field and from them to draw lessons and inspiration. Flowers are taken into a church to honor the church, not to be honored by the sacred edifice. A correspondent in New York State calls attention to the fact that in an Easter day talk to the young children of the Sunday school, a clergyman said that the lily bulb had what he called a lowly position in the earth and strug- gled hard to grow and be something, and that finally as a reward for its ef- forts it was awarded the honor of a place in the church for T)ublic observa- tion. The correspotT^ent asks if that explanation is not wrong end to. We think it is. A wo"k of man, even if consecrated, cannot honor the humblest flower that comes direct from the hands of God as His masterpiece of handi- w^ork. The works of man are honored by the presence of the Supreme Work- er's beautiful production. That clergy- man had a glimmering of the true no- tion, though things with him seem to have been a little twisted. What he evidently meant to tell those children was that some of the grandest works of God have an humlile beginning, but that there is always the possibility in draw- ing life from Him so to influence others by beauty and usefulness as to honor and inspire every one with whom that life comes in contact or association. The lily has apparently an insignifi- cant and lowly beginning but how gor- geous it becomes, how useful and how inspiring to others because it has re- ceived its life from God. That lesson may be followed in the development in any human being, however lowly or humble the surroundings in which he may be placed. THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION 65 i ^^.^^--^i inn ; - — ^^ — •• : AQASSIZ ASSOCIATION" ^ @ ^ ^ ® @ @ Established ISTS lncorporat,e(1. Massaolmsptts. ISfli Incoroorated, Connecticut, 1»10 Report of the Putnam Chapters On February loth the Senior Putnam Chapter held its first regular meeting at the President's house. After the Treasurers' report one of the Members showed us some interesting stones which she had, and we talked about silk and its manufacture. we watched the large logs slowly burn Dr. Bigelow told us most interesting stories about the founding of The Agassiz Association and the meaning of the colors and names. Our Chapters had been very enthus- iastic about this new interest but we returned from our visits to ArcAdiA still more eager to go to work and do something. The beautiful influence of THE SENIOR PUTNAM CHAPTER OF THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION, GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT. At one meeting we practiced songs "which we later sang at /VrcAdiA. On March 17th we held an Agassiz morning in our school, The Greenwich Academy, and in assembly nearly every Member told of some interesting thing about nature which she had either dis- covered or read. The two Chapters have been to visit ArcAdiA twice, and both times had a splendid visit. On the first trip we all sat around the huge fireplace in the AVelcome Reception Room and while this splendid Association is already bearing fruit for every day this spring some girl has come running into the room eager to tell something which she has discovered in connection with the awakening of spring and the ap- proach of summer. Many of the Mem- bers have notebooks in which they are keeping record of the birds, trees or flowers which they have seen. Gradually the thought that Louis Agassiz wished to leave with us is being planted in our minds and hearts. 66 THE GUIDE TO NATURE A good prescription for a weak heart or constitution is, "Join The Agassiz Association." It's worth while. Bethiah Waterman, President Senior Chapter. Some Observations by Members of This Chapter. The Flicker's Nest. Out in the old dead tree in front of our school there is a flicker's nest. The little round hole in the tree looks as if the father bird had been working- very hard. The nest is so high that we can not see into it. The other day the father bird was tapping on the tree for his mate, but she did not come. We are going to watch the nest and see if we can see the birds. — Mary AIii.bank. A Starling's Nest. Last year outside of our house a star- ling's nest was built in our apple tree. Every morning this family of starlings would wake us up at half-past four or five. This starling laid four eggs and it was not long before there were some little starlings. This summer they are back again and in the very same nest. Eleanor Pier. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Our Gardens. We each have a garden on the grounds of our school. It is measured out in little beds for each child. We planted corn, radishes and beets or turnips. The flowers are candytuft and mignonette. Some radishes are up and there are tulips in blossom. Clarissa Mackcee. The Flicker's Nest. Out; '(ie of the building there is a tree. 0:ie day some flickers came and they thought that the tree would be a good place for a nest so they began to pick and pick. In a little while the hole was finished. When they were making the hole they tapped and it was a funny little noise that they made. The little red head bobbing up and down looked very odd. The nest is too high for us to look into. It must be a lovely little home down there. Frances Holmes. The Flicker's Nest in Our Chimney. About a week ago there was a flicker trying to make his nest in our chimney. In the morning at five o'clock he used to wake us up. He made a lot of noise on the chimney. We waited a few mornings to see if he would stop making that horrible noise, but he would not. So I told my grandmother about it and she had a man put some bags around the top of the chimney. A few days later we heard the flicker again, so we looked to see if he had made a hole in the bag and we found out that he had. We were going to have another bag put on the chimney, but the flicker went away and has not come back since. Elizabeth Anderson. The Robin's Nest. W'e have a robin's nest in a maple tree right outside of our window at school. We watched the robins build the nest. One robin would stay there while the other would bring the straw and pieces of rag. It is about halfway up the tree. The leaves are now so far out that you can hardly see the nest. Margaret Houston. That Woodchuck Story. BY WILLIAM R. LODGE, CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO. Woodchuck Day or Groundhog Day or Candlemas Day has been much ridi- culed, yet so far as the woodchuck's coming out is concerned, it is a mystery to many people- It is a fact, however, that the groundhog does awaken from his long' sleep on the second day of Feb- ruary. This has been proved conclu- sively at the Silver Lake Park Zoo of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. For eight years we kept here a white woodchuck that was caught in Northampton Township and presented to the late R. H. Lodge by Frank Wetmore. Mr. Lodge made care- ful experiments to ascertain whether or not the animal would come out on the second of February, and learned that it would. The woodchuck was kept in a small round cage about two and one-half feet in diameter, with an oak bottom and an oa! top, with quarter-inch rod irons, placed vertically about two and one-half inches apart, on centers and separating the top from the bottom. This was about two and one-half feet high and gave ample room for him to stand up and be fed tlirough the bars- Early in November the cage was filled with forest leaves- THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION ^1 The woodchuck curled himself up iu the center and went to sleep. Without food or drink he remained in this condition until the first or second of February, the cage being placed in an old-fashioned root cellar where tliere was no artificial heat. On several occasions during Decem- ber and January William R. Lodge tried to arouse him by shaking the cage, and did so disturb him that he would raise his head and grate his teeth, a familiar habit among woodchucks and other rodents, but was never able to induce the At that time the cobs would be disturbed and the woodchuck always came out of the nest and stood on his hind feet, with his hands on the bars and his nose through the spaces. He was asking for food, at which time he was given a pars- nip, sometimes cabbage leaves and cake. He would stay out for a day or two, and then go to sleep again, usually for about six weeks, the time depending upon the weather, though the writer does not remember that he stayed out continuously after February 2nd. He usually slept for most of the time, though occasionally he would come out for food. On two A WHITE WOODCHUCK. animal to come out of his nest so as to l)ecome visible- To prove that the wood- chuck did not move during a large por- tion of the winter previous to February 2nd, Mr. Lodge took pop-corn cobs and laid them over the center of the nest, squarely above the woodchuck, and not more than six inches from his head, plac- ing them rail-fence fashion, so that he could easily determine whether or not they were disturbed. They remained in this position for many days during Janu- ary and up to the beginning of February. Mr. Lodge's bedroom was immediately over that portion of the cellar and at an early hour in the morning of February ist, of different years, he was awakened by a shrill whistle such as woodchucks make, but more often not noticed until the 2nd. or three occasions the cellai doors were opened and the cage placed so that if there was any morning sunshine he would have an opportunity to make use of it. The cage was aLo sometimes set at the head of the cellar stairs so that it has been proved that the groundhog does come out on February 2nd and not until that time. There being no snow. at present, it has been hard to determine whether or not any of the woodchucks have come to the mouths of their holes in this locality. But it is well-known to hunters and trappers that they do come out about the second of February, for their tracks are found in the snow and even their muddy and sandy footprints on the rail fences whert they sometimes climb for a sun ''nth XII THE GUIDE TO NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS THE AQASSIZ ASSOCIATION YEARLY CASH REPORT. (accepted by the boaku of trustees, may 27, 1916.) Summary — casn Received. April 1, 1915, to March 31, 1916, inclusive. From The Guide to Nature ^3,847.07 From Contributions for Observatory 1,239.63 From Members' Dues, Contributions, etc 1,498.87 Total ....$6,585.57 Summary — Cash Paid. For The Guide to Nature. $4,428.7t) For the Sound Beaoli Astronomical Observatory 1 ,160.52 For General Expenses and Improve ments 996.29 Total $6,585.57 Note : Payments on Observatory to amount of $79.11 made after March 31st, 1916. Auditors' Statements. ArcAdiA : Sound Beach, Connecticut. The above is a correct summary of cash received and paid from April 1, 1915, to March 31, 1916, inclusive. (Signed) Edwaud F. Bigelow, Sound Beach, Connecticut. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 13th day of April, 1916. (Signed) Harry C. Frost, Notary Public. Stamford, Connecticut. This is to certify that 1 have examined the ■details of which the foregoing is a summary and find all to be correct, (Signed) (". R. Fisher, Auditor for the Public, Stamford, Connecticut. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 29th day of April, 1916, (Signed) Ci.arfnck E, Thompson, Notary Public. I have examined the record of receipts and expenditures of The Agassiz Association for the year ending March 31, 1916, and have no adverse criticism to ofifer. The expenditures seem to have been made wisely and for the hest interests of the Association, (Signd) Hiram E. Deats, Auditor for the Board of Trustees. Address, Flemington, New Jersey, May 27, 1916, Some Common Plant Families. A Botanical Textbook, By WiUard N. Clute. Joliet Illinois : Willard N. Clute & Company. This is a convenient, interesting and elemen- tary description of seme of the leading plant families. As might be expected from what we know of the author's literary skill and botanical attainments so simple, plain and lucid an essay as this is only what might be anticipated. It is all <)f tlii- .iiid instructive. For 'Bird Lovers BAUSCH & LOME BINOCU- LARS give a field of view nine times as great as that of the ordinary glass, with even illumination and clear definition to the edges. The stereo- scopic efifect enables one to judge the relative position of objects in the landscape. THE "6-21" is the ideal bird glass. Its superior optical qualities give it great light-gathering power — just what you need in the woods and on cloudy days. The magnification (6x) is ample, and by reason of the prism construction, the glass is about one-third the length of a cor- responding Galilean glass. Because of its compactness and light weight it can easily be carried in the pocket. Write for Our In- teresting Booklet Giving Full Details and Prices. Bausch ^ [pmb Optical ©. 512 ST. PAUL STREET ROCHESTER, N.V; ^S^^^^^^^^^^§^^^^^^^2^ The more things thou learn- est to know and to enjoy, the more complete and full will be for thee the delight of liv- ing.— Platen. Volume IX AUGUST, 1916 Numbers PUBLISHED BY THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION ArcAdiA: sound beach, CONNECTICUT EDWARD F. BIGELOW. Managing Editor Subscription, $1.00 a Year. Single Copy, 10 Cents is GREENWICH THE EDITION DE LUXE OF CONNECTICUT TOWNS GREENWICH I Long Distance I Banking You do not have to be a resident of Greenwich to open account with this Company. A great many of our depositors transact all their banking by mail. We are prepared to collect items all over the world free of charge, and should like the chance to talk over "long distance Ijanking" with you. The Greenwich Trust Co. ESTABLISHED 1887 GREENWICH, CONN. GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT has good transportation facilities to New York. You can buy or rent to good advantage and enjoy living by the water or among the hills to the utmost satisfaction. I have for Sale Elegant Country Estates, Shore and Inland Residences, Farms, Acreage, Cottages and Building Sites. Also a number of selected Furnished Residences and Cottages to Rent in all locations. Would be pleased to have you call or write Laurence Timmons Tel.*456 Opp. Depot Greenwich, Conn BEST NURSERY STOCK EVER GROWN Evergreens Fruit and Ornamental Trees Flowering Shrubs Hedge Plants Vines Roses Hardy Perennials ^ ^ ^ Preparing of Plans Laying Out of Grounds Grading -:- -:- Road Building Tree Work -:- -:- GREENWICH NURSERIES DEHN & BERTOLF, Props. LANDSCAPE GARDENERS AND NURSERYMEN GREENWICH, CONN. i&8£i ^ii^ THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. THE STAMFORD SAVINGS BANK INCORPORATED iS;i ASSETS, $6,143,249.30 Interest Allowed from the First Day of Each Month CHARLES H. LOUNSBURY, President. ALBERT G. WEED, Vice President. J. HOWARD BOGARDUS, Treasurer. Greenwich A New System of Banking by Mail A unique system of Banking by mail has been in- stituted by The Putnam Trust Co. of Greenwich, Conn., intended to afford a simple and safe method by which people living at a distance can carry on interest accounts through the mails. The first and subsequent deposits can be sent by check or a money order with the depositor's signature and ad- dress. The company sends a certificate which looks a good deal like a coupon bond. A number of small coupons are attached, and when the depositor wish- es to withdraw, he can do so by simply filling out a coupon, and mail certificate, with the coupon at- tached, to the company. These certificates are non- negotiable and cannot be used except by the person who has the account. In return, a check is sent by The Putnam Trust drawn on the Guaranty Trust Company of New York, which can be cashed in any place where there is a bank. Deposits and with- drawals are noted on the certificates, showing the exact balance. For depositors in foreign countries a bill of exchange is sent payable in the currency of the country. The company pays the usual four per cent, interest and its operations are safeguarded bv the laws of the State of Connecticut. SEND $5.00 FOR TRIAL ACCOUNT 0/ Banking By M til ^0 CERTIFICATE original with The Putnam Trust Co. of Greenwich, Conn. Best and Safest Method Deposits of $1 to $10,000 draw interest from the first of every month TO DEPOSIT fill out the blank below and mail with deposit Signature Address Amount of Deposit Fresh New Crop Vegetable and Flower SEEDS Bird Houses and Bird Foods Ask for Catalogue J. B. McARDLE, Florist and Seedsman Merritt Building Greenwich, Conn. Robert Stewart choice groceries FLOUR AND FEED SOTTND BEACH. CT. Tklkphone Connkction SOUND BEACH PHARMACY C. B. RICHARDSON, Prop. Prompt deliveries on Our Own Ice Cream in any quantity. Tel. 1294 Stamford. D. MAHER & SONS I LEHIGH COAL, HYGEIA ICE | BUILDINCi MATERIAL, LIME, LATH, I BRICK, SAND, CEflENT, DRAIN PIPE " Tel. 1582-2 Sound Beach, Conn. I A Compromise. "Look here, Hiram," said Si, ''when are you going to pay me that eight dollars for pasturin' your heifer? I've had her now for about ten weeks." "Why, Si, that critter ain't worth more than ten dollars." "Well, suppose I keep her for what you owe me?" "Not by a jugful! Tell you what I'll do : you keep her two weeks more and you can have her." — The New England Farm. A botanist who makes a hobby of cultivating native orchids lays special emphasis on planting them in soil like that of their native habitat. He relies principally on moss, leaf mould, swamp muck, pine needles and powdered char- coal, and in special cases adds pounded granite and coal ashes. To a Fountain. Oh jeweled fountain, leaping high, And flashing in the sun, You frolic as the moments fly, You gladden all the passers-by. Your day has just begun And yet how much you've done! — Emma Peirce. II THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. Stamford Business Directory WE SELL LEHIGH VALLEY ANTHRACITE "The Coal That Satisfies' j^JRAVES AMD ■™^ STRANG I04B. COAIi INC 556 Canal St. STAMFORD, CONN. JOHN PHILLIPS Dealer in BOOTS A^D SHOES 463 Main St. Stamford, Conn. FOR FINE MILLINERY NEWSTAD'S 200 ATLANTIC STREET, STAMFORD, CONN. VOSKA &L OXXO TAILORS Suits and Oveicoats to Order Twenty-five dollars up We mean of better kinds 45-47 Bank St. Stamford, Conn. The place you will eventually go to have your CHIROPRACTIC SPINAL ADJUSTMENTS Latest Painless Methods. Spinal Analysis Free E. BARTHOL, D. C. STAMFORD, CONN. Week Days Only, 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. Phone 1727 THE STAMFORD LUNCH 9JS MAIN STREET STAMFORD, CONN. FRED McDERMANT, Proprietor We cater to Parties, Clubs, Stags and Outings W. H. ARTHUR CONTRACTOR Sewers, Pavements, Macadam Roads, Concrete Walls, Excavating Rock, Railroads Dealer in Sand and Gravel P. O. Box 88 Telephone Connection ono a ^i »■ c» >. c-r a »/iir/^Dr\ /~ /-i m ki r> ■3n/: i r> i o o - . -. '32 Atlantic Street - STAMFORD, CONN Koom out), 1 rSank bt.. Jitamlord. (^onn. telfphone 516-2 REMOVAL NOTICE Drs. W. H. and E. W. Pomeroy DENTISTS are now located in the Gurley Building, 324 Main St., opposite City Hall. Fine Repairing and Diamond Setting a Specialty Gold and Silver Plating Engraving SAMUEL PHILLIPS Jeweler and Optician Diamonds and Watches THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. Ill ri IS '• Button, button, who's got the button ? " The Lace and Trimming Store A. SIEGELBAUM, Prop. 211 Atlantic St. Stamford, Conn K ll^ ^pH K^Si r 1 iiJI'"^'^ M^ ^n ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H I^^^Hl^^K^MuE^^HIH Htf ■n ''I want a Good Stenographer 99 IS THIS THE BUSINESS COLLEGE? — one who knows something about bookkeeping." We have had more such calls this year than we have been able to fill. OUR SECRETARIAL COURSE prepares both young men and young wom- en to hold responsible posi- tions. BOOKKEEPING, SHORTHAND, STENOTYPY, TYPEWRITING and ENGLISH BRANCHES MERRILL BUSINESS COLLEGE South Norwalk, STAMFORD, Port Chester. Landscape Planning, Grading, Care of Grounds, Etc. CHARLES ISSELEE Florist and Seedsman DAVENPORT HOTEL BUILDING STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT Telephone 591 Importer of Choice Nursery Stock and Landscape Contractor Head Nurseries: Bruges, Belgium. Landscape Gardening a Specialty. Plans and Estimates Free. Satisfaction Guaranteed. My special Price List of Evergreens, Roses, Perennials, Gladiola Bulbs, Flowering Shrubs, etc., will be sent to any one for the asking. In connection with my landscape business and store, I will send out competent gardeners to take care of small grounds for one or two davs per week, or by contract for the season. All employees work under my personal supervision, my Belgian Training assuring Exceptional Service. THOMAS D. MAGEE INTERIOR DECORATOR Broad and Summer Streets STAMFORD, CONN. Tele- phone 808 FRANK M. WEST HARDWARE Paints, Oils, Varnishes, Etc. House tumishings 79 ATLANTIC STREET Tel. Con. A. L. EMBREE, :: DRUGGIST Use Velvet Cold Cream It is the Best 18 PARK ROW STAMFORD, CONN IV THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. TRADE MARK "-'^ISTERED JNO CHANCE FOR AN ARGUMENT. When you and the "man next door" have those 'Sunday morning discussions, you differ on many ^points. Makes of tires, brands of oil, body design, rela- tive merits of fours, sixes and eights — all of these you can find arguments for and against. But when you consider storage batteries you agree that the Willard satisfies all your require- ments for starting and lighting. And nobody questions the value of Willard Service Stations — they have proved indispensable to owners every- where. If you haven't learned the advantages of an acquaintance with Willard, now's the time to begin. Willard performance and service are two big -elements in the successful operation of 85% of American makes of electrically equipped motor cars. We are agents and service station of Willard Storage Battery Co. FAIRBANKS ELECTRIC COAIPANY 438 Atlantic Street - - - Stamford Everything Electrical. Bees and Bullets. A novel home for bees, and a queerer method of making that home, is reported in "Gleanings in Bee Cuhure," by Mr. L. J. Holzvvorth of Phoenix, Arizona, v.ho discovered the bees in a cactus. With his axe, he removed the fleshy part of the plant and foimd a nice dry, snug beehi\e :about two feet long and one foot in diam- aJ^/iiiiiTl lny^ ^» B h v« i: -^ .^.-^ ;-s ^. .- ^ 1 -:"« m §'fT^^^ iltVv m mm^ii^ini^^ ^4.- ^-^nu ^ M r^ pf^*. ^ ."v.." ^U *m L% ^^T^M ' ^ z^-^ ^J -<4 W^*i i s 1. IT' ^ '^ M ■BEDS OF PHLOX OF VEL^•ETY MAROONS." Copyright 1916 by The Agassiz Association, ArcAdiA: Sound Beach, Conn. 70 THE GUIDE TO NATURE "THE RA.M];LER.S \KE HIGHER THAN THOSE SEEN ELSEWHERE, AND MURE LUXURIANT IN BLOOM." larkspur are veritable riots of gay and rich colors. The ramblers, both crimson and deli- cate pink, are higher than those seen THE HIGH ARCHES, COVERED WITH ROSES. MAKE A PLEASANT WALK TO THE RUSTIC, VINE COVERED SUMMERHOUSE." elsewhere, and more luxuriant in bloom, as though well aware of the fame the\' must live up to ! The high arches, covered with roses, are many, and make a pleasant walk to the rustic, vine covered summerhouse, while roses tall and short, and all colors and kinds, from the White Killarney to those of deepest red, bloom in beds that cover a large area of ground and invite serious study and exclamations of won- der. Long are the rows of Canterbury bells, beautiful and fragrant are the beds of garden pinks, while the peonies deserve a chapter to themselves. Although the Queen Perfection and X'ictor Hugo attract the eye at once, the Japanese single peony holds it longest. This white peony with its yellow centre, so like and yet so unlike the pond lily, is lovelv indeed. Xear by, in charming contrast, the purple iris grows tall and beautiful as an orchid. LONG ARE THE ROWS OF BELLS." CAXTERliLRY Alarvelously cultivated are the.-e flowers, for here is none of the atmosphere of the hothouse, but of nature, gorgeous and supreme. The surroundings are helpful. Trees border the gardens ; across the road is a pond with frogs croaking and large THE PEONIES DESERXE A CHAPTER TO THEMSEL\'ES." A LITTLE LOCAL GEOLOGY 71 families of ducks eager for crumbs. Fur- ther into the i:)ark are vistas of cool ^reen shade and ])layg"roun(ls for children. But these pleasures are in many other parks. The gardens are not. Fortunate are those who can visit these gardens in summer, and with camera and notebook, spread the wonders of them to those who have not vet seen them. A Little Local Geology. I'.V W. C. r.AXKS, STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT. One day a friend, a gentleman whose education dates back to prehistoric times when the study of geology was regarded as sacrilegious if not immoral, asked me in all seriousness, "Do you take any stock in the theories of geol- ogy? Do you credit the theory of an ice age in this region?" "Go anywhere about here," I said. "and you can find abundant proof." As there may be some, even yet, that regard these things as a "tale that is told," I desire to direct attention to some of these local proofs, as Profes- sor Rice's interesting article on "Boul- ders" has moved me to do. In the southern part of the township of Stamford, including territory to the east and west, the surface rock is a light gray or a dark bluish granite — gneiss — the Thomaston and the Dan- bury granodiorite gneisses of the Connecticut State Geological and Nat- ural History Survey. If the loose sur- face material were made up of disinte- grated local rock, it would be of the same character as the bedrock. But it is not. All over this region we may recognize loose boulders that were cer- tainly derived from the Berkshire schist, to the northward of this region. Also quartzite amphibolite and many other rocks of foreign origin. T found on Shippan Point a small boulder of hard sandstone that showed embedded fossil plants ; another, from another locality, showed fossil shells, both im- possible as local products. In many cases where the surface soil is removed, we find the underlying rock grooved, or smoothed, results certainly due to the grinding action of an ancient ice sheet. A splendid example of a pothole is to be seen on Mill River at Stillwater Such is nearlv alwavs an evidence of the former existence of glacial ice. It marks tiie foot of a torrent that plung- ed tnrough a crevice in the ice. This, aided by loose material, formed a 'great hydraulic drill The level plaih on which the business portion ot the city 01 Stamford is built is formed of off- shore deposits carried down by the torrents troni the melting ice and re- arranged by the tides and waves of i^ong island Sound. These are but a tew of the many evidences of the ex- istence of the great ice sheet over this region, io search them out is an in- leiesting pastime. The Birch Road to Dreamland. The accompanying illustration was the frontispiece to "Popular Photography" and attracted the writer's attention be- cause it is an extraordinary photograph. Jr^rom the photographers point ot view it is well balanced and beautiful, but there is m it an emblematic aspect that pointedly appeals to one, especially if to him roads and woods connote human life. How shall one enter nature, and hrw shall one accept guidance to the chasn, > of discovery in the unknown distance It was Henry David Thoreau who gave us the correct prescription when he, en- tering a wood, exclaimed, "O woods, I would be as pure as you are pure." One cannot but fancy that Thoreau, walk^ig down this road, would exclaim after gaz- ing- at that cluster of white birches, "I'here is the keynote to the symphony awaiting me in that hazy distance." The winding road suggests the curve in the distance, like the shaft in the curve of the interrogation point which some one has fancied to be a curved hand held at the ear after a question and signifying that the ear is ready for the answer. Other curves ini the road suggest other and greater curves beyond the immediate vision, and that if one would answer the question of nature, he must bear with him over all the road the spirit of appre- ciation. In this picture there is a charm about the distant view. It 'brings up an endless series of memories and of future possi- bilities. Beyond the uncertainty of that tangled growth there may be scenes known years ago, or discoveries not made after decades of wandering. It brings back the old road to the red schoolhouse ; it tells of the tin pail filled with salt for 72 THE GUIDE TO NATURE t>"^- "BEYOND THE UNCERTAINTY OF THAT TANGLED GROWTH.' the cattle in a rented pasture visited once a week on a Sunday afternoo'n; it tells of the searching- for birds' nests in June, and of the remembered soliloquies made in silence as we wandered down just such a road in later life. One may find in this road all that one may find in any pathway, and all that one knows may he read into it. A road, yes, any road, is not only nor wholly a road in itself; the greater part exists only within one's heart and breast. The photograph was taken by Aliss Gladys A. Mattson, Bantam, Connecticut. The Joyous Out-of-Doors. Make Haste and get acquainted With the joyous out-of-doors, 'Tis appealing to your senses, And besieging all your pores. The freshness of the morning, The glory of the night. The radiance of the hours between, Filled with sunshine bright: They're better than a tonic. They beat the M. D. quite. They'll give you happiness and health. The mantle of their might. — Emma Peirce. flo\\i:rs pumping and exploding 11 Flowers Pumping and Exploding. I'.\' lii:RI!l'.KT W. FAlLKXlvU. WAS 1 1 I X CTC )X , CONNl'X'TICfP. Each August for many a year 1 have watched for the comiiii^' of the cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis } and, knowing the family to wdiich it belongs, and where it dwells by the river's brink, I believed that I knew the flower itself, until one day last summer wheni I decided to examine its mechanism. I was surprised at the "mystery" that it revealed, and that I can best describe by comparing the structure to a pump, whose cylinder is formed by the anthers united into a tube and whose piston is the stigma pushed forward by the growing' style as the piston rod. The pollen is shed in the cylinder, is compress- ed there and is eager to escape. When ani insect drinks from the flower and backs out, he scrapes against a valve at the outer end of the tube, opens it and receives a charge of pollen on his back. We, too, can open the valve and see the pollen ooze out. and when we have set it all free, we see the stigma with its odd terminal rosette emerge and make ready for the touch of the pollen that must come from another flower. Other lobelias which I have examined prove to possess a similar apparatus to insure their cross - fertilization. ^Nlanv of the pulse family nush their pollen at their insect guests, but none are more active in this way than the tick tre- foil fDcsuwdiitin midiflorum). The small, oink flowers grow in a loose spike and re- '^emble a sweet pea blossom in form with hood, wings and keel. The pistil, stamens and pollen are all securely enclosed in the keel until an insect aligihts on it, when out thev juniD wdth a veritable exnlosion, the Dollen flving in a cloud and dusting the astonished suest. The Desmodium. hoAv- CARDINAL FLOWER. ever, is not a magazine gun. One shot bursts it open and thereafter its pistil is exposed to receive the pollen from an- other plant. The sketches show a flower before and after the explosion. The fringed orchids, (Habenaria) treat their insect visitors as beasts of burden, clapping a packag^e of pollen on their TICK TREFOIL 74 THE GUIDE TO NATURE backs and gluing it there "for keeps." These pollen packages tied up in the form of clubs with adhesive handles lie ex- posed and waiting in little grooves or pockets close to the opening of the honey well, and the flower is fertilized. The third sketch shows the front view of the flower of the orchis with pollen clubs lying in their pockets above the honev well. PURPLE FRJXGED ORCHIS. wells where the_\" will surely fasten them- selves to the head or the eye of a thirsty insect. In the first sketch, representing a sec- tion of a flower of the purple fringed orchis, is seen a pollen club being with- drawn from its pocket by the head of a departing butterfly. The second sketch shows a similar sec- tion of another flower where we see that the stigmatic surface is so low and so far back that the pollen club, erect upon the butterfly's head, could never strike the mark. But nature so plans that as soon as the pollen club is withdrawn from the first flower its slender stalk withers, its head droops forward and, carried to the second flower, it unfailingly strikes the stigmatic surface in the roof of the honev Recipe For Troubles. Would you like a recipe for the little vexations and annoyances of life that keep the mind uneasy and disturbed? Let us give you one. Go out in the silence of some starry night and look up at the stars for a minute or two. Get within their influence for a mo- ment. Take in the spirit of their tran- quility and peace. Think \vhat they are and where they are, and you will soon lose yourself in the infinity of their being. You will begin to feel God has made this world big enough for you and that the little cares that vex you are only intruders that you should despise and scorn. Just try it, and if it does not cure you you are not the man you think you are. — "Ohio State Journal." 'WO-TOED CONGO SNAKE 75 Notes on the Two-Toed Congo Snake. v.y Dk. K. w". snri'i'j.Dr. wash ixctox, h. c. Mail}' xears ayo. wliilo ii\'ing in New Orleans. I had in conlinenient several specimens of the three-toed Cong-o snake (Miirariiopsis frichictyliis); they were ohtained for me li\- my Creole and negro collectors, the animal heing quite common in the bavons near where T lived and did HiiaiiJiiidac. the famous, two-toed Congo -nake { .linl'hiuuia means). For the courtcotr^ loan of three or four of these I am indebted to Mr. Edward vS. Schmid, of Washington. 1). C, who imported them from hdorida in addition to his stock of unusual animal> kept in connection with his sui)ply of pet animals from many parts of the world. FIGURE 1. Till-: TW()-T()l-:i) CONGO SNAKE. my collecting in that region. These speci- mens are probably now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, as all my material of that kind was forwarded to Professor Baird, who kept me supplied with the means for exploration in soitth- ern Louisiana, ^^d^ile there I prepared cjuite a full account of the anatomy and biology of the three-toed siren just re- ferred to, publishing the same in Science (Mar. 24, 1883. p. 319. 8 figures). It is a most interesting batrachian and per- fectlv harmless, though the negroes, in their usual superstition, stand in great horror of its bite. Only recently I have had in my posses- sion living speciments of the near relative of this three-toed member of the Ani- This two-toed batrachian ranges throughout the Southern States north to North Carolina : but I did not meet with it in Louisiana, where, as I say, the three- toed one was more or less abundant. Those loaned me for studv by Air. Schmid were in excellent condition and very vigorous. As they all had the branchi?e or "gills" on the sides of the head, I took them to be subadult. After they had been in mv possession a day or so, I undertook to photograph one with a 5x8 verti- cal camera, the animal being con- fined in a white porcelain dish. After an hour's trial, I at last suc- ceeded in doing this ; though at one time I did think that that unobliging Consfo "snake" would never come to a 76 THE. GUIDE TO NATURE state of complete rest, — that is, for a suffi- cient length of time for me to make a successful exposure. The result I ob- tained is here shown in Figure i, where the branchiae or gills, and the feeble fore- limb with its two toes, show very well indeed. The eves, situated forwards, are ing- Chief of Exhibits in that museum. Air. Benedict generously presented me with this specimen for the present pur- pose, and I photographed it from life. Beyond the photograph here reproduced in Figure i. I do not remember ever having seen Auipluiima means figwred be- FKiURE EASTERN RING-NECKED SNAKE. very small, circular, and without lids ; while the body is nearly cylindrical, and the caudal portion is flattened trans- versely, the creature being a rapid and splendid swimmer. At this age the entire body, including the head, is of a rich snufT brown, rather lighter on the under parts. Its bite is perfectly harmless ; and so far as my observation goes, it had none of the interesting habits that I fully de- scribed in Science for its three-toed cousin. At no time did any of them make an attempt to escape from the different receptacles in which they were tempora- rilv confined. That Amphimna means is not a snake will at once be appreciated by comparing it with the pretty little Eastern Ring- necked Snake (Diadophis punctatiis) , here shown in Fig-ure 2. This beautiful and very gentle little reptile was taken in Maryland by Mr. Tames E. Benedict. Jr.. who is the son of the veteran natur- alist of that name connected with the Smithsonian Institution, and at this wr't- fore from a photograph of the living specimen ; I do not envy anyone the task of duplicating it. These specimens were not over a foot long, whereas adults sometimes attain a length of more than a vard. They possess lungs as well as gills, and they can there- fore breathe both in and out of the water. Some of their structural characters are known, but a good accoimt of their entire anatomy still remains to be written. Among the Bafradiia they are nearest re- lated to the Salamanders. Omitted Credit for a Photograph. To the courtesy of Dr. R. W. Shu- feldt of Washington, D. C, we ow^e the use of the photograph of the white woodchuck in the July number of TiTE Guide to Nature. It had pre- viousl}' been used by us with full credit to Dr. Shufeldt, but our repeated tb'^nks and acknowledgement were ac- cidentallv omitted from the fulv issue. ORNITHOLOGY 77 All communications for this department shoulf! be sent to the Department Editor. Mr. Harrv G. Highee, i.i Austin Street, Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Items, articles and photographs in this department not otherwise credited are by the Department Editor The Brown Thrasher. V-\ T.. W. r.KOWXKLL, IWTERSOX, N. J. The brown thrasher is a not uncom- mon resident of the entire eastern portion of the United States, but owing- to tbe fact tbat he is of a somewhat shy and retirino- chsposition he is bv no means one of the l^est known of our birds to tbe casual observer. He is a close relative of the much better known catbird and closely resembles him in shape but not in coloration and is a considerably larg-er bird. He is also a relative of the famous mockingbird of the South and is himself a mocker of no mean oretensions. He is. in fact, one of the most accomplished song-sters of all our feathered choir but he is an extremely diffident performer and will not sing a note if he thinks he has a human audience. Owing- to this there are many people, I have learned, that, while knowing the bird, are totally ignorant of his reputation as a songster and even regard him as being- limited in his vocal power to the harsh and most unmusical note to which he gives utterance when angry or alarmed. His song, in its easv flow and mel- ody, somewhat resembles that of the catbird. It is a distinctly finer per- formance, however, and has the added charm of originality for the thrasher depends but little upon his mocking abilities while the catbird, as does the mocker, steals the theme of his song boldly from the notes of other birds. Nuttall says of this song: "Stationed in the top of some tall orchard or forest tree, the male, gay and animated, salutes the morn of his arrival 'vith his loud and charming- song. His voice somewhat resembles that of the thrush of Europe but far more varied and powerful rises pre- eminent among all the vocal choir of the forest. His music has the full charin of innate originality ; he takes no delight in mimicry, and has, there- fore, no title to the name of mocking- bird. (He is called in the southern- states the French mocker.) On his first appearance he falters in his song, like the nightingale, but when his mate commences her cares and labors,, his notes attain all their vigor and variety. The young birds, even of the first season, in a state of solitary do- mestication, without the aid of the T^arent's voice, already whisper forth in harmonious revery the pathetic and sweet warble, instinctive of the species. In the month of May, while the bloom- ing orchards perfume and decorate the landscape, the enchanting voice of the thrasher, in his affectionate lay, seems to give grateful utterance for the bounty and teeming profusion of na- ture, and falls in pleasing unison with the harmonv and beauty of the sea- son." Nuttall found something beautiful in the notes of nearly every one of our birds, and went into rhapsodies over many of them, often allowing his en- thusiasm to carry him to extremes. In- this case, however, his praise was not- misdirected or too profuse. The thrasher gives his performance almost invariably froin the topmost branches of the taller trees, and usually at or near the edge of the woods. In such a position he will sit for hours, pouring forth his delightful song, not actually as a continuous performance, but with occasional intermissions for rest, until the too close approach of some stran- ger causes his diffidence to assert it- self. Then he will suddenly cease his melody and dive from his elevated perch and seek shelter in the dense underbrush beneath or in some near-by thicket or brush pile. His song is well worth listening to but we will never hear it by .waiting in our front door- yards for the singer to come to vis. We 78 THE GUIDE TO NATURE must go to his haunts if we would learn of his powers as a vocalist and, moreover, we inust enter then with due regard for his innate modesty, else will we be likely to come away disappointed. The thrasher, like many another un- fortunate bird, is greatly disliked by the farmer, who accuses him, and not without reason, of being a rather con- stant thief of his cherries and other small fruit. It is undoubtedly true that these birds, like the catbirds, do help themselves occasionally to a dessert of cherries or strawberries. They have, however, an even greater right to them than has the catbird for the damage that they do in this direction is so much more than oflfset by their helpfulness in destroying untold hordes of insects that it is less than insignificant. This fact the farmer never stops to consider or, perhaps, it would be more chari- table to say, he is entirely ignorant of it. In point of fact the thrashers, while being songsters par excellence are also to be placed among our most useful birds. In the defence of their nest and young these birds are even fiercer and more determined than are the catbirds, if that is possible. Often I have had them dart into my very face with open beak, raised crest and glaring eyes, frequently even striking me with their THE NEST OF THE BROW N THRASHER. wings, the very epitome of righteous anger and indignation. At such a time they give repeated utterance to a note that is halfway between the hiss of a snake and the hoarse mew of a cat, and which can be likened to no other sound with which I am acquainted. Their defense of their home is more often successful than otherwise, except when it is attacked by man, and Audubon re- lates a story of a pair whose nest was attacked by a snake while the female was sitting upon it. She unfortvmately was caught in the coils of the body of the enemy, but at her first cry her mate, together with another male of the same species, flew to the rescue, and were so successful in their onslaught that they not only drove away and killed the snake but rescued the female un- injured. This is a good story and, while I cannot doubt the truth of Audubon's statement, I am neverthe- less inclined to the belief that the snake must have been a very small one for there are few of the smaller birds that can cope successfully with a snake. They are, however, one of the strongest of the smaller birds and can 'usually come off victor in an encounter with any other. They are also antagonistic to each other, especially during the mating and breeding season, and at this time severe and prolonged encoun- ters between two males is no unusual sight, yet they will quickly join forces in an attack upon a common enemy. They are easily raised in confinement if taken when young and their ability as a songster makes them a delightful ]^et. A\niy anyone, however, should ever wish to cage a creature who is so evidently created for space and free- dom, passes my understanding, and whenever I see one so caged I have an almost irresistible desire to open the door and let him go free. Many stories are told illustrative of the sagacity of birds and I am inclined to repeat, for what it is worth, the fol- lowing anecdote of a tame thrasher from AA'ilson's Ornithology, as told him by William Bartram : 'T remember to have reared one of these l)irds from the nest, which, when full grown, became very tame and do- cile. I frequently let him out of his cage to give him a taste of liberty. ORXrrHOLOGY BROWN THRASHER FEEDING HER YOUNG. After fluttering and dusting himself in dry sand and earth, and bathing, wash- ing and dressing himself,'; he would proceed to hunt insects, such as beetles, crickets, and other shelly tribes ; but being very fond of wasps after catching them and knocking them about to break their wings, he would lay them down, then examine if they had a sting, and. with his bill, squeeze the abdomen to clear it of the reservoir of poison before he would swallow his prey. When in his cage, being very fond of dry crusts of bread, if. upon trial, the corners of the crumbs were too hard and sharp for his throat, he would throw them up, carry and put them in his water dish to soften, then take them out and swallow them. We see that the bird could associate these ideas, ar- range and apply them in a rational manner according to circumstances. For instance if he knew that it was the hard, sharp corners of the bread that hurt his gullet and prevented him from swallowing it, and that water would soften it and render it easy to be swal- lowed, this knowledge must be acquir- ed by observation and experience, or some other bird taught him. Here the bird perceived by the effect the cause and then took the qtiickest, the most effectual and agreeable method to re- move the cause. What would the wisest man have done better? Call it reason or instinct, it is the same that a sensible man would have done in this case. After this same manner this bird reasoned with respect to the wasps. He found by experience and observation that the first he attempted to swallow hurt his throat and gave him extreme pain, and, upon examination observed that the extremity of the abdomen was armed with a poisonous sting ; and after this discovery, never attempted to swallow a wasp until he first pinched his abdomen to the extremity forcing out the sting with its receptacle of poison." This is crediting the bird with a greater amount of reasoning ability than I am entirely prepared to admit that he possesses. The account was given by a gentleman who had a repu- tation as a truthful and careful obser- ver and, therefore, while his observa- tions were imdoubtedly correct, his deductions, I am inclined to believe, were somewhat erroneous. A student of insects at the Xew Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station has proved that what attracts the female house fly to manure heaps and other refuse where it lays its eggs is largely the odor of ammonia which they give off. Since in cities probably nine-tenths of the flies are hatched in horse dung, it may well be that a simple treatment of such refuse with acid to neutralize the ammo- nia will sufiice to "swat" completely our summer plague. 