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LIBRARY  OF  MARINE  BIOLOGICAL  LABORATORY 


WOODS     HOLE,    MASS. 


Loaned  by  American  Museum  of  Natural  History 


GREENWICH 


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THE    EDITION    DE  LUXE 

OF  CONNECTICUT  TOWNS 


Silo 


GREENWICH 


HI 


A  Sure  g  Easy  Saving  Club 

That  Provides  Money  in  Life 

and  Additional  Money 

in  Event  of  Death 


LET    US    TELL    YOU    ABOUT    IT 


ioo-Payment  Savings  Club 

that  pays  back  every  cent  of  the 
money  you  pay  in,  and  additional 
money  to  your  family  in  case  of 
death. 

No  charge  for  this  additional  pro- 
tection which  is  guaranteed  by 

The  Travelers  Insurance  Company 
Hartford,  Conn. 

No    medical    examination    necessary. 
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GREENWICH,  CONN. 


GREENWICH,  CONNECT  < 

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,  Cottage*  and 
Building  Sites.  Also  a  number  of  selected 
Furnished  Residences  and  Cottages  to  Rent 
tn    all   locations. 

Would  be  pleased  to  have  you  call  or  write. 

Laurence  Timmons 

Tel.  456        Opp.  Depot       Greenwich,  Conn 


Is  Bl 


3Ssa 


Potatoes  and  Seeds  Almost  Given  Away 


f?   SI 


To  Introduce 


Headquarters 
Stock 


A  Money- 
Maker 


n?  si 


I  will  send  seed  for  Ten  Big 
Hills  Genuine  Early  Six 
Weeks  Potatoes,  Earliest 
and  Best  Potato  in  the  world 
— enormously  productive 
and  best  keeper.  Also  10 
Varieties  best  butter  and 
head  Lettuce  (1700  seeds),  5  Varieties  best  Pop  Corn — red,  white,  blue, 
rice  and  gold,  splendid  for  children  and  chickens.  Monster  Flower  Col- 
lection, 300  Varieties,  and  a  splendid  Seed  Novelty.  ALL  safely  boxed 
and  mailed  postpaid  for  Two  Dimes,  or  24c  in  stamps. 

^All  the  seeds  and  30  Hills  Potatoes  for  50  cts.  Seeds  and  70  Hills 
$1.00.  More  at  same  rate  Now  is  the  time  to  plant.  Order  today,  and 
tell  your  friends.    Address, 


L35EJ 


A.  G.  COOK 


(Potato  Specialist) 


HYDE  PARK,  N.  Y. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. 


THE  STAMFORD  LUMBER  CO. 

LUMBER 

Sash.  Doors,  Blinds  and  Window-Fram 

WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL 
OFFICE   AND   YARD,    297   PACIFIC   STREET. 
STAMFORD.  CONN. 


FASHIONS  OF  TO-DAY 


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All  the  double-breasted  effects  are  smart 
for  girls  dresses  just  now.  This  one  is  pretty 
for  taffeta  and  for  serge  and  for  challis  and  ma- 
terials of  such  sort,  and  it  is  also  just  as  de- 
sirable for  linen  and  for  washable  fabrics. 
Here,  it  is  made  of  pongee  with  trimming  of 
soutache  braid.  Linen  or  pique,  or  other  ma- 
terial of  such  sort  would  be  smart  with  trim- 
ming of  soutache  or  with  a  little  embroidery 
on  the  collar  and  sleeves  while  the  skirt  por- 
tion is  plain,  if  a  simple  effect  is  wanted. 

The  May  Manton  pattern  No.  9369  is  cut  in 
sizes  from  10  to  14  years.  The  braiding  design 
848  gives  three  yards.  They  will  be  mailed  to 
any  address  by  the  Fashion  Department  of  this 
magazine,  on  receipt  of  fifteen  cents  for  the 
dress,  ten  cents  for  the  braiding  design. 


Try 


for 

That  Spring  Suit 

Cleaning,  Repairing  and  Pressing  a 
Specialty 

Straw  Hats 

Best  Hat  Values  Obtainable  in  the 
Celebrated  C  &  K 

Line  of  Derby  and  Soft  Hats 

Fine   Line  of  Shirts,  Ties,   Collars, 

Cuffs,  Gloves,  etc. 

196  Atlantic  St. 

Stamford  Connecticut 


BORG  BROTHERS 

Chemical   and   Analytical   Laboratories 

for  Special  Research  Work 

539  MAIN  ST. 

STAMFORD        :-:        CONNECTICUT 


Telephone,  270 
271 


Uptown  Office:  STARK  BROS. 

40    PARK    ROW 


CHAS.  F.  WATERBURY 
David    Waterbury     &    Son 

COAL  DRAIN    PTPE  WOOD 

Crushed.  Stone  for  Walks  and   Drives 

YARDS:     Canal  Pock.  STAMFORD,  CONN. 


,i&. 


Hi 


Senator  McLean  Presents  a  Flag  to 
ArcAdiA. 

A  magnificent  flag  sixteen  feet  in 
length  has  been  presented  to  The  Agas- 
siz  Association  by  Senator  George  P. 
McLean.  He  writes  that  he  searched 
all  the  principal  supply  houses  in 
Washington  to  find  one  that  he  consid- 
ered fitting  for  ArcAdiA.  There  were 
plenty  of  cotton  flags  but  the  Senator 
was  determined  on  something  better. 
Therefore  in  the  early  part  of  April 
he  gave  an  order  to  one  of  the  best 
flag  makers  in  Washington  for  a  spec- 
ial flag  from  the  best  grade  of  wool 
bunting.  In  the  demand  for  flags  it 
was  a  month  before  the  makers  could 
deliver  it. 

The  flag  will  be  greatly  appreciated 
not  only  for  its  intrinsic  beauty  and 
high  grade  quality  but  for  the  fact  that 
it  is  especially  emblematic  in  its  pre- 
sensation  in  the  present  patriotic  crisis 
by  a  bird  loving  and  bird  protecting 
Member  of  The  Agassiz  Association  in 
the  United  States  Senate. 


in  Japan  and  were  adapted  in  every  re- 
spect to  his  suggestions.  The  electri- 
cal effects  of  the  torii  will  be  done  by 
Fairbanks  of  Stamford.  The  construc- 
tion is  by  Mr.  Stephen  I.  Clason  of 
Sound  Beach. 


A  Spruce  Edward  F.  Bigelow. 

The  pupils  of  the  Meriden  High 
School  at  their  somewhat  elaborate 
Arbor  Day  exercises  this  year  planted 
a  fine  Norway  spruce  which  was  named 
the  "Edward  F.  Bigelow"  tree.  The 
naturalist  says  he  is  glad  to  know  that 
he  is  growing  evergreen  at  least  in 
Meriden. 


Artistic  and  Novel  Work  in  Sign 
Painting. 

Mr.  Earle  Munson  of  Stamford  has 
produced  a  rather  remarkable  piece  of 
sign  painting.  At  any  rate  it  is  remark- 
able for  this  country.  This  is  a  large 
sign  in  red  background  and  black  let- 
ter-, with  gilt  borders  for  both  the 
letters  and  the  entire  sign,  showing  the 
Japanese  characters  for  "Little  Japan" 
or,  as  the  Japanese  pronounce  it,  "Sho 
Nippon." 

The  original  letter  was  made  in 
Japan  by  one  of  the  most  skilled  Japan- 
ese writers  and  forwarded  to  Sound 
Beach  by  a  Member  of  The  Agassiz 
Association.  The  sign  is  the  central 
panel  of  a  beautiful  Japanese  torii,  the 
plans  of  which  were  drawn  under  su- 
pervision of  Mr.  Earle  of  A.  A.  Van- 
tine  &  Company  of  New  York.  They 
were  also  submitted  to  the  AA  Member 


Appreciation    from   Waterside    School. 

We  especially  appreciate  the  contri- 
bution of  five  dollars  to  the  work  of 
ArcAdiA  that  has  come  to  us  from  the 
Waterside  School  of  Stamford,  together 
with  a  number  of  appreciative  letters 
from  the  pupils,  telling  of  their  interest 
in  nature  and  especially  in  gardening. 
The  editor  of  this  magazine  recently 
gave  a  short  talk  in  the  assembly  hall 
of  that  school  and  the  letters  from  the 
young  folks  are  so  cordial  and  so  eulo- 
gistic as  to  be  extremely  cheering  and 
encouraging.  The  following  is  a  sam- 
ple of  these  good  words : 

Waterside  School. 
My  dear  Doctor  Bigelow: 

We  enjoyed  your  interesting  talk  the 
other  day  in  the  assembly  hall.  Many 
speakers  have  come  to  our  hall  and 
made  speeches  but  I  think  yours  was 
the  best.  Many  of  the  other  speakers 
spoke  very  well,  but  their  speeches 
were  not  as  exciting  as  yours.  It  made 
me  so  interested  that  I  could  not  take 
my  mind  off  it,  and  was  thinking  of  it 
all  day.  It  was  so  thrilling  I  could 
hardly  wait  for  the  next  thing  to  come. 
Every  time  I  hear  Mr.  O'Neil  say. 
"Doctor  Bigelow  will  be  here  to  speak 
to-morrow,"  I  know  it  is  going  to  be 
interesting. 


ARCADIA 


VII 


The  pupils,  teachers  and  principal  of 
the  school  wish  to  contribute  five  dol- 
lars to  help  you  in  your  good  work  in 
ArcAdiA. 

Sincerely  yours, 

Frank  Seemar. 


Motion  Pictures  of  ArcAdiA  at  Colon- 
ial Theatre,  Stamford. 

Motion  pictures,  supplied  by  the  Uni- 
versal Screen  Magazine,  of  the  work  of 
the  honeybees  at  ArcAdiA  are  now  be- 
ing shown  afternoon  and  evening  at 
the  Colonial  Theatre,  Stamford.  A 
part    of   these    pictures    is    devoted    to 


demonstrations  in  handling  bees  with- 
out glove  or  veil.  The  second  section 
shows  how  to  care  for  bees  within  the 
hive  and  how  to  take  out  the  surplus 
honey  from  the  hive.  The  third  is  a 
little  bit  of  garden  drama  showing  how 
refreshments  with  honey  as  the  princi- 
pal feature  may  be  served  to  a  caller. 
The  cast  of  characters  is  as  follows : 
Dr.  Edward  F.  Bigelow,  Miss  Pearl  A. 
Bigelow,  Miss  Nettie  F.  Bradt,  Mi>s 
Mary  Babula,  Mr.  Alfred  Stokes,  Sec- 
retary of  the  Stamford  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and 
Scout  Masters  from  Columbia  Univer- 
sity, New  York  City. 


To  Members  and  Friends  of  The  Agassiz  Association: 

Over  a  week  ago  we  suspended  work  for  the  summer  on  the  construction  of  Little 
Japan.  There  now  remain  to  be  installed  this  spring  a  part  of  the  electric  lighting  and 
some  of  the  furnishings.  We  have  been  compelled  by  innumerable  requests  for  use  to 
complete  at  this  unfavorable  time  enough  of  the  development  to  make  it  available  for 
this  season.  We  believe  that  everywhere  possible  work  should  be  suspended  in  favor 
of  gardening  and  other  phases  of  the  food  and  war  problems.  We  hope  that  after  the 
autumn  harvest  Little  Japan  may  be  completed.     The  total  cost  will  be  about  $2,000. 

Even  the  present  assignments  include  parties  from  Stamford,  Sound  Beach,  Green- 
wich, Darien,  New  York,  Tarrytown-on-Hudson,  Staten  Island.  The  workers  at 
ArrAdiA  gladly  give  their  services,  but  it  is  necessary  to  request  members  and  friends 
to  give  the  construction. 

Contributions  received   $478.50 

Bills  paid    459-74 

Cash  on  hand    18.76 

Pledges  unpaid  20.00 

Bills  to  be  paid 121.89 

IMMEDIATELY  NEEDED    83.13 

Needed  to  complete  the  work,  approximately,  $1,400. 

Time  and  again  this  exclamation  is  heard:  "Great  work!  But  how  do  you  find  time 
for  it  all?" 

This  is  the  secret.  We  have  all  the  time  in  the  world  and  know  how  to  use  it. 
Rockefeller  and  Carnegie  have  no  more.  But  even  if  we  had  less,  no  one  could  give  us 
one  second.     It's  different  as  to  money! 

Respectfully  and  faithfully  submitted, 

THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION,  Inc., 

Edward  F.  Bigelow, 

President. 
ArcAdiA:  Sound  Beach,  Connecticut. 

1  The  Best  Scientific  Work  is  Done  in  Ihe  1 

Small  Laboratory  with  Local  Support 

(From  an   Editorial   in   "The  Popular  Science  Monthly.") 

"The  most  desirable  institutions  for  scientific  work  would  prob- 
ably be  comparatively  small  laboratories  conducted  by  the  scien- 
tific men  who  work  in  them It  would  be 

well  if  such  institutions  were  endowed  by  the  rich,  still  better  if 
they  were  supported  by  a  state  or  community." 


VIII 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 

Established  49  Years 

ATLANTIC  SQUARE  :         :         :         :         STAMFORD,  CONN. 

JUNE_The  Month  of  Roses 

THE  TIME  WHEN  MANY  ARE  CONCERNED  ABOUT  THE  APPROACHING 

WEDDINGS  AND  GRADUATIONS 

It  is  a  season  when  a  store  can  render  its  greatest  service,  not  only  by  having  a  broad  and  diversified 
assemblage  of  merchandise  which  meets  every  requirement  so  far  as  timeliness  is  concerned;  but  to  render 
a  personal   service   in    the  matter   of  assisting   in    its   selection    and   offering  valuable   suggestions. 

This  store  rises  to  the  occasion  and  announces  its  willingness  to  render  such  a  service  to  those  who 
have  perplexing  problems  to  solve  as   to  what   to  buy   for   the  bride,    graduate   or   for   one's   self. 

BRING  YOUR  BUYING  PROBLEMS  TO  A  STORE  OF  SERVICE— QUALITY— SATISFACTION. 


THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 


ATLANTIC  SQUARE 


STAMFORD,  CONN. 


Established   1853 

THEGETMAN&JUDD  CO. 

Lumber  and  Timber  of  all  Kinds 

SPECIALTY:  High-Grade  HARDWOOD  FLOORING 

thoroughly  Kiln  Dried  and  stored  in  Steam  heated  build- 
ing until  delivered  to  our  customers.  Our  steadily  in- 
creasing trade  in  this  specialty  proves  the  fact  that 
the  country  home  is  not  complete  until  fitted  out  with 
this  beautiful  and  sanitary  furnishing.  Old  residences 
may  be  greatly  improved  by  laying  thin  floors  over  the 
old   ones. 

CANAL  DOCKS,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 
Telephone  2180. 


Homes  Near  to  Nature 

Should  be  so  constructed  as  to  give  lasting  satisfaction. 
Our  method  of  manufacturing  dependable  Interior  and 
Exterior  house  trim  from  thoroughly  kiln  dried  material 
by  skilled  mechanics  insures  such  satisfaction. 

THE  ST.  JOHN  WOOD  WORKING  CO. 

Canal   Docks,   Stamford    Conn. 

Telephone    781 

DIRECTORS 
WALTON     FERGUSON,     Pres.         W.  W.  HEROY, 

W.  D.  DASKAM,  Vice  Pres  Dr.  F.  H.  GETMAN 

W.   H.  JUDD,  Sec.  and  Treas.  F.  W.  BOGARDUS. 

J.  G.  VVIGG,  General  Manager. 


The  LOCKWOOD  &  PALMER  Co, 


Wholesale  and  Retail 
Dealers  in 

HARDWARE 

AGRICULTURAL 
IMPLEMENTS 

House  Furnishings,  Etc. 


TOOLS 

Ail  Kinds 


92    PARK    PLACE 

(Cor.  Summer  Street) 

STAMFORD     -       CONN. 

TELEPHONE    CONNECTIONS 


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. 


V 


olume 


X 


JUNE,     1917 


Number  1 


In  the  June  Woods. 

BY   WILLIAM    B.    HOOT,    ROCHESTER,    X.   Y. 

This  is  the  time  of  the  year  when  one 
loves  to  get  out  into  the  open,  to  steal 
away  into  the  fields  and  woods,  to  re- 
lax from  the  strain  of  a  busy  career,  to 
get  down  among  the  wild  flowers,  the 
blossoming  shrubs  or  to  listen  to  the 
smig  of  a  wild  bird,  all  of  which  is 
healthful,  restful  and  invigorating,  but, 
if  we  do  not  know  those  wild  flowers, 
those  blossoming  shrubs  or  that  bird 
that  is  furnishing  us  entertainment 
with  its  sweet  song  we  are  still  missing 
much  that  might  contribute  to  our  en- 
joyment. 

Last  June  a  friend  of  mine  and  1 
went  to  what  is  known  as  the  Zurich 
swamp.  It  is  located  in  Wayne  county 
in  the  state  of  New  York.  It  is  one  of 
those  secluded  haunts  where  Nature 
loves  to  display  many  of  her  most  pre- 
cious jewels,  for  in  these  days  of  ruth- 
less hunting,  when  many  a  person  will 
pull  up  every  flower  of  a  species,  often 
taking  roots  and  all,  as  so  many  of  them 
do,  even  with  the  trailing  arbutus,  and 
then,  if  they  begin  to  wilt  before  they 
<jet  home,  throw  them  away,  indeed. 
Nature  must,  if  she  wishes  to  preserve 
some  of  her  most  precious  gems,  hide 
them  away  in  secret  places  where  only 
the  few  are  able  to  penetrate. 

We   had   a  young  lad   with   us   who 


acted  as  our  guide.  He  said  he  was 
going  to  take  us  to  the  island  first. 
Here  we  were  charmed  by  those  famil- 
iar notes  of  the  sweetest  and  dearest 
of  all  our  birds,  the  black  capped  chick- 


CLUSTERS    OF    THE    PINK    LADY'S-SLIPPER. 

adee,  while  farther  away  the  island 
was  musical  with  the  flute-like  song  of 
the  wood  thrush.  Under  foot  we  trod 
upon  the  vines  of  the  partridge  berry 
loaded  with  their  beautiful  red  fruit, 
fairly   making   rugs   of   red   and   green 


Copyright    1917   by  The   Agassiz   Association,   ArcAdiA:    Sound   Beach,    Conn. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


covering  wooded  isles.  Then  as  our 
guide  led  us  on  to  what  he  termed  the 
huckleberry  patch,  but  which  we  could 
only  think  of  as  one  of  Nature's  sanc- 
tuaries, for  there,  upon  its  carpet  of 
moss,  midst  its  shadowed  recesses  of 
dense  cedar  and  tamarack,  a  scene  of 
such  charming  beauty  and  loveliness 
was  revealed  that  it  made  the  heart 
of  the  Nature  lover  throb  with  joy  and 
thrill  with  delight,  for  it  mattered  not 
in  what  direction  we  chanced  to  look, 
our  eyes  rested  upon  clusters  or  sin- 
gles of  the  pink  lady's  slipper,  charming 
and  entrancing  the  beholder  with  their 
bright  colors  and  the  abundance  of 
their  numbers.  The  perfumed  atmos- 
phere seemed  almost  intoxicating  with 
the  delightful  fragrance  of  the  flowers 
of  the  pitcher  plant,  competitors  of  the 
lady's-slipper  for  vastness  in  numbers, 
while  their  odd  shape  and  coat  of  red 
attracted  the  eye,  and  as  we  went  on 
farther  beds  filled  with  the  whorled  po- 
gonia,  bowing  their  heads  in  prayerful 
attitude  as  if  acknowledging  a  debt  to 
their  Creator,  again  filled  our  souls 
with  joy,  and  then,  as  if  we  had  not 
.already  drank  to  our  fill,  another  scene 
'Opened  up  before  us  in  which,  inter- 
mingled among  those  pitcher-shaped 
leaves,  the  highly  perfumed  and  deep 
tinted  flowers  of  the  pitcher  plant,  the 
charming  pink  of  the  lady's-slipper  and 
the  prayerful  pogonias,  were  gathered 
into  delightful  clusters  the  bunehberry, 


THE     BUNCHBERRY     TURNING     THEIR     PALE 
FACES   SUNWARD. 

turning  their  pale  faces  sunward, 
grasping  its  stray  beams  stealing 
through  clefts  in  the  dense  foilage  re- 
flecting their  charm  and  beauty 

All  conditions  seemed  favorable  to 
finding  the  showy  lady-slipper  but,  if 
it  were  there,  it  succeeded  in  eluding 
us,  for  which  we  were  sorry  indeed,  for 
we  would  have  done  it  no  injury,  as 
we  were  hunting  without  a  gun. 

Having  succeeded  in  getting  pic- 
tures of  all  of  the  others,  and  as  the  day 
was  drawing  to  a  close,  the  "no-see- 
ems,"  the  Indians  name  for  mosquitoes, 
were  reminding  us  that  even  there  we 
were  not  exempt  from  their  molesting 
bites,  and  as  our  guide  wanted  to  know 
if  we  could  take  pictures  with  those 
things  all  night,  we  most  reluctantly 
took  leave  of  one  of  Nature's  most  sac- 
red haunts,  for  had  we  not  been  in  one 
of  the  sanctuaries  of  the  Most  High 
and  worshipped  midst  its  most  beau- 
teous scenes? 


THE  ODD  AND  DEEPLY  TINTED  FLOWERS  OF 
THE  PITCHHER  PLANT. 


Flowers. 

Flowers  from  distant,   sunny  lands, 
Flowers   from    skilful    florists'    hands, 
Flowers  in  sheltered  garden  beds, 
Or  clambering  high  above  our  heads; 
Flowers  by  brooklet,  lake   and  pond, 
And  on  the  mountain  heights  beyond; 
Flowers   that   overrun   the   fields, 
And  that  the  winding  roadside  yields; 
Flowers   amid   the   ripening  grain, 
Woodland  flowers,  a  dainty  train; 
Flowers  that  greet  us  in  the  Spring, 
And  those  the  Autumn  changes  bring; 
Flowers   as  white   and  pure   as   snow, 
Or  blooms  with  brilliant  tints  aglow; 
In   all    this   wondrous   world   of  ours, 
What  can  compare  with  nature's  flowers? 

— Emma   Peirce. 


THE  EXODUS  FROM  THE  FARM 


The   Exodus  from  the  Farm. 

BY    KDITIIA    S.    CAMPBELL,    ERIE,    PENNSYL- 
VANIA. 

From  all  quarters  comes  the  com- 
plaint that  the  younger  generation  is 
leaving  the  farm.  About  us  lie  aban- 
doned farms  once  rich  in  production, 
now  with  field  after  field  running  wild, 
the  boys  and  girls  having  gone  to  the 
city,  "where  you  git  more  money." 
Efforts  are  being  made  to  bring  them 
back,  back  to  the  biggest  work  a  man 
can  do.  to  work  with  the  life  forces  of 
nature,  in  a  workshop  not  made  with 
hands,  but  designed  and  built  by  the 
Master  Architect,  painted  by  the  Mas- 
ter Artist  with  colors  and  tints  no  fin- 
ite hand  can  copy,  whose  roof  is  a  vast 
illimitable  space,  whose  furnishings 
are  the  wonders  of  Infinite  Wisdom. 
Working  with  these  wonders  and  com- 
prehending the  methods  used  and 
learning  to  cooperate  with  the  Creative 
Power  is  the  work  of  the  boy  and  girl 
that  stay  in  this  big  out  of  doors  and 
work  for  the  Great  Employer. 

The  agricultural  courses  in  colleges 
and  rural  schools  are  helping  to  bring 
the  boys  back.  They  learn  that  when 
farming  is  done  scientificially,  like 
other  work,  the  results  are  greater  and 
better.  In  one  little  rural  school  a  big 
effort  is  being  made  to  open  the  boy's 
mind  to  the  fact  that  farming  is  one  of 
the  most  important  occupations.  Man- 
ufacturing and  professions  may  bring 
in  larger  monetary  results,  but  if  the 
farming  stops  what  will  become  of  the 
city?  Back  of  all  industries  must  be 
food  and  the  food  must  come  from  the 
farm.  On  the  other  hand  there  is 
scarcely  a  science  that  is  not  connected 
with  the  farm.  Geology,  the  history  of 
the  soil ;  chemistry,  how  to  treat  that 
soil ;  ornithology,  from  which  the  farm- 
er must  learn  the  value  of  birds  to  his 
crops  and  orchards  ;  entomology,  show- 
ing him  what  insects  are  of  economic 
value  and  what  injurious ;  botany, 
what  the  flowers,  trees  and  shrubs  are 
to  him  ;  zoology,  that  he  may  know  the 
animal  life  about  him,  and  biology, 
that  he  may  breed  better  stock.  Now 
as  a  background,  add  the  beginnings 
of  the  insect,  plant  and  animal.  Take 
the  upper  grade  which  in  a  rural  school 
seldom  goes  through  the  rural  high 
school  and  give  them  a  simple  course 
in  plant  life  and  in  biology  by  means  of 


the  microscope  and  simple  laboratory 
tests,  and  you  will  have  the  child  mind 
awakened  and  interested  in  the  grow- 
ing things  about  him,  a  new-born  dig- 
nity within  him  and  a  reverential  re- 
spect for  the  simplest  things  of  nature. 
He  will  know  somewhat  of  the  great 
life  histories  and  some  of  the  wonder- 
ful laws  of  adaptation  and  natural  se- 
lection that  lie  back  of  them. 

I  have  seen  this  proved  in  a  certain 
little  rural  school  where  two  years  ago 
the  boys  were  only  waiting  for  their 
time  of  departure.  Now  they  feel  a 
new  power  within  them  and,  where 
only  one  boy  remained  in  the  corn 
club  organized  that  winter,  this  fall 
the  boys  and  girls  carried  off  fourteen 
county  prizes,  amounting  to  almost 
fifty  dollars  and  earned  twenty  dollars 
in  their  own  round  up.  The  parents 
and  school  directors  woke  up  and  the 
little,  old  one  room  schoolhouse  grew 
this  summer  into  a  beautiful  building 
with  two  rooms  and  an  auditorium  for 
community  meetings  while  twenty- 
seven  boys  and  girls  are  enrolled  in 
clubs  for  cultivating  corn,  potatoes, 
poultry  and  domestic  science.  They 
are  working  eagerly  for  still  bigger  re- 
sults for  this  year.  Charts  of  the  birds 
useful  to  orchard,  garden,  meadow  and 
woods  hang  on  their  kitchen  wall.  The 
birds,  as  they  return,  are  guarded  and 
cared  for,  the  boys  knowing  that  they 
are  the  biggest  assets  for  the  coming 
crops.  Simple  science  stories  in  all  the 
sciences  of  the  farm  are  being  told,  il- 
lustrated by  slides  and  the  microscope 
when  necesary,  and  instead  of  the  farm 
home  being  a  place  of  dissatisfaction  it 
has  now  become  the  center  of  a  new 
and  wonderful  world. 


Dandelions. 

Fair  nature's  gold  is  prodigal, 
Spread  broadcast   at  our  feet; 

How  cheery  is  its  presence  there, 
Just  after  snow  and  sleet! 

How   like    the    sunshine    after    rain, 
The  morning  after  night, 

The  radiance  of  the  myriad  blooms, 
Reflecting    all    the    light! 

From  golden  discs  to  silver  globes 
They  turn   before  our  eyes: 

Could  we  but  know  the  process  fine, 
We  would  indeed  be  wise. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


A   Successful   Snake   Hunt. 

BY  GAYNTE  T.    K.   NORTON,  NEW  YORK  CITY. 

The  first  formal  hunt  of  the  Reptile 
Study  Society  occurred  on  Saturday, 
April  twenty-first.  For  the  twenty 
odd   hunters   and   certain   toads,   frogs, 


Photograph   by   Gayne  T.    K.    Norton. 

MORTEN    McWHOOD    AND    THE    THREE-FOOT 

BANDED   WATER   SNAKE   THE   BOYS   NAMED 
"SNAPPY." 
Hudson    Hawley,    of    "The    New    York    Sun."    was    an 
interested    but    diffident    spectator. 

turtles,  salamanders  and  snakes,  the 
day  was  notable — a  day  ideal  for  the 
hunters.  The  day  of  all  my  days  out 
of  doors  was  the  day  of  our  first  snake 
hunt.  We  met  at  Bloomfield,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  walked  out  of  town.  For  a 
while  we  skirted  the  old  Morris  and 
Essex  canal  and  gathered  a  few  co- 
coons. The  boys  with  us,  a  few 
Scouts,  all  members  of  the  society, 
were  the  personification  of  joyful  an- 
ticipation. 

Twenty  minutes  on  the  towpath 
brought  us  to  the  first  swamp.  In 
inches  of  ooze  we  spread  out,  hopping 
from  hummock  to  hummock  over  flush- 
es and  around  stumps.  In  no  time, 
frogs,  a  turtle  and  some  brown  sala- 
manders were  ours.  Morten  Mc- 
Whood,  a  young  man  from  Newark, 
scored  a  banded  water  snake  three  feet 
long.  One  quick,  deft  grab  had  done 
the    trick.      The    snake,    probably    not 


thoroughly  awake  after  its  hibernation, 
looked  the  worse  for  the  long  nap  ;  it 
still  wore  last  summer's  skin,  and  two 
inches  of  tail  were  missing,  but  its 
agility  was  surprising.  For  half  an 
hour  we  hunted  earnestly,  each  trying 
to  keep  a  few  boys  quiet.  But  no  other 
"wiggler"  rewarded  our  efforts. 

Luncheon  was  devoured  after  a  de- 
lightful walk  through  the  budding 
spring.  To  our  botanists  this  was  three 
hours  of  joy  and  rivalry  ;  to  us  common 
snake  hunters,  it  was  the  pleasure  of 
being  out  of  doors.  Much  was  collect- 
ed. A  large  meadow,  criss-crossed  by- 
irrigation  ditches,  looked  good,  but  re- 
vealed nothing.  Then  we  had  a  sur- 
prise. The  camp  site  had  been  well 
trodden,  when  at  its  center  a  DeKays 
snake  was  captured.  The  little  fellow 
was  in  fine  fetter  and  friendly — to  me 
our  choice  catch. 

Allen  Samuel  Williams  is  probably 
known  to  most  of  my  readers.  This 
was  the  first  time  that  I  have  enjoyed 
the  privilege  of  being  in  the  field  with 
him.  He  has  a  boy's  enthusiasm  and 
a  knowledge  of  the  outdoors  verging 
on  the  uncanny.  He  is  eminently  fitted 
to  lead  the  boys  in  the  educational 
campaign  that  the  society  is  conduct- 
ing  with   reptiles  as  beneficiaries. 

With  trying  exactness  Mr.  Williams 
ranged   the   party   in   a   semicircle   and 


ALLEN    SAMUEL   WILLIAMS    (AT   LEFT)    WITH 
LARGE     PINE     SNAKE,     AND     THE     WRITER 
WITH     BULL    SNAKE     (AT    RIGHT). 
Both    specimens    are    great    pets.      The    species    are    of 
value    to    the    farmers    as    rodent    destroyers. 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SNAKE  HUNT 


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Photograph   by  Gayne   T.   K.   Norton. 

MEMBERS  OF  THE  DITMARS  CLUB  OF  THE  REPTILE  STUDY  SOCIETY  WHO  TOOK  PART  IN 

THE   FIRST  FORMAL   HUNT. 

Nine  snakes,  representing  three  species,  and  a  number  of  frogs,  turtles  and  salamanders  were  captured. 
The  seven   snakes  shown   in   the   illustration   are   from   private   collections   and  perfect   exhibition    specimens. 

The  Director,  Alien  Samuel  Williams,  kneeling  at  right,  is  justly  famous  as  an  all-round  outdoor  man 
and   writer. 


unlocked  his  grips.  The  white  speci- 
men bags  were  drawn  forth  and  eager 
hands  were  outstretched  as  the  strings 
were  removed.  In  quick  succession 
seven  perfect  specimens  were  appor- 
tioned about  the  group:  a  bull,  a  pine, 
a  boa,  a  red  bellied,  a  king,  a  garter  and 
a  ribbon. 

It  began  to  look  as  though  the  hunt 
were  over,  so  reluctantly  were  the  pets 
given  up.  But  we  got  under  way  final- 
ly, after  christening  an  unresponsive 
turtle  Desdemona.  Almost  immediate- 
ly another  water  snake  was  found  but 
it  escaped. 

The  most  exciting  capture  was  made 
by  a  boy.  Air.  Williams  and  the  lad 
saw  Natrix  jasciata  sipedon — the  correct 
name  of  our  common  water  snake — 
and  it  immediately  chose  to  escape  be- 
tween Mr.  Williams's,  legs.  Like  a 
good  Scout,  young  Ogden  grabbed  the 
reptile  and  held  it,  though  bitten,  and 
the  largest  snake  of  the  day  was  sub- 
dued. (The  danger  was  nil.  We  knew 
our  country  and  all  its  snakes.  Where 
poisonous  snakes  are  likely  to  be  en- 
countered, no  chances  are  taken.) 
During  the  remainder  of  the  day  speci- 
mens came  fast,  some  bv  stick,  most  bv 
hand,  some  nine  in  all  and  representing 
three  species. 

George  Von  Buehren,  herpetologist, 
brought  some  snakes  from  his  private 
collection  and  gave  a  demonstration 
of  forcible  feeding.  An  informal  hun- 
ter and  guest  was  Hudson  Hawley,  a 


reporter  on  the  staff  of  "the  New  York 
Sun,"  assigned  to  the  hunt  by  his  city 
editor.  At  best  Hawley  was  diffident 
though  enthusiastic ;  he  enrolled.  A 
motion  picture  camera  man  was  chas- 
ing us  in  a  little  Ford,  but,  unfortunate- 
ly, did  not  find  us.  Several  New  York 
papers  printed  stories  of  the  hunt ;  it 
created  quite  a  stir,  and  much  publicity 
is  promised  for  the  next  "outing." 

The  Reptile  Study  Society,  though 
young,  is  already  national,  having 
clubs  in  many  states  and  members  of 
national  note.  Its  purpose  is  to  save 
the  snakes. 


A  Good  Joke  on  a  Money  Handler. 

One  of  the  most  efficient  men  that 
stand  behind  cash  windows  in  a  promi- 
nent bank  in  Stamford  caught  the  gar- 
den fever,  but  his  fancy  did  not  run 
altogether  to  vegetables.  Having  a 
taste  for  the  beautiful,  he  put  in  a  lib- 
eral supply  of  bulbs  and  wondered  why 
they  were  so  slow  in  doing  something. 
After  waiting  for  two  or  three  weeks, 
he  investigated  them  with  a  spade,  and 
found  that  they  were  growing  but  it 
was  taking  them  some  time  to  over- 
come the  curvature  necessitated  be- 
cause they  had  been  planted  wrong  side 
up.  The  genial  banker  said,  "There  is 
something  to  be  gained  anyway."  He 
had  the  fun  of  planting  them  all  over 
again  at  the  expense  of  only  one  set  of 
bulbs  and,  after  all,  it  is  the  planting 
that  counts  nowadays. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Observations  in  the  Farmyard. 

Glen  Ridge,  New  Jersey. 

To  the  Editor : 

To  those  who  come  in  close  daily 
contact  with  the  denizens  of  the  barn- 
yard, many  interesting  idiosyncrasies 
and  evidences  of  "individuality"  are  re- 
vealed. This  is  particularly  noticeable 
by  children,  who  are  quick  at  observing 
the  peculiar  traits  and  differences  of 
physiognomy.  One  little  girl  whom  I 
knew  gave  the  names  of  her  uncles, 
aunts,  cousins  and  neighbors  to  the 
chickens  in  which  she  insisted  that  she 
could  trace  resemblances  of  expression 
or  of  personal  characteristics.  This  may 
seem  a  bit  fanciful,  but  the  child  that 
is  blest  with  the  gifts  of  observation 
and  imagination  is  happy  indeed ! 

Maternal  devotion  is  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  fascinating  source  of  interest, 
but  it  is  an  instince  that  we  accept  as 
the  most  natural  of  all.  What  is  more 
rare,  however,  or  harder  to  discover,  is 
evidence  of  mutual  attachment,  some- 
thing more  intimate  than  the  "social" 
instinct  which  is  so  strong  among  all 
animals.  I  hesitate  to  call  it  "friend- 
ship," but  it  is  something  akin  to  that. 

The  objects  of  my  observation  were 
two  ducklings  and  two  chicks  that  had 
been  hatched  by  the  same  hen.  The 
four  were  the  only  survivors  of  the  ill- 
assorted  family,  and  were  a  source  of 
great  distress  to  poor  biddy  that  could 
not  get  used  to  the  aquatic  perform- 
ances of  the  ducks.  She  evidently  felt 
that  she  had  made  a  mess  of  it,  and  she 
abandoned  her  family  prematurely,  so 
that  I  had  to  adopt  the  orphans.  They 
turned  out  to  be  male  and  female,  after 
their  kind,  and  thrived  beautifully. 
When  gardening  time  came  the  flock 
was  confined  to  an  enclosure,  all  but 
the  ducklings  as  they  are  not  "scratch- 
es." Instead  of  wandering  afield  they 
waddled  back  and  forth  outside  the 
enclosure,  their  two  little  imprisoned 
mates  following  them  from  the  inside, 
the  four  making  frantic  efforts  to  join 
one  another  and  uttering  plaintive  cries. 
This  became  so  distressing  that  I  re- 
leased the  chicks.  This  was  followed 
by  great  demonstrations  of  joy.  The 
ducklings  were  particularly  emotional. 
They  caressed  their  gawky,  long-legged 
little  mates  with  their  bills,  making 
tremulous  motions  and  gurgling  sounds 


of  evident  delight.  Turtledoves  could 
hardly  have  been  more  sentimental. 
They  enjoyed  many  idyllic  days  to- 
gether, and  at  night,  instead  of  perch- 
ing with  the  chickens,  the  chicks 
crouched  on  the  floor  with  their  web- 
footed  comrades,  and  whenever  I  pen- 
ned up  the  chicks  they  and  the  duck- 
lings kept  close  together  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  fence.  One  day  a  duckling 
fell  into  a  post  hole,  and  I  discovered 
it  only  after  noticing  three  faithful 
companions  hovering  around  the  hole 
for  a  long  while,  until  I  went  to  the 
rescue. 

The  vicissitudes  and  tragedies  of  the 
barnyard  broke  up  the  devoted  quartet. 
First  the  duck  was  sacrificed,  then  the 
rooster,  as  he  was  a  pariah  among  his 
kind.  We  endeavored  to  make  the  pul- 
let see  the  error  of  her  ways,  but  she 
grew  up  to  be  "emancipated."  She 
challenged  and  fought  the  young  cock- 
erels, and  finally  she  learned  to  crow! 
She  was  the  first  and  only  crowing  hen 
that  I  have  ever  met.  Her  crow  was 
a  squawk,  but  it  seemed  to  give  vent 
to  her  rebellious  spirit,  and  she  always 
crowed  at  earlest  dawn,  out  in  the  open, 
before  any  of  the  other  chickens  were 
about.  The  sun  never  rose  to  her  call, 
which  no  doubt  added  to  her  bitterness. 
As  she  gave  no  promise  of  pulchritude 
or  of  favorable  domestic  qualities,  she 
too  was  disposed  of.  The  poor  drake 
visibly  pined,  until  he  was  put  out  of 
his  misery  and  so  ended  this  little  low- 
ly drama  of  the  barnyard. 

As  a  boy  that  loved  all  kinds  of  ani- 
mals, I  could  relate  more  experiences, 
but  such  tales  generally  lead  to  garrul- 
ity, and  should  be  curtailed ! 

LOUIS    CORTAMBERT. 


The  ordinary  aquarium  goldfish 
breeds  from  four  to  eight  times  a  year, 
and  produces  from  a  few  hundred  to 
several  thousand  eggs  at  each  period. 


A  June  Night. 

"What   is    fo    rare   as   a   day   in   June?" 

Except,  in  June,  a  night, 
With  the  sleeping  lake  a  silver  plain, 

In  the  spell  of  the  moon's  soft  light. 

And   as  we  cleave  its  shining  length. 

Adrift  in  onr  canoe. 
It  almost  seems  that  Heaven   itself 

Is  opening  to  our  view. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


HOW  TO  KEEP  YOUNG 


How  to  Keep  Young. 

BY   MISS    MARY   A.    ROE,    WATERTOWN,   NEW 
YORK. 

Many  men  and  women,  no  longer 
able  to  attend  to  the  daily  routine  of 
business  or  of  household  cares  and  hav- 
ing no  interests  in  reserve  to  fall  back 
upon,    gradually    settle    down    into    a 


MISS     ROE     IN     HER     GARDEN. 

dreary,      helpless      old      age.        Their 
thoughts  and  conversation  are  occupied 
with   trivial  gossip   and   the   details   of 
their  maladies,  real  or  imaginary.     If 
they  would  begin  earlier  in  life  to  in- 
terest themselves  in  something  worth 
while,  outside  of  their  daily  surround- 
ings, they  would  keep  their  minds  clear 
and  active,  and  with  increased  zest  be 
able   to   devote   their   leisure,    when    it 
came,  to  these  pursuits  and  would  re- 
main more  vigorous  in  mind  and  body 
I  am  a  woman  not  far  from  eighty, 
and  my  chief  interest  has  been  and  is 
still  a  love  for  nature  study.     But  not 
as  a  specialist.    Any  one  can  find  enjoy- 
ment in  observing  the  marvelous  beau- 
ties of  God's  creation,  if  our  eyes  are 
trained  to  look  for  them. 

One  of  the  greatest  pleasures  of  my 
life  came  more  than  thirty  years  ago, 
when  I  had  an  opportunity  to  glance 
into  the  world  of  the  infinitely  little 
through  the  powerful  lens  of  a  solar 
microscope. 

A  friend  in  Los  Angeles,  a  teacher  of 


the  natural  sciences  in  a  college  there, 
had  the  use  of  this  microscope,  the 
largest  I  ever  saw. 

The  windows  of  her  room  were  cov- 
ered with  close  wooden  shutters,  in 
one  of  which  was  a  round  hole  that  held 
firmly  the  large  lens  of  this  microscope 
exposed  to  the  direct  rays  of  the  Cali- 
fornia sunshine.  On  the  wall  opposite 
was  a  white  curtain,  such  as  is  used 
for  illustrated  lectures. 

For  the  first  time  I  saw  one  of  the 
one-celled  amoebae  that  scientists  tell 
us  were  the  first  forms  of  animal  life 
that  appeared  on  this  old  earth,  and 
that  myriads  of  them  are  still  living  in 
our  pools  and  streams. 

From  some  water  in  a  pool  near-by 
my  friend  placed  two  drops  in  the  cen- 
ter of  a  glass  slide,  covering  it  with  a 
thin  convex  glass  which  held  the  fluid 
securely  when  in  position  to  be  magni- 
fied. Then  on  the  screen  I  saw  a  small 
pond,  with  many  curious  forms  moving 
rapidly,  dividing  and  subdividing,  each 
division  becoming  a  perfect  amoeba  until 
the  heat  of  the  sun  on  the  large  lens 
evaporated  the  water  and  destroyed 
their  life. 

We  also  made  a  study  of  those  forms 
of  vegetable  life  that  are  called  diatoms. 
These  were  upon  seaweed  gathered  on 
the  Pacific  coast  at  San  Pedro,  near 
Los  Angeles. 

WTe  cut  off  very  small  bits  from  the 
seaweed  and  placed  them  under  the 
magnifier.  On  the  screen  was  thrown 
glittering  forms,  some  crescentic, 
others  oval  or  oblong,  in  colors  like 
the  ruby,  emerald  and  topaz.  They 
had  a  hard,  flint-like  shell  enclosing  a 
semifluid  substance  resembling  the 
white  of  an  unboiled  egg,  called  proto- 
plasm, that  Professor  Huxley  says  is 
the  "physical  basis  of  all  life." 

My  friend  found  some  earth  near  the 
ocean  that  looked  to  me  like  chalk  but 
which  she  said  was  composed  of  the 
fossil  shells  of  these  diatoms.  She  ex- 
changed some  of  this  diatomaceous 
earth  with  scientists  who  were  making 
a  special  study  of  these  forms. 

One  day  she  said  to  me,  "I  have  re- 
ceived a  slide  that  you  will  be  glad  to 
see. 

When  it  was  placed  in  the  micro- 
scope, on  the  screen  was  reflected  a 
Latin  cross,  about  two  feet  in  length, 
made  of  circular  fossil  diatoms,  the  larg- 


8 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


est  in  the  center,  cream  white  with 
fluted  edges,  bordered  by  three  bands 
of  blue  shading  from  dark  to  light.  The 
next  shell  on  each  side  was  smaller 
with  bands  of  golden  brown.  The  man 
who  sent  this  slide  wrote  that  he  had 
worked  over  it  for  hours,  with  strong 
magnifying  glasses  over  his  eyes,  and 
had  manipulated  the  diatoms  into  po- 
sition with  a  hair  from  a  cat's  whisker, 
as  only  one  fine  enough  for  the  task. 

I  brought  one  day  a  lump  of  chalk 
that  had  been  picked  up  below  the 
cliffs  at  Dover,  England.  My  friend 
scraped  off  what  she  could  hold  on  the 
blade  of  her  penknife.  When  it  was 
magnified  upon  the  screen,  I  counted 
twenty  perfect  shells  among  many 
broken  ones.  Who  could  estimate  the 
number  in  that  small  lump  alone?  Yet 
the  Cliffs  of  Dover,  made  of  this  mate- 
rial, can  be  seen  on  a  sunny  day  at 
Calais  across  the  English  Channel. 

One  other  instance  T  will  give  of  our 
experiments,  illustrating  the  difference 
between  man's  handiwork  and  God's. 
The  smallest  needle  that  we  could  buy, 
when  reflected  on  the  screen,  looked 
like  a  crowbar,  the  point  as  blunt,  and 
on  three  sides  jagged  edges  that  were 
raised  apparently  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
above  the  rounded  surface,  while  the 
sting  of  a  honeybee  terminated  in  a 
point  so  fine  I  could  hardly  see  where 
it  ended. 

After  returning  to  the  East,  I  experi- 
mented with  the  low  forms  of  life  at 
many  points  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  find- 
ing new  shapes  and  colors,  for  thev 
abound  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  in 
some  regions  abundantly  where  for 
ages  the  fossil  remains  have  made  stra- 
ta of  immense  length  and  depth. 

The  most  beautiful  exhibition  of 
minute  Infusoria  that  I  ever  saw  oc- 
curred one  dark  night  at  Seal  Harbor, 
Mt.  Desert,  Maine.  Returning  with  a 
friend  from  a  call,  I  noticed  that  a 
heavy  surf  was  entering  the  cove,  which 
is  shaped  like  a  horseshoe,  with  rocks 
on  each  side  and  a  sandy  beach  in  the 
center.  As  each  wave  rolled  in  and 
flowed  around  the  curve  it  was  like  a 
Ions  flash  of  lightning. 

"Oh,"  I  exclaimed,  "it  is  the  phos- 
phorescent Noctilucae  that  I  have  heard 
about.  Let's  go  down  on  the  beach  and 
sec    this   strange   phenomenon   closer." 

When    we    plunged    our    hands    and 


arms  into  the  waves  and  held  them  up 
they  looked  as  if  they  were  on  fire,  yet 
there  was  no  heat. 

These  minute  forms  average  one 
hundred  and  sixtieth  part  of  an  inch, 
yet  a  few  could  be  seen  with  the  naked 
eye  and  were  about  the  size  of  a  small 
pinhead.  The  Notilucae  night  lights 
of  the  ocean,  like  the  fireflies  on  land, 
have  their  gleam  intermittent,  but  they 
are  in  such  immense  numbers  that  the 
ocean  in  the  tropics  often  seems  cov- 
ered with  liquid  fire.  I  never  saw  them 
again  on  the  New  England  coast. 

But  I  am  only  an  amateur  microsco- 
pist.  and  nature  reveals  so  many  won- 
ders that  I  need. more  than  one  hobby. 
Each  spring  comes  to  me  like  a  new 
creation.  The  first  notes  of  the  robins 
and  the  bluebirds  I  hail  with  delight, 
and  as  the  bird  chorus  increases  day  by 
day  there  are  sure  to  be  strangers 
among  the  singers  whose  acquaintance 
I  am  glad  to  make. 

Then  comes  the  grand  procession  of 
flowers,  brought  out  by  the  warm  rains 
and  the  spring  sunshine ;  and  although 
I  can  no  longer  tramp  the  woods  or 
climb  the  steep  hillsides  in  search  of 
them,  younger  feet  and  hands  often 
bring  them  to  my  door. 

When  I  am  shut  in  by  wintry  storms, 
charming  books  reveal  to  me  through 
the  eyes  of  noted  travelers  the  fauna 
and  flora  of  other  lands. 

So  if  we  progress  in  some  new  inter- 
est as  we  advance  in  years,  our  days 
will  be  less  monotonous  and  our  lives 
less  liable  to  become  a  burden  upon 
others. 


Our  various  "water  bugs,"  it  has 
commonly  been  thought,  lives  entirely 
on  animal  food — daphnia  and  other 
small  crustacea,  mosquito  larvae,  water 
i meets  and  even  an  occasional  fly  that 
chances  to  fall  into  the  water.  A  re- 
cent study,  however,  shows  that  the 
food  of  these  creatures  is,  in  part,  veg- 
etable. The  common  "water  boatmen," 
for  example,  eat  diatoms,  euglenas  and 
many  other  of  the  unicellular  plants. 
The  whole  subject  is  one  that  will  re- 
pay the  attention  of  any  good  observer. 


A  new  insect  enemy  of  the  peach,  ap- 
parently introduced  from  Japan,  has 
made  its  appearance  in  the  District  of 
Columbia. 


MOUSE  MEAT  FOR  ROOSTERS 


Mouse  Meat  for  Roosters. 

BY  CHARLES   H.  CRANDALL,  STAMFORD, 
CONNECTICUT. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Farm 
Bureau  a  poultry  expert  from  upstate 
advised  farmers  to  select  their  eggs 
for  sitting  from  their  own  flocks,  fol- 
lowing suggestions  of  his,  in  order  to 
get  fowls  of  great  egg  producing  capa- 
city. He  especially  laid  stress  on  cross- 
ing the  choicest  hens  with  the  sauciest 
cockerel  on  the  place,  one  full  of  fight 
and  general  bumptiousness. 

Well,  I  am  entering  a  Rhode  Island 
red  cockerel  for  the  prize  in  these  qual- 
ities, for  he  did  under  my  eyes  what  ] 
never  saw  a  rooster  do  before.  I  was 
startled  by  sudden  squeaks  and  saw 
my  up-to-date  rooster  battling  with  a 
large  field  mouse.  He  chased  the 
mouse,  striking  it  with  his  beak,  and 
soon  despatched  the  rodent,  called  tip 
the  admiring  hens  and  they  soon  dis- 
sected and  swallowed  the  meat.  Of 
course  I  shall  start  a  new  strain  of  reds 
for  which  you  will  not  have  to  purchase 
bone  or  meat  rations. 


Henry  Ford's  Response. 

Men  who  do  big  things  have  a  fac- 
ulty of  keeping  it  up.  Henry  Ford  has 
granted  the  British  Government  the 
right  to  make  his  tractors  ad  lib.,  waiv- 
ing  all    patent    rights.      This    is    a   big 


patriotic  response  to  the  pressing  needs 
of  the  British  Government  to  increase 
its  food  supply. 

As  for  America,  Mr.  Ford  is  prepar- 
ing to  turn  out  thousands  of  farm  trac- 
tors by  the  first  of  August.  He  is  not 
only  making  tractors  under  high  pres- 
sure at  his  Dearborn  tractor  plant,  but 
he  is  preparing  to  turn  over  both  bis 
tractor  plant  and  his  automobile  plant 
to  the  United  States  Government 
should  the  need  arise. 

Germany  has  cause  to  beware  of 
some  of  our  eminent  pacifists.  An 
American  who  loves  peace  and  does 
big  things  in  peaceful  times  is  999,999 
times  out  of  1,000,000  an  American 
first,  last  and  all  the  time. — Country 
Gentleman. 


For  cultivating  colonies  of  Euglena 
quince  seed  jelly  is  especially  recom- 
mended. The  seeds  are  boiled  and  the 
thick  juice  strained  through  a  sieve  to 
remove  particles  of  seed.  The  jelly  is 
then  diluted  with  water. 


Daisies. 

Daisies,   far  as  the  eye  can   see, 
Daisies,   a    great   white   company; 
With  ray-like  petals,  and  hearts  of 

gold. 
What  starry  beauty  do  they  unfold! 
■ — Emma    Peirce. 


m 


*^a*.^i^aJki 


*:^*^ 


'DAISIES,   FAR  AS   THE   EYE   CAN   SEE." 


A  War  Garden. 

BY    HENRY   BELDEN,   DYKEMANS,   N".   Y. 

We  now  see  that  we  made  a  big  mis- 
take, by  not  doing  any  fall  plowing, 
but  we  had  no  intention  of  putting  in 
a  garden  this  year.  We  had  laid  out 
enough  work — ditching,  grading,  fenc- 
ing and  fixing — to  say  nothing  of  tree 
spraying,  fruit  picking  and  haying,  to 
keep  our  one  man,  and  an  occasional 
team,  more  than  busy.  And  then — 
this  war  came,  and  this  garden  enthus- 
iasm, and  the  desire  to  do  our  little 
"bit,"  if  only  to  provide  for  ourselves 
and  our  workers,  for — we  figure,  that 
if  everyone,  who  can,  takes  care  of 
themselves  vegetabily,  it  will  save  that 
much  to  the  general  store. 

The  reasons  why  our  ideas  do  not 
assume  a  more  ambitious  form,  having 
considerable  acreage  at  command,  is 
because  the  farm  abounds  in  rock  and 
ledge, — very  picturesque  but  provoca- 
tive of  profanity  when  attempts  are 
made  to  the  cultivation  of  it.  And, 
then,  because  of  the  high  cost  of  feed, 
we  have  no  stock  or  horses,  and  have 
to  hire  and  the  cost  of  an  occasional 
team  is  quite  an  item  of  expense.  We 
are  paying  a  dollar  more  this  year  than 
last  and  may  have  to  pay  still  yet  more 
and  yet  face  a  minimum  price  on  our 
product — if  we  are  forced  to  sell  it. 

And  there  is  but  one  team,  in  the 
neighborhood,  that  we  can  depend  on. 
Upon  consideration,  this  statement  is 
open  to  revision,  for  we  had  the  prom- 
ise of  that  team,  and  a  man,  for  last 
week,  and  they  came  not ! — and  we  can 
get  no  definite  promise  for  the  future, 
and  we  have  two  bushels  of  seed  pota- 
toes awaiting  planting,  and.  although 
the  Garden  has  been  plowed,  it  has  not 
been  disked  and  we  are  forced  to  "fork 
it  over"-— which  is  no  small  task.  Soon 
Ave  must  do  our  first  spraying — some 
sixty    tree- — and    much    routine    work 


must  be  accomplished  by  one  man  and 
the  writer — one  absolutely  untrained 
and,  in  some  ways,  unfitted  for  much 
of  the  labor  entailed. 

And  so,  to  be  sure  that  that  garden 
will  not  be  irreparably  damaged  by 
May  frosts,  or  droughts, — there  are 
numerous  boxes  filled  with  sawdust,  in 
the  cellar,  and  in  them  are  all  kinds 
of  garden  seeds,  and  some  500  plant 
food  tablets  are  awaiting  immersion, 
and  the  day  will  come  when  those  saw- 
dust boxes  will  be  transferred  to  the 
"Sunparlor"--(a  very  warlike  measure, 
we  assure  you)  and  our  seedlings  will 
be  fed,  literally,  by  the  spoonful. 

I  can  hear  some  one  say,  "what  is  he 
talking  about, — don't  he  know  any- 
thing?" Yes,  kind  reader,  he  knows 
just  one  little  thing,  and  he  means  to 
work  that  to  the  limit — this  year — but 
what  said  limit  is,  he,  himself,  don't 
know.     (Information  gladly  received). 

And  this  is  what  he  knows,  and  how 
he  learned  it.  Once  upon  a  time,  when 
Easter  was  very  late,  and  the  spring 
still  later,  the  writer  was  in  a  hotel  in 
a  place  where  blossoms  should  have 
been,  if  nature  had  had  a  chance.  And 
there  were  seventeen  children  there, 
and  they  were  the  kind  of  children  that 
have  dancing  eyes  and  quiet  feet,  and 
the  writer  said  within  himself,  'there 
shall  be  green  things  growing  on  Eas- 
ter morn', — and  it  was  so — green  things 
agrowing  in  eggshells!  Twenty-four 
eggshells  set  in  rows,  filled  with  saw- 
dust and  spoonfed  with  plantfood. 
Don't  ask  me  what  we  grew — it  was  so 
long  ago — (but  T  can  tell  you  how  the 
children  looked,  if  you  wish  to  know), 
but  the  next  year  a  more  practical  at- 
tempt was  made,  and  some  lettuce  and 
parsley  survived  to  find  its  way  into 
a  garden,  and  thrived  there, — and  that 
is  why  there  are  sawdust  boxes  in  the 
cellar. 


THE  PLANT  WORLD  UNDER  CARE 


ii 


And  not  only  did   the  wee  children 
show    great    interest    in    the    Eggshell 
Garden,    but    many    others,    of    older 
growth,  made  regular  visits  to  the  then 
novel  experiment.     And  one  day — the 
day  of  the  transplanting  of  the  nastur- 
tiums— three  ladies  insisted  on  seeing 
all  there  was  to  be  seen,  and  so,  one 
nasturtium  was  taken,  by  the  scuff  of 
its  neck,  and  pulled  out  of  its  sawdust 
bed,  and  its  curled  up  roots  spread  out, 
and       washed       in       running      water, 
and  handed  around  by  those  three  lad- 
ies, while  the  pot  of  earth  was  being 
prepared.     Punching  a  hole  in  the  pot 
of    poor   earth    the   nasturtium's   roots 
were   washed  into   it  by  the  use   of  a 
little    plant    food    and    the    earth    was 
pressed  down  and  the  pot  set  aside,  in 
a  shady  place,  and  for  two  day*  it  was 
fed. — after  that,  watered,  and  it  grew 
gloriously.      Just   try   a    similar    treat- 
ment— three    interested    ladies    and    a 
cold  water  faucet — on  any  earthgrown 
seedling,  and  watch  the  results. 

They  say  that  plant  food  seedlings 
are  sturdy  because  'they  never  have 
had  to  work  for  a  living' — they  have 
developed  nothing  but  primary  roots, 
and  those  are  extensive — and  there  are 
no  delicate,  sensative,  shockabsorbers, 
to  be  shocked,  in  this  first  transplant- 
ing, and,  consequently,  no  setback,  no 
nervous  derangement — when  trans- 
planted and  assisted  (with  plant  food 
for  two  days)  they  easily  provide  a  soil 
sucking  system  of  great  power.  They 
have  never  had  to  fight  with  weeds 
yet  they  are  well  provided  for  life's 
battles  by  intelligent  nature. 

We  are  seeing  many  of  the  sheltered 
of  the  human  family  taking  hold,  in  a 
most  marvelous  manner,  when  trans- 
planted from  an  easy  life  to  rougher 
conditions,  under  the  stimulus  of  pa- 
triotism mixed  with  necessity.  All 
thev  seem  to  need  is  intelligent  direc- 
tion to  produce  a  remarkable  crop  of 
humanity. 

There  are  going  to  be  many  late  gar- 
dens this  vear  and  while  we  are  strug- 
gling to  get  vacant  lots  prepared  why 
not  make  a  'saw  dust  preparation'? 
Many  a  sunny  window  can  be  utilized 
by  those  who  never  intend  cultivating 
the  soil.  They  can  grow  a  crop  of 
"universality"  with  their  seedlings,  and 
contribute  to  the  good  of  the  commun- 
ity. 


It  is  a  great  deal  to  ask  of  children 
to  commit  their  seeds  to  the  cold 
earth  and  then  wait  in  patience  while 
(what  we  call)  weeds  appear.  And  it 
is  hard  on  the  seeds.  Why  make  them 
struggle  when  we  know  a  better  way? 
The  writer  used  two  teaspoonfuls 
of  plantfood — one  at  night,  and  one  in 
the  morning — for  each  seedling,  and 
as  six  tablets  make  one  quart  of  solu- 
tion and  30  tablets  cost  10  cents,  we 
have  a  supply  for  20  seedlings  for  20 
days  at  a  modest  outlay.  Larger  quan- 
tities may  be  obtained  at  a  reduced 
rate. 

If  one  uses  eggshells  the  skin  must 
be    rubbed    out — a    somewhat    tedious 
process — but    it   will    mold,   otherwise, 
and   the   plantfood    requires   a    strictly 
neutral  medium,  for  it  supplies  all  the 
plant's  needs.     And  when  the  second 
leaves  appear,  or  as  soon  after  as  pos- 
sible, transplant  to  soil  (convenient  pa- 
per pots  can  be  obtained  for  this  pur- 
pose)   and   supplied  with  plantfood   in 
generous    quantity    (double   the    dose) 
for  two  days,  after  which  water  care- 
fully but   not   too   much.     And,   when 
time  has  been  allowed  for  plant  to  be- 
come well  established,  it  can  be  set  out 
in  perfectly  prepared — 'up  to  the  min- 
ute',— soil    by    merely   tearing   off   the 
paper    envelope    and    so    avoiding    the 
nasty  knocking  jar  or  clay  pot  plant- 
ing or  the  dangerous  root  exposure  of 
box  planting. 

The  nervous  shock  sustained  by  seed- 
lings as  ordinarily  grown,  in  the  first 
transplanting,  due  to  the  existence  of 
the  delicate  secondary  hairlike  root- 
lets, is  avoided  by  the  plantfood  meth- 
od, and  if  ordinary  care  is  taken  in  set- 
ting out,  no  setback  should  be  experi- 
enced and  every  plant  in  the  row  will 
be  worth  cultivating  and  a  full  row 
makes  the  work  worth  while. 

The  possibility  of  cultivating  the 
soil  up  to  the  last  minute,  and  the  ab- 
sence of  weed  warfare  during  germina- 
tion gives  a  wonderful  theoretical  start, 
to  say  the  least,  and  when  frosts  are 
late,  or  preparation  is  delayed,  the 
nlantfood  method  permits  a  parallel- 
ing of  the  enemy's  trenches — a  work- 
ins:  the  sawdust  while  working  up  the 
soil,  or  watchfully  waiting. 

And  in  this  connection,  let  us  say, 
that  it  is  to  the  Germans  we  owe  this 
plantfood — we  may  say  that  we  have  a 


12 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


(  Icrman  working  in  our  garden  this 
year— for  "The  Perfect  Plant  Food" 
we  use  was  invented  by  Prof.  Julius 
VonSachs. 

And  it  looks  as  if  we  were  going  to 
return  them  a  bullet  for  their  beans. 


Palm  Branches  Cover  this  Tree  House. 

I A    ALBERT  MARPLE,  TROPICO,  CALIFORNIA. 

A  novelty  in  the  way  of  a  tree  house 
has  just  been  completed  by  a  youth  liv- 
ing in  Los  Angeles,  California.  This 
house,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  illustra- 
tion   accompanying    this    brief    sketch, 


A    NOVEL    PLAN' 


DECORATED    TREE    HOUSE. 


a  trap  door  in  the  roof  out  of  which  the 
owner  climbs  when  he  wants  to  ascend 
to  the  top  of  the  tree,  which  has  been 
equipped  with  "cross  piece"  steps. 

In  connection  with  this  house  this 
enterprising  owner  conducts  an  elabor- 
ate wireless  outfit  and  private  athletic 
grounds,  consisting  of  jumping  boards, 
trapeze,    etc. — -"The    Schoolmate." 


has  been  erected  at  about  the  center  of 
this  large  dead  eucalyptus  tree  in  the 
yard  at  the  rear  of  this  youth's  home. 
It  is  eight  by  eight  feet  in  size,  and  the 
most  unusual  thing  about  it  is  that  it  is 
covered  with  pretty  palm  branches. 
The  framework  of  the  house  is  made 
of  two  by  four  timbers  and  one  by 
three  strips,  to  which  the  palm  branch- 
es have  been  nailed. 

Kntrance  to  the  room  is  gained  by 
means  of  a  trap  door  in  the  floor  near 
one  wall,  a  board  with  cleated  steps 
leading  up  to  the  house.    There  is  also 


Are    Rural    Communities    Ignorant    of 
Nature? 

A  letter  from  a  lady  who  lives  in  the 
heart  of  the  country  says  : 

"Last  season  the  State  Convention 
of  Wild  Life  League  was  held  on  the 
shores  of  our  little  lake,  Conneaut,  the 
largest  lake  in  the  state,  and  with  it 
came  a  goodly  delegation  of  Boy 
Scouts  from  Pittsburg  and  its  vicinity. 
Among  their  numerous  stunts  was  a 
tree-naming  contest,  which  had  to  be 
abandoned  because  no  competent 
judges  could  be  found.  This  in  the 
midst  of  a  rural  community  which  con- 
siders itself  intelligent,  and  is  fairlv 
well  informed  on  general  subjects.  I 
felt  ashamed  that  city  boys  should 
know  so  much  more  about  our  own 
woods  and  fields  than  our  country 
children — or  our  teachers." 

We  have  received  similar  expres- 
sions of  opinion  from  many  other  natural- 
ists and  along  certain  lines  I  have  made 
nersonal  observations.  The  result  is  that 
I  am  somewhat  confused.  I  am  not 
able  to  arrive  at  any  decided  opinion 
in  the  matter.  I  have  however,  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  city  people,  not 
only  city  children  but  adults,  as  a  class, 
are  more  eager  to  learn  somewhat  of 
nature  than  are  the  country  people. 

Light  is  thrown  on  the  situation  by 
one  of  the  "Fables  of  the  Fair"  by 
Josephine  Dodge  Daskam  Bacon.  She 
speaks  of  two  singers  that  wrere  invited 
to  appear  before  a  country  audience. 
Both  were  skilled  in  the  highest  forms 
of  music,  but  one  of  them  reasoned  in 
this  manner:  I  will  adapt  myself  to 
the  situation;  I  will  dress  plainly;  I 
will  have  as  an  ornament  a  little  flower 
from  the  woods  or  fields,  and  I  will 
sing  familiar  airs,  "Bring  Back  My 
Bonnv  to  Me,"  "Annie  Laurie"  and 
"Jingle,  Jingle  All  the  Way."  The 
other  decided  to  give  the  people  some- 


THE  PLANT  WORLD  UNDER  CARE 


13 


thing  that  they  did  not  have  every  day. 
She  dressed  in  her  most  elaborate 
gown  to  show  them  what  she  exhibited 
to  the  fashionable  audiences  of  the 
city ;  she  sang  operatic  airs  in  a  foreign 
language.  And  the  result?  For 
"Annie  Laurie"  and  "Down  on  the 
Swanee  River,"  it  was  only  indiffer- 
ence. "My  Jane  or  my  Sally  can  sing 
just  as  well  as  that."  But  they  liter- 
ally "sat  up  and  took  notice"  and  ap- 
plauded their  best,  when  they  heard 
songs  of  which  they  did  not  know  a 
note  nor  a  word.  The  author  tells  us, 
as  the  moral  of  her  fable,  "When  you 
are  among  the  Romans,  do  as  the 
Romans  don't." 

Here  is  a  wealth  of  wisdom.  Per- 
haps it  is  the  solution  of  the  problem 
why  more  nature  study  is  taught  in 
city  schools  than  in  the  country 
schools.  More  requests  for  addresses 
on  nature  topics  come  from  city 
schools  and  audiences  than  from  the 
country.  The  city  people  as  well  as 
those  of  the  country  are  alike  in  this 
one  thing,  they  are  among  the  Romans 
and  they  want  to  do  as  the  Romans 
don't.  It  is  that  everlasting  craving 
of  the  human  heart  for  something  dif- 
ferent, something  beyond  the  routine 
of  life.  It  is.  as  I  believe,  not  because 
city  people  live  nearer  to  nature  or 
that  they  better  appreciate  the  world 
around  them,  but  because  they  have 
less  of  it.  The  more  familiar  the 
country  people  become  with  trees  and 
cows,  geese  and  pigs,  robins  and  blue 
jays,  the  more  desirious  are  they  for 
a  touch  of  city  life.  Blessed  be  the 
automobiles  and  other  modern  facili- 
ties for  transportation  that  enable  city 
people  to  have  the  rest  and  refreshment 
of  the  country,  country  people  to  have 
the  culture  and  the  refining  influences 
of  the  city. 

After  all  there  is  no  unfavorable  com- 
parison to  be  made.  If  I  may  interpo- 
late a  humble  country  story,  let  me  tell 
of  a  boarding  house  that  stood  on  the 
banks  of  the  Connecticut  River,  in  the 
little  town  of  Goodspeed's  Landing,  in 
the  years  long  gone  by.  One  season 
the  sloops  loaded  with  clams  were  nu- 
merous. For  a  small  sum  any  one  could 
purchase  all  the  clams  he  could  carry. 
An  economical  boarding  mistress  kept 
her  table  supplied  liberally  with  clams. 


as  a  matter  of  strict  economy.  By  and 
by  one  of  the  boarders  declined  clams, 
and  the  boarding  mistress  held  up  her 
hands  as  she  exclaimed,  "Why,  Mr. 
Smith,  this  is  astonishing.  I  thought 
you  were  the  greatest  clam  lover  I 
have."  "Yes,"  he  said,  "I  am  fond  of 
clams  for  eighty  meals  in  succession, 
but  I  draw  the  line  at  the  eighty-first." 

Probably  that  is  the  feeling  of  the 
city  man  that  gets  city  life  steadily  for 
eleven  months  and  then  says,  "I  draw 
the  line  at  the  twelfth.  I  will  hie  away 
to  the  country.'  Probably  the  country 
schools  and  the  country  people  may 
know  more  of  nature,  but  they  do  not 
become  rapturous  in  regard  to  it  but 
rather  devote  their  enthusiasm  to  what 
they  have  seen  in  an  occasional  visit  to 
the  city. 

But  this  bit  of  philosophy  does  not 
completely  cover  the  situation.  There 
is  another  point  of  view,  especially  for 
country  people.  They  may  know  the 
humdrum,  ordinary,  utilitarian  phases 
of  nature,  but  thev  do  not  know  how 
interesting  nature  is.  It  is  the  duty 
of  nature  lovers  to  show  country  people 
those  interests.  Occasionally  some  one 
from  the  city  knows  more  about  nature 
than  the  country  person  knows,  but  is 
not  the  opposite  as  often  true?  Many 
a  bright-eyed  boy  or  girl  on  one  visit 
to  the  city  will  find  more  of  interest 
and  more  to  talk  about  to  their  friends 
than  the  boy  can  find  who  sees  nothing 
but  houses  and  streets  and  trolley  cars 
all  day  and  every  day.  There  are  such 
things  as  calloused  eyes. 


Making  Seed  Potatoes  Go  a  Long  Way. 

In  the  present  high  price  of  seed  po- 
tatoes here  is  a  good  suggestion  from 
a  friend  in  Ada,  Montana,  who  is  ex- 
perimenting extensively  along  these 
lines. 

"There  are  many  ways  to  experiment 
with  potatoes.  Did  you  ever  try  them 
in  a  hotbed?  I  assure  you  it  is  interest- 
ing. Cover  them  with  not  more  than 
an  inch  of  earth.  Pick  the  sprouts  off 
once  a  week  and  transplant.  Every 
sprout  will  make  a  vigorous  hill. 

"Another  way  to  make  your  seed  go 
farther  is  to  divide  the  eyes.  Take  a 
thin  bladed,  very  sharp  knife.  Cut  the 
eye  in  two  or  four  pieces  ;  plant  shal- 
low and  hill  up  by  hand." 


All  communications  for  this  department 
should  he  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. 


When  the  Herons  Homeward  Fly. 

Far  clown  on  the  Indian  River,  along 
the  eastern  coast  of  Florida,  thousands 
of  "little  blue"  and  Louisiana  herons 
make  their  homes  among  the  thick 
mangroves  and  in  the  hidden  lagoons 
and  bayous  of  this  enchanting  land. 

Though  persecuted  and  shot  to  the 
verge  of  extermination  in  many  local- 
ities which  were  formerly  wonderful 
bird  paradises,  the  recent  guarding  of 
some  of  the  colonies  in  their  nesting 
season,  and  the  setting  apart  by  our 
Government  of  large  areas  where  the 
birds  are  protected  throughout  the 
year,  have  now  checked  this  slaughter 
to  a  large  degree  ;  and  one  of  the  most 
pleasant  sights  of  the  tourist,  as  he 
sails  through  these  blue  waters  and 
among  the  green  islands  of  semi-tropi- 
cal beauty  today  are  the  graceful  herons 
and  egrets  which  are  almost  constantly 
in  sight,  and  which  add  a  beauty  and 
charm  of  their  own  to  the  southern 
landscape. 