8o THE GUIDE TO NATURE Birds Drowned in Oil. "The Standard Oil Bulletin" has a startling item in regard to waterfowl that through an error of judgment set- tled into a pool of oil, mistaking it for water. Sometimes these oil lakes cover acres of ground, and in the night or during the beautiful desert twilight and in the windless dawn, these tar colored pools resemble bodies of water. "Instinct does not always save the birds. Men employed around the great Lakeview sump tell how th-^ migratory waterfowl, flock after flock, dropped out of the turquoise sky and plunged into that lake of oil. Majestic pelicans, deliberate of flight ; snow geese, hawks, fast-flying canvassbacks and ducks of all varieties that take the annual trip from Alaska to the flats of the lower Colorado river, alighted by the thousands in that oil sump, never to rise again. When these struck, their feathers became saturated with oil and their flying days were over. Many would remain on the surface, to be soon overcome by the heat and fumes of rising gas. Others would dive when excited or closely pressed. One old watchman long in the fields maintained that they committed suicide. The sight of birds struggling in the oil and countless blackened bodies floating on the surface had not the effect of deter- ring others from making the fatal plunge." This seems to be an example of the birds' inability to reason or to learn from observation. An Efficient Lecturer on Birds. ~\\r. Frederic S. \\'el:)ster of the Ames Studio, Colonia Building, 379 Fifth Avemie, New York City, is giving illus- trated lectures of deep interest on the wonder-world of bird life. Mr. Webster has had long and varied experiences not only with wild birds but with birds in cantivitv. He has been preoarator- in- chief of zoological specimens in the Car- negie Museum and other large establish- ments. His exoerience covers a period of more than forty years of continual association with birds and the assiduous study of their habits. His lectures show a real acquaintance with birds, their per- sonalities, characteristics, their haunts, habits and methods of life. Yes, the Blue Jay Can Sing. Miss Edith A. Wright of Chatfield, Minnesota, reports an interesting ex- perience. She has heard a blue jay singing at four o'clock in the morning She gives a vivid description of the "rapturous song" that suggested a vision of pure water sparkling and tinkling over a rocky bed. She is right in asserting that the song was appealing. To me the sound suggests the tinkling of broken glass. The United States, although the great- est grain-producing country of the world, has almost the lowest yield per acre. The United States Bureau of Ethnol- ogy estimates that at coming of the White Man to this continent there were within the present limits of the United States about eight hundred and sixty thousand Indians. The number is now about one-third of this. Nature's Invitations. Kind Nature's invitations, You will find them evervwhere. They are nestling- in the blossoms. They are floating on the air. They are in the lofty treetops, And in the lowly weeds, Spread broadcast in their blooming. Far-wafted in their seeds. They are in the waves of ocean, And on the glistening sand, Thev are in the waving grain-fields That we see on either hand. They are on the mountain ramparts. And on the dimpled hills. They are thundering in the mighty falls. And whispering in the rills. They are in the sunrise glory. And in the sunset glow. They cotne patterinQ- in the raindrops. And feathery white in snow. They are in the mists of morning, And in the starlit night. Abroad in velvet darkness. And glancing in the light. They are in the birds' sweet singing. And in the insects' hum. And in the woodland murmurs. Which softly bid us "come." Thev are ever in our pathway, Thev are alwavs ri- start up five months after the last drop of rain in the region. In the flower-embroidered meadows, And the majesty of trees, In the blue of distant mountains, And the lure of tropic seas; In the ecstasy of bird song, The murmur of the breeze, Are witcheries of nature Would e'en the worldly please. — Emma Peirce. c"()Rri-:sp()NI)p:nce and information 89 Curious Growth of Vine. Ilnstdl, Conn. To the Eaitor: A friend in \\'isccMisin sends me the enelosed photograph of a bittersweet vine whieh, after ereeping- several feet under the house, emerges from a smah crevice THIS \IXE GREW THROUGH TJIE SIDE OF THE HOUSE. near the window, and has grown about ten feet across the window and under the veranda. It is the cHmbing bitter- sweet, Celastnis scinidciis, which extends westward to the Dakotas. MiL() Leox Norton. Darwin and Franklin. Three letters of Erasmus Darwin to Benjamin Franklin which"Science"prints in its issue for June 2 reveal interesting characteristics of these two great men of science. Darwin thouoh about forty years old had not then become famous, and he seems to be not a little flattered by the attentions of the great American, who was some twenty-five years his senior. He writes of his own observations and exoeriments with electricity, and other matters of natural historv, and he sends his pauers to Franklin to be presented be- fore the Roval Society. Incidentally, in 1787, he thanks Franklin for favors shown his son Robert during his visit to France — where, of coiu-se, h'ranklin was a very great person indeed. Robert Dar- win, it will be remembered, was the father (if Charles. .Among other items, Darwin tells of his labors in printing the first translation into English of four volumes of the works of Linuceus, some ten years after the latter's death. Franklin, it is well known, had a large circle of scientific corres- pondents who kept him informed of the scientific news of two continents. Darwin, apparently, was by no means the least valuable of this group. The Opening of the Evening Primrose. UV W. I. I;EECR0FT, GKKAT I'.ARKIXGTOX, MASSACHUSETTS. In a recent number of TiiE Guide to Nature was an article on the opening of a cultivated flower in which the pet- als can be seen to tmfold. It is not geu- erall}' known that the same phe- nomenon may be observed in a native idant, the common evening primrose ( CEnothcra biennis). One watching these plants at sundown will be re- warded with the sight of the flowers unfolding as he gazes upon them, the movement of sepals and petals being idainly visible. Stems bearing buds about to open may be carried a con- siderable distance and the flowers will open as they are held in the hands. Nature fits our ever}- mood. Her influence is aye for good. — Emma Peirce. The trouble with our attempt to con- serve the supply of fish food, says the Commissioner of Fisheries for Victoria, B. C. is that we spend too much money on doing things and too little on the scien- tific studv of what ought to be done. That men and women are becoming more unlike, is one of the by-products of a study of ancient Anglo-Saxon bones made by an English anatomist. The in- vestigator finds that the modern English- man is quite as tall as his ancestor of the middle ages, but somewhat lighter in build. But the modern woman is almost precisely two inches shorter than her fore- bear ten centuries ago. All this is quite in line with over evidence that woman is the evolving sex. while men are remain- ing phvsicallv as they always were. 90 THE GUIDE TO NATURE AQASSIZ ASSOCIATION' ® ^ ^ ^ ^ @ ^ Established 1875 Incorporated. Massachnsptts. 18ft'2 Incorporated, Connecticut, 1»1« A Little School with a Big Idea. Right here in our town of Greenwich is a movement in Woodcraft education, and in real study of Mother Nature, that those interested are watching with high hopes of a development of more than local interest. For several decades educators have been groping for the ideal nature study. The value of the study of nature is gen- erally admitted but it is also admitted that in many cases it is a failure or verges upon failure. The trouble is that most attempts at nature study teaching have been half-hearted, trivial or perfunctory. Comparatively few teachers seem to grasp the scope. Na- ture is a mighty big thing. It is the whole kite and not the tip of the tail of the kite. When educators learn that the study of nature is the main part of r.n education and not a little fad or OUR ERNEST THOMPSON SETOX l HAPTKR (WARANAKI SCHooLi W ILL liA\ K 1 HIS BUILD- ING EOUIPPED AND DEVOTED WHOLLY TO AGASSIZ WORK. THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION 91 NOT READING AP.OUT BEES BUT USING THEM AS PLAYMATE; Our Chapter in the Wabanaki School. frill o.n a time honored system, then the problem will be solved. The limit- ed grasp of the importance of nr.ture in some classrooms is pitiable. But here in the Wabanaki School of Greenwich the entire school goes right to nature and lives in the wild woods. Nature is made the central theme and around this are the funda- mentals of an education. The young folks lov!e nature because they live with her and they know nature becau^« they see her every day in all her full- ness and beauty. Here the prol^lem is grasped in a whole-hearted way. It is evident that in this school not only the "meat" of a nature education is put forth but there is also a fair amount of poetry and sentiment. The location is ideal and there is every indication that the plans will be worked out ef- fectively. The Agassiz Association Chapter has its own building perfectly equipped for nearness to nature. The cooperation of a large number of naturalists, includ- ing Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton and the editor of this magazine, has been secured to assist the young folks in their original researches. Nature studv is not merely taught but really loved and enjoyed. The management of the school has made an ideal combi- nation of the costumes. Indian lore, poetrv and knowledge of the A\'ood- crafters with the biological knowledge and original research of The Agassiz Association. Contributed Specimens. The Misses AVorrell. Sound Beach. Connecticut ; two interesting specimens of Idack-eved Susan. One of these shows an interesting coloration of the center and the other, much larger, a remarkable transformation of the flower, which is partly doubled and partly heart-shaped, together with a malformation of the stem, the whole probably caused by fasciation. 92 THE GUIDE TO NATURE L,archmont Manor School Chapter. This Chapter, recently reorganized with the addition of filteen new members, is devoting- especial attention to the study of insects and plants. The members have visited ArcAdiA. A letter from the Cor- responding Secretary reports that the visit was greatly enjoyed and the interest in nature greatly stimulated. The new officers are as follows : President, Lilian ]\IcGeachin ; Vice-President, Cornelia Dean ; Recording Secretary, Eugenia poross ; Corresponding Secretary, Alys JJoross; Treasurer, Xancy Walden. Correspondence and Specimens. Dr. Robert Unzicker, R. 1310, 220 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois, de- sires to correspond and exchange speci- mens with other Members interested in Lepidoptera. Coleoptera, minerals, In- dian relics and reotiles. Man or Insect? A plainly seasonable hint is The Agassiz Association's suggestion that a camera is a better present for the boy than a gun. In these days of bacteria battle campaigns there is two-fold seasonableness in the suggestion that collecting the infinitely varied and fascinating butterflies, moths, mosquito hawks and beetles is both bet- ter and more interesting than robbing the nests of wild birds. Among the many things to which the war is attracting a new kind of world- wide attention is the food supply battle between man and insects, a problem which worries the specialists in ultra far- sightedness as much as the old worry about the ultimate over-population of the planet. Th.ey are seriously debating the question who will ultimately win in this world, man or insect. In Europe attempts are now being made to utilize the devas- tating swarms as pork fatteners and gov- ernment scientists at Washington have tried a new dish made of grubs, which they recommend as delicious. With sober mein they are trying to start a discussion of the edibilitv of locusts and the like in connection with the world's meat supply problem. What mav be taken seriously by all thoughtful people is the general question of the human struggle against all detri- mental insects as a class. Xot only the war's emohasis on the need of auirment- ing and safeguardir^g agricultural pro- ductiveness, but the new attention to better utilization of the planet's most pro- ductive areas makes this now more timely then. ever. Insects are the chief obsta- cles to economic conquest of the prolific tropics. Energetic organization of nature study clubs would be far more than pro- motion of a pleasurable fad. Such a movement might, indeed, rank in dignity with the quite obviously commendable movement for establishing rifle ranges and training camps. Editorial in "The Baltimore Star." From a Sustaining Member. 1!V L. SCIIWIiRS, I.OWKR LAKK, LAKE COUNTY, CAT IFORNIA. Under the stimulating influence of my membership in The Agassiz Association we, that is, my pupils, my family and I, have made some progress in becoming more deeply rooted in the realm of Xature. A great help in our astronomical self- instruction is the cloudless California sky and our distance from disturbing sources of light. It is a delight to walk into the fields iust before going to bed and stroll through the diiTerent constellations, and watch Venus, Saturn and Mars from eveninc^- to evening. Thus the sparklin?, dome of the heavens becomes a sublime i.)icture book. A novel charity has just been estab- lished by the will of a 3tliss Everest of Kent, England. The grounds of her es- tate become a perpetual sanctuary for bird life, while the house is to be a rest- ing place for the ill and over-worked. An endowment of four thousand dollars pro- vides the maintenance. Miss Everest, by the way, is the daughter of the former Surveyor-General of India whose some- what inappropriate monument is the loftiest mountain of the globe. Sidney. Australi'^. has htelv securr'd, for a zoological park, a beautiful tract of sixtv acres on a point extending- into the harbor. Rose and .s-old in the morning. Gold and rose at night, ]\Jake them the shades svmbolic Of the ve?tibule of liffbt. — Emma Peirce. THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION 93 An Inquisitive Squirrel. HV l-l i:i) HIGH, CHICAGU, II.I.IXOIS. Tho ])icture of the squirrel facing the kodak tells a story in itself, but it would take a movie outfit to transfer the scene to the picture world. 'I'here were about five squirrels which had actually learn- ed to read character stif^cientl}- well to pick ottt those who are their friends in a Tln-ift Campaign amcjng the banks. Its purpose is to indtice the children to appreciate the lessons that our feath- ered friends may teach us, l)oth by what they do and what they fail to do, and how each may mean to them either life or death. Any one interested can obtain a free copy of "Lessons Learned from the Birds. "a thirty-two page book- ■mJP^HlM iWi HH^ypI ^^^^BBto^^WF^"^^^^^^ EFFICIENT NATURALISTS STUDYING A SQUIRREL. from those who are indift'erent to them. At least a dozen others kept darting about but never venturing near enough to get the prize that w'e ottered. A few peanuts enticed these little park dwellers into the open path, in spite of the fact that the thermometer was creeping toward zero. One of the squirrels jumped on my back, climbed over my shoulder, crawled cautiously down my arm, leaned over my hand and inspected the camera. He even looked into it as though he understood its workings. It was this inspection of the camera that attracted the attention of the squirrel that was caught by Mr. Flude who had been trying to photo- graph one as it faced the lens. This photograph was taken for the purpose of getting a sqtiirrel picture with which to illustrate a little com- mercial booklet that we were then pre- paring entitled, "Lessons Learned from the Birds," which in conjunction with Miss Sara V. Preuser's splendid boook, "Our Doorvard Friends," is l^eing ttsed let, by addressing "The Platform," 64 East \'an Buren Street, Chicago, Illi- nois. This is a serious attempt to demon- strate the pecuniary value of our birds in their efforts to protect us from the depredations of noxious insects and their allies. We try to show the com- mercial world that the study of animal life pays dividends in cash. The first meteorite ever reported from the state of Florida has just been ac- quired by the National IMusetim. The specimen is a fragment, a little over two pounds in weight. The finder was a fish- erman who brought up the stone in his net from the bottom of Lake Okechobee. Trees. Stately and tall, with their leafy crowns Ashimmer in every breeze, With their grateful shade, and their blos- soming time What more enchanting than trees? — Emma Peirce. 94 THE GUIDE TO NATURE A Eulldog with Kittens. A French l)ulldog- owned l)y Dr. H. F. Dailey of the veterinary staff of the Angell Hospital lost her puppies soon after their birth. About that time a hours of sunlight will be devoted to ex- amination and admiration of nature's beauties on this earth. "The hours of darkness, given up to sleep no longer, will be devoted to the HAPPINESS IN SPITE OF INC()X( IRUITV. litter of motherless kittens was brought to the hospital. Jane at once adopted them of her own volition, and for sev- eral weeks bestow^ed upon them all the care and attention of a loving and de- voted mother. We are indebted to the courtesy of "Our Dumb Animals" for the use of this remarkable photograph. A Dream of Real Living. "The New York Journal" for June 12, 1916, in a thoughtful editorial article sug- gests that in time human beings will do without sleep, and cites in this connection some interesting characteristics of the lower forms of animal life. The writer concludes that after a while we may really begin to live. As an example of what living means to him, he says : "As old age needs less sleep than baby- hood, so in our maturity as a human race we shall probabl\- demand less sleep thai"! now in our racial babyhood. Perhaps none at all will be needed. "If that happens our lives will be dou- bled in value, they will be complete. The study of space, to investigation among other worlds. "That kind of life will be worth while. Bear in mind that we shall only really begin to live on this earth when we shall have settled all the little social and mate- rial questions here and shall have begun in earnest the study of the universe m which we are a speck. "The days of the future will he given up to artistic enjoyment of the beautiful. The nights will be devoted to intellectual development and research. "Man will LIVE." It will be ideal living when time is no longer given to pernicious and artificial pleasures but to the enjoyment of the beautiful. Let us iterate and reiterate these words : "The hours of sunlight will be devoted to examination and admira- tion of nature's beauties on this earth." May it come true! It seems too good to be possible. We shall really begin to live when beyond social and material ques- tions we shall find mental pleasure in the study of the universe. An ideal use of our leisure! Compare that real enjov- ment with the foolish ]iastimes of the present. THE AGASSTZ ASSOCIATION 95 Unusual Aurora. i!\' c. 1). uo.Mic, .\n)i:.\ui;ii), i'i;.\xsvi,- \'AMA. At io:oo P.M. on A])ril jSih of this year ni_\' attention was called to a bright light in the sky, that I presumed to come from a powerful searchlight, but was in reality an unusual aurora borealis. An arch of light apparently three feet wide started on the western horizon and reached to the eastern, passing a little south of the zenith, and lasted tor about an hour. Occasionally I noticed short bars of light that cut through it at nearly right angles. At times the arch became slightl}- ragged, showing parallel separa- tions running east and west. A few- bright spots or crossbars moved rapidly from east to west for some distance, showing strong air currents. I observed a similar aurora in Alay, 1907. A strong- column of light extended from the east- ern horizon, increasing westward but reaching- only about two-thirds of the dis- tance across, and curving slightly like the letter S. In an hour or so the light faded, except at a point south of the zenith, where it lasted for some time longer. I have been told that this kind oi aurora occurs in April or ^lay when con- ditions are right, and that on the follow- ing morning- w'e may look for frost. This followed the display of this year. I recall one other in 1895, when the whole sky was a mass of waves showing rainbow colors and resembling the mirage of a lake or an ocean. A wonderful effect was produced by bending the head back to look straight up. One then seemed to be looking into a great dome of commingling kaleidoscopic colors. In another of the usual type there ap- peared on the western edge a blotch as red as fire, bigger than a barn, and so intensely red that its light was reflected on the eastern horizon. In noting these displays I had the advantage of high ground and remoteness from city lights, buildings and trees. Among the great and n-iemorable events described in a book entitled, "Our First Century," is an account of the aurora on the night of November 14th. 1837, which is said to have been the most magnificent that had occurred in several centuries, and a reference also to grand displays in August and September. 1859. The Lecturer Is a Challenger. ddie value of a lecture lies largel}- in its challenge to fixed customs and estab- lished mode-- of lliought. The lecturer does not wa>te the time of his audience in labored argument to ])rove that the desert of Sahara has sand in it. or that the Pacific (Jcean is wet. He is a ])ath- finder. and seeks to blaze a trail through regions not yet fully explored. He is the aggressor, and calls all n-ien to give valid reasons for the convictions they hold, or abando'.i them for better. — Cliaii- faitqiia Pro(/raiJi. Nature is so close and near, \\niy not make her just as dear? — Emma Peirce. "THE MAN WITH A HOE" MAY BE EXCUSED FOR LOOKING SOUR THIS YEAR. The ArcAdiA garden has been covered with water much of the time. 96 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Uncle Sam Exploring for New Plants. BY H. E. ZIMMERMAN, MT. MORRIS, ILL. The Bureau of Plant Industry, under the Department of Agriculture, at Washington, sends out explorers to various parts of the world in search of new plants which might be introduced into this country and prove of value. Individuality of Tides, The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey has been developing a new theory of tides. According to this theory, the familiar pictures of the geogTaphies, with two knobs of water standing out on oppo- site sides of the earth, is entirely wrong. There is not, in fact, anv ireneral tide anv- JN SEARCH OF ••NEW" PLANTS. The picture shows an outfit used by one of its explorers near Ure-dalik, Chinese Turkestan. The large cart, with its three mules in front and one horse behind, and over i,ooo pounds of baggage in it, trekked through a piece of sandy and alkaline desert. The man in the foreground is a Russo-Turki interpreter : the others are the driver and the general helper. According to a late report on Irish fisheries, the rings on the deeper valve of the oyster are not, as is commonly thought, a reliable test of age. Oysters of knoAvn age that had been under ol)- servation at the experiment station for four years showed from three to eight ^'annual" rings. California Poppies. Bright sunbeani-s in the garden, Caught and held there fast; But like the really sunbeams. Night cuenches them at last. — Emma Peircc where ; but each separate ocean has its own tide quite independently of the rest of the water on the globe. Thus the waters of the Pacific swish back and forth with no more relation to the swishing in the Atlantic than as if the two oceans were two separate bathtubs in which two children were being washed. From this, it follows that every great lake, every small lake and every little pond, even down to every tiny pool, has a tide of its own precisely like the tides of the larger oceans except that the rise and fall may be only the fraction of an inch. As we contemplate the infinite spaces above us, Avith no beginning and no ending, we become "stilled'' as it were by the immensity of it all. Our finite minds stand appalled, but the sense of a Great Power creeps gradually over us and the unseen almost becomes real, while Life takes on a new meaning. — Editha S. Campbell, Erie, Pennsyl- vania. THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION 97 A Touch of the Unknown. I recently went to Colchester to visit the scenes of my boyliood in a wild territory far out in the heart of the country. No one in that part of the country knew of my intention to make the visit. I called at the farmhouse where I had not been for about twenty years. The lady of the house did not recognize me until a correct stn-mise by her daughter revealed m}- identity. She then sent a younger daughter to a distant cornfield to call her father. The daughter was not to give my name but simply to say that some one had drop- ped in on business. AV'e wished to see whether he would recognize his boy- hood friend. On receipt of the message the farmer said, "You can't fool me. It is not any one on business. It is Ed. Bigelow. I thought perhaps he wotild call, because I saw him on the street in the village last evening. I was surprised to learn that he was in this vicinity, but at once surmised that he would not go away without visiting his boyhood home." The interesting fact is that I did not arrive in Colchester until that morning and went directly from the station to his farm bv automobile ! A Lapful of Pony. Ahont tlic last kii:;l of a ])ct to liold in one's laj) is a pony. ]:)Ut here is an illustration showing that a woman was able thus to treat a pony. We are indebted to "The National A NO\EL LAP PET. Would you take Nature for vour friend, She'd give you pleasure without end. — Emma Peirce. Schrapnel bullets, fired at aircraft and dropping back to earth from great heights, are not especially dangerous. The resistance of the air prevents tliem from ever falling faster than about five hundred feet a second. Humane Review" for the cut and to Mr. Charles S. Jenkins of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, who has one hundred and twenty-five ponies, -all pure Shet- lands. He says there is satisfaction in producing an animal that will not be killed for food, but will be kept to give pleasure and health to its owner and make better the men and women and children that use it well. PARASOL AXTS (EACH CARRYING A LEAF;) OX THE MARCH. Cut by courtesy of The New York Zoological Society. 98 THE GUIDE TO NATURE The Symbolism of Snails. BY LEAH B. ALLEX, WELLESLEY, MASSA- CHUSETTS. Is any one interested in snails, ugly little things famous for slowness ? They were interesting to the great artist in metal, Peter Vlscher of Nuremberg. One of the treasures of that city is the beautiful bronze shrine of St. Sebald. A miniature Gothic chapel is raised above fifty or more statuettes of apos- tles, prophets and personifications of abstract qualities, all supported on twelve snails, with a dolphin at each corner. It was designed and executed in the early part of the sixteenth cen- tury by Peter V^ischer, who, aided by his five sons, worked for twelve years on this masterpiece "to promote the Glory of God Almighty and St. Sebald." Dolphins, strong, swift swimmers, were anciently believed to carry souls across the ocean to the Isles of the Blest, and are frequently found carved on early tombs. The meaning of the snails is not plain, but Lady Higgins, a renowned English astrophysicist, eager to under- stand all that she saw, determined to ascertain their symbolism. She noted details in works of art with the same alert, appreciative sight with which she saw delicate lines in a star's spec- trum. Not finding an explanation in the books, she for several years studied the habits of living snails. She found that they can be kept apparently dead for at least two years and then be re- suscitated. This characteristic seems to be sufficiently symbolical of the re- surrection of a soul to justify the artist in using them as foundations for a shrine. Lady Higgin's note in regard to her experiments does not state the variety of snails observed. Perhaps some read- er of The Guide to Nature may be able to tell us if American snails have this power of waking from life so long dormant. [The symbolism of animals in Chris- tian art is frequently a matter of arbi- trary interpretation. To my mind it is a question whether Peter Vischer had any definite idea in mind, besides originality and artistic conception and execution. The use of animals in art during the fifteenth and sixteenth cen- turies had little of the symbolic. The artists strove for pleasing designs and harmonious results and used the ani- mals best suited to their talents. The dolphins in art have several sym- bolic interpretations, sometimes "repre- senting Christ Himself, again repre- senting the individual Christian soul seeking the knowledge of Christ, and in still other particular cases the idea is that of love and tenderness. Your correspondent's symbolic interpreta- tion of snails is new to me, and I think it is very good. — N. P. C] What Your Face Tells. Somewhere I have read a little story of St. Francis of Assissi who invited a brother religious to go to the city with him to preach to the people. After they had traveled through the streets for a long time, turning this way and that, the brother remonstrated with his companion: "\Miy," he said, 'T thought we were going to preach." "W'e have been preaching," replied St. Francis. "Our very walk through the streets has been a sermon to every person we met. Our manner, our demeanor, our dress, everything about us incidentally turned the thoughts of those people toward God." How true it is that "the gods we wor- ship write their names on our faces." We gradually come to resemble our ideals, the things which most occup_\- our minds. Hope or fear, joy or sorrow, success or failure eventually reproduces itself in our expression of countenance, in our man- ner, in our atmosj^here, in our personality. The thoughts we habitually harbor, whether optimistic or pessimistic, hope- ful or desDniring, sad or merry, will write their record in our faces, exactly in ac- cordance with their nature. We are all preachers of sermons. C)ur faces as we CTo about the world are preaching the gosDel of good cheer, of hope, of joy and gladness, of success or that of pessimism, despair, of disappointment, of misery, of failure. — Orison S'-a'ctt Mardcn in May Xanfilns. THE AGASSTZ ASSOCIATION 99 Dr. Bigeiow Elected Scout Naturalist. 'I'lu-' Managers of the Uov Scouts ^4 America have elected Dr. I^dward \\ I5ii^elo\v, of Sound r>each, Conn., "Scout Naturalist." He will guide the great and growing organization of boys in their nature studies, answer questions and conduct a department entitled "On Na- ture's Trail" in "Roys' Life," the of- ficial monthl}- jniMicaticjn of the Boy Scouts. Their magaine has already at- tained a circulation of more than loo,- ooo. This work is not entirely new but rather a develoi)ment of one of the lines of interest and helpfulness that has been carried on for a long time by Dr. Bigeiow through The Agassiz As- sociation and its ArcAdiA. A large number of organizations have found help at AkcAdiA in their nature inter- ests. Dr. Bigeiow has for many years taken an interest in Boy Scouts. He has answered many letters, addressed them in various places and troops have been frecjuent visitors at ArcAdiA. He has also written departments of the Scout Handbook. This new develop- ment has been undertaken on an exten- sive scale at a remuneration hardly covering the cost of correspondence, with not much of any allowance for traveling and other expenses that will necessarily be incurred. Dr. Bigeiow^ is accepting so large an undertaking in the belief that it will be sustained by naturalists and philanthropists, and es- pecially by those who recognize the tremendous importance of the educa- tional possibilities of the great Boy Scout Movement. The Managers of the Boy Scouts of America make the following announce- ment : important news for rkaders of "boys' life." We have just completed arrange- ments for a big new department to be- gin in the September number. This department will be called "On Nature's Trail."' It will contain just the kind of "nature stuff" that boys — and Scouts especially — like to read. Dr. Edward E. Bigeiow, who has just been appointed "Scout Naturalist," will show our readers the mvsteries and delights of "Nature's Trail." If we had known of anybody better (|ualilie(l lo conduct such a department than Dr. l^dgelow. we would have "landed^ him" for "Boys' Life" But we don't believe any such person ex- ists. Thousands of you bo}-s know who Dr. Bigeiow is, for you 'have read his stories and have heard him talk. We don't need to say anything to those of you who have had this privilege for you know from experience that Dr. Bigeiow "has the goods" when it comes to nature stories. And you other fel- lows will find this out when you "hit the trail" with the famous naturalist next month. Dr. Bigeiow has been a nature ex- pert for years and years. He was an authority on nature subjects before most of }ou fellows were born. And his interest and enthusiasm grow faster than his years. When he tells you any- thing about birds or animals or plants just take it all right in and if you ever get into an argument about any fine points of nature study you can settle it in a jiflE^y if you can say. "Dr. Bige- iow says that's so." There's no need of going any further for authority. He knows ! Every boy has heard about The Agassiz Association and the v.'ork this organization has done to increase an interest in nature subjects. Dr. Bige- iow has been president of this organi- zation for nine years. When you see a copy of tlie latest edition of the "Handbook for Boys" you will find in it a corking article on "How to Tell North, South and Other Directions." This article was w^ritten by Dr. Bigeiow, who also wrote "Good Hunting among the Eungi." Many of you have read the interest- ing magazine, "The Guide t@ Nature." Dr. Bigeiow is the editor. Most of you have read, at one time or another, the "Nature and Science" department of St. Nicholas Magazine. Dr. Bigeiow was editor of that depart- ment for fourteen years. Eor a great many years Dr. Bigeiow has been lecturing throughout the country, conducting nature outings for boys' schools, and boosting nature study noon and night. Recently he has taken a particular interest in Scouts, answering letters TOO THE GUIDE TO NATURE from them and giving them special lectures on his tours. So he under- stands Scouts as well as other natural things. But this tells you only what he has done. It doesn't let you know that he is big and jolly, and bald-headed, and always ready to laugh ; that he has keen eyes and keen wits, that he is chuck-full of fun, that he is full of good stories — and, what is more important, that he can tell them too. In fact he's a regular fellow and that "Dr." on his name isn't half as formidable as it sounds. His department, "On Nature's Trail," is going to be nature and nothing else. In it he will give you a lot of tips from his own experience and plenty of infor- mation that will make scouting mean more to you than it does now. And [resides — and this is one of the best things about his department — he'll anszccr all your questions. Ge' readv for a bully old hike with Dr. Bigelow "On Nature's Trail," be- ginning with September "Boys' Life." Personal. At no other time have so many hopes been centered on the Boy Scouts. I refer to this not so much on account of the possibility of their becoming soldiers at some future time to fight foreign enemies, as on account of the present need that they shall become men to meet the many problems that are rapidly arising, some of them acute and surprising. What this world needs is men tliat will think inten^lv and possess the cjualities of true manli- ness. No other organizations have suc- ceeded along such lines as well as the Boy Scouts, but it is admitted by man- agers and friends who have watched the development of this great Move- ment that the association needs greater develoDment in the department of na- ture education. There is need for the training of the inner qualities of the Srout as well as of his physical being. He needs to see and hear as well as to march. AVe believe that everv friend of the Boy Scout will give their heart- iest api)roval to the new efforts in this direction. AA'e desire to receive sup;- gestions from writers, naturalists, sportsmen, from everybody who not only breathes and lives out of doors but who finds a mental joy in such ex- istence and in such pursuits. Let me say personally that I have seldom undertaken any work that so impressed me with its responsibilities. Think of the arm)^ of boys to be helped and to help others in this educational work. We need more earnest, manly men. A boy is the only thing in all this world that can develop into a man. We are relying on the support of those who believe in men. Edward F. Bigelow. Aquatic Interests. Our interests in water life are mani- fold. They are in part economic inter- ests, for the water furnishes us food. They are in part aesthetic interests, for aquatic creatures are wonderful to see, and graceful and often very beautiful. They are in part educational interests, for in the water live the more primitive forms of life, the ones that best reveal the course of organic evolution. They are in part sanitary interests ; interests in pure water to drink, and in control of water-borne diseases, and of the aquatic organisms that disseminate diseases. They are in part social interests, for clean shores are the chosen places for water SDorts and for public and private recrea- tion. The}' are in part civic interests, for the cultivation of water products for human food tends to increase our suste- nance, and to diversify our industries. Snrelv these things justifv an earnest eff"ort to make some knowledge of water life available to anv one who mav desire it. — "The Life of Inland Waters." The sisn language of the American T-^dians has been '^hown to be at least as old as the vear T53S- California Poppies. Chalices of sunshine In the mornino- light, Clnsin"- fast flieir bonnv cups, At approach of nig-ht. Oivinp- sold so freely Through the summer day. Thrifty grovn, at twilight hour Hoarding it away. RaHiating gladness. Glowing in the light. Breathing e'er a sweet behest. "Make your world as bripht." — Emma Peirce. KIND WORDS FOR LECTURES lOI Kind Words for Lectures University of Tennessee Capstone of Public School System, Knoxville, Tennessee. professor iiarrv clark, dirkctor of the; summer school. To Whom it May Concern : We had Dr. Bigelow with us for one week's lectures during the 1916 sum- mer school, and he made an unusual impression on our students and on the people who came in from the city. He won the club women of the city, and he had many invitations for social cour- tesies. His crowds grew with each lec- ture, because as one woman said, "He is so sane and so different from the usual lecturer." Another enthusiast came up to me after one of his lectures, and said, "Where did you get him?" Many lecturers try to state bizarre hyperboles in order to catch attention, but Dr. Bigelow won his crowd by his interesting ways of stating fairly both sides of mooted questions. He has an inexhaustible energy, for he attended classes all day long and then after night would go down to the market house and interview the hucks- ters who drove in from the country. At 8 P. M. he would be on hand for the night lectures. Just for a side line he would go out in the city and make a talk for the negro institute to accom- modate our country superintendent or conduct a round table on some topic for the students and cluli women. I envy him his vigor that has come from his out-of-doors life. A Most Unusual Speaker. Dr. Bigelow is a most unusual speak- er. He is sort of "dift'erent" and some would say "queer" but he is very en- tertaining and in listening to him one is impressed with his breadth of view and sympathies. One characteristic of the man that has manifested itself to those who have heard his two lectures is that he does not like to commit himself or to state his position on anything Init he rather prefers to let his hearers decide for themselves any issues that may come U]) in the course of his address. 1 )r. I')igel()\v made quite an iiii])res- sion on thc^se who heard him during his stay in this city. He is a most unique personality and is a man of wide study and thought. He has a way of his own of looking at life and it is a good way. Dr. Bigelow is an optimist and a lover of nature, in fact, his love of all living things, both plants and animals, is the most characteristic thing about him. He can see the beauty and the lesson in the smallest plant that grows and if all could look at nature through his eyes the world would indeed be a fasci- nating place. The Sunmier School management is to be complimented upon securing such a man as Dr. Bigelow for an entire week. His lectures have proven an in- spiration to hundreds here and his ob- ject, which as he said was to make people think, has certainly been ac- complished for one cannot sit for five days and listen to this speaker without thinking. — "The Journal and Tribune," Knoxville. Tennessee. The Teachers of the Summer School of the University of Chattanooga. r,Y DAN'm R. LEE, DIRECTOR. (by UNANnrOl^S \'OTE OF THE ENTIRE SCHOOL.) An Appreciation. To the man who is al)le to dignify the common wayside weed with a name : who can paint the lih^ and gild refined gold without it being called "ridiculous excess ;" "who in big heart- ed sympathy finds songs in running l^rooks and sermons in stones and good in everything" — To such a man. represented in the ])erson of om- distinguished guest. Doc- tor Edward F. Bigelow. who has for five davs taken us through the fertile fields of thought and opened our eyes, long closed, to see the beautiful in God's out-of-doors, we offer this word of grateful appreciation for his splen- did services in our behalf. May he live long and prosper! ]\Iay his shadow never grow less ! NOTICES Land Birds of Northern New York. By Ed- mund J. Sawyer. Published under the Auspices of the Watertown Bird Club, Watertown, New York. The author justly tells us that "after all has been said for the observant love of nature the best is that it can keep its votary young at heart in a world like this." Mr. Sawyer has practised what he preaches and he has helped others in their practice. He is an effective writer and skillful as a stu- dent in all departments of nature but espec- ially is he at home among the birds. We cordially recommend this little handbook with its dainty illustrations and appropriate text. of certain forms of animal life from mos- quitoes up to tigers. The mines of oil, coal, iron, copper, suggest an infinite mind filled with kindly desire to provide for the human race. That these came by chance or were developed without reference to an adapta- tion in future eons, is unthinkable. Under the Apple-Trees. By John Bur- roughs. Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company. John Burroughs not only grows better in many respects as he grows older but he enters a wider field. He says that he can write only on natural history like any farm crop when it is ready to be harvested, "but philosophy we have always with us. It is a crop which we can grow and reap at all times and in all places, and it has its own value and brings its own satisfaction." In Mr. Burroughs's younger days nearly all his writing was devoted to the description of his observations. In recent years it tells us of the thoughts suggested by the various phenomena of nature. That is human life. Active young folks see things and the older folks sit down and think about them. Activity is as characteristic of youth as philosophy is of age. The book is named from the title of the first chapter but other instructive sections cover a wide range of this famous natural- ist's speculations. Many readers will not agree with Mr. Burroughs in some of his conclusions, but one that wishes to read both sides of a question will be interested not only in his conclusions but in the course along which his mind travels to arrive at a retrospective resting place. Mr. Burroughs's earlier books made us study and question nature. In this he makes his readers study and question him. But that is in harmony with his theory that man is only a part of nature. He teaches that there is no admixture of the human element in astronomy and geology. Some of us believe that geology shows as much provision for the human race as for any other form of life. Nothing in any geological formation is an active enemy to mankind but that cannot be said The Life of Inland Waters. An Elemen- tary Text Book of Fresh-water Biology for American Students. By James G. Needham and J. T. Lloyd. Ithaca, New York: The Comstock Publishing Company. Here is a real book and one that is needed, one that touches the field in a satisfactory way. There are a few English books that American students have become forced to use for lack of anything better, but this new work excels not only in its adaptability but in its scope all those English and similar books. It includes much on various forms of larger as well as microscopical life. It is devoted chiefly to ichthyology. It is a big book, well printed on coated paper, containing 438 pages magnificently illus- trated with 244 illustrations. The only criticism that can be made, and that is not really unfavorable, is that it covers too wide a field when its use outside of a col- lege classroom is considered. For the amateur however it presents a good bird's- eye survey of the whole realm of small forms of aquatic life up to and including the larger aquatic insects. We recognize that from even so large a book many phases of the subject have been necessarily omitted. For these we must turn to special books. There is however a great amount of text and many illustrations that are new and not duplicated in any other publication. It is an excellent work for the amateur to consult if he intends to give attention to aquatic investigations. Through it he may survey the whole field and decide what he likes best. An extensive bibliography offers many suggestions for specializing. The authors give special acknowledgement to Agassiz as an inspiring teacher, to Dr. Joseph Leidy as an excellent zoologist, and to Dr. Alfred C. Stokes whose "Aquatic Micro- scopy" is a useful book for beginners, but they located this famous microscopist in Connecticut, where his book was published, and not in Trenton, New Jersey, where his home is. The wide sympathetic interest of the book is well shown by the following- sentence: '"The school bov lies on the brink of a THE GUIDE TO XATURE—ADfERTlSEMEXTS XI pool, watching the caddisworms haul their lumbering- cases about on the bottom, and the planctologist plies his nets, recording each season the wax and wane of genera- tions of aquatic organisms, and both are satisfied observers." Flowers. Flowers along the roadside, Flowers in garden bed, Flowers with joyful wedding bells. Flowers where tears are shed; Flowers to deck our tables. Flowers to soothe our pain. Sweet is their companionship, Over and over again. ■ — Emma Peirce. Studies at the British ]\Iint show that the wasting of metal coins is not, as is commonly supposed, principally the re- sult of mechanical abrasion. On the con- trary, the chief loss comes from the chemical action of the acids of the per- spiration. These act especially on cop- per ; and while they do not directly affect either gold or silver, yet by dissolving out the copper in the alloys, they leave a sponigy surface, which wears more rapid- Iv than the fresh coin. LANTERN SLIDES and PHOTOGRAPHS of NATURE SUBJECTS ABOUT 3000 NEGATIVES of Birds, Nests, Mammals, Reptiles, Insects, Flowers, Etc. Lists and Prices of Slides and Prints, Plain or in Colors, Sent upon Application. L. W. BROWNELL 210 Market St. Paterson, N. J. $48.00 For Field Trios- A Portable Mi icroscooe is required that is really portable and sacrifices none of the efficiency of the bidkier instruments. APS 6 in carrying case weighs 8 lbs., 5 oz. The carrying case is less than one- half the size of a regular microscope case. The folding base is the only collapsible feature and there is no mclination joint. APS has the lever side fine adjustment which is simple in design and ceases to operate when the objective touches the specimen. ^ rW Equipped with Abbe Condenser, 2 eye- pieces; 16 mm and 4mni objectives on revolving nosepiece. Bausch tf Ipmb Optical (p. 512 ST. PAUL STREET * ROCHESTER, N.Y* XII THE GUIDE TO NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS How TO Know the Mosses. A Popular Guide to the Mosses of 'the Northeastern United States. By Elizabeth Marie Dunham. Boston and New York. Houghton Mifflin Company. The subject of this book is treated in a simple, non-technical way so that with some species considerable may be learned without the use of the lens. But with the generality of the mosses not much serious study can be done without the pretty constant use of a pocket lens or, better still, the compound microscope. Yet this book simplifies the subject so that the lover of nature may acquire at least a passing acquaintance with these beautiful plants. The author calls at- tention to their wide distribution. They are found in all sorts of places except in salt water. "They grow on moist and on dry ground; on bare rocks and ledges and on those that are covered with soil; on trees; on decaying wood, such as old logs and stumps; on old roofs; and even in streams and ponds and in places that are sometimes submerged. They are especially abundant in cool, moist woods and luxuriant swamps where old logs are rotting, but many may be found in drier and more open places, such as old fields and meadows, and even along the roadside." Dogs for the South Pole. In his recent lecture in Exeter on Captain Scott's expedition ]\Ir. C. H. Aleares mentioned that in his forthcoming- expedition Sir Ernest Shackleton would take a 'number of dogs which had been used for hauling in Canada. The animals, numbering ninety-nine, arrived in Lon- don on Tuesday week and will leave again on the Endurance next Wednesda}-. They are all half-breeds, their ancestry being represented by wolves, and have been used for sleighing and hauling fish. Fish has been their chief food, but in view of the special work for which they are destined they have been trained to feed on biscuits — quite a new form of sustenance to them until they left Mon- treal for London, but so acceptable that they consumed i8cwt. of Spratt's meat fibrine dog cakes by the time they arrived, and are now confirmed biscuit eaters. That they should have taken so readily to their new food is fortunate, for more depends on this than may be imagined. Captain Scott admitted that his failure to reach the Pole on his 1901 expedition was due to the fact that he substituted stockfish for biscuits as food for the dogs which accompanied him on his final dash. Sir Ernest Shackleton will rely on Spratt's Dog Cakes for his teams" food, and a sufficient supply is being taken on board the Endurance to last throughout the expedition. The dogs, who are now at Spratt's c^uarantine kennel at Bedding- ton, answer promptly to their names — Blackey, Collar, Xoble ,Xero, Captain, Colonel, Chimo, etc. The ages range from one to six years ; eighty of them are unusually large, the remainder being younger and somewhat smaller. In many of them the features of the St. Bernard, Newfoundland and German wolfhound are very pronounced. "Fox" is perhaps the prettiest of the pack, remarkably clever and well trained and one of the team leaders, although but a year old. Light, an all gray dog of the prairie wolf type, is another of the team leaders, being the champion of them all, the best worker and the fiercest fisliter. Chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums, glorified daisies. Who fitly can render your praises? You come at a season when blossoms are few. When Garden-flower homage is given to you, In all of your wonderful phases. — Emma Peirce. The eighteenth volume of Bird-Lore begins February 1, 1916. Volume I contained 206 pages and no colored plates ; Volume XVII contained 560 pages and eleven colored plates. The magazine has grown, but the price remains the same. Annual subscription $1.00 D. APPLETON & CO. 29 West 32d St. New York City The more things thou learn- est to know and to enjoy, the more complete and full will be for thee the delight of liv- ing.