One  of  the  sights  which  I  shall  always 
remember  in  a  chronicle  of  events  dur- 
ing a  trip  through  this  region  was  the 
pleasure  of  watching  the  gathering  of 
these  herons  toward  nightfall,  as  they 
silently  made  their  way  in  little  groups 
toward  the  common  "roost"  where  thev 
were  to  spend  the  night. 

This  "gathering  of  the  clans"  began 
shortly  before  sunset  and,  as  nearly  as 
I  could  determine  by  noting  the  direc- 
tion taken  by  the  various  flocks,  their 
destination  lay  a  few  miles  to  the 
westward  of  our  course,  somewhere 
within  the  confines  of  that  great  pro- 
tecting swamp  known  as  The  Ever- 
glades.    The  day  had  been  an  entranc- 


ingly  beautiful  one,  as  days  in  this  lo- 
cality are  wont  to  be,  and  as  it  was 
coming  calmly  to  its  close,  there  seem- 
ed to  be  a  sense  of  dreamy  satisfaction 
quietly  stealing  over  us  and  settling 
all  about  us.  What  a  complete  har- 
mony we  find  in  nature  at  such  a  time 
—in  the  quieting  of  the  waters,  in  the 
glorious  tinting  of  the  heavens,  and  in 
the  softening  shadows  of  the  palms. 
The  hum  of  the  insects  and  the  evening 
songs  of  the  birds  come  to  our  ears  so 
unobtrusively  that  we  scarce  notice 
these  different  sounds,  so  perfectly  is 
blended  all  the  music  of  the  wild  in 
Nature's  gentle  lullaby. 

It  was  at  such  a  time,  near  the  close 
of  a  mid-December  day,  that  I  glanced 
up  from  these  dreamy  surroundings 
and  noticed  a  Mock  of  twenty-one  little 
blue  herons  flying  southward  over  our 
launch.  Not  a  sound  did  they  make, 
and  their  rythmic,  regular  flapping 
seemed  to  propel  them  without  physi- 
cal exertion  toward  the  goal  of  their 
desires.  Soon  another  and  another  lit- 
tle group  flew  silently  over  us.  Some- 
times there  would  be  a  single  straggler, 
and  again  a  flock  of  fifty  or  sixty  birds, 
containing  both  the  Louisiana  and  lit- 
tle blue  varieties  ;  but  always  did  they 
seem  impelled  by  the  one  motive  or  in- 
stinct, as  unerringly  they  set  their 
course  for  the  common  goal.  Just  so 
strongly  and  so  truly  does  the  "call  of 
home"  come  to  every  creature  when 
the  day  is  done 

Every  two  or  three  minutes  as  I 
looked  up  into  the  sky  would  I  see 
these  little  flocks  cleaving  their  way 
through  the  blue  ether.  They  were 
flying  at  a  considerable  height  and  of- 
ten in  well  formed  V-shaped  flocks. 
Proceeding  steadily  southward  on  our 
course,  I  soon  noticed  a  change  in  the 
direction  of  the  herons'  flight.  Flocks 
were  now  moving  to  the  westward, 
and  were  flying  at  a  much  lower  alti- 
tude than  those  previously  seen,  indi- 
cating that  we  had  passed  in  a  general 


ORNITHOLOGY 


15 


way  the  range  of  their  roost,  which  was 
evidently  not  far  to  our  westward  in 
the  interior  of  the  swamp. 

The  shadows  of  the  palms  soon  deep- 
ened and  the  wonderful  phosphores- 
cence began  to  light  up  the  water  about 
our  launch,  showing  as  a  brilliant 
streak  Where  it  curled  over  the  edges  of 
the  waves  cut  by  the  prow  of  the  boat. 
Ere  we  realized  it  the  sun  had  dipped 
below  the  horizon  and,  seemingly 
loathe  to  leave  us,  was  reflected  upward 


Bird  Tragedies. 

June  is  the  month  when  probably 
more  tragedies  occur  in  bird  life  than 
at  any  other  season  of  the  year.  Young 
birds  in  the  nest  are  exposed  to  the 
dangers  of  severe  storms  and  to  the  at- 
tacks of  such  enemies  as  crows,  jays 
and  squirrels,  while  those  which  have 
left  the  nest  and  are  not  yet  fully  able 
to  care  for  themselves  are  still  subject 
to  marauding  animals  and  birds  of 
prey. 


"THE  SOFTENING   SHADOWS  OF  THE  PALMS." 


in  a  flood  of  golden  glory,  making 
beautiful  beyond  description  the  west- 
ern sky  and  the  silhouetted  palms  along 
its  horizon.  Into  the  glory  of  this  sun- 
set sailed  the  last  straggling  flocks  of 
the  little  herons.  Like  silent  shadows 
they  passed  over  us  and  were  gone. 

Forty-eight  separate  flocks  or  indi- 
viduals, totalling  four  hundred  and  fifty 
birds,  were  seen  thus  to  pass  over  to 
this  roost  within  a  half  hour.  But  it 
Was  not  the  number  of  birds  which  I 
saw  that  impressed  me  most.  The 
blue  of  the  waters,  the  shadowy  palms, 
the  glorious  setting  of  the  sun  and  the 
silent  home-coming  of  the  little  herons 
at  the  end  of  the  day, — these  all  went 
to  make  up  the  beautiful  picture  which 
now  "hangs  on  memory's  wall." 


Perhaps  we  notice  most  commonly 
at  this  season  the  young  robins  just 
after  they  have  left  the  nest.  We  may 
frequently  see  them  along  the  roadsides 
or  in  our  yards.  At  this  stage,  when 
they  are  little  able  to  fly,  many  fall  a 
prey  to  the  prowling  house  cat,  which 
is  by  far  the  worst  enemy  of  nesting 
birds.  The  extent  of  this  destruction 
may  be  somewhat  realized  by  the  re- 
cent statement  of  one  of  our  well- 
known  naturalists  that  seven  hundred 
thousand  birds  are  annually  killed  by 
barn  cats  in  Massachusetts  alone. 

The  phoebe's  nest  shown  in  our  il- 
lustration contains  the  skeletons  of 
three  young  birds  which  evidently 
starved  to  death,  owing  probably  to 
some   accident  befalling  either  one  or 


i6 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


yOUNG  ROBIN  SOON  AFTER  LEAVING  NEST- 
AN  EASY  PREY  FOR  CATS. 


both  of  the  parent  birds.  Many  young 
perish  thus  while  still  in  the  nest; 
others  are  preyed  upon  by  nest  vermin, 
which  sometimes  become  so  bad  as  to 
cause  the  abandonment  of  the  nest  by 
the  parent  birds  and  the  consequent  de- 
struction of  the  young.  I  have  known 
of  such  a  fate  befalling  a  brood  of  phoe- 
toes  whose  home  was  in  the  sheltering 
'crevice  of  a  great  rock  in  the  woods. 
The  situations  selected  by  these  birds 
for  their  nests  unfortunately  are  too 
often  in  places  where  conditions  seem 
to  promote  such  dire  consequences. 
These  birds,  however,  usually  raise  two 
broods  of  young  in  a  season  and  are 
thus  able  to  hold  their  own  against 
these   destructive   agencies. 


Crows  and  jays  are  probably  respon- 
sible for  the  destruction  of  many  eggs 
and  young  birds  in  the  nest.  Such  was 
the  fate  of  the  young  robins  from  the 
nest  shown  in  our  third  illustration. 
A  great  deal  of  pleasure  had  been  de- 
rived from  watching  the  construction 
of  this  little  home  in  the  maple  tree. 
The  mother  bird  is  here  seen  hollowing 
out  the  structure  with  her  breast,  pre- 
paratory to  its  final  lining  of  soft  grass- 
es. Although  this  tree  stood  in  the 
yard  within  six  feet  of  my  window,  and 
as  near  to  the  house  on  the  other  side, 
this  close  proximity  to  dwellings  evi- 
dently did  not  save  its  occupants  from 
an  untimely  end,  and  another  tragedy 


PHOEBE'S     NEST     CONTAINING    SKELETONS 
OF  YOUNG  WHICH    HAD  STARVED  TO  DEATH. 


A   ROBIN   BUILDING   ITS   NEST. 

was  enacted  when,  after  watching 
these  happy  birds  through  the  days  of 
home  building,  incubation  of  the  eggs 
and  feeding  of  the  young,  I  one  day 
heard  their  cries  of  distress  and  looked 
up  just  as  a  crow  had  swooped  down 
upon  the  nest  and  was  making  off  with 
some  of  the  young  birds  in  its  beak. 

In  the  lowlands,  especially  among 
the  ground  nesting  birds,  there  are 
many  tragedies  caused  by  severe  and 
unseasonable  storms  in  the  nesting 
season.  The  red-winged  blackbird 
nestlings  shown  here  have  succumbed 
to  the  cold  and  exposure  caused  by  a 
prolonged  rain  and  heavy  storm  which 
lasted  for  days,  and  which  tore  down 


ORNITHOLOGY 


'7 


many  such  nests  throughout  the  mar- 
shes. We  also  found  after  this  storm 
several  nests  of  swamp  and  song  spar- 
rows, which  contained  eggs,  entirely 
submerged,    as    the 


water    rising 


tar 


above  its  usual  height  and  covered 
many  of  the  grass  hummocks  which 
contained  their  nests.  Such  a  prolong- 
ed storm  in  June,  1903.  caused  the 
death  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  hirer's 
in  Massachusetts.  Many  colonies  of 
martins  were  exterminated,  nests  were 
abandoned  and  dead  birds  were  picked 
up  in  various  places.  This  storm  was 
so  severe  in  its  general  effect  upon  bird 
life  as  to  call  for  a  special  report  by 
the  Massachusetts  State  Ornithologist. 
Severe  gales  are  sometimes  destructive 
to  sea  birds  by  blowing  them  far  in- 
land where  they  cannot  obtain  food, 
such  storms  also  causing  the  death  of 
many  of  the  smaller  birds  in  the  mi- 
grating seasons. 

The  young  oriole  shown  on  the  edge 
of  the  swinging  basket  had  fallen  from 
its  nest  and  was  cared  for  by  some  one 
interested  in  its  welfare.  Young  birds 
may  often  be  saved  from  destruction 
in  some  such  way  by  providing  food 
and  shelter  until  they  are  able  to  care 
for  themselves.  Nests  which  have  fall- 
en down  may  sometimes  be  attached 
to  a  temporary  support  and  the  parent 
birds  induced  to  resume  their  duties  of 
caring  for  the  young. 

Probably  the  greater  part  of  all  bird 
life  comes  to  a  tragic  end     Many  other 


YOUNG      BALTIMORE     ORIOLE     WHICH     HAD 
FALLEN    FROM   ITS   NEST. 


agencies  of  destruction  might  be  men- 
tioned besides  those  illustrated  here, 
but  it  is  not  a  very  pleasant  subject 
when  we  consider  those  things  over 
which  we  have  no  control.  It  should 
concern  us,  however,  to  know  that 
there  are  many  things  which  we  can 
do  to  conserve  these  useful  creatures, 
for  probably  more  than  all  these  com- 
bined is  man  the  agent  of  death  among 
the  birds.  A  sane  and  reasonable  con- 
trol of  cats,  a  proper  provision  of  food 
and  nesting  sites  where  we  remove 
those  which  Nature  has  provided  and 
the  checking  of  their  natural  enemies 
will  tend  to  increase  rather  than  dimin- 
ish those  species  of  value  which  are 
especially  desirable  about  the  house, 
while  still  further  restrictive  laws  and 
assistance  to  such  organizations  as  the 
Audubon  Societies,  which  are  doing 
protective  work  among  the  birds,  is 
vitally  necessary  if  we  would  stop  the 
ruthless  slaughter,  if  not  actual  exter- 
mination, which  is  still  being  perpe- 
trated among  some  of  our  naitve  birds. 


YOUNG   RED- WINGED    blackbirds. 
Nest   broken   down   and  birds  killed  by  storm. 


In   Passing. 

BY    GRACE    E.    EMERSON,    NORWALK,    CONNECTICUT. 

There's  so  much  good  in  field  and  wood 
I  fail  to  count  the  half  I  find  : 
Refreshing   ease    'mid   grass   and   trees; 
With    lengthening    shadows   peace   of   mind; 
Again   the   birds   sing  hopeful   words, 
And   healing  lingers  in   the   breeze, 
Yet  is  my  heart  a  living  part 
Of  all  the  life   I   find  in   these? 


i8 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


An  Unexpected  Visitor. 

When  I  came  downstairs  at  about 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning  on  Septem- 
ber 16,  I  was  astonished  to  see  a 
screech  owl  sitting  on  a  radiator  in  the 


er,  so  we  opened  the  door  and  he  flew 
silently  out,  being  lost  to  view  in  some 
near-by  woods. 

We  think  the  owl  must  have  come 
down    a    chimney    into    a    fireplace,    as 


THE  OWL  ON  THE  RADIATOR. 


front  hall.  My  first  thought  was  that 
someone  had  put  a  stuffed  bird  there 
as  a  joke,  but  I  realized  at  once  that 
he  was  alive,  because  he  turned  his 
head  when  I  moved  to  one  side.  1 
called  to  my  wife,  and  she  came  down 
to  see  our  visitor,  who  did  not  seem  to 
be  at  all  disturbed  at  our  presence.  1 
then  got  out  my  camera  and  took  some 
pictures.,  one  of  which  is  reproduced 
herewith.  Nearly  an  hour  later  i  went 
to  the  house  of  a  neighbor,  and  got  him 
to  come  over  with  his  camera.  The 
owl  had  remained  in  the  same  place  all 
this  time,  and  I  found  that  I  could  get 
close  to  the  radiator  without  disturbing 
him.  But  finally,  when  I  stood  with  my 
hand  on  the  radiator,  within  a  few 
inches  of  the  owl,  he  became  alarmed 
and  flew  into  an  adjoining  room.  He 
struck  against  a  mirror  and  dropped 
onto  a  table,  where  he  sat  on  a  pile 
of  books,  looking  very  wise  indeed.  He 
did  not  remain  long,  however,  but  flew 
to  my  camera  which  was  standing 
near-by.  After  my  friend  had  taken 
his  picture  in  this  position  we  decided 
not  to  keep  him  in  the  house  any  long- 


there  was  apparently  no  other  way  in 
which  he  could  have  gotten  in. — H.  S. 
Shaw,  |r.,  Hover,  Massachusetts,  in 
"Bird-Lore." 


Downy  Woodpecker  and  Goldenrod 
Galls. 

Schenectady,  N.  Y. 
To  the  Editor  : 

Last  autumn  I  noticed  a  downy  wood- 
pecker working  on  some  goldenrod 
galls.  I  examined  one  gall  after  he 
had  left  it,  but  found  the  larva  undis- 
turbed. From  your  observations  have 
you  found  that  these  birds  ever  destroy 
the  larva  in  these  galls?  A  reply 
through  The  Guide  to  Nature  will  be 
appreciated. 

B.  D.  Miller. 
Personally  I  have  never  seen  a  wood- 
pecker  working   on    these   galls.      Can 
any  reader  furnish  the  desired  informa- 
tion?—H.  G.  H. 


Roseate  clouds  and  a  waning  moon, 
A  flight  of  birds  in  the  sky, 

Are  heralds  to  proclaim  to  us 
The   new   day   from   on   high. 

— Emma    Peirce. 


ORNITHOLOGY 


19 


A  June   Daybreak. 

The   Eastern   sky   was   flushed   with    rose, 

The    air    serenely    still; 
The  early  light,   a  halo,   lay 

Upon    a    distant    hill. 

The   little   clouds,   like   buoyant   hopes, 

That  floated  in  the  blue, 
Caught   all    the    glory   of   the    dawn, 

And  passed  it  on  to  you. 

The  birds  at  matins,  filled  the  air 

With  jubilant  outpour; 
The  oak  beside  me  flashed  its  green, 

And    all    its    fringes   wore. 

The  sleeping  valley  opened   wide 

Its   eyes  of  limpid   blue: 
Twin  lakes  that  mirror  all  the  sky, 

The   changing  season   through. 

The    smoke    from    neighboring    rooftrees 
caught 
The  first   glint  of  the   sun; — 
The   night   was   over,   the   new   day 
Auspiciously    begun. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


try  lane  and  hear  the  swallow's  sweet 
refrain.  I  like  to  see  them  swell  their 
throats  and  send  forth  charming,  sooth- 
ing notes.  I  like  to  seem  them  upon 
high  a-fluttering  against  the  sky.  What 
if  they  eat  a  few  stale  seeds — they 
must  supply  their  inner  needs.  Re- 
member that  they  also  eat  the  bugs 
that  spoil  the  beets  and  wheat.  They're 
living  ornaments  and  they  should  be 
protected  ev'ry  day.  We  ought  to  put 
up  houses  for  the  birds  and  say  "Come 
by  the  score — just  come  in  flocks  and 
hang  around — I'll  scatter  crumbs  upon 
the  ground."  The  bird's  a  most  en- 
dearing thing  when  on  the  ground  or 
on  the  wing.  Gee  whiz!  I  just  can't 
find  the  words  to  say  how  much  I'm  fond 
of  birds. 

Ray  I.  Hoppman. 


Birds. 

I  just  can't  find  the  words  to  say  how 
much    I'm    fond    of   birds.    I'd    just    as 
soon   ride   in   a   hearse   if  birdless   was 
this  universe.     They  seem  to  right  our 
hapless    wrongs    whene'er    they    chant 
their  happy  songs.     I'm  fond  of  ev'ry- 
thing    with    wings — I    just    adore    the 
feathered  things.    I  love  to  hear  the  lit- 
tle lark  sing  notes  at  dusk  before  it's 
dark.     The  sparrow  I  could  watch  all 
day — I  like  his  happy,  saucy  way.    The 
black  domed  little  chickadee   sure  has 
an  awful  drag  with  me.  The  robin  with 
its  flaming  breast  is  always  welcome  as 
my  guest.     Whene'er  I  hear  the  whip- 
poor-will.    I    say   "I    hope    you'll    ne'er 
keep   still — I   like   to   hear   the   tuneful 
song    that    you    so    gaily    pass    along." 
The  bluebird,  grosbeak,  jay  and  wren 
are    lifelong   pals    of    mine — Amen.      I 
fail  to  see  where  there  is  fun  in  shoot- 
ing birdlets  with  a  gun.     I  think  it  is  a 
doggone  shame  to  shoot  'em   dead  or 
make  'em  lame.     The  marten  and  the 
bobolink  are  two     fine     specimens,     I 
think.      The    thrasher    and    the    oriole 
are  pals  of  mine — upon  my  soul.     Oh, 
I    could    go    along    the    line    and    tell 
how  every  bird  doth  shine.     I  haven't 
time   to   name    each    one — I've   got    to 
work,  I  need   the  "mon."     But  I  just 
want    to    up    and  say    that    birdlings 
brighten  up  the  day.  They  beautify  this 
war-mad  globe  and  make  it  one  glad, 
sweet  abode.     I  love  to  walk  the  coun- 


A  Kingfisher  that  Eats  Snakes. 
The  giant  kingfisher,  or  laughing 
jackass,"  which  is  found  throughout 
Australia,  nests  in  holes  in  dead  trees, 
it  is  called  "kookaburra"  by  the  natives, 
a    name   suggested   by   the   bird's   call. 


THE  LAUGHING  TACKASS. 


Unlike  most  kingfishers  this  bird  is 
often  found  nesting  far  from  water, 
where  it  lives  on  insects,  lizards, 
snakes,  rats  and  small  birds.  The  ac- 
companying illustration  is  of  a  young 
kookaburra  at  its  nest  hole  in  a  large 
dry  eucalypt  in  East  Gippsland,  Vic- 
toria, Australia.  It  was  taken  by  J. 
H.  Mac,  and  was  sent  to  us  by  our 
Australian  correspondent,  Mr.  H.  Stu- 
art Dove. 


The   Heavens   in  June. 

BY    PROFESSOR   ERIC   DOOLITTLE,   OF   THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Tune  is  our  month  of  the  shortest 
nights.  At  the  time  of  the  shortest 
day,  twilight  does  not  fully  disappear 
until  about  twenty  minutes  before  ten 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  while  before 
half  past  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
the  first  signs  of  dawn  are  seen  in  the 
east.  The  astronomer  has  thus  less 
than  five  hours  of  complete  darkness  in 


than  the  magnificent  groups  to  be  seen 
during  the  colder  months  of  the  year. 
We  have,  indeed,  one  most  brilliant 
and  interesting  group — that  of  the 
Scorpion,  which  is  now  creeping  up- 
ward into  our  evening  heavens  from 
the  southeast — but  the  very  widely  ex- 
tended groups  of  Ophiuchus,  Virgo 
and  Hydra,  which  fill  the  remaining 
part  of  the  southern  sky,  are  composed 
almost  wholly  of  faint,  inconspicuous 
stars. 


MORTM 


iOuTH 


Figure   1.     The  Constellations   at  9   P.  M.  June   1.      (If  facing  south,   hold  the   map  upright.      If   facing 
west,  hold  West  below.     If  facing  east,  hold  East  below     If  facing  north,   hold  the  map  inverted.) 


his  observatory  during  the  entire  night, 
a  striking  contrast  to  the  long  hours  af- 
forded by  the  nights  of  midwinter. 

The  constellations,  too  of  our  sum- 
mer evenings  are  (as  our  readers 
doubtless  well  know)  far  less  brilliant 


During  this  month,  too,  the  planet 
Saturn,  of  all  the  planets,  alone  re- 
mains conspicuous  in  the  evening  hea- 
vens, and  this  is  rapidly  sinking  in  the 
west.  Yet  perhaps  the  most  interest- 
ing  spectacle   of   the    entire   month    is 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


21 


that  furnished  by  the  rapid  motions 
and  close  approaches  of  the  three 
bright  worlds — Mercury,  Mars,  and  Ju- 
piter. These  are  now,  however,  all  very 
close  together  in  the  morning  sky,  so 
that  in  order  to  study  them  the  obser- 
ver must  go  out  in  the  early  morning 
hours    a    short    time    before    sunrise. 

^  $i  ^c  %  %. 

The  Morning  Planets. 

J  he  sun  in  its  slow  apparent  jour- 
ney among  the  stars  has  now  passed 
to  the  east  of  Mercury,  Mars  and  Jupi- 
ter so  that  as  we  look  at  these  planets 
in  the  southern  heavens  we  see  the 
sun  to  the  left  of  them.  Consequently 
these  planets  now  set  before  sunset  and 
arise  before  the  sun  rises  ;  that  is,  they 
are  all  morning  stars.  As  Mars  moves 
eastward  among  the  stars  far  more  rap- 
idly than  Jupiter,  the  sun  draws  away 
from  the  former  planet  much  more 
slowly  than  from  the  latter  one.  The 
result  is  that  the  latter  planet  seems  to 
climb  upward  into  the  morning  sky 
much  more  rapidly  than  does  the  more 
swiftly  moving  world. 

All  three  of  these  bright  worlds  are 
now  close  together  and  moving  east- 
ward through  the  constellation  Taurus. 
Both  Mars  and  Jupiter  move  quite 
steadilv  eastward,  the  former  alone-  the 
path  AB,  Figure  2,  and  the  latter  along 
the  path  CD.  But  the  motion  of  Mer- 
cury is  peculiar.  On  June  1.  it  is  at 
the  position  E,  but  its  motion  is  then  so 
slow  that  it  is  passed  by  Mars  when 
the  former  planet  is  at  K  and  the  lat- 
ter at  C.  Its  motion  then  quickens  ;  it 
passes  Jupiter  (HV)  on  June  S.  and 
overtakes  and  again  passes  Mars  (RS) 
on  June. 1 1.  One  hour  later  it  reaches 
the  point  T,  at  which  time  it  is  at  its 
greatest  distance  from  the  sun. 

During  each  of  these  three  conjunc- 
tions of  Mercury  the  two  planets  are 
unfortunately  rather  far  separated  in 
the  sky  owing  to  Mercurv'-  path  lying 
si  1  far  to  the  southward  among  the 
stars.  A  far  more  striking  sky  figure 
is  that  afforded  by  the  close  approach 
of  Mars  and  Jupiter  (at  the  point  V)  on 
the  morning  of  June  8  ;  the  two  planets 
will  then  appear  separated  by  but  forty- 
one  minutes  in  the  sky. 

To  observe  these  most  interesting 
motions  the  reader  should  turn  toward 
the  northeastern  horizon  in  the  very 
earlv  dawn.     On  June  1  the  three  plan- 


ets will  rise  about  one  hour  ten  minutes 
before  sunrise,  while  by  the  end  of  the 
month  Mars  and  Jupiter  will  rise  two 
hours  before  the  sun.  The  dates  of  the 
conjunctions  are:  Mercury  with  Mars, 


Figure  2.  The  paths  of  the  mornirg  planets  from 
Tune  1  to  June  3d.  Ai!  is  the  path  of  Mars,  CD  that 
of    Jupiter    and    EF    that    of    Mercury. 


June  5  and  June  1 1  ;  Mercury  with  Jupi- 
ter. June  8,  9  P.  M. ;  Jupiter  with  Mars, 
June  8,  7  A.  M.  Mercury  reaches  its 
greatest  distance  west  of  the  sun  on 
June  II.  The  contrasting  colors  and 
appearances  of  these  three  worlds,  so 
near  together  in  the  sky,  will  be  ob- 
served to  much  greater  advantage  if 
the  reader  can  use  a  small  telescope  in 
their  observation. 

^  %.  ^c  ■%.  ^ 

The  Partial  Eclipse  of  the  Sun. 
The  third  eclipse  of  the  present  vear 
will  occur  on  the  forenoon  of  June  19. 
This  is  a  partial  eclipse  of  the  sun,  but 
it  will  unfortunately  be  invisible  from 
almost  the  whole  of  the  United  States. 
The  only  part  of  our  country  from 
which  anything  of  the  eclipse  can  be 
seen  will  be  from  the  stations  lying 
north  of  the  line  MN,  Figure  3.  From 
practically  all  of  Alaska,  Western  Brit- 
ish   North    America.    Northern    Green- 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


land,  Russia  and  Northern  Siberia  the 
eclipse  will,  however,  be  visible. 

Observers  above  the  line  MN  will 
see  the  intensely  black  lower  edge  of 
the  moon  cover  a  small  portion  of  the 
upper  part  of  the  bright  sun's  disc,  the 
eclipse  beginning  soon  after  sunrise 
at     a    verv     few    minutes     before     or 


until  next  December.  Venus  now 
shines  sixty  times  the  brightness  of  a 
first  magnitude  star. 

Saturn  this  month  moves  quite  rap- 
idly eastward  from  Gemini  into  Can- 
cer. It  is  being  steadily  overtaken  by 
the  sun  and  therefore  each  evening 
sinks  lower  in  the  west,  but  it  is  still 


Figure   3.      The    region    of   tin-   United    States   within    which   the   solar   eclipse    of   June    19    is    visible. 


after  seven  o'clock  A.  M.  (Eastern 
standard  time).  The  exact  instants  of 
beginning  and  ending  cannot  be  stated 
as  these  differ  for  every  station.  Ob- 
servers farther  north  will  see  a  greater 
part  of  the  sun  hidden,  but  from  no 
station  will  quite  so  much  as  one-half 
of  the  sun's  diameter  be  covered  by  the 
moon. 

The  Planets  in  June. 

As  has  been  stated,  three  of  the 
brighter  planets  are  now  close  together 
in  the  morning  sky,  and  a  special  effort 
to  observe  these  (especially  with  a 
-mall  telescope)  will  be  well  repaid. 

The  beautiful  planet  Venus  is  stead- 
ily emerging  from  the  sun's  rays  into 
the  evening  heavens.  As  it  is  now  in- 
tensely bright,  it  can  be  found  without 
much  difficult}',  shining  in  the  twilight 
glow  almost  directly  above  the  north- 
west point  of  the  horizon.  On  June 
i  it  sets  forty  minutes  after  sunset  and 
this  time  is  increased  to  one  hour  four- 
teen minutes  by  June  30.  In  the  tele- 
scope the  planet  is  seen  to  be  nearly 
full  ;  it  will  not  attain  its  crescent  phase 


in  quite  favorable  position  for  observa- 
tion. This,  however,  is  the  last  month 
during  which  it  can  be  well  observed 
until  toward  the  close  of  the  year,  when 
it  will  again  enter  the  evening  sky. 

The  sun  will  attain  its  highest  posi- 
tion among  the  stars  on  June  21  at 
seven  hours  fourteen  minutes  P.  M. 
Eastern  standard  time,  and  this  will  ac- 
cordingly be  the  longest  day  of  the 
present  year.  At  this  time  the  day, 
from  sunrise  to  sunset,  will  be  six 
hours  twelve  minutes  longer  than  the 
following  night.  The  true  twilight  and 
dawn  will  increase  this  duration  by 
more  than  four  hours,  while  observers 
whose  northern  horizon  is  unobstruct- 
ed and  who  are  completely  removed 
from  all  artificial  lights  may  view  the 
faint  twilight  illumination  throughout 
the  entire  night.  They  may  see  it 
move  along  the  northern  horizon  from 
the  west  until  it  attains  a  position  due 
north  at  midnight,  after  which  it  will 
move  slowly  eastward,  continually  in- 
creasing in  intensity,  until  it  begins  to 
blot  out  the  light  of  the  fainter  stars, 
when  the  very  faint  midnight  glow  will 
have  merged  into  the  true  dawn. 


Frail   Wanderers   of   the   Night. 

BY    EDWIN    L.    JACK,    PORTLAND,    MAINE. 

[Photographs    by    the    author   and    Cordelia 

J.  Stanwood.] 

There  are  few  persons  that  are  aware 
that  such  wonderful  and  gorgeous  crea- 
tures exist  as  the  night  moths  of  our 
early  summer  months.  This  lack  of  fa- 
miliarity with  one  of  nature's  most 
wonderful  creations  is  largely  due  to 
the  fact  that  these  large  moths  are  noc- 
turnal in  habit,  remaining  at  rest  dur- 
ing day. 

A  warm  June  night,  as  the  dusk  be- 


Their  life  history  is  practically  identi- 
cal. 

Starting  with  the  fully  matured 
moth,  we  find  it  in  the  last  stage  of  its 
life.  It  has  emerged  from  its  cocoon, 
has  mated  and  has  begun  to  deposit  its 
eggs.  These  it  places  upon  the  leaves 
of  trees  on  which  its  caterpillars  are  to 
feed.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three 
weeks,  these  eggs  hatch  into  tiny  cater- 
pillars which  at  once  begin  to  feed  on 
the  leaf.  This  feeding  continues  for 
four  or  five  weeks,  during  which  the 
growing    caterpillar    has     moulted    at 


Photograph  by  Cordelia  J.   Stanwood. 

THE  LUNA  CATERPILLAR. 
It   hardly   seem    credible   that    so   repulsive   looking   a    creature    would    evolve    anything   so    beautiful    as    a 
luna  moth. 


gins  to  gather,  is  the  ideal  time  for 
moths.  The  bright  arc  lights  of  our 
city  streets  seem  to  have  a  great  at- 
traction for  them  and  it  is  by  this  means 
that  a  few  shut  in  city  dwellers  are 
sometimes  given  the  opportunity  of 
viewing  some  of  the  more  common  spe- 
cies. 

The  two  here  illustrated  are  the  luna 
and  the  cecropia,  two  of  our  most  com- 
mon   and    vet    most    beautiful    moth-. 


least  three  times.  It  stops  eating,  trav- 
els around  for  a  day  or  two,  and  then 
begins  to  look  for  a  suitable  location  in 
which  to  place  its  cocoon.  This  is 
usually  the  limb  of  a  tree  on  which  it 
has  been  feeding.  Having  found  a  sat- 
isfactory place,  it  begins  to  spin  its 
winter  home,  the  cocoon. 

When  the  cocoon  has  been  complet- 
ed, a  wonderful  transformation  takes 
place.     The   skin   of   the   caterpillar   is 


24 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Photograph    by    Edwin    L.    Jack. 

THE  LUNA  MOTH. 

The  beautiful  long  and  curved   "trailers"  seem  to  give 

this  moth   a   touch   of   distinction   above  all   others. 


cast  off  and  its  body  is  changed  into  a 
dark,  shiny  pupa.  Jn  this  state  the 
moth  remains  through  the  winter. 

You  may  wonder  how  so  delicate  a 
creature  as  a  moth,  with  often  a  six 
and  one-half  inch  expansion  of  wing, 
is  to  escape  from  the  cocoon  without 
being  fatally  injured.  The  process  is 
simple,   yet   the   most    wonderful    with 


which  I  am  acquainted.  Many  cocoons, 
such  as  that  of  the  luna,  are  completely 
sealed  at  each  end,  while  others, 
such  as  that  of  the  cecropia,  are  woven 
loosely  at  one  end.  In  the  case  of  the 
luna,  when  the  moth  has  reached  ma- 
turity and  is  about  to  emerge,  a  damp 
spot  appears  on  one  end  of  the  cocoon  ; 
nature  has  provided  the  moth  with  an 
acid  which  it  ejects  at  just  the  proper 
moment.  This  acid  softens  the  hard 
case  of  the  cocoon  ;  suddenly  there  is  a 
scratching  and  clawing  from  within  ; 
the  surface  of  the  damp  spot  begins  to 
rise  and  fall ;  at  last  it  bursts  open  and 
the  moth  drags  forth  its  large  body  in- 
to a  world  of  light  and  sunshine.  Im- 
mediately after  clearing  the  opening, 
the  moth  climbs  some  near-by  support, 
from  which  it  hangs  so  that  its  wings 
may  dry  and  expand,  for  at  the  time  of 
emerging  a  moth's  wings  are  no  larger 
than  a  man's  thumb  nail. 

As  we  watch,  we  suddenly  become 
aware  that  these  small,  damp  wings  are 
taking  on  size  and  color  and  before  our 
very  eyes,  in  less  than  three-quarters 
of  an  hour,  wings  which  at  emergence 


Photograph  by  Edwin  L.  Jack. 

THE  CECROPIA  MOTH. 

When   fully   expanded  this  moth's   wings  measured  six   and   one-half   inches   from   tip   to    tip. 


THE  INTEREST  IN  INSECTS 


25 


were  not  an  inch  in  length  have  devel- 
oped to  a  sweep  of  six  and  one-half 
inches.  Suddenly  a  quivering-  motion 
seizes  the  moth  ;  it  begins  a  slow  rais- 
ing and  lowering  of  the  wings,  exercis- 
ing them  for  flight  and,  by  the  time- 
two  hours  have  passed,  it  is  reach-  to 
sail  forth  into  the  world  and  seek  a 
mate. 

The  cecropia  is  our  largest  moth  and, 
next  to  the  luna,  1  think  holds  supre- 
macy over  all  mothdom.  Its  coloring- 
is  so  wonderful  and  varied  that  an  ac- 
curate description  would  be  almost  im- 
possible. One  must  see  this  moth  to 
appreciate  its  rare  beauty. 

The  cocoon  of  the  cecropia  is  worthy 
of  study.  Unlike  that  of  the  luna.  i't 
is  loosely  woven  at  one  end,  thus  mak- 
ing it  much  more  easy  for  the  moth  to 
escape.  It  is  the  largest  cocoon  spun 
by  any  caterpillar.  I  have  known  these 
cocoons  to  measure  three  and  one-half 
inches  in  length.  Much  silk  is  used  in 
their  construction  ;  in  fact,  the  cecropia 
caterpillar  is  frequently  called  the 
"American  silkworm."  The  cecropia 
spins  itse  cocoon  in  a  variety  of  trees, 
the  maple,  the  wild  cherry,  the  apple, 
the  alder  and  the  willow.  In  exposed 
places  these  cocoons  are  a  beautiful 
silver  gray  but  if  spun  in  a  locality 
where  they  are  protected  from  the 
weather  their  color  is  a  rich  brown. 

Luna  cocoons  are  spun  among  the 
leaves  of  birch  and  willow  trees  and 
fall  to  the  ground  in  the  autumn,  where 
a  careful  search  is  required  to  find 
them.  They  are  about  an  inch  in 
length  and  of  a  light  silver  grav  color. 


State  For  the  past  twenty-five  years, 
more  or  less,  he  has  retired  from  active 
beekeeping,  leaving  his  apiary  in  charge 
of  his  brother  and  settled  in  Stamford, 
living  with   his   two   daughters  one  of 


Stamford's   Veteran   Beekeeper. 

The  "American  Bee  Journal"  has  an 
extended  article  descriptive  of  a  tour 
of  New  England  by  its  editor.  We 
quote  as  follows  from  his  liberal  ap- 
preciation of  Mr.  L.  C.  Root  of  Stam- 
ford : 

"L.  C.  Root,  son-in-law  of  Moses 
Quinby,  who  was  a  contemporary  of 
Langstroth,  is  one  of  the  greatest  en- 
thusiasts I  have  ever  had  the  good  luck- 
to  meet.  During  his  entire  life,  what- 
ever he  has  done  has  been  done  with 
zeal  and  earnestness.  He  revised  the 
"Mysteries  of  Beekeeping"  of  Quinby 
and  the  book  is  called  "Ouinby's  New 
Beekeeping."  For  years  he  was  one  of 
the    largest   beekeepers   of   New   York 


MR.  L.  G.  ROOT. 

whom  is  a  physician  of  note.  He  keeps 
only  a  few  colonies  of  bees  in  the  city, 
in  the  attic  of  his  barn,  where  I  saw 
them.  But  as  energetic  a  man  as  he 
could  not  remain  long  idle.  So  he  was 
entrusted  with  the  duties  of  Milk  In- 
spector for  Stamford.  He  was  the  first 
inspector  to  prepare  a  bulletin  in  which 
each  dairy  was  separately  reported  and 
its  sanitary  conditions  carefully  detail- 
ed. The  result  was  a  host  of  friends 
and  some  enemies,  for  the  unsanitary 
establishments  could  not  be  pleased 
with  a  truthful  record,  while  the  moth- 
ers and  housekeepers  were  thankful 
for  the  straightforward  information 
which  his  bulletins  gave." 


The  Nest  of  an  Unknown  Hornet. 

Shelburne,  Massachusetts. 
To  the  Editor : 

I  enclose  a  photograph  of  a  nest  that 
I  found  hanging  under  the  eaves  of  an 
old  shop.  Is  this  a  freak  nest  of  some 
common  was]),  or  is  it  a  tvnical  nest 
of  some  uncommon  one?  It  is  the  first 
of  the  kind  that   I  have  ever  seen.     It 


26 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


but  several  years  ago  a  photograph  of 
a  similar  one  was  sent  to  me.  I  have 
forgotten  by  whom.  Mr.  Newhall's 
letter  and  the  photograph  were  for- 
warded to  Dr.  L.  O.  Howard,  Chief  of 
the  Bureau  of  Entomology,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.     He  replies,  as  follows : 

"I  never  saw  a  hornets'  nest  like  the 
one  in  the  photograph,  and  I  have  re- 
ferred your  letter  to  Mr.  S.  A.  Rohwer 
of  this  Bureau,  who  has  studied  these 
creatures  for  many  years,  and  who  re- 
plies, T  have  never  seen  a  nest  like  this 
before,  and  do  not  know  if  it  is  an  ab- 
normal one  or  not.  If  possible,  I  should 
like  to  have  some  of  the  makers  so  that 
it  would  be  possible  to  determine  the 
species  and  thus  know  if  it  is  abnormal 
habit.'  " 

If  any  one  should  find  another  nest 
of  this  type,  every  effort  should  be 
an  astonishing  hornets-  nest.  m^de  to  obtain  it  and  the  hornets  so 

that  full   scientific  details   may  be  as- 

may  be  of  interest  to  you  and  to  the  certained. 

readers  of  your  magazine.  

Yours  sincerely,  A    man    hears    the    voice    of    Nature 

Earl  A.  Newhall.  only  when  he  speaks  to  her. — "Motifs" 

I  have  never  seen  a  nest  of  this  type,  by  E.  Scott  O'Connor. 


•*>  -* 


**  ?  « 


- -  v" 


sr  -«.  •.;"*v'v*""*  - 


SWAT  THE  FLY. 
See   "Kill   the   Spring   Fly,"   page   387  of  our  number  for  May. 


<ccc^<ccc<agaa«gc«ggcc€g«c«<^ac<<c<cccc«cccctcg<c<^g<fe; 


<=^^^^k=j^ 


•«••••**• 


AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION' 


Established    1875  Incorporated,    Massachusetts,    1892  Incorporated,    Connecticut,    1910 

Contributions    for    Little    Japan.  Farmers  Need  Nature  Knowledge. 

Mr.     William     T.     Davis,     New  Even  our  farms  are  the  most  unpro- 

Brighton,  N.  Y $  2.00      ductive    in    the    world.      Our    average 

Dr.  G.  B.  Palmer,  Sound  Beach  5.00     yields  of  almost  all  crops  are  pathetical- 

Alr.  George  W.  Donning,  Stam-  ly  inferior  to  the  average  yields  of  the 

ford 2.50     European  countries.       Yet     we     have 

Mr.  Gerald  Dieterlen,  Riverside,  richer  soil  naturally  and  better  climatic 

Conn 2.00     conditions  for  good  farming.     It  is  the 

Air.  Ernest  G.  Budington,  Sound  personal    element    thjat    is    inferior    to 

Beach    2.00     foreign.     Our  farmers  are  not  so  good 

Airs.    Belden    B.    Brown,   Wash-  as  the  French,  German  and  British  farm- 

ington,  Conn 5.00     ers — they  do  not  know  their  jobs.     So  in 

Air.   Joseph   AI.    Philbrick,    New  spite  of  every  natural  advantage  we  do 

York  City   5-°°     not   get   the   results   that   the   foreigners 

Aliss  Lora  A.  Mix,  Stamford    .  .  5.00     get.— Our  Town,  Greenwich. 

Dr.  George  F.  Kunz,  New  York  It    Js    encouraging    to    note,    Brother 

City 2.00      Talcott,    that    everyone    is    realizing   the 

Cash,  Stamford 1.00     need   of   more   knowledge   of   Nature's 

Air.     Charles     Nevers     Holmes,  wavS-     She  gives  best  only  to  those  who 

Newton,  Alass 5.00     asfc  Dest_ 

Airs.  Archibald  H.  Smith,  Stam-  

ford 200  Springtime  Gold. 

Air.  C.  Milton  Fessenden,  Stam-  0  JonquilSj  fiIIed  with  sunshine, 

Iord    I-00  And  Tulips,  abrim  with  gold, 

Dr.  J.  E.  Serre,  Sound  Beach   .  .      5.00         What  a  bh  of  heaven  you>re  bringing) 

Air.    A.    J.    C.    Anderson,    New  After  thfi  snow  and  cold, 

York  City   5-°° 

Mr.     Ernest     Thompson     Seton,  Forsythia's   golden   fountains, 

Greenwich     5-00  And  the   Norway  Maple's  crown, 

Airs.    Robert   T.    Hartman,   New  Are   refulgent   in   their   splendor, 

York   City    >°°  When    the    sun    conies    pouring    down. 

Airs.  Nellie  S.  Britton,  Stamford      1.00 

Cash,  Noroton,  Conn 3.00  Not  strange,  with  heaped-up  treasure. 

Aliss    E.    D.    Ferguson,    Stamford      5.00  if  SOme  on  the  ground  is  spilled: 

J.  B.  W 2.0O  Behold,  at  our  feet,  the  greensward 

Greenwich     Educator     (Increase  With  dandelions  is  filled! 

—total  $10.00)    5.00 

The  springtime  is  no  miser, 

$   75-5°  To  hoard  her  precious  gold: 

Previously    acknowledge    .  .  .  .$475.00  But  with  both  hands  flings  it   broadcast. 

For  all  to  have   and  hold. 

Total     $55°-S°  — Emma    Peirce. 

Please  remember  this  educational  uplifting  work  in  making  your  will. 

Jflorm  of  Hrqurst  tn  the  Association 
/  hereby  give  and  bequeath  to  The   Agassis   Association,    an    incorporated 

association,  having  its  principal  executive  office  at  ArcAdiA,   in  Sound  Beach, 
in  the  toivn  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  the  sum  of dollars. 


28 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Give  the   Roads  Fair  Play. 


[From  the  New  York  Times,  February  23.   1917.] 

Now  that  the  country  can  he  fed  and 
warmed  only   by   special   train-loads  of 
coal  and  food,  the  railway  situation  is 
visible  to  all  but  the  blind.     The  situ- 
ation is  too  serious  to  be  dealt  with  m  a 
nagging   spirit.      It   would   be   easy  to 
trace  blame  to  the  railways  or  to  the 
Interstate    Commerce    Commission,    as 
manv  are  doing.     It  would  be  easy  for 
them  to  defend  themselves  by  pointing 
to   the   laws.     That   throws  the   blame 
hack  upon  those  who  elected  the  law- 
makers and  supported  them  in  the  pol- 
icy which  it  may  be  hoped  is  now  cul- 
minating.     Placing  the  blame   for  the 
past  is  not  a  remedy.     What  is  needed 
is  a  forward-looking  policy  which  shall 
correct  the  errors  of  the  past.     In  that 
aspect  the  crisis  has  its  uses,  and  they 
are    proportioned    to    its     seriousness. 
Once  it  was  necessary  to  correct  rail- 
way abuses  and  convince  the  compan- 
ies'that   they   are   subject   to   the   law. 
They  are  as  humble  now  as  ever  they 
were  arrogant,  and  are  suppliants  rather 
than  dictators.     It  was  also  necessary 
to   convince   the    Interstate    Commerce 
Commission     that     something    besides 
"power"  and  "orders"  is  necessary.  1  he 
best  of  intentions  have   met   obstacles 
in  execution  of  a  sort  which  ought  to 
give  the  Commission  a  feeling  of  sym- 
pathy with  the  railways  in  a  task  more 
difficult  than  has  been  appreciated.  The 
lawmakers  also  have  fallen  below  their 
intentions   and   the   expectation   of   the 
railway  haters.     Largely  that,  too,  was 
because  of  the  difficulties  of  the  case. 
The  explanation  of  the  people's  share 
of  the  blame  for  misdirected  legislation 
and  administration  is  the  same.     Now 
even    the    people    must    see    that    they 
are  punishing  themselves  over  the  rail- 
ways'    shoulders.        Only     experience 
could    have    produced    this    frame    of 
mind.      If    the    educational    process    is 
now  complete,  a  great  first  step  toward 
a  new   departure  has  been  taken,  and 
the  outlook  may  be  regarded  hopefully. 
Assuming  that   all   concerned  are   in 
a  regenerated  frame  of  mind,  probably 
there  will  be  no  dissent  from  the  prop- 
osition that  the  root  of  the  trouble  is 
the  lack  of  funds   for  the  railways  to 
use    in    the   public    service.      Within    a 
few   days  the   New   York   Central   has 
had  to  abandon  its  plan  for  an  issue  of 


stock,  and  the  Southern  Railway  has 
been  unable  to  issue  bonds.  If  such 
railways  cannot  finance  themselves, 
what  is  the  prospect  for  others  in  less 
leading  positions? 

There  is  just  one  way  to  enable  the 
railways  to  finance  themselves.  They 
must  be  allowed  profits  large  enough 
to  attract  the  capital  to  enable  them  to 
serve  the  public.  In  the  old  days  there 
was  danger  that  liberality  in  funds  in- 
vited waste  of  resources  for  service  and 
danger  to  investors.  For  the  present 
that  chapter  must  be  regarded  as 
closed. 


Resignation  of  President  Elliott. 

It    is    with    sincere    regret    that    we 
learn  of  President  Elliott's  resignation 
of   the   presidency   of   the    New   York, 
New  Haven  and     Hartford     Railroad 
Company.     Every  New  Englander,  es- 
pecially "every  Connecticutian,  is  an  ad- 
mirer 'of  President   Elliott's  work  and 
has  genuine  sympathy  with  him  in  the 
overwhelming     mass     of     work     with 
which   he  has  struggled.     He  has  not 
had  one  obstacle  nor  half  a  dozen  but  a 
long  list  of  most  perplexing  problems 
that  would  tax  any  man's  energies  to 
the   utmost.      No   wonder  that   he   has 
concluded  that,  for  the  interest  of  his 
family  and  of  himself,  it  is  his  duty  to 
lav   down  at  least  a   part  of  the  load. 
He  will  continue  as  a  director  as  long 
as   is   desired,   and   will   in   every  way 
contribute  toward  the  prosperity  of  the 

road. 

Mr  Pearson,  the  newly  elected  presi- 
dent has  had  an  extended  experience 
in  railroad  matters.  He  is  a  man  of 
marked  ability  in  the  prune  of  life. 
Everv  one  that  loves  the  New  York. 
New'  Haven  and  Hartford  Railroad, 
and  is  proud  of  it  as  a  feature  of  New 
England,  feels  that  no  better  selection 
could  have  been  made. 


The   House  Wren. 

BY     EUGENE     SECOR,    FOREST     CITY,     IOWA. 

A  round  of  bubbling  feathered  song, 
A   dress   not   made   for   show, 

A   cheerful    spirit   all   day  long- 
That   keeps   my   heart   aglow. 

A   friend   to   man   that   never   tires, 

That  hunts  the  garden  o'er, 
And  by  its  useful  life  inspires 
The  soul  to  seek,  not  soar. 


>B, 


S®®®®®^ 


L1TERAK 


°®«®©S3<B<B®' 


NOTICES 


v 


The    American    Rose    Annual.      Edited    for 
The  American  Rose  Society  by  J.  Horace 
McFarland.      Harrisburg,   Pennsylvania. 
American  Rose   Society    (Editor's   Office). 
This    beautiful    book,    issued    by    a    lively, 
wide-awake     society,     contains     many     articles 
from  authorities  on  the  subject,  and  is  beauti- 
fully illustrated.     Every  lover  of  the  queen  of 
American    flowers    should    own    this    handbook 
and   follow  regularly  the  work  of  the   society. 


Pets:  Their  History  and  Care..  By  Lee  S. 
Crandall.  New  York  City:  Henry  Holt 
and    Company. 

This  book  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  author's 
long,  successful,  practical  experience.  While 
special  attention  is  devoted  to  such  popula- 
pets  as  cats,  dogs,  and  birds,  almost  every  ani- 
mal which  may  be  kept  for  companionship  or 
ornament  is  included,  and  the  directions  for 
their  care  cover  all  the  ordinary  conditions 
which  may  be  met.  There  are  suggestions, 
based  on  wide  experience,  to  guide  the  pur- 
chaser of  pets. 


The  Boy  Scouts'  Year  Book.  Edited  by  Wal- 
ter P.  McGuire  and  Franklin  K. 
Mathiews.  New  York  City.  D  Apple- 
ton   and    Company. 

This  is  dedicated  "To  the  8,000.000  Boys  of 
Scout  Age  in  the  United  States."  It  is"  cer- 
tain that  every  one  of  those  millions  can  find 
something  of  interest  in  the  book.  It  is  a  real 
boy's  book  of  genuine  achievement  in  the  use 
of  things  to  be  seen  and  things  to  be  done. 
The  activities  described  cover  every  phase  of 
outdoor  life,  and  the  detailed  observations  in- 
clude a  wide  range  of  nature  studv. 


The  Voice  of  the  Garden.  By  Abram  Lin- 
wood  Urban.  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania : 
Thomas    Median    &   Sons. 

Naturally,  the  first  question  is,  "Can  the 
garden  speak?"  and  the  second  should  be,  "Can 
you  hear  what  it  has  to  say?"  The  garden, 
like  all  nature,  is  speaking,  but  as  the  Rever- 
end .Mr.  Smith  wrote  in  his  poem,  "America" 
— -"Let  all  that  breathes  partake:  Let  rocks 
their  silence  break.  The  sound  prolong."  The 
author  sees  intelligence  in  plants.  He  thus 
tells  us  of  Darwin  : 

"Many  will  recall  the  elder  Darwin's  fine 
enthusiasm,  who,  while  always  strictly  scienti- 
fic in  his  methods,  never  stating  anything  but 
uncolored  fact,  was  filled  with  wonder  and 
awe  in  his  study  of  the  lives  and  conduct  of 
plants,  indicating  to  his  mind  something  much 
like   human   intelligence." 


The   Book  of  the   Peony.     By  Mrs.   Edward 
Harding.      Philadelphia,   Pennsylvania.     J. 
B.   Lippincott  Company. 
A    magnificent   book   on   a   gorgeous   flower' 
Is  there  anything  in  the  floral  world  more  mar- 
velous  than   a   peony,   and   is   there   any   other 
book  in   which  three  color  printings  and  gen- 
eral high  grade  mechanical  art  are  more  per- 
fectly   exhibited    than    this?      The    plates,    the 
text,  the  tables,  the  detailed  description,  every- 
thing    is     ideally     good,     including     the     long 
chapter,   with   illustrations,  on   the   diseases  of 
the   peony.      Every   lover  of   the   peony   should 
have  this  book. 


The   Woodcraft    Manual   for   Girls   of   the 
Woodcraft   League.     By   Ernest   Thomp- 
son Seton.     Published   for  the  Woodcraft 
League    of    America,     13    West    Twenty- 
ninth    Street,    New    York    City.      Garden 
City,    New    York :       Doubleday,    Page    & 
Company. 
More  than   four  hundred  pages  are  devoted 
to    the    methods    of    The    Woodcraft    League. 
The  manual  is  profousely  illustrated  and  con- 
tains much  valuable  material.     It  tells  how  to 
form  a  tribe,  with  history  and  methods  :tells  of 
games,    sports,    songs,    plays,    wood    lore    and 
handicraft,   with   other   interesting   articles   on 
many  phases  of  nature. 


The  Joyous  Art  of  Gardening..  By  Frances 
Duncan.  New  York  City:  Charles  Scrib- 
ner's  Sons. 
The  amateur  gardener  will  find  in  this  book 
not  only  inspiration  but  practical  aid,  and  it 
contains  many  good  suggestions  for  those  that 
have  had  considerable  experience.  The  review- 
er is  inclined  to  think  that  when  the  author 
says  that  she  has  tried  to  aid  the  bes'inner  she 
has  been  a  little  overmodest.  There  are 
many  good  points  in  the  dainty  illustrations 
of  garden  plans  and  effects.  It  is  a  good  all- 
round  handbook  on  the  garden  in  its  floral  and 
decorative  aspects.  As  the  author  has  the 
practical  information,  we  hope  to  see  a  book 
from  her  on  the  vegetable  garden.  It  would 
be  a  welcome  addition  to  our  library  of  help- 
ful books. 


The  Bird  Study  Book.     By  T.  Gilbert   Pear- 
son,   Secretary    National    Association    of 
Audubon    Societies.      Garden    City,    New 
York  :     Doubleday,  Page  &  Company. 
One  would  naturally  expect  from  Mr.  Pear- 
son a  book  af  general,  popular,  helpful  inter- 
est.    His  broad   outlook  over   the   bird   world 
as  Secretary  of  the  Audubon  Societies  reveals 
needs.      He   has   not   written    merely    from    an 
individual's    point    of    view,    but    in    a    sincere 


3° 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


desire  to  be  helpful.  He  has  fully  met  the 
expectations  of  those  who  know  what  kind 
of  work  to  expect  from  him.  This  is  not  a 
book  of  identification.  It  takes  for  granted 
that  the  reader  knows  an  English  sparrow 
from  a  crow,  and  it  tells  about  the  birds  them- 
selves, their  lives  and  migrations ;  the  birds 
in  winter,  bird  laws,  etc.  This,  with  Chap- 
man's "Handbook  of  Birds  of  Eastern  North 
America'  and  Beebe's  "The  Bird,"  would  form 
an  ideal  library  for  the  most  enthusiastic  stu- 
dent of  birds.  Each  of  the  three  fills  a  void 
left  unfilled  by  the  others.  Mr.  Pearson  has 
done  his  work  in  a  masterlv  manner. 


The  Animal  Kingdom  in  Pictures  and 
Stories.  By  several  authors.  Ann  Arbor, 
Michigan:  Educators  Association. 
On  the  reviewer's  desk  has  been  placed  a 
set  of  ten  beautiful  little  monographs  on  the 
various  divisions  of  the  animal  kingdom,  such 
as  "Valuable  Fur-bearing  Animals,'  '  and 
"Freakish  Animals"  by  our  good  Member  of 
The  Agassiz  Association,  Winifred  Sack- 
ville  Stoner,  Jr.  Other  books  in  the  series  are 
written  by  other  talented  and  enthusiastic 
lovers  of  nature.  The  print  is  large,  and  the 
illustrations  for  the  most  part  are  attractive. 
The  series  should  prove  of  interest,  especially 
to  children,  and  consequently  valuable  to 
teachers  in  their  schoolroom  work.  It  is  evi- 
dently with  this  object  in  view  that  the  Edu- 
cators Association  has  issued  the  books. 


My  Garden  of  Dreams*    By  Abram  Linwood 
Urban.  Philadelphia,        Pennsylvania : 

Thomas  Median  &  Sons. 
The  dreams  are  beautiful  though  not  utili- 
tarian in  their  suggestions.  The  author  is  not 
seeking  to  teach  the  practical,  except  so  far 
as  the  beautiful  and  ideal  are  practical.  It 
does  not  teach  us  how  to  raise  bigger  pota- 
toes or  tomatoes,  but  it  does  tell  how  to  make 
life  bigger  and  better.  His  garden  of  dreams 
is  the  garden  of  the  heart  and  of  soul  long- 
ings. It  sees  sociology  in  an  ant  hill  and 
prophecy  in  a  flower.  It  is  well  thus  to  go  to 
a  garden  as  well  as  to  all  nature.  Life  is  not 
all  stomach  and  pocketbook.  Holy  inspirations 
may  come  from  a  garden.  The  author  has 
achieved  a  good  work  by  showing  us  how  to 
love  the  world  that  is  so  much  with  us,  even 
the  world  of  the  garden.  The  book  contains 
beautiful  word  pictures  of  a  garden,  but  they 
are  not  the  most  beautiful  things  in  the 
book.  The  author  has  unconsciously  port- 
rayed the  beauty  of  his  own  heart.  That  can 
influence   more   than   rosebushes   or  lilacs. 


The  Mysteries  of  the  Flowers.    Bv  Herbert 
Waldron   Faulkner,   Ph.   B„   M. 'E.     New 
York  City :  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company. 
Mr.     Herbert     W.     Faulkner     is     not     only 
known    throughout    the    country    as    an    artist, 
botanist   and   lecturer,   but   he    has    personally 
endeared    himself    to    every    reader    of    The 
Guide  to  Nature  by  his  interesting  and  sym- 
pathetic   portrayal    of    the    interesting    things 
that   plants    do.      He   has   an    insight    into   the 
mysteries    of    flowers    similar    to    that    of    the 
late  beloved  William  Hamilton  Gibson,  and  is 


a  fitting  successor  at  the  Gibson  Studio  in 
Washington,  Connecticut.  What  Mr.  Faulk- 
ner has  published  in  this  magazine  is  but  a 
sample  of  the  good  things  to  be  found  in  this 
magnificent  book  which  we  cordially  recom- 
mend. 

It  imbues  the  reader  with  a  new  interest  in 
his  native  wild  flowers,  by  showing  him  what 
they  are  like,  how  they  live  and  how  they  dis- 
tribute their  seeds.  The  interdependence  of 
flower  and  insect  is  interestingly  set  forth. 

The  author  describes  the  many  varieties  of 
American  wild  flowers,  their  mechanisms,  and 
their  methods  of  interchanging  pollen.  He 
shows  their  individual  and  ingenious  schemes 
for  luring  the  bee  and  butterfly,  who  are  so 
indispensable  to  their  life.  The  book  goes 
deeper  than  botany,  which  seeks  merely  to 
name  and  classify  the  flowers,  and  reveals 
them  as  eager,  living  things,  flourishing  in 
spite  of  difficulties  and  attaining  to  the  beauty 
of  perfect  living. 

The  publishers  have  done  well  their  part, 
and  have  produced  a  book  that  is  convenient 
and  attractive.  It  whets  the  taste  for  more. 
Xo  one  can  read  it  and  look  at  the  dainty 
illustrations  at  this  the  flowering  time  of  the 
year,  without  wanting  to  start  out  to  make 
acquaintance    with    what    is   therein    described. 


Sex-Educations  By  Maurice  A.  Bigelow. 
New  York  City:  The  Macmillan  Com- 
pany. 

This  book  deals  with  sex-education  in  its 
broadest  aspects,  defined  as  including  all  scien- 
tific, ethical,  social,  and  religious  instruction 
and  influence  which  directly  and  indirectly 
may  help  young  people  prepare  to  solve  for 
themselves  the  problems  of  sex  that  inevitably 
come  in  some  form  into  the  life  of  every  nor- 
mal human  individual. 

While  recognizing  the  vast  importance  of 
immediate  sanitary  attack  on  some  of  the 
greatest  problems  of  sex,  the  book  empha- 
sizes education  for  attitude  and  for  ethical 
standards  of  life  as  offering  the  only  basis  for 
a  permanent  movement  for  improving  rela- 
tions of  sex  and  human  life. 

The  book  is  addressed  to  educators,  social 
and  religious  workers,  and  parents. 


The  Passing  of  the  Great  Race.  By  Madi- 
son Grant.  New  York  City:  Charles 
Scribner's   Sons. 

An  entirely  new  and  original  recasting  of 
history  on  a  purely  scientific  basis,  treated 
in  a  clear  and  popular  style.  The  perma- 
nence of  physical  characters,  both  in  rela- 
tion to  the  "Melting  Pot"  of  America  and 
to  the  changes  in  race  preponderance  in 
Europe  resulting  from  the  European  war,  is 
brilliantly   discussed. 

Henry  Fairfield  Osborn  who  writes  the 
preface  makes  this  statement  which  will 
bear  very  careful  consideration: 

"If  I  were  asked:  What  is  the  greatest 
danger  which  threatens  the  American  re- 
public today?  I  would  certainly  reply:  The 
gradual  dying  out  among  our  people  of 
those    hereditary   traits   through    which    the 


LITERARY  NOTICES 


3i 


principles  of  our  religion,  political,  and  so- 
cial foundations  were  laid  down,  and  their 
insidious  replacement  by  traits  of  less  noble 
character." 

The  author  almost  startles  one  by  the 
following  statements:  "The  men  who  wrote 
the  words,  'we  hold  these  truths  to  be  self- 
evident,  that  all  men  are  created  equal,' 
were  themselves  the  owners  of  slaves,  and 
despised  Indians  as  something  less  than  hu- 
man. Equality  in  their  minds  meant  merely 
that  they  were  just  as  good  Englishmen  as 
their  brothers  across  the  sea.  The  words 
'that  all  men  are  created  equal'  have  since 
been  subtly  falsified  by  adding  the  word 
'free,'  although  no  such  expression  is  found 
in  the  original  document,  and  the  teachings 
based  on  these  altered  words  in  the  Ameri- 
can public  schools  of  today  would  startle 
and  amaze  the  men  who  formulated  the 
Declaration. 

"The  basis  of  the  government  of  man  is 
now  and  always  has  been,  and  always  will 
be,  force  and  not  sentiment,  a  truth  demon- 
strated anew  by  the  present  world  confla- 
gration." 


The  Pinnacle..   A  Book  of  Verse.     By  Caro- 
line  Clark   Hinton.     Atlanta,   Georgia :   A. 
B.  Caldwell   Publishing  Company. 
The  author  is  well  and  favorably  known  to 

the    readers    of    this    magazine    as    a    frequent 


CAROLINE  CLARK  HINTON. 

contributor  of  poems  and  illustrated  articles. 
She  is  a  lover  of  the  great  out  of  doors.  Not 
only  is  she  a  careful  student,  but  she  sees 
nature  also  from  the  poet's  point  of  view. 
A  careful  and  thorough  literary  training  with 
a  natural  gift  in  the  use  of  words  enables 
her  to  express  in  effective  and  impressive  lan- 
guage her  emotions  as  a  lover  of  nature.     She 


takes  a  wide  view,  as  may  be  inferred  from 
the  title  of  the  book,  "The  Pinnacle,"  This  is 
not  only  the  title  of  the  first  poem  but  is  the 
spirit  of  the  book.  She  has  a  broad  outlook 
upon  nature  as  well  as  upon  humanity.  As 
she  looks  down  from  the  summit  to  which  she 
has  climbed  and  tells  us  of  the  silence  that 
surrounds  her,  of  the  nature  far  above  the 
passing  bird,  she  considers  the  sparkling  stars 
and  the  cool,  sweet  air  that  embraces  her  and 
all  the  earth. 

She  comes  to  this  conclusion  : 
"No  longer  need  I  fear, 
For  fear  was  overcome, 
The  worst  is  often  best, 
This  was  the  way 
That  man  must  go ; 
this  was  the  way  of  life: 
The  precipice, 
The   climb, 
The  rock, 

The  bird  note  overhead  ; 
And  at  the  end, 
The  Pinnacle  of  God." 

Several  poems  exhibit  her  intense  love  of 
youth  and  some  emphasize  her  love  for  the 
baby. 

"He  opened  wide  his  baby  eyes 
And  smiled  back  into  mine. 
I  dreamed  that  I  was  Marv, 
The  little  Child,  Divine!" 

We  cordially  commend  this  dainty  little 
book  not  only  on  account  of  its  beautiful  ap- 
pearance, not  merely  as  a  gift  for  a  friend, 
but  as  a  book  to  be  loved  and  to  influence  the 
reader's   life. 


Sebago-Wohelo  Camps.  Fifth  Season.  1917. 
Under  the  Direct  Supervision  of  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Luther  Halsey  Gulick,  Founders  of 
the  Camp  Fire  Girls.  New  York  City 
address :  461   Fourth  Avenue. 

This  is  a  very  attractive  book,  showing  how 
the  Camp  Fire  Girls  or  others  live  in  this  well 
equipped  camp ;  how  they  exercise  or  amuse 
themselves  in  outdoor  athletics  and  amuse- 
ments. Dr.  Gulick  is  an  expert  in  the  physi- 
cal training  of  young  people.  Mrs.  Gulick 
knows  all  about  costumes,  emblems,  sociality 
and  companionship  with  the  girls.  All  to- 
gether, so  far  as  it  goes,  the  camp  is  ideal  for 
girls. 

But  the  reviewer  cannot  refrain  from  an  ap- 
peal that  these  girls  be  taken  not  merely  to 
nature  but  into  nature.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
book  that  would  directly  inspire  a  girl  to 
become  a  real  student  and  lover  of  nature  and 
to  get  inspiration  and  uplift  therefrom.  Prob- 
ably this  book  is  intended  to  be  representative 
of  the  spirit  of  the  Camp  Fire  Girl.  That  is 
good  so  far  as  it  goes,  but  it  neglects  the  one 
big  point — real  nature.  Girls  who  go  to  the 
woods  and  to  wild  nature  should  get  more  out 
of  them  than  they  can  get  from  their  environ- 
ment  in  the  city. 

The  illustrations  in  this  book  are  as  follows : 
Location  and  surroundings,  six  ;  camp  amuse- 
ments, five ;  dancing,  one ;  riding  on  water, 
seven  ;  on  horse,  three  ;  cooking,  one  ;  sitting 
still,  one ;  walking,  ,two ;  athletics,  three ; 
bathing,  two.  There  is  one  beautiful  full  page 
illustration   of  a  girl  holding  a  pet  chipmunk. 


32 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


That  may  be  considered  or  misconsidered  as 
nature  study.  It  is  not  made  clear  which  point 
of  view  is  intended,  but  the  tendency  seems 
to  be  to  classify  it  as  a  camp  of  amusement. 
Yet  if  we  call  it  nature  study,  it  is  the  only 
illustrative  portrayal  of  nature  study  in  all 
tie  thirty-two  full  page  pictures.  One  to 
thirty-two   is   not   a   large   percentage. 

The  occupations  that  are  shown  are  attract- 
ive to  young  girls  and  are  undoubtedly  effi- 
cient in  securing  enrollments  at  the  camp. 
Without  lessening  any  of  the  advertising  val- 
ue of  the  catalogue,  that  value  might  have 
been  increased  by  mentioning  some  of  nature's 
attractions  in  the  camo.  These  young  girls 
should  be  shown  that  there  is  something  to  be 
gained  by  living  by  a  pond,  and  something 
more  in  the  woods  than  ordinary  athletic 
amusement,  riding,  walking  and  similar  occu- 
pations that  could  be  indulged  in  in  the  citv 
home.  It  pains  a  nature  student  to  think  of 
these  young  girls  in  such  nearness  to  all  the 
wonders  of  these  beautiful  woods,  the  camp, 
the  mountains,  and  fail  to  show  them,  or  at 
least  fail  to  include  in  the  catalogue,  any  of 
the  wonders  of  plants,  insects,  trees  and,  more 
than  all,  of  the  stars  that  there,  remote  from 
the  city's  electric  lights,  can  be  seen  in  all 
their  brillancy.  The  Picture  of  these  girls 
walking  on  a  country  road  might  have  given 
us  even  a  little  intimation  that  somewhere 
they  had  noticed  some  of  the  interesting 
things  by  the  side  of  the  road. 

This  camp  is  doing  a  great  and  good  work 
in  athleticism  and  in  the  development  of 
womanhood,  but  why  allow  these  youna' 
people  to  pass  a  gold  mine  where  the"  gold 
lies  loose  on  the  ground,  without  telling  them 
to  pick  up  at  least  one  little  lump  a«  "a  sou- 
venir if  for  nothing  more.  The  camp  is  hav- 
ing a  good  influence  on  the  development  of  the 
girl  physically,  and  the  catalogue  shows  one 
girl  in  the  act  of  thinking.  An  entire  pa»e  is 
devoted  to  that,  a  page  that,  to  my  mind,  is 
one  of  the  most  expressive  and  beautiful  in 
the  entire  catalogue.  It  is  marked  :  "Yallani  ' 
Thinking  It  is  Good  to  Have  Quiet  Mo- 
ments Like  These."  Notwithstanding  all  its 
excellencies  there  can  easilv  be  an  improve- 
ment. That  girl  comes  apparently  from  the 
city,  and  yet  she  is  here  seen  surrounded  bv 
the  things  of  the  city — a  couch  and  furniture. 
She  could  just  as  well  have  tausht  the  value 
of  sitting  still  on  a  log  or  a  rock  in  the  woods 
as  she  gazed  at  good  old  Mother  Nature.  She 
could  mentally  imbibe  some  of  the  woods  and 
fields,  woods  and  fields  that  she  cannot  see  in 
the  citv.  The  reader  will  recall  how  Brad- 
ford Torrey  said  that  his  whole  life  was  in- 
fluenced by  the  sight  of  a  man  looking  at  Nat 
Shaw's  havstack  and  the  did  barn  beyond.  It 
would  have  been  better  to  have  used  that 
space  to  show  that  girl  gazing,  not  at  the 
pole  and  railing  and  floor  of  the  tent,  but, 
outside  of  the  tent,  at  a  tree  or  a  cluster  of 
wild  lilies  or  the  falling  waters  of  a  pictur- 
esque  ravine. 

These  girls  should  be  taken  not  to  nature 
but  into  nature;  not  to  have  nature  like  a  shell 
around  them  but  to  be  a  part  and  parcel  of  the 
very  fiber  of  their  being.  They  may  return 
from  the  woods  and  the  lakeside  to  their  citv 


homes    inspired    and    enriched   bv   an   intimacy 
with   old   Mother   Nature   herself. 


Manual  of  Fruit  Diseases.  Bv  Lex  R.  Hes- 
ler,  A.  B.,  Ph.  D.,  and  Herbert  Hice 
Whetxel,  A.  B.,  M.  A.  New  York 
City:  The  Macmillan  Company. 
This  manual  presents  all  the  known  facts 
with  reference  to  the  common  diseases  of 
fruits.  It  has  been  prepared  primarily  for 
the  modern  agriculturist,  the  farmer,  the 
thinking  fruit  grower,  but  it  will  also  be 
of  service  to  all  who  have  an  interest  in 
plant  diseases.  The  fruits  are  taken  up  in 
alphabetical  order.  The  discussion  of  the 
diseases  proceeds  in  order  of  their  impor- 
tance and  prominence  in  the  LJnited  States. 
Particular  attention  is  paid  to  the  descrip- 
tion and  illustration  of  the  symptoms,  to 
the  causes  and  to  the  generally  accepted 
symptoms,  to  the  causes  and  to  the  generally 
accepted  measures  of  control.  Technical 
details  are  omitted  as  far  as  possible  and 
an  effort  has  been  made  to  present  the  mat- 
ter in  a  popular  fashion. 