— Platen. Volume IX SEPTEMBER, 1916 Number l^ PUBLISHED BY THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION ArcAdiA: sound beach, CONNECTICUT EDWARD F. BIGELOW. Managing Editor Subscription, $1.00 a Year. Single Copy, 10 Cents GREENWICH THE EDITION DE LUXE OF CONNECTICUT TOWNS GREENWICH Long Distance Banking You do not have to be a resident of Greenwich to open account with this Company. A great many of our depositors transact all their banking by mail. We are prepared to collect items all over the world free of charge, and should like the chance to talk over "long distance banking" with you. h The Greenwich Trust Co. ESTABLISHED 1887 GREENWICH, CONN. ^ ' ^^^I^^^^^^^H a ,'/' ^ "^^^^^n GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT has good transportatioD facilities to New York. You can buy or rent to good advantage and enjoy living by the water or among the hills to the utmost satisfaction. I have for Sale Elegant Country Estates, Shore and Inland Residences, Farms, Acreage, G>ttages and Building Sites. Also a number of lelecled Furnished Residences and G>ttage8 to Rent in all locations. Would be pleased to hare /on call or write. Laurence Timmons TeL 456 Opp. Depot Greenwich, Coon BEST NURSERY STOCK EVER GROWN Evergreens Fruit and Ornamental Trees Flowering Shrubs Hedge Plants Vines Roses Hardy Perennials ^ ^ ^ Preparing of Plans Laying Out of Grounds Grading -:- -:- Road Building Tree Work -:- -:- GREENWICH NURSERIES DEHN & BERTOLF, Props. LANDSCAPE GARDENERS AND NURSERYMEN GREENWICH, CONN. I A Local Department also of General Interest Regarding a Sound Beach Business Woman American Business Women. MAY MAXTON. [FROM THE ELECTRALOGUP:, NEW YORK.] R E A T I N G dresses for dolls is doubtless a de- lightful occupa- tion for tiny chubby - faced and curly-haired girls. Indeed, they seem to be able to get a greater measure of enjoyment out of it than any other childish occupation. But, when these little girls begin to grow, somehow the zest of this partic- ular pastime is lost and soon the mak- ing of dolls' clothes is abandoned en- tirely. But to one girl in particular, a viva- cious Scotch lassie, the pleasure of this occupation was never lost. Indeed her joy in designing and making frocks for her dolls survived long after she had passed the recognized "doll age" and became a rather large girl. But con- ventions or no conventions, she still found pleasure in designing diminutive wardrobes, and when she had outfitted her dolls to a degree where further ad- ditions would be sheer extravagance (and not to be countenanced by her Scotch parents) she looked about her for the dolls of other and much smaller girls which needed attention. And strange as it may seem, this propensity for designing clothes for dolls clung to her so long that finally she determined to put it to a very prac- tical use. Instead of dolls she chose human beings, little girls and boys and grown women, and forthwith she pro- ceeded to design clothes for them, un- til now she is designing clothes for the women folk of almost the entire nation, for there is little doubt that May Man- ton's pattern-making is today a nation- al institution of unbelievable size. It is true that Miss Manton's genius for making patterns developed from her youthful desires to make her dolls look' pretty — or perhaps that is a mis- statement.' Perhaps her genius for making i)atterns and designing dresses was given expression as early as the day when her chief desire was to make dolls' clothes; l)ut whichever is the case, the result of thirty years of prac- tical pattern-designing, as evidenced' today in Miss Manton's tremendous business, attests to both her skill and. what is more important, her ability as a business woman. Miss Manton is one of a number of women of national renown who have been extremely successful in business^ Her wits and her foresight have re- sulted in the establishment of an in- stitution capable of keeping the wheels of a huge factory humming day and night. She has her representatives in nearly every city of the United States and in many cities of foreign countries, and she has gained through her busi- ness a countrywide friendship and re- spect. Just where Miss Manton's design- ing of clothes passed from pleasure in- to business is hard to say. Of course, through it all the pleasure of the oc- cupation has not been missing, because, even today, after thirty years of this form of work. Miss Manton visits her designing-rooms in Sixth Avenue, New York, every day, and all the work done by the staff of a score or more artists is accomplished under her immediate supervision, or at least at her direction. The task of making dolls' clothes when she was a little girl was, of course, purely one of pleasure. But as she grew older and really began to for- sake her own dolls she found many others to occupy her attention, the doll families of her little friends. Later she married, and then she had another fam- ilv of dolls of her own to design for, onlv these dolls were of a much more active type than the pink and white Dresden ones she had dressed in her early day. At the age of nineteen, married, and the mother of a family, she came to this country. But still, with all the duties of a wife and a mother, she found time to design frocks, gowns, dresses, skirts, waists, and a host of other things, for herself, her children and her friends. Indeed, her skill in this line was so marked VIII THE GUIDE TO NATURE that there aj^peared to be no outlet for her energies but that of commercializ- ing this pastime of hers, and commer- cialize it she did, with the aid of her husband, Mr. George H. Bladworth. That was the inception of Miss Man- ton's pattern business. In spite of her cleverness, however, Miss Manton found that the establish- ment of a pattern business on a suc- cessful footing was no easy task, and she was forced to work early and late, many hours a day, to carry out her plans for a national business institu- tion. Year after year she strove, building and ever building. Millions of patterns were designed, created and marketed broadcast, until finally a huge factory in Newark, New Jersey, was ■established to manufacture the flimsy paper designs that were so much in demand among the women of this coun- try. Millions of these have been turn- ed out during the last three decades and in styles they have run the gamut from quaint looking costumes of the eighties to the present creations, for Miss Manton has always adhered to style. But a great many things beside hard work contributed to the up-building of this huge business, not the least of which being Miss Manton's keenness in judging the ability of others. Through this she was able to gather about her an able staff of assistants and a staff upon which she could rely in any emergency. It was with this com- petent force ever at her command that she forged forward. Her ideas were the foundation of the establishment and the vital force which made it accumu- late volume. But the execution vof these ideas fell to the men and women she relied upon. Under her direction one corps of assistants designed and built the products of the firm while an- other group developed the business policies and conducted the sales cam- paigns along lines that she herself had thought out and suggested. Miss Manton has maintained her place at the helm since the business was inaugurated and today she still directs the big institution in spite of the fact that she has already done more than her share of the work. Daily she devotes several hours to the problems that present themselves for solution. And always before she leaves the place she pays a visit to the designing room. (Continued on Page IX.) THIS IS NOT A NEWSPAPER SHOP, BUT A CORNER OF MAY MANTOJSI'S PATTERN FACTORY. 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, 1897. Vol IX SEPTEMBER, 1916 Number 4 An Unique and Interesting Connecticut Institution De- voted to the Study of Nat ure for Humanity's Sake. (From the "Saturday Chronicle/'' New Haven, Connecticut, August 5, 1916. Article Written by Edwa rd F. Bigelow and Illustrations Sup- plied AT Request of the Editor.) HEN The Agassiz Association was formed forty-one years ago, it said, "We will devote ourselves to a wide range of nature and of ages and tal- ents ; one section will take one Chapter of the .great book and another section another Chap- ter, then we will put it all together in sym- pathetic association and have a wondrous and enjoyable whole." Well, this is the work that is now be- ing carried on in The Agassiz Association at ArcAdiA: Sound Beach, Connecticut. From Lenox, Massachusetts, in '75 the organization went to Pittsfield, Massa- chusetts, was incorporated in '92, moved to Stamford, Connecticut, in 1908, and about a year later accepted an invitation to Sound Beach, where a series of six buildings was provided for it. Later it became necessary to make a change and to select a new location, when three other buildings were added. There is now a hamlet of nine buildings devoted to the study of nature in all her phases and for the use of all ages and classes of people. The memberships include all ranks of scholastic attainment, from that of the university to the skill of the kindergarten; in all grades of homes, and all religious denominations. The Agassiz Association is taking active interest in other organiza- tions ; especially might be mentioned the humane societies, the societies for the study of plants, birds, animals, shells, etc. It has a sympathetic and cooperative in- terest in all modern organizations, such as the Boy Scouts. Camp Fire Girls, Woodcraft Movement and various leagues for outdoor studies. To ArcAdiA come private and public schools, farmers' clubs, churches, teachers' associations, specialists and biological societies. "But what is ArcAdiA?" the reader may ask. It is a little village of nine buildings equipped not as a botanical garden nor a museum, but to carry on a work of help- fulness to others. It is not for exhibition nor for study. It is a school, not local but world-wide. In helpfulness it is as Copyright 1916 by The Agassiz Association, ArcAdiA: Sound Beach, Conn. I04 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Sfi OG DEVOTED TO THE STUDY OF NATURE 105 available to a student in California or in Japan as it is to one in Sound Beach. It is a clearing house for the interchange of the observations of all naturalists. The youngest child can have its flower or co- coon identified and through it the most learned scientists of the land can have the benefit of personal communication with experts in any branch of scientific study. The technical student, the occasional sight-seer or the fanatical hobbyist may obtain a response or a sympathetic in- terest at ArcAdiA. The youngest boy or girl is encouraged to see and to tell what he sees. A student recently arrived at ArcAdiA is eighty-two years of age. There are others of equal age or equal youth who have never seen ArcAdiA and who probably never will see it. but that are benefited by the institution. The buildings are : The Welcome Reception Room where companies gather for social and general educational and scientific purposes. It is what the word, "Welcome," implies. The building is never rented, an admis- sion fee is never required. That is the spirit of ArcAdiA. The recipient knows that there are expenses and he may aid to any extent or not at all. The one who gives nothing in money receives as care- ful attention as the one who has given thousands. On the same principle the one who knows but little of nature is treated with the same courtesy and with the same manifestation of our desire to aid as is the famous specialist. Our vis- itors and correspondents include all these classes. Then there are the office, the labora- torv where problems are worked out and methods for the disseminating of infor- mation are devised. The observatory is equipped with a six-inch Clark telescope and is now mak- ing every efifort to secure an additional four-inch in order to provide for the large parties that frequently visit it. In this observatory we do not attempt origi- nal, scientific work. The purpose is to teach others what is already known, and to interest and uplift them along these lines. The aim is not new facts, but a new life. The apiarian laboratory is better equip- ped than any other in the country. It gives information freely, as is proved bv the demonstrations of the fact that honeybees may be safely handled in the s])irit of love. It is one of the most at- tractive features of the institution. 'ilic storage building contains an enor- mous number of negatives and illustra- tions of every phase of nature study. From this house these are prettv con- stantly sent to naturalist's publications in all parts of the country. Botany Bungalow is the home of an experienced botanist who gives her time freely in answering questions by corre- spondence or assisting in the instruction of visitors. Birchen Bower, the residence of the Bigelow family, while a part of ArcAdiA, is not owned by The Agassiz Association, yet it adds to the comfort and satisfaction of the visitor and the facilities for carry- ing on the work of The Agassiz Associa- tion. The Agassiz Grove is a picturesque place and is well adapted for visitors, for picnics or for ornithological students. In this grove there will be a development known as Little Japan, consisting of pa- vilion, cook room, rest cottage, etc. In connection with ArcAdiA is the Forest of Arden of 100 acres, a region of uncul- tivated nature within about six minutes walk of ArcAdiA and well adapted to all sorts of biological investigations, includ- ing microscopical life of remarkable richness and variety. The growth of the institution in recent years has been rapid. The Agassiz As- sociation has the hearty cooperation of the New York, New Haven and Hart- ford Railroad, which leases to it, for a nominal sum, an extent of territory for the study of wild nature. In this part numerous trees and shrubs have been planted, and walks have been built by the generous and liberal aid of the railroad company. The institution depends for its support upon membership fees, gifts, and the income from subscriptions and ndvertisements in its magazine. The Guide; to Nature. The President of the Association receives only a nominal sum for certain mechanical work in connec- tion with the magazine. He has no sal- ary for editing The Guide to Nature nor as president of The Agassiz Associa- tion. In this missionary work he is lib- erallv aided by the members of his fam- ilv and by a number of associated nat- uralists. Some of the latter edit depart- io6 THE GUIDE TO NATURE DEVOTI^J3 'JXJ THE STUDY OF NATURE 10/ ments and supply text and illustrative material in an extensive range of natural subjects. The spirit of The Agassiz As- sociation is free from commercialism. It is thoroughly permeated by a spirit of helpfulness to others. It emphasizes not only the joy of seeing for oneself, but, more than that, the joy of relating that observation to others, which Ruskin says and nature, but such improvement may be considered from various points of view. In nature, the agricultural college is pri- marily considering humanity's stomach. Most modern forestry has humanity's homes in view, and modern mining has as its end humanity's transportation or machinery for some utilitarian purpose, or some utilitarian object for the benefit THE ROSES AND (JLDIASHIONED" HARDY PLAX 1 .^ l;V (The Residence.) ■lUKcllLA i.'J.'* is the greatest thing in all the world. We often hear the expressions, "art for art's sake," "music for music's sake," "nature for nature's sake." Only a mo- ment's consideration is needed to realize that all these are delusive. There can be no music for music's sake, and no nature for nature's sake. A human being must necessarily make the whole world benefit himself or his kind. Alusic is for the improvement of one's fellows, as are art of humanity. The useful must necessa- rily be uppermost in the human mind. All life is built on a physical basis. But homes, food, clothes, travel, working con- veniences and modern inventions of transportation are a means to an end. They provide material things for real life. In the struggle for improvements in ma- terial things of life, there is danger that the highest plans of life may be forgotten. In the multiplicity of articles, maga- io8 THE GUIDE TO NATURE VVIIKRK \ ISITCJUS CO FKOM THE WEr.COME RECEPTION ROOM TO THE AGASSIZ GROVE. zines and institutions, for example, that tell one how he may go to nature and live there comfortably, have a picturesque modern home, a flower garden and a veg- etable garden, and how he may make these profitable, there is danger that the real essentials may be overlooked. Theo- logical seminaries and churches as social organizations do not produce the inner religious life which is the most import- ant of all. Neither do elaborate maga- zines that tell how to plan and furnish a home in the country, tell us how really to live on a farm, but rather how to care for a garden or to have the best cow or pig in the community. Biological labora- tories, however well equipped for re- search work in life forms, do not neces- sarily tell humanity how to live. Nor do huge observatories and gigantic tele- scopes tell one how to obtain the real in- fluences and the real joy from the heavens. All these so-called practical concomitants of life are useful and ha\'e their place, but they are useful only as a means to an end. One may study any aspect of nature all his life and never make it really his own. It is in spirit an actual entering into the realms of nature for personal uplift and joy that The Ag- assiz Association was established at Lenox, ^Massachusetts, forty-one years ago this summer. It has had a varied experience not only in itself but in noting the multiplicity of organizations that owe their origin to The Agassiz Association and under its influence have branched out into a wide range, all of them con- sidering nature. There are organizations that forbid one to whip a horse or to pull a cat's tail. There are others that forbid the wearing of birds on the hat and the shooting of them for pies. There are others that promulgate athletic activites and outdoor life and the building of bon- fires in the woods, with long ceremonies that seem to share the customs of the un- tamed savage in his propitiatory worship of nature. There are others that believe in pulling fish from the ponds and streams for pleasure, and in various forms of killing wild life known as hunting. Some societies take their members afield to name and classify the plants, to gather mushrooms for food : still others walk abroad and feel satisfied when thev re- DI'AOTIU) TO I'll!': S'I'UDN' OF NATURE 109 turn with a check Hst of the l)irds they have seen or the flowers they have named. Still others depend for results u])on the number of miles they have "hiked" and others, liberally supported, have as their gospel fresh air and pure food in con- trast even for a few weeks or a few days with the stifling influences of the great and crowded city. All these are highly commendable in their own special field. When one con- siders any one of them, he wishes to devote his life to that particular form of nearness to nature. One man longs to go to the country and raise bullfrogs or skunks, while another would like to specialize in taking young people from the crowded city to camps for a few sum- mer weeks, while another would like to tell every young man in the country how to apply the proper fertilizer to a field to obtain the best crops ; while another gives careful consideration to the best form of fishhook or the proper kind of fly to use and when to angle successfully for large and spirited fish. But these are only parts of a wondrous and inspiring whole, parts of the life of old Mother Nature. It is too big an undertaking to specialize in all forms of nearness to na- ture. l)ut nearness to nature is too im- ]3ortant to have any part of it neglected, ft has often been said that if one were to go through a big universit_\- and take all the courses about one hundred and fifty years would be required. What can one do in such a dilemma? Shall he be con- tented with a smattering and know noth- ing thoroughly, or shall he know thor- oughly some one thing and nothing of anything else? The Agassiz Association has always believed that one should sur- vey the whole field and become a special- ist in one or a few things and then have a wide range of sympathy and helpfulness for others interested in other depart- ments. One who shuts himself within a shell, whether it be a mental pursuit or a physical cell, limits himself to a re- stricted range of enjoyment. Dr. Bigelow and ArcAdiA. (An Editorial in the "Saturday Chronicle;/' New Havln, Satur- day, August 5, 19 16.) Those of our readers who know the lure in nearness to nature will find much satisfaction in the interesting story of ArcAdiA on another page of this issue, the entrance to KcriANV bungalow, the home of Till, I'.nlANIST. The building is almost completely covered with roses and honeysuckle, and is surrounded by a picturesque botanical garden. no THE GUIDE TO NATURE THE PRESENT ArcAdiA GREW FROM THIS ONE BUILDING IN A BACK YARD IN STAM- FORD ONLY EIGHT YEARS AGO. Note the one snow capped hive, the total apiary at that time. by Doctor Edward F. Bigelow, its creator and director. Situated in one of the most charming regions of Connecticut, with an immediate environment of its own as full of enchantment as its name, this ideal institution, although unknown to many lovers of nature in our own state, is a Mecca for pilgrims from far and near. The gradually widening knowledge of its existence, of its purposes and aims — its soul-feeding mission, will bring to it an ever increasing list of votaries to share in the feast of nature secrets its methods are ever unfolding. To those with an innate fondness for the things of the natural world about them and a longing for intimate know- ledge of its mysteries and myriad offer- ings xA.rcAdiA brings a light which clears the powers of perception and an open sesame rich with revealings. The partic- ular advantage in an alliance with this THE APIARY FOR DEMONSTRATION, INSPECTION AND EXPERIMENT. DEVOTED TO THE STUDY OF NATURE III A DELE(;ATI0N of young naturalists from the CHILDREN'S MUSEUM, BROOKLYN, CAMPING IN THE AGASSIZ GROVE. institution for purposes of nature study and the realization of the exaltation springing from intimate association with nature, lies in the thoroughness of me- thod which rules its ways. It leaves the ohvious and superficial to those who are satisfied with these for knowledge, and with its keys of science goes to the heart of things and unlocks the secrets that give new vision and passports to the bet- ter side of life. Doctor Bigelow issues an attractive little magazine which brings regular mes- sages of the doings at ArcAdiA and is as full of the call to nature as the song of the wood thrush or the riot of beauty in an autumnal landscape. DR. UIGELOW PRESENTING A CHARTER TO A NEW CHAPTER. 112 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Trees and Flowers. BY W. C. BANKS, STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT. Some years ago, my interest was di- rected to flowers and trees and I be- came painfully aware that I knew less than nothing about them. I deter- mined to remedy this. But at the start I encountered the obstacle that I be- lieve prevents thousands from becom- ing students of nature : a lack of information concerning text-books and methods of study. I did not know where to get the books I needed, nor where to apply for the information. ArcAdi'A? Well, yes, now ; but at that time Sound Beach was more noted for strawberries and clams than as the seat of a popular nature college. I had an old Gray's Manual but I do not recommend it to a beginner. At that stage of my knowledge and desires, it repelled me. Finally, I found the books I needed. I procured a copy of "Our Trees and their Leaves" (Matthews) and "Field Book of Amer- ican Wild Flowers" by the same author. I also bought a copy of Gray's "Field and Class Book of Botany." This is Gray's original work, not revised, and although it is perhaps somewhat ob- solete, I value it highly. With this book I studied botany all one winter. It is necessary to have a little know- ledge of the technical side of the sub- ject in order to appreciate and enjoy the study of flowers and trees. In my rambles about the country, I collected the leaves and, as far as possible, the fruits of every available species of tree. By comparing these with the descrip- tions and illustrations in my text- books I soon became well acquainted with most of the trees of this region. The number of beautiful species that we have is really surprising. It is fascinating to study them, they dififer so widely in form and character. Com- pare, for instance, the white oak, gray birch, beech, tupelo, bilsted and chest- nut, not forgetting the white elm and the tulip tree. What a difiference in the habit of growth and in the form and color of their leaves. I have a large box full of dried leaves that I collected while studying trees. I have several times thought to destroy them, but they are so associated with memories of pleasant rambles in the woods, that, thus far, they have escaped cremation. They are not so much dried leaves of ancient vintage as documents proving that I had a right good time the day I collected those from the tulip tree, and saw the beautiful greenish blossoms touched with red. Also, the day I collected this spray of the hop horn- beam near Gorham's Pond and got caught in a shower, which I weathered nicely, thank you, under the wide branches of a hemlock. Also this big, tinted, sugar maple leaf, which came home with me from the Shepaug Val- ley, together with a bagful of garnets and spathic iron ore, with memories of masses of scarlet and gold on the rocky hillsides under a blue October haze. And so on through the box. I intend to be sentimental and keep those leaves. In studying the wild flowers I se- lected a piece of country about one- half mile long and one-quarter mile wide, on both sides of the Noroton River. Once a week I explored this region. In this way I came to know the flowers in their season. The num- ber of species that a limited area, such as this, will yield, is surprising. This has now been partly cleared and built on and many of the wild flowers are gone, still I find some of my favorites, but in sadly reduced numbers. Wild flowers and civilization do not success- fully mingle. I remember, as quite an event, the time when I found the In- dian cucumbers growing on the edge of a swamp. Also the masses of pinx- ter flowers, and the water lilies, and the half acre of Pentstemon in blossom, and the day that I looked into a tangled growth and discovered the colony of closed gentian. But the "find" that pleased me most was a single stem of the Turk's-cap lily with twenty-one blossoms, looking like a Christmas tree with its candles lighted. And so on down the entire list of finds. There was, and is, a thrill in every one. Try it and see. I began this article intend- ing to tell how I studied flowers and trees. But telling of the pleasure that I have had in their company has taken all my time. To be in their company is the best way to study them ; find pleasure in their society and that will THE PHYSICS OF FREEZING MIXTURES 113 furnish an incentive for many a wood- land ramble. Finally, I procured a copy of Gray's Manual (Seventh Edition). Then, for the first time, I realized how^ little I knew about botany. But it wasn't so much botany that I was after as flow- ers and trees, and I already knew those fairly well. So I survived my perusal of that valuable work. The Physics of Freezing Mixtures. BY FREDERICK H. GETMAN, PH.D., STAM- FORD, CONNECTICUT. [Written by Request of the Editor of this Magazine.] It is well known that the process of solution is accompanied by a thermal DIAGRAM— .SEE LAST PARAGRAPH OF NEXT COLUM,N. change. In general, when a salt dis- solves in water the temperature of the system falls. For example, a marked lowering of temperature occurs when potassium iodide is dissolved in water, while if ammonium thiocyanate is dis- solved in water (20 grams of salt in 25 cubic centimeters of water) sufficient heat will be absorbed in the process to freeze the containing vessel to the sur- face of a block of wood which had pre- viously been wet with water. There is abundant evidence to show that when a substance dissolves its condition is analogous to that of a gas. The essential difference between a sub- stance in the solid, liquid and gaseous states is its energy content. In other words, when a solid is converted into a liquid, or when a liquid is converted into a gas, energy in the form of heat is required. Consequently when a salt goes into solution heat is taken up from the solvent and a fall of temperature results. When sodium chloride (NaCl) or common salt and finely crushed ice are intimately mixed, as in the familiar freezing mixture used in making ice- cream, a small amount of the salt dis- solves in the liquid water present and the thermal equilibrium of the system is disturbed. Assuming the system to be well insulated from the warmer en- vironment of the room, further solution of the salt can only take place by the melting of more ice with a consequent lowering of temperature. The liquid water resulting from the melting of the ice. dissolves more salt, and more ice is thus forced to melt with a further reduction in temperature. This proc- ess will continue until ultimately one of three things will occur, viz., (i) all of the salt will dissolve, or (2) all of the ice will melt, or (3) a mixture of salt and ice having the same composi- tion as the solution will be formed. This mixture is termed a cryohydrate and the temperature of the system cor- responding to this particular mixture of ice and salt is called the cryohydric temperature. The lowest temperature which can be obtained with any defi- nite freezing mixture is the cryohydric temperature. A clear insight into the mechanism of freezing mixtures can be obtained from the accompanying diagram rep- resenting the solubility data for sodium chloride. The solubility of sodium chloride expressed in grams per 100 grams of water is plotted on the verti- cal axis OY, and the corresponding temperatures are plotted on the hori- zontal axis OX. Starting at the point A, representing the melting point of ice (0°C.), and adding increasing amounts of salt, the temperature falls along AB until the concentration of salt corres- ponding to B is reached. At this point both salt and ice separate together and the cryohydric temperature, — 22.4° C. is reached. This is the lowest temper- ature attainable with salt and ice. Again, starting at the point D (6o°C.) and lowering the temperature, the solu- bility of salt in water diminishes as indicated by the line DC. At C ( — 0.i5°C.) the salt which separates from the solution holds in chemical 114 THE GUIDE TO NATURE combination two molecules of water and has the composition represented by the formula NaC1.2HoO. On fur- ther cooling of the solution the solu- bility of the hydrated salt, NaC1.2H20, changes along the line CB and finally terminates at the cryohydric point B, corresponding to a concentration of 30 grams of sodium chloride per 100 grams of water. This diagram makes it clear that the most economic pro- portion in which to mix ice and salt for the production of low temperatures is that corresponding to the composi- tion of the cryohydrate. It is obvious from the foregoing dis- cussion of the mechanism of the pro- duction of low temperatures by means of ice and salt, that the function of salt in removing ice from a side-walk in winter is to form a salt solution having a lower freezing point, the changes in- volved represented by the line AB. The Snail. BY ROBERT S. WALKER, CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE. Almost everyone knows a snail when he sees one. but how much do we know about the queer, interesting little crea- PEACHES EATEN BY SNAILS. ture? To begin with, did you suppose there were more than fifty difi:'erent kinds of snails in the United States? There are, although by far the most com- mon is the Helix Pennsylvanica. A good many people believe that snails are blind ; they are not, although their sight is not at all keen. If you watch a snail moving about, you will see it push out its two tentacles, which remind us of the antennse of a butterfly. The eyes arc placed at the tips of these tentacles. How and when does the snail Sfet his shell? That is another question often asked by country folk. The answer is : he is born with it. The eggs are laid in early spring, and within four weeks they hatch. The eggs are enclosed in a cap- sule, and an amazing number of little snails, usually about fifty, each in its deli- cate shell, are to be found in each cap- sule. The shell hardens rapidly as it is exposed to the air, and the snail soon is ready for business. Never look for a snail in a sunny, dry spot. Go to the cool, shady, grassy side of the house or garden, and if there are snails about you will find them. Violet beds are their favorite places of abode. They eat almost any kind of green thing. If you wish to give the snail a particular treat, scatter a few peaches in the grass plot or on the border of the violet bed. You may have a hundred snails in such a bed and never know it until you have tried the peach test. By the second morn- ins^ you may find that the snails have visited every peach and eaten most of them. Snails break the skin of a peach and eat directly to the seed, and then continue to eat until nothing remains but a clean seed and a thin, fuzzy peach skin. Sometimes you will find as many as four snails wrestling with a single peach. Snails do not have teeth. The mouth is only a slender rasp-like "Ungual ribbon." A shower of rain is bn.lm to a snail. That tender body of his must secrete plenty of mucus or oil, so there will be no friction and no sore feet when the day's journey is over. So dry weather is hard on the snail. A parched atmos- nhere absorbs much of the precious mois- ture that he cannot afford to lose. But when the misty days occur he is out im- mediately, tossing out his tentacles as if testing the humidity of the atmosohere, and usins: them as a nearsighted person uses a cane. The snail can walk only about twelve feet an hour, but he can walk up a pane of glass as fast as he can alono" a level garden nath. That is because his creeping foot secretes a constant supply of mucus, and the contact of the foot is always with the surface of mucus and not with the elass or the eround. What- ever the surface or the slone of his track, the friction aeainst which the snail must contend is always exactly the same — The Youth's Companion. ORNITHOLOGY "5 All communications for this department should be sent to the Department Editor, Mr. Harry G. Higbee, 13 Austin Street, Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Items, articles and pliotographs in tliis department not otlierwise credited are by the Department Editor The Belted Kingfisher. BY L. W. BROW NELL, PATERSOX, NEW JERSEY. Any of my readers who have ever spent even a short time in the country table food, and he sometimes even seems to do so from preference. That he thus cjuite frequently changes his diet, often voluntarily when there is no real reason/ for so doing, has been conclusively prov- en upon several different occasions and the theory that he lives exclusively upon a tish diet seems to have been thorough- ly exploded. Captain Charles Bendire tells of baiting a trap for an owl with a mouse and uponi visiting it the next morn- ing he found a kingfisher caught by the THE NEST OF THE KINGFISHERS. near a lake, pond, river or stream of any size that contains fish, must surely be familiar with the sharp, rattling, roll- call-like cry of the belted kingfisher ; for, although the bird himself is large and his plumage rather striking, his call is so very much more conspicuous than is he himself that it is often by it alone that we are made aware of his presence, and should it be sounded within half a mile of us we cannot help but hear it. He is, as his name implies, largely but by no means exclusively a fish eater, tak- ing his prey alive, in fairly deep water, by accurate, well planned dives, in which he seldom fails of his object. When he cannot obtain fish he will resort to a diet of insects, small mammals and even vege- neck. The bird had evidently plunged downward for the bait in the same man- ner that he would have dived for a fish and sprung the trap with his beak. Dr. Elliot Coues relates the following con- cerning a bird of this species that was closely observed for some weeks in Flor- ida : "When the water is so rough that it is difiicult for him to obtain fish, instead of seeking some sequestered pool, he re- mains at his usual post, occasionally mak- ing an ineffectual effort to obtain his cus- tomary prey, until, nearly starved, he resorts to a sour-gum tree in the vicinity, and greedily devours the berries." This argues him to be rather deficient in intel- ligence, which is undoubtedly true. ii6 THE GUIDE TO NATURE The king-fisher has been, for many years, unfairly branded as a fish thief and, as such, he is shot, upon every oc- casion that ofifers by members of the an- gling fraternity. They never stop to con- sider that the bird, who catches the fish for food only, has really a much greater right to them than he who catches them merely for the pleasure which the sport afifords him. In consequence of this he distinguish, much less describe, but of which we are nevertheless aware, and which must carry its meaning to the lis- tening ears of others of his species. Elis favorite perch is a dead branch overhanging, or a pole or stump protrud- ing from, the water. Upon such a perch he will sit by the hour patiently waiting and watching for some unwary fish to swim sufficiently near to give him his YOUNG KINGFISHERS. has been persecuted to such an extent by man that he has learned, by bitter ex- perience, to distrust and fear him and has finally become so wary that it is no longer easy for a human being to approach even within gunshot of one. His peculiar sharp cry is the only note to which he, seemingly, can give utter- ance. He uses it upon every occasion that ofifers and as a voluble expression to every feeling of which he is capable. Moreover this cry is usually uttered v/hile the bird is on the wing, generally either immediately after leaving a perch or just before reaching one; while winging his way from fishing ground to nesting site, or upon leaving the water after having made a catch. It is his signal to his brooding mate when approaching the nest with food ; his cry of alarm to warn her of some threatening danger ; his love song when wooing her ; and his challeng- ing war cry to an intruder upon what he is pleased to consider as his especial do- main. While, to all intents and purposes, this cry is, in every case, absolutely iden- tical, still for each diflferent occasion it has a dififerent intonation that alters it in an intangible wav that one can hardlv chance to make a catch. Each bird or pair of birds seems to have three or four favorite perching spots within the limits of their exclusive territory and they divide their time pretty ec|ually between them, rarely returning immediately to the same perch after having caught a fish. While occupied in waiting for his oppor- tunity the bird remains almost absolutely immovable and, on account of this, de- spite the fact that his plumage is rather brilliant in coloring, it is extremely dif- ficult to detect him against his back- ground of dark green foliage. Unfor- tunate indeed is the fish that passes close enough beneath him to afiford him the opportunity for which he has been wait- ing, for it is almost certain that this par- ticular member of the finny tribe will shortly leave his native element never to return to it. There is an instantaneous flash of wings on the part of the waiting bird, an almost simultaneous splash, and he has disappeared completely beneath the surface of the water. The next in- stant, however, he is again oni the wing and, giving voice to his rattling cry, he is darting along the bank to his nest or to one of his favorite perches where he ORNITHOLOGY 117 can devour his prey in peace and quiet- ness. That he has the fish for which he dove is ahiiost a foregone conclusion, for he rarely misses when once he has seized the opportunity and made his dive. His name is, undoubtedly, well deserved for he assuredly is a king fisher. The kingfishers are anything but socia- ble in their relations with each other and it is most unusual that two pairs should be found nesting within anything like a close distance of each other, or even us- ing the same fishing grounds. Clear streams, small rivers, ponds and small lakes that abound with fish and whose shores are, at least in spots, more or less perpendicular and well wooded, are their favorite resorts. Generally a pair will preempt a certaim territory, such as a stretch of half a mile or so of a river bank or an entire pond if it is small, and will refuse to allow others to fish within this territory, much less make their nest there. There are, of course, notable exceptions to this rule, and there are cases on record in which the birds have formed quite a colony in some par- ticular bank, but these cases are very rare. Where a bank extends for a consider- able distance it is very likely to be occu- pied by several pairs who place their nests at more or less regular intervals sufficiently far apart to avoid interfer- ence. I know of one such bank extending for something more than two miles that annually shelters ten or a dozen pairs of birds. The kingfisher is of no very great bene- fit to man although he does devour some insects and a few rodents. On the other hand neither is he particularly harmful. The small amount of fish which he annu- ally catches is of very little importance for he is not numerous enough anywhere to noticeably reduce the inhabitants of any one body of water. We can therefore, it would seem to me, well afford to allow him to Hve his life in peace. He is the halcyon of the ancients who attributed to his spirit after death the power of directing the course of the winds. The week preceding and the week succeeding the winter solstice comprise the fourteen days that were known as the Halcyon Days. It was during this time that the sea was supposed to always re- main calm in order that the kingfishers might more easily build their strange nests. To their bodies was attributed the power of giving peace and plenty as well as strength and beauty and all the other necessities of a happy existence. They were supposed to be able to turn aside the thunderbolts and therefore any house in which one was kept was perfectly safe from lightning, at least in the minds of its simple inmates. In some parts of France eveni to this day they are often called "moth birds" on account of the power with "which their bodies are ac- credited to drive away and keep away moths from woolen clothing. These are but a few of the myths and superstitions by which this bird, or rather this family of birds, has been surrounded. It is needless to say that they have no foundation in fact but had their origin in the strange habits of the different members of this interesting family. The flight of the kingfisher is strong and rapid and he is capable of sustaining it for long distances without rest. When making extended flights he rises to a considerable height. His mode of pro- gression consists of a series of five or six quick beats of his wings followed by a long glide. He is nocturnal as well as diurnal in his habits and is abroad fully as much in the night as in the dav. A genuine love of nature in its broad- est, deepest, highest development — a love which reaches wnth wide and eager vision and extended hands to- ward the stars above, and out upon the uttermost bounds of land and sea, wak- ening, vivifying, sharpening every sense, and enkindling in the heart a w^armth of interest so genial and perva- sive as to make one under its influence as a soul aroused to its real self from a vague, dull dream of being — a love of nature like this must inevitably start from some first point of individual con- tact. And the realm of birds is quite su cient to meet the requirement. — Augustus Wright Bomberger. A love of birds leads to a love of all nature, and a love of all nature to the brightest, best and happiest life under heaven."— Augustus Wright Bomber- eer. ii8 THE GUIDE TO NATURE A Tree Swallow's Unique Home. Curious nesting sites are constantly teing discovered which bring to our minds the strong individuality occas- ionally shown by some of our native iDirds. We have previously noted in this department several such instances, but the accompanying illustratioii probably shows a situation which is unique for a swallow's home. In Canton, Massachusetts, on the line of the Blue Hill Street Railway, are THE CURIOUS NESTING SITE OF THE SWALLOWS. signal telephone boxes at the various turnouts, as is the general custom along suburban electric lines, and in Box 24 of this line a pair of white-bellied, or tree, swallows has nested during the past season, paying apparently not the slightest attention to the close proxi- mity of passers-by. These birds gained entrance to the signal box through a knot-hole in the door; this being shown in the picture just below and to the right of the key- hole. This entrance hole was one and one-half inches in diameter and but fifty-one inches from the ground, the box itself being about three feet in height and eighteen inches square. In the rear left-hand corner at the bottom of the box was placed the nest, which was composed of dried grasses and lined with feathers. Notwithstanding the fact that this box was opened and the telephone used at half-hourly pe- riods throughout the day, these birds continued to remain until their brood was reared, five eggs being laid and four being hatched, and brought forth l)y the faithful and undaunted little mother. Strange it is that such a location should be chosen by birds which nearly always build their nests in the vicinity of water, selecting for this purpose a discarded woodpecker hole or natural cavity high up in the dead stub of an old willow, or in other convenient trees bordering the ponds and marshes or overhanging the river banks, where they skim the surface of the water and the lowlands, finding abundance of food among the hordes of insects which there abound. A Sound from the Marsh. V,Y W. I. BEECROFT, GREAT BARRIXGTON, MASSACHUSETTS. Our most unusual experiences come unexpectedly. It was in this manner that I made my most interesting obser- vation among the birds, an observation that has been accorded to but few. It was just at sunset. I was taking an after supper stroll along the railroad that runs through the marshes at the bottom of the Hoosac Valley in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts, when I heard, off in the marsh, a peculiar sound that I recognized at once, from descriptions that I had read, as the notes of the American bitten, some- times called stake driver, marsh hen or meadow hen or mud hen. All the nat- uralistic temperament in me was aroused. I was filled with the desire to see and hear the bird at close range. Stalking a bittern in the tall grass and weeds of a marsh interspersed with (dumps of alders and abounding in mud holes and water holes is no pastime for any except the enthusiastic naturalist. I will leave the details of that stalk to the reader's imagination. But after getting as near as possible without ex- ORNITHOLOGY IT9 posing myself, I could see the bird with the exception of its legs which the grass concealed. The opening notes resembled the sound made by striking a flat board or paddle against the water. How this was done I could not tell as the l)ir(l held its head low in the grass. I sus- pected that it might be done by snap- ping the bill together. Then followed the principal theme — ker-glug. ker- glug, ker-glug — with the head thrown up in the ker and bol^bed down on the glug, accompanied by yarious contor- tions of the neck. After repeating the performance several times the bird flew away. The entertainment though short was highly interesting and I felt well repaid for my preliminary efforts. The notes of the bittern are among the most remarkable sounds in all ani- mate nature in this part of the world. It is eminently fitted to the muddy, oozy surroundings in which the bird dwells. In quality it has a peculiar bungholey sound, suggestiye of the ex- it of a thick liquid out of a hole of a jug. with a muffled glug as the air rushes in. I think that no bird with the exception of the loon makes a sound quite equial to it. The long drawn out calls of the loons, their low dismal moans and their demonical laughter, all mingled together as I have heard them in the evening on the lakes of northern Maine, are the weirdest and most unearthly of any sound that I e\'cr heard. The notes of the American bit- tern have been variously described. Like the songs of many other birds, they may not be always the same. The eventide serenade of this particular bittern was certainly unique in its way, grotesque in its performance and singularly ap- propriate to the place. I afterward of- ten heard them at the same time of day but whether it is their usual hour for singing I cannot say. It is one of the most enjoyable fea- tures of bird study, as in truth it is of life in general, that so many of its pleas- antest experiences have not to be sought after, but befall us by the way ; like rare and beautiful flowers, which are never more welcome than when they smile upon us unexpectedly from the roadside. — Bradford Torrey, in "A Rambler's Lease." The Scarlet-Breasted Robin of Aus- tralia. ]\\ U. SHART DOVE, WKST DE\0.\"PORT, TASMANIA. A male scarlet-breasted robin, with nest and young, is here shown, being ]:)hotographed at East Gippsland, \'ic- SCARLET-CREASTED ROBIX AT XEST. toria, Australia, by Mr. T. H. Mac. This is one of our most familiar species, both in Victoria and Tasmania, and a little gem. with his bright breast, black throat and head and large white frontal patch. The female has a patch of red on the breast, a smaller frontal patch, and general brown plumage. This bird remains in pairs throughout the winter, while its congener, the flame-breast, flocks at that season. The nest is of fine bark, protectively ornamented on the outside with moss- es, lichens or coarse flakes of bark, and is lined with dry grasses or feathers. Three or four eggs are laid, and these are either greenish or creamy white, spotted with blue grey and brown. A writer has observed that the first time the redbreast was seen in Austra- lia by a naturalist it must have been on a boulder in a field in the wintertime — hence the name, Petraeca or "rock- dweller." If you make a friend of Nature, You will ever bless the day. When you put your trust in something That will gladden all your way. — Emma Peirce. Give Nature kindly welcome, She does so much for you; In all vicissitudes of life, Her friendship would ring true. — Emma Peirce. I20 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Three Bird Homes. BY WARREN KIMSEY, LATHROP, MISSOURI. I recently discovered a pair of Ar- kansas kingbirds building their nest on the fan of a windmill, near Delhart, Texas. This was not strange on ac- count of the scarcity of trees — in the Panhandle one may look for miles and not see a single tree. There is no doubt but that these birds would have pre- ferred a tree for their nest, but trees were more scarce than windmills. Around this particular ranch house, near which the windmill stood, there were several scrubby apple trees, though they were too low for kingbirds to use. In another instance in Missouri, I found a robin's nest on an old road grad- er that stood by the side of the road. The picture shows the nest quite clear- ly— two of the four eggs being visible. In one sense the location of this nest was unusual as there were many de- sirable trees at hand ; though it seems not so unusual when one considers that the robin is a freakish bird about its ROBIN'S NEST ON ROAD GRADER. NEST OF WHITE-BRE.