How  to  Live*  By  Irving  Fisher  and  Eugene 
Lyman  Fisk,  M.  D.  New  York  City: 
Funk  and  Wagnalls  Company. 
The  frontispiece  is  a  magnificent  photo- 
graph of  our  handsome,  genial  Ex-Pre;ident, 
William  Howard  Taft.  He  is  the  chairman 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Life  Ex- 
tension Institute,  Incorporated,  and  is  him- 
self personally  a  pretty  good  exemplification 
of  that  for  which  the  society  stands  There 
are  also  about  sixty  portraits  of  members  of 
the  Hygiene  Reference  Board.  These  por- 
traits alone  make  the  book  worth  its  price.  I 
am  inclined  to  think  that  they  are  as  import- 
ant as  the  text  as  examples  of  physical  de- 
velopment and  desirable  longevity.  The  vol- 
ume is  not  large,  but  it  is  encyclopedic  in  char- 
acter, covering,  as  it  does,  almost  every  ques- 
tion of  living  except  the  question  of  making 
enough  money  with  which  to  live.  Here  you 
can  learn  what  kind  of  house  to  live  in,  what 
clothes  to  wear,  how  to  breathe,  what  food  to 
get,  how  to  work,  play,  rest,  sleep,  with  mis- 
cellaneous suggestions  as  to  general  hygiene 
thrown  in  without  extra  charge.  The  book 
looks  after  not  only  the  present  generation 
but  those  of  the  future  in  an  ineresting  post- 
script chapter  entitled  "Eugenics,"  with  com- 
mendable sections  on  alcohol  and  tobacco. 
If  we  do  not  live  forever,  or  at  least  for  more 
than  a  hundred  years,  it  surely  will  not  be  the 
fault  of  this  book. 


Laurel. 

Like  rose  of  the  sunrise  brought  down  from 
the  sky, 
These   exquisite   blossoms   appear; 
The   cup   of   earth's   beauty   they   fill   to   the 
brim, 
The  crowning  delight  of  the  year. 

— Emma    Peirce. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. 


XIII 


Rented 
to  the 
Wrens 


$5— for  this  "4-Room' 
Dodson  Wren  House 

Built  of  oak;  roof  of  cypress  with 
copper    coping.       Hangs   from   a 
limb.     The    bird -lovers'    best 
Christmas  Gift. 


Brings  the  Birds 

A  big  house  like  this  will  bring  one 
or  two  fam  lies  of  wrens  to  live  with 
you  next  summer  —  cheerful,  friendly, 
tuus'cal  bird  tenants  that  pay  rent  by 
contributing  to  the  general  joy  of  living. 


Made 
by  the 
Man  the 
Birds  Love 

Mr.  Doilson,  a  dircetorof  the  Americnn  Audubon  Asso- 
ciation, hus  spent  22  years  learning  how  to  build  bird 
houses  that  attract  the  birds.  Wrens,  blue-birds,  martins, 
each  must  have  its  own  especial  st>le  house.  The  rit'hfc 
kind— the  Dodson  Kind— brings  back  the  bird  families  year 
after  year.  Their  perfection  has  been  a  labor  of  love. 

It  you  want  the  birds  next  summer,  get  your  houses  now 
and  set  them  up  to  "weather."  The  birds  like  them 
better. 


A  Dodson  Bird  House  is  an  inexpensive  gift,  most.  ap. 
predated  by  nature  loving  friends.  Cost  from  $1-50  to  $12. 
The  wrer.  house  illustrated  can  be  enjoyed  by  every  one 
who  lias  a  tree  to  hang  it  on.  Fntire  collection  described 
in  catalog,  with  prices.  Includes  bird  buths,  winter  feed- 
ing devices,  etc.    All  are  patented. 

The  illustrated  Dodson  book 
tells  how  to  attract  native 
birds  to  your  garden.  With  it  we  send,  also  free,  a  beau- 
tiful picture,  in  color,  from  '"Nature  Neighbors,"  worthy 
of  framing.     Write  to 


Bird  Book  Free 


JOSEPH  H.  DODSON 

703  Harrison  Avenue,  Kankakee,  111. 


GOERZ 


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by  leading  scientists,  explorers,  lecturers 
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it  is  still  unexcelled.  The  well-known 
GOERZ  CELOR  F:4.5— ¥:$.$  is  widely 
used  because  of  its  remarkable  covering 
power  combined  with  great  speed.  In 
the  GOERZ  SYNTOR  F:6.8  the  amateur 
photographer  may  obtain  a  high-grade 
anastigmat  lens  at  a  reasonable  price 
which  he  may  have  fitted  to  nearly  any 
make  of  camera  or  shutter  he  already 
has  in  use.  See  your  dealer  about  a  ten 
days'  trial  and  ask  him  for  the  latest 
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New  York. 


What  He  Paid  for  Pyrites. 

A  chemistry  professor  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Kansas  tells  this  story  of  a 
seedy  looking  man  who  stole  noiseless- 
ly into  a  chemist's  office  and  closed  the 
door  softly  behind  him. 

"Kin  anybody  hear  what  I  say  in 
here?"  he  asked  anxiously. 

"Not  a  soul,"  the  chemist  assured 
him. 

Whereupon  the  man  produced  a 
package,  carefully  wrapped,  and  hand- 
ed it  to  the  chemist,  with  the  cpiery : 
"What  is  this  stuff,  anyway?" 

After  examining  the  contents  the 
chemist  replied :  "Why,  that  is  iron 
pyrites,  commonly  known  as  fool's 
gold." 

"What's  it  worth?"  asked  the  seedy 
fellow. 

"Oh,  about  $4  a  ton  in  carload  lots." 
"Just  my  luck,"  exclaimed  the  ques- 
tioner. "Blest  if  I  aint  the  biggest 
fool  in  the  world.  I  found  a  lot  of  that 
stuff  on  a  widder's  farm  an'  went  and 
married   the   widder."-— N.    Y.    Globe. 


XIV 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Abendroih  Ranges .... 

NEW 

TWILIGHT 

RANGE 

with 

^  Drop 

Door 

WHICH 
MAKES    A 
HANDY 
SHELF     FOR 
BASTING 
PURPOSES 

So  general  has  been  the  sale  of  ABEN- 
DROTH  Ranges  and  so  satisfactory 
their  operation  that  high  quality  for  the 
purpose  specified  and  superior  merit  in 
them   are   unquestionably   evidenced. 

ABENDROTH     BROTHERS, 

(Established  1840) 
PORT  CHESTER,  NEW  YORK. 


THE  BUTTERFLY 
STORE 

O.  FULDA,  Prop., 

812  Broadway,  New  York  City. 

(Established   1904) 


Offers  Specimens  from  All  Parts  of  the 
World,  in  Mounts,  on  Pins  or  in  Papers 
Specialty:  100  Bright  Colored  South 
American  Butterflies  for  $15.00.  North 
American,  $5.00. 

Mahogany  Trays  with  arrangements 
of  flowers  and  butterflies.  Paper  weights, 
made  with  butterflies  and  flowers  under 
glass,  50c  each.  Paper  weights,  showing1 
development  of  silk  moth  from  egg  to 
finished    product — silk,    $1.00 


GENERAL   SCIENCE  QUARTERLY 

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General  Science  Quarterly  will  help  you 
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GENERAL    SCIENCE    QUARTERLY, 

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MEAL  WORMS!  A  food  to  attract  nesting  birds,  and 
for  helping  the  old  birds  out  in  supplying  insect 
food  when  they  have  young.  With  insect  food  easily 
obtained,  the  chances  are  that  instead  of  nesting  on  two 
or  three  eggs  they  will  risk  four  or  five.  A  treat  for 
the  fishes,  etc.,  in  your  aquarium,  to  keep  them  active  and 
in  good  health.  A  good  clean  bait  for  angling  with  rod 
and  line.  A  choice  natural  food  for  your  young  pheas- 
arts,  quail,  etc  Need  any?  500  at  $1.00;  1,000  at  $1.50; 
5,000  at  $5;  10,000  at  $7.50  all  express  prepaid  east  of, 
or  to,  the  Mississippi  River.  C.  B.  Kern,  12  Main  Street, 
Mount    Joy,    Pennsylvania. 


THE  BRYOLOGIST  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 
Vloss  Society,  which  includes  moss  students  of  all  grades  of 
achievements  from  the  college  president  to  the  beginner,  all 
anxious  to  help  each  other.  Subscription,  $1.25  a  Year. 
$1.50  pays  for  membership  in  the  society  and  a  year's  sub- 
scription to  the  Bryologist.  Address  Edward  B.  Chamber- 
lain,   18   West  89th   St.,   New  York  City. 


Read    BLUE-BIRD 

Published    in    co-operation    with 
The   Cleveland   Bird   Lovers  Association 

and  devoted  to 

BIRD  STUDY  AND  CONSERVATION 

$1.00  a  Year,  10  Cents  a  Copy 

Agents  Wanted 

Address,  Editor  BLUE  BIRD 

1010    Euclid    Avenue,        Cleveland    Ohio 


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. 


r*C*/  v-(>,t|. 


The  Guide 
To  Nature 

SOUND  BEACH,  CONN. 
Edward  F.  Bigelow,  Editor 


Vol.  X 


JULY,   1917 


No.   2 


Iammag 


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£« 


Lqoo^ 


GREENWICH 


Iv**" 


« *  ■  ■ 


««■■« 


THE    EDITION    DE  LUXE 
OF  CONNECTICUT  TOWNS 


GREENWICH 


I 


*  * 


! 


DO  NOT  LEAVE  FURS,  WOOL- 
ENS OR  VALUABLE  RUGS  FOR 
MOTHS  TO  RUIN.  PLACE  THEM 
IN  OUR  DRY  AIR  COLD  STOR- 
AGE VAULT.  THE  CHARGES 
ARE  REASONABLE. 

THE 

GREENWICH  TRUST 

COMPANY 


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 


tasej 


The  Best  Scientific  Work  is  Done  in  the 
Small  Laboratory  with  Local  Support 

(From  an   Editorial  in  "The  Popular  Science   Monthly.") 

"The  most  desirable  institutions  for  scientific  work  would  prob- 
ably be  comparatively  small  laboratories  conducted  by  the  scien- 
tific men  who  work  in  them It  would  be 

well  if  such  institutions  were  endowed  by  the  rich,  still  better  if 
they  were  supported  by  a  state  or  community." 


m 


oo^^ooo 


a&in>yb^cfxr 


-  Vv 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. 


THE  STAMFORD  LUMBER  CO. 

LUMBER 

Sash.  Doors,  Blinds  and  Window-Fram 

WHOLESALE  AND   RETAIL 
OFFICE   AND   YARD,    297    PACIFIC   STREET. 
STAMFORD.   CONN. 


FASHIONS  OF  TO-DAY 


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to  — - 

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2  £<-> 


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S 


All  the  double-breasted  effects  are  smart 
for  girls  dresses  just  now.  This  one  is  pretty 
for  taffeta  and  for  serge  and  for  challis  and  ma- 
terials of  such  sort,  and  it  is  also  just  as  de- 
sirable for  linen  and  for  washable  fabrics. 
Here,  it  is  made  of  pongee  with  trimming  of 
soutache  braid.  Linen  or  pique,  or  other  ma- 
terial of  such  sort  would  be  smart  with  trim- 
ming of  soutache  or  with  a  little  embroidery 
on  the  collar  and  sleeves  while  the  skirt  por- 
tion is  plain,  if  a  simple  effect  is  wanted. 

The  May  Manton  pattern  No.  9369  is  cut  in 
sizes  from  10  to  14  years.  The.  braiding  design 
848  gives  three  yards.  They  will  be  mailed  to 
any  address  by  the  Fashion  Department  of  this 
magazine,  on  receipt  of  fifteen  cents  for  the 
dress,  ten  cents  for  the  braiding  design. 


Try 


for 

That  Summer  Suit 

Cleaning,  Repairing  and  Pressing  a 
Specialty 

Straw  Hats 

Best  Hat  Values  Obtainable  in  the 
Celebrated  C  &  K 

Line  of  Derby  and  Soft  Hats 

Fine    Line   of   Shirts,   Ties.   Collars, 

Cuffs,  Gloves,  etc. 

196  Atlantic  St. 

Stamford  Connecticut 


BORG  BROTHERS 

Chemical   and   Analytical    Laboratories 

for  Special  Research  Work 

539  MAIN  ST. 

STAMFORD        :-:        CONNECTICUT 


Telephone,  270 
271 


Uptown  Office:  STARK  BROS. 

40    PARK    ROW 


CHAS.  F.  WATERBURY 
David    Waterbury     &    Son 

COAL  DRAIN  PIPE  WOOD 

Crushed  Stone  for  Walks  and  Drives 

YARDS:     Canal  Dock,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 


A   Carload   of   Young   Women   at 
ArcAdiA. 

The  Inkowa  Club  of  New  York  City, 
having  chartered  a  special  car  for  the 
trip,  spent  Memorial  Day  at  ArcAdiA. 
The  young  women  composing  this  club 
arrived  in  the  early  part  of  the  forenoon 
and  spent  the  entire  day,  participating  in 
the  forenoon  in  the  exercises  under  the 
auspices  of  The  Sound  Beach  Associa- 
tion in  an  extensive  and  patriotic  pro- 
gram and  community  flag  raising.  They 
had  a  picnic  lunch  in  the  Forest  of  Arden 
and  there  stayed  until  about  2  P.  M.,  af- 
ter which  they  had  a  regular  ArcAdiA 
outdoor  program,  consisting  of  demon- 
strations with  honeybees,  etc.  At  about 
four  o'clock  there  was  an  indoor  program 
of  illustrated  lecture,  projection  of  micro- 
scopic objects,  music  by  Edison  Diamond 
Disc  phonograph,  etc.,  etc. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  demon- 
strations with  honeybees  ever  made 
with  any  party  was  made  with  these 
people,  who  were  eager  to  get  acquaint- 
ed with  the  sweet,  stinging  insects  and 
handled  them  freely.  Twenty  frames 
from  two  hives  were  held  by  members 
of  the  party  with  bared  arms  and 
hands.  No  bee  veils  were  used.  The 
bees  were  freely  shaken  over  the  bare 
arms  of  many  members,  and  taken  up 
in  their  bare  hands  by  the  handful. 
There  was  only  one  instance  of  sting- 
ing, and  that  with  one  of  the  young 
women,  who  chanced  to  press  against 
the  bee  with  her  hand.  The  weather 
was  ideal  and  the  bees  performed  to 
perfection.  Members  of  the  party  ex- 
pressed much  pleasure  and  interest  in 
the  micro-projection,  which,  as  they 
enthusiastically  asserted,  surpassed 
anything  of  the  kind  that  they  had 
ever  seen. 

Letters  have  been  received  from  of- 
ficers of  the  club,  expressing  the  writ- 
ers' pleasure  and  appreciation  of  that 
day's  outing  in  nearness  to  nature. 


Staten  Islanders  at  ArcAdiA. 

A  large  party,  mostly  of  teachers, 
chiefly  from  Staten  Island,  with  four 
friends  from  South  Norwalk,  spent 
Saturday,  June  2nd,  at  ArcAdiA.  They 
had  the  entire  program  of  the  day,  in- 
cluding the  usual  demonstration  with 
honeybees,  micro-projection,  talks,  lec- 
tures, etc. 

This  party  was  the  first  to  use  the 
new  grills  for  outdoor  cooking  in  The 
Agassiz  Grove.  These  grills  were  made 
by  Mr.  Stephen  I.  Clason  from  old 
wagon  tires  contributed  by  Mr. 
Moulds  of  the  local  blacksmith  shop  ; 
they  are  pleasingly  successful  for  any 
form  of  camp  cooking.  They  also 
used  the  supply  of  new  dishes  furnish- 
ed by  J.  R.  Evans  &  Company  of  Stam- 
ford. These  enterprising  dealers  in 
house  furnishing  goods  have  supplied, 
with  an  especial  contribution  of  liberal 
size,  an  extensive  equipment  of  plates, 
cups  and  saucers,  knives,  forks,  spoons, 
platters,  dishes,  etc. 


Our  Faded  Wistaria. 

On  the  front  door  of  our  office  we 
have  a  white  wistaria  that  we  especial- 
ly prize,  not  only  because  of  its  intrin- 
sic beauty  but  because  of  its  rarity,  but 
evidently  this  rarity  was  not  appre- 
ciated by  two  women  who  went  past 
the  office,  one  of  whom  remarked, 
"Why,  I  never  saw  such  a  faded  out 
wistaria  as  that  one." 


A  Magnificent  Range  for  the  Serving 
House 

In  our  efforts  to  have  the  Serving 
House  of  Little  Japan  perfectly  pre- 
pared for  visiting  parties,  we  are  de- 
lighted to  announce  that  a  fully  equip- 
ped, first-class,  modern  range  has  been 
supplied  by  Abendroth  Brolhers,  Port 
Chester,  New  York.  Their  advertisement 
appears  in  this  number  of  the  maga- 
zine. In  addition,  we  want  personally 
to  express  the  highest  appreciation  of 


ARCADIA 


VII 


this  magnificent  kitchen  stove  that  has 
every  convenience  that  ingenuity  and 
skilled  workmanship  can  put  into  a 
range.  It  is  attractive  in  appearance, 
and  convenient  and  effective  in  use. 
What  more  could  he  required.  As  many 
of  our  readers  will  be  interested  in  this 
range,  we  suggest  that  they  write  to 
the  Abendroth  Brothers  at  Port  Ches- 
ter for  a  catalogue  and  further  particu- 
lars, mentioning  The  Guide  to  Nature. 


A  Magnificent  Bank  Building. 

The  Greenwich  Trust  Company  has 
moved  into  its  magnificent  new  build- 
ing. The  opening  of  the  new  quarters 
was  made  an  occasion  of  appropriate 
ceremonies  including  the  raising  of  a 
large  flag,  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Helen  Adams 
Kelley,  first  regent  of  the  Greenwich 
D.  A.  R.  The  wonderfully  beautiful 
structure  is  indeed  a  credit  to  the  man- 
agement and  to  the  town  and  is  great- 
ly admired.  A  very  important  feature 
of  the  bank  is  its  storage  facilities  not 
only  for  ordinary  protection  of  docu- 
ments and  the  like,  but  for  the  dry  air 
cold  storage  of  furs,  woolens  and  valu- 
able rugs.  Absolute  security  from 
thieves  and  moths  is  assured. 


Sound  Beach. 
Sound  Beach  now  has  a  competent 
man  to  regularly  attend  to  the  collec- 
tion of  garbage.  Mr.  Edward  Clark 
has  taken  up  that  work  and  any  resi- 
dent in  Sound  Beach  may  give  him  an 
order  and  be  sure  that  the  work  will  be 
done  not  in  a  desnltorv  but  a  thoroughly 
proficient  manner.  This  is  in  accord 
with  the  spirit  of  general  improvement 
of  premises  in  Sound  Beach.  All  along 
the  line,  in  fact  all  the  lines,  of  houses 
one  may  readily  see  this  spirit  of  im- 
provement that  has  come  about  largely 
through  the  increased  interest  in  pub- 
lic welfare  inspired  by  the  enthusiastic 
meetings  of  The  Sound  Beach  Associa- 
tion. It  would  be  hard  to  find  any 
small  community  with  a  better  com- 
munity spirit  than  that  of  Sound  Beach, 
and  those  who  wish  to  keep  their  pre- 
mises in  a  tidy  condition  will  heartily 
welcome  this  new  departure  by  Mr. 
Clark.  His  teams  will  be  on  the  rounds 
for  the  garbage  collecting  work  every 
dav  in  the  week. 


A  Delightful  Typewriter. 

For  office  or  home,  a  simple,  conven- 
ient, practical  gem  of  a  typewriter  is 
the  new  No.  9  Model  issued  by  The 
Blickensderfer  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. Send  for  their  new  catalogue, 
No.  1 12,  and  you  will  perceive  the  mod- 
eration in  my  commendation. 

There  probably  never  has  been 
placed  on  the  market  so  convenient  a 
tvpewriter  as  this.  The  editor  is  well 
acquainted  with  the  manufacturing  es- 
tablishment and  management,  and  per- 
sonally assures  every  reader  that  the 
firm  produces  a  high  grade  machine. 
To  deal  with  the  management  is  a  de- 
light. Every  reader  will  be  pleased 
with  the  dealings  with  this  well-known 
manufacturing  establishment  of  type- 
writers. At  any  rate,  even  if  you  do 
not  want  a  machine  now,  it  will  be 
worth  while  for  you  to  investigate  this 
superior  and  moderate  priced  machine. 


The  Call  to  do  Things. 

Never  in  the  history  of  the  world 
was  efficiency  so  timely  as  now.  Every- 
body must  do  something  with  head  and 
heart,  and  both  in  earnest.  It  is  not  a 
time  for  sham.  It  is  the  time  for  the 
enjoyment  of  real  things,  and  a  time 
when  mechanics  are  especially  needed 
and  especially  difficult  to  obtain.  One 
can  get  along  without  a  carpenter  if  he 
has  any  gumption  in  his  head  and  skill 
in  hi-  hands,  providing  he  likes  to 
tinker  with  tools  and  has  a  cabinet  so 
attractive  as  those  put  out  by  Hamma- 
cher,  Schlemmer  &  Company.  Now  is 
the  time  to  write  them.  See  their  ad- 
vertisement on  our  fourth  cover  and 
send  for  circular  No.  84. 


An  Effic;ent  Summer  Laboratorv. 
Every  one  interested  in  biology 
should  send  to  the  biological  labora- 
tory at  Cold  Spring  Harbor,  Long 
Island,  New  York,  for  its  announce- 
ment for  the  summer  of  1917.  The 
laboratory  is  well  equipped,  and  is  con- 
venient of  access  from  this  part  of  the 
country,  as  it  is  only  about  thirty  miles 
from  Manhattan  Island,  New  York 
City,  in  one  of  the  best  collecting  places 
along  the  entire  coast.  It  is  almost 
directly  across  the  Sound  from  Ar- 
cAdiA.  The  field  students  in  their 
Connecticut  shore  excursion  have  been 
invited  to  spend  a  day  at  ArcAdiA. 


VIII 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 

Established  49  Years 

ATLANTIC  SQUARE         :         :         :         :         STAMFORD,  CONN. 

COOL— WEARABLES— AND— OTHER— THINGS 

for 
WARM— SUMMER— DAYS 

You   will   find   that    we    have   assembled   garments   and   furnishings   of    every    wanted   variety    to    insure   your 

personal   comfort. 

VUDOR— VENTILATED— PORCH— SCREENS 

For  Sale  Here. 

DELIVERIES— IN— SOUND— BEACH— EVERY— AFTERNOON. 

THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 

ATLANTIC  SQUARE  :         :        :        :        :         :  STAMFORD.  CONN. 


Established    1853 

THEGETMAN&JUDD  CO. 

Lumber  and  Timber  of  all  Kinds 

SPECIALTY:  High-Qrade  HARDWOOD  FLOORING 

thoroughly  Kiln  Dried  and  stored  in  Steam  heated  build- 
ing until  delivered  to  our  customers.  Our  steadily  in- 
creasing trade  in  this  specialty  proves  the  fact  that 
the  country  home  is  not  complete  until  fitted  out  with 
this  beautiful  and  sanitary  furnishing.  Old  residences 
may  be  greatly  improved  by  laying  thin  floors  over  the 
old   ones. 

CANAL  DOCKS,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 
Telephone  2180. 


Homes  Near  to  Nature 

Should  be  so  constructed  as  to  give  lasting  satisfaction. 
Our  method  of  manufacturing  dependable  Interior  and 
Exterior  house  trim  from  thoroughly  kiln  dried  material 
by  skilled  mechanics  insures  such  satisfaction. 

THE  5T.  JOHN  WOOD  WORKING  CO. 

CANAL     DOCKS,     STAMFORD      CONN. 

Telephone    781 

DIRECTORS 
WALTON     FERGUSON,     Pies.         W.  W.  HEROY, 

W.  D.  DASKAM,  Vice  Pies  Dr.  F.  H.  GETMAN 

W.    H.   JUDD,   Sec.   and  Treas.  F.   W.   BOGARDUS. 

J.  G.  WIGG,  General  Manager. 


The  LOCKWOOD  &  PALMER  Co. 


Wholesale  and  Retail 
Dealers  in 

HARDWARE 

AGRICULTURAL 
IMPLEMENTS 

House  Furnishings,  Etc. 


TOOLS 
All  Kinds 


92    PARK    PLACE 

(Cor.  Summer  Street) 

STAMFORD     -       CONN. 

TELEPHONE   CONNECTIONS 


Published  monthly  by  The  Agassiz  Association,  ArcAdi A  ■  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 


ume 


X 


JULY,     1917 


Number  2 


Color  in  the  Garden. 

From  May  20th  to  June  1st  Mrs.  Neil 


thousands  of  large  and  velvety  purple 
blue  iris  (Iris  Germanica    Charput),    in 


Morrow  Ladd's  garden  in  Belle  Haven,  front  of  which  are  an  equal  number  of 

Greenwich,   Connecticut,  is  a  mass  of  cottage  tulips,  Picotee,  present  in  their 

bloom   and   color.      For  three  hundred  beautiful  display  of  color  a  picture  long 

feet   on    each    side    of   the    central    path  to  be  remembered. 


"IS   A   MASS   OF   BLOOM    AND   COLOR." 


Copyright    1917   by  The   Agassiz  Association,   ArcAdiA:    Sound   Beach,    Conn. 


34 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


AN  ATTRACTIVE  VISTA  FROM  THE  PERGOLA. 


The    "Picotee"   tulip,   catalogued    as  reflexed,  until  the  whole  bloom  is  suf- 

"Maiden's    Blush,"    first   appears    as   a  fused  with  a  deep  pink, 

clear   white.      Later    the    blush    creeps  The  garden,  formal  only  in  it-  geo- 

from  the  edges,  which  are  pointed  and  metrical  division,  shares  with  no  local 


THE  MASTER  HAND 


;35 


garden  this  prodigal  treatment.  Thou- 
sands of  tulips  have  been  planted  to 
secure  this  effect,  and  hundreds  are  ad- 
ded yearly  to  fill  the  spaces  which  oc- 
cur, no  matter  how  carefully  gardens 
are  watched  and  cared  for. 

The  planting  about  the  bird  pool  is 
entirely  of  iris  of  different  varieties 
blooming  in  their  turn. 

Darwin,  Rembrandt  and  Breeder  tu- 
lips add  new  tones  which  are  scattered 
through  the  rose  gardens  and  borders. 
As  a  background  great  masses  of  ever- 
greens and  flowering  shrubs  afford  a 
proper  setting  and  divide  the  vegetable 
gardens  from  those  devoted  wholly  to 
flowers. 

This  year  Mrs.  Ladd  is  devoting  the 
most  of  her  time  to  raising  vegetables, 
planning  to  can  and  store  the  products 
of  her  garden  for  winter  use.  She  is  an 
active  member  of  both  the  Greenwich 
and  the  New  Canaan  Garden  Clubs. 


The  Master  Hand. 

BY     HAROLD     GORDON      HAWKINS,     WESTFIELD, 
MASSACHUSETTS. 

My   soul   is   a   constant    questioner. 
From  early  youth  it  has  sought  to  learn, 
That  which  will  be  denied  it  to  know 
Until,  perhaps,  that  final,  fulsome  day 
When  it  shall  learn  that  mystery  of  myster- 
ies— 

Death. 

T  t  V  ^  ^F 

Enshrouded    in    the    silence    of    the    mystic 
night, 

When  the  heavens  are  glorious  with  count- 
less stars 

And    the    silver    moonbeams    sleep    on    the 
murmuring  river, 

I  stand  enwrapped  in  its  absorbing  beauty. 

And  in  my  soul  the  eternal  question  rises  : 

What   master  hand   hath    fashioned 

this,   and   why? 
***** 

Full  often  doth  the  path  I  follow  lead  me 
Through  the  dim  recesses  of  a  mighty  for- 
est. 
And  there  I  see  a  thousand  majestic  trees 
Rearing  their  hoary  columns  up 
To  the  arching  vault  of  heaven  that  bends 

above. 
And    rendering   with    the    wind    that    breathes 

among  their  boughs, 
A   mighty   harmony  that   swells   within   my 

soul 

Into  the  ever  insistent  query: 

What    master    hand    has    fashioned 

this,    and   why? 
***** 

And  beside  the  path  that  through  the  for- 
est leads 
There  grew  a  tiny  flower,  delicate  and  small. 
Having  the  blue  of  heaven  in  its  eye 


That  caught  my  wandering  gaze,  and  stoop- 
ing low 

I  saw   the  trace  of  that  same  master  hand 
that  fashions  all. 

And  again  in  my  soul  the  same  unanswered 
question  rose. 

***** 

With  the  first  blush  of  spring  there  came  a 

bird 
Into  my  garden,  and  melodiously  and  low, 
He  sang  a  strange  sweet  song  of  wondrous 

joy. 
A    song   of   melting   tenderness,    of    beauty 

and  of  love 
That  thrilled  my  heart  with  its  ecstatic  glee. 
And  caused  my  soul  again  to  ask: 

What  wondrous  power  hath  caused 
this  joy,  and  why? 
***** 

And  in  this  same  bright  month  that  brings 

the  birds. 
I     stand     beside     the    waters     of    a     swollen 

stream 
That  rushes  in  tempestuous  fury  from  the 

North 
Down  to  the  surging  waters  of  the  sun-kissed 

sea. 
And  its  mighty  power  inspires  in  me  an  awe 
That    prompts    again    that    ceaseless    question 

in  my  soul. 

***** 

And  in  my  daily  life  a  thousand  scenes; 
A    thousand    signs    of    life,    of    strength,    of 

power 
Of  wonder  and  of  beauty,  cause  within  my 

soul 
That    everlasting   and   unanswered   thought 
to  rise: 

What  master  hand  hath   fashioned 
this,   and  why? 

****** 

Yes,  my  soul  is  a  constant  questioner. 
From  early  youth  it  has  sought  to  learn 
That  which  will  be  denied  it  to  know 
Until,   perhaps,   that   final,   fulsome   day 
When,    learning    life's    greatest    mystery, — 

Death, 
It  shall  also  learn  the  mystery  of  the  uni- 
verse. 
Shall  learn  WHAT  master  hand  hath  fash- 
ioned it,  and  why. 


British  authorities  recommend  for 
civilian  families  during  the  war  time 
limitation  to  four  pounds  of  bread,  two 
and  a  half  pounds  of  meat  and  three- 
quarters  of  a  pound  of  sugar,  per  per- 
son per  week. 


For  such  is  the  fleeting  character  of 
all  exquisite  things.  Nothing  that  is 
beautiful  stays.  As  each  sweet  flower 
passes  it  is  gone  from  us.  Like  a 
flower,  the  emotion  belong  to  the 
hour. — Abram  Linwood  Urban  in  "My 
Garden  of  Dreams." 


36 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Sheep  Go  Four  Months  without  Water. 

Sheep  on  the  Nebo  national  forest, 
Utah,  go  four  and  a  half  months  with- 
out water  except  for  such  moisture  as 
they  get  from  the  dew  and  the  juices  of 
forage  plants. 

Grazing  sheep  on  a  range  entirely 
destitute  of  water  is  due  to  the  increas- 
ing demand  for  forage  and  the  efforts 
of  the  forest  officers  to  find  a  place  on 
the  forest  ranges  for  all  the  stock  that 


early    in    the    nineteenth    century,    and 
was  grown  from  the  Selecta  Orange. 

As  far  as  can  be  determined  the  bud- 
ded orange  trees  through  which  the 
naval  orange  wood  was  introduced  in- 
to the  United  States  were  obtained 
from  a  plantation  by  the  Rev.  F.  I.  C. 
Schneider,  a  Presbyterian  missionary, 
who  shipped  them  to  William  Saun- 
ders, then  horticulturist,  landscape  gar- 
dener, and  superintendent  of  grounds 


THESE  SHEEP  HAVE  NO  WATER  FOR  FOUR  MONTHS. 


can  safely  be  admitted.  The  area  on 
the  Nebo  which  has  now  proved  usable 
by  sheep  is  high  and  rocky,  a  portion 
of  it  being  above  timber  line,  and  it  has 
neither  springs  nor  streams  of  sufficient 
size  or  accessibility  to  be  used  for  stock 
watering  purposes.  The  grazing  sea- 
son lasts  from  June  15  to  October  31, 
and  during  this  period  of  four  and  a 
half  months  the  animals  do  not  get  a 
drink. — U.   S.   Forest  Service. 


The  Naval  Orange  in  Brazil. 

A  study  of  the  Naval  or  seedless  or- 
ange in  its  native  home  near  Bahia, 
Brazil,  has  recently  been  made  by 
plant  specialists  of  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture,  and  has  es- 
tablished the  fact  that  the  variety  of 
the  naval  orange  now  so  largely  grown 
in  this  country  first  came  into  existence 
at  Cabulla,  a  suburb  of  Bahia,   Brazil, 


of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 
Mr.  Saunders  grew  the  trees  in  the  De- 
partment's greenhouses,  and  trees  pro- 
pagated from  them  were  distributed  to 
California  and  Florida.  The  variety 
proved  to  be  unsuited  to  Florida  con- 
ditions but  in  California  it  is  very  pro- 
ductive and  highly  valued.  Practically 
the  entire  present  planting  of  the  var- 
iety in  that  State  can  be  traced  directly 
back  to  two  of  the  trees  sent  there  by 
Mr.  Saunders  in  1873. — The  Agricul- 
tural Digest. 


The  Biological  Survey  reports  that 
there  are  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty 
different  species  of  rodents  in  North 
and  Central  America.  Many  of  these 
are  very  destructive.  The  remedy  is 
to  encourage  the  increase  of  their  nat- 
ural enemies,  the  hawks,  owls  and  non 
venomous  serpents. 


WORDSWORTH  AND  THE  WAYSIDE  FLOWERS 


37 


Wordsworth  and  the  Wayside  Flowers. 

BY  MAUDE  E.  LEE,   KNOXVILLE,  TENN. 

Praises  of  the  little  wayside  flowers 
were  often  sung  by  the  great  "High- 
Priest  of  Nature,"  William  Words- 
worth. Of  him  it  could  never  have 
been  said : 

"A  primrose  by  the  river's  brim 
A  yellow  primrose  was  to  him 
And   it   was   nothing   more." 

The  "bright  daisy  flowers"  were  es- 
pecially dear  to  this  poet  as  they  were 
to  Chaucer  and  to  "sweet  Spenser."  Of 
the  Daisy  he  says: 

"Be  violets  in  their  secret  mews 
The  flowers  the  wanton  Zephyrs  choose; 
Proud  be  the  rose,  with  rains  and  dews 

Her   head    inpearling, 
Thou  liv'st  with  less  ambitious  aim, 
Yet  hast  not  gone  without  thy  fame; 
Thou  art  indeed  by  many  a  claim 
The    Poet's    darling." 

As  seen  with  his  eyes,  the  daisy  is  at 
one  time  a  "nun  demure,"  and  then  "a 
queen  in  crown  of  rubies"  ;  "a  little  Cy- 
clops with  one  eye,"  "a  silver  shield 
with  boss  of  gold,"  and  again  "a  pretty 
star  with  glittering  crest." 

The  Small  Celandine,  growing  in  the 
pastures  and  waste  places,  had  been 
neglected  by  the  earlier  poets  but  he 
takes  it  for  his  very  own,  saying 

"There's  a  flower  that  shall  be  mine, 
'Tis    the    little    Celandine." 

"Ere  a  leaf  is  on  a  bush, 
In  the  time  before  the  thrush 
Has  a  thought  about  her  nest, 
Thou  wilt  come  with   half  a  call, 
Spreading  out  thy  glossy  breast 
Like   a   careless   Prodigal; 
Telling  tales  about  the  sun, 
When  we've  little  warmth,  or  none." 

The  strawberry  blossom  catches  his 
eye : 

"Pull    the    primrose,   sister   Anne! 
Pull  as  many  as  you  can. 
— Here   are    daisies,   take   your   fill; 
Pansies    and    the    cuckoo-flowers; 
Of  the   lofty  daffodil 
Make  your  bed  or  make  your  bower; 
Fill  your  lap  and  fill  your  bosom; 
Only   spare   the   strawberry   blossom!" 


"The  streams  with  softest  sounds  are  flow- 
ing, 
The  grass  you  almost  hear  it  growing." 

He  makes  the  little  girl   say  to  her 
pet  lamb  when  it  is  restless: 

"This  grass  is  tender  grass;   these  flowers 

They  have  no  peers; 
And  that   green   corn   all   day  is   rustling 
in    thy   ears." 


The  Bible  and  the  Camp. 

An  astonishing  fact  is  that  for  every 
purpose  under  the  sun  the  Bible  may 
be  quoted,  but  of  all  appropriate  words 
from  that  book  those  selected  by  Miss 
George  Ann  Lillard  of  Chicago  for  her 
camp  for  girls  in  New  Hampshire 
could  hardly  be  excelled.  They  are: 
"They  shall  dwell  safely  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  sleep  in  the  woods"  (Ezekiel 
xxxiv,  25). 


Through  June   Fields. 

Kneedeep   in    buttercups,   daisies. 
In   clover  and   Queen   Anne's   Lace, 

We   are   wading   across   the   hillside, 
On  the  way  to  our  trystring  place. 

June   skies  are   soft  above   us, 

June   opulence  at  our  feet; 
And  as   we  thread  its  mazes, 

We  tread  out  odors  sweet. 

A   frolicsome   breeze   o'er  takes  us, 
And   ripples  the   grasses  tall, 

Where    butterfly    messengers    hasten, 
And  birds  are  count rs  all. 

The  distant  view  enchants  us, 

Of  river  and  wood  and  vale, 
Where  the  drifting  shadows  of  cloudlandv 
Their   dusky   pinions   trail. 

The    sun   on    the   pines   adds   nectar, 
Which  we  sip  as  we  saunter  along; 

On   this   radiant    Summer   morning. 
All  life  seems  a  glad,  sweet  song. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


And  finally  even  the  grass  has  a 
story  for  him  and  he  tells  tis  that  in  the 
night :  "* 


An  Old  and  Prosperous  Nursery. 

The  editor  of  this  magazine  recently 
spent  a  most  enjoyable  day  at  the  nurs- 
ery of  Thomas  Meehan  &  Sons,  Ger- 
mantown,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania. 
This  old-time  nursery  was  established 
in  '54  by  Thomas  Meehan,  an  English 
gardener  and  a  thorough  lover  of 
plants.  His  business  grew  as  Philadel- 
phia grew  and  soon  was  not  limited  to 
the  local  trade  but  extended  to  all  parts 
of  the  country. 


3» 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE- 


School  Nature  League. 

New  York  City.  ■ 
To  the  Editor : 

There  used  to  be  flower  shows  in 
some  of  the  New  York  public  schools 
three  times  a  year.  Later  on  to  the 
flower  exhibits  were  added  other  nature 
materials  such  as  birds  and  their  nests, 
shells,  minerals,  etc. 

The  founder  of  these  exhibits  was 
Mrs.  Alice  R.  Northrop,  formerly  in- 
structor of  botany  in  Hunter  College. 

As  the  years  passed  these  nature 
exhibits  became  more  and  more  popu- 
lar among  the  teachers,  the  school  chil- 
dren and  their  parents.  Nature  mate- 
rials were  gathered,  not  only  by  the 
members  of  the  committee  but  some 
were  sent  by  the  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  by  persons  connected  with  the 
Bronx  Park  Botanical  Garden  and  by 
many  outside  of  New  York  City  who 
sympathized   with   this   work. 

The  success  of  these  nature  exhibits 
gave  a  new  idea  to  the  committee  in 
charge,  and  the  intention  now  is  to 
make  them  permanent.  These  shows 
were  given  in  the  schools  of  the  most 
crowded  sections  of  New  York  City, 
where  the  children  and  their  parents  are 
too  poor  and  too  busy  to  go  to  the  city 
parks  or  to  the  woods.  The  members 
of  the  new  movement  want  to  put  these 
people,  especially  those  of  the  younger 
generation,  nearer  to  nature,  to  teach 
them  to  appreciate  it,  and  through  the 
love  and  understanding  of  nature  to 
have  some  higher  aims  in  life,  and  in 
this  way  to  become  better  citizens. 
Through  nature  study  the  children  will 
be  brought  nearer  to  the  country,  and 
perhaps  in  the  future  this  organization 
may  be  the  beginning  of  a  back-to-the- 
land  movement. 

This  organization  is  called  the 
School  Nature  League.  It  hopes  to 
secure  the  cooperation  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Parks,  the  Department  of  Edu- 
cation, the  museums,  etc. 

It  will  maintain  a  place  in  which  na- 
ture materials  will  be  kept  and  will  be 
open  during  the  entire  year  under  the 
supervision  of  a  curator. 

The  members  of  the  League  do  not 
expect  to  concentrate  their  work  on 
New  York  City  only,  but  they  hope 
to  come  in  touch  with  schools  outside 
of  this  city  and  to  cooperate  with  them. 

Mary  Holtzoff. 


An  Appeal  to  Auto  Owners. 

The  New  York,  New  Haven  and 
Hartford  Railroad  Company  in  its  cam- 
paign to  prevent  accidents  at  grade 
crossings  has  issued  posters  urging  dri- 
vers to  use  extreme  caution  in  crossing 
railroad  tracks.  These  posters  are* 
being  displayed  in  conspicuous  places 
along  the  New  Haven  lines. 

The  posters  call  attention  to  the  fact 
that  over  2,000  persons  were  killed  in 
1916  in  grade  crossing  accidents.  Also 
that  the  number  of  persons  killed  and 
injured  by  these  accidents  is  increas- 
ing at  the  rate  of  25  per  cent,  each 
year.  In  the  first  two  months  of  this 
year,  there  were  10  accidents  of  this 
kind  on  the  New  Haven  Road,  in  which 
6  persons  were  killed  and  13  injured. 


A  Prayer  for  the  Boy. 

Captain  Scott's  last  letter  to  his  wife, 
as  he  lay  awaiting  death  in  the  relent- 
less cold  of  the  Antarctic,  contains 
these  words : 

"Make  our  boy  interested  in  natural 
history  if  you  can.  It  is  better  than 
games.  Keep  him  in  the  open  air. 
Above  all,  you  must  guard  him  against 
indolence.  Make  him  a  strenuous  man. 
The  great  God  has  called  me.  Take 
comfort  in  that  I  die  in  peace  with  the 
world  and  myself,  and  not  afraid." 


R.  A.  Pearson,  brother  of  the  newly 
elected  President  of  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  and  Hartford  Railroad,  has 
recently  been  designated  as  chief  assist- 
ant to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  at 
Washington,  in  the  matter  of  the  in- 
creased food  production  of  the  nation. 
He  was  former  Commissioner  of  Agri- 
culture of  New  York  State  and  is  now 
President  of  the  Iowa  State  College, 
having  been  recently  appointed  by  the 
Governor  in  charge  of  the  increased 
food  production  of  that  state. 


There  is  health  of  body  and  of  mind 
in  getting  into  a  real  relationship  with 
things,  because  there  is  a  reasonable- 
ness and  a  beauty  of  the  nature  of 
things,  but  such  a  relationship  requires 
that  man  shall  know  himself  as  man, 
and  shall  not  lose  sight  of  this  obliga- 
tion as  man. — Abram  Linwood  Ur- 
ban in  "My  Garden  of  Dreams." 


The  Heavens  in  July. 

BY    PROFESSOR   ERIC   DOOLITTLE,   OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY    OF     PENNSYLVANIA. 

The  July  evenings  witness  the  com- 
plete disappearance  of  the  beautiful 
group  Gemini  and  of  the  faint  and  my- 
thologically  interesting  Cancer;  the 
Water  Snake  has  plunged  almost  whol- 
ly below  the  western  horizon,  while  the 


The  July  Stars. 
The  striking  midsummer  group  of 
the  Scorpion  has  now  reached  its  high- 
est position  of  the  year  and  is  seen  ex- 
actly on  the  meridian  well  up  from  the 
ground  in  the  south.  The  interesting 
group  of  the  Archer  with  its  wealth  of 
double  and  multiple  suns  and  whose 
western    stars    form    the    well-known 


soeTH 


SOUTH 

Figure    1. — The    Constellations    9    P.    M.    July    1.      (If    facing    south,    hold   the    map    upright.      If    facing 
west,  hold  West  below.     If  facing  east,  hold  East  below.     If  facing  north,  hold  the  map  inverted.) 


beautiful  Capella  which  leaves  our 
evening  sky  for  but  a  few  weeks  each 
year  and  which  is  so  near  the  Pole  that 
north  of  latitude  forty-six  degrees  it 
does  not  set  at  all,  is  now  almost  exact- 
ly on  the  horizon  in  the  extreme  north- 
east. 


"Milk  Dipper,"  may  be  seen  closely  fol- 
lowing Scorpion  to  the  east,  while  the 
beautiful  Northern  Cross,  the  bright 
Aquilla  and  the  strange  little  group  of 
the  Dolphin,  often  called  "Job's  Coffin." 
have  now  all  mounted  high  in  the  east- 
ern sky. 


40 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Toward  the  beginning  of  the  month 
Mars,    Jupiter    and    Mercury    are    all 
morning  stars,  though  on  July   12  the 
last  planet  will  again  enter  the  evening 
heavens.     Two  weeks  later  the  beauti- 
ful Saturn,  which  has  been  so  conspic- 


E:  OASUS 


* 


■  DElPmimu 


/EQuui-eoj. 


Figure    2. — Showing    the    path    of    the    new     comet 
among  the  stars  during  the  month   of  July. 

uous  and  interesting  an  object  through- 
out the  winter,  will  itself  pass  to  the 
west  of  the  sun  and  become  a  morning 
star.  The  bright  planet  Venus,  how- 
ever, will  remain  shining  in  our  even- 
ing heavens  throughout  the  month 
and  this  is  moving  so  rapidly  eastward 
among  the  stars  that  each  evening  it  is 
seen  with  less  difficulty  as  it  shines  in 
the  twilight  glow.  From  now  on  until 
the  end  of  the  year  this  beautiful  world 
will  continue  to  be  the  most  beautiful 
object  in  the  evening  heavens.  It  will 
continue  its  motion  away  from  the 
sun  until  November  30;  at  this  time  it 
will  shine  with  one  hundred  forty-five 
times  the  brightness  of  a  first  magni- 
tude star,  and  for  a  month  more  it  will 
continue  to  grow  still  brighter. 

T  T  T  T  * 

The  Eclipses  in  July. 

As  an  eclipse  year  the  present  year 
is  a  remarkable  and  unusual  one,  since 
it  will  witness  no  less  than  seven  of 
these  phenomena  ;  this  is  the  greatest 
number  of  eclipses  that  can  under  any 
circumstances  take  place  during  any 
one  year.  Three  of  these  eclipses  have 
already  occurred  ;  two  will  occur  dur- 
ing the  present  month,  while  of  the  re- 
maining two  only  the  last  one — that  of 
December  27 — will  be  visible  in  the 
United  States. 

On  July  4  the  full  moon  will  enter  the 
great  shadow  of  the  earth  at  2  hours  52 
minutes  P.  M.  (Eastern  Standard 
Time),  and  it  will  pass  so  nearly 
through  the  shadow's  center  that  it  will 
not  fully  emerge  until  3  hours  33  min- 


utes later.  Since  even  by  the  latter 
time  the  full  moon  will  not  have  risen 
to  observers  in  the  United  States,  this 
interesting  eclipse  will  be  wholly  in- 
visible to  us.  It  will  be  seen,  however, 
from  throughout  Europe,  Africa  and 
the  South  Atlantic  ocean  and  from 
Western  Asia. 

The  full  moon  of  July  4  is  thus  an 
eclipsed  moon.  Two  weeks  later,  when 
our  satellite  has  become  new,  its  ex- 
treme upper  edge  will  pass  over  the 
lower  edge  of  the  sun's  disc,  but  so 
nearly  does  this  eclipse  escape  occur- 
ring altogether  that  under  the  most  fa- 
vorable circumstances  only  one-twelfth 
of  the  sun's  diameter  will  be  seen  to  be 
hidden.  This  eclipse  will  be  visible 
only  from  points  in  the  Indian  and 
Antarctic  oceans. 

Wolf's  Comet  During  July. 

There  are  three  comets  now  in  the 
heavens,  but  two  of  these  are  very  faint 
and  it  is  upon  the  third  that  the  interest 
of  astronomers  principally  centers. 
This  third  comet  is  the  one  which  since 
its  discovery,  a  year  ago,  has  been 
drawing  nearer  to  the  earth  and  to  the 
sun  and  which  during  this  time  has 
been  kept  under  constant  observation 
at  the  larger  observatories.  The  bright- 
ness of  this  remarkable  object  has 
steadily  increased  and  it  was  strongly 
hoped  that  when  the  comet  had  at- 
tained its  least  distance  from  us  it 
might  become  visible  and  perhaps  even 
conspicuous,  to  the  naked  eye.  This 
now,  however,  seems  very  improbable, 
but  it  will  almost  certainly  become 
bright  enough  to  be  seen  in  a  compara- 
tively small  telescope. 

Since  last  March  the  comet  has 
moved  entirely  across  Aquilla  and  Del- 
phinus,  attaining  by  lulv  1  a  position 
a  little  to  the  west  of  the  borders  of  the 
Great  Square  of  Pegasus,  as  shown  at 
the  point  A  of  Figure  2.  The  observer 
may  find  it  on  this  evening  by  first 
bringing  the  upper  star  C  of  the  pair 
CD  to  the  center  of  his  telescope  ;  the 
comet  will  then  be  exactly  2  minutes 
33  seconds  following  and  22  minutes  22 
seconds  north  of  this  star. 

During  July  the  comet  remains  with- 
in the  Great  Square,  pursuing  the  path 
AB  :  its  distance  from  us  will  diminish 
in  this  interval  from  107,000.000  to  95,- 
000,000  miles,  and  although  by  August 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


4i 


21  the  least  value  of  92,000,000  miles 
will  be  reached,  it  is  during  the  last  few 
days  of  July  and  the  first  days  of  Au- 
gust that  the  comet  will  attain  its  great- 
est brightness.  At  the  present  time  this 
comet  has  a  small,  condensed  head  and 
a  diffuse  tail  which  in  the  largest  tele- 
scopes can  be  traced  to  a  distance  one- 
fifteenth  as  great  as  the  apparent  dia- 
meter of  the  moon. 


Saturn  may  still  be  seen  during  the 
first  days  of  the  month,  since  on  July  1 
it  sets  an  hour  and  a  half  after  sunset. 
This  time  rapidly  decreases,  however, 
and  the  planet  is  soon  lost  in  the  sun's 
rays.  It  passes  to  the  west  of  the  sun 
and  enters  the  morning  sky  on  July  27 


The  Planets  in  July. 

Mercury  enters  the  evening  sky  on 
July  12,  but  will  remain  too  near  the 
sun  to  be  observed  during  the  month. 
It  will  attain  its  greatest  eastern  elon- 
gation on  August  22. 

Venus  sets  1  hour  15  minutes  after 
the  sun  on  July  1  and  may  then  easily 
be  detected  shining  in  the  twilight  glow 
near  the  northwestern  point  of  the  hori- 
zon. In  its  eastward  motion  it  will 
pass  to  the  north  of  Saturn  on  July  4 
at  7  P.  M. ;  the  two  planets  will  then  be 
separated  by  only  about  one  degree, 
and  they  may  both  be  seen  together  in 
the  telescope.  On  Jul}-  6  at  6  P.  M. 
Venus  will  similarly  pass  to  the  east 
of  Neptune.  The  latter  planet  may  per- 
haps be  located  in  the  telescope  at  this 
time,  as  it  will  then  lie  exactly  one  de- 
gree forty  minutes  south  of  Venus.  As 
it  will  be  very  low  in  the  sky,  however, 
it  can  only  be  detected  with  difficulty  at 
this  time.  Throughout  the  month  Ve- 
nus will  move  eastward  and  southward 
through  the  constellation  Cancer  and 
into  Leo,  along  the  path  indicated  in 
Eigure  1.  It  will  pass  the  bright  star 
Regulus  at  A  on  July  26.  The  two  ob- 
jects will  then  form  an  interesting  field 
in  the  telescope. 

Mars  rises  two  hours  before  the  sun 
on  July  1  and  this  time  is  increased  to 
two  and  one-half  hours  by  July  31.  Ju- 
piter is  in  the  same  part  of  the  sky,  but 
nearly  an  hour  farther  west  on  July  i 
and  two  hours  farther  west  on  July  31. 
On  the  former  date  it  rises  two  hours 
and  forty  minutes  earlier  than  the  sun, 
and  on  the  latter  no  less  than  four 
hours  and  thirty  minutes  earlier.  By 
the  end  of  the  month  it  is  thus  high  in 
the  morning  sky.  Both  planets  are  to 
be  looked  for  far  to  the  north  of  the 
east  point  of  the  horizon  in  the  early 
dawn. 


Figure  3. — A  recent  drawing  of  the  planet  Jupiter, 
showing  that  the  outlines  of  the  "Great  Red  Spot," 
which  first  appeared  in  1878,  can  still  be  seen.  Jupi- 
ter, which  for  many  weeks  has  been  lost  in  the  sun's 
rays,  is  now  mounting  high   into  the  morning  sky. 


at  4  P.  M. ;  ten  hours  later  it  passes  the 
planet  Neptune,  but  both  worlds  are 
then  far  too  close  to  the  sun  to  be  ob- 
served. 

Since  passing  the  summer  solstice 
the  sun's  motion  southward  among  the 
stars  is  steadily  continuing,  and  we  see 
the  effects  of  this  in  the  shortening  of 
the  days  with  the  consequent  lengthen- 
ing of  the  nights.  The  change  is,  how- 
ever, as  yet  not  very  strongly  marked, 
the  length  of  the  day  diminishing  from 
15  hours  4  miuntes  to  14  hours  22  min- 
utes during  the  present  month.  It  is 
toward  the  latter  part  of  August  that 
the  acceleration  of  the  nights'  increase 
will  begin  to  become  most  noticeable. 

On  July  3  at  3  P.  M.  our  earth  will 
be  at  its  greatest  distance  from  the  sun  ; 
at  this  time  we  will  be  3,100,000  miles 
farther  away  from  that  body  than  we 
were  during  the  early  days  of  last  Jan- 
uarv. 


The  Lake. 

The   lake  a  burnished  mirror  is 
For  sunrise  glories  bright; 

And  when  that  orb  has  run  its  cour 
Reflects   its   last   good   night. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


42 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


A  Three  Inch  Telescope  for   One 
Dollar. 

BY  F.   H.   VAN   HISE,   SUMMERLAND,    BRITISH 
COLUMBIA,   CANADA. 

At  Dr.  Bigelow's  request  I  describe  a 
telescope  that  I  have  made. 

The  lens  (A)  (see  drawing)  is  one 
that  we  have  had  for  several  years.     It 


THE  ONE  DOLLAR  TELESCOPE. 

cost  fifty  cents  at  a  receiver's  sale.  It 
is  three  inches  in  diameter,  and  has  a 
forty-eight  inch  focus.  The  eyepiece 
(H)  is  a  tripod  microscope  that  cost 
fifty  cents. 

The  main  tube  is  made  of  two  paste- 
board mailing  tubes,  each  two  and 
three-quarters  inches  outside  diameter, 
and  twenty  and  one-half  inches  long 
(one  was  a  little  smaller,  so  I  glued  a 
piece  of  building  paper  over  it  to  make 
it  of  the  same  diameter).  Then  I  glued 
another  piece  of  paper  over  the  two  to 
fasten  them  together.  M  is  a  paste- 
board mailing  can,  three  inches  in  di- 
ameter and  six  and  one-half  inches 
long,  with  a  tin  screw  top  and  tin  bot- 
tom. I  cut  off  the  bottom  and  cut  out 
the  screw  top,  so  as  to  leave  only  a  rim 
(B)  that  Would  hold  the  lens  (A)  in 
place.  The  tube  F  is  one  and  one-half 
inches  in  diameter,  eleven  inches  long, 
and  slides  in  tube  E  for  rapid  focusing. 
The  legs  of  the  tripod  microscope  (eye- 
piece) fit  over  the  tube  F,  and  are  held 


in  place  by  wrapping  them  with  string 
and  gluing  paper  over  the  string. 

The  upper  part  of  H  screws  out  of 
the  tripod  part  for  focusing.  This  I 
use  for  the  fine  adjustment. 

The  tube  E  fits  into  another  tube 
that  fits  into  the  main  tube,  and  the 
latter  fits  into  M.  To  make  these  tight, 
I  glued  paper  around  the  smaller  tubes 
and  then  altogether. 

I  fastened  two  pieces  of  wood  (C) 
one  inch  square  and  fourteen  and  one- 
half  inches  long,  one  on  each  side,  by 
gluing  strips  of  cloth  along  the  edges, 
and  strips  of  tin  one-half  inch  wide, 
tacking  one  end  of  the  tin  to  one  piece, 
passing  it  around  the  tube  and  tacking 
it  to  the  other  piece.  These  are  to 
stiffen  the  tube  and  to  hold  the  pivots 
(D)  which  are  one-half  inch  in  diame- 
ter and  extend  five-eighths.  Before 
fastening  the  pieces  C,  I  found  where 
the  telescope  balanced  and  at  that 
point  I  bored  the  holes  for  D.  Before 
fastening  them  together,  I  blackened 
the  tubes  on  the  inside  with  turpentine 
and  lampblack,  using  an  old  toothbrush 
fastened  to  a  rod.  I  covered  the  out- 
side with  wrapping  paper,  and  painted 
it  with  varnish  and  lampblack.  I  made 
the  tripod  head  of  thin  boards  (see 
photograph).  When  I  wish  to  use  it, 
I  bolt  it  to  a  camera  tripod. 

This  telescope  magnifies  about  forty- 
nine  diameters.  I  can  see  the  four 
brightest  satellites  of  Jupiter  and  the 
rings  of  Saturn  (the  latter  not  very 
plainly).  The  mountains  on  the  moon 
are  well  shown. 

The  lens  is  not  a  chromatic.  It  shows 
prismatic  colors  around  the  object 
(Jupiter  and  Saturn  are  beautiful  in 
colors !)  but  it  is  a  good  deal  better 
than  a  field  glass. 


The  forests  of  Oregon  and  Washing- 
ton invade  an  unoccupied  area  at  a 
rate  between  one  hundred  and  fifty  and 
three  hundred  feet  during  each  gener- 
ation. 


Da-, 


,--|  t'2\  5/8  in. 


. 

1   u 

E         T  9 

A      11 

L.'./  .11). 

?Jaiii  i 

ibe. 

F — m 

111  mi' \,\  ,,i         „     ■!'     ',  n- 

ft 

i 

1 

4 

didihl       -" 

*--              -\li,vAa,\ 

H 

t'(i,!/2inJ-  - 

k 

ip)V2in^    lllin.l 
*--\S  ,l/2in.|---» 

-  -  ■ -J 

<  -  u-  - 

;eii,5I,l/2i 

MISCELLANEOUS 


43 


What  is  the  Greatest  Thing  in  the 
World? 

Mr.  John  A.  Davis  of  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  gives  as  his  answer  to  the 
question,  "The  opportunity  to  learn." 
He  states  that  as  a  matter  of  mere  cu- 


ing a  little  of  the  Japanese  torii  point 
of  view,  though  not  attempting  to  ad- 
here absolutely  to  the  Japanese  style. 


Connecticut   Forbids   Trespassing. 

For  many  years  Connecticut  has 
been  among  those  states  in  the  country 
that  have  not  by  law  attempted  to  pre- 
vent the  unnecessary  waste  of  life  due 
to  trespassing  upon  railway  right  of 
way. 

The  Connecticut  Legislature  has  re- 
cently passed,  however,  and  Governor 
Holcomb  has  just  signed,  a  bill  that 
should  do  much  to  eliminate  the  evil 
in  the  state. 

Over  5,000  persons  in  the  United 
States  are  needlessly  killed  each  year 
while  using  the  railway  right  of  way  as 
a  public  highway.  The  New  Haven 
Road  has  carried  on  an  active  cam- 
paign to  reduce  accidents  of  this  kind 
on  its  property.  It  has  long  been  rec- 
ognized by  experts,  however,  that  no 
material  lessening  of  the  evil  can  be 
obtained  until  stringent  laws  are  pass- 
ed and  strictly  enforced. 

The  act  of  the  Legislature  and  Gov- 
ernor of  Connecticut  is  an  important 
step  forward  in  the  suppression  of  the 
treaspassing  evil  in  Connecticut. 


A   SOMEWHAT  UNIQUE  BOOKPLATE. 

riosity  he  has  asked  many  the  question 
and  no  one  has  given  his  answer.  In- 
deed many  of  those  questioned  seemed 
not  to  have  ever  given  any  thought  to 
the  tremendous  value  of  the  opportun- 
ity to  learn.  He  distinctly  states  that 
he  does  not  consider  learning  itself  the 
greatest  thing  in  the  world  but  rather 
the  opportunity  to  learn  which  every 
one  has. 

Think,  my  friends,  of  that  point  of 
view.  No  matter  what  you  favor — 
love,  science,  religion,  patriotism  ;  no 
matter  what  the  value  of  your  position 
in  life,  it  is  all  based  on  the  opportunity 
to  learn  the  details  and  to  develop  the 
capacity  to  enjoy  it. 

Mr.  Davis  is  so  enthusiastic  from 
this  point  of  view  that  he  has  designed 
a    somewhat  .unique   bookplate,    utiliz- 


Profit  in  Patriotism. 

It  isn't  often  that  the  patriot  has  an 
opportunity  to  serve  his  country  and  at 
the  same  time  be  handsomely  paid.  The 
volunteer's  reward  consists  usually  of 
honor,  glory,  medals  or  monuments. 

The  farmer  who  strains  every  muscle 
to  increase  production  this  year  will 
be  paid  in  full.  He  is  not  asked  to  give 
away  the  surplus  of  his  soil.  He  is  as- 
sured higher  prices  than  he  has  ever 
been  able  to  get  in  times  of  peace. 

He  may  help  to  free  the  world  of  the 
yoke  of  military  despotism  if  he  helps 
to  win  the  war.  He  may  also  free  him- 
self of  a  yoke  of  debt  that  has  weighed 
heavily  upon  him  for  a  decade. — Coun- 
trv  Gentleman. 


The  way  to  health  for  our  artificially 
heated  life  is  not  back  to  the  wild,  but 
back  to  the  sweet  old  ideals  of  home 
and  hospitality  and  unselfishness. — 
Abram  Linwood  Urban  in  "My  Garden 
of  Dreams." 


EDITORIAL 


(Perhaps    Pardonably   Personal.) 


For  Forty  Years  a  Teacher. 

On  June  6th  Dr.  Edward  F.  Bigelow 
went  to  Montville,  Connecticut,  to  cele- 
brate, with  the  Center  School  of  that 
town,  an  interesting-  occasion.     It  has 
been  forty  years  since  he  first  went  to 
Montville    to    teach    school.      At    that 
time   he   was   seventeen   years  of  age, 
and  had  been  called  from  Bacon  Acad- 
emy, Colchester,  to  take  charge  as  prin- 
cipal  of  the   Montville   Center  School, 
although   he  had   completed   only   two 
years    of   his    course    at    the    academy. 
The  situation  at  Montville  was  pecu- 
liar.    The  authorities  of  Bacon  Acade- 
my had  been  requested  to  send  to  the 
Center   School    a    teacher   big   enough 
and  robust  enough  to  protect  the  school 
and    to    prevent    himself    from    being 
forcibly  ejected  by  the  "big"  boys.     In 
those  days  the  pupils  in  many  schools 
considered  it  highly  creditable  to  them- 
selves if  they  threw  the  school-teacher 
out  of  doors.     This  was  usually  done 
on  the  first  day.     Having  tossed  him 
into  the  bushes,  they  told  him  to  head 
homeward,  and  he  usually  obeyed.  The 
request  to  Bacon  Academy  was  for  a 
teacher  who  could  stay  in  the  school- 
room.    It  was  not  necessary  for  him  to 
know  anything  else  than  how  to  stay. 
Staying  qualities  were  more  important 
than  much  learning.     As  Dr.  Bigelow 
was  about  six  feet  tall,  weighed  nearlv 
two  hundred  pounds,  and  had  come  out 
of    the    wild    wood^    as    a    hunter    and 
trapper,  where  he  had  been  trained  by 
a  prize  fighter,  it  was  thought  that  he 
might  fill  the  bill,  because  "Bill,"  the 
famous   hunter  and   prize   fighter,   had 
drilled  him  and  taught  him  certain  val- 
uable movements  that  might  astonish 
those    "big"    boys.      The    new    teacher 
stayed  in  that  schoolroom.     He  did  the 
teaching.     He  was  not  taught  by  being 
thrown  out  of  the  window.     If  any  one 
took  his  departure  by  means  of  the  win- 
dow, it  was  not  the  new  teacher.     Sev- 
eral of  the  pupils  were  older  than   he 


but  he  stayed  with  them.  And,  after 
an  interval,  they  stayed  with  him.  Re- 
cently he  told  the  story  of  his  prelimi- 
nary training,  and  of  some  assistance 
that  he  had  rendered  to  a  woman  who 
had  been  to  Norwich  to  buy  a  sewing 
machine.  The  story,  entitled  "Prize 
Fighting  and  Sewing  Machines,"  was 
published  in  "The  Sewing  Machine 
Times,"  New  York  City.  Copies  of 
the  article  were  circulated  in  the  Mont- 
ville school  together  with  a  recent  es- 
say from  "The  Christian  Endeavor 
World"  by  a  naturalist  friend  of  Chat- 
tanooga, Tennessee.  These  two  articles 
resulted  in  an  invitation  for  the  former 
teacher  to  visit  the  school  after  forty 
years  and  give  his  former  pupils  an  op- 
portunity to  do  what  at  that  time  they 
were  compelled  to  leave  undone- 
throw  him  out  of  the  schoolhouse.  The 
naturalist  jocosely  said  that  it  might 
be  a  dark  and  deep-laid  plot  but  he  is 
still  six  feet  high,  he  still  weighs  an 
eighth  of  a  ton,  so  he  went. 

The  present  Superintendent  of 
Schools  suggested  that  the  old  teacher 
deliver  a  lecture,  the  proceeds  to  be  de- 
voted to  the  taking  of  the  senior  class 
of  to, 1 7  to  the  capital  at  Hartford.  The 
exercises  included  a  roll  call  with  re- 
sponses, a  history  of  the  school,  kind 
and  regretful  words  for  the  pupils  that 
have  died,  and  a  general  rally  of  the 
old-time  boys  and  girls,  every  one  of 
whom  is  considerably  more  than  a  half 
century  old*  although  that  is  never 
mentioned.  There  were  also  addresses 
to  the  present  pupils  and  exercises  by 
them. 

Among  the  pupils  of  the  reunion 
were  some  of  the  most  prominent  men 
and  women  of  Montville  and  of  vari'  us 
other  places,  including  a  present  Rep- 
resentative of  the  Legislature,  a  Judge 
of  Probate  and  so  on.  The  oldest  puoil 
of  the  school,  now  nearly  fifty-nine 
vears  of  age,  presided.  Though  he 
holds  a  prominent  position  in  a  large 


EDITORIAL 


45 


manufacturing-  establishment,  Dr.  Big- 
elow  called  him  his  senior  pupil  and  in- 
sisted that  he  come  to  the  front  of  the 
teacher's  desk,  put  his  hoels  together, 
turn  his  toes  out  at  an  angle  of  forty- 
five  degrees,  make  a  bow  and  recite  a 
little  ditty,  "Popping  Corn,"  as  he  re- 
cited it  forty  years  ago. 

The  lecture  by  Dr  Bigelow  was 
given  in  the  chapel  and  then  there  was 
an  adjournment  to  the  schoolhouse 
near-by  for  the  roll  call.  Dr.  Bigelow 
went  into  the  schoolhouse  and  wonder- 
ed why  his  pupils  delayed  their  coming. 
After  a  somewhat  impatient  wait  of  a 
few  minutes  he  went  out  to  find  these 
prominent  men  and  women  on  the  play- 
ground and  to  be  rather  indignantly 
informed  that  they  were  not  in  the  hab- 
it of  coming  in  after  recess — only  forty 
years  this  time — until  he  rang  the 
school  bell.  Recess  immediately  closed. 

At  the  close  of  his  principalship  of 
this  school  forty  years  ago  Dr.  Bigelow 
returned  to  Bacon  Academy,  but  off 
and  on,  with  intercalated  preparatory, 
college  and  general  biological  labora- 
tory work,  he  has  always  been  a  school 
teacher.  At  present  he  is  a  member  of 
the  faculty  of  the  Wabanaki  School  at 
Greenwich.  Although  he  has  for  the 
last  thirty-two  years  been  printer,  pub- 
lisher and  editor,  he  has  never  lost  his 
interest  in  the  schools  nor  in  school 
work.  During  the  greater  part  of  that 
third  of  a  century  he  has  visited  schools 
at  least  once  every  week,  and  has  been 
associated  with  many  private  institu- 
tions. He  was  a  visitor  at  The  Castle, 
Tarrytown-on-Hudson,  New  York, 
every  Friday  and  Saturday  for  ten 
years,  and  in  addition  to  this  work, 
which  he  considers  delightful,  he  is  the 
Editor-in-Chief  of  this  magazine,  the 
official  organ  of  The  Agassiz  Associa- 
tion of  which  he  is  President,  and 
which  is  the  exponent  of  Louis  Agassiz 
and  his  teaching.  He  admires  Louis 
Agassiz  and  takes  pleasure  in  continu- 
ing Agassiz's  work,  not  only  on  ac- 
count of  his  admiration  for  Agassiz  as 
a  scientist,  but  chiefly  because  of  that 
famous  man's  missionary  spirit  as  a 
teacher.  Dr.  Bigelow's  favorite  expres- 
sion is,  "I  have  always  been  an  editor 
with  a  school-teaching  attachment,"  so 
strong  an  attachment  that  he  is  con- 
stantly in  those  schools  in  which  he 
has  been  engaged  as  a  teacher,  in  uni- 


versities, colleges,  teachers'  institutes, 
where  he  has  been  an  instructor  of 
teachers.  In  all  the  world  there  is  no 
grander  calling  than  that  of  a  teacher. 
Upon  that  profession  depends  the  mold- 
ing of  every  human  mind.  The  editor 
may  help  to  mold  public  opinion,  but 
his  work  can  never  equal  that  of  a 
teacher.  The  teacher  takes  the  mind 
before  it  has  become  case-hardened  and 
he  can,  at  least  to  a  certain  extent,  do 
what  he  pleases  with  it. 


One  of  the  Boy  Scouts'  Great  Needs. 

"The  Boy  Scouts  of  America,"  in 
theory  and  practice,  is  the  best  organ- 
ization that  was  ever  established  for 
boys.  The  Scout  movement  has  done 
more  to  develop  true  manliness  in  boys 
than  any  other  organization  has  ever 
done.  It  takes  into  consideration  the 
development  of  the  physique,  kindness 
for  others,  regard  for  religion,  love  of 
education,  and  arouses  a  commendable 
spirit  of  protection  and  patriotism. 

Within  the  last  few  months  increased 
efforts  have  been  made  to  develop  the 
ability  to  see  and  to  draw  correct  con- 
clusions from  what  is  seen  in  the  world. 
Last  June,  Edward  F.  Bigelow  was 
elected  Scout  Naturalist,  and  since  then 
he  has  been  in  correspondence  with  a 
large  number  of  boys  and  has  conduct- 
ed a  department,  "On  Nature's  Trail," 
in  "Boy's  Life"  This  work  was  under- 
taken for  a  nominal  sum  that  just  about 
covers  the  cost  of  correspondence.  Fur- 
ther development  of  this  feature  of 
"Boys'  Life"  is  needed.  To  that  end 
an  appeal  is  made  for  contributions,  all 
of  which  will  be  turned  over  to  the  Boy 
Scouts  of  America  at  their  New  York 
office,  or  may  be  mailed  directly  here. 
The  Boy  Scout  movement  has  brought 
many  of  its  features  to  a  high  degree  of 
perfection,  but  we  believe  that  the  abil- 
ity to  see  and  to  study  the  world  of 
nature  needs  assistance  in  its  develop- 
ment. Further  particulars  will  be  giv- 
en to  any  one  who  will  inquire. 