\STED NUTHATCH IN HOLLOW TREE. nest building, having the reputation for making its home in strange places. There is a white-breasted nuthatch's nest in the hollow tree shown in the other picture — the location of the nest in this instance being characteristic of the bird. As I put my hand in at the l:)ottom of the opening, I found eight crawly young birds in a furry nest. These industrious little birds seem to prefer to have their nest near the ground. Imagine — eight youngsters to be fed. I stationed myself near-by with a field glass and watched the pro- cess. The parent birds were wise. Most of the food was carried from a clump of willow trees, some two hun- dred yards from the nest. I think they were getting small worms from the ten- der leaves of the willows — the ragged appearance of the leaves indicated this. The birds worked so rapidly that they frequently met at the opening of the tree, or on wing between their home and the clump of willows. And no ORNITHOLOGY 121 wonder. Think of it ! Eight hungry babies calling constantly for food. The Federal Migratory Bird Law. It has been thoroughly demonstrat- ed that the Federal Migratory Bird Law has accomplished great good throughout many states in not only conserving some of our fast disappear- ing game birds by protecting them in their breeding grounds and through the mating season, but it has also re- sulted in a very substantial increase in many localities of certain species of our song and insectivorous birds. This bill was put through only after exceedingly hard work by the friends and lovers of bird life, and as it doubt- less caused some inconvenience to pot- hunters and to wealthy "sportsmen" who wish to shoot at all seasons, there has been a continued effort to get the bill, or parts of the same, nullified, though it has been generally acknow- ledged to be of the utmost benefit to the population as a whole, and has been declared to be entirely constitu- tional in its present form. "Original regulations in Massachu- setts, Connecticut and Rhode Island stopped shooting on January i. They terminated shooting in Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska on December i6 and in Kansas and Missouri on January 16, which is late enough. The latest pro- posed regulations of the Biological Sur- vey at Washington plan extending the shooting season to January 15 in southern New England and to estab- lish an open season on wild fowl for the gunners of Illinois, Iowa, Nebras- ka, Kansas and Missouri between the dates of February 9 and March 11, in addition to the fall open season. "This is spring shooting in mating time which is a crime against nature, against sport and against the spirit of conservation. If carried on it must end in the wiping out of the birds. These States are a valuable breeding ground of our depleted flocks of wild ducks and other waterfowl, which are increasing in number under the benef- icient Federal law. "All sections of the country are in- terested in this, for more wild fowl in Missouri means more wild fowl event- ually in Maine, in Massachusetts and all other States. Moreover, spring shooting in the Middle West will soon mean spring shooting in the other sec- tions. Spring shooting soon means no shooting for it leaves no birds to shoot. The real sportsmen understand this as well as do the conservationists." Let us take no backward steps in bird protection. Swallows Gather Feathers for Nests. BY F. H. VAN HISE, SUMMERLAND, B. C. CANADA. On June 22nd, while in the yard by the lake, I noticed a northern violet green swallow trying to pick something up from the surface of the water, and upon going closer saw that it was a white chicken feather, which the bird finally secured. I then went into the house and brought out a handful of feathers, dropping them on the water, from our wharf, one by one. I had been there only a few minutes when the swallows began to take them, coming sometimes within a foot or two of me. When I dropped them from a point as high as I could reach some of the swallows would catch a feather before it would strike the water. Once a Wright fly- catcher came and snapped at a feather as it fell, but did not get it. There were about a dozen swallows here at the same time gathering feath- ers, and I frequently saw one bird take three (picking up one at a time) at one trip. Then they would fly away, though sometimes the males would re- main, circling around over the feathers floating on the lake. Soon they would all come back again for more. Some- times when one got a feather the others tried to make her drop it, and then catch it as it fell. I do not think that the males took any, but am not certain, as they were taken so fast that it almost made me dizzy to count them. These birds took one hundred and twelve feathers in forty-six minutes. Come out into the air, There's ozone enough to spare; 'Twill fill your lungs and clear your head. You'll better earn your daily bread, If so your day you share. — Emma Peirce. 122 THE GUIDE TO NATURE The Heavens in September BY PROFESSOR ERIC DOOLITTLE, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. With the arrival of September, the first of our autumn months, the faint summer constellations already begin to disappear. The very large Virgo (which, however, is more properly a taken for one of the brighter planets, is now low in the west, while the bright Leo below it has completely dis- appeared. The last two groups of the summer train of stars are the faint but interesting Capricornus and Aquarius, and these are nightly coming into more favorable position in the NORTH „ -r. nT c "^ K^.- 1 (Ji facing south, hold the map upright. If Figure 1. The Constellations at 9 P. M September 1 (If/f^^^ '^ '"^^jh, hold the map inverted.) facing east, hold East below. If facing west, hold W est below. It tacing no , Spring constellation), has sunk entirely below the ground in the west, while the interesting stars of the Balance and the striking Scorpio have partly with- drawn from our evening sky. The magnificent Arcturus, that enor- mous, reddish sun, which shines so brightly that it might easily be mis- south. The slow changing of the sphere has this month brought +he beautiful Fomalhaut, the Solitary One, into our evening sky, and overhead the wonderful blue Vega and all the bril- liant groups along the Milky \Vay shine out in excellent position for ob- servation and study. TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 123 The September Stars. The whole sky is full of wonderful objects of interest ; the Milky Way in particular will well repay many even- ings of exploration, and the observer might also carefully examine the color- ed stars, clusters and nebulas of An- dromeda, Lyra and Hercules if he has not alreadv done so. It is probable The constellation Aquarius is of very great antiquity. The very earliest hu- man records (which are those of Baby- lonia) show the familiar Water Bearer and his Urn ; this region of the sky was known as the Sea, possibly because the sun passed through it during the rainy season. Some students ascribe to this group the enormous antiquity of 15,000 Figure The Constellation Aquarius. that it is such faint groups as Sagitta- rius, Capricornus and Aquarius which are less well known to many readers. In the last-constellation the curious ''Y" formed by the stars at A, Figure i, is most apt to be familiar to the amateur observer, though the wdiole constella- tion contains objects of interest, many of Avhich are visible in a telescope of but two or three inches' aperture. The Y-shaped group of stars marks the Urn held by the Water Bearer, from which there ceaselessly flows a great stream of water, outlined by the stars A, B, C, D and E. The Southern Fish, whose head is marked by Fomal- haut. is represented, unnaturally enough, as perpetually swallowing all the water of this stream. years. In the false science of Astrol- ogy, Aquarius was given great impor- tance, its stars influencing the air and seasons "in a wonderful, strange and secret manner." For example, when it was on the horizon with the sun the weather was sure to be rainy. The possessor of a small telescope will find that the stars G, H and K, and also all of those marked L (Fig. 2) are most interesting double stars. The two suns at G are of a greenish color and revolve about one another in the course of about 700 years. At H there are three stars, the closest together be- ing yellow and blue, respectively, and thus forming a fine contrast, as indeed do many of the other pairs. It was in front of one of the stars at H that the 124 THE GUIDE TO NATURE planet Mars was seen to pass in the year 1672, an observation which later proved of very great use in determining- the motion of this planet and also the mass of our sun and the distance from the sun to the earth. In 1643, when the planet Jupiter was a little to the left of the star at N, it was seen surrounded by five little points of light and the dis- !0.^ 4 3 4 :' 0 ■i 1 0 2 • 3 4 ^ol 3 21 .•0 4 4 f 0'.} 4 3 - 0 sePT, 3 2+ 26 Figure 3. Showing tlie relative position of tlie planet Jupiter and its four brightest satellites as seen in a small inverting telescope in the early mornings of the dates indicated. (At 20 minutes before 1 A. M., E. S. T.) covery was accordingly announced of no less than five new Jovian moons The slowly moving planet, however, in time left its new companions behind, and these distant little stars may be seen still grouped together at any time. At the point M (Figure 2) there is a beautiful round nebula ; at R of Figure I there is the "Saturn Nebula." while a bright nebula from which a stream of stars branch out will be found in Fig- ure 2 at S. In this region also there are many variable stars. At U there is a sun which varies in brightness from the sixth to the eleventh magnitude in the course of thirteen months, while the star at V constantly varies from the eighth to the twelfth magnitude in a period a little longer than nine months. What causes are in operation to make these and many other distant suns suddenly and regularly blaze out with hundreds of times their usual brightness we do not know. But if our own sun should vary in this manner all life upon our earth would be quickly destroyed ^ :^ ^ * * The Planets in September. Mercury will attain its farthest dis- tance east of the sun on September 9, and for a few evenings before and after this date may be seen shining brightly in the southwest, low in the twilight elow. It should be looked for an hour or less after sunset. This planet will pass to the west of the sun, and so leave the evening sky on October 5. Venus is a brilliant object in the morning sky, where it will be seen ris- ing in the northeast three hours before sunrise. It reaches its greatest dis- tance west of the sun on September 12 ; at this time it has in the telescope the shape of the moon when half full. Ven- us will pass to the east of Saturn on the morning of September 9 ; the two plan- ets will then form a most attractive figure in the morning sky. Mars during the month will move from the eastern borders of Virgo al- most to the bright southern star of the Balance. It is now too near the sun to come within the borders of our even- ing map, and, though it may be seen in the southwest for about two hours after sunset, it is in very unfavorable position. The beautiful and interesting Jupi- ter is now seen well above the ground in the east in the position indicated in Figure i. The planet is now mov- ing slowly westward (or retrograding) in the constellation Aries. It is in ex- cellent position for observation, but it can be studied to best advantage when, toward midnight, it has mounted high- er in the sky. Saturn is shining near Venus in the early morning. Its rings are now wide- ly opened and it is in favorable position for observation. On September 22, at 4 hours 14 min- uts P. M. (Eastern Standard Time), the center of our sun will cross the celestial equator and at this instant autumn will begin. Were it not for the refraction of our atmosphere, which causes all heavenly objects to appear slightly higher above the ground than thev otherwise would be and thus slightly lengthens the apparent day (from apparent sunrise to sunset), the night of September 22 and the follow- ing day would be of exactly the same length. The Observation of Jupiter's Satellites. The possessor of a small telescope will find it most interesting to study the rapid motion of this planet's four bright moons. If he will look at the svstem at any time, carefully noting or sketching the positions of the satellites, TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 12 = and then, after the interval of an hour or more, point his telescope tipon the system again, he will readily see that not only have the satellites changed their positions, but that the ball of the planet is also rapidly turning around. At frequent intervals one or more of the moons will be seen to pass in front of or behind the planet. Jupiter is also attended by a great conical shadow, which stretches out into space in a direction exactly opposite to the stm, and occasionally a moon may be seen to pass within this shadow and be eclipsed. For example, if Jupiter is examined on the morning of September 3, when near the meridian, at 12 hours 10 min- utes A. M. (Eastern Standard Time), the appearance will be that indicated in Figure 3, the moons all crowded close to the planet and one of them projected on the disc. On this same evening the moon will enter the planet's edge at i minute 25 seconds A. M. and emerge from it at 2 hours 8 minutes 31 seconds A. M. Meanwhile another moon will be seen to emerge from behind the planet at 13 minutes 36 seconds A. M. Similarly, on September 9, there may be seen : Third moon begins transit, 9 hours 45 minutes P. M. Second moon disappears in eclipse, 10 hours 2 minutes 30 seconds P. M. Third moon ends transit, 10 hours 41 minutes 56 seconds P. M. First moon begins transit, September 10, I hour 48 minutes 40 seconds A. M. Second moon reappears from behind planet, 2 hotirs 34 minutes 45 seconds A. M. First moon ends transit, 3 hours 55 minutes 51 seconds A. M. It will be noticed that during much of this night there will be but two moons which can be seen separated from the planet. Similar especially interesting eclios- es, transits and occultations will occur on September 10, 16, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 2"/, but space is here wanting for a detailed description of them. The Awakening of Greenwich. BY VIRGINIA PERESFORD, AGED 1 3, WABA- NAKI SCHOOL STUDENT. It is now three o'clock in the morn- ing, the sky is beginning to turn grey, and the stars to vanish, one by one. I am still sitting at my desk at the win- dow by the light of one sickly candle. Oh ! how dreary it is, there is a cold chill in the air, but I am not sad be- cause I know that in a few hours this side of the world will be transformed. I lean my head on my hand, my brain is not fit for work at this hour, it is only fit for musing. My God ! It must have been terrible, (but terrible has no meaning now-a-days) when people at one time lived in such a world as it is at this minute, dreary and cold, with never a change for months together ! And how wonderful it was when perhaps a child ran out of a cave and cried, "Oh mother, what is that thing in the sky?" And the mother falling on her knees cried out. "It's the sun! It's the sun ! Oh joy!" And all the people worshipped the pale glimmer in the sky, and little by little it grew stronger and stronger till it was at its glory ! What a time that must have been ! As I look through my window all these things pass through my weary mind. Look ! There is a red glow, faint as my poor candle. It grows and deepens in color, then another ray, and. another! They seem to light up the whole sky, which is turning blue. Now a tip of the real sun and now the whole of it ! Oh ! How wonderful it all is ! Now the leaves are stirring and the birds singing. Next door a window opens, and an old man in his nightcap looks out and laughs for mere joy at the sight of jolly Mr. Sun. Now the sun is well up in the heav- ens. I turn my gaze southward and see the first automobile whiz up to the station and another, till there are twenty. Then comes the train and stops a minute for the hurried passen- gers, who crowd on, then it speeds out of sight, leaving no trace. Then I see the sparkling water, blue as the sky in May. In another direc- tion I see the smoke of the Council fire of Wabanaki. Now men go in and out of the stores, up and down the streets. The early school boys pass by with a merry laugh. All this is too much for me, — I blow out my candle, shut up my book, and walk out to be a part of this happy town — Greenwich. — Our Town. 126 THE GUIDE TO NATURE EDITORIAL The Obstacles to the Dissemination of Good Things. Only in a limited sense are all men created free and eqnal. No one is free to act for himself nor are all people equal. Everybody must regard the rights of others, and so long as there are differences of capacity and ability, so long will there be those who have much and those who have little. This is true of mental as well as of worldly wealth. Everyone possessed of know- ledge or of goodness, or of a desire to disseminate that goodness among others, knows that the weak-minded, pernicious and miserly are few. I have had opportunity to know men and women of great wealth but I have known very few who were not desirous to disseminate that wealth among others, and they do do it as far as they •can, but they would accomplish vastly more if there were no obstacles that w'ork against such dissemination of good things. The rich man desires to do good with his wealth and would do so more fre- quently, if his efforts were not so dis- couraged. And yet people who try to bridge the apparent chasm between the so-called classes and masses are espec- ially found of thinking that the rich man disregards the masses and they quote, or misquote, the alleged saying of an old-time wealthy man who is reported to have said, "The public be damned." I seriously doubt whether any rich man ever said that or felt like saying it. If he were wealthy, he did not acquire his wealth without a fair degree of common sense, and that com- mon sense would tell him that his wealth came from the public. The wealthier a man is, the more regard he has for the public, and this regard manifests itself in efforts to benefit the public. One needs to be only ordina- rily observing to see that many ex- amples which come to the rich man thoroughly dishearten and discourage him in his philanthropical efforts. In Sound Beach only a few years ago,, a wealthy man tried to share the de- lights of his extensive acres with his fellow citizens. He said, "Come and use my well mown acres as a free golf ground." The offer was gladly accept- ed by the mass of his fellow citizens. But everywhere there are always sel- fish, ignorant citizens, although in Sound Beach there are few such. Some of these came from New York and other places temporarily for the summer. They became members of that gclf club and took the privileges as if they were inherited rights not only for use but for abuse. A prominent woman of Sound Beach only a few days ago- told me that she saw people comings from those golf grounds laden with shrubs and flowers ruthlessly broken and ungratefully gathered from this man's premises. One day, the owner met a party of such vandals and found examples of their plundering. There was but one thing to do : regretfully he did it. He told the golf club to go. The result was caustic criticism ; he was "a mean man," "he wanted to keep all his acres to himself," "wouldn't let the golf club," etc., etc. Every right thinking person should have said, "Those despoilers should have been taught a lesson even if it had required a jail sentence to do it." There is the old story of boys in an apple tree who would not desist for kind words or pieces of turf ; nothing availed but stones. It is that principle that necessitates laws, jails and state prisons. There has been another marked ex- ample in Sound Beach. AVe have an exceptional example of a well-to-do man who has made serious efforts to ]:)enefit the public, and to scatter good things so that everybody might enjoy them. Mr. William L. Marks has spent a fortune on Laddin's Rock Farm and his joy in doing so was generous and altruistic ; it centered wholly in his pleasure of doing for his fellow beings. EDITORIAL 127 For years his gates were open to the public. His grounds were a pubHc ])ark maintained at private expense, but consider the ingratitude of a few who should be taught a lesson. Arm- fuls, wagonfuls, of his flowers and plants were carried ofif. Trees were broken down and fences overturned. The damage was appalling. That the rascals were few while those who prop- erly used and appreciated the premises were many, is the only bright point in ihe whole of this awful spoliation. Mr. Marks was obliged to close the gates for at least a part of the time. He tried to do well, but was thwarted hy the few who seem to have more power for evil than the rest of us have for good. The Agassiz Association consists wholly of members who desire to dis- seminate good things in information and interests of Nature. That Asso- ciation is established at ArcAdiA, where information is given freely and the beautiful premises may be enjoyed "by everybody. It exemplifies the mis- sionary spirit of doing good to others, and yet how astonishing have been the obstacles placed in the way of these missionary efiforts. There has been the wealth of knowledge or the wealth of money for such dissemination and both efiforts have been discouraged. Few people seem to realize that the whole thing is free from all commer- cialism. They believe that some one "has an axe to grind and that somebody is making money out of ArcAdiA. For two years that opinion was prevalent. A catastrophe to old ArcAdiA was needed to set things in the right light. There are a few that like to sneer ; they laugh, and cry, "Crazy." Perhaps it is crazy to attempt to teach others they too may enjoy the knowledge, but, for- tunately, those who think it crazy are in the minority. The ambition of The Agassiz Association and the manage- ment of its equpiment at ArcAdiA are missionaries laboring in the mis- sionary spirit, so free from all commer- cialism, so open to inspection, both in books and in grounds, that any one who sneers at these efiforts as commer- cialism, as a money-making scheme, is guilty of an indignity not much dif- ferent from that that destroys the shrubs and plants on the grounds of a private estate. It is only another ex- ample of the discouraging obstacles in the way of commendable efiforts to- ward the disseminating of good things. At first we thought that everybody could come freely and enjoy the Ar- cAdiA grounds, but if we adopted that plan, the whole place would be annihi- lated within a month. We have been obliged to erect signs warning, not to keep out, but inviting to come in, yet stipulating that every visiting party must be accompanied by an attendant from the office. We desire to make the grounds as useful as possible, but we have so sufifered that we have become suspicious of any one who tries to visit the grounds without such an attendant. It is those unattended visitors that have shot our squirrels, have felled our trees, have stripped the bark from others, pulled up botanical specimens, trampled the vegetation and destroyed valuable flowers. We have learned the lesson with others that there are a few who will fling verbal and physical ob- stacles in the way of every good deed, but can say, "Blessed be the fact that these few rascals are in the minority." Commodore E. C. Benedict has mag- nificent premises, Indian Harbor. The gates have for a long time been wide open, and for the convenience of strol- lers beautiful rustic settees and other facilities have been provided, so that even a casual visitor may enjoy, with- out care or expense, the lake, the roads, the trees as does the owner himself. A visitor, in the right spirit, could en- joy these even more than does the own- er, but the result is that a few rascals have stopped these efiforts for the plea- sure of the public because they have perpetrated all sorts of misdeeds. Af- ter the rustic settees had been thrown down, and pet fish that would take food from the hand had been stolen, but one thing remained to be done. The gates were closed. Yet there are people who say, "All men are free and equal and everybody should have the same amount of property." The ideal social condition will never come through poli- tics. It will come only wdien all people shall be grateful to those w^ho try to benefit others and when all have re- spect for the rights of all. What would 128 THE GUIDE TO NATURE happen with universal ownership? The spoliation of everything, and in a short time the disappearance of everything worth having. Dr. Robert T. Morris has been an- other victim of efforts to aid humanity. He has tried to propagate new forms of trees and has spent an immense amount of money upon the cultivation of better nuts or more profuse produc- tion. He has been a lover and popu- larizer of high grade evergreen trees. and yet some of his apparentlv friend- ly neighbors have cut down his most magnificent evergreens for Christmas trees to amuse their children and soon to be thrown out and burned. The re- sults of Dr. Morris's labors are for fu- ture generations; he cannot hope to profit by them himself. I can conceive of nothing more altruistic than his work. It takes nearly a generation to grow one nut tree. We might suppose that humanity would give him everv possible protection and encouragement. but instead of that ! ! _ We are a long, long way from so- cialism, from universal protection and acknowledgement of the ownership of property when one has to offer a re- ward, as did Commodore Benedict, for the arrest of those wdio destroy his property. There never was any good reason for the saying, "The public be damned," but some members of the general public are saying by their ras- cally deeds, "The owner be damned." Every decent person in possession of great power of Avealth or ability is glad to share it, to disseminate it from the center outward. We never knew of a singer who did not like to sing if others like to hear him. The godly man is always and naturally a missionary. The learned man delights in teaching others. The man of vast estate, of pic- turesque premises, beautiful plants and gardens, would gladly have everybody enjoy these beauties without an anxious thought or care, but he is not allowed to do it. I believe in socialism, not of the erroneous politicial species, but in community good will and of the free sharing of good things with others. But before universal friendship arrives, much work must be done to convert the minority that by mean words and meaner actions discourage the efforts of the good to help the bad, of the rich to aid the poor, of those who know to tell those who don't. The universal dissemination of wealth in mental and worldly things would follow rapidly if it were not for these few discouraging people, discouraging by words and ac- tions. The poet was right. There is a good time coming, but it is not rapid in its movement. Every one who wants to see that good time should help it on l)y' trying to stop the mean insinuations and the dastardly deeds of the powerful few. War on Poison Ivy. The extermination of poison ivv is an appropriate subject for the consid- eration of the Board of Health of every town. It is a queer fact that the little annoyances that may come from mos- quitoes, or big annoyances if you see fit to call them that, receive a great amount of attention and are much ex- ploited in the newspapers ; but more serious pain and discomfort have been occasioned by poison ivy, yet wdiere is the Health Board that gives any at- tention to its extermination? It should not be destroyed by individual eft'ort ; that is too expensive and dan- gerous a process, and most landowners do not know how to rid themselves of this troublesome plant. They hesi- tate to approach it and they know noth- ing that will eradicate it. ]\Iost persons are easily affected by it. some even becoming poisoned by passing near it at certain times when the wind is blowing strongly in their direction, although some scientists as- sert that the leaves must be touched in order to poison. I am aware that much is said about the poison being oil and not volatile and that it cannot be carried in the air but actual observa- tion and experience influence us to doubt that dictum. I have myself known persons to be badly poisoned but who had no knowledge of having touched the plant, although there may have been an unnoticed contact. Yet Professor J. T. Burrill, late professor of Botany in the University of Illinois, has discovered and described, on the leaves of the poison, a microbe that he has named Mkrococctis toxkatus. This he believes is the peculiar poison EDITORIAL 129 for Avhich the plant is noted. Trans- ferred to the skin, the Alicrocom/s nuiltipHes rapidly, penetrates the sweat glands and sets up the well- known inflammation. This would ex- ])lain the transference of the poison by the wind. The minute microbe, torn lose by the breeze, might easily fall on a sensitive skin and there excite the annoying inflammation, as the cells of the microbe are exceedingly minute, measuring only one fifty-thousandth of an inch in diameter. I have seen many a man pull up a plant and rub the leaves over his hands to show that he had no fear of delete- rious efifects. Such a man might be en- gaged by the Board of Health to ex- terminate the plant. The vine is not plentiful enough in any one locality to make it worth while to hire a man to eradicate it. The best and most eco- nomical method would therefore be to have the town, through the Board of Health, engage an immune man, at perhaps not much more than an ordi- nary laborer's wages, to visit all re- ported localities and do the work. Probably when the plant has been pulled up by the roots some chemical might be applied to the ground, per- haps common salt, that would prevent the revival of any tiny root fibres that may be left. The problem could be easily solved if some central authority would take the matter in hand. That the work of eradication would not be difficult is shown by the fact that the ivy is not very plentiful though few^ people attempt to destroy the plant. It would be far better if the five-leaved \'irginia creeper were substituted for the poison ivy as a covering for old fences and w^alls. The bittersweet too would be a decorative plant for such places. ["Micrococcus toxicatus Burrill, (American Naturalist, Vol. XVII, 1883, page 319.) Cells globular, single or in pairs, rarely in chains, 0.5m in diame- ter ; movements oscillatory only. In species of Rhus, believed to be the pe- culiar 'poison' for which these plants are noted. Transferred to the human skin, they multiply rapidly, penetrate the epidermis through the sweat glands and set up the w^ell-known inflamma- tion." See also "Synopsis of the Bac- teria and Yeast Fungi," W. B. Grove, London, 1884. This explains the pois- oning by the wind. — S.] Famous Educator and Her School at ArcAdiA. Airs. Winifred Sackville Stoner, di- rector and lecturer of the Stoner Sum- mer Institute in Natural Education at The Scuddcr School, New York City, with her pupils spent Saturday at Ar- cAdi.V. They visited the grounds, saw the spots on the sun through the tele- scope, had a picnic in the grove, be- came acquainted with the bees and then had a literary, musical and illus- trative program in the Welcome Re- ception Room. Mrs. Stoner is known the w^orld over for the remarkable man- ner in which she succeeded w^ith her daughter Winifred, Jr., by following the laws of a natural education. Her little daughter could speak several lan- guages and wrote for periodicals at the age of five and yet retained all the characteristics of a healthy, playful child. Though only thirteen years of age she has already written and had published ten books. Mrs. Stoner claims that what she has done in the remarkable development of her child in the earliest years can be done equ-il- ly w^elK or at least to a very efficient extent, by any one wdio trains childen. She says: "Natural Education will bring better bodies, better minds, loft- ier attainments, increased efficiency, and augmented personalities." Appointment in Conservation. M. L. Alexander has been appointed bv the governor of Louisiana to be the Commissioner of Conservation of the new Department of Conservation cre- ated by the legislature of that state during its last session. The Department of Conservation supersedes the former Conservation Commission of Louisiana, which was composed of three commissioners. The new department of state has but one head, the Commissioner. Mr. Alex- ander was the president of the former commission and his appointment to the head of the new conservation body is in the nature of a recognition of his efficient management of the old board. I30 THE GUIDE TO NATURE ^Kccccc<hu-er brings countless members show^s this flower in section with the of the great family of the Compositae, such as daisies, thistles, elecampane THE BELLFLOWER. THREE FLORETS FROM A THISTLE. numerous little florets packed close into a head, and one floret, greatly en- supposed to resemble a star, but it con- larged. sists of a vast constellation of stars, The stamens are united into a tube, enough to form a "Milky Way," each and shed their pollen inward ; then the 132 THE GUIDE TO NATURE pistil, unripe and closed, elongates and pushes this pollen outward so that it may be gathered by the passing bee. When the pollen has been taken, the pistil develops, the stigma opens and soon is sure to be fertilized by pollen from another flower. The lower florets in the flower head develop first, and shed their pollen in a golden ring. Each day this ring mounts higher and higher, followed by another darker ring of protruding pis- tils. A bee, coming with a charge of pollen from another black-eyed Susan, and crawling upward over this flower head, as is his habit, fertilizes the ex- posed stigma, gets a new charge of pol- len and flies away from the unopened buds at the top, to begin the process again at another flower. He can thus visit hundreds of florets in a short time, getting honey and giving fertility to the embryo seeds as he goes. The next sketch shows sections of three florets plucked from a thistle. These florets show, first, how the sta- mens unite into a tube to hold the pol- len ; second, how the pollen is pushed out by the growing pistil, and third, how the pistil protrudes after the pol- len is shed. Here the stigma does not divide, but becomes adhesive and sen- sitive to the magic of the pollen. The bellflower, though unrelated to the Compositae, presents an interesting variation in the scheme above describ- ed. The larger sketch represents a spire of these charming blossoms, with buds above, and flowers more and more advanced below. In the section of a bud the tubular stamens are discharging pollen about a central pisil. In the next below, in a bud about to open, the stamens are separating, and curling backward, leav- ing a column of pollen adherent about the pistil. In the flower below this, -the pollen mass is still in place, like a candle around its wick, and lastly, in the lowest, the pollen is all gone, hav- ing been borne away by insect visitors, and the tip of the pistil has separated into a five pointed stigma. The second sketch shows the sta- mens and pistils, apart from the flower, in their various stages of progress. With this mechanism complete, self- fertilization cannot take place, anti cross-fertilization is made certain. . "^" r STAMENS AND PISTILS OF BELLFLOWER. Pheasants as Insect Destroyers. It is interesting to note the investi- gations that are being made by the commissioners of different states as to the habits of the ring-necked pheasant, with special reference to damage alleg- ed to have been caused by it to crops, and further to determine whether this species is a destroyer of the brown- tail and gypsy moths. It has found in many instances that the birds ate freely of gypsy and brown-tail moths, and that in other places families had been rid of the pest of bugs on squash vines and plants through the birds. While doing this useful work, it is stated that they did not injure market- able truck. — N. H. Fish and Game. For, to come into close touch with the very life of birds in field and forest, beside the myriad delights it gradually unfolds to the eye and ear and under- standing out of one bright kingdom of earth, means also to feel the quickening thrill of all nature under heaven's great dome ; so intimately is every other realm related to this, and so sensitive and subtle are the ties by which we our- selves have been joined to all created things from the beginning. — Augustus Wright Bomberger in "A Book On Birds." Perennial Nature's welcome. Her latchstring always out; Do not neglect her primrose paths, While tasks you go about. — Emma Peirce. ON THE STI'.AMSIIIP AT TJIE DOOR ^33 ••THE STEAMSHIP AT THE DOOR." August, 1916. Commodore E. C. Benedict, Greenwich, Conn. Ready to go on Another Yachting Trip \\'hen the Commodore l)iiilt his home at Indian Harbor he had the water in front dredged so that his yacht could make a landing' at the foot of the stone steps. Last year his new English but- ler, one afternoon, stepped haughtily into the den, and said : "Beg pardon, sir! Your Steamship's at the door."— "The Rudder, June, 1916. One of the gems of poetry appearing in the log book, which Commodore Benedict prizes most highly, is the fol- lowing written on board the Oneida bv Charles Botsford : 134 THE GUIDE TO NATURE ARRR'ING AT THE DOCK FROM TROLLING. August, 1916. Commodore Benedict immediately went aboard the Oneida for a cruise with a party. (See previous page.) -oOo- Olall Iftm Nnt mh Call him not old, who keeps the primal Call him not old, to whom his friends joys, are charms, The open door, the smile, the touch And amulets to exercise each day. of youth ; Fate keeps such natures free from great Loves earth, its small or splendid toys, alarms, And turns a face resolute against Till greater joys bid heir blythe ruth, souls away. Then with life's harmonies made all complete, Across a sea where falls no mist, nor tears, They sail, with argosies than stars more fleet To welcoming music of the further- est spheres. — "The Rudder," June, 1916. A LOCAL DEPARTMENT ALSO OF GENERAL INTEREST IX (Continued from page VIII) Naturally this is the portion of the work that she likes best for she is thoroughly a woman and the building of pretty things appeals to her most. The human side of business has not been neglected by Miss Manton. In fact she has not grown hard or stern as most people are wont to picture business women. She has always been kind and considerate to those in her employ and all who have helped her are now sharing in her success in some way or another. She has made a close friend of every one of her employees and some have remained by her side for longer than two decades and they now assert that she is the best and truest friend that they have in the world. It is significant that early in her business-building Migs Manton se- lected electricity to do her work. In the Newark factory electricity is used to operate practically all the machin- ery, including big printing presses, wood-cutting machinery (used to build pattern racks) pattern-cutters, and a host of other appliances. Fifty thousand square feet of floor space is occupied by this big manufacturing in- stitution, and the entire area is illum- inated by electricty. In all about twenty-five motors are employed in Miss Manton's factory. These range from a half horse-power to twenty and twenty-five horse-power. The central station serves this factory for all of its night work and a great deal of its day load as well, for when the factory is working up to top speed the electric service must be absolutely dependable in every sense of the word, and this dependability can only thus be secured. Talks on Teeth. BY DR. D. KATZ, STAMF'ORD, CONNECTICUT. We often hear a mother say that it is useless to fill children's teeth, and that she would rather have her child's tooth extracted. Those mothers do not know that early extraction of teeth, be they temporary or permanent, will in- jure the child. Often the six year molars, which are permanent, are mistaken for tempor- ary teeth and are neglected, finally be- ing extracted, thereby causing abnor- mal occlusion of the teeth and irregu- larities, for the correction of which money must be spent, and the patient subjected to many unpleasant opera- tions. I will speak about this part of dentistry in another article. For this reason, many cities and towns have dental clinics in the schools so as to save the children from the evils which come to their mouths and later into their general system, because their parents have neglected to look after such cases. It would be fortunate if all towns and cities had such an ar- rangement. Decayed teeth impair the general health. Decayed teeth not only give ofif millions of germs that are swallow- ed and poison the digestive tract, but they prevent the proper mastication of the food, which thus fails to afiford full nourishment to the body. Such teeth increase unnecessarily the work of the digestive system, and the result is dys- pepsia. So much for the injury to health that decayed teeth produce. The least ob- servation will prove that a great part of your success, whether in the busi- ness or in the social world, depends on your appearance. While you give much of your time to your outer apparel, do not begrudge your inner apparel. No amount of raiment will change the fac- ial expression, the smile displaying stained or decaying teeth, the mouth pufifing out ofifensive breath, sunken cheeks indicating missing teeth. Decayed or missing teeth prevent thorough mastication and poison the digestive tract, and that, in time, ruins your health. Without good health there is absence of good appearance and presence of poor energy. Without appearance and without energy, can a person be successful? Ahvays keep your mouth in good condition. How can you do it? On this part of the subject there is an abundance of advice to be given to the general public. In the next article I will speak about this. Flowery are the realms of Nature, Scented are her wooded aisles, Come and share with her your leisure, Let her fill your day with smiles. — Emma Peirce. LITERAK °^««®sagS>8^8S>g^g5^85^8^85'8&«^! BEAUTY AND INTEREST Besides, I myself have now for a long time ceased to look for anything more beautiful in this world, or more interesting, than the truth, or at least than an effort one is able to make to- wards the truth. — Maeterlinck. Volume IX OCTOBER, 1916 PUBLISHED BY THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION ArcAdiA: sound beach, CONNECTICUT EDWARD F. BIGELOW, Managing Editor Subscription, $1.00 a Year. Single Copy, 10 Cents Number 5 GREENWICH THE EDITION DE LUXE OF CONNECnCUT TOWNS GREENWICH Long Distance Banking You do not have to be a resident of Greenwich to open account with this Company. A great many of our depositors transact all their banking by mail. We are prepared to collect items all over the world free of charge, and should like the chance to talk over "long distance banking" with you. The Greenwich Trust Co. ESTABLISHED 1887 GREENWICH, CONN. GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT has good transportation facilities to New York. You can buy or rent to good advantage and enjoy living by the water or among the hills to the utmost satisfaction. I have for Sale Elegant Country Estatest She re and Inland Residences, Farms, Acreage, Cottages and Building Sites. Also a number of selected Furnished Residences and Cottages to Rent in all locations. Would be pleased to have you call or write Laurence Timmons Tel. 456 Opp. Depot Greenvrich, Conn BEST NURSERY STOCK EVER GROWN Evergreens Fruit and Ornamental Trees Flowering Shrubs Hedge Plants Vines Roses Hardy Perennials ^ ^ ^ Preparing of Plans Laying Out of Grounds Grading -:- -:- Road Building Tree Work -:- -:- GREENWICH NURSERIES DEHN & BERTOLF, Props. ^ LANDSCAPE GARDENERS AND NURSERYMEN 8 GREENWICH, CONN. ^ ESPECIALLY OF LOCAL INTEREST VII Especially of Local Interest The Caterpillar in Bloom. "In my garden 1 have found the strang- est looking caterpillar that I have ever seen. It looks as if it were bursting into bloom." Thus telephoned Mrs. Wal- ter N. Travis, of Stamford, Connecticut. The reply was that the caterpillar was probably the common large green "worm" to be found on tomato vines, sometimes on Virginia Creeper and known as the hog caterpillar of the vine. This parti- one inch objective. Sometimes these cocoons are yellowish and are found at- tached to grass or other plants instead of to the caterpillar which the larva have destroyed. Now is the time to look for these clus- ters of cocoons on the grass. I think that thus late in the year they are more fre- quently found in such localities than on caterpillars. So far as I have observed the cocoons are formed on caterpillars THE "ELOOM" OF COCOONS ON CATERPILLAR FOUND BY MRS. TRAVIS IN HER STAMFORD GARDEN. cular larva is often infected by a little parasitic Hy of the genus Microgaster, that lays its eggs within the body of the caterpillar and when ,the eggs transform to the pupa stage the caterpillar is com- pletely covered with tiny white cocoons that stand endwise on the victim. The end of each pupa lifts and, like a jack- in-the-box, a tiny fly emerges. These are extremely Ijeautiful in appearance and extremely interesting to study. From the specimen brought by Airs. Travis the accompanying illustration was made with some magnification to show how it ap- peared to her and Mr. Travis who brought the specimen to AkcAdiA and viewed it under the microscope with a early in the year and on grass late, but this may be due not only to the season but to the different varieties of this fam- il}- of fiies. William Hamilton Gibson has an interesting chapter in "Sharp Eyes" about "Those Puzzling' Cocoon Clusters," with especial reference to the clusters on grass but in his "Eye Spy" he has an interesting essay with illustra- tions, entitled. "What Ails Him?" He writes October 20th : "They may be found now almost any day in a short stroll through the rowen fields. I have picked over fifty clusters in one short walk across an October meadow. They are generally attached in a circular cluster about a grass stem, VIII THE GUIDE TO NATURE thirty to fifty in number, and may be either white or pale sulphur yellow in color. To the casual observer they ap- pear like tiny oblong eg'gs, but they are in truth firmly woven silken cocoons, and though we may discover hundreds of them in the grass, there are few observ- ers who would be likely to guess their origin, for it is a rare find to catch the spinner at its work." The Cornflower. The cornflower borrows Heaven's blue, And gives in lavish store; Though gathering freely of its blooms, It ever ofifers more. — Emma Peirce. John Flagler's musical home in Green- wich, where he was tuning a piano to be played with Albert Spaulding, a great violinist. Here Mr. Finney introduced his tiny family to many admirers and then brought the nest and all to Sound Beach, where he exhibited it at ArcAdiA and to many admiring boys and girls. Any one telephoning Mr. Finney and failiug to get an immediate response may know that he, with family and associates, is absorbed in certain natural history pursuits. Berries Were Plentiful An English comedian named Mathews THE NEST OF MICE IN A GI.ENBROOK PIANO, WERE SINGING '-COME HOME." SEE MUSIC AT THE RIGHT. Mice Evidently Fond of Music. Mr. Wesley H. Finney received a hurried call to go to Glenbrook to ascer- tain the meaning of mysterious sounds within a piano. He responded promptly and found that mice were talking it over in the language characteristic of those little animals and that in the piano was a company of youthful members of the mouse family. He took them all under his loving care and decided to ■ encourage tlieir • musical tendencies. He carried them to Mrs. traded with a grocer named Berry. On one occasion Berry irritated Mathews by presenting his quarterly bill before it was due. Turning upon the astonished grocer, he delivered this tirade : "Here's a pretty ;//////, Berry.. You have sent in your bill. Berry, before it is due. Berry. Your father, the elder Berry, would not have been such a goose, Berry but you need not look so black, Berry, for I don't care a straw. Berry, and shan't pay you till Christmas, Berry." — The Youth's Companion. 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, 1897. Vc IX OCTOBER, 1916 Number 5 How the Plant Scatters Its Seed. BY HERBERT W. FAULKNER, WASHINGTON, CONNECTICUT. In October the cavalcade of the flowers has nearly passed by and most of their at- tendant insects have flown away or have '» 'S' ' \ Winged Seed of Maple. Poppy Pepperbox. wound themselves in silken comforters to await the winter. We therefore turn to the seeds to learn how they are sown. For a plant rooted to one spot the dis- posal of its seeds becomes a serious ques- tion. Seeds with wings like those of the thistledown and the dandelion parachutes are light as air and float where the wind wills. But maple seeds, shown in our first sketch, are much heavier and are planned to twirl in falling, like little boomerangs. They thus descend slowly and fly far. So many seed vessels are like pepper boxes, and stand upright on dry stalks,, that we wonder how their seeds get out. Approach a dried poppyhead, such as is shown in our second sketch, give it a gentle touch to set it swaying and see how it shakes out the seeds. Fitful breezes start it rocking and help carry the seeds to a distance. Some flowers which have hung down their blooming" heads turn their ripening seed vessels up- right. This we see in the various lilies and the little Indian pipe. If it were not so, their seeds would fall in a mass at their roots. Many seeds have hooks and spurs to fasten them to the hair and wool of pass- ing animals, which thus scatter them over many miles. I am told that certain seeds of this sort were imported into this country in bales of wool for the cloth Copyright 1916 by The Agassiz Association, AicAdiA: Sound Beach, Conn. 136 THE GUIDE TO NATURE not spread downstream. Here were plants making hug^e numbers of seeds, and •seedlings enough to choke the pond, yet RICE "PINS' STICKING THROUGH THE LILY PADS. none of the seeds got downstream to flourish elsewhere. One day in the autumn I noticed a lily pad stuck full of little black spikes like a pincushion with black pins. I stooped to examine them and in so doing jostled a tall stalk of the wild rice and straight- way brought down a shower of little pointed seeds, some of which stuck in the lily pad while the majority plunged into the water. The seeds had a sharp point for plunging and a long tail like the stick of a rocket to direct them straight downward. So the mystery was explain- ed, for I remembered that the seeds of wild rice must be kept moist in order to grow. If they dry, they die. Nature intends that every seed shall fall straight into the water and plunge to the bottom ; not float downstream, iget cast ashore and mavbe die of thirst. The management of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City is planning to raise by private subscription the sum of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars to build a new wing toward the southeast. No addi- tional space has been provided since the building of the southwest wing in 1905, and the collection has become seriously overcrowded. factories. These seeds travelled by steamer and rail. Alany plants actually shoot out their seeds by ing^enious spring mechanisms. Some of the bean family are famous shooters. The lupine forms a stiff hard seed pod which on ripening, and drying to just the right point, suddenly bursts and curls into two spiral horns with such suddenness that the seeds are shot out in every direction. The lupine pods, both closed and open, are shown in our third sketch. Next we see the seed of the jewel weed, appropriately called the touch-me-not. The pod resembles a small bean but at the slightest touch this springs into a new shape and so quickly that our eyes do not tell us what has happened, though our ears detect the scattering and fall of the seeds. These are enclosed in a pod with a central axis like a green ribbon. The pod divides at the top into narrow strips that curl downward and inward like a watch spring, squeezing the seeds in their spiral folds and shooting them right and left. The seeds of many plants are scattered by water. A'^ast numbers float down our streams and lodge along the shores. Others are washed from the summits and slopes of hills to take root in the valleys. Lupin. CATAPULTS. Jewelweed. I was for some time mystified by the ac- tion of the wild rice which I planted on the shore of my little pond, because it did ]\IARENGO CAVE 137 Marengo Cave. ]".V W. \. Sl'l'X'KMAXX, I'.AI.DWIN-WAl.l.ACl': COLI.lvGK, r.IvAKl'A, Oil 10. Marengo Cave is situated within the corporate Hmits of the town of Marengo, Crawford County, Indiana, on the Louis- ville, Evansville and St. Louis (hvision of the Southern railway, thirty-eight miles west of Louisville, Kentucky, and twelve miles north of the Ohio river. It is said to have been discovered acci- though this land lias l)een the center of civilization for more than three-fourths oi a ccntur)-, and a Httle town with its places of trade and shops of industry had existed for nearly half a century, yet not until the year 1883 was it known that this grand work of nature lay hidden l)eneath the surface here." The hill under which the Cave lies is rolling and gradually elevated above the surrounding country. On its sifles are dentally by hunters in pursuit of a rabbit which took refuge in a hole which led into the cave. Others say that parents missing their children while at play dur- ing' the day watched their disappearance into an opening in the ground which was found to descend gradually into the mouth of the Cave, the first room of which had furnished an excellent hiding place and play room for the children. The formation of the rock about Ma- rengo is of limestone. A large limestone quarry has been opened on another side of the town adjoining the railroad track, and a considerable quantity of material has already been removed. The existence of the Cave has been known but thirty years, having been dis- covered in 1883. A writer says, "Al- outcropping's of limestone formation. The present entrance is near a beautiful grove about two hundred yards north of a sparkling stream which is fed by the waters of two large springs in North Ma- rengo. These springs issue from small caves in the sides of elevations. The one has a semicircular entrance with sloping stone ceiling from wdiich stalactitic formations depend and is in itself worth seeing. Quite a stream of water flows from it and plants grow at the entrance. The original entrance to Marengo Cave has been closed and another made which descends at an angle of about forty- five degrees and is some sixty feet in length. An upright door, secured by a lock opens into a cemented arch covering the stairwav. Lanterns and torches are 138 THE GUIDE TO NATURE used to light up the Crimean darkness. On the sides of the stairs one finds cave crickets, Hadaenucus snbterrancus, which are colorless and blind. The temperature of the Cave is espe- cially noticeable on a hot day, remaining the same summer and winter, namely fifty-six degrees Farenheit. The interior consists of avenues, cham- bers, domes and grottoes. Most of the walls, floors and ceilings are of limestone ornamented with formations in grotesque shapes. The floor of the ;greater portion of the Cave is dry, but where the most of the limestone formations are taking place, it is damp. At the foot of the stairs is Grand En- trance Hall which leads into the portion of the Cave known as the Long Route ; there are four grand divisions of the Cave called respectively, The Long Route, Washington Avenue, Western x-\venue and Crystal Palace. A picture cannot do justice to Crystal Palace with its stalac- tites and stalagmites. One must see it to appreciate it. Tourists consider it "the most beautiful of any natural under- ground room that has ever been discov- ered". Crystal Palace is about twenty feet wide, forty feet high, and two hundred feet long. The whole Cave varies in width from ten to seventy-five feet, in height from eight to forty feet, and the Washinjj^ton'A Plume, i^rengo Cave, total length of the chambers and pas- sages is about three and one-half miles. The four divisions of the Cave are sub- divided into halls which have been named, usually by visitors, for their resemblance to the original : Statue Hall, Congress Hall, Odd Fellows Hall, Alammoth Hall, Music Hall and Elks Hall. Many of the beautiful formations have also been given names ; The vault in Cave Hill Ceme- tery is an interesting example. Others are Charleston Jail, Prison Cell, Statue of Liberty, Tower of Babel, Baby Elephant, Jumbo, Elephant's Head, Diamond Dome, Leopard Ceiling, The Gods of Athens, Solomon's Temple, Fish Market, Lovers' Retreat, Niagara Falls and Alt. Vesuvius. The Railroad Crossing is a strange for- mation on the ceiling with what seem to be parallel tracks. One of the most won- derful formations is that of the Pipe Organ. The manager, who guided me through the labyrinthian passages of the Cave, struck several of the stalactites which resounded with musical tones, Other beautiful and curious stalag'mites are Washington's Monument and Wash- ington's Plume. The formation of crystallized stalactit- ic and beautiful stalagmitic columns with glittering domes by calcium carbonate trickling from the ceiling is certainly in- teresting. The underground water of that locality contains much dissolved limestone. Upon seeping through the roof of the Cave it begins to evaporate, losing its carbonic acid, and limestone is deposited on the ceiling around the edge of the drop of water. Other drops form below this one until a tubular pendant develops, which at first is hollow but later the opening is filled and successive layers are formed on tlie outside. When the stalactite thus formed reaches a certain stage, if the seepage is sufficient, the drops will fall to the floor and build up a stalagmite. These meeting the pendants from the ceil- ing form columns as shown in The Visi- tor's Wonder or Haines's Alcove. The general yellow color of cave for- mations is caused by the presence of iron oxide. Most of those in Marengo Cave are translucent and some are almost snowy white. In one part of the Cave beautiful stalagmites resembling bouquets of flow- 1M1K DAY FLOWER 139 ers or stalks of celery may be seen. It is a sight of beauty and of wonderful or- namentation that makes a lasting impres- sion on the mind of the observer. Mr. J. S. Diller in a government publi- cation says : "All caverns are not so beau- tifully ornamented. Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, although remarkable for its size, contains a very small amount of cave deposits such as are shown by the two il- lustrations", referring to Luray Cave in A^iroinia and Marengo Cave, Indiana. The flowers, the sunbeams, the sparkling of dew, Are all sweet allurements of Nature for you; She woos you with beauty, with color, with scent, In all to her fullness of life giving vent, Oh can you resist her? Why wedded so long To the life artificial, which multitudes throng? Just live for a season a free, simple life And you will have done with vexation and strife. — Emma Peirce. The Dayflower. BY ROBERT CUXNINXHAM MILLER, UNION- TOWN, PA. An odd little flower is the common dayflower (Coiiiiiielina comiiniuis), a member of the Spiderwort family which we find growing in damp, shady places all over the land. Its two bright blue petals so oiUshine the tiny white one that the latter often passes unnoticed, and the flower has a peculiar appearance, as though part of its petals had been blown away by the wind. The generic name of the flower, (Commelina) was intended by Linnaeus as a quiet little joke on the three Dutch botanists Commelyn, two oi whom became noted through their scientific writings, while the third, Casper, although a deep student, never gained note through his failure to publish the re- sults of his work. Like the inconspicuous white petal of the dayflower, he was over- shadowed by the lirilliance of the other members of the family. In spite of the fact that the plant is so hardy, its blossoms are most delicate. Once while passing a colony of them near my home, I gathered a few specimens, intending to press them and add them to my collection, but before I had gone two squares they were hopelessly withered. At best they last but a few hours, until the work of pollination is accomplished. Like those of the morning glory, the pet- als of the dayflower roll together at noon, but they never open again, and from this fact the common name is derived. As a THE DAYFLOWER. little boy to whom I was explaining the habits of the flower once remarked, "I think it ought to jes' be called a half- dav flower." 140 THE GUIDE TO NATURE An Astonishing Hailstorm. BY S. C, HUNTER, SUXAPKE, NEW HAMP- SHIRE. On a bleak day in winter the rain often turns to hail. Not so in summer. Sum- mer hail has a different origin and is also a much more serious affair. On the af- ternoon of August 23rd. one of these summer hailstorms passed over Lake Sunapee and attained the proportions of a phenomenon. After several days of extreme, sultry heat the clouds began worst of the storm was confined to a lim- ited area and lasted for only about ten minutes. In this time, however, the ice was piled in places six inches deep and frightful havoc was wrought among the trees. Careful measurements showed that the hail ranged from the diameter of a camphor ball to full two inches. They were variously shaped and appeared to be irregular chunks composed of smaller particles welded together, sometimes flat, sometimes round. The flat specimens indicated a rotarv formation, the centers THE CUCUMIJER SMASHED BY A HAH.STGNE. to gather, but nothing unusual was indi- cated. At the southwest end of the lake the clouds finally concentrated and the storm raged. At first it looked as if the lake district would be spared, but soon the encircling storm beg'an its approach from due south and cjuickly swept the entire lake accompanied by the usual squall with thunder and lightning. Suddenly splashes appeared over the surface of the water, exactly like a minature picture of a sea battle with the shot splashing" and plung- ing. These splashes increased rapidly, supplanting the rain, and as a violent tat- too began on the roofs and boarded sur- faces an ice bombardment was fairly un- der way. In a moment the rain of ice fell in a solid sheet. The water within the visible radius was lashed into fury, and the roar of the falling ice, accom- panied by the commotion in the water, which resembled a wild and furious boil- ing, produced, with the thunder, lightning and wind, a scene of terrifying grand- eur. The ice soon covered the iground and in a twinkling the landscape changed from summer to winter. Fortunatelv the being much depressed. The round ones measured four and three-quarters inches in circumference, although, it is said, some were found measuring seven in- ches. Much of the ice was found next morning, showing it required fifteen or sixteen hours to melt. The trees, principally the birches, were stripped nearly clean ; even the hardy pines and firs suffered severely. As for vegetable gardens and flowers, they were laid low as if a mighty flail had pounded them to pieces. Scarcely a glass window that was not protected by a screen es- caped destruction. The entire country- side looked as if a blast from the furnace Had scorched it. A similar storm occurred on Sunday, July 2, 1916, in Concord, New Hamp- shire, when the fall of ice was also lim- ited to a small area. It would be inter- esting to know if there is any record of ice storms of greater severity. Had this storm lasted for a longer period it would have broken through the roofs of many houses. As it was. several old roofs were badly perforated. MY \'ISIT TO PASQUANEY 141 My Visit to Pasquaney. BY E. TALMER CAPK, XOAXK, CONNECTI- CUT. Perhaps there is no one development within the past years which signifies greater possibilities than that of boys' camps. It is because it is of such vital value to the youth of coming manhood that the absolute necessity of true en- vironment should be demanded. Just as in every work in life we find a running scale of quality and quan- tity, so in the "camps," wdiich one be- comes acquainted with is this particu- larly noticeable. I was visiting Bridgewater, N. H. about a mile from Pasquaney and about eight miles from Bristol. I had gone for a few weeks' stay and was occupy- ing myself with sketching the beauti- ful birches which grow so plentiful in this belt. The very name Pasquaney means the land of birches ; and the charming lake snuggled so delightfully in the bosom of the hills was always known as Lake Pasquaney, imtil some unromantic souls changed it to the or- dinary name of New Found, but all lovers of the Lake shall ever think of it by its beautiful Indian name. Imagine yourself standing on the side of a mountain which gradually slopes to the lake's edge. Great pines and birches are on ever}^ side. Here is the Camp. The long cedar shingled houses filled wath the necessities and comforts required for camp life, simple but well designed. It was not the delightful, truly perfect environment in which Pasqvianey Camp is situated, nor the splendid outlay of every detail, from the roomy sleeping quarters, or the out door "sprays" where merry laughter and unconscious lessons of fine qualities of character building are developed ; or the little hospital so daintily and hygienically clean and ready for emergency ; it was not the long dining-rooms and outside porches ; nor the beautiful chapel "under the trees," great pines wdiich meet over- head like a vast cathedral arch, and the flickering bits of sunlight penetrating the thick green needles and various shades, gives one a sense of the play of light from stained glass windows. A lovely white birch cross standing on an altar of rough stones, which are I)anked with ferns and wild flowers by the boys during the camping season, is most impressive A sense of not only beauty fills one as seated on the simple wooden benches, but a reverence, a faith, a hope in the purest forces of life penetrate ones inmost being. It is as if this Chapel were truly "alive with God" It is not the details of the outside of Camp Pasquaney, splendid as their are, that impressed me as the thing which was of such deep interest and import- ance ; importance to all who are in any way connected with education, camp life, nature stud\' or youtli. The great fact that stands out like a jewel in the sunlight is the Man at the head of Camp Pasquaney — Mr. Edward S. Wilson. Seldom in eoin? through life do we find a character who has so many qualities to help perfect his work.. It is impossible to pass him by in silence. Edward Simpson Wilson was born in New York and after the usual school days entered Yale and took his Ph. B. His father a Captain in the U. S. Navy, desired that his son become a physi- cian and so the Columbia P. & S. was the natural course of events ; but after a time young Wilson fotmd that re- quirements of this profession did not appeal to him and he decided to pitch his life's tent into other quarters. Captain AVilson after his retirement from active service had bought a large tract of land bordering on Lake Pas- qauney, and one day a friend asked young Mr. Wilson to go to Holderness, some fifteen miles away, to visit her own boy who was at Dr. Talbot's Camp. In those days Camps for boys had not developed and this one of Dr. Talbot's was the first of its kind. Young Mr. Wilson took the oppor- tunity to go and see the Camp at Hol- derness and it was during that Simimer of 1893 that the deep interest in charac- ter building for boys sprang like a flame into his heart, and never has been extinguished. Seldom does one find a man with the talent and earnestness to make his life work as complete and noble as it has become in the actual results of the Di- rector of Camp Pasquaney. There is but one thing that makes for real success in Camp life and that is a spiritual comprehension as the 142 THE GUIDE TO NATURE basis of all living. No shams, no ideas that sports and good food, outdoor life and merry-making is sufficient ; no ! the fundamental reason of "Mr. Ned's" (so the boys call Mr. Wilson) tremen- dous success is the wonderful methods and instinctive soul qualities with which he inspires every boy. "To have a boy with the right stuff in him, no matter what he may be, I can make a man of him," thus spoke "Mr. Ned." And again : "It is a perfect delight to watch the character unroll, and to find many a boy who has been cramped for advantages at home, advantages of character-building or knowledge re- garding life's great temptations and struggles, actually become through gradual training, a boy, fearless, frank, controlled and a leader in the hearts of all." ^ >lc ^ ;|; ^ Such truths spoken in a rich, quiet sincere voice brings the power of the man before one. Mr. Wilson is most modest as all big souls are; fearless of mind and splendid physique; strong features, clear firm blue-grey eyes and a poise of the head that is what sculptors call "finely set." His hand-grasp is real and one is conscious of the strong per- sonality as one studies the sensitive mouth, decisive chin, and noble fore- head. It is after many years of study re- garding the questions of character- building, of education of our youths, that I feel it not only a pleasure but a tribute I should like to pay to the man who has so far outstripped anything that I have found with perhaps one ex- ception, and that is so like Mr. Wil- son's ideas that they could almost be spoken of simultaneously ; that one ex- ception being the development which C. Hanford Henderson has brought to the splendid Camp idea and Education. Mr. Wilson's entire feeling about "his boys" is that the development comes as an outward visible result, pri- marily from an inner experience. The full meaning of the law of cause and effect is here understood, and the deeper inner strength which comes alone by lessons learned through love and kindness is an aspect which proves by the outward results the correct method used. "True education is not only know- ledge, but character-development," said Mr. Wilson, and "true civilization comes through the expression of social environment of the great lessons learn- ed by youth before they go to college." There is no way to-day, in these modern rushing, nervously hurrying times, to awake the great sense of per- sonal value, personal worth-whiledness, earnestness and fine feeling, as to have the out-of-door life, and all that it means in a boy's camp, with a man like Edward S. Wilson at its head. The "talks" which "Mr. Ned" every Sunday gives to his boys are chosen so as to gradually developed those qualities which during camp-life so wisely are made most important ; such as : Opportunity, Thoughtfulness, Unselfishness, Hon- esty, Loyalty, Courage, Perseverance, Energy, Purity and Temperance. It is not eas}^ to describe the telling qualities which make for enthusiasm and ideals, but to be able to inspire others a man must have it within him- self, and to reach middle life Avith the power to mould the characters of boys so that self-reliance, manliness, fear- lessness, nobility, weave into their lives a pattern that forever after works out in the design of their lives, is a rare thing to do. An exceptional man in an exceptional place, with great trans- forming powers, makes the weak, strong; the lazy, active; the bully or tease, a helpful comrade ; these are all accomplished at Camp Pasquaney and the Camp's motto, "Stop and Think" has caused many a lad to halt and choose to do the right thing. It is with admiration and gratitude that this article on Camp Pasquenay and its Director is given to others, for just to have spent a day and studied not only the Camp, the out-fit, the fine lads, but more than all the noble soul who has put his life's heart and work into it was an experience one felt the better for having had. One feels as thev shake hands good bye, that in- deed our little world is better for hav- ing had the heart of "Mr. Ned" in Camp Pasquaney. When nature calls why not attend, And end by making her your friend? — Emma Peirce. INSECTS THAT LOOK LIKE STia 143 Insects That Look Like Sticks. It starts ; it moves ; it seems to mani- fest life and yet looks like a mass of walk- ing- sticks, especially when we see several together as sometimes occurs, though usually they are found singly. We are indebted to Miss Linda Wor- rell, Sound Beach, Connecticut, for the contril)ution of an interesting" specimen, MISS WORRELL'S STICK INSECT. deep brown in color and closely resem- bling a twig. Others are sometimes seen of a rich green, harmonizing closely with the grass and leaves. It is a startling ex- perience to see a mass of these animated twigs. I shall never forget the experi- ence I had when a boy, as I sat on a fence and was thoroughly frightened by what I supposed to be dead twigs come to life, as several were moving on the groimd and a few on the fence. I was astonished as Professor Comstock says one is apt to be when seeing the twigs supposed to be stiff and motionless suddenly walk off on long slender legs as awkwardly as if they had never tried to walk before, lie says. "Strange and uncanny creatures are these walking-sticks with their long point- ed bodies and with legs colored and look- ing exactly like twigs and leaf-])etioles. In the tropics their resemblance to fol- iage is made more perfect by wings wdiich are veined like leaves. In the Northern States we have only one common spec- ies, Diapheromera femorata, and that is wingless. Walking-sticks feed u|:)on foliage. Their eggs, which are large, are dropped on the ground under the trees by the mother, who trusts entirely to fate to preserve them." He is right in his statement that the eggs are large. For the first time in my life I have seen a quantity of the eggs. They were laid by this specimen in a box in which it was put. They somewhat re- semble the large eggs of the caterpillar but have peculiar markings on one end. I had planned to illustrate them but they were accidentally crushed. I hope some- time to obtain others. Considers Scoke an Antidote. Stamford, Connecticut. To the Editor : In the recent number of The; Guide; TO Nature you speak of the poison ivy or mercury. I write to say that I keep a plant growing in my garden the root of which is an antidote for vegetable poisons. It is called by different names — scoke, poke, etc. In the spring of the year the young shoots make the best kind of "greens." The fat root, which is poison, is the part used to counteract the poison. It is sliced and boiled in water for ten or fifteen minutes. With the w^ater from the boiled root wash the parts effected from one to three times and vou will be entirely cured. I have never known it to fail. I now have the plants with both blossoms and fruit. If any of your friends get poisoned I will give them a root. I shall he glad to show any one the plant. Yours truly, A. C. Arnold. Valley Lilies. Half hidden in their sheath-like leaves, These tiny, ivory bells Ring out sweet perfume on the air, Which straight the secret tells. — Emma Peirce. THE GUIDE TO NATURE A Beautiful Spider with an Interesting Cocoon. Mrs. Isaac Ferris of Hilltop Farm, Riverside, Connecticut, sends to this of- fice a beautiful specimen of the garden spider. It was in a match box. I had frequently seen specimens of this spider THE GARDEN SPIDER AND ITS COCOON IN A MATCH BOX IN OUR LABORATORY. and also had noticed their cocoons in the grass and attached to various plants, but never before have I seen a spider form a cocoon in captivity. This one suspended a beautiful piece of work of the kind in the center of the box. By carefully cut- ting ofif one end of the box, I was able to expose the spider and the cocoon so as to take the accompanying photograph. This whole family of garden spiders is intensely interesting, and now, in the month of October, is the best time to study them. Sunrise Clouds. Bright golden fleeces in a pale gold sky, Await their Jason's quest in pastures high. — Emma Peirce. The Horse Got There First. The late Marvin Day of Westchester, Connecticut, and his family w^ere faith- ful attendants at church. One Sunday he went to the pasture to catch his old horse, but failed to find her in the lot. He and his family went to church, and found the horse already arrived and standing in their shed. The horse had recognized the day of the week and knew that it was time to go to church. Observations of Spiders. Stamford, Connecticut. To the Editor : I have been greatly interested in an occurrence in my garden, under the rose arbor. A spider, about three-eighths of an inch long, has taken up her residence there and is acting much as though she were a robber or a receiver of stolen, goods, though I hate to think her guilty of either crime. She is evidently a species of garden spider though she has built no nest since I first discovered her. My garden has dozens of other spiders in it but I have not yet found one exact- ly like her. When I first saw her she was resting close to a tiny egg bag that seemed fat and full and was attached to one of the crossbeams of the arbor in a rather damp and shady place. Soon after that I was delighted one morning early to see that the bag had burst and on it were dozens of the whitest little spiders. These stayed there for eight days, gradually getting darker, and one morning last week I visited them at about 5.30 and found only a few left and these disappeared before another day had passed. Before the spiders had all gone, however, I noticed another and slightly darker egg bag near the first one, and as I understand that after the female spider has had one fam- ily she has fulfilled her mission in life, I was desirous to learn where this second cocoon could have come from. Still more surprising was the fact that on two mornings following my discovery of the second I noticed two others that had not been there on the previous night. Madam Spider did not seem to pay any particular attention to the extra bags until last Monday, when I noticed, from the position in which it had been placed, that she was showing some interest in cocoon No. 2. Wednesday morning I discovered that this had opened and out of a tiny hole were marching very, very slowly a regular army of little spiders, not white as the others had been, but smoky gray ! To-day, Saturday, the little grav beauties are still there but Madam is apparently interested in one of the other bags ! I have seen no other spiders while she has l)een there. I have thought it pos- sible that they may indeed have arrived OBSERVATIONS OF SPIDERS at niglit and been vanquished in a fight leaving their property behind. But, if, as Fabre suggests, spiders have no ma- ternal instinct, why does she mother these little foster spiders? Apparently she does not eat them — she has too much else to eat. One day I saw her feeding on a fairly large caterpillar. At another time I have noticed the remains of flies. Do you suppose she is a robber, or do you suppose, as I suggested, that she has fought off the legitimate owners of the other bags and confiscated their prop- erty? Jane: Bates. Under later date Miss Bates writes as follows : I feel sure that you will be interested in knowing that on my arrival home to- night I discovered that sometime during the day, from two to four hundred young, smoke gray spiders had arrived under the beam in the rose arbor. Some one suggested to me that the maternal spider had gathered the egg sacs in her trips about the garden and was waiting only to devour the young ones. This cannot be so as I have watched carefully, so carefully in fact that on Sunday night I had the pleasure of witnessing the de- parture of the second batch of spiders that had been gaining strength, apparent- ly on nothing, since last Wednesday. This third batch is watched over by the same mother spider that attended the arrival of the first, the only ones that were white when they first appeared, but I too intend to keep special watch to sat- isfy myself that the old spider is as in- nocent as she appears to be. My garden is small, twenty-two by seventy-five, but it is full of the most in- teresting things imaginable, a veritable fairyland with delightful surprises every- where. Regarding this ; Professor J. H. Com- stock writes as follows : "I think that the spider described by your correspondent is the domestic spid- er (Theridio'ii tepidariorum) which you will find figured and described in my Spider Book at page 345. This spider is common both in Iniildings and out of doors. The female makes several egg sacs. The difference in color of the dif- ferent broods of spiderlings may be due to an earlier emergence from its egg sac of pale breed. Psalm of Life, BY HAROLD GOKDON HAWKINS, WESTFIELD, MASS. Great spirit of the everlasting hills; Of mystic forests and widespreading plains ; Of mighty rivers and the emerald lakes. Of murmuring rills and surging seas; Of gentle winds and tempests wild; Of worms and beasts and winging birds; Strength of my fathers, father of man, Great God of eternal nature, grant to me That I may live throughout the span of life Thou hast in thy great mercy accorded unto me, Amidst the grandeur of thy handiwork, Spirit of power, of strength, of love. Grant that I may live to learn From the mighty mountains an abiding faith in thee. From forests and from plains thy universality. From rivers, lakes and seas the beauty of '^'" works. From zephyrs mild thy bounteous leniency, And from the raging storms the power that is thine. To destroy the breakers of thine immutable laws. Father of mercy grant that T mav lear^. From worm, bird, beast and flower, the father's care Thou hast for thy myriad children. All of whom without that tender care Would die like flowers in the winter's chill. This, oh my father grant to me. 146 THE GUIDE TO NATURE All communications for this department should be sent to the Department Editor, Mr. Harry G. Higbee, 13 Austin Street, Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Items, articles and photographs in this department not otherwise credited are by the Department Editor. Remarkable Photographs of Gulls. BY E. H. MATERN, SANDUSKY, OHIO. Previous to my taking these pho- tographs I had seen gulls only in the siniimer, and at distances of three hun- A REMARKAliLY GRACEFUL POSE. dred to five hundred yards, but in Feb- ruary of this year thousands of these birds came to the wharfs at Sandusky. Ohio, to feed on the offal thrown on the ice from the fisheries. This pre- sented an opportunity to study their character at close range. Contrary to my former belief that these gulls were beautiful, peaceful birds which seemed to quietly har- monize with the placid summer settings of lake and sea regions, I fovmd in real- ity a lot of wild, screeching, quarrel- some creatures making a scene grue- some and repulsive, from which ema- nated a great variety of uncanny screams and noises. Soaring above at a great height (a gull is graceful only while flying) they would swoop down upon the barrelfuls of offal as soon as the workmen had thrown it on the ice and departed. Grabbing ravenously right and lefl, tbey swallowed huge mouthfuls, get- ting their heads and bodies covered with gore. It is almost impossible to obtain an unblurred photograph at one three-hundredth of a second, so rapid- ly do their heads and mouths move in the act of devouring as much as pos- sible before it can be eaten by the others. While gulping the food, they continuously flap their wings, trying to prevent others getting a share. Au- thorities on the subject have stated that they will eat two and three times their own weight without intermission. When the offal was entirely devoured and only very big fish remained, only the largest and strongest birds fed, and at this stage of the feast many scenes such as the following were witnesed, all being acted at the same time in dif- ferent ])laces on the ice. A large gull humps himself up and, with the swag- gering stride and all the characteristics of some rough hiunan of the under- world, will chase all the others to a distance of forty feet from the fish he is eating. These less powerful ones then stand in a circle facing the fish while he struts proudl}^ back to it with his wings arched and his feathers fluffed. Gazing around the circle he ORNITHOLOGY 147 ^^^:;--"^^e^ M' ^' ^ ^H^^HB0%<^^ NT J^^v 'SBKRS" ' ' "( 1^ ^ m--- IN THE WATER BY THE ICE SHEET. cackles his call of defiance — a loud, weird, shrill, prolonged, metallic series of notes : "Kankle, kankle, kankle, kan- kle, ki-ipe, ki-ipe, kipe." This done he folds his wings slowly and settles down to the task of ripping and tearing his fish. Meanwhile those in the circle creep up closer and closer. As the}' approach quite near, he repeats his fight call, and the circle then widens again. Occasionally one is more brave than the others, especially if he is as large and as powerful as the one feast- ing. As he comes closer he challenges the other and the result is a fight quite similar to a cockfight. They screech, and peck furiously at each other, and slap and beat with their long powerful •LET'S TALK IT 0\'ER." THE GUIDE TO NATURE wings. Sometimes one will catch in its beak the tip of the other's wing, to which it will cling and tug with bull- dog tenacity. This is usually the fin- ish. The opponent screams like a hurt human and tries to beat the other off with its free wing. Tugging this way and that, the creatures slide and tumble on the ice until finally the several feathers are jerked out, when the in- jured one is glad to fly away. The other again returns to the spot where he left the fish, usually to find it stolen by some gull which has flown away with it, followed by hundreds of his screaming fellows, all intent upon stealing it ; or, if it happens to be an extremely heavy fish, he finds it pre- sided over by another large gull whose authority he is too exhausted to chal- lenge. Curious Action of a Cuckoo. BY REVEREND MAXLEV B- TOWNSEND, XASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE. Photograph by G. H. Higbee, Hyde Park, Massachusetts. One June day a few years ago, the writer, in company with the editor of this department of The Guide to Nature, took a canoe trip up the V9 ^ JfJf^^^Q^V^^Wtil^ ^/>1 ^Jf%^X^^^^S^ ^£^ fr J .^3^^fal m k ^k.^ -^ ^ f^^ism. ^ ■^-■j? HBm-jdri.f'.SM^BJ^mB f. • , - R^l^ TWO LITTLE CUCKOOS IN THE NEST. Charles River in Eastern Massachusetts. The weather was perfect, the day en- trancingly beautiful, and many nests with eggs and young birds were found. At the noon hour a landing was made in a shady spot and there we were so fortun- ate as to discover the nest of a yellow billed cuckoo built low in a bush on the river bank. It was a frail structure, loosely made of twigs and so poorly con- structed, in fact, that the young were vis- ible from beneath through the bottom. There were two little fellows of dift'ereiit sizes. The cuckoo lays one egg and im- mediately begins to incubate it before the other eggs are laid. The result is a fam- ily of assorted sizes. In this particular nest, one bird, the larger, appeared strong and vigorous ; the other was much small- er and appeared feeble. As we were taking a picture, clouds rolled vip and soon the rain was falling smartly. We crawled beneath our over- turned canoe, and were enjoying the downpour in our dry shelter when we heard a rush of wings and saw the par- ent bird swiftly approaching. Alighting upon the edge of the nest she started to cover the young but hesitated and ap- peared to deliberate. Then occurred a curious thing. Making a sudden grab she seized in her beak one of her ofl:'spring, which subsequent investigation proved to be the weakling, and, pulling it from the nest, flew away ! We looked at each other in amazement. What could it mean? What was the bird up to ? She did not re- turn and the rain having ceased we pur- sued our way. Had the cuckoo detected our presence and removed her young, and would she remove the other ; or had she found the little fellow practically perished from exposure to the cold rain and de- cided to throw it away? We determined to investigate on our way back. Many hours later, on our way down the river at the sunset hour, we landed at the nest. There was the other bird and it was warm, proving that the parent had just left, probably when she detected our approach. We therefore concluded that the weakling had been deliberately destroyed. Other animals, including sav- age man, appear to have this habit. By keepins: one's eyes open, many such unique observations may be "mde. This is the charm of nature ''■:'v — there is no end to the interestinq- things to be seen. When Nature shows her best to you Just show 3'our best to her; Appreciation, gratitude, — In these you could not err. — Emma Peirce. ORNITHOLOGY 49 A Meadowlark Nest. 1!Y 11. VV. WiaSGKRnivR, SAl.l'.M, OHIO. The meadowlark may not be, strictly speaking-, an "oven" nest builder, but THE MEADOWLARK NEST. the nest shown in the picture certainly belies that reputation. Dawson in his "Birds of Ohio" says : "The nests are frequently arched over with dried grasses." The one shown was so completely "arched" that it had a side entrance, but not quite the tunnel of the ovenbird's nest. In fact, there was more than is shown in the picture, for the front straws had to be pushed back a little to exhibit the eggs. The straws were replaced so, as to conceal the nest as much as possible. The other picture is of the same nest to show the young- birds. It was taken a day before they left the nest that had sheltered them for the previous two weeks. But by this time the "arch" had been opened, for the old birds had an exit at the top as well as at the side. It had also been enlarged somewhat as the young birds grew and formed the grass walls outward. The picture shows it to- be a "full house;" in fact, there was no vacant space "for rent" or otherwise. A Beautiful Nest. BY REVEREND MANLEY B- TOWNSEND, NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE. On June 25th the writer found a red- eyed vireo's nest that seems worthy of note. It was built in the fork of a blos- soming mountain laurel, not over four feet from the ground, on the shore of a little lake in Hallis, New Hampshire, and contained two newly hatched young and one egg in the last stages of incubation. The remarkable thing about it was the beauty of the nest and its environment. The laurel, in the full glory of its won- derful bloom, was growing under the shelter of tall trees, and the nest was so well hidden that not until the bird flew from beneath the hand as the laurel was examined was the nest discovered. It was an exquisite afifair, a basket swung from a forked branch, closely woven of plant fibres of delicate texture, and firmly caught and fastened to the supporting twigs. The (birds evidently possessed an aesthetic sense, for they had decorated the exterior with bleached spider's web- bing and narrow strips of white birch bark. The eflfect was extremely beautiful — the lovely nest and the splendid laurel blooms made a combination to enrapture th.e soul of any lover of natural beauty. October. THE YOUNG MEADOWLARKS. BY LOUISE WHITE WATSON, FALLSINGTON, PA. I heard a song afloat in air, And gazing into tree-top bare, I saw the songster's tiny throat Astir with life. Its every note Was tuned to benediction, praise For heaven-born October days. I listened, lived. — all cares gave way At jovoiis burst of roundelay. O, song-bird sweet, to thee was given To chord earth's song in tune with heaven. i5o THE GUIDE TO NATURE A Song Sparrow's Nest. BY H. W. WEISGERBER, SALEM, OHIO. I believe that little birds are often hard pressed for ideal nesting sites, while at other times such sites are so numerous A SECLUDED NEST. that, like many a human, the bird scarcely knows which one to choose. The bird that built the nest shown in the picture must have been bothered somewhat in that way. Locations were numerous, in fact, too numerous, so she wisely selected a place which even a cowbird would have found difficult to enter. The nest was so well hidden that the camera man nearly missed getting a pic- ture of it. But three of the four eggs show. So far as I know the parent bird succeeded in raising her brood, for at my last visit to the place the nest was empty and did not look as though it had been disturbed. Whenever photographing a nest I al- ways stand as far back as possible and never touch nest or eggs. If any offend- ing grass or brush needs to be removed I alwavs use a stick or a pencil. The Cf^-^s too, if it is necessary to arrange them in any way, can be .shifted by the aid of the rubber tip on the pencil without fear of breaking them. At the best it is dangerous to take the picture of a bird's nest, for a varmint of one kind or another will often follow man's tracks, find the nest and thus get a meal of eggs or of young birds. Unless I step near a nest accidentally, I always keep three or four feet from it. How Birds Soar. BY NORMAN S. DAYTUX_, PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA. A boy, whose reasoning powers were not satisfied witli half truths, having read that the condor and the buzzard can rise to great heights by merely bal- ancing with outstretched wings, using little if any efifort in their aerial climb- ing, could not accept the mystery with- out further questioning. Xot having heard a plausable explanation of this seeming paradox, the conversation with this inquiring youth suggested to the writer the thought that this problem might be puzzling others wdio are not in a position to trace the natural phenom- ena that accompany these strange soar- ing feats. Those not familiar with the extreme southwest of our land will by referring to the map notice the long arm of Lower California extending southward into the tropical ocean. The Gulf of California is an inland sea, its waters being acces- sible only to the tropical ocean. The up- per end of this almost tropical gulf is fill- ing, principally with the erosions of the Grand Canon of the Colorado. This vast delta of the Colorado River forms an enticing feeding ground for the migra- tory waterfowl tired by their long flights as they follow the coast. On their northward journey when the summer's heat ])egins to urge, the great flocks rise, forming the usual broad \'. The strongest bird, taking the center of the V as leader, begins to beat the air ; the other birds each dro]:) into the eas>' position where the force of the air is broken by the one next in advance. As the Colorado would lead them far from the Pacific if they tried to reach its source, thev turn westward to a break in the mountains where the snow covered, towering sentinels of the San Jacinto and San Bernardino Ranges guard the trav- elers by their peaks two miles in height. ORNITHOLOGY 151 As this mountain pass re(|uires a rise of half a mile and as the birds do not feel safe near tiie man with a gun, they must prepare for a steep ascent before they can glide down toward the deep blue of the Pacific. Here natm-c comes to their assistance. All eastward of these mountain ranges, that lie generally parallel with the coast, is desert or semi-desert where the sun heats the barren rocks or the parched earth to the satisfaction of even the most exacting horned toad. The air coming in contact with these highly heated surfaces ascends and is re- placed by descending currents or by air that pours into this inland basin through many high gaps in the coast range. When the winds are not too active these ascending currents rise in great columns, as is evidenced by the whirling of the dust which they gather and carry to great heights. \Mien the spreading \'-shaped flock en- counters an ascending air current it at once breaks ranks and each bird for him- self adjusts his wings and begins to circle within a radius that will enable him to avail himself of the rising air. Thus with seldom the flap of a wing the birds often rise until they are scarcely discernible to the unaided vision. \\'hen the energy of the ascending cur- rents has reached the limit of useful lift- ing, the flock resumes the businesslike \ form and glides with occasional wing movements down and through the great pass to the distant coast on their way to the land of the melting glacier. The writer's many years in Florida per- mitted observations of the ever present buzzard in his lazy soarings. These like those in the desert occurred only when the air was so quiet that the sun's heat from a clear sky could by heating the earth's surface establish the well defined ascending areas of heated air. As the abundant vegetation of Florida prevented the dust from rising to supply visible evi- dence of the ascending current upon which the soaring birds could float, the observer must by watching them assure himself that they limit their ascents to certain areas. Any attempt of a willful bird to pass the limit of its well defined circling was immediately follow- ed by active wing- flapping until it could again find another upthrust of air. Remarkable Nest on Water. \'.\ FLOYD T. wool), C.\LC..\KV, ALBKRIW, C.\N.\DA. The nest is the home of what we call the hell-diver, which I understand is a species of grebe. There were at least three feet of water under the nest. Its THE NEST ON WATER. support was the dead branches of a small, scrubby willow. The mother bird went only a few feet away and returned to her charges as soon as I splashed my de- parture. I might add that four little hell-divers appeared in due season and lived quite happily in the pond where they were hatched. The picture was taken from the back of my saddle horse. In several of our eastern towns and cities house wrens have appeared in the last season or two, where none have been previously observed for ten or fif- teen years, and it is hoped that these friendly little birds may again become common in localities which they for- merly inhabited, being supposed, in many instances, to have been driven off by the English sparrows. The abun- dance of bird houses now being con- structed and placed about, will offer unusual protection and nesting sites, and should do much tow^ard bringing back the wrens. 152 THE GUIDE TO NATURE The Starry Heavens in October. BY PROFi;SSOR ERIC DOOLITTLE, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. During the past month we have seen the complete withdrawal of the summer groups, Libra and Scorpio, from our evening heavens. The bright Arcturus the Great Square of Pegasus and the large, bright group of Andromeda, near which latter constellation both Cassi- opeia and Perseus are now seen high in the northeastern sky. In the extreme north the Great Dipper has now sunk completely below the Pole and rests in an upright position a short distance ^, r^ . 11 .• o of Q P M October 1 (If facing south, hold the map upright; if facing t,^S^Kl;tIefo.^^f"S^:x^t^oid''we2"b?lrw^if ^facing nLth, hold the tnap inverted.) has sunk below the ground in the west, while the interesting, though faint, groups of the Serpent and the Archer have both partly disappeared. Mean- while the Royal Star, Fomalhaut, has been mounting steadily higher in the southern sky until now it is but a short distance to the east of the meri- dian, while above it there shines out above the ground. The bright, golden sun Capella has again appeared in the northeast, but most interesting of all is the entrance into our evening heavens of the great group Taurus with its two wonderful, though scattered, little clusters of the Pleiades and the Hyades. Even to the naked eye the little dip- TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 153 per-shaped group of the Pleiades is a striking- and interesting object, but it will be found that the smallest tele- scope greatly increases its beauty. On an ordinarily clear night six stars can be seen with the naked eye (though some observers detect several more), but a telescope of but one-inch aper- ture will show at least as many as are indicated in Figure 2, while no less than Figure 2. The passage of the moon over the Pleiades on the morning of October 14. 2000 are revealed on the delicate pho- tographic plate. The names of the brighter stars are given in Figure 2. Alcyone, a greenish star, is the brightest of all, and the deli- cate little triangle of three faint stars near it makes this a very attractive field in the telescope. Near the upper edge of the bowl of the little dipper is Maia, the first born and the most beau- tiful of the Pleiad Sisters ; above this are the twin stars (usually just visible to the naked eye as one very faint star) called Asterope, while Pleione and At- las mark the end of the handle ci the dipper toward the east. An immense amount of legendary reference to these stars, both as an en- tire cluster and also singly, has accu- mulated during the ages. With some nations their changing positions have been employed to mark the seasons and the beginnings of the years, while to very many they serve to indicate the times at which various agricultural labors are best undertaken or discon- tinued. Thus Virgil states the time of honey harvest to be when "Taygeta displays her comely face toward the earth," while seeding time should not be considered to have arrived until the "Fall of the Pleiades" from the evening sky. The faint lines of Figure 2 show the location of a part of the extraordinary, faintly glowing nebulous matter which extends throughout the cluster and is especially associated with its brighter stars. Recent observations indicate that these inconceivably extended wisps and streams shine, at least part- ly, by light which is reflected from the stars of the cluster, and that thus they may be made up of dustlike or other opaque material. Altogether, the more it is studied the more remarkable and interesting the little cluster of the Plei- ades is found to be. The Occultation of the Pleiades. This very beautiful and unusual phemonenon will occur during the early morning of Saturday, October 14; the hour is thus, unfortunately, somewhat inconvenient, but otherwise the entire phenomenon could hardly occur more favorably for observation. The ama- teur astronomer who is willing to un- dergo a little discomfort will be well repaid for foregoing a part of his usual sleep. As seen from Washington, the ad- vancing (east) edge of the moon will touch the first bright star, Electra, at about 3 hours 30 minutes A. M. (East- ern standard time). At this time the Pleiades will be high in the heavens in the west ; Capella, the Hyades and Orion will be seen shining his^h in the south, the two Dog Stars, Sirius and Procyon, will have almost reached the meridian, while the bright Saturn will shine high in the east. As the occulta- tion proceeds the observer will lastly see the very brilliant Venus rising a little to the north of the east point of the horizon, and by the time the entire phenomenon is concluded it will have climbed high up into the morning sky. Altogether the entire heavens on this morning will present a most beautiful sight. On October 14 the moon will be three days past the full and will hence pre- sent approximately the appearance shown in Figure 2. As it is moving eastward over the heavens the stars will disappear at its bright edge, to re- appear later at its dark (invisible) edge, 154 THE GUIDE TO NATURE after having been hidden for a greater or less length of time, depending upon their position. As seen from Washington, the cen- ter of the moon will move along the path AB, and all stars lying between Figure 3. The Pleiades as they appear in an opera glass. the lines MP and NR will be occulted. It should be carefully borne in mind, however, that this appearance varies with every change in the position of the observer upon the earth. Our satel- lite is so near us that an observer south of Washington will see its path pro- jected higher among the stars, while to observers in the northern parts of our country the moon will appear lower down. Thus to an observer whose latitude is 42 degrees the lines MP. BA and NR will be depressed so far that the bright Electra will entirely escape occulation, while to one so far north as 49 degrees Alcyone will always lie above the moon. In Figure 2 the moon is shown in two different positions. In the first its advancing edge has just touched the star Merope, whose disappearance will occur at 4 hours 10 minutes A. M. El- ectra, whose occulation began at 3 hours 36 minutes, is seen still hidden, but this star will emerge 18 minutes after Merope has disappeared. In the second position Atlas and Pleione are seen just emerging at about 7 A. M. These disappear at 5 hours 53 minutes and 5 hours 58 minutes, respectively, while the eastern heavens is already bright with the coming dawn. Since at their emergence the sun will have risen this part of the phenomenon can- not be witnessed except in the largest telescopes. Alcyone, the brightest star of all, will be hidden at 5 hours o min- utes A. M. and will reappear i hour 7 minutes late. This most interesting phenomenon can only be viewed in the telescope. The observer should, if possible, pro- tect the object glass from unnecessary moonlight by affixing a long blackened tube to the end of the instrument. Even then, if his lens is a small one, he may have difficulty in seeing the disappear- ance of the stars which are fainter than Alcyone ; their reappearance at the dark edge of the moon is much more easily observed. The Planets in October. Mercury enters the morning sky on October 5 and reaches its greatest dis- tance west of the sun on October 20. For a few days before and after the latter date it may be detected shining low in the southeastern dawn for about one hour before sunrise. Venus, which attained its greatest distance west of the sun on September 12, is now slowly drawing nearer the sun's rays and also moving rapidly southward among the stars. On Octo- ber I it will rise in the northeast about three and one-half hours before sunrise, and on October 31 it will rise two and three-quarter hours before the sun, al- most at the east point of the horizon. It is the brightest object in the early morning sky. ]\Iars during the month runs rapidly eastward and southward among the bright stars of Scorpio ; it will finally pass Antares on November 11. The sun, however, in its own, more rapid, eastward motion is steadily overtaking the planet. The latter's position, low in the southwest, its proximity to the stm's rays, and its great distance from the earth, all combine to render the conditions for its observation very un- favorable. Jupiter shines brightly in the east, in excellent position for observation. The i)lanet is slowly retrograding in the extreme northwestern border of Cetus. It will come to opposition, and so be on the meridian at midnight, at 2 A. M. of October 24. Saturn is in the western border of Cancer, almost in a straight line with TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 155 the Twin Stars, Castor and Pollux. It now rises before midnio^ht. and by sun- rise is near the meridian in the south, at which time it is very high in the heavens in very good position for ob- servation. Saturn is in quadrature with the sun on October 24 at i A. M., exactly one hour before Jupiter reaches opposition. Mysteries. The moon threw a l)ri(leach, Connecticut. To the Editor : Enclosed find a photograph of a few wild carrots which we think remarkably MISS ^^'ORRELL AND THE TALL WILD CARROT. tall, some measuring six feet four inches, and the tallest, six feet eight inches. They grow behind our barn in ordinary uncul- tivated soil. Linda ^^'oRRE;LL. Why hang back when Nature calls? Why a prisoner in four walls? Don't 3'ou know her sifts to be Generously, wholly free? — Emma Peirce. 1 66 THE GUIDE TO NATURE A Hymn of God's Mountains. BY JOHN A. SHEDD. "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills." — Ps. 121. 1. Come With Me and See the Glory of God's Mountains! Thy footstool of rocks, the eye of man hath never seen, thy ancient foundations are of the Beginning. Thy royal hills wear right regal robes. Hem- locks of grace, lordly pines, the beauty of the elm, the mighty strength of the oak, all these and more are draped upon thy granite shoulders, O Mountains of God. Look up! Behold the rich tapestries of clouds woven on the looms of Heaven, the handiwork of majestic fingers, royal pur- ples, cerulean blues; rich reds and wooly whites, shot through with threads of gold- en fire, all from Thy palette, O Artist Everlasting! Behold ! The crown of the Mountains I Snows eternal glisten in it, lightning flashes play around it. Listen to the music of the King all glorious ! Heaven's organ is playing. Hear the thunder, peal on peal. Hark ! 'Tis ten thousand birds chorusing anthems in leafy choir-lofts of vivid green. A thousand crystal brooks tinkle over mossy banks, a score of waterfalls sing their parts, while millions of water diamonds sparkle a moment and are lost forever. See the clouds of mists, float sparkling in the sun, as incense before an altar. O Brooks ! O Waterfalls ! You have been singing every day and every night for ten thousand years, and yet you are not weary for you are from the hand of Him who never is tired. The carpets of thy palace courts, O Mountain, are the green velvet of mosses, sprinkled with ten thousand ferns and flowers. Thou art the birthplace of Liberty, O Moun- tains, and thou art still her abiding place! Thou art, O Hills, the home of Nature un- defiled. I Have Seen the Glory and Wonder of God's Mountains! What is man in the presence of thy Moun- tains? O King Eternal! What are our tiny labors befo-re the mighty works of God's fingers? When I forget Thy beauty, Thy power or Thy might, I will climb up to Thy hills, O God, Maker of Mountains! Thou hast planted my feeble feet upon the Rock Immortal, and I am safe forever more ; in the fortress of Thy hills I am secure. Mount Meenagha, N. Y.— The Christian Ad- vocate. Weeds in Sunday School. BY KDITH CAMPBKlvL, ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA My microscope often ,goes to Stmday school with me for to me Nature is God's Book of Revelation. One Simday I had a daisy, the fleabane and the hawkweed, "Weeds" we call them but I prefer to call them flowers from Nature's garden for they and their ancestors occupied the ground ages before we came to usurp what belonged to them, to use for our needs and to cultivate what zve call "flowers" beautiful to be sure, but not more beautiful nor often as wonderful as what we call "weeds" with their mechan- isms that help them in their struggle for existence and to overcome difiiculties, as Mr. Faulkner's delightful articles show us. When one of our farmer lads saw my cluster of flowers, he exclaimed, "Oh, those weeds ! How we farmers hate them." "I know you do." I replied, "put wait until you see the daisy." I put it under the microscope and he looked, looked long and intently, and when he lifted his head there was a beau- tiful expression on his face. "Why," he said, "I have been three years trying to raise one Easter lily and there in the center of that daisy is a whole bunch of them." Then he and the children looked at the wing-scales or feathers from a but- terfly's wing, and as each grain of dust that clung to their fingers was resolved into a beautiful shape and they saw that each of those scales or feathers had its color and its place in the color pattern on the butterfly's wing, awe spread over their faces and thev could only exclaim, "Oh !" Hail! to the hills and mountains. Those breezy uplands fine, Where we may find ozone and health, Our souls a touch divine. — Emma Peirce. Blackberry Vines in Autumn. Trailing robes of beauty O'er many a lowly weed. Behold our humble neighbors, The blackberry vines, indeed. Lending to the roadside Its deepest, warmest shades, A riot of rich coloring Before their glory fades. Giving luscious fruitage When in livery of green ; Now resting from their labors,- Resplendent as a queen. — Emma Peirce. rUBLISHER'S NOTICES IX ^^s ^t^^ PUBLISHERIS NOTICES Tis not in mortals to COMMAND success, but we'll do more, Sempronius, we'll DESERVE IT — Addison: Cato Removal of C. G. Willoughby. Charles G. Willoughby, he of untiring energy and square-deal fame — now locat- ed at 8io Broadway, New York — has leased for a period of ten years the prem- ises at 110-114 West Thirty-second Street, opposite Gimbel's department store, where he expects to be settled about November i. This location probably is the busiest business-section in Greater New York, if not in the Western Hemis- phere. W'ithin two blocks' distance from Willoughby's new quarters is the Penn- sylvania Railroad Station ; within a stone's throw are the Manhattan Elevat- ed, the Hudson Tube and most of New York's surface-lines. Seventh Avenue and Broadway stations of the new subway which is to be completed in 191 7, and the new ten-million-dollar Pennsylvania Hotel, now under construction. W^il- loughby's new stock-rooms are nearly three times as large as the present quar- ters on Broadway. The new firm will be incorporated un- der the name of Willoughby. Inc., and be so arranged that the employees will participate in the earnings. After carry- ing, personally, great responsibilities for about eighteen years, Mr. Willoughby wishes now to share the same with those who have assisted him to acquire what- ever success has come to him. With a continuance of the alertness, precision and integrity that have ever icharacterized Air. Willoughby's business-dealings, in buying and selling, there is everv pros- pect that the new firm will enjoy that con- fidence and support that have been ac- corded Mr. Willoughby without stint. — • Photo-Era. Seeing Things. He — "Aly dear, where did this awful big spider come from ?" She — "James, you have been drinking those horrid cocktails again. That's my new hat." — The Farming Business. Snowflakes on the Necktie. At the suggestion of W. D. BowdoiUj an expert microscopist of New York City, neckties ornamented by a snowfiake pat- tern have been put on the market by James McCurrach & Brothers, manufac- turers of men's neckwear. The ties are dainty and this going to nature for a pattern is a good notion. It has often been a wonder why more fre- quent use has not been made of snow- flake forms in ornamental manufactures. Their forms are beautiful and in great variety, and we think that Mr. Bowdoin made a praiseworthy selection when he supplied this neckwear manufactory with such pleasing patterns. The following letter was received a few weeks ago by the Bird Food Specialty Department of Spratt's Patent, Limited, London, from a British "Tommy" "some- where in France." : 'T will now try and tell you a little about the bird life out here and what I have seen and heard. The larks are quite as good as our own from a singing point of view, and it is splendid to hear them when we are in the trenches. What is more remarkable is to hear several larks singing in the air and at the same time shells bursting all round at the airmen, but it does not stop the larks. The finest bit of music I have heard out here was the song of a thrush. It came and sat on an iron chimney in front of the billet where I am now staying and sang for quite an hour, and it has been seen and heard there several times since. It was really the best thrush I have ever heard. The place around here is thick with chaffinches, and it is nothing unusual to have two or three singing at once along the fire trench near- by, but thev have not a good finish to their song from a chaffinch singer's point, though I have seen some good specimens for the show bench. I have seen birds of all kinds here, but T was surprised when X THE GUIDE TO NATURE I found the house martins in the cowsheds and stables. There are dozens of nests in the ceiHngs, and of course anyone can have a good view without interrupting them. I shall be able to tell you all about them when i come home." Good Bread and Cake at Last. Any one accustomed to good cooking must despise the stuff sold by most of the bakers, even by the so-called high class bakers, under the name of bread or cake. About the only really good things obtainable from these places for the last quarter century are their cup cakes, cookies, lady fingers and macaroons. The bread seems to be intended for those who do not know what bread is and the cake tastes like pine sawdust. For more than twenty-five years the editor has advised many a baker, and has pleaded with him to make his bread and cake as good as the housekeeper's common kitchen aver- age. Such remarks were kindly intended but were met with long statistical argu- ments to prove that no baker can afford to do better than he is doing. It is a delight not only from the housekeeper's point of view but from personal experience to know that at least one concern has crushed all this opposition and argument by making the real thing. For the last quarter century, bakery products have been far below the standard of almost everything else sold to the public. (Read that sentence again.) Not only the methods of pro- duction but the bread itself has been ob- jectionable. Not many years ago the editor had occasion to take an early train out of Stamford. He was in the street at about daylight on the morning of Good Fri.day. In front of a bakery he had to swerve into the road because the entire sidewalk was covered with flat tins filled witli rolls or biscuit. A boy with soiled clothes, and a dirty apron that once miglit have 'been white, had n pailful of whitewash and a brush. If that fluid had been examined it might have proved to be, not whitewash, but a sugar mixture. The brush was an or- dinary whitewash brush. With it that dirtv bov was paintinof the too of those buns. Think of that! A stickv liquid put on the ton of biscuits in a dustv street ! That occurred several vears a^o. Probably the custom has been abandoned. Let us hope so. For the last fifty years or more the bakers have been behind the times. For the last half century, clean things have been obtainable from almost any mercantile establishment except a bakery. It is said that the Ward Baking Company is pushing out the small 'bakers because the company is a "combine" with an enormous capital and the ability to do things on a large scale. It is a puzzle to know how the Wards can compete with a local bakery with the local baker's limited expenses and with no expense for transportation, but the company does it successfully. The Ward Baking Com- pany makes cake as good as that grand- mother or even mother used to make. The high price of lumber, or something else, has prevented them from flavoring their cake with a pine board, althoug'h some others continue to use it. This is not an advertisement for the Ward Baking Company. We have never sent them a copy of the magazine nor even solicited an advertisement. We will not do so now. Whether they take an advertisement or not is for them to de- cide. The only purpose of this article is to tell a simple truth in a plain and simple manner. It is not our intention to wound any one's sensibilities. We are not ang- ling for something from the Ward people. The proper feeding of the human race, the taking of the material from old moth- er nature, comes within the scope of this magazine's mission. When we seen any- body going to nature, taking her materi- als and putting them into commendable form for human food, then w^e think that person deserves words of unstinted praise. Such we unstintedlv give to the Ward's people for their Tip Top bread, and cake. There may be others just as praiseworthy ; we hope there are. I believe that we who are living- at present are seeing ushered in a new era of bakery by the A\'ard oeople and per- haps a few others, notably such concerns as The E. L. Bradburv Company of Bridgeport whose "old - fashioned" doughnuts and crullers are meetine with great success. By the wav. speaking of crullers, it is extremely interesting to note the great popularity of those sold at the Thomoson's Restaurants in New York City. People flock there for those PUBLISHER'S NOTlCI<:S XI three crullers at five cents and a glass of milk at five cents as if they had discover- ed a new era of the cruller. And so they have. It is doubtful whether else- where in all New York City can be found so really tasty crullers as are sold at these Thompson's Restaurants. The judgment of the people is unerring and the call for these has been so great that they are featured in enormous piles. Now why has not some baker supplied from house to house just such thoroughly good crullers ? These establishments stand for more than even they now realize in the de- veloping of the human race in the arts of civilization. The general inferiority of the old-time baker must stop. That this inferiority is general is evinced by the establishment in many places, even the small villages, of "home cooking" establishments. Many restaurants ad- vertise pies and so forth "home made." Every such announcement means bakery stufif isn't fit to eat. THERE IS ONLY ONE NO other interior wall linish pro- duces the re- sults obtained with Satina. It surpasses in the requirements of beauty, durability, adaptability, sanita- tion, economy, spread- ing and covering qualities. was declared "best' by an official test of 28 leading brands of wall finishes. It is used by the U. S. Government and on prominent office and public buildings, schools, churches, hospitals, theatres and dwellings. Color Card and descriptive literature sent upon request. Working samples to architects THE CHARLES H. BROWN PAIIVT CO. i88 Montague Street Boston Brooklyn, N. Y. Atlanta A copy of this article was sent to a scientific friend in a large city. He wrote : "What you say about some of the 'baker's bread of the present day applies here. We live on home-made bread, but at long intervals we are compelled to take a baker's loaf. The other morning at breakfast, we could hardly eat the bread for laughing. If the baker had mixed sawdust with water and hardened the mixture in the sun, the result could not have been more tasteless, more 'crumbly,' more amusing or more ofifen- sive. You are not alone in your trouble One man down here makes bread as pood as any baker's bread can be, Imt he is. the shining exception. And sanitary handling phew ! On many an early morning stroll. I have seen loaves of bread lying uncovered on the doorstep, on the porch floor, or leaned against the side of the house. Interesting and something more. Goldfish, rare, hardy varieties of choice stock. Water plants, food, globes, artistic aquariums. Circular free. Any size aquarium made to order, slafe or iron bottom. Dealers write for lowest wholesale prices. Pioneer Aquar- ium Works, Racine, Wisconsin. Willoughby's World Beater BARGAIN LIST 128 Just Out Send Stamp Broadway and lltn St. New York Citv AQUATIC LIFE An Illustrated Monthly Magazine on the breeding of goldfish, tropical fishes, and their care in the home aquarium. Edited by W. A. Poyser. Per year, $1.00. Per copy, ten cents. JOSEPH E. BAUSMAN, Publisher, 542 E. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, Penna. THE BRYOLOGIST is the only masazine that will help you to study Mosses and Lichens. It is the bimonthly organ of a live society of 200 members, The Sullivant Moss Society, which includes moss students of all grades of achievements from the college professor to the beginner, all anxious to helpeach other. Subscription, $1.25 a Year. $1.50 pays for membership in the society and a year's subscription to the Bryologist. Address Edward B. Chamberlain. 18 West 89th St„ New York City. XII THE GUIDE TO NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS The eighteenth volume of Bird-Lore begins February 1, 1916. Volume I contained 206 pages and no colored plates ; Volume XVII contained 560 pages and eleven colored plates. The magazine has grown, but the price remains the same. Annual subscription $1.00 D. APPIETON & CO. 29 West 32d SI. New York City LANTERN SLIDES and PHOTOGRAPHS of NATURE SUBJECTS ABOUT 3000 NEGATIVES of Birds, Nests, Mammals, Reptiles, Insects, Flowers, Etc. Lists and Prices of Slides and Prints, Plain or in Colors, Sent upon Application. L. W. BROWNELL 210 Market St. Paterson, N. J. Make Your Nature Pictures Witlia Bauseli & Lomb Lens A lens for every need : Wild Game photography, Birds Flowers, Insects, Photomicrog- raphy. PROTAR Vila. FrG.s-Fry.y, Con- vertible, the most universal lens made. Gives large images at long range. TESSAR Ic. F:4.5. The lens for speed — is three times faster than the ordinary lens. A compact equipment for reflecting cameras. TESSAR IIB. F :6.3. The stand- ard high grade equipment for com- pact hand cameras — has 61% to 100% more speed than the ordin- ary lens. Our catalog tells you the lens to select for your work. Write for it. Bausch jyipmb Optical (5: 324 ST. PAUL STREET* ROCHESTER. N,Y; THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. XIII A EltTRAflCE FUNNEI. B SECOND FillWEL Dodson's Sparroiv Trap IHies the work automatically and humanely. An F. O. B. Kankakee, III. Sparrows fight "" and drive out song birds. They are noisy, quarrelsome and destructive. This trap catches them by the hundreds as soon as set. Rid your yard of these pests. No other trap like it. Dodson's Tree Guard keeps cats, squirrels and other animals out of trees, protecting birds' nests and the trees them- selves. Squirrels gnaw holes in your houses. 35c Per Lineal Foot— F.O. B. Kankakee Expands with tree. Simple and easy to attach. About three feet required for average tree. Both of these devices are made by a man who has spent over twenty years in the study of birds. Dodson's Bird Houses are in every State in the Union. Price $1.50 to $65.00 in twenty styles. Guaranteed to attract song birds. Send for free booklet describ- ing these ingenious devices. JOSEPH H. DoDSON. 714 Harrison Ave.. Kankakee, III, Mr. Dodson is a director nf the Illinois Audubon Society The Up-to-Date Photographer Should Use a COCRZ LENS jVTO better all around anastigmat lens •* ^ was ever produced than the fam- ous GOERZ DAGOR F:6.8.— F:;.;. For studio, group and general utility work the well-known GOERZ CELOR F:4.5- F:5.5 has an enviable reputation. For the photographer who desires a GOERZ LENS of true GOERZ QUALITY at a moderate price the GOERZ SYNTOR F:6.8 meets every requirement. The GOERZ PORTRAIT HYPAR F:3.5— F:4.5 enables the portraitist to express his highest art unhampered by the usual limitations of speed and delicate model- ing. The new GOERZ ROTAR F:8 is an exceptionally fine all around photo- engraving and general purpose lens. See your dealer or write to us direct. C. p. Goerz American Optical Co. 317 G East Thirty-fourth Street New York City GOLD MEDAL CRAYONS lliulii'st Award for Crayons and Chalks MEDAL OF HONOR Panama-Pacific International Exposition San Francisco 1915 "SPECTRA" PASTEL CRAYON EIGHT COLORS MAOK ev Binney& Smith Co, , Now York London - Paris -HanUiuiw We are pleased to announce this additional award which is higher than a Gold Medal. Samples of our Superior Crayons and Chalks together with colorcharts willbe senton request BINNEY & SMITH CO. Makers of the Gold Medal Crayons 81-8 4 Fulton St., New York, N. Y. LONnON PARIS HAMBURG The Nature Study Review The One Journal Wholly Devoted to Practical Nature-Study Over 400 pages each year of typical les- sons, garden work, bird study, elemen- tary science, and suggestions worth many times the price. It will keep you in touch with the worth-while work of your fellow teach- ers in all parts of the country. I2th Year. Growing better each year. Special Features this School Year. Beginning in the September, 1916 num- ber. Mrs. Anna Botsford Comstock will contribute Nature Study work for 2nd and 5th Grades each month. Professor Liberty Hyde Bailey will have an article each month. Many other well known teachers will contribute. $1.00 per year (Nine Issues) 15c per copy Add for Canadian Postage loc. Foreign Postage 20c. With "Guide to Nature" one year $1.50. ORDER NOW Send Stamps, Money Order or Check Direct to THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW Ithaca, New York XIV THE GUIDE TO NATURE LECTURES BY EDWARD F. BIGELOW Dr. David R. Lee, Director, Summer School of the University of Chatta- nooga. Chattanooga, Tennessee. I have thought again and again of the wonderful week you gave vis in June. The auditorium was well filled at the first of your five lectures but when you gave your fifth lecture of the week on Friday you will remember that there was not standing room after the appointed hour. This was a source of deepest satisfaction to me. You captured our teachers because you did more than give them lectures. You gave yourself. You have the mis- sionary spirit of Nature as the good men of old had it for the Gospel. You were not content with the mere en- richment of our minds but deeply im- pressed the message of river and for- ests upon our afifections. Your stereopticon slides, even had not a word accompanied them, would have repaid a long journey and a large sacrifice of a teacher's usually pitiful savings, but when there was added to these a delivery that was as irresistible as a torrent and an enthusiasm clearly born of deep study and long intimate acquaintance with God's out-of-doors, it was no exaggeration when a teacher said as she left the hall after one of your talks, "These lectvires alone are worth the whole cost of our attendance at the Summer School." You surely have a style of your own, a style unique and unusually eflr'ective. to the persuasive grip of which your audiences yield themselves with ready cheerfulness. Wholesome, inspiring, awakening, refreshing were these talks. They were just what our teachers needed. Keep Chattanooga on your Icture list. Dr Bigelow has stirred the hearts of the school teacher to a greater reali- zation than any other speaker that has been at the Summer School in many a season. All of his lectures were poeti- cal, inspirational and educational. — University of Tennessee weekly publi- cation. "The Orange and White." A Letter from Dr. David R. Lee, Sum- mer School, Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Professor Harry Clark, Knoxville, Tennessee, and published by him in the city papers. My dear Clark : You can little guess the treat that is in store for you and your Summer School in the lectures by Dr. Bigelow. He is irresistible, and from the opening sentence holds his audience in a most willing attention. His learning (he seems to have been an omnivorous stu- dent) is entirely hidden by a most pop- ular style, vivacious, powerful, pointed, playful, and then again pumping tears out of the most flinty listener. I wish he could have stayed two weeks here. His audiences grew daily, and on Fri- day there was no room for those who did not come early, gallery and all be- ing packed. University of Georgia, Athens. Pro- fessor T. J. Woofter, Superintendent of Summer School. These lectures were a source of in- spiration to many teachers. They feel that it was a great privilege to hear and to know so great a naturalist as you are. Holds up "The Cup of Life." Dr. Bigelow sees beauty in the com- monplace and good in all. He takes the cup of life and holds it up so the light may fall on every side. He takes present day problems and discusses both sides. There is one thing he does not do — he does not attempt to definite- ly settle these problems but insists on each and every one doing his own thinking. On hearing his lectures one cannot fail but think. Dr. Bigelow's lectures are the most widely discussed topic on "the hill."' He is a most interesting personality and he is "dififerent" from the usual lecturers on educational topics because he has not pet theories he is trying to "cram down the throats" of the unsus- pecting and ambitious teacher. — "The Knoxville Sentinel," Knoxville, Ten- nessee. .^^nW>>>>>>W>>>>NNSN^NSSSSS\SSS\SSS\SS-vvvvv^^^^^ GREENWICH THE EDITION DE LUXE OF CONNECTICUT TOWNS GREENWICH 17 lil lIJ Long Distance Banking You do not have to be a resident of Greenwich to open account with this Company. A great many of our depositors transact all their banking by mail. We are prepared to collect items all over the world free of charge, and should like the chance to talk over "long distance banking" with you. »8fi The Greenwich Trust Co. ESTABUSHED 1887 GREENWICH, CONN. GREE^JWICH, CONNECTICUT has good transportation facilities to New York. You can buy or rent to godd advantage and enjoy living by the water or among the hills to the utmost satisfaction. 1 have for Sale Elegant Country Estates, Shore and Inlaod Residences, Farms, Acreage, Cottages and Building Sites. AI50 a number of selected Furnished Residences and Cottages to Rent in all locations. Would be pleased to have you call or write. Laurence Timmons Tel. 456 Opp. Depot Greenwich, Conn BEST NURSERY STOCK EVER GROWN [ii; Evergreens Fruit and Ornamental Trees Flowering Shrubs Hedge Plants Vines Roses Hardy Perennials j* ^ ,^ Preparing of Plans Laying Out of Grounds Grading -:- -:- Road Building Tree Work -:- -:- GREENWICH NURSERIES DEHN & BERTOLF, Props. LANDSCAPE GARDENERS AND NURSERYMEN GREENWICH, CONN. P U i 5 IJ S H E R 'S N OT ICES VII .^^^ -4iv.^ publi5Her:5 notices Tis not in mortals to COMMAND success, but we'll do more, Sempronius, we'll DESERVE IT — Addison: Cato A Beautiful and Tasty Building. revered struetural designs of Colonial The Putnam Trust Company of Green- days, whieh seem especially appropriate wich, Connecticut, will soon have a fine in the t\pical New England town. The new liome that will be not only conven- result is a thorough modern building sug- ient for this rapidly growing bank but a gesting iu appearance the finest architect- /T/i Wri^hr ^n/)/^ THE PUTNAM TRUST COMP.WVS NEW BUILDING great architectural ornament to Green- ure of the past. The entrance porch will wich Avenue. The architect has com- be in white but the general efifect will be bined simpHcity and beauty, keeping the mellow, for the face of the building will VIII THE GUIDE TO NATURE be of a golden tone. The architect is Mr. Prank A. Wright of New York. Such is the general shade througliout. A glimpse in the interior will reveal a dome of gnstaveno tiling supported by slender columns of moulded face brick. The interior walls, the counter railings, as well as the stairway construction to galleries at either end of the building, will be of this same moulded brick. A further examination of the interior will show a large, modern and superbly built burglar, fire and water proof vault with a circular door, and this vault will be of manganese steel. It will be fitted with safe deposit boxes of the most ap- proved pattern. In the rear will be a compartment separated by a grill door for the company itself. The base of this great vault will be in the basement, the plan being to use the lower part for the storage of packages, silver and trunks, and a special compartment for fur storage. This vault is the last word in vault con- struction. It is the result of long years of study, by the firm of Mosler & Co. It is not only burglar, and fire proof, but water proof as well so that renters of safe deposit boxes can feel assured of security from theft and fire and also water damage to valuable documents. The interior plan provides open space for the officers accessible to customers, with reception room under the front gal- lery for conferences and a further space in the gallery above to be used as a writ- ing room ; in the center under the dome the tellers' cage and behind these, desks for the bookkeepers and the clerical force. A grill door entrance opens into a large vestibule with coupon booths for the use of the renters of the safe deposit boxes. To the right of the grill door, will be a writing room for the use of women pa- trons. The rear gallery will be enclosed for directors' meetings with casement windows overlooking the general office. The building will be entirely of brick, cement and terra cotta, and will be abso- lutely fire proof. There will be no wood used in its construction excepting as will be necessary for window frames and doors. The floors will be of polished cement in a tone to harmonize with the soft, restful color scheme. The directors should feel confident that with this new building and the services ofifered by the company that their deposits and customers will be afforded banking facilities equal to any offered them by companies in New York or elsewhere. The building is nearing completion and will be ready for occupancy some- time during November. More Dining Cars Ordered. An additional battery of four dining- cars has been ordered for the New Haven road. The cars are to be built by the Pullman Company, and are to be all steel. The New Haven now has 15 dining cars in its service and the patronage has been so great that two cars have been needed on some of the trains. According to statistics of the New Haven's dining-car service, the 15 cars now in service have furnished more than 42,000 meals a month. The daily aver- age has been above 1,350, or more than 90 per day on each car. — The Daily Ad- vocate. ']^ -K 'I* '** '1' There are several reasons why we are delighted to republish this item from a local daily. First, perhaps because it appeals to one's pride as a Connecticutian. Here is a railroad that can furnish food without robbing the people and without racking their stomachs and still make the service successful. For one dollar and twenty-five cents this New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company supplies a first-class table d'hote meal that is fully equal in tastiness and satis- fying qualities to that obtained at a de luxe dinner at a New York Hotel making a speciality of a table d'hote at the same price- So far as the editor has observed in his somewhat extensive tours through the western and southern states this is the only road that gives good table serv- ice at a reasonable price. On most of the western and southern roads the service is a la carte. No one would object to that, indeed, occasionally a fellow traveler is found who says he prefers a la carte but such people are rare. A railroad train is the one place on earth where one is forced to take plenty of time to eat a meal. It is a regular banquet at which one kills as much time as possible because there is not much to do and the scenery is more Continued on page IX) THE GUIDE TO NATURE EDWARD F. BIGELOW, Editor 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 Ofifice, under Act of March 3, 1897. X NOVEMBER, 1916 Number 6 The Home That Is Set in the Primitive Wilderness. By Edward F. Bigelow^ ArcAdiA : Sound Beach, Connecticut. The heading of this department be- comes this month somewhat of a mis- nomer. It should not read "Homes near to Nature" but "A Home in Nature." That describes Mr. Morton C. Nichols's home in Greenwich. While it is close to the village, it almost adjoins the fa- mous Put's Hill that visitors come from afar to see, where General Putnam made that famous downward dash to escape from the British soldiers. He took to the woods in a hurry and was remarkably successful in doing it. That is what Mr. Nichols has done. He evidently was tired of the din and con- fusion of cities, tired of the display of wealth and the extravagance, tired of formalism, and here escaped in haste from these enemies to the real happiness of mankind and betook himself to the re- THE HOME IN WILD NATURE. Copyright 1916 by The Agassiz Association, ArcAdiA: Sound Beach, Conn. t68 THE GUIDE TO NATURE A \IK\V FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE POND. cesses of wild nature. It is curious that such a bit of property was obtainable so close to the very heart of wealthy Green- wich. Almost everything else has been de- nuded by the axe and the bush scythe, and shaved level as if laid out by the formal landscape gardener, and cut and carved into the precision of geometrical walks. Such treatment may have its place but it evidently has none on Mr. Nichols's JUST A FROLIC GROUXD FOR THE LAWN MOWER. HCniKS NEAR TO NATURE 169 premises. As I stroll through fields of tangled goldenrod in glorious profusion, and purple Eupatorium, Air. Nichols said, "Now, Bigelow, I must apologize for not having fixed up a cement walk rather than only a single swathe mowed through this nature garden." In amazement I looked at him. He had a solemn countenance, a characteristic when he springs his best jokes. The front of the property up to the polished asphalt of the Post Road, over which automobiles roll in both directions at the rate of about one in everv fifteen and noble trees and clinging- ivy. This little Yosemite valley, surprising as a wilderness of nature unrestrained. Mr. Xichols has had the rare good sense to leave as it is rather than to make it a despoiled, denuded, naked ravine. He has left tumbling in every direction, in beau- tiful confusion, this relic of the past. What was in the days of the early set- tlement of Greenwich a power pond is now a lake of dreams for ducks that there float lazily and occasionally welcome the untamed members of their family that thev attract from their mit^ration north- THE BROOK THAT WAS N(3T CCn'ERE]) UP. seconds, suggests a property remote, far in the recesses of one of the abandoned farms of Connecticut. It was abandoned, but before he went the farmer, wdio could not grub a living out of it, built a cider mill close to the edge of the road. Here within massive walls he placed huge old- fashioned wooden wheels, and here they are to this day, not only as an- exhibit in the civil history of Greenwich, but as a charming addition to the natural beauty of this delightful spot. In the rainy sea- sons the waters formerly dashed like a miniature Niagara through the pictur- esque pile of boulders and tangled weeds ward and southward under the sky. The pond has been touched a little here and there by Mr. Nichols's skillful hand, but only to intensify the wildness and the beauty of the islands. In. years gone by, a brook rushed and leaped along the glen and fed the pond, but now except at the times of unusual rainfall it is only a laughing little stream that bubbles and ripples through the picturesque ravine. From this the place is knowui as West Brother Brook. Said an old-time resident apologizing for what he regarded as a defect in the property. "You see, these are pretty good I70 THE GUIDE TO NATURE I THE IRIS THAT MF.ASLRKS SIX lEKT SEN EN JXCIIES. premises with the exception of that sides. Lay short pieces of old railroad stream, but you can easily get rid of that, iron across your cemented ditch, cover it Put some stones and concrete on the over with earth and then you can run the THE IDEAL TEA ROOM IN PICTURESQUE SETTING HOMES NEAR TO NATURE 171 lawn sinu()lhl\- from the liousc without interruption by this ditcli." What fun it would have been to stand near when^ that remark was made to Mr. Nichols. I will guarantee that his face was longer and more serene than ever ; it becomes more sedate as the joke be- comes more hilarious. Instead of bring- ing concrete and pig iron, Mr. Nichols brought ferns and plants that love mois- ture and shade and the ravine is now with its laughing waters and undulating plumes one of the beauty spots of the premises. ])]icd the ])lant. So far as the public is concerned, it was my interest in this iris that led to my discovery of the delightful place. Visiting it t(j photograph this gi- gantic iris, I requested permission to bring out the beauty spot where Putnam had discretely fled from danger, as I once more wanted to tell our readers of happi- ness that may be obtained by leaving na- ture untamed and untramelled. Yes, there is a little spot on one side of the house where the rattle of the lawn mower is heard but that little touch of the artificial, amid so much delightful THE CIRCUITOUS PATH OVER IRREGULAR ROCKY STEPS. Near to the home is an ideal outdoor tea room in a picturesque setting. Farther up the stream is perhaps the most remark- able collection of iris to be found any- where in this vicinity. Our common iris, Pseudacorus, is said in Britton and Brown's botany to attain at times the extreme height of three feet, a nursery catalogue gives its utmost height as five feet ; but as will be seen in the photo- graph, Mr. Nichols is holding up a leaf that measures fairly and honestly six feet, seven inches. It is undoubtedly the larg- est Pseudacorus that has ever been known. So says the iris expert wdio sup- rusticity on every side, only makes the place all the more charming. There is no path to the front nor to the back door. An interesting fact. There is no rear door. Every side of the house is the front, I had to ask, "Which is the front of the house?" But I decided that the other side was the front, but in courtesy to my host I made no strong ex- pression on the subject. You can enter either way. You may choose between the lawn or the top of a boulder. There is no other access to the home except by flying machine to a window. Even the automobile is recommended to keep its 172 THE GUIDE TO NATURE distance. There is no elaborate carriage porch nor porte cochere. So far can you go and no farther. Then you get out and walk and you have the choice of grass or of the top of a rock. Going to this home from the ravine, if one takes the direct path or what would naturally be supposed to be the path, the visitor must push aside clumps of rhodo- dendrons or climb around a circuitous path over irregular rocky steps. Perhaps this is a goat-like initiation to a lodge to make the visitor get an initiatioui into wildness. But with all the wildness that has been assimilated, and I know of no better word because the wildness of it has become a part of the home, a bit of the heavens also has been, brought in. The decoration in one of the rooms is composed of the signs of the zodiac impressively worked out. With their own hands, Air. and Mrs. Nichols have given loving touches, or prevented others from giving destruc- tive touches to wild nature, that have re- sulted in just the right combination. Original ideas have been exemplified in a manner that shows the owner's aoprecia- tioHi of nature as it is, that it does not need to be cut and carved and straight- laced to bring out its beauty. It is a de- light to go back to the entrance for a moment to note that the goldenrod is permitted to grovv^ close to the electric trolley line, and why shouldn't it? The public does not own the goldenrod nor the tangled wild flowers within the road proper, and these are as pleasing a decora- tion for the roadside as a bit of mowed grass would be. These grounds exhibit the sign where every passer-by may see and read, "Nature is beautiful in her- self." You may perceive that in every bit of shrubbery, in every tree, in, the pro- fusion of wild flowers ; even in winter it must be picturesque. Then it must pos- sess the beauty of an old farm remote from the village. I have seen many homes set within natural surroundings but I would award to this delectable spot the first premium, as an exemplification of the beauty of wild nature attained by putting a home actuallv in a part of na- ture, rather than near to it. Perhaps the best of it all is the spirit in which Mr. and Mrs. Nichols approach these wild beauties and oilfer them lovin? apprecia- tion. Nothing is done for efifect. The spirit of appreciation is genuine. Here one feels that the home is not insulted THE LAWN EXTENDS IT' TO THE DOOR^NO P.\TH. HO:\lKS NEAR TO NATURE 173 5s:KN-^i*^^^^.?^i2^mi 0\'ER THE TOP OF THE P.OULDER TO THE DOOR. by neglect although the wild woods come to the very door, nor are the wild woods, tangled thickets and profusion of grace- fulness in the ravines offended by being told that they are out of place and must be annihilated. Civilization and modern culture here sit hand in hand with primi- tive nature. The partnership here is complete and perfect. Out West. BY CAROLINE CL.\RK HINTON. Open skies And bare, brown hills, The hush of dawn, The hour that thrills. A wind That sweeps the desert clean. And sweeps the heart Of all that's mean. Mountain flowers In hardy soil : Blooming far from Strife and toil. Down below The orchards ripe. The strolling- sheep. The new born light. Sage brush. And the coyote's call. A world that's free : ~ A place for all. The Russets of November. The russets of November Have a beauty all their own. Which they offer for our pleasure, When brighter tints have flown. The leaves of beech and oak tree That cling the winter through, Are warmly rich with color. As the sun comes filtering through. Birch saplings lend their yellows, The larch and aspen too. And fill the world with sunshine. When clouds make dark the view. Along the country roadsides. The lingering blackberry vines Give richness to the picture, In vivid, glowing wines. And everywhere black alders, With berries all aglow. High lights of scarlet proffer. E'en after fall of snow. The evergreens add freshness, With their welcome, living green, And in the woodside borders, The Christmas fern is seen. The blue of distant mountains, And the deeper blue of sky. Add brilliance to the pageant Which we are passing by. And so November russets Are but the lower tones Of a symphony of color, Which for the cold atones. — Emma Peirce. 174 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Where Rippling Waters Flow. wild nature, taken in California by F. W. We are indebted to "American Photog- Preston. We requested the loan of this raphy" for an interesting photograph ot cut because it possesses an atmosphere RIPPLING WATERS THAT HAVE A MEANING. THE OUTDOOR WORLD 175 of wildness and also of a human pres- ence studying- that wikhiess, a combina- tion found in comparative few photo- grai^lis. A picture of a brook may be void of human interest, but here are shown ripphng waters that have a mean- ing for mankind. It is not only a beauti- ful piece of nature work but an artistic portrayal. The man by the rock is nice- ly posed, yet he is not made conspicuous in the slightest degree, still his presence gives the picture a dreamy human effect. Neither is the tent made too prominent. There is not one photographer in a hun- dred, perhaps in a thousand, that would not have directed that man to stand out in the open, or have said, "I will get a different point of view so as better to show our tent," or, 'T want the brook alone to show wild nature for herself," but wild nature for herself does not mean anything. I must frankly confess that there is wild nature in many parts of tlie world in which we. as nature lovers, have not the slightest interest for the reason that it is unexplored and unknown and is voi4 of every human element. Let those photographers that are de- luging us with scenic views that contain not the slightest particle of human inter- est, give careful study to this photo- graph. Civilization has not marred it and yet mankind is not left out. Do not give it merely a passing glance. Study it for five minutes, look at it intently, and you will learn much about the partner- ship of humanity with wild nature. Why the Purple Florets? Grantwood, X. J. To the Editor : When I receive my copy of The G. to N., I read it from cover to cover. Among the other good things in the October issue, is the mention of an exceptionally tall wild carrot. I have written to Miss Worrell for a few of the seed-heads, and I hope to raise some plants even taller than hers, if rich soil will do it. It might prove an interesting experiment for you, too. An attempt to increase the height, might result in something more important than the mere eratifving of the experi- menter's curiosity. To me, the lace-like umbels, these clusters of "Queen Ann's Lace," are more beautiful in their daintv, foam-like delicacv, than manv of our cul- tivated and highly-prized flowers. If I should be entirely frank in expressing my opinion, I would say that I like the simple wild flowers better than the forced and deformed specimens from the shops of the fiorist. Another peculiarity of the wild carrot pertains to the blossom rather than to the height. Probably you have noticed that each umbel carries one, sometimes more than one purple floret at its center. It is only the exceptional head that is without one. I can surmise no reason for this condition of things, but there must be a reason. I should like to know what it is. Perhaps some of your readers may know. If they do not, an effort to ascertain might afford them considerable entertain- ment. Sincerely, Clement B. Davis. Deer Plentiful and Tame. Stamford, Connecticut. To the Editor : The deer have been hiding and peep- ing at us all summer until they grew bold in their patronage of an enticing corn- field in the river meadow on the Horton estate. The meadow is in full view of our porch, so imagine the delight of the VERY TAME WILD DEER. children who one morning saw them play- ing on the other side of the hedge, not thirty feet away ! They were not at all worried by the children's merriment, though they paused to investigate, "with antlers lifted" and "nostrils to windward." We were delighted to learn a few weeks later that Mr. Morehouse, our neighbor across the road, had succeeded in snap- ping them with his camera. Verv truly and sincerely, (Mrs.) Clara Hoyt Lock wood. 1/6 THE GUIDE TO NATURE White-Foot's Dining Room. BY H. W. WEISGERBER, SALEM, OHIO. I wonder how many people have been puzzled by the wild cherry and dogwood pits or the various seeds that are often found in old birds' nests, hol- low fence rails, knot holes and in other rest of the day. The next day the lake was rough and we could not decide whether it repeated its conduct or not. When the water is quiet it will rise and fall for from one to five inches. From one "high tide" till the next is about thirty-five minutes. We have noticed this DINING ROOM OF \\'HITE-FOOTED MOUSE. out of the way places that have had, as shown in the picture, their kernel ex- tracted. The hollow maple limb of the fallen tree shown in the picture was only the dining room of a white-footed mouse. While white-foot is nocturnal in his habits, he still uses considerable dis- cretion while feeding, for owls are gen- erally about and ready for the dainty morsel that his small body would give them. And while he must gather his food in the open, he is very careful and carries it to a place where he can eat it at his leisure without being disturbed by any sudden surprise of an enemy swooping down upon him. A Lake's Remarkable Action. Summerland, British Cohimliia, Canada. To the Editor : Okanagan Lake in British Columbia is about seventy-five miles long, from one to three miles wide and very deep. W^e live about fifteen miles from the south end. One day as we were sitting on the beach we noticed that the lake was rising. It rose for about three inches, went down, came up again and thus continued for the for several years. We shall be glad if you will explain it. F. H. Van Hise. The phenomenon referred to has been noted on many of the lakes of the world and has been described by a number of scientific men. The oscillation has been generally as- cribed to dififering barometric pressure in dififerent parts of the lake. Geikie's Text- book of Geology says, — "The water of many lakes has been ob- served to rise above its normal level for a few minutes or for more than an hour and then to descend beneath that level, and to continue this vibration for some time. In the Lake of Geneva, where these movements, locally known there as SeicJies, have long been noticed, the am- plitude of the oscellation ranges up to a metre or even sometimes to two metres. These disturbances may sometimes be due to subterranean movements ; but probably they are mainly the effect of atmospheric perturbations, and, in particular, of local storms with a vertical descending move- ment."-— William Mclnnes, Directing Geologist, Canada Geolog^ical Survey. THE PLANT WORLD UNDER CARE 177 Some Suggestions Regarding Corn Developing Seed Corn of High Grade. All honor to the person who most snc- cessfnllv exhibits the riches of Mother MR. AREA BRUTUS. Nature. She will give lavishly of her good things if one knows how to entreat her. In the last few years many workers have accomplished wonders in the cul- tivation of Lidian Corn. A type of these successful investigators is Mr. Arba Brutus, Pine Village, Indiana, who writes to The Guide to Nature as follow^ : "Corn is kinig in Indiana. It is one of the best paying crops in the central states, excepting on some of the poorer land. In Indiana and Illinois failure of the corn crop is scarcely known. "If a person can increase the weight of each ear of corn by one ounce the yield will be increased by ten bushels per acre. This and more can be done by the careful breeding of corn. In show corn we strive to establish type. When corn has this, it has the ability to repro- duce itself uniformly." We shall be pleased to hear from other IN the drying room. 178 THE GUIDE TO NATURE PRIZE WINNERS. workers who have successfully improved Indian corn, or in fact any other of Mother Nature's crops. We should like to tell from time to time of achievements in horticulture and agriculture. For this purpose we cordially invite our readers to keep us informed as to those who are ac- complishing results in dealing with na- ture. We believe in the love for nature. We believe in the educational training ob- tainable through careful observation of the interesting details of nature ; but more than all this, we believe that the man or woman, boy or girl, who is mak- ing closer the relation between nature and humanity is doing service that should receive honorable mention. We should like to have a hall of fame for those who are accomplishing results that are worth while in the cultivation of nature. Ear in Corn Tassel. Every student of corn knows that the plant is a grass and, like most of the smaller grasses, originally grew its seed in the head. That habit still lin- gers, as one might say, in the very "blood" of the plant and occasionally some kernels are produced in the tas- sel, but it is seldom that a plant so far forgets itself as to revert in its evolutionary history and develop a modern sort of ear in the tassel; when the kernels do grow in the tassel they are usually not ear-like. But fact is stranger than fiction. A specimen from Mr. H. E. Zimmerman, Mt. Morris, Illinois, shows that a well developed ear has abandoned its ordinary position THE E.AR IN THE TASSEL THE PLANT WORLD LXDI-.R CARI'. '79 n> =: < en q n ^ P Q § -f-, "^ P r- :ti n in ^ o p rt s. :3 - — ::!: o HT. ft o o !r ^.— p O t/Q P n — ' ^ . W '"* P m th heaven, bush afire wi —Mrs. Br ear is found developed th e forwarded o o /^ . C n O in O o O ZL rt- p Oi ^^ ^ "" ^ ' 'X 5.0 r-h r-h _^ — 3 O !~^ ~ r*-- < — crq p. c/j' c« rD w — y. a> ^3 fj — ■ --•-- c ^ 3 in n 3 ^ O ;rr ""^ rr ^ fT) 3- r/i a> j-^ v; ;:i i-h ■^ c V; ■-t rt H-h 0 P 0" m ;4: 3 3 rD '-<' ^1 CJ -: »j ■-t ^ P P ■V; < f* >_> . ^ JD ■^ 0 w ao 3 3 ^-^ p 3- rD <' 3 P n> a. pi n ►—I ^_, l-^ t::- 3^ rr r-f- 5* 3 0 p 0 P in in D^ rD o ^ ' O 3 ;^_ O 2 I rD ' 3- crq rT j-h t/2 ^ 3 3 O C-(/q 3 003 p ro re rt- ^ r:) 3- I E^" ^ ^ ° . 3 ^ crq o c 3 3 ^■^ Ct. (- 1^ '-t Jl. 3^ 5. p o ^ rx> -T^ i-h I rD o <^ I — \ n y. n o P o-" O 3 3- r-> rD . . en i: 3 3 3 en — • p ^-♦-l rD Hi!!. 3 O- =^ „ ■| ^ g ^ rT 3! ^^ e/j p • en ^-^ 3 '^-- — "^ d i^ 3 P 3" 3 O (7q rD ^ rD rD ^^ <^ P p ^^3 c/) P O - rD 3 -. ^, a- n, 3 P < O « O ■^ ^ >_- ^ o P iTJ 3 rD v- rD ifj " ^ crq crq cr P rD w p P O" < o <^ 3 P 3 ^ O o E^ rD i-Q rt- rD rt- 3* '^ 3" 5- o rt ;2 O^'Crq S 3 o ^ V r y^^ CU^CO CORN. May be grown in the North by starting in cold frame or within do-pfs and then transplanting. i8o TH1<: GUIDE TO NATURE 3^S* ^5? ^&,^S^^^^' -,(.,., V :^^^$^^^! Comic Insect-Photography. BY LEHMAN WENDELL. Taking comic insect-photographs is one of the most pecuHar, as well as one of the most interesting, of all photographic di- versions. I have tried a good many dif- ferent photographic hobbies, but I have found nothing so truly fascinating as this new pastime. It brings us close to nature, and we unconsciously train our eyes to see the little things that are so lavishly scattered everywhere. Barren, indeed, must be 'the life of the man or woman who has never learned to enjoy nature and to get strength and inspiration out of it. In order to meet success in. this line of photography, three things are essential : first, good taste and judgment in compo- sition ; secondly, an unlimited amount of Copyright, 1916, bv I.climan Wendell WAITING FOR A BITE. Copvright, 1916, bv Lehman Wendell ThE ACROBAT. patience and perseverance, and last, but not least, a suitable camera. I know hardly which one of these three things is the most important ; if any one be lacking, failure will be the result. By this I do not mean to discourage the photographer. It is true that this kind of work is not so easy as going out and taking a snapshot of a dog or a hog or a frog; but the very fact that innumerable little difficulties will be met only adds zest to the hobby. No THE INTEREST IN INSECTS i8i true knight of the camera will be deterred from going after certain pictues simply because they cannot be had for the ask- in,g. Patience and perseverance are matters of acquirement. If you have to spend an hour or two in setting up a picture, and find that it topples over just as you have begun to make your exposure, do not feel that you are having worse luck than your neighbor. I spent just a day in photo- graphing my astronomer. It was no easy matter to get the frail little telescope to point at the Milky Way while Miss Katy- THE GUIDF. TO NATURE THE INTEREST IN INSECTS •83 IN SEAKCH OF A NEW COMKT did held lier eye close to the instrument. One of the two was bound to topple over, and it seemed impossible to get both to stand up at the same time. For the bene- fit of those who are losing courage I hasten to add that the astronomer was my first comic insect-picture. Meanwhile I have learned to overcome many diffi- culties whicli at first seemed insuperable, so that now I am able to set up a picture and photograph it successfully in much less time. .And now a word about composition. Perhaps it should not be included in an article of this kind ; but it plays such an important part that a somewhat detailed description of the subject may not be amiss. In lanrlscape-photography nature has arranged or composed the picture for cle were all staged and photographed in- us, and all we have to do is to choose the doors. It would be out of the question to proper viewpomt, the proper time of day, take such pictures out in the open, where the slightest movement of the air would be sufficient to upset the whole scheme of arrangement. The insects themselves were first captured, then anesthetized and posed. The great variety of poses needed for pictures of this kind, of course, would preclude the use of dry museum-speci- mens. The reader, perhaps, will wonder etc., etc., and then make our e.xposure In comic insect-photography the camerist himself must compose the picture, and in order to do this successfully he must understand the laws of perspective, bal- ance, harmony, values, etc. In fact, he must be sufificiently conversant with the fundamentals of art so that he can tell a good picture from a bad one, and know why one is good and the other is bad. Without this knowledge he will stumble into errors which will often make his Female Jealousy. pictures seem ridiculous. . A („ . . , ^ I his summer, for once in his ex- As for equipment, any plate-camera perience, Mr. Pritchard happened to that has a ong bellows-extension and an ^^ke a mistake of one dav in his fig- anastigmat lens will serve the purpose. A ures. Two bars of cells we're left a day so-called miniature camera is preferable too long ; and the first virgin out, true to a large one, because, by reason of the to her instinct, immediately slaughtered short focus of the lens, it has a greater all her unborn sisters. With the one depth of field, and all parts of the picture passionate idea of reigning supreme or can be brought into sharp focus at the not reigning at all she tore great holes same time, giving a wealth of microscopic detail throughout the picture. Needless to say, pictures of this nature are interest- ing in proportion to the amount of detail show. Another reason why I advocate a small camera is that it is far easier -to handle than a large instrument, and ■that goes a long way towards keeping one's temper unruffled. .Again, the small camera can be operated cheaply, and plate after plate can 'be exposed without bringing up immediate visions of the poor-farm. The pictures that accotjapany this arti- in the sides of the other cells and muti- lated the helpless inmates, the bees meanwhile organizing a "wrecking- crew" and clearing up after her as best they could. The engraving shows one of the bars of cells, every cell a complete wreck. Whether the young queen tore all of the side of the cell away herself in her frantic efforts to kill her rival, or whether the bees removed a part of the wax in cleaning out the remains, I do not know. — "Gleanings in Bee Cul- ture," Medina, Ohio. i AFTER THE BATTLE. i84 THE GUIDE TO NATURE why 1 do not kill the insects outrisfht in- stead of merely anesthetizing them. 1 have found that the insects are apt to be- come limp if killed outright, and this would result in an unlifelike picture. Furthermore, grasshoppers often turn a bright red soon after they are dead, and this would be recorded by the camera as black. Chloroform is perhaps the best anes- thetic to use. The simplest method of administration is as follows : moisten a pellet of cotton with the chloroform and place it in the bottom of a small wine- glass. Next drop the insect into the glass and cover with a small sheet of glass. This will prevent the chloroform from evaporating, and complete anesthetization will follow in from two to five minutes. The staging of the picture should be done immediately, and the exposure made, before the insect has had time to recover from the effects of the chloroform. Naturally, one of the main difficulties is to get the insects to stand upright ; but a little ingenuity on the part of the pho- tographer will soon solve each individual problem. In many cases all that is neces- sary is to balance the insect agaist some object, as was done with the checker- players. In other cases a prop of some sort will be required, and this should be cleverly concealed behind the insect so that it will not show in the finished picture. In most of my pictures the foreground consists of some species of moss. This can be found growing in abvmdance in rocky localities or in low swampy woods. A great many varieties exist, so that sameness in one's pictures may be avoid- ed. Where btishes are needed to break the monotony of the landscape, I use a certain species of lichen, which srrows luxuriantly in many parts of the Ignited States. It is found in rocky localities, and grows in dense masses many feet in circumference. By carefully separating a small portion from the mass an excel- lent imitation of underbritsh will be ob- tained. These same lichens, if separated into individual growths, will be found to simulate dead trees closelv, and by plac- ino- these where the composition would re- nuire such an item most interesting effects can be procured. I almost invariably use a white back- ground, as this seems to set off the iur- sects to best advantage. A sheet of white paper is well suited for this purpose, but care should be taken not to employ a glazed variety, as it is likely to reflect too much white light into the camera and pro- duce a fogging of the plate. A paper with a matte surface should be used, or better still, a pale blue paper, as this will photograph white. For a black back- ground I use a black sheet of paper such as is used for the wrapping of plates and papers. This gives a sufficiently dark ground for all practical purposes. In case an intense black backgromid is wanted, I photograph against a box lined with black paper, much as one would photograph against the mouth of a tunnel. Ocassionally clouds will be found to enhance the picture greatly by hiding its artificiality. These may be printed-in from special cloud-negatives made for such a purpose. It is advisable to have several dozen such negatives on hand, so that a repetition of the same cloud-effect may be avoided. Just how clouds are printed-in we need not explain here ; any booklet on enlarging will make this clear. — Bv courtesv of "Photo-Era." Helped the Butterfly Farmer Through College. We take pleasure in offering to the reader the excellent portrait of Miss Ximena McGlashan, the butterfly farmer, that we here publish. Several months ago we introduced Miss McGlashan herself in several articles. She writes that The Agassiz Association by reason of the pub- licity that it gave to her butterfly farm- ing helped materially in putting her through college. The accompanying portrait of Miss McGlashan we are able to publish through the courtesy of "The Inland Printer," Chicago, Illinois. In response to a request Miss McGlashan writes to The GuipE TO Nature as fol- lows : "I was graduated from Stanford Uni- versity in May, having paid my way through college by my butterfly farming. Since my graduation I have been resting as much as my correspondents have per- THE INTEREST IN INSECTS 185 MISS XIMExXA McGLASlIAX, -THE liUTTERFLY FARMER," WHOM THE GUIDE TO NATURE HELPED THROUGH COLLEGE. mitted. My future is problematical at present, as the war has well-night ruined the markets. There is still crood money in rare moths, and I may devote the future to the rearing- of these for market. Many of my pupils have become ardent 1 86 THE GUIDE TO NATURE entomologists, regardless of the pecuniary profits. One sent me a moth today that I feel sure is new to science. I am selling the lessons at one dollar now, as that will fully reimburse me for my outlay, and I have pledged myself to make no profit on them. If you wish an article I will gladly prepare one to fill any space at your dis- posal. My gratitude to you is beyond ex- pression. You helped materially to put me throusfh college." A Needle Insect Threaded. West Hartford, Connecticut. To the Editor : I have seen an insect that is entirely new to me. I have never seen an}^ other like it. It resembled a dragon fly, only at the end of the body, which was like a hard shell and as larije around as a lead Thalessa liinator is one of the larg'er of our ichneumon-flies. Its body is two and one half inches long, and it measures nearly ten inches from the tip of the an- tennae to the tip of the ovipositor. It is a parasite of the wood-boring larva of the pigeon horntail. When a female finds a tree infested by this insect she selects a place which she judges is oppos- ite a tremex-burrow, and, elevating her long ovipositor in a loop over her back, with its tip on the bark of the tree, she makes a derrick out of her body, and pro- ceeds with great skill and precision to drill a hole into the tree. When the tremex-burrow is reached she deposits an egg in it. The larva that hatches from this egg creeps along this burrow until it reaches its victim, and then fastens itself to the horn-tail larva, which it de- (From Riley, U. S. Dept Agr. Insect Life) THALESSA LUNATOR. A, female in act of ovipositing; b, abdomen showing outer sheaths in slightly different position; c, abdomen stretched to its utmost, as when first inserting or finally withdrawing the ovipositor, and showing the coil nf outer sheaths (f), the distended membrane (d") and the ovipositor coiled around inside it at periphery (original ). pencil, there were two stifl: hairs, two or three inches in length, which made it look like a thread. I told Fred if he wanted to do any sewing there was the the needle ready threaded. I have seen but one. It was flying around outdoors. A day or two later it came into the house and I killed it on the screen door. Mrs. Jennie A. Palmer. strovs by sucking its blood. The larva of Thalessa when full grown changes to a pupa within the burrow of its host, and the adult .gnaws a hole out through the the bark if it does not find a hole already made by the Tremex. Sometimes the adult Thalessa, like the adult Tremex, gets her ovipositor wedged in the wood so tightly that it holds her a prisoner un- THE INTEREST IN INSECTS 187 til she dies. — "A Manual for the Study of Insects" by John Henry Comstock and Anna Botsford Comstock. Drawing by courtesy of Entomology, Washington, D. C. Desires Lists of the Larger Moths. Some three years ago, I became in- terested in butterfly and moth farming and since then I have found it to be one of the most enjoyable avocations. There seems to be a dearth of literature at moderate prices, especially concern- ing moths, and only a few more expen- sive books within the reach of the aver- age beginner, which help in identifying the specimens. It is my purpose to write a leaflet describing the forms common in the United States, with their larvae and pupae. But in order to ascertain which of the many kinds are commonest and most widespread in this country, I desire to obtain lists of fifteen of the larger moths arranged according to frequency and general familiarity. If you are acquainted in even the smallest degree, or know of some one that is so acquainted with the moths of your locality, will not you or your friend make out and send to me two lists of fifteen moths each, in the groups Sphingidae, Saturniidae and Ceratoc- ampidae ; one arranged according to or- der of personal familiarity and the other according to order of frequency in your locality? If you desire to refer to a book on moths, you will find Holland's as good as any. although there are several oth- ers. In case you have had experience with moths, I wish you would take into con- sideration the frequency of larvae, pu- pae and imago in preparing- the lists. In order to make the series of statis- tics as accurate and as great a help in the study of nature as possible, there should be numerous lists, from all sec- tions of the country, for comparison. Your help will be greatly appreciated. I shall be glad to correspond at any time with any one who has been rais- ing Lepidoptera or desires to learn any- thing along these lines. — Russell T. Des Jardins, 310 North Monroe Street, Albion, Michigan. The Eggs of the Walking-Stick Insect. White i Mains, New York. To the Editor: It was with great interest that I read your account of the walking-stick insect and looked at her picture. Now is the time to get others. At this period of year the insects reach maturity. They feed mainly on the oaks. The females drop their eggs as they walk about, and where they are at all abundant, it is said that the eggs as they strike the dry leaves under the trees make a sound like the pat- ter of raindrops. There are two species here, as I am told by my friend, Mr. W. T. Davis of Staten Island, who is well in- formed on the grasshoppers and their allies, the roaches, the Orthoptera or straight winged insects, to which group the Diapheromera belongs. You will re- ceive in a few days some eggs that I ob- tained last year from specimens caught in the fall. Some of the eggs hatched out in the spring just as the trees were bud- ding in tender leaves. I could not give the young proper care so they failed to survive. Sincerely yours, J. R. DE LA Torre BuEno, A Diamond Day. Do you know what is meant by a diamond da\'? All sparkle and sheen and shine, When it really seems that this staid old earth Is fired by a spark divine? When gone are the swirls of drenching rain, The vapors of yesterday And the west wind blows, and the clouds de- part, And the sun comes out to stay? Oh then we see a beauteous world, And could almost dance for joy; With the blue so blue, and the green so green, It is like a brand new toy. And the sun is a-shimmer upon the trees, And the up-turned face of the field, And the flowers have all had their faces washed, And the lake is a silver shield. And the feathered folk are so full of life, It is like a great beehive : A new made Heaven, a new made earth, — How good to be alive ! — Emma Peirce. THE GUIDE TO NATURE The Heavens in November. BY PROFESSOR ERIC DOOLITTLE, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. Throughout this month the sun is ghd- ing rapidly downward among the stars toward the winter solstice, so that the steady shortening of the days is very noticeable. On November i, the day is three hours shorter than the night, but by November 30 the inequality has in- creased to five hours, which is only one- half an hour less than on the shortest day servation, but it is at this time of the year that the heavens are seen in their greatest brilliance and beauty. ^ :|; :): ;|; jj: The November Stars. Even at the very beginning of Novem- ber we may witness the entrance of the brilliant Orion and Gemini into our even- ing sky, while by November 30 these con- stellations will at the same hour be high above the ground, and the beautiful Dog Stars, Sirius and Procyon, wdll be seen Figure 1 The constellations at 9 V. M. November 1. (If facing south, hold the map upright. If facing ' eastT^oVpast SowTf facing west hold West below. Tf facing north , hold map tnverted.). of the entire year. Though to many peo- ple, and probably to most, this rapid les- sening of the hours of daylight is far from welcome, it is of the greatest advantage to astronomers. Not only do the long nio-hts give manv additional hours for ob- just rising. By this time the leaders of the hrilliant winter groups will have filled the whole eastern part of the heavens ; the very bright group, Taurus, will have near- ly reached the meridian and the Milky W'av will form an arch over the entire TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 189 heavens from the east to the west. It is the conspicuoiisness of the Pleia- des al this tiiiK' which has given to No- veniher the name of the Pleiad month. It was with this monlli that many of the primitive people began their year; on the "Pleiad Night" which was the night on which the Pleiades were found due south at midnight, no petition was presented in vain to the ancient kings of Persia. The Pleiad Night of the present year will oc- cur on November 20. A memory of the midnig"ht rites of the Druids on the first of November still survives in our Hallow- eve. Probably nearly every reader of these monthly articles is familiar with the three brilliant winter constellations now shining just above the ground in the east. They have examined the wonderful golden star, Capella, and perhaps traced out all of its constellation, Auriga, and also the inter- esting Perseus now just above it. They have perhaps many times examined the wonderful double cluster of stars at C. figure I, and watched one or more of the eclipses of the remarkable variable star, Algol, at K — the star which loses no less than five-sixths of its light at the constant interval of a little less than sixty-nine hours. But many observers are not aware of the wealth of interesting objects to be found within the borders of au)^ one of the fainter, little known, constellations. This month, for example, the widespread group of Cetus, or the Sea Monster, is in excellent position for observation, and will well repay a careful exploration with a small telescope. Its brightest star, at D, has a bluish, fifth magnitude companion west of it which is easily visible in a small glass, Mhile the stars at E, B and P are also all beautiful doubles. The first of these is the most beautiful double star in this part of the sky, its principal sun being golden and its companion blue ; around the last there are many distant compan- ions, one of which, lying due north of it. is an interesting double star. The most interesting feature of Cetus, however, is the remarkable group of vari- able stars which are found within its borders. One of these at the point F, a little to the left of the line joining H and L, varies from the seventh to the tenth magnitude in a period of eleven months, while the star at N changes from the seventh to the thirteenth magnitude in one-half of this lime. * :!: * :;: * The Variable Star, Mira. But the most remarkable of all the variables is the bright star at M, Figure i, which is known as the Mira, or the "Wonderful Star." This great sun in- creases in brightness sometimes fifteen hundred- fold at a quite regular interval of about eleven months. xAnd its wonder- ful increase of briglitness will take place during the present month when the con- stellation is favorably situated in our evening heavens ; the observer will there- fore have a very unusually favorable op- portunity of witnessing it. On November i the star may be seen with some difficulty with the naked eye, though with a pair of opera glasses it may readily be found, almost on a straight line between the brighter stars, A and B. As the weeks go by, it will at once be noticed that its brightness is increasing very rapidly indeed, until by the end of the month it may become a conspicuous naked eye star. The date of its greatest brightness will be about December 5 ; it will remain thus bright for a week or ten days and then rapidly fade away. Sometimes when at its brightest this star has been known to almost equal Aldebaran ; at others it has been but lit- tle brighter than the Pole star, while a very few of its outbursts have been so feeble that it has even been scarcely visi- ble to the naked eye at all. We cannot therefore predict to exactly what bright- ness the star will rise during the present month, but it is quite certain that it will furnish a most interesting object for study. As to the causes which lead to such enormous increases in its light and heat, we are, as yet, wholly ignorant. Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites. Several letters have been received from those who have been observing Jupiter's satellites, asking for a more complete ex- planation of the, at first sight, peculiar behavior of these little bodies. One ob- server has noticed that while the first and second moons are never seen to go into eclipse, yet they are seen to emerge from it, and that the third, moon, after it has passed behind the planet and again re- 190 THE GUIDE TO NATURE appeared into view, later both enters and emerges from the planet's shadow. The fourth moon is not eclipsed at all during the present month. A glance at Figure 2 will, it is hoped, make the reasons for these appearances Figure 2. Diagram to illustrate the phenomena of Jupiter's satellites (Not drawn to scale.) entirely clear. Jupiter passed opposition on October 24 ; that is, the sun., earth and Jupiter were in the positions, S, E, I and J, or in one straight line, on this date. Since this time, the earth has moved for- ward to the position E2, so that the great shadow of Jupiter, which stretches out into space directly away from the sun, no longer points directly away from the earth. It is therefore evident that a moon whose path, A, B is small, as the paths of the two inner moons are, will be seen to pass behind the planet when it has reached the point A of its path ; while still hidden by the ball of Jupiter it will enter the shadow, and will not be seen from the earth again until it finally emerges from the shadow at B. The third moon, how- ever, moves in a path so large that after disappearing behind the planet at C, it re- appears at D, and some time later is seen to pass through the shadow at E and F. For example, on the evening of Novem- ber 16, this moon will be occulted at C at 4 hrs. 58 min., P. ^I. ; it will emerge from behind the planet at D at 6 hrs. 26 min. ; it will enter eclipse at E at 7 hrs. 17 min., and it will finally emerge from the shadow at F at 9 hrs. 4 min., P. M. (Eastern Standard Times.) Similar interesting phenomena will occur on the nights of November 3, 5, 10, 12, 19, 23 and 26. * ::= * t- :■■- The Planets in November. Mercury will not be visible during the present month, for although it enters the evening sky on November 24, it does not attain its greatest distance east of the sun until next January 3. A'enus is still very brilliant in the morn- ing sky. It rises three hours before sun- rise on November i, and this time is de- creased to two and one-half hours by November 30. The planet is by far the most brilliant object now in the heavens, shining with one hundred times the brightness of a first magnitude star. Mars may still be seen low in the south- west, where it sets about one and one-half hours after the sun. The planet is now far below the celestial equator and is raj^idly moving still farther southward. It will Dass the winter solstice on Decem- ber I. Throughout the month it is in very favorable position for observation. Jupiter is now high in the southern heavens in the position shown in Figure I ; it is moving southward among the stars, and also retrograding, or moving westward. Saturn, almost in a line with the Twin Stars, Castor and Pollux, rises at 9 hrs. 30 min., and so is just behind the borders of our evening map. Toward midnight it is hiofh in the heavens in excellent po- sition for observation. A Distant Comet. There is a most interesting comet now in the skv which was discovered on a pho- tographic plate so long- ap'o as April 2"/ of the Drc^ent year. At that time it was nearlv 400,000,000 miles away from us — almost as far away as the planet Jupiter, and it consequently appeared extremely faint. But the fact that it could be seen at all at so great a distance leads us to be- lieve that it must be a very unusually large and bright object. Since its dis- covery it has been steadily approaching the suui ; it will not attain its least distance from that body, however, until next June. TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 191 As seen from the earth, it will, from June to September, follow the path RS, Figure I. At present this comet is so very dis- tant that it still appears very faint, but it is hoped that durmg" the coming sunniier and autumn it will become easily visible, and perhaps even strikingly conspicuous to the naked eye. Observation of an Aurora. Washta, Iowa. To the Editor : I am writing you a description of an auroral display which took place here on the evening of the 26th of August. At about 8:50, it hegan low down in the northern horizon ; but soon spread to the northwest and especially to the north- east. Great, shivering, dancing stream- ers of grayish white light shot up toward the zenith and passed ten or fifteen de- grees beyond, toward the south. There were two features about this display that to me were remarkable. Rising about fifteen degrees south of the east point was a huge banner, tapering at first but gradu- ally widening as it approached the zenith. It passed over Delphinus, between Vega and Altair, over part of Hercules and on towards the northwestern horizon. I particularly noticed that high up, where the streamer was near the meridian, the stars in the Galaxy, Albireo of the Cross and some of the stars in Hercules were blotted out by the light. I especially noticed this because some writers say that the stars can always be seen through the light. This streamer did not appear to be at any great distance overhead. The stars could be plainly seen through those that came from the north, northwest and northeast. About 9 :30 I observed one shooting up about ten de- grees from the southeast point; Fomal- haut was just above the horizon. It passed over Aquarius, Capricornus, and was lost over Uphiuchus and Serpens, but the stars were not hidden by its light. What seemed exceptional was the tact that the streamers came trom the south- eastern horizon. The display lasted until twelve o'clock, the light during most of the time being like that of the moon at her third quarter. The northeastern sky had the appearance of daybreak, but with a kind of weird lieht. There was a marked counter glow in the southern horizon, ex- tending lor about thirty degrees. For several evenings I had been trying to catch Mercury soon after sunset and, much later on, I feasted my eyes on the beautiful starry vault of the summer sky. At about 9 :30, Capella emerges from the northern horizon; next comes Fomalhaut almost on the southeast point; soon after, Jupiter blazes but a little north of the east point. Starting in the northeast and ex- tending overhead and downward to the southwest, is the glorious stream of the Galaxy, now at its best. Perseus in the northeast; the beautiful northern cross overhead, Sagittarius and Scorpio in the south and southwest, eight stars of the first magnitude in full view : — Spica low down in the southwest; Antares, Fomal- haut, Altair, Deneb, Vega, Arcturus and Capella. No moon all night. If the grandeur does not equal that of the winter sky, the comfort of the observer at this season more than makes up for the de- ficiency. I observed Saturn emerge from behind the moon at about 3:15 in the morning of the twenty-fifth. The planet was behind the moon when she rose. Our latitude here is 42^2 degrees north. Fred S. Carrington. I have had several letters about the aurora of that evening. It was an inter- esting display, but we must expect this as we are now near a sunspot maximum. Doubtless the aurora was still finer far- ther north, for it was evidently wide- spread. Notwithstanding the thousands of observations of auroras there is much that we do not yet know about them. Northern observers sometimes report them as actually on the ground and tell of electrical cracklings which accompany them. Here, however, they are certainly high above us and too far away for us to hear any sounds. They are undoubtedly electrical; their spectrum shows krypton, argon and other elements of the atmos- phere.— Eric Doolittle. High altars unto Heaven, The mountains in our sight; Their shining altar vestments, The snow that fell o'er night. — Emma Peirce. 192 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Visible Occultations of Algol for the The Stars. Season of 1916-1917. "No man can study the stars," says Dr. The following table gives the visible John Brashear, Pittsburgh's distinguished minima for the occultation of the var- astronomer, in. the "American Magazine," iable star Algol for the seasons 1916- "without becoming bigger and better. The 1917. The time given is the middle of earth is too much with most of us; and the occultation, which begins five hours ^^e are inclined to be too much with and earlier and lasts five hours later, wax- within ourselves. We have an exagger- ing and waning as the dark companion ^ted sense of our own importance in the sun passes over Algol. The time given ^^j-ld, and of the importance of the world is U. S. Eastern Standard Time. -^^ ^^^^ universe. November 6, 12:15 (Mdt.) "Alost folks consider this old world a November 9, 9 :oo P. M. pretty big place, but, if you tossed a cube November 12 5 150 P. M. i/y^oooth of an inch in diameter into November 26, 1.45 (Mdt.) ^^^^ j,^- -^ ^.^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^_ November 29, 10 :^S P. M. . • ■ ^.\ ^ ^ • 1 1 ^1 .. T^ , ^' T-i T\/r tive space m that great inland sea that our December 2 7 :2s P. M. ,, ^ • • • . • .• -r-> 1 ,^ ^\^ /-mt ^4. \ earth occupies m a universe terminating December 19 12:30 (Mdt.) , ^ ., , ^ • , December 22, 8-30 P M ^^ nearest star, Alpha Centaun, and December 2=;' =; -^o P M extending a similar distance from our sun January 8 2:00 (Mdt ) ^^ ^^^ directions. Such a universe con- January II 10:50 P. M. tains 15,625,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, January 14 7:40 P. M. 000,000,000.000,000 (fifteen thousand six January 17 4:30 P. M. hundred and twenty-five undecillion) January 31 12 :45 (Mdt.) miles, but it is only an infinitesimal dot in "February 3 8 :30 P. M. the actual universe. Our .sun itself is February 6 5 :2o P. M. one million three hundred thousand times February 20 2 :25 (Mdt.) as big as the earth, but photometric meas- r^ebruary 2^ n :i5 ^ • ^'^- ures have shown that the heat-giving of February 26 8 :o5 P. M. ^ur solar svstem is greatly exceeded in March i 4:=;o P M • t r ■ -. ^ ^^ -n- March 15 I -oo (Mdt ) T ^' ^'i ^^ "" 7T'\^ the mdlions March 18 9 :5o P. M. °^ '^'''' ^^'^^ stud the heavens. March 21 6 :4o P M. —The Monthly Evening Sky Map Nature's Thoughtfulness. r.V WARREN KIMSEV, LATIIKOP, MO. Did vou ever see a green vine that had To the Owners of Small Telescopes, completely covered a rough old stump? r.V wiLijAM TYi.ER OLCOTT, NORWICH, The unsightly object had become a thing CONN., coRRKSPONDiNG si':cRETARY. of bcauty. This is Nature's way. The American As.sociation of \'ariable Those who do less in every day life are Star Observers has just completed its unworthy. Thev are unworthy to live and fifth year of work observing variable move and have 'their being in a world that stars with a total to date of 59,500 ob- ^^.^, intended to be beautiful. After all, servations. , , , , , there is beautv in suffering and sacrifice More recruits are needed for the work, -r 1 1 ' ^-i 1 -iv T ■*. 1 . , . , ^, . , ,, if only one has the ability to see it. which involves no mathematics, and the -^ details of which are easily mastered. All This world is a mighty good place in that is required is a star atlas and a tele- which to live. lUit you've got to do your scope of three inch aperture or larger. best in your place if you get the joy and The Secretary will be glad to furnish happiness that is in store for you. There information regarding the details of ob- j^ a likeness to a wild bee tree, serving, and pleased to assist any one who is willing to co-operate with us. ^ou must get out and find the tree. Here is the chance to do some tele- Then you may get stung.But the honey is scopic work that is really worth while, of there, and it's great when you sit down fascinating interest and scientific value, and put it into your mouth. Your neigh- No obligation is imposed on members of bor may be eating some of the wild honey the association save a willingness to ob- of life, risfht now! Perhaps you are not. serve variable stars when it is convenient. Why? The answer is within vourself. RECREATIONS Wrril Till-: MICROSCOPIC 193 Some Old-time Microscopes. Ev TuiconoKK w. SMITH, X ai'i;r\'illE, ill. The accompanying illustration shows some old-time miscroscopes which are in- teresting examples of early types of the instrument. For reference, these may be numbered from left to right, i, 2, 3 and 4. Xo. I is a large miscroscope, 19 inches high, made almost entirely of wood, and is held in place by a metal ring in the wood- en objective mount. No. 2 is a small miscroscope made by W. Gary of London about 1826 and is stag'e-focusing. No. 3 is a miscroscoi)e made by Xachet of Paris about 1850. Instead of having a joint for inclination, there is a prism, in the body-tube for tlie more convenient IXTERESTIXG EXAMPLES OF EARLY TYPES OF MICROSCOPE. probably a Nuremberg miscroscope dat- ing from about 1740. Some wooden "sliders" are shown in front of the in- strument, each "slider" containing sev- eral specimens mounted dry between two pieces of ordinary glass held in place by metal rings. The objectives, of which there are three, consist of a single lens use of the instrument. This stand has a mechanical stage of peculiar construction and the objectives are of the achromatic French triplet variety. No. 4 represents the Culpeper model which was made bv several London opti- cians during the eighteenth century, this particular microscope having been made 194 THE GUIDE TO NATURE MICROSCOPE STAND MADE P.Y R BOSTON. J!, TOI.LES, by George Adams of London about 1790. The drawer in the base of the stand con- tains several accessories of the period, in- cluding a "fish-plate" for examining the circulation of the blood in the tail of a fish or in the web of a frog's foot. There are also several ivory "sliders" contain- ing various objects mounted dry. The history and evolution of the mi- croscope are exceedingly interesting and would require much space to go into de- tail, therefore only a few of the most im- portant points will be noted in this brief article. Microscopes are either simple or com- poimd, the former consisting of a single lens or system, while the compound mi- croscope contains two or more lenses or combinations, the image formed by the objective at the lower end being magni- fied by the eye-piece at the upper end of the tube. It is recorded that crystal lenses or magnifiers were used by Roger Bacon, a Franciscan monk, in 1276, and he may be considered the inventor of the simple mi- croscope. The discovery of the compound micro- scope has been attributed to Hans and Zacharias Jaussen, spectacle makers of Aliddleburg, Holland, between 1590 and 1609, although there are grounds for be- lieving that Galileo, the inventor of the telescope, was also the inventor of the compound microscope at about this same period. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, many varieties of the com- pound microscope were made, such as Campani's microscope (1660); Hooke's microscope (1665); Divini's (1668); Bonanni's (1691) ; Marshall's (1704); Hertel's (1716); Joblot's (1718); Cul- peper and Scarlet's (1738); Martin's (1780); George Adams' (1771) and Jones' (1798) ; The result obtained with the compound microscope of that period, on account of poor definition and loss of light, were far from satisfactory, and the simple micro- scope w^as thought by many observers to be more reliable than the compound in- strument ; and indeed all the wonderful discoveries of Leeuwenhoek (born 1632, died 1723) sometimes referred to as "the father of microscopy", were made with the simple microscope consisting of single lenses ground by himself. When the achromatic principal was fin- ally applied successfully to the compound microscope about 1825, great advances and important discoveries were made, and during the following fifty or sixty years, the microscope stand, objectives and ac- cessories were developed to a high state of perfection both in this country and in Europe. ^Microscopical societies were formed in every community and great in- terest was taken by amateurs in "fight- rWELVE MICROSCOPIC OBTECTIVES MADE BY R. B. TOLLES, BOSTON. RTa"Ri<:.\'i'i()NS wmi Tin-: aiicroscuiM': 195 ing" objectives and resolving difficult diatom tests, and to this tact the improve- ment of the microscope objective was largely due. During this period, or more particularly from 18O0 to 1880, very elaborate and costly instruments were made by Tolles, JJulloch, Zentmayer, Spencer and others in this country, and by Beck, Swift, Watson, Baker and Powell & Lealand in England. Object- ives made by Robert B. Tolles and the Spencers were considered by many mi- croscopists as superior to any others ever constructed. Accompanying' this article is a photo- graph of a large microscope stand and several objectives made in 1882 by Rob- ert B. Tolles of Boston. These large, elaborate, costly stands have, during the last thirty years, been displaced by the more practical, compact and comparative- ly simple model of the present day, the principal manufacturers in this country being the Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., of Rochester, N. Y., and the Spencer Lens Company of Buffalo. Although the compound microscope has become, in recent years, more of a scien- tific "tool" for the laboratory, at the same time so much pleasure and profit may be derived from its use by lovers of nature, that more popular interest should be stimulated in the use of the microscope. An interesting- little book etitled "The Microscope and Its Uses" by Wilfred Mark Webb, is published by Sully & Kleinteich, New York. Wood's "Com- mon Objects for the Microscope" is also an excellent book for the bes^inner. Milkweed Butterflies in Migration. Des Moines, Iowa. To the Editor : I read with interest the different ar- ticles written by your members, and, I think, subscribers too. They are all so delightful. It is almost as though we were all friends and were talking over together the incidents that befall us in our walks with nature. An exquisite experience came to me all unexpectedly one day recently. As I was going to the car, I noticed how blue the sky was how clear, without the sign of a cloud anywhere. On look- ing up over a meadow, I saw some winged creatures dying high in the air. At first I thought they were birds, but on examining them closer found they were butterllies. There must have been twenty-five or more, some flying very high, where the birds fly, some lower, but all seemed conscious of each other, to be flying up and down, back and forth, to- gether, as though they had come out to while away an hour in delight that way. They were deep orange in color, and made a bright picture up against the blue sky. I had often seen them flying from flower to flower on the ground but never up high like that before. Yours very truly, HklEn Griffiths. Potato Seed Balls. The only suggestion I can offer regard- ing the failure of potatoes to produce seed balls more abundantly in Connecticut is that the climatic conditions are not fav- orable to a normal development of the potato plant during the period of growth in which the blossoms are developing. The failure to set seed balls is primarily due to a lack of viable pollen. Some years ago. Dr. E. M. East was able, at New Haven, Connecticut, to pro- duce seed balls almost at will on his potato experimental plant. I am well aware, however, that in New England, at least outside of the northern portion of it, potato seed balls are more or less of a rarity. — William Stuart, Horticulturist, United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry. The Russians are planning to estab- lish a biological station at Lake Baikal, in southeastern Siberia, and have already secured by gift eight thousand dollars toward the project. Lake Baikal, the source of the Lena River, is the largest body of fresh water in Eurasia and the deepest in the world. Some of the fishes are ancient forms, apparently survivors from Upper Tertiary times when Si- beria had a sub-tropical climate. In other respects, also the fauna is unique. If you make a friend of Nature, You will ever bless the day, When you put your trust in something That will gladden all your way. — Emma Peirce. THE GUIDE TO NATURE •••••••••^ AGAS5IZ ASSOC lATiON ki<.<<<.c<.lu Thomas A. Edison Makes a $500 Gift to The Agassiz Association. Thomas A. Edison invited Edward F. Bigelow to visit the factory and labora- tory, October 13th, at Orange, New Jer- sey. This invitation was gladly accepted and Dr. Bigelow spent the afternoon in THE LABORATORY MODEL OF THE DIAMOND DISC PHONOGRAPH. conversation with Air. Edison, saw some of his chemical experiments and visited the hnge plant under guidance of mana- gers of various buildings and depart- ments. Mr. Edison told of the progress of the work and the rapid growth, re- ferring to his interest in every phase of nature and science. He says that he reads and investigates everything, not knowing from what may come one of the best suggestions for development. He expressed much interest in the work of The Agassiz Association, inquired espec- ially as to the present members of the Agassiz family and spoke of the great work of the younger Agassiz (Alexan- der) as well as that of the father, Louis Agassiz. The dissemination of nature knowl- edge and love from ArcAdiA interests him greatly and that interest was very practically expressed in a gift of the lat- est Laboratory Model of the Diamond Disc Phonograph in finest mahogany fin- ish valued at $250. To this he added a selection of Re-Creation Records amounting to an additional $250. Three- fourths of these will include the best things now on hand while the others will be from the best things issued in the future. This gift will receive the hearty grati- tufle of the many visitors and students who use ArcAdiA freely and will add greatlv the facilities of entertainment. It will be remembered that local ladies a few months ago presented The Agassiz Association with an exceptionally fine Kroeger piano. The phonograi^h which arrived with a mimber of records on October 21st bears a metal plate with the following inscription : PRESENTED TO THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION BY THOMAS A. Edison OCTOBER. 1916 THE AGASSiZ ASSDClATluX 197 Additions to Our Membership. Correspoiuling : AJr. II. Stu.'irt I^ove, West Devonpurl. Tasmania, Australia. Airs. Adda IJauman, Pittsburg, I'ennsxl- vania. Miss Helen R. Ilubhard, Lake Elmo, Minnesota. Mr. Sharks l\ Titus, East Orange, New Jersey. Mr. J. Ford Sempers, Aikin, [Maryland. Sustaining : J. H. Kellogg, M. D., Battle Creek, Michi- gan. Mr. Ray Stannard Baker, Amherst, Mas- sachusetts. Dr Robert Unzicker, Chicago, Illinois. Airs. M. Louisa Ross, Hastings-on-Hud- son, New York. Miss M. G. Folsom, Boston Massachu- setts. For Growth and Efficiency. Members and other friends who have aided in the expenses of The Agassiz Association. Reverend Charles Morris Ad- dison, D. D., Stamford, Conn. ($5.00 and $1.00) $ 6.00 An Amateur Astromoner— sur- plus to general fund after pay- ment of remainder of loan to fund for astronomical observa- tory 77-8o Rogers School Chapter, Stamford, Conn 2.50 A Lover of Astronomy, Mas- schusetts — balance of payments of $25.00 per month for one year 75-00 A Subscriber, Stamford. Conn 1. 00 Mr. Harry P.. Rood, Poultney, Vt 1 .00 Aliss Frances AI. Tollett, Great Kills, Staten Island i.oq Mrs. Hubert P. Alain, New- ark, N. T 1. 00 Airs. AI Louisa Ross, Hast- ings-on-Hudson, N. Y 5.00 Tuesday Night Club, Sound Beach 16.00 Airs. D. Haug. Sound Beach 2.00 Air. H. E. Valentine, Boston, Alass 1. 00 Professor Edgar T. Wherry, Washnigton, i^. C 50 Dr. \\ illiam J. Long, Stam- ford, Conn 50 Visitors at ArcAdi.V 15 Mrs. T. C. Luther, Alechanic- ville, N. Y 1 .00 Visitors at ArcAdiA 25 Miss E. D. Ferguson, Stam- ford, Conn 6.66 Air. C. H. T. JaiTray, Stam- ford, Conn 3.33 Air. C. L. Andrews, Seattle, Washington 50 Air. S. C. Hunter, New Rochelle, N. Y 10.00 Air. Alorton C. Nichols, Greenwich, Conn $10.00 Air. R. L. Agassiz, Boston, 25.00 Air. Theodore W. Smith. Naperville, 111 10.00 Contributions for Nature Work with the Boy Scouts of America. Mrs. Charles E. H. Phillips, Glenbrook, Conn $10.00 Miss E. D. Ferguson. Stam- ford, Conn 3.34 Air. C. H. T. Jaffray, Stam- ford, Conn 1 .67, Reverend Charles Alorris Ad- dison,, D. D., Stamford, Conn 4.00 Miscellaneous Contributions to ArcAdiA. Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr., Wil- mington, N. C. : Pixie moss reported by a botanist to be found only in Wilming- ton and somewhere in New Jersey. Air. Philip H. Hartman, Superintend- ent Department of Fisheries, Erie, Pa. : Specimens of gar pike — alligator gar and common gar pike. Airs. Charles Somerville, Glenbrook, Conn. : Exhibition glass. Aliss Alarie Aladeleine Reynes, Sound Beach : Aliscellaneous shells and stones from the beach. The Alisses Worrell, Sound Beach : Two interesting specimens of black-eyed Susan. Airs. William N. Travis, Stamford, Conn. : "Tomato worm" larva covered with the cocoons of a parasitic fly. Airs. Robert AIcGinnis, Sound Beach: Four large and rare shells. 198 THE GUIDE TO NATURE Mr. Clyde T. Ford, Sound Beach: Horned toad and trapdoor spider from California. Mr. A. C. Arnold, Stamford, Conn.: Nest for woodpeckers made from slabs. Mr. H. E. Deats, Flemington, N. J.: Grapevine galls. Master Joseph Palmer, Sound Beach : Sea horse. Mrs. James W. Brice, Sound Beach: Remarkable potato. Mr. Wiliam Mann, Sound Beach: Pup^ of sphinx moth. Miss Edna S. Knapp, Caryville, Mass. : Two paper cutters, one whittled from barberry and the other from huckleberry. James McCurrach & Brother, New York City : Three neckties ornamented by a snowflake pattern. Mr. Thomas A. Edison, Orange, New Jersey. Latest Laboratory Model of the Diamond Disc Phonograph in finest ma- hogany finish valued at $250, with a se- lection of Re-Creation records to an ad- ditional $250. Mr. Paul Lockwood, Waterbury, Con- necticut : Unusually long dandelion stems, one measuring thirty-two inches. United States Government and a num- ber of other contributors : Potato seed balls. None have been received from Connecticut. Paying the Remainder Due on the Land of The Agassiz Association. An effort is being made by The Agassiz Association of Sound Beach to pay off the remainder due on the land be- longing to that Association. This was purchased some five years ago and pay- ments have been steadily made. Presi- dent Edward F. Bigelow recently wrote the following letter to a few friends. Responses have come back sufficient to encourage a general effort. The follow- ing is a copv of the announcement : "FIVE YEARS November ist since we settled in this ArCxA-diA. We origi- nally purchased seven lots, each sixty feet front — five on the installment plan for The Agassiz Association and two for the Bigelow familv. On the AA lots we have paid off all but $1,2^0.87. Please help us on that. Let us clean it up, that our efforts mav be devoted directly to the work of the AA. "We moved five buildings and placed them on firm foundations. We have erected and equipped the Welcome Re- ception Room and an Astronomical Ob- servatory. There are no claims on any of the buildings or their contents. "In the recent great increase of regu- lar expenses, this monthly payment on the land becomes a serious problem. If we could be free from that burden and worry, we could carry the rest and do better the work which steadily increases." In response to this appeal the follow- ing letter was received from Commodore E. C. Benedict, Greenwich, Connecticut: "In response to your letter of Septem- ber 29, in regard to paying off the debt of $1,250 on ArcAdiA, I beg to state I will be one of five of our citizens, or its equivalent by any other number subscrib- ing $1,000, to make up the amount you wish to pay off. "In a great rich town like this, I feel sure if the work you are doing was as well known generally as I know it to be, the $1,000 to call my bluff would be promptly subscribed, and you can show this letter to anyone you please." As showing the interest in distant places, a lawyer in Kansas City, Mis- souri, writes as follows : "I am in receipt of your favor of the 3rd inst., wherein you speak of $1,250.87 still owed on The Agassiz Association lots. "I feel that you should be relieved of the burden. Is it possible to raise that money by monthly payments of a small sum? If fifty of us would contribute $1 per month each, we could soon 'wipe out' the debt. "I will give $1 per month if you can secure forty-nine others, or I will give $2 per month with twenty-four others and continue the payments until the indebted- ness shall have been paid." Mrs. E. H. Hooker, Greenwich. .$25.00 Mr. Thomas A. King, Sound Beach 10.00 Miss E. D. Ferguson, Stamford . . 25.00 We quaffed of the mountains greatness, Of the heights we felt the thrill, And the thought of those diamond moments Inspires in memory still. — Emma Peirce. PUBLISHER'S NOTICES IX (Continued from pag'c VTII) ])leasing and varied when seen from the (Hning- ear than from any other. 1 have tallied \\itli people all over the eountry and they are enthusiastic in their praises of the service on the Xew Haven road. 1 have not yet found more than one or two who speak even favorably of the ser- vice on other roads, even tlie first-class roads. Aluch of the material served on various western and southern roads is indigestible and unappetizing. It is un- pleasant to mention names l)ut as marked copies will be sent to the dining car de- partments of these roads it is expected that they will know who is meant. The most deplorable, otitrageous service on many of these roads is the bread and but- ter. The butter is pretty good but it must be ashamed to appear in the company of such bread. In recent months a rule has been established by which ten cents extra are charged for bread and butter, regard- less of the cost of the rest of the order. That in itself is not objectionable but if you paid a dollar for bread and butter you could get no bread fit to eat. What New England housekee])er wotild allow such stufif on the table as is served by these western and southern roads? Any per- son who respects his stomach will tell the waiter, "Carry that aw-ay ; if you haven't anything better bring me crackers." But here in New England food sitpplied by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Road has the flavor of the good old-fash- ioned New England housekeeper's cook- ing. The bread is tasty and everything else is delicious. Conscience may be ac- cusing- some of these western and south- ern roads as they print on the menu a quotation from the "Hotel Register" that tries to answer many of the questions that passengers are supposed to ask in regard to prices. It is a case of conscience ac- cusing the managers in advance, a vre- monitorv accusation. No evidence is given as to the nrice on id for the words printed in the "Hotel Reoister" and cop- Ijied from it. Possibly it is free but that does not alter the fact that it has a ring of apology. The situation should be such that an apology should not lie necessary. The Famous Goerz Lenses. We have been miormed by the C. P. lioerz American Ui)tical Company, 317 East Thirty-fourth Street, i\ew York City, that adverse conditions caused by the European war have compelled them to cancel and withdraw all former prices. The company reports that while the war has somewhat interferred with the deliv- ery of their cameras, yet, as regards lenses, they have been more forttniate. Prior to the w^ar, they had imported a large quantity of genuine Jena glass which their completely equipped optical factory in New York City has been turn- ing into GOERZ LENSES without in- terru])tion. At present the company is in a position to supply nearly all its lenses with but few exceptions. A new cata- logue, containing a list of such goods and accessories as they are able to furnish in reasonable quantities, is now on the press. It will also contain the new list prices which are about ten per cent in advance over the prices in force prior to October I, 1916, and will be ready for general dis- tril)ution within a short time. A Publisher's Puzzle. After the proofs of our October num- ber had left the editor, something queer and unexplainable happened to the open- mg article, 'TIow the Plant Scatters Its Seed." Wdiile it is annoying and while I presume that even the printer could not explain the accident, the reader easily understood that the two lines at the bot- tom of the first column of the second page, should have completed the first page and that the two columns on the second page were transposed. Hints on Dog Feeding. Spratt's Patent has issued a very in- teresting booklet entitled, "Hints on Dog Feeding from Puppyhood to Old Age." We advise all our readers to address this well-known business house at New- ark, New Jersey. The grasses, all the finest things. Familiar in their places, Aesthetic value have for us, As ^Mother X^ature's laces. — Emma Peirce. When you see the tiny cloudlets Melt away into the blue, Then be sure the weather prophet Has in store good days for you ! — Emma Peirce. X THE GUIDE TO NATURE *«i ^===^.^^.,,^^ '®®®®®®«^*'' ^ LITERAK NOTICES The Story of Scotch.. By Enos A. Mills. Boston and New York City : Houghton ]\Iifflin Company. This book is the complete life-storyof a faith ful dog by a loving master. Living as he did high up in the Rocky Mountains and belong- ing to a master like Enos Mills, Scotch had more adventures than fall to the lot of most dogs, and the story of his happy, heroic useful life and his tragic death will be enjoyed by all who are fond of good stories of adventure as well as bv all dog lovers. Bird Friends. By Gilbert H. Trafton. Boston and New York: Houghton .Mifflin Com- pany. This is a book for the general reader who wants to know something about the birds with- out becoming a special student. It includes concise and interesting accounts of migration, song, nesting, the rearing of young, and plum- age ; a chapter on how to know the birds ; and full discussions of the economic value of birds as insect eaters, weed seed eaters, and destroy- ers of rodent pests, of the few harmful birds, of the enemies of birds (natural enemies, the English sparrow, the cat and man himself), of bird protective agencies (the Audubon So- cieties, bird clubs, the state and federal govern- ments), of the propagation of game birds, of the methods of attracting birds (nesting boxes, winter feeding, fountains, shrubs, etc.) and of the teaching of bird protection in the schools. Let Us Go Afield. By Emer?on Hough. New York City : D. Appleton and Com- pany. This pleasing book of outdoor life is es- pecially adapted to the sportsman's point of view, yet in spite of all that it says about the gun, it still exhibits the commendable spirit of the naturalist. The author is quite a philoso- plier. He says : "The real pleasure of life consists in dream- ing of things we want to do. The most interest- ing reading in the world is that which tells us about ourselves as we would like to be, or about things we would like to do, or about how to get things we want to get.'' He is fond too of baseball when he plays it himself, but finds it rank nonsense when paid players do the playing. Here is his way of sum- ming up the whole matter. "But paid spectators of sports do not produce that sort of blood for very many generations, not unless they have other forms of sport as well, individual sport, actual sport, sport on the earth, under the sky, by the waters, in the woods — building blood which tells today and tomorrow. H a son of mine contracted the sneaking habit of going fishing whenever he got a chance I am not sure that I would lick him for it. But if he developed a predilection for pop and cigarettes, if he did not know how to walk or shoot or hide, if he came home and told me all about Connie McGraw and Willie Collins and nothing about the trees and flowers, methinks I would keep a large paternal slipper in pickle for his anatomy. "All this, however, in strict confidence, gentle reader. Who am 1 to chide you? I do not chide you. But the long years of the future will chide if you are not a man." Aftermath. November winds are with us And yet, in garden beds, Despite the chill of autumn. Brave blossoms lift their heads. The pholx all rosy brightness, Alyssum still so sweet ; Though sister flowers, aweary. Lie drooping at their feet. The lupin wears its purple, And maid-in-mist is seen. Her blue eyes almost hidden By lashes long of green. As spicy as carnations, The gillies scent the breeze, Though from their late gyrations, We miss the roving bees. Great pansies, clad in velvet, Look up as gay, serene. As if the time were summer, And June still wore her green. November winds bring Ijleakness, l!ut do not call it drear. When, in gardens and in woodlands, So much is left to cheer. ■ — Emma Peirce. During the past year or two there has been a most alarming spread of rabies among wolves, coyotes and other wild ani- mals in the West. Domestic animals, especially stock, are being bitten, and even children have been attacked. THE GUini^ TO NATURE— Ain'KRTISEMRNTS XI "The Bible of All Garden Folk'* Volume V Now Ready The New Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture Edited L. H. BAILEY Contining 24 plates in color, 96 full-page halftones and over 4,000 text illustrations. To be completed in six volumes. Volumes I, II, III, and IV recently published. Volume V now ready. Sold only in sets by subscription. $6 per volume. Bound in leather, $10 ''Its publication is the most important historical event of the last decade, as this great cyclopedia stands among grow- ers and lovers of plants in the same relation as the great English encyclopedia in the field of general knowledge." — Town and Country. ■'Xm one who knows anything at all about the literature of gardening needs to be told that the cyclopedia is unique." — The Nation. Send for a large illustrated circular describing this important cyclopedia in detail. THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Publishers. NEW YORK "The Higher Dignity of Naturalism." Stripped of the dignity of formality and custom and like a ptire breath from the open, saturated with the tang of the sah marshes, or the woodland spring, bubbling up in pristine purity, was the message of protest delivered to the teachers of the Cincinnati Public Schools yesterday afternoon, at Hughes High School, by Dr. Edward F. Bigelow of Sound Beach, Connecti- cut. Robed in the higher dignity of nat- uralism, as contrasted with the dignity and formality of methodism. Dr. Bige- low held the large atidience of teachers and principals figuratively in the hol- low of his hand, as he played with their emotions and heart strings. He talked to them as grown-ups and then as little childran and kindergarteners, and drove home his protest against the un- naturalism of ])ast and ])resent methods of teaching. — "Commercial Tribune," Cincinnati, Ohio. DUITAL— The King of All Developers. $1.00 per oz. $15.00 per lb. AMIDOI— 85c per oz. $10.00 per lb. SERCHOL (British Made) $1.25 per oz. $16.00 per lb. HYDROCHINONE, $3.90 lb. 5 lbs $19.00 WILLOUGHBY Broadway and Eleventh St., N. Y. AQUATIC LIFE An Illustrated Monthly Magazine on the breeding of goldfish, tropical fishes, and their care in the home aquarium. Edited by W. A. Poyser. Per year, $1.00. Per copv, ten cents. JOSEPH E. BAUSMAN,' Publisher, 542 E. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, Penna. i~»oIdfisln, rare, hardy varieties of choice stock. Water ^-•plants, food, globes, artistic af|uariunis. Circular free. Any size aquarium made to order, slate or iron bottom. Dealers write for lowest wholesale prices. Pioneer Aquar- ium Works, Racine, Wisconsin. THE BRYOLOGST is the only magazine that will help you to study Mosses and Lichens. It is the bimonthly organ of a live society of 200 members, The Sullivant \foss Society, which includes moss students of all grades of achievements from the college professor to the beginner, all anxious to help each other. Subscription. $ 1 .25 a Year. $150 r>ays for membership in tne society and a year s subscription ti the Bryologist. Address Edward B. Chamberlain 18 West 89th St,, New York City. XII THE GUIDE TO NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS The eighteenth volume of Bird-Lore begins February 1, 1916. Volume I contained 206 pages and no colored plates ; Volunne XVll contained 560 pages and eleven colored plates. The magazine has grown, but the price remains the same. Annual subscription $1.00 D. APPLETOIV & CO. 29 West 32(1 St. New York Cily LANTERN SLIDES and PHOTOGRAPHS of NATURE SUBJECTS ABOUT 3000 NEGATIVES of Birds, Nests, Mammals, Reptiles, Insects, Flowers, Etc. J ists and Prices of Slides and Prints, Plain or in Colors, Sent upon Application. L. W. BROWNELL 210 Market St. Paterson, N. J. Bausch lomb BALOPTICON Entertains through the sense of sight as the phonograph does through the ear. The Balopticon is not a toy but a very practical instrument, designed to meet every requirement of a projection lantern. Various models for use with lan- tern slides or for the direct projection of opaque objects such as photos, post cards, specimens, etc. Also combination models for both methods, with in- stant interchange. The ue-w gas-filled Mazda lamp gives an illuminating ^ ^____-TrT, equipment superior to the old style arc lamp, but using lesscur- — , \ rent. The entire instrument is simple enough for a child to oper- ate. Prices range from $20 up. Write for booklets about the Balopticon — also price lists. Type \^^^ eidJ Bausch ^ Ipmb Op^'CQ' ©• 000 St. Paul Street, Rochester, N. Y. New York Washington Chicago San Francisco Leading American Mal'prs of High Cj'aJe Optical Products THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. XIII X /<- °°^ A EnTRMKE FUNNtl B Second Funael L / —tmij'Tmw, VT' ^^ C 4UI0MAIlCl)R»PrR*P ^ ,/-^lB3»**T/ . t> REM0VAICA6E Dodson's Sparrow Trap^ Does the work automatically and humanely. £?0n ^" *-*■ ^' Kankakee, 111. Sparrows fight fi»M^2__ 3"d drive out song birds. They are V^' noisy, quarrelsome and destructive. This trap catches them by the hundreds as soon as set. Rid your yard of these pests. No other trap like it. Dodson's Tree Guard keeps cats, squirrels and other animals out of trees, protecting birds' nests and the trees them- selves. Squirrels gnaw holes in your houses. 35c Per Lineal Foot— F.O. B. Kankakee Expands with tree. Simple and easy to attach. About three feet required for average tree. Both of these devices are made by a man who has spent over twenty years in the study of birds. Dodson's Bird Houses are in every State in the Union. Price $1.50 to $65.00 in twenty styles. Guaranteed to attract song birds. Send for free booklet describ- ing these ingenious devices. JOSEPH H. DoDSON. 714 Harrison Ave.. Kankakee, III, Mr. Dndson is a director nf the Illinois Audubon Society The Up-to-Date Photographer Should Use a COE(?Z LENS lyjO better all around anastigmat lens ^ ^ was ever produced than the fam- ous GOERZ DAGOR F:6.8.— F:;.?- For studio, group and general utility work the well-known GOERZ CELOR F:4.5- F:5.5 has an enviable reputation. For the photographer who desires a GOERZ LENS of true GOERZ QUALITY at a moderate price the GOERZ SYNTOR F:6.8 meets every requirement. The GOERZ PORTRAIT HYPAR F:3.5— F:4.5 enables the portraitist to express his highest art unhampered by the usual limitations of speed and delicate model- ing. The new GOERZ ROTAR F:8 is an exceptionally fine all around photo- engraving and general purpose lens. See your dealer or write to us direct. C. p. Goerz American Optical Co. 317 G East Thirty-fourth Street New York City GOLD MEDAL CRAYONS Highest Award for Crayons and Chalks MEDAL OF HONOR Panama-Pacific International Exposition San Francisco 1915 "SPECTRA" PASTEL CRAYON EIGHT COLORS Binney & Smith Co. , New York London - Paris - Hamburs- Ly We are pleased to announce this additional award which is higher than a Gold Medal. Samples of our Superior Crayons and Chalks together with colorchartswijlbe senton request BINNEY & SMITH CO. Makers of the Gold Medal Crayons 81-82 Fulton St., New York, N. Y. LONDON PARIS HAMBURG The Nature Study Review The One Journal Wholly Devoted to Practical Nature-Study Over 400 pages each year of typical les- sons, garden work, bird study, elemen- tary science, and suggestions worth many times the price. It will keep you in touch with the worth-while work of your fellow teach- ers in all parts of the country. I2th Year. Growing better each year. Special Features this School Year. Beginning in the September, 1916 num- ber, Mrs. Anna Botsford Comstock will contribute Nature Study work for 2nd and 5th Grades each month. Professor Liberty Hyde Bailey will have an article each month. Many other well known teachers will contribute. $1.00 per year (Nine Issues) 15c per copy Add for Canadian Postage loc. Foreign Postage 20c. With "Guide to Nature" one year $1.50. ORDER NOW Send Stamps, Money Order or Check Direct to THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW Ithaca, New York XIV THE GUIDE TO NATURE LECTURES BY EDWARD F. BIGELOW University of Virginia Summer School. Professor Charles G. Maphis, Direc- tor, University, Virginia. I write this hasty note to tell you again of my hearty appreciation of the excellent series of lectures which you delivered before the Summer School. They were interesting, instructive and entertaining and met with a hearty ap- l)roval on the part of those in atten- dance. Your work as a whole was en- tirely satisfactory and you left behind 3^ou many new friends. I trust that circumstances will be such that we can have you with us again next session. Theodore T. Martin, Superintendent of Hendricks County Schools, Danville, Indiana. Dr. Edward F. Bigelow of ArcAdiA : Sound Beach, Connecticut, did a suc- cessful week's work in the Hendricks County Teacher's Institute this year. He lectured on Nature Study and So- cial Problems. In his work on Nature Study he created a desire among the teachers to study nature in nature's way. His lectures on "Patriotism and Religion" and "Sissies and Tomboys" were the strongest lectures that I have ever heard on these problems. He is a forceful speaker, a congenial worker, and a good man. The Twenty-second Institute. Over 800 Teachers in Washington County : L. R. Crumrine, County Superintendent Washington County, Pennsylvania. I am very much pleased with the re- sult of your work in our Institute. Your thorough mastery of your sub- ject and the forcible manner of expres- sion make your lectures an inspiration to all teachers. We hope to have you again. Lee Mullen, Superintendent Perry County Public Schools,' Cannelton, Indiana. Dr. Edward F. Bigelow of Sound Beach, Connecticut, was one of the in- structors in our county Institute this year. His work was not only practical but inspirational. The teachers and public were well ])leased with his work. C. S. Ryan, Executive Committee Clark County (Ohio) Teachers' Institute. As the teachers of Clark County were unanimous in praise of their In- stitute this year, I wish to speak a word in commendation of your work as Instructor. W"e have had no In- structor for many years who gave more general satisfaction. Your clear, strong voice, your pleasing manner and your earnestness of expression carried con- viction to every listener. You did nothing which was not worth while. Through the strength of your personality, the sincerity of your purpose, and the simplicity with which you imparted your messages, you left an impression not soon to be forgotten. Your instruction along Nature's lines was of infinite value to our teachers and will be the means of stimulating them to much greater efl:'ort in such study. J. H. Craig, Superintendent, Ashtabula County Public Schools, Ashtabula, Ohio. Dr. Edward F. Bigelow was one of the instructors at the Ashtabula County Teachers' Instittite last August (1914). His work was very satisfactory. He has a strong personality, and this ad- ded to a unique and interesting method of expression made his lectures "take" much better than do the tisual institute lectures. His lectures abound in hu- mor, but they seldom miss the mark. The teachers all felt an uplift and an inspiration from his presence among them. Fred J. Bierce, Irvington, New York. Your lecture here gave entire satis- faction. You held the closest atten- tion of your audience for an hour and a quarter. Many of your hearers have expressed to me personally their ap- preciation of your lecture. If ^^ou spend in the open a part of each da3^ If will sweeten and freshen the whole of your way. ■ — Emma Peirce. PUBLISHED BY. THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION ArcAdiA: sound beach, CONNECTICUT EDWARD F. BIGELOW, Managing Editor Subscription, $1.00 a Year. Single Copy, 10 Cents GREENWICH THE EDITION DE LUXE OF CO.NNECTICUT TOWNS GREENWICH Long Distance Banking You do not have to be a resident of Greenwich to open account with this Company. A great many of our depositors transact all their banking by mail. We are prepared to collect items all over the world free of charge, and should like the chance to talk over "long distance banking" with you. The Greenwich Trust Co. ESTABLISHED 1887 GREENWICH, CONN. GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT has good transportation facilities to New York. You can buy or rent to good advantage and enjoy living by the water or among the hills to the utmost satisfaction. I have for Sale Elegant Country Estates, Shore and Inland Residences, Farms, Acreage, Cottages and Building Sites. Also a number of selected Furnished Residences and Cottages to Rent in all locations. Would be pleased to have you call or write. Laurence Timmons Tel. 456 Opp. Depot Greenwich, Conn BEST NURSERY STOCK EVER GROWN Evergreens Fruit and Ornamental Trees Flowering Shrubs Hedge Plants Vines Roses Hardy Perennials ^ ^ .^ Preparing of Plans Laying Out of Grounds Grading -:- -:- Road Building • Tree Work -:- -:- GREENWICH NURSERIES DEHN & BERTOLF, Props. LANDSCAPE GARDENERS AND NURSERYMEN GREENWICH, CONN. THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. V THE STAMFORD LUMBER CO. LUMBER Sash. Doors, Blinds and Window-Frames WHOLESALE AND RETAIL OFFICE AND YARD. 297 PACIFIC STREET. STAMFORD. CONN. A SMART BLOUSE , o = i \ \ \ Figure 3. Observations of Mira. The dots show the observed brightness and the line drawn through them is the "Light Curve." est faintness, at A, to its greatest brightness, at B, in about thirty days. During the next forty days it dimin- ished but little in brightness, to C, while to completely fade to the faint- ness D required no less than eighty days more. The suddenness of the rise in brightness is very remarkable, but this is a characteristic of all long-per- iod variable stars. The Planets in December. Mercury reaches its greatest distance east of the sun on January 3, and there- fore may perhaps be detected during the last few days of December, shin- ing far to the south in the sunset glow for a short time after sunset. It is, however, far below the celestial equa- tor, and therefore in an unusually un- favorable position for observation. Venus is still brilliant in the morn- ing sky, rising in the southeast two and one-half hours before sunrise on De- cember I, which time is diminished to but two hours by December 31. This planet is also far below the celestial equator, and is therefore always low in the sky. ' Throughout the month Mars sets very far toward the south, only an hour after sunset ; it is therefore in a very unfavorable position for satisfac- tory observation. On December 22 Mercury will pass to the east of this planet, and the two may be seen in the same field in a small telescope, Mercury being at this time i degree 10 minutes to the north of Mars. Jupiter and Saturn will readily be found with the help of Figure i. In- teresting phenomena of Jupiter's moons will occur on December 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, iHW YOU WF^MT TO Krsow. fc/i , Conn. Does This Look Like a Dog? This potato, kindly sent to us by Mrs, James W. Brice of Sound Beach, has by some been fancied to look like a dog. But it is only an unusual growth of the tuber. Who can suggest a rea- sonal)le explanation? I remember that WHAT ANIMAL IS THIS? a few years ago I sent a curious. finger- like growth of sweet corn to the Pro- fessor of Horticulture at the Connecti- cut Agricultural College. He replied to my request for an explanation of such growths in words of weighty wis- dom that frequently recur to me. He said, "I cannot explain why it is that the sweet corn grew in this hand-like formation. My studies have not pro- gressed thus far. I have not yet learned whv it grows in the usual form." The Opening of the Chestnut Burr. BY H. W. WEISGERRER, SALEM, OHIO. I have often jokingly remarked that I can photograph an ordinary stump and get a more artistic picture than many amateurs can obtain by "shooting" at the finest subject. This picture, "The Opening of a Chestnut Burr," proves the assertion. It has been admired by all who have seen it, even by my sever- est critic, a professional photographer. The whole picture is "chestnut." The burrs no doubt were cut down by a red squirrel and placed on the chest- nut stump, while the background is a chestnut tree from which the burrs with the nuts probably came. The picture has plenty of contrast, yet it is not overburdened by high light and deep shadow. There is also as much detail as one could wish for in so commonplace a subject. Out of the large number of people of our cities who eat their share of these delicious nuts, there must be many thousands who have never seen the burrs nor have had the painful ex- perience of handling the "prickly" things. The surprising part to me is IIK OPENING OF A CHESTNUT BURR. THE FUN OF SEEING THINGS 223 that the little squirrels manage them. They evidently handle them but how they do it and not get their paws full of "needles" is more than 1 can under- stand. Goose Flower. I5V H. E. ZIMMERMAN, MT. MOKRIS, lU.. This plant is a native of Guatemala, antl is a climber. The large goose-like flowers emit an obnoxious oclor which at- tracts numerous carrion flies. These enter essary to their habits of life. At other times it is of minor importance and the animal can and does get along well enough without it. Very often it is mainly ornamental. In the cat the tail is used to balance the body in leaping and help it to alight in the right position. It is not very necessary for this purpose, as the Manx cats manage very well without any. But they always look awkward, and I think thev reallv are somewhat clumsy YOU MAY WELL CALL THIS PLANT "A GOOSE." throu-^h the dark purple opening and con- tinue their course up the interior of the goose-neck to small window-like open- ings. While encirclinig these openings the flower is pollinated. These flies very rarely find the exit, so perish within the flower. What's the Use of the Cat's Tail? Alliance, Ohio. To the Editor : T come in contact with some students and we have raised the cjuestion of the function of the cat's tail — or the tail of any animal for that matter. We are unable to get any light on it from any source. Can you furnish any informa- tion through The Guide to Nature? Fraternally, William Wallace Burton. The tail in different animals serves quite different purposes Sometimes these purposes are important and nec- by comparison. Without the tail there would be more tendency for the ani- mal to get turned around in the air, and land sideways instead of head for- ward. The tail serves somewhat the same purpose as the tail of a kite. You can see this much better in a squir- rel in which the tail is bigger and fluf- fier and is a very useful aft'air in leap- ing from bough to bough. I suspect though that a tail in a cat is more or- namental than useful. A fox has a big fluft'y tail too, but he cannot have much use for it. Probably it is mostly or- namental in his case. In monkeys the tail is used for bal- ance in leaping, and in many kinds it is also prehensile and serves as a sort of fifth leg, helping them in swinging from branch to branch. In the large hoofed animals the tail is useful chiefly as a fly-flapper. They are stiff jointed and compactly built so that they could not reach insects on 224 THE GUIDE TO NATURE some parts of their bodies except with the tail. The lion I believe uses his tail for the same purpose. Aquatic animals use the tail in swim- ming, and here it serves a very import- ant function. If they have not any — as the seals — • then they must adapt their hind feet to serve the same pur- pose, working them around until they lie almost in the position of a tail. A beaver uses his tail not only in swim- ming but also to carry loads of mud. Kangaroos use the tail as a balance weight in leaping. Here it is heavy enough to balance partly the weight of the body in front of the hind legs. Lizards, when they run on the hind legs, do the same thing, as you can see from photographs of the Australian frilled lizard, etc. A crocodile uses his tail for swim- ming, and also to strike at his prey. Snakes and other legless animals use it to help them writhe along on the ground. I don't know of any particu- lar usefulness in a tortoise's tail, but it is probably some help to the turtles in swimming. Broadly speaking, a tail is an organ that was very necessary and important for the aquatic and amphibious ances- tors from which the higher animals are descended. When they took to terres- trial life and to walking on all fours, the tail became more or less superflu- ous. It tended to dwindle away, and finally to disappear unless it could be made useful for one or another minor purpose. In this case the remains of the tail were adapted for these uses, and very often it is modified into art appendage chiefly ornamental. — W. D. Matthew, American Museum of Natur- al History, New York City. A Catalogue of Uses, The function of a tail, or any other structure, may be determined by a study of the use to which it is put. A cat uses the tail as a balancer in walk- ing on a narrow branch, as a means of increasing its apparent size when in danger of attack, as an emotional out- let in excitement, and in many other ways. Thus the function of a cat's tail is complex. — Professor H. H. New- man, Chicago University. Because It Can't Help It. I don't suppose a cat has a tail in order that the tail may perform a cer- tain function. The cat has a tail be- cause it can't help it. Having a tail, it flourishes it about in accordance with its nervous connection. — Chas. B. Da- venport, Cold Snring Harbor, Long Is- land, New York. The Tail End a Big Subject. Greenwich, Conn. To the Editor : In reply of yours of November 8th ; it would take eleven large volumes to discuss the functions of a quadruped's tail. It is commonly believed that the original ancestor of quadrupeds was aquatic and used its tail for a sculling oar ; but, since then, it has taken count- less, difl^erent, additional forms. In the girafife and the elephant as a fly- flapper ; in the South American mon- keys as a fifth hand ; in the alligator as a flail ; in the skunk as a warning to enemies, the same in the rattlesnake. In the flying squirrel as a helm for volplaning ; in the gray squirrel as a parachute to break a dangerous fall ; in the whitetail deer as a signal to the young ones. In the pocupines as a dangerous weapon of ofifense ; in the fox as a muffler for the feet in cold weather; in the cat its service is not very obvious, but it seems to be used as a directive mark when signalling one of its kind from behind, this is achieved partly by the color pattern and partly by the nervous twist of the tip. These are only a few of the uses which occur to me and each illustrates another development of the tail. I would add that in the beaver it is used as a plunging paddle in diving, as well as a signal sounder. Yours very truly, Ernest Thompson Seton, Redwood poles on the Hanford line of the San Joaquin Light and Power Company in Southern California re- cently had to be replaced because of the activity of the birds in using them as a storehouse for winter food. One pole in particular had been in service 17 years and was filled with hundreds of acorns which birds had deposited there. THE FUN OF SEEING THINGS 225 Squirrel Fences High in the South. I recently met a man in Maine who said that he had traveled from Texas and had seen the corn run backward into the ground In a southern trip this spring I saw the corn rapidly growing taller. When I left Connecticut it was just coming up through the ground ; been reported from Connecticut. Dr. A. J. Savage, Colorado Springs, Colo- rado, has sent a quantity, culling the best from all he could find in a potato patch, and none that he sent us has developed. They are very vestigial. He says: "It may interest you to learn that DID YOU EVER SEE A "SQUIRREL" FENCE WITH MORE RAILS THAN THIS? when I arrived in Tennessee it was about three feet high. But imagine my surprise when I saw the rail fences grow higher the further south I went. But I hasten to state that I believe the climate has nothing to do with it. It is, however, a fact that in the north squirrel fences are made of large rails and usually not more than six or seven rails in height. But in Chatta- nooga, at a country home, I saw a fence twenty-three rails high. I am indebted to my host in Chattanooga, Mr. Robert S. Walker, for the accompanying pho- tograph. Potato Balls are Disappearing. Notwithstanding the occasional claim from some part of the country, potato balls are disappearing. From a number of packages received here every one is vestigial except a few that were sent to us from Maine by the United States government. None have since I sent you the first package I had another conversation with my Swedish friend, Mr. Olaf Johnson, who inform- ed me that he has resided for thirty- three years in the United States — twenty-five years in Kansas, the rest in Colorado — all the time on farms, and that this is the first season in which he has observed a potato ball in the United States. It is quite different in Sweden though. No wonder the na- tive-born citizens of the United States often do not know what they are." Acacias. Cascades of golden sunshine, Are lighting all the way; To soul and sense a feast they give, And brilliance to the day. — Emma Peirce. Editor : "Do you know how to run a newspaper?" Applicant: "No, sir." Editor: "Well, I'll try vou. I guess, you have had experience." — Puck. 220 THE GUIDE TO NATURE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION ^x^^^ck« eidi The newr gas-filled Mazda lamp gives an illuminating equipment superior to the old style arc lamp, but using less cur- rent. The entire instrument is simple enough for a child to oper- ate. Prices range from $20 up. Write for booklets about the Balopticon — also price lists. Bausch ^ Ipmb Qp^ical (o. 000 St. Paul Street, Rochester, N. Y. New York Washington Chicago San Francisro Leading American Afakrrs of High Cralc Oriical Products The eighteenth volume of Bird-Lore begins February 1, 1916. Volume I contained 206 pages and no colored plates ; Volume XVll contained 560 pages and eleven colored plates. The magazine has grown, but the price remains the same. Annual subscription $1.00 D. APPLETON & CO. 29 West 32d St. l\cw York City LANTERN SLIDES and PHOTOGRAPHS of NATURE SUBJECTS ABOUT 3000 NEGATIVES of Birds, Nests, Mammals, Reptiles, Insects, Flowers, Etc. Lists and Prices of Slides and Prints, Plain or in Colors, Sent upon Application. L. W. BROWNELL 210 Market St. Paterson, N. J. THE GUIDE TO NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. XIII Rented to the Wrens $5— for this "4-Room' Dodson Wren House Uiilt of oak; roof of cypress with ojiper copiny:. II;my:s from a limb. The bird -lovers' best Cliristmas Gift. Brings the Birds A tiiET house like this will brinfr one or two tain lies of wrenF to live with you next summer — cheerful, friendly, musical bird tenants that pay rent by contributing to the general joy of living. Made by the Man the Birds Love Mr. Doilson. a director of the Amoricnn Audubon As^^o- oiatioii. Ills silent 22 .vears lenriiiiifi h.nv tii luiihl liirtl liiuises tliat nttriict tlie Ijii'ls. Wrens, Iilue-liirds, martins, eiK-h niii>t. li.n.- its cuvn e-iiecial st^l(> li.uise. The ritzht kind— the Dodson Kind -brings: liaik the l>ird families jeur after year. Tlieir perlectiou has been a labor of love. If ,vou want the birds next summer, get .\our houses now and set them up to "weather." The birds like them better. The Ideal Christmas Gift A Dodson Hird Hiuise is nn inexpensive fiift, most ap- preciated li.v nature loviui; friends. Cost from $1.5U to $12. The wren house illustrated can be enjo.ved by every one who has a tree to hans? it otk Fntire collection described in cataloK, with prices. Includes bird baths, winter feed- ing devices, etc. All are patented. The illustrated Dodson book tells how to attract native it we send, also free, a beau- 'Nature Neighbors," worthy Bird Book Free- birds to your earden. With tifiil picture, in color, from ' of framing. Write to JOSEPH H. DODSON 703 Harrison Avenue Kankakee, III. (6) The Up-to-Date Photographer Should Use a COC(?Z LENS lyjO better all around anastigmat lens * ^ was ever produced than the fam- ous GOERZ DAGOR F:6.8.— F:;.?. For studio, group and general utility work the well-known GOERZ CELOR F:4.5- F:5.5 has an enviable reputation. For the photographer who desires a GOERZ LENS of true GOERZ QUALITY at a moderate price the GOERZ SYNTOR F:6.8 meets every requirement. The GOERZ PORTRAIT HYPAR ¥-.3.5— F:4.5 enables the portraitist to express his highest art unhampered by the usual limitations of speed and delicate model- ing. The new GOERZ ROTAR F:8 is an exceptionally fine all around photo- engraving and general purpose lens. See your dealer or write to us direct. C. p. Goerz American Optical Co. 317 G East Thirty-fourth Street New York City GOLD MEDAL CRAYONS HiKliist .Award for Crayons and Chalks MEDAL OF HONOR Panania-Pacitic International Exposition San Francisco 1915 "SPECTRA" PASTEL CRAYON EIGHT COLORS MAOE av Binney& Smith Co. , Hew York London - Paris - Hamburw- y We are pleased to announce this additional award which is higher than a Gold Medal. Samples of our Superior Crayons and Chalks together with colorchartswillbe senton request BINNEY & SMITH CO. Makers of the Gold Medal Crasons 81-82 Fulton St., New York, N. Y. LONDON PARIS HAIVIBURG The Nature Study Review The One Journal Wholly Devoted to Practical Nature-Study Over 400 pages each year of typical les- sons, garden work, bird study, elemen- tary science, and suggestions worth many times the price. It will keep you in touch with the worth-while work of your fellow teach- ers in all parts of the country. i2th Year. Growing better each year. Special Features this School Year. Beginning in the September, 1916 num- ber, Mrs. Anna Botsford Comstock will contribute Nature Study work for 2nd and 5th Grades each month. Professor Liberty Hyde Bailey will have an article each month. Many other well known teachers will contribute. $1.00 per year (Nine Issues) 15c per copy Add for Canadian Postage loc. Foreign Postage 20c. With "Guide to Nature" one year $1.50. ORDER NOW Send Stamps, Money Order or Check Direct to THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW Ithaca, New York XIV THE GUIDE TO NATURE Meehan's Mallow Marvels Not merely Mallows, — but Mallow Marvels. :Marvels in shape — beauti- ful cup shape ; Marvels in size — flowers 7 to 10 inches in diameter ; Alarvels in color— White, Pink and Red; Marvels in grace — attractive foliage and growth ; ?^Iarvels in blooming period — July to September ; Marvels in hardi- ness— live outside all the year round. Fall is an Excellent Season to Plant 2 year each per 10 American Beauty Pink Pink 50 4.00 White 50 4.00 Red 75 6.00 Not labeled Mixed Colors 35 3-00 4 year each 2.00 •75 1. 00 I. GO THOMAS MEEHAN & SONS, 6766 CHEW STREET GERMANTOWN, PHILADELPHIA, PA. Paralyzingly Bland! We have a new slogan, and for it are indebted to two young women whose in- terest in nature we hope ArcAdiA may sometime stimulate into something greater and better than chewing gum. But even with their slight interest in na- ture, as manifested by a visit through the premises with an attendant, we are in- debted to them for an extremely good, though paralyzing bland, statement. We have three or four specimens of the tallest Turk's-cap lillies that any one has ever seen, so far as we have been able to ascertain. They are more than eight feet in height, and we have expected every visitor to go into ecstacies over such unusual growths, but the aforesaid young women gazed rather indifl^erently at these towering specimens, and one of them paused in her diligent gum chewing and nonchalently said : "Kinder beautiful, ain't it? Why don't cher have a lot of 'em ?" The attendant was resuscitated by a lib- eral supply of cold water and stimulants, but the fun that these young women have provided for the regular workers at ArcAdiA is more than they realize and worth all it cost. Everything that occurs nowadays and is extremely good or un- usual is "Kinder beautiful, ain't it? Why don't cher have a lot of 'em?" If ever I go to Washington and my guide points out a tall and graceful monu- ment I shall be ready for him : "Kinder beautiful, ain't it? Why don't cher have a lot of 'em?" I hope sometimes that I may climb to the top of Pike's Peak. If ever I do, I am ready for the situation. I shall wave my hat and shout to the thirty-two points of the compass, "Kinder beautiful, ain't it? Why don't cher have a lot of 'em?" Recently I was staying at a hotel in a distant city. In the ofitice I saw a man with some traveling show, who was in- deed the tallest man I have ever seen. He was several inches more than eis^ht feet in heis^ht. I was glad to respond to the introduction, and I cordially pressed both his hands, shaking them heartily and exclaiming: "Kinder beautiful, ain't it? Why didn't vour mother have a lot of 'em?" ♦.v. i