Your  lively  and  most  instructive 
magazine  always  gives  me  much  plea- 
sure and  I  always  find  something  of 
real  interest  in  it.— Professor  Wesley 
R.  Coe,  Zoological  Department,  Yale 
University,   New   Haven,   Connecticut. 


*tt 


WRITE 
WHKT  YOU  HftVE- 

SEEN 


THEFUNOF  , 

(SEEINQTHIHGS, 

FOR  YOUNG  FOLKS   1 

V  edited  a  r  I 

,  Edward  RBiqelow  . 


W/HPkT  YOU  WPkNT 
TO  KNOW. 


^Sount 


icn ,   Conn. 


Black  and  White  Studying  Black  and 
White. 

We  are  indebted  to  "American  Pho- 


will  see  themselves  mirrored   in  these 
magnificent  studies. 

The  photograph  was  taken  by  Mrs. 


W.  Durrant,  who  is  not  only  a  skilled 
tography"  for  the  accompanying  illus-  photographer  but  seems  to  possess  un- 
tration  of  a  marvelously  good  study  of      limited  patience  with  cats  and  a  kindly 


THE   SHARPER  YOU   SEE  THINGS  THE  MORE  FUN   THERE  IS. 


cats.     The  photographer  is  to  be  con-  regard  for  them.     Only  a  perfect  sym- 

gratulated  upon  securing  such  natural  pathizer  with  the  cat  nature  could  have 

and   expressive   poses   in   her   subjects,  obtained  such  results. 

The   attitude   is      perfectly      unnatural  

from  the  cat's  point  of  view,  but   it  is              Everywhere  is  beauty  spread, 
ideally  humanized.     The  expression  of            *£  ""maS*?8  ^  ^J1*™    hd: 
the    cats'    faces    will    bear    careful    ex-             To^ddT^ite  Intrinsic ^orth. 
animation,   and   many  checker   players  Emma    Peirce. 


THE  FUN  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


47 


Blue  Jay  and  Luna  Moth. 

BY    BESSIE    I..    PUTNAM,    CONNEAUT    LAKE, 
PENNSYLVANIA. 

The  article  on  "Frail  Wanderers  of  the 
Night"  in  the  June  number  of  The 
Guide  to  Nature  has  an  added  interest 
to  the  writer  because  of  a  near  tragedy 
recently  witnessed. 

A  member  of  the  family  standing  at 
the  window  was  surprised  by  seeing  a 
blue  jay  dash  suddenly  against  the  sill 
and  as  suddenly  retreat  to  a  near-by 
apple  tree.  Almost  instantly  its  mate 
repeated  the  performance  and  was  driv- 
en back  in  the  same  way.  Then  the 
source  of  the  attraction  was  discover- 
ed— a  Luna  moth  clinging  to  the  win- 
dow ledge. 

The  girl  went  out  to  rescue  the  moth, 
but  before  she  could  reach  it  one  or 
two  other  attempts  had  been  made  by 
the  birds,  which  were  thwarted  by 
others  in  the  room.  After  the  Luna 
had  been  removed  to  a  safe  place,  the 
jays  made  other  dashes  to  the  window 
and  then  retired  to  express  their  dis- 
approval in  the  loud  tones  peculiar  to 
their  race.  It  is  evident  that  this  beau- 
tiful moth  has  its  perils,  increased 
when  it  alights  on  a  white  surface  in- 
stead of  upon  the  green  foliage  among 
which  its  green  plumage  is  less  con- 
spicuous. 


of  to-day  is  not  preparing  more  natur- 
alists in  this  natural  way!  The  farm 
child  of  this  age  sems  to  us  to  be  al- 
ways facing  the  road  made  smooth  for 
the  whirring  wheels  of  'the  Ford,'  and 
has  turned  his  back  to  the  woods  and 
fields,  but  maybe  this  is  undue  pessi- 
mism." 


Expansive    Power  of   Tree    Growth. 

BY    H-    E.    ZIMMERMAN,    MT.    MORRIS,    ILL. 

Accurate  experiments  have  been 
made  by  scientific  investigators  to  show 
the  remarkable  power  of  growing 
plants.     It  has  been   found  that  corn- 


Child  Life  on  the  Farm  at  the  Present 
Time. 

Is  child  life  on  the  farm  at  present 
different  from  that  life  in  the  past? 
Yes,  it  is.  It  is  vastly  different  from 
what  it  was  fifty  years  ago ;  but  wait  a 
minute.  Is  child  life  on  the  farm  less 
valuable  in  the  training  for  a  future 
enjoyment  of  nature?  An  interesting 
editorial  in  the  "Nature-Study  Re- 
view," congratulating  John  Burroughs 
on  his  eightieth  birthday,  raises  an  in- 
teresting question.  Let  us  think  about 
the  following  from  that  editorial : 

"His  child  life  on  the  farm  gave  Mr. 
Burroughs  his  background  as  a  natur- 
alist ;  he  writes  'When  I  began  in  my 
twenty-fifth  or  twenty-sixth  year,  to 
write  about  birds,  I  found  that  I  had 
only  to  unpack  the  memories  of  the 
farm  boy  within  me  to  get  at  the  main 
things  about  the  common  ones.  I  had 
unconsciously  absorbed  the  knowledge 
that  gave  the  life  and  warmth  to  my 

■*-\  ""i  n^  n  \  \  I    m  n  +■     *i     «~\  if  ir    f  n  i  f     4-  Vi  ^     for*  r-*T     li  /~\  »-vi  £± 


r^H 


«?v 


A*  (  v 


A   TREE   SPLITS   A   ROCK. 

paratively  delicate  plants  have,  in  their 
growth,  lifted  weights  totaling  hun- 
dreds of  pounds.  Some  years  ago  a 
picture  was  published  in  Strand  maga- 
zine, showing  how  a  plant  had  pushed 
itself  up  through  a  hard  pavement,  con- 
structed of  asphalt,  gravel,  etc.  The 
growing  power  of  a  tree,  especially  af- 
ter it  has  ^attained  considerable  size, 
is  correspondingly  greater.  A  good 
illustration  of  this  is  shown  in  the  pic- 
ture accompanying  this  article. 

Contrary  to  what  many  people  think 
most  rocks  have  seems  or  cracks  of 
varying  definiteness,  or  they  eventually 
develope  them  through  the  action  of 
rain,  frost,  and  sunshine.  Into  these 
cracks,  however  minute,  the  rootlets 
of  small  plants  penetrate,  carrying  with 
them  a  little  humus,  to  decay  and  to  be 
followed  bv  other  roots.     Moisture  fol- 


/Mire 


ii  r  Vi  i  /-»  ri     t 


r.'in'/.iL' 


inn    /-»f»-i  r*  L-e     -\tt 


,11 


48 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


rock-particles,  when  larger  roots  find 
their  way  in,  carrying  more  dirt.  The 
crack  widening  and  deepening  through 
the  course  of  many  years,  becomes  fill- 
ed with  drifting  dirt,  when,  perhaps  a 
seed  of  some  tree  blows  into  it,  and 
then  the  real  process  of  rock-splitting 
begins  on  a  larger  and  more  rapid  scale. 
If  the  rock  has  a  well  developed  seam 
the  expansive  force  of  the  roots  of  a 
tree  is  likely  to  split  it  entirely  asun- 
der. This  is  proved  in  the  case  of  the 
rock  shown  in  the  illustration. 

As  the  rock  breaks  and  chips  and 
disintegrates,  it  contributes  to  the  vigor 
of  the  plant,  since  rock  particles  con- 
tain the  elements  of  plant  food. 


The  Butterfly  and  the  Flower. 

BY    ADDA    BAUMAN,    PITTSBURGH,    PENNSYLVANIA. 

With  widespread  wings 

She  gayly  fluttered  by; 

And  I  just  bowed,  with  a  smile; 

For  she  was  only  a  butterfly, 

And   I  the  flower  that  beguiles. 

Perhaps  she'll  come  back 

This  way  some  day, 

And  I'll  bid  her  "bide  a  wee." 

i  '11  give  her  a  treat 

Of  nectar  sweet 

That's  stored  in  the  heart  of  me. 

She  is  a  coquette,  that  I  know, 
Just  takes  a  sip  and  away  she  goes 
To  seek  the  heart  of  another  flower. 
Resting  but  a  moment  on  leafy  bower. 
She  is  a  beauty,  rare  and  most  gay, 
And  that  is  just  a  butterfly's  way. 


Curious  Stone  and  Tree. 

Mr.  Leo  E.  Mingus  of  Battle  Creek, 

Michigan,   is   an   expert   photographer. 

In  his  perambulations  with  the  camera, 

he  always  looks  not  only  for  the  ordi- 


TWO  OAKS  GROWN  TOGETHER. 

nary,   beautiful    things    of   nature,    but 
for  the  things  that  are  special. 

He  contributes  to  this  number  a  pho- 
tograph of  a  rock  that  he  says  looks  to 
him  like  nature's  attempt  to  be  patri- 
otic, as  she  has  there  sculptured  Uncle 
Sam's  eagle  in  stone.  He  also  sends  a 
photograph  of  an  oak  tree,  remarkable 
on  account  of  the  curious  grafting  of 
nature  with  some  aid  from  man.  The 
larger  tree  is  about  two  feet  in  diam- 
eter ;  the  smaller,  one  foot  and  a 
half.  It  is  generally  believed  locally 
that  the  Indians  grafted  these  trees  to- 
gether, and  hence  the  combination  is 
known  as  "the  old  Indian  landmark." 
Who  can  offer  a  more  plausible  expla- 
nation? 


AN    EAGLE    IN    STONE. 


The   First   Dandelion. 

BY     CHARLES      NEVERS      HOLMES,     NEWTON,     MASS. 

When  'mid  reviving  field  and  fell 

Spring's  cheerful  presence  comes  to  stay,. 

Ere  o'er  reverdured  hill  and  dell 
Awakes  the  flowerage  of  May, 

Upon  the  lawn's  fresh  growth  of  green, 
'Neath  April's  fickle  shade  and  light, 

A  dandelion  blooms  unseen 

Like    saffron    flame    in    sunshine    bright. 


THE  FUN  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


49 


Animals  with  Extra  Tails. 

The  accompanying  illustration  of  a 
double-tailed  earth-worm  was  sent  to 
us  by  Mr.  H.  E.  Zimmerman,  Mount 
Morris,  Illinois.  The  picture  was  for- 
warded to  Professor  T.  H.  Morgan,  of 
the  Department  of  Zoology  of  Colum- 
bia University,  New  York.  He  replies 
as  follows  : 

"Worms  like  the  one  in  the  picture 


This  photograph  was  sent  to  Profes- 
sor E.  A.  Andrews.  He  states  as  fol- 
lows : 

The  double  earthworm  figured  is  a 
most  interesting  case  and  unusual  in 
that  it  is  divided  so  far  forward  toward 
the  head,  while  all  other  double-tailed 
worms  known  to  me  have  the  division 
near  to  the  hind  end  and' far  from  the 
head  end.     Of  the  two  tail  ends  shown. 


HAVE  YOU  EVER  SEEN   AN  EARTHWORM   LIKE   THIS? 


which  you  sent  me  are  occasionally 
found  and  have  been  recorded  from 
time  to  time.  They  are  due  in  practi- 
cally all  cases  to  an  injury  to  the  worm. 
In  some  instances,  the  two  new  tails 
have  grown  out  from  the  broken  end 
of  the  worm.  In  other  cases,  the  in- 
jury on  one  side,  involving  the  nervous 
system,  gives  rise  to  a  new  tail ;  or,  to 
be  more  accurate,  continuation  of  the 
body  on  one  side.  Professor  E.  A.  An- 
drews has  described  a  number  of  worms 
of  this  kind  that  he  has  obtained. 

"I  think  no  one  has  yet  been  able  to 
produce  these  double-tailed  worms  by 
artificially  injuring  the  side,  yet  the 
same  thing  has  been  done  in  salaman- 
ders, where  double  limbs  have  been 
produced  by  making  wounds  of  certain 
kinds  on  the  stump  of  the  old  limb. 
Double-tailed  lizards  are  well  known 
and  they,  too,  arise  through  injury  to 
the  old  'tail." 


one  is  evidently  much  smaller  than  the 
other  and  this  is  in  harmony  with  the 
findings  in  most  all  such  cases  of  dou- 
ble tail,  so  that  the  assumption  that 
one  tail  part  arose  as  a  sort  of  side  bud 
from  the  main  trunk  is  a  natural  one. 
It  is  unfortunate  that  a  sharper  photo- 
graph was  not  obtained  and  that  a  com- 
plete account  of  the  anatomy  is  not 
available,  as  from  it  one  might  hope 
for  more  basis  for  inference  as  to  how 
the  monstrosity  came  about. 

"The  great  interest  that  attaches  to 
all  such  cases  of  double  ends,  whether 
of  worms  of  of  double-headed  calves, 
snakes,  turtles  and  the  like,  seems  to  be 
in  the  hope  they  hold  forth  that  from 
complete  knowledge  of  the  'mistake,' 
or  abnormal,  we  may  get  a  clearer  view 
of  the  causes  of  the  average  or  normal. 

"When  some  one  shall  discover  a 
method  of  inducing  such  double  ends 
in  earthworms,  we  may  the  better  un- 


5° 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


derstand  why  such  cases  are  so  rare— 
a  mere  score  on  record  amongst  very 
many  thousand  normal  worms  that 
have  been  studied — and  gain  some  ink- 
ling of  the  reasons  why  the  normal  ani- 
animal  is  expressly  one  rather  than  more 
or  less,  two  or  more." 


One  Hundred  Thousand  Tramps. 

BY  ROBERT  S.  WALKER,  CHATTANOOGA, 
TENN.,  IN  CHRISTIAN  ENDEAVOR  WORLD, 
BOSTON. 

What  do  you  do  when  you  quit  your 
work  for  the  day?     Do  you  go  home 


ravines,  and  over  the  mountain-tops. 
It  reads  like  a  romance.  It  takes  deter- 
mination and  muscle  to  do  it.  Dr.  Bige- 
low  possesses  both.  You  say  that  if 
you  were  really  young  again  you  would 
not  mind  it?  Dr.  Bigelow  had  a  fifty- 
seventh  birthday  a  short  time  ago.  He 
is  in  his  prime,  and  naturally  expects 
these  walks  to  keep  him  young.  This 
is  why  his  lectures,  his  writings  on  na- 
ture, etc.,  are  so  refreshing,  like  the 
fragrance  from  the  cut  flowers. 

Dr.   Bigelow's  advice  to  young  and 
old  alike  is  to  "hit  the  woodland  trail" 


Cut  by  courtesy  of  "The  Christian   Endeavor  World." 

EDWARD  F.   BIGELOW  ON  A  TR1AMP  WITH  NATURALIST   ROBERT   S.  WALKER  OF  CHATTA- 
NOOGA, TENNESSEE. 


and  go  to  bed,  or  do  you  go  out  in  the 
great  outdoors  and  see  what  nature  has 
locked  up  in  the  secret  chest?  Here's 
one  man  who  never  misses  the  oppor- 
tunity to  go  on  tramps  after  his  day's 
work  is  over,  or  the  tramp  may  be  for 
a  full  day  if  he  has  a  day  to  devote  to 
walking. 

Dr.  Edward  F.  Bigelow  has  taken  an- 
nually on  an  average  more  than  4,500 
boys  and  girls  on  natural-history  ex- 
cursions, through  fields,  through 
marshes,  through  woodlands,  through 


if  you  would  be  strong  mentally,  mor- 
ally, and  physically. 


At  Scarborough,  in  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land, the  sea  is  rapidly  cutting  back  in- 
to the  land  ;  with  the  result  that  there 
has  just  been  laid  bare  there  what 
seems  to  be  the  stock  in  trade  of  a 
prehistoric  dealer  in  bronze  weapons, 
of  date  about  1000  B.  C.  Twenty  ob- 
jects have  turned  up,  some  fresh  from 
the  casting  and  unpolished ;  others 
finished  and  ready  for  the  market. 


THE  FUX  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


51 


Black  Eggs. 

BY    RICHARD  DOERIXC,    BROOKLYN,    NEW 
YORK. 

At  home  we  were  all  lovers  and  stu- 
dents of  nature.  Besides  a  hortus  sic- 
cus, we  had  diverse  scientific  collections. 
and  amongst  these  a  collection  of  the 
hirds'  eggs  in  our  region.  Distinct 
from  the  latter  we  also  had  a  special 
collection  of  the  eggs  of  chickens, 
pigeons  and  other  domesticated  birds. 
There  were,  for  instance,  hens'  eggs  of 
all  sizes,  some  as  small  as  a  dove's  egg, 
others  as  large  as  a  goose  egg.  The 
colorations  too  were  manifold.  All 
tints,  from  snowy  white  to  almost  or- 
ange, were  represented. 

One  day  a  boy  brought  us  a  package 
containing  hen's  eggs  that  were  black. 
His  parents  had  fed  their  chickens  with 
the  acorns  of  the  red  oak,  and  these 
had  been  the  cause  of  the  unusual  col- 
oration. The  tannin  contained  in  the 
acorns  had  entered  into  chemical  com- 
bination with  the  lime  of  the  eggshells 
which  contained  enough  iron  to  form 
a  laver  of  ink. 


also    valuable — the    certainty    that    the 
new  variety  does  not  occur  in  each  re- 


gion. 


Here  is  a  chance  for  every  observer, 
no  matter  how  inexperienced,  to  do  his 
bit  toward  the  progress  of  science.  In- 
formation should  be  sent  to  Professor 
George  H.  Shull.  60  Jefferson  Road, 
Princeton,  New  Jersey. 


Pitcher-leaved  Ash. 

Professor  Shull,  well-known  for  his 
work  at  the  Long  Island  Station  for 
Experimental  Evolution,  asks  for  in- 
formation concerning  the  "pitcher- 
leaved  ash." 

It  appears  that  certain  ash  trees — the 
discovery  is  Professor  Shull's  own — 
have  one  or  more  leaflets  nearlv  everv 
leaf  of  which  is  a  peculiar  pitcher 
shape.  This  is  especially  true  of  the 
terminal  leaflets,  and  is  most  readilv 
observed  in  the  young  tree.  When  this 
variety  was  first  reported  in  1905.  it 
seemed  probable  that  the  single  grove 
at  Cold  Spring  Harbor  is  unique — the 
starting  place,  it  appeared,  of  a  new 
kind  of  tree.  Within  the  year,  how- 
ever, two  new  localities  have  turned 
up  in  western  Pennsylvania ;  and  it 
becomes  highly  probable  that  there  are 
others  in  the  country. 

Professor  Shull  asks,  therefore,  that 
naturalists  and  observers  shall,  during 
the  coming  spring  and  summer,  watch 
for  these  pitcher  ashes  and  report  to 
him  any  findings.  He  desires  in  partic- 
ular to  know  the  extent  of  area  cover- 
ed by  the  observation,  and  the  number 
of  normal  trees  seen  as  well  as  pitcher- 
leaved  trees.     Negative  information  is 


Potato  Inclusions. 

New  York   City. 

To  the  Editor : 

I   was  interested   in   the  article  that 
tells  of  a  "beechnut"  that  was  found  in 
a  potato.     A  similar  event  occurred  in 
some  of  our  potatoes  last  winter,  only 
the  objects  found  were  "chufas,"  a  sort 
of  sweet  grassnut.     I   rather  question 
the   statement  that  the  objects  in  the 
potatoes  were  beechnuts  and  hazelnuts, 
but  I   can  understand  how  a  growing 
chufa  could  penetrate  the  growing  tu- 
ber.      The     potatoes     were     probably 
planted  in  a  field  formerly  given  over 
to  chufas.     I   can   see   no  reason  why 
the   growing  potato   should    enclose 
beechnut  or  a  hazelnut  any  more  read- 
ily than  it  would  grow  around  a  peb- 
ble   or    other    inert    substance    in    the 
earth.     I  do  not  remember  that  I  ever 
heard  of  a  pebble  in  a  potato  no  mat- 
ter how  stony  the  ground  in  which  it 
was  grown.    A  series  of  experiments  to 
throw   light   on   this   matter  would   be 
interesting.      I    am   inclined   to  believe 
the   potato  will   not   enclose   any   such 
substance,  but  if  potatoes  and   chufas 
be  grown  in  the  same  box  I  should  not 
be  at  all  astonished  if  many  of  the  po- 
tatoes might  be  penetrated. 
Yours  very  truly, 

Clement   B.   Davis. 


Beech  Nut  Included  in  Potato. 

Detroit,   Mich. 
To  the  Editor : 

I  have  noted  the  remarks  of  Mr.  C. 
B.  Davis  in  regard  to  potato  inclusions 
and  his  doubts  as  to  their  being  beech 
nuts  or  hazel  nuts.  I  wish  to  assure 
you  and  Mr.  Davis  that  these  articles 
were  certainly  found  in  the  potatoes! 
Most  of  these  nuts  were  eaten  when 
taken  from  the  potatoes  and  I  imagine 
no  one  could  mistake  the  flavor  of  a 
nut  or  confuse  it  with  that  of  a  "chufa" 
tuber.     If  you  will  closely  observe  the 


52 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


illustration    in    the    April    number    of 
The  Guide  to  Nature,  you  cannot  mis- 
take the  nut  at  the  left  for  anything  but 
a  beech  nut,  at  least  no  one  who  is  famil- 
iar with  the  nut  in  question,  would  do  so. 
The  inclusion  at  the  right  is  not  a  nut, 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  a  chufa 
(Cyperus   esculenta)    stolon   and    tuber. 
There  is  nothing  unusual  in  a  growing 
point  penetrating  some  other  and  ob- 
structing vegetation  ;  in  this  instance, 
the  axis  of  growth  may  have  differed 
from  that  of  the  potato  so  radically  that 
it  early  became  separated  from  the  pa- 
rent plant  by  the  breaking  of  the  stolon, 
thus    giving    the    potato    a    chance    to 
grow  around  it  and  to  completely  im- 
bed it.     I  wish  to  emphasize  the  fact 
that  beech  and  hazel  nuts  were  potato 
inclusions.     How  they  got  there,  I  do 
not  know.     T  offered  the  only  explana- 
tion that  occurred  to  me  or  that  seemed 
feasible. 

Yours  very  truly, 
Oeiver  Atkins  Farwell. 


Foreign  Substances  in  Potatoes. 

Bayshore,  Long  Island,  New  York. 
To  the  Editor : 

I  was  much  interested  in  the  article 
in  The  Guide  to  Nature  for  April 
about  nuts  in  potatoes,  because  I  have 
found  several  and  to-day  while  peeling 
potatoes  found  another  though  much 
smaller  one  than  those  previously 
found. 

From  the  article  I  judged  you  had 
seen  only  the  photograph,  so  I  am 
sending  the  one  found  to-day  and  an- 
other which  has  become  dry  and  the 
surrounding  potato  very  hard.  I  notice 
that  the  potato  has  turned  pink  in  the 
other  half  of  the  cavity  formed  by  the 
nut. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Mrs.    Frank   Watts. 


Comparison  between  the  British  and 
French  troops  fighting  side  by  side 
make  it  aDpear  that  the  pound  of  meat 
in  the  daily  allowance  of  the  former  is 
too  large  for  the  highest  efficiency,  and 
that  the  much  smaller  ration  of  the 
French  and  Italians  is  really  better  for 
fighting  men.  Our  own  army  receives 
one  and  a  quarter  pounds  of  meat  per 
day,  while  many  civilians,  who  need  a 
great  deal  less,  get  even  more. 


An  Editorial  Inspires  a  Song. 

I  have  received  from  our  young 
friend  and  talented  Member  of  The 
Agassiz  Association,  Winifred  Sack- 
ville  Stoner,  Jr.,  the  following  song. 

In  sending  this  she  writes  as  follows  : 
"I  wrote  this  little  song  after  reading 
one  of  your  articles  on  "Beauty."  Er- 
go the  song  is  yours  and  I  shall  be  glad 
to  contribute  it  to  The  Guide  to  Na- 
ture. The  air  to  which  it  can  be  sung 
is  that  of  Mother  Stoner  Lullaby." 

Beauty   in    You   and   in    Me. 

Beauty,  my  kiddies,   belongs  all  to  you 
It  is  around  you  in  all  that  we  view. 
Throw    out    your    love    rays    and    use    your 

good  eyes 
See  it  each  moment  in   some  glad   surprise. 

All  things  are  beautiful  each  in  its  place 
Even  in  crawling  things  we  find  a  trace. 
In   frogs   and   lizards,   toads,   snakes   and   in 

worms 
Yes,   even   in    smallest   of   wiggling   strange 

germs. 

Beauty    is    fitness    so    scientists    say, 
And  if  we're  useful  to  some  one  each  day 
We'll  gather  rays  of  this  treasure  on  earth 
To   add   to   our   storehouse   of   wisdom   and 
mirth. 

Beauty  of   stars   shining  up  in   the   sky. 
Beauty  of  meteors  swift  flying  by. 
Beauty  of  song  birds  by  day  and  by  night, 
Beauty  of  Lady  Moon's  soft  mellow  light. 

Beauty  of  mountain  and  beauty  of  lea, 
Beauty  of  rainbow  and  beauty  of  sea, 
Beauty  of  flower  and   beauty  of  tree 
All   is   reflected   in   YOU  and   in   ME. 


To   the  West  Wind. 

Oh   Western   wind,   what   a   different   world, 
Since   you   have   come   to   stay! 

A    deluge   of   sunshine    instead   of   rain, 
When   you   chase   the   clouds   away. 

You  lead  merry  measures  in  tree-tops  tall, 
You  billow  the  grass  and  grain; 

You  blow  firmly  smooth  the  roadways  all, 
After  the  spell  o'  rain. 

You   rumple   our   clothes   and   roughen    our 
hair, 
And  bring  a  warm  glow  to  the  cheek, 
You  may  take  all  the  liberties  you  will, 
When    you    haven't    been    round    for    a 
week. 

Oli  West  Wind,  stay  with  us  all  the  year, 
Spring,      Summer,      and      Winter      and 
Fall- 
Yet  no,   you  could  not  so  welcome  be, 
Did  we  not  have  a  taste  of  all. 

— Emma    Peirce. 


THE  FUN  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


53 


The  Beautiful  Oleander  of  Texas. 

Mr.  Frank  C.  Patten,  Librarian  of 
the  Rosenberg  Library  of  Galveston, 
Texas,  in  an  interesting  personal  let- 
ter calls  attention  to  the  magnificent 
bloom  of  the  oleander.  At  his  sugges- 
tion we  have  obtained  from  Poole 
Brothers  of  Chicago  an  interesting 
photograph  of  this  beautiful  plant  in 
full  bloom.  A  naturalist  friend,  Miss 
Meta  Hillje  of  Alvin,  Texas,  writes: 

"The  oleander  is  a  free  blooming 
evergreen  shrub  of  easy  culture,  often 
grown  as  a  pot  plant  in  the  north  but 


The  Lambs  and  the  Tent. 

BY    J.    A.     KEARFUL,    ADA,     MONTANA. 

The  Guide  to  Nature  is  admirable. 
It  is  the  best  publication  that  I  know 
for  getting  one's  nose  off  the  ground 
and  for  making  one  observant  and 
alert. 

For  instance :  a  few  years  ago  we 
took  a  half  dozen  motherless  lambs 
from  a  sheep  ranch  and  raised  them  by 
hand.  They  never  saw  an  old  sheep. 
At  night  they  were  bedded  down  on 
an  ash  pile  at  the  back  door.  They 
grew  wonderfully.     Now,  take  notice. 


ij  ,. ;  i ».  nJ.Jimtft.  b  ;*Sci 


THK  OLEANDER  IN  MAGNIFICENT  BLOOM. 


hardy  in  the  south,  where  it  is  a  splen- 
did subject  for  tall  hedges,  masses  or 
single  specimens.  In  the  latter  form  it 
often  reaches  the  size  of  a  small  tree. 

"Although  native  of  southern  Europe 
and  the  Orient,  it  grows  to  perfection 
in  Galveston,  Texas,  and  during  the 
month  of  May  when  they  are  in  full 
bloom  the  'Oleander  City'  is  beautiful 
beyond  description." 


"Nature,"  in  urging  upon  the  British 
public  greater  attention  to  the  economic 
aspects  of  bird  life,  remarks  that  as  a 
result  of  the  labors  of  our  Department 
of  Agriculture  there  is  in  this  respect 
"a  higher  standard  in  the  United  States 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world." 


In  August  of  that  year,  I  had  some 
visiting  friends  from  the  East.  To  en- 
large the  houseroom  I  set  up  a  tent 
some  hundred  yards  from  the  kitchen 
door.  That  night  those  lambs  aban- 
doned their  comfortable  bed  aground, 
settled  down  about  the  tent,  and  there 
stayed  at  night  as  long  as  the  tent 
remained.  Was  that  bred  into  them 
from  the  time  of  Abraham  ?  Can  you 
explain  it? 


Much  important  work  is  now  being 
done  by  crossbreeding  our  long  domes- 
ticated plants  with  their  wild  relatives, 
and  so  bringing  in  the  hardiness  of  the 
old  wild  form. 


L1TERAK 


°®*is©S3<b<B® 


NOTICES 


Bird-Lore  for  June  reminds  its  readers 
that  an  increase  in  our  crops  means  not  only 
an  added  food-supply  for  man  but  also  for 
injurious  insects  as  well.  Agriculturists  are 
therefore  urged  to  supply  birds  with  shelter, 
nesting-places,  and  water  in  order  to  attract 
them  to  the  vicinity  of  planted  areas.  This 
plan  of  encouraging  birds  to  live  near  us  has 
been  termed  "bird-gardening,"  and  the 
methods  to  be  employed  are  presented  at 
length  in  this  issue  of  Bird-Lore. 


A  Lot  o'  Lovin'.     By  Chauncey  Roscoe  Piety. 

Louisville,     Kentucky.       The     Standard 

Printing  Company. 
The  reviewer,  while  lecturing  before  the 
County  Teachers'  Institute  in  Scottsburg, 
Indiana,  met  the  Reverend  Mr.  Piety  and  at 
his  invitation  gave  a  talk  before  the  Chris- 
tian Endeavor  Society  of  the  First  Chris- 
tian Church,  and  after  the  meeting  took  the 
young  people  out  to  see  the  stars.  From 
this  interview  has  been  evolved  an  acquain- 
tance by  correspondence  with  this  poetical 
pastor,  who  is  also  an  appreciative  nature 
lover.  One  poem,  "The  Child  and  the 
Stars,"  the  author  says,  was  inspired  by  the 
address  to  the  young  people. 


The  Life  of  the  Grasshopper.  By  J.  Henri 
Fabre.  New  York  City.  Dodd,  Mead  and 
Company. 
This  is  the  seventh  book  in  the  transla- 
tions being  made  by  Mr.  Teixeira  from  the 
"Souvenirs  Entomologiques"  by  the  great 
French  naturalist,  Fabre,  who  has  been 
called  "the  novelist  of  the  insects."  The 
Fabre  tradition  of  tireless  observation,  in- 
genious experiment  and  eloquent  interpre- 
tation is  continued  in  this  story  of  the 
grasshopper.  Directly  and  simplv  Fabre 
sought  only  to  record  the  truths  revealed 
through  his  ouiet  research,  but  in  doing  so 
he  achieved  a  unique  beauty  of  expression 
and  a  nice  interpretation  of  insect  life  to- 
ward which  modern  science  is  turning  with 
ever  increasing  admiration.  Of  Fabre's 
standing  as  a  naturalist  it  is  enough  to  say 
that  Charles  Darwin  valued  him  as  an  ob- 
server  of   the   very   first   order. 


Goldfish  Varieties  and  Tropical  Aouarium 
Fishes.     By  William  T.  Innes.     Philadel- 
phia, Pennsylvania:     Innes  &  Sons. 
Blessings    on    William    T.    Innes!      He    is 
the  most  enthusiastic  one  of  us  all  when  it 
concerns  aquaria,  and  he  is  right  in  assert- 
ing that  there  is  no  other  means  of  bring- 
ing  so    complete    a    bit    of   nature    into    our 


homes  as  is  afforded  by  an  aquarium.  Here 
is  an  opportunity  for  the  student,  the  artist, 
the  scientist  and  for  those  who  simply  love 
pets.  In  the  glass  of  the  aquarium,  we  have 
a  window  from  which  what  we  see  is  limit- 
ed only  by  our  own  capacity  for  observa- 
tion. William  T.  Innes  believes  in  the 
aquarium,  not  only  for  these  reasons,  but 
because  he  possesses  the  real  missionary 
spirit  of  helpfulness  to  others.  What  he 
does  not  know  about  aquaria,  I  fear  will 
not  be  discovered  in  this  century.  If  you 
want  to  see  a  man  who  is  the  very  concen- 
trated quintessence  of  enthusiasm,  say, 
"Aquarium,"  to  Innes.  He  gets  up  in  the 
morning  long  before  any  other  human  be- 
ing, and  is  off  to  the  ponds  to  hunt  for 
daphnia  and  water  plants.  He  dreams  about 
aquaria  long  after  he  has  gone  to  bed. 

He  believes  that  if  a  thing  is  worth  doing 
at  all  it  is  worth  doing  well.  You  may 
search  his  house  from  attic  to  cellar,  and 
not  find  one  of  those  cruel  little  things, 
those  little  glass  globes  with  a  forlorn  gold- 
fish swimming  around  in  it.  No.  He 
makes  his  fish  happy.  He  knows  how  to 
do  it  and,  best  of  all,  he  knows  how  to  tell 
other  people  how  to  do  it. 

There  are  more  foolish  things,  more  really 
cruel  things,  done  with  aquaria  than  we  can 
fully  realize.  There  are  not  many  aquarial 
experts  in  this  country,  but  there  are  hosts 
of  people  who  are  thoughtlessly  cruel  or 
cruelly  thoughtless.  The  five  cent  stores 
have  popularized  the  subject.  Many  a  flor- 
ist dips  out  a  little  fish  and  sells  it  with  a 
tiny  globe  for  only  a  few  cents,  and  such 
people  mistakenly  suppose  that  they  are 
naturalists.  There  is  only  one  best  way, 
and  that  is  the  Innes  way.  He  has  no 
monopoly  of  information  on  the  subject; 
there  are  other  good  workers  and  other 
good  books,  but  I  do  not  know  of  any  bet- 
ter worker  than  Innes,  nor  any  better  book 
than  his.  If  you  have  an  aquarium,  get  this 
book  by  Innes  and  do  what  he  tells  you  to 
do. 


When  a  bit  of  sunshine  hit  ye 
After   passing   of   a   cloud; 
When   a  fit  of  laughter  gits  ye 
An*  ye'r  spine   is  feelin'  proud, 
Don't  forget  to  up  and  fling  it 
At  the  soul  that's  feelin'  blue. 
For  the  minit  that  you  sling  it 
It's  a  boomerang  to  you. 

— Capt.  Jack  Crawford. 


——•~" 


»••♦•••*•* 


AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


k<&za<8&^ 


Established    IS75 


Incorporated.    Massachusetts,    1892 


Incorporated,    Connecticut.    1910 


Resolutions  on  the  Death  of  Mrs.  Paul- 
ine Agassiz   Shaw. 

At  the  Annual  Meeting  of  Trustees 
of  The  Agassiz  Association  held  at 
ArcAdiA,  on  the  anniversary  of  Louis 
Agassiz's  Birthday,  May  28,  191 7,  the 
following  resolutions  were  adopted  up- 
on the  report  of  the  death  of  Louis 
Agassiz's  daughter,  Mrs.  Pauline 
Agassiz  Shaw,  at  her  home  in  Jamaica 
Plain,  Massachusetts,  February  24th, 
1917. 

Whereas,  we,  the  Trustees  of  The  Ag- 
assiz Association,  have  learned  with 
deep  sorrow  of  the  death  of  Pauline 
Agassiz  Shaw,  a  daughter  of  Louis 
Agassiz,  at  her  home  in  Jamaica 
Plain,  Massachusetts,  be  it 
Resolved,  that  we  publicly  acknow- 
ledge our  sincere  sorrow  in  her  death, 
and  our  realization  of  the  loss  of  one 
of  our  most  loyal  friends  in  the  great 
Cause  of  The  Agassiz  Association. 
For  many  years  Mrs  Shaw  has  given 
kindly  counsel  and  substantial  aid 
as  a  Life  Member  of  this  Association. 
Her  counsels  have  always  been  ap- 
preciated by  the  officers,  and  her  kind 
words  of  good  will  have  endeared  her 
to  all,  especially  to  the  President  of 
this  Association.  She  has  encouraged 
the  work  by  words  of  good  cheer  and 
by  many  kind  suggestions  of  meth- 
ods bv  which  the  work  might  be 
made  better. 
Resolved  that  in  addition  to  this  public 
expression  of  sorrow,  we  extend  to 
her  children,  sister,  nephews  and 
other  relatives  and  members  of  the 
family,  our  sincere  sympathy  in  this 
great  bereavement. 
Adopted  by  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
Edward  F.  Bigelow,  President. 
Homer  S.  Cummings.  Secretary. 


Report  from  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

The  year  has  been  a  very  interesting 
and  educational  one  for  the  Louisville 
Girls'  High  School  Chapter  of  The 
Agassiz  Association.  The  monthly  in- 
door meetings  have  been  well  attended 
and  each  one  was  made  attractive  by 

a  nature  programme.  One  of  our  best 
meetings  was  made  so  by  Balopticon 
views  of  American  birds.  While  the 
slides  were  being  shown,  our  faculty 
adviser  gave  an  instructive  talk  on  the 
birds,  emphasizing  the  point  of  bird 
description.  Selecting  the  robin  as  our 
standard  bird  we  described  each  suc- 
ceeding bird  by  considering  its  size, 
color,  shape  of  tail  and  bill  and  feet,  in 
comparison  with  the  robin.  We  also 
learned  much  from  Audubon's  Book 
of  American  Birds. 

On  our  outdoor  trips  we  specialized 
on  trees.  Early  in  the  fall  before  the 
trees  had  lost  their  foliage  we  took  a 
trip  to  study  them  and  learn  how  to 
recognize  them  by  their  leaves  and 
bark.  On  an  early  spring  excursion 
we  studied  the  buds  of  the  sprouting 
trees  ;  later  in  the  spring  we  started  on 
a  tree  recognition  trip.  While  out  we 
often  ran  across  things  not  pert:  ining 
to  trees  and  did  not  overlook  them. 
We  saw  a  meadow  lark's  nest,  one  day. 
which  was  quite  a  treat,  and  we  stud- 
ied and  learned  to  know  many  wild 
flowers. 

We  are  looking  forward  to  another 
season  to  study  nature's  wonders. 
Virginia   Stejxbock. 
Corresponding  Secretary. 


You  can  read  a  poem  and  find  only 
words.  You  can  hear  a  symphony  and 
recognize  only  sounds.  You  can  go 
into  a  garden  and  see  nothing  but  trees 
and  plants  and  flowers. — Abram  Lin- 
wood  Urban  in  "My  Garden  of  Dreams." 


.<P 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


A  Migration  of  Newts. 

One  of  our  esteemed  Members  in 
Plainfield  Iowa,  writes  as  follows  of  an 
incident  that  occurred  in  North  Da- 
kota. 

"Will  you  please  state  in  your  maga- 
zine what  good  work  lizards  do,  the 
common  brownish  green  kind  ?  On  the 
morning  after  a  hard  rain  at  night, 
there  were  hosts  of  lizards  hurrying 
across  the  fields,  yards  and  roads,  all 
traveling  southeast.  Why?  We  had 
never  previously  had  any  to  any  notice- 
able extent  in  this  part  of  the  state  and 
as  I  did  not  want  them  in  the  cellar,  I 
killed  two  and  got  seven  more  in  a 
pail,  but  there  were  so  many  I  quit  for 
I  thought  they  must  serve  some  good 
purpose  and  doubtless  they  were  as 
glad  to  live  as  I  am.  They  all  disap- 
peared in  a  day  or  two.  Where? 
Something  of  the  same  sort  happened 
here  in  Iowa  last  summer.  One  even- 
ing at  nine  o'clock  a  family  on  their 
front  porch  saw  a  regular  bunch  of  liz- 
ards going  west.  I  shall  be  glad  if  you 
will  tell  me  the  use  or  habits  of  these 
reptiles.  I  feel  sure  that  the  lizard 
must  have  some  place  in  the  general 
scheme  of  things." 

Never  kill  any  animal  unless  you  do 
so  in  self-protection  or  for  food.  Liz- 
ards are  harmless  and  are  not  edible. 
But  in  this  instance  you  are  doubly  in 
error.  The  little  animals  are  not  liz- 
ards. Perhaps  the  graceful,  dainty  lit- 
tle body  may  by  its  form  somewhat 
suggest  a  lizard  but  the  harmless  little 
fellows  are  newts.  Raymond  L.  Dit- 
mars  says  : 

"They  migrate  after  rains  to  areas 
that  contain  more  dampness,  as  these 
naked-skinned  creatures  (like  toads  or 
frogs)  depend  upon  a  water  soaked  soil. 
They  travel  after  rains  owing  to  the 
ground  being  then  in  proper  condition 
for  their  progress.  They  feed  upon  in- 
sects." 

You  should  have  an  aquarium  in 
which  you  can  readily  keep  a  few 
newts.  They  are  the  delight  of  every 
one  who  likes  aquatic  animals.  They 
will  soon  learn  to  take  food  from  your 
fingers. 

Prom  a  British  book,  "Life  in  Ponds 
and  Streams"  (Furneaux),  the  follow- 
ing is  quoted  : 

"The  general  form  of  a  newt  is  very 
similar  to  that  of  a  lizard,  and  this  re- 


semblance has  led  to  the  common  ap- 
plication of  the  name  'water  lizards'  to 
the  former.  But  to  avoid  confusion,  it 
may  be  well  to  note  the  more  obvious  dis- 
tinction between  newts  and  lizards.  Newts 
are  amphibious  animals,  and  even  truly 
aquatic  at  certain  periods  of  their  ex- 
istence ;  while  lizards  inhabit  dry 
heaths,  moors,  and  banks.  Newts  have 
a  soft  moist  skin,  resembling  that  of 
frogs  ;  but  lizards  are  covered  with  a 
dry  scaly  skin,  much  like  that  of  a 
snake.  Newts  have  flattened  tails 
adapted  for  swimming,  while  the  tails 
of  lizards  are  round  and  tapering. 
Also,  newts  in  their  earlier  days,  pass 
through  a  series  of  stages  similar  to 
those  of  the  frog;  but  young  lizards, 
on  their  first  appearance  in  life,  are 
formed  just  like  their  parents.  And, 
further,  the  close  relationship  existing 
between  the  newts  and  other  amphib- 
ians is  clearly  exhibited  by  the  shape  of 
the  head  and  the  wide  gape  ;  by  their 
prominent  eyeballs,  which  are  retrac- 
tile, and  readily  observed  on  the  roof 
of  the  mouth,  and  by  the  arrangement 
of  the  eyelids  ;  also  by  their  method  of 
breathing,  which  corresponds  exactly 
with  that  force-pump  action  described 
when  treating  of  frogs. 

*     *     *     *     * 

"They  are  easily  caught.  The  onlv 
implements  required  are  a  small  gauze 
hand-net  and  a  large  metal  box,  such 
as  an  ordinary  bait-can,  in  which  to 
convey  the  specimens  home. 

As  you  walk  round  a  weedy  pond 
you  will  observe  here  and  there  a  newt 
gracefully  swimming  with  an  undula- 
tory  movement  of  its  tail  toward  the 
centre.  Its  fear  of  the  monster  on  the 
bank  is  evidently  not  very  great,  for 
its  flight  is  not  at  all  hurried,  neither 
does  it  trouble  to  swim  any  great  dis- 
tance from  you  :  and  a  quick  sweep  of 
the  net  among  the  weeds  will  generally 
secure  the  prize,  and  often  one  or  two 
others  that  happened  to  be  among  the 
foliage  in  the  path  of  the  net.  Some- 
time, in  fact  often,  the  newts  in  a  pond 
are  so  numerous  that  they  may  be  se- 
cured, five  or  six  at  a  stroke,  without 
attempting  to  look  for  them,  but  by 
simply  sweeping  the  net  haphazard 
among  the  weeds. 

The  schoolboy's  method  of  catching 
newts  is  usually  not  so  productive, 
though   it  may  be  more  exciting.     An 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


57 


extempore  fishing-rod  is  made  of  a  cut 
stick  and  a  piece  of  string.  An  earth- 
worm is  tied  to  the  lower  end  of  the 
string  and  let  down  into  the  water, 
either  just  in  front  of  a  newt  that  is 
seen  or  in  a  spot  where  some  of  the 
creatures  are  supposed  to  he  hidden. 
A  gentle  tugging  is  presently  felt,  and 
is  sometimes  rendered  visihle  hy  the 
bobbing  of  a  piece  of  cork  used  as  a 
temporary  float.  Now  is  the  time  for 
the  exercise  of  a  little  patience,  and 
judgment.  Give  the  hungry  amphibian 
sufficient  time  to  swallow  the  worm, 
or,  if  the  latter  be  a  large  one,  time  to 
get  a  portion  well  lodged  in  its  stom- 
ach ;  and  then  a  sharp  haul  lands  the 
creature  on  the  bank  before  it  has  had 
time  to  free  itself  from  the  treacherous 
luxury." 

SOME  FUNNY  FEEDING  ANTICS. 

"But  if  the  worm  happens  to  be  a 
larger  one,  say  about  three  or  four  in- 
ches long,  the  matter  is  not  quite  so 
simple,  and  may  end  in  disappointment 
to  the  newt  as  well  as  death  to  the 
poor  worm.  Newts  do  not  know  the 
most  effectual  way  of  seizing  a  worm, 
and  frequently  make  the  mistake  of 
snapping  at  the  middle  and  commenc- 
ing to  swallow  it  at  that  point.  In 
this  case  the  newt  has  to  labor  against 
the  double  thickness  which  has  to  pass 
through  its  mouth  and  gullet.  This 
often  proves  too  much  ;  and  after  many 
severe  struggles  to  dispose  of  its  prey, 
it  is  obliged  to  relieve  itself  by  dis- 
gorging it  entirely. 

If.  however,  it  is  more  fortunate  in 
seizing  the  worm  at  one  end,  there  is 
generally  a  trouble  of  another  kind 
awaiting  it,  for  one  of  its  fellows,  at- 
tracted by  the  furious  struggles  of  the 
poor  worm,  makes  a  dash  at  the  other 
end  !  Then  follows  an  exciting  scene. 
Both  newts  continue  to  swallow  the 
worm,  till  at  last  their  jaws  meet, 
each  one  having  disposed  of  about  one 
half.  But  still  they  go  on,  each  one 
taking  gulp  after  gulp,  with  a  vantage 
sometimes  on  one  side  and  sometimes 
on  the  other.  After  a  time,  however, 
the  weaker  newt  shows  signs  of  ex- 
haustion, and,  relaxing  its  hold  on  the 
worm,  allows  each  gulp  of  its  fellow  to 
deprive  it  of  a  portion  of  the  meal  that 
had  already  been  swallowed  ;  and  then, 
finding  no  hope  for  the  retention  of  the 
meal,    suddenly    ejects    the    remainder 


and  swims  away.  But  the  fortune  of 
the  sole  possessor  of  the  worm  is  no 
brighter,  for  its  stomach  is  distended 
to  its  greatest  capacity  at  the  time  that 
the  whole  was  left  to  its  share ;  and 
after  many  unsuccessful  attempts  to 
dispose  of  the  free  end,  it  is  obliged  to 
eject  even  that  which  had  been  so  sat- 
isfactorily disposed  of." 


Sequestered. 

BY     CHARLES     NEVERS     HOLMES,     NEWTON,     MASS. 

There  is  a   sylvan  nook 
Where  purls  a   tink  brook, 
Where   chansonnette   of   bird 
All   summer   long  is   heard 
And  zephyr's  lightest  breeze 
Is   whispered  by  the  trees. 

That  nook  is  in  a  glade 
Of  mingled  sun  and  shade, 
A   glade   within   a  glen 
Afar  from  haunts  of  men, 
A  glen  of  boughs  and  brakes 
Where  echo  seldom  wakes. 

The  pines  rise  straight  and  tall 
Around   it   like   a   wall, 
Pine  needles  strew  its  floor, 
Wide  open  stands  its  door. 
Its  roof  is  broad  and  high — 
The  tree-tops  and  the  sky! 


There  often  comes  the  bee, 
Well  laden  from  the  lea, 
Oft  flits  the  butterfly 
On    gorgeous   pinions   by. 
And  squirrel  chatters  fast 
Or   nimbly    scrambles    past. 

Unmarred  by  axe  or  flame 
That   spot  remains  the  same, 
A  sunny,  sylvan  nook 
Where  purls  a  tiny  brook, 
Where   chansonnette   of  bird 
All   summer  long  is  heard. 


Spring    Messengers. 

BY    EDNA    L.    B0GUE,     MONTCLAIR,    NEW    JERSEY. 

Blow,  flowery  bugles,  blow, 
Aerials    bright    of   early    spring, 
Ring  thy  notes  across  the  meadow, 
Let  every  song  bird  on  the  wing, 
Unite   his  lay,   with   thine,   and   sing. 

For  pulsing  life's  in  the  air, 

Tingles   with    the   breath    of   spring! 

Blow,   flowery   bugles,   blow, 

On,  and  on,  across  the  hills. 

Let    little    brooklets    sing    with    laughter,- 

Romping,    rippling,    little    rills. 

Blow,    flowery   bugles,   blow. 

Ye   aerial   daffodils! 


58 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


SOUND  BEACH  HAS 

BIG   CELEBRATION 


Nine  Hundred  Participate  in  a  Memor- 
ial Day  Parade. 


SPEECHES  AT  ARCADIA 

AND   FLAG-RAISING 


Great    Demonstration    of    Loyalty    to    the 
Country. 

[THE  STAMFORD  ADVOCATE,  MAY  31,  I917] 

Yesterday  was  a  great  day  in  Sound 
Beach.  A  parade,  in  which  700  or  over 
participated,  was  the  largest  ever  held 
there.  The  number  who  saw  it  was  the 
largest  ever  gathered  together  for  such 


upon  the  grounds  of  the  Sound  Beach 
Golf  and  Country  Club.  Led  by  a  pla- 
toon of  Greenwich  borough  police  un- 
der Sergeant  Flannagan,  the  procession 
marched  over  Potomac  Avenue  to 
Shore  Avenue,  to  Sound  Beach  Avenue, 
to  ArcAdiA  road.  At  ArcAdiA,  ap- 
propriate exercises  were  held.  There 
were  a  flag-raising  and  an  address  by 
Judge  C.  H.  Martin  of  Orange,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature.  In  the 
parade.  Home  Guard,  Police  Reserve, 
State  militia,  boy  scouts,  ladies,  first- 
aid-corps,  G.  A.  R.  Veterans,  Sons  of 
Veterans,  firemen,  police  and  musicians 
took  part. 

The  platoon  of  Greenwich  police  led 
the  march  up  Potomac  Avenue,  Kear- 
ney's band  from  Stamford  following. 
Next  were  the  militia  and  Home  Guard, 


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THE   STEEL  FLAG   POLE,   ERECTED   BY   MR.    CHARLES    H.    KNAPP   OF    SOUND   BEACH,    WAS 
RAISED  TO   PERPENDICULAR  POSITION   BY   A   STEAM   ROAD   ROLLER   PULLING   ON 

A  CABLE  OVER  A  SERIES  OF  PULLEYS. 


an  occasion,  in  Sound  Beach.  The 
streets  were  alive  with  activity.  Auto- 
mobiles occupied  places  all  along  the 
line  of  march  People  crowded  along 
Sound  Beach  Avenue  to  get  a  glimpse 
at  the  procession.  Visiting  organiza- 
tions from  Stamford,  Riverside,  Green- 
wich and  East  Port  Chester  joined  in 
the  celebration  given  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Sound  Beach  Association, 
whose  able  president,  Dr.  A.  E.  Austin, 
labored  indefatigably.  Fred  Binney,  as 
secretary,  did  a  large  share  of  the  work. 
At  11  a.  m.  the  divisions  assembled 


the  Seventh  Company  of  Stamford  and 
Twelfth  Company  of  Greenwich,  C.  A. 
C,  were  in  command  of  Capt.  Foord 
and  Capt.  Eugene  Nestor.  The  River- 
side Reserves,  a  fine-appearing  body  of 
men,  marched  well.  It  was  their  first 
appearance  on  parade.  They  were  led 
by  Capt.  Reginald  Reynolds,  and  num- 
bered about  70  men,  among  them  prom- 
inent citizens  of  Riverside.  They  were 
armed  with  night  sticks.  The  Green- 
wich special  police  wore  the  drab  uni- 
form of  the  Home  Defense  Guard  and 
carried  police  sticks.     They  are  a  well- 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


59 


drilled  body  of  men,  numbering-  about 
£5,  and  were  led  by  H.  H.  Adams,  Jr. 
Like  the  Riverside  Reserves  it  was 
their  first  appearance  in  the  parade. 
The  Sound  Beach  Home  Guard  num- 
bered about  70,  and  were  led  by  Lieut. 
C.  D.  Potter.  They  carried  their  new 
rifles  and  marched  like  soldiers.  It 
was  their  first  appearance  on  parade  in 
uniform. 

The  East  Port  Chester  Boy  Scouts, 
50  in  number,  were  led  by  Capt.  Fran- 
cis J.  McGuiness.  The  Boy  Scouts  of 
Riverside,  with  Scoutmaster  Raymond 
Bowen,  and  the  Sound  Beach  Boy 
Scouts  in  charge  of  Scoutmaster  Clar- 
ence Crandall,  carried  troop  flags. 
Messrs.  Nedley  and  Moore  marched  as 
drummer  boys  with  an  East  Port  Ches- 
ter division.  A  color  detail,  F.  S.  Knox, 
George  Gisborne  and  George  MacDon- 
ald.  had  the  American  flag  in  the  center 
and  the  flags  of  France  and  Great  Bri- 
tain upon  either  side. 

Members  of  Lombard  Camp,  Sons  of 
Veterans,  under  Commander  William 
Peck,  numbered  about  40.  Members  of 
the  G.  A.  R.  rode  in  five  automobiles. 

An  interesting  feature  of  the  parade 
was  the  appearance  of  the  Red  Cross 
local  chapter  and  the  Riverside  First 
Aid  Corps.  The  ladies  wore  the  regu- 
lation Red  Cross  dress,  and  were  led 
by  Mrs.  J.  A.  Graham,  Mrs.  A.  E. 
Austin,  Mrs.  Edwin  Binney  and  Mrs. 
G.  A.  Horsey.  The  two  corps  num- 
bered 100  or  over.  The  East  Port 
Chester  First  Aid  Corps  was  under  the 
leadership  of  Miss  Neidedmeier,  and 
wore  the  girl  scout  dress. 

Ten  Sound  Beach  girls  carried  a  large 
American  flag.  They  were  Helen 
Downey,  Elizabeth  Sanger,  Elizabeth 
Brundage,  Ethel  Offen,  Mabel  Nava- 
rette.  Iris  Navarette,  Charlotte  Man- 
sell,  Grace  McGowan,  Hazel  Potter  and 
Jessie  Palmer. 

Members  of  the  Sound  Beach  Fire 
Department  and  Sound  Beach  Fire  and 
Police  Patrol  had  the  rear  of  the  pro- 
cession. The  leaders  were  Chief  Albert 
Palmer,  Assistant  Chief  Frank  Gis- 
borne, First  Lieut.  E.  Benjamin  Lock- 
wood.,  Capt.  Stewart  Potter,  and  Sec- 
ond Lieut.  Bert  Lockwood.  The  fire- 
truck  followed  the  firemen.  The  new 
machine  gun  and  motor  truck  of  the 
Greenwich  special  police  were  also  in 
the  parade. 


Music  was  played  by  Kearney's 
band,  the  Greenwich  Band  and  the 
Maple  Fife  and  Drum  Corps  of  Stam- 
ford. It  was  the  first  appearance  on 
parade  of  the  Greenwich  Band,  whose 
director  is  Norman  Hunt.  Mr.  Carey 
led  the  band  yesterday. 

The  procession  was  reviewed  at  the 
corner  of  Lockwood  Avenue  and  Sound 
Beach  Avenue  by  Greenwich  officials. 
First  Selectman  Newton  S.  Johnson, 
Road  Commissioner  N.  A.  Knapp,  Reg- 
istrar Cameron,  Dr.  Austin  of  The 
Sound  Beach  Association,  and  James 
T.  Dougherty,  president  of  the  East 
Port  Chester  Civic  League,  were  in  the 
reviewing-stand.  When  the  parade 
reached  ArcAdiA,  the  divisions  marched 
into  a  large  lot  and  formed  in  rectangu- 
lar formation  about  the  speaker's  plat- 
form. Capt.  Samuel  K.  Thomas,  marshal 
of  the  parade,  gave  orders  at  the  assem- 
bly here. 

Ceremonies  at  ArcAdiA. 

Rev.  L.  W.  Barney  offered  prayer. 
Kearney's  Band  played  "America," 
and  all  joined  in  singing.  Judge  C.  H. 
Martin,  the  speaker  of  the  day,  was  in- 
troduced by  Dr.  Austin,  who  spoke 
briefly,  thanking  the  ladies  and  the 
visiting  organizations  for  their  able  as- 
sistance. He  delivered  a  message 
"straight  from  the  War  Department," 
that  those  present  should  not  forget  the 
Liberty  bonds.  Hon.  Charles  J.  Mar- 
tin of  Orange  is  one  of  the  ablest  speak- 
ers in  the  Legislature.  He  advocated 
the  liberal  Sunday  law,  and  it  was  prin- 
cipally through  his  efforts  that  it  came 
near  success.  His  address  yesterday 
was  full  of  patriotic  fervor. 

"This  great  nation  of  ours,"  said  he, 
"seems  to  be  now  a  cordon  of  loving 
hearts,  with  hands  outstretched  to  aid 
those  in  distress,  and  bound  up  in  the 
grand  idea  of  one  common  country." 

After  describing  the  process  of  climb- 
ing in  Switzerland,  he  said  : 

"And  so  we  find  a  parallel  case  in 
the  ties  of  the  constitution  of  our  coun- 
try, and  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  which 
bind  us  together  as  a  nation.  We  know 
some  of  the  parts  may  be  weak,  but  as 
a  nation  they  are  protected  and  held  in 
a  common  cause.  It  was  the  union  of 
the  thirteen  colonies  which  originally 
made  the  American  nation.  It  was  the 
union  of  these  colonies,  under  one  flag, 
by  act  of  Congress  in  1777.  which  made 


6o 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


us  a  nation  under  one  flag,  and  a  great 
flag,  before  the  entire  world. 

"And  why  should  this  flag  stir  your 
hearts  and  make  your  spirit  burn  with- 
in you?  Because  immortal  honor  hangs 
alike  in  every  square  inch  of  its  fabric." 

He  traced  the  origin  of  the  flag,  and 
recounted  occasions  where  it  has  stood 
for  the  right. 

"In  1916  it  went  into  the  country  of 
Mexico  for  the  protection  of  the  Ameri- 
can citizen,  and  in  1917  we  again  find  it 
entering  into  the  great  world  war  in 
defensive  of  democracy.  It  has  been 
stormed  at  with  shot  and  shell,  and 
torn  to  tatters  in  a  hundred  battles, 
but  it  has  always  waved  for  freedom. 

"We  are  at  present  in  a  world-war 
death-grapple,  and  we  are  like  the 
Christian  knight  who  went  forth  armed 


unity  of  individuals  and  of  State.  We 
must  appreciate  that  to  accomplish  any 
result  of  merit  entails  sacrifice.  And 
so  it  is  for  you  and  for  men  to  take 
up  our  part  in  this  great  world-war, 
and,  whether  we  be  at  the  front  or  at 
home,  to  see,  as  true  patriots,  that  we 
do  our  part  for  the  success  of  our  coun- 
try, and  for  the  success  of  the  cause, 
knowing  and  realizing  that  those  who 
blazed  the  way  in  earlier  days  suffered 
and  sacrificed  much  that  we  might  live 
as  we  do  today  ;  and  so  we,  at  this  time, 
must  suffer  and  sacrifice  much  that  we 
might  live  as  we  do  today  ;  and  so  we, 
at  this  time  must  suffer  and  sacrifice 
for  the  benefit  of  those  who,  in  the 
future,  will  live  under  that  great  and 
glorious  flag,  the  Red,  White  and 
Blue." 


THE    CEREMONIES    AT    ARCADIA. 


cap-a-pie  to  succor  the  oppressed  and  to 
bind  up  the  wounds  of  the  stricken. 
We  have  no  purpose  of  territorial  ag- 
grandizement ;  we  have  no  aim  for  empty 
glory  ;  we  have  no  cruel  pride  in  the  su- 
preme knowledge  of  strength,  but  we 
stand  for  the  right  in  this  world  war,  as 
God  gives  us  to  know  the  right." 

He  mentioned  the  lessons  which  the 
flag  suggested — white  for  purity,  pure 
and  incorruptible  citizenship,  honesty 
and  charity,  red  for  love,  and  a  symbol 
of  blood  which  every  true  patriot 
should  be  willing  to  shed  for  his  coun- 
try ;  the  stars  are  symbols  of  light  and 
heavenly  protection. 

"And  now  my  friends,  as  we  are  as- 
sembled here  today,"  said  Judge  Mar- 
tin, "we  must  reflect  upon  the  good 
that    has    been    accomplished    by    the 


Raising  the  Flag. 

Following  Judge  Martin's  address, 
Capt.  Thomas  summoned  a  color  detail 
comprising  Fred  McDonald,  J.  A.  Hall 
and  George  Cornish  of  the  Home 
Guard.  The  American  flag  resently 
presented  to  ArcAdiA  by  Senator  Mc- 
Lean was  then  slowly  raised  on  an  80- 
foot  steel  flag-pole.  "The  Star  Span- 
gled Banner"  was  played.  As  the  flag, 
which  had  been  carefully  furled,  reach- 
ed the  masthead,  a  salute  was  fired, 
and  the  flag  gracefully  unfurled  to  the 
breeze,  while  the  crowd  applauded. 
Rev.  Dr.  Barney  pronounced  benedic- 
tion. 

A  luncheon  was  then  served  to  about 
500  by  a  committee  of  ladies,  of  which 
Mrs.  Edwin  Binney,  Mrs.  G.  Horsey 
and  Mrs.  A.  E.  Austin  were  at  the 
head. 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


61 


Before  the  parade,  veterans  with 
school  children  visited  the  graves  in 
Sound  Beach  and  decorated  them  with 


Hags  and  flowers. 


Summer  Showers. 

BY     CAROLINE     CLARK      HINTON,      ATLANTA,     GA. 

Summer   showers   that   fall    like 
Mist   of  early   morning  dew, 
Bathing  all  in  sky-veiled  tears; 
Recreating   old   for   new. 

Summer   thoughts    full-blown    and    scarred, 
Spring  and  youth    so   far  away. 
Tears   fall   softly   with   regrets; 
Tomorrow   has  its  day! 


The  Painted  Fields. 
We   motored,   on  a   Summer   day, 
The    smiling   country   through; 
There  were  woods,  and  streams,  and  mea- 
dows fair, 
And  hills,  with  distant  view. 

An  artist,  just  before,  had  passed, 
Whose   influence   long   would   lurk; 

For  canvasses  she  chose  the  fields, 
We  saw  her  finished  work. 

Her  paletteful  of  brilliant  tints 
Had  been  transferred  to  earth; 

Arresting   in   their   vividness, 
Of  none   was   there   a   dearth. 

The  primal  colors  all  were  seen, 

And  we  could  well  surmise, 
A   rainbow  had  enwrapped  the  earth, 

To  dazzle  mortal  eyes. 

There  were  ruby  gleams  of  sunset  fires, 

And  the  purple  of  the  hills, 
And   "-o1d  was  used  so  lavishly, 

It   ran   in   little    rills. 

While  some  slopes  glowed  like  burning 
coals, 

S  lil   others   swam   in   light, 
And  some  were  like  the  evening  sky, 
All  violet  and  white. 

And   more   were   as   the    ripened   grain, 

When  ready  for  the  scythe; 
While  others  were  with  gay  "red-top" 

And  gypsy  clover  blithe. 

For  shadows  there  were  grasses  dark, 

And  in  the  shaded  light, 
The  day-stars  of  the  daisies  gleamed 

Like  the  silver  ones  of  night. 

October   we'd   been    wont   to   call 
The    month    of    brilliant    dyes, 

And  here  were  all  her  hues,  and  more, 
Before  our  wondering  eyes. 

Oh   June,  thou  art  a  wizard  month, 
We  thought  we  knew  thee  well, 

And  here  thou  holdest  us  entranced 
Beneath   a   bran-new   spell! 

— Emma    Peirce. 


The  Plans  for  Little  Japan  from  Japan. 

The  plans  for  Little  Japan,  especial- 
ly those  for  the  gate-like  entrance  to 
the  Rest  Cottage,  were  sent  to  us  by 
Y.  Hirase,  President  of  The  Hirase 
Conchological    Museum,    Karasumaru, 


SHO   NIPPON  OR  LITTLE  JAPAN. 

Kyoto,  Japan.  Mr.  Hirase  has  for  many 
years  been  an  active  member  of  The 
Agassiz  Association.  He  writes  as 
follow.- : 

"It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  carry  out 
such  a  plan  for  the  sake  of  our  country. 
We  highly  appreciate  your  warm  sym- 
pathy with  our  country  and  its  people. 

"1  have  seen  the  picture  of  the  gate 
you  designed  yourself  after  a  Japanese 
shrine  entrance,  which  we  call  'torii'  in 
our  tongue.    The  'torii'  is  a  sort  of  gate 


62 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


at  the  entrance  to  a  'Shinto'  shrine  in 
Japan.  There  are  various  kinds.  Some 
have  small  tablets  of  various  forms  in 
the  middle  above.  Some  are  very  plain 
and  the  others  very  showy  and  charm- 
ing. 

"Enclosed  please  find  a  sheet  of  pa- 
per on  which  'Little  Japan'  is  written 
in  Japanese  characters.  My  friend, 
Mr.  Tokuta  Yamada,  has  Written  it. 
He  writes  the  best  hand  in  Kyoto. 

"The  Japanese  for  'Little  Japan'  is 
pronounced  'Sho  Nihon'  or  'Sho  Nip- 
pon.' " 

The  accompanying  is  the  Japanese 
for  "Little  Japan"  written  especially 
for  us  by  Mr.  Yamada. 


Accident  to  Professor  Brown. 

Professor  Henry  W.  Brown  of  Col- 
by College,  founder  of  the  Wantonoit 
Club,  a  nature  organization  which  has 
selected  The  Guide;  to  Nature;  as  its 
official  organ,  has  recently  been  seriously 
injured  in  an  automobile  accident  in 
the  White  Mountains.  Professor  Brown 
had  been  giving  inspirational  addresses 
before  a  New  Hampshire  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
convention  at  North  Conway  and  was 
stricken  down  by  a  recklessly  driven  ma- 
chine, suffering  two  bone  breaks  and 
other  injuries.  He  is  at  the  Sisters'  Hos- 
pital, Waterville,  Maine,  and  hopes  by 
July  to  be  able  to  go  on  with  his  Wanto- 
noit activities  at  Beckett  and  elsewhere. 


Supplication. 

BY  RICHARD   WALTHAM    HANES,   STAMFORD,   CONN. 

Dear  Lord,  please  let  me  grow  to  be, 

Each   year,   more   like   unto   a   tree. 

For  while  it  ever  heavenward  grows, 

The    wind    of    fate    through    its    branches 
blows; 

Still  each   season  it  strives  to   be 

More  beautiful,  dear  Lord,  for  Thee. 

When  winds  of  age  have  passed  it  by, 
It    stands   against   the    sunset    sky — 
A  warrior  in  coat  of  gray, 
Watching  the   night   embrace   the   day. 
So  dear  Lord,  help  me  strive  to  be 
A    stalwart   sentinel   for   Thee. 


Mother   Nature's    Smiles. 
The  flowers  have  come  into  their  own," 

Evolved  from  earth  by  Springtime  wiles; 
How  cheery,  after  Winter's  flown! — 

For  flowers  are  Mother  Nature's  Smiles. 

— Emma    Peirce. 


From  Over  Eighty    Years  Young. 

West  Gloucester,  Mass. 
To  the  Editor : 

On  this  bright,  March  morning,  I 
have  been  reading  the  latest  issue  of 
The  Guide  to  Nature,  in  which  I  found 
an  unusual  number  of  interesting  ar- 
ticles and  two  fine  poems,  "Time's 
Symphony"  and  "The  Sequence,"  both 
of  which  appealed  to  the  best  and  the 
purest  within  my  soul.  Annie  F.  Mey- 
er's letter  claimed  special  attention. 
Only  two  weeks  in  the  whole  year  to  be 
out  of  the  city,  and  yet  yearning  day 
by  day  for  a  sight  of  the  woods,  for  a 
tramp  over  the  hills,  and  eager  for  a 
glimpse  of  a  bluebird,  a  hermit  thrush 
and  other  birds  and  longing  to  hear 
their  melodious  music. 

>!:  %  $z  ^c  ^c 

I  wish  that  every  human  being  that 
seeks  with  ardent  desire  and  finds  a 
revelation  of  the  Divine  Creator  in 
each  leaf  and  bud  and  flower  and  bird 
could  have  the  glorious  month  of  June 
in  which  to  watch  and  to  welcome  the 
birds  and  enjoy  the  outcropping  of  leaf, 
bud  and  blossom  on  the  trees  of  the 
forest  and  beside  the  roadways.  And 
this  true  lover  of  nature  ought  to  have 
as  her  "inalienable  right,"  the  month 
of  September. 

"Whose   golden    days, 
Serenely    still,    intensely    bright, 
Fade   on   the   umbered   hills   away, 
And   melt   into   the   coming  night." 

Nature  is  ever  an  open  book  to  minds 
attuned  aright.  No  blots  or  misstate- 
ments mar  its  pages. 

By  the  last  of  May  we  are  sure  to 
find  not  only  that  Mother  Nature  has 
spread  her  green  carpet,  but  has  also 
decorated  it  with  lady's  slippers,  ane- 
mone, arbutus(  bird's-foot  violet  and 
other  early  blossoms. 

Emerson  says,  "There  is  a  guidance 
for  each  one  of  us  and  by  lowly  listen- 
ing we  shall  hear  and  receive  the  right 
messages." 

After  more  than  eighty  years  of  life, 
I  have  found  that  the  right  place  for 
listening  is  in  some  sequestered  nook 
of  nature's  vast  temple  where  are  hid 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge  and 
where  Mother  Nature,  the  monitor,  is 
always  ready  to  incline  her  own  listen- 
ing ear  and  to  impart  wonderful  know- 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION                                   63 

ledge.      With    advancing   years    I    still  THE   AGASSIZ   ASSOCIATION. 

hear  YEARLY  CASH  REPORT. 

"The    harp    at    Nature's    advent    strung  (Accepted  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  at  the 

That   has   never   ceased   to   play;  '  Annual   Meetin*  on   Ma^  a8'   I9I7-) 

And  the  song  the  stars  of  morning  sung  Summary— Cash   Received. 

Has   never   died   away.  April   1,   1916,   to   March  31,   1917    inclusive. 

So   Nature  keeps  the   reverent  frame  From  The  Guide  to  Nature $3,948.22 

With    which    her   years    began,  From    Contributions    to    Payment    of 

And  all  her  signs  and  voices  shame  Debt  on  the  Land   1,296.00 

The  prayerless   heart  of  man."  From   Contributions  to  Little  Japan..      323.00 

(Airs. J  Maria  Hkrkick  Bray.  From   Members'  Dues,  Contributions, 

etc 1,571.57 

Hurrah  for  Governor  Holcomb!  ^      ,                                              

c+        ,      ,     n               .  Total    $7,138.79 

Stamford,  Connecticut.  Note:  For  the  pavment  of  the  debt 

To  the   Editor:  on    the    land    of   $1,250,    not   only 

I    am   calling  your   attention   to   the  tne    total    was    contributed    but 

latest    sample    of    our    Governor    Hoi-  enough  additional  to  cover  the  ac- 

1  >                .      j    j.                   j                    1  •  crued  interest  of  $8  83  and  the  ex- 

combs      up-to-dateness,      despite      his  penses  of  the  printing  and  corres- 

seventy  years,     hmding  myself  unable  pondence  in  obtaining  this  aid  and 

to  obtain  a  team  to  plow,  as  I  had  de-  to  give  a  small  surplus  to  the  gen- 

termined  to  do  my  bit  and  plant  two  eraI  expenses  of  the  Association. 

acres  of  corn  on  a  neighbor's  farm,  I  Summary — Cash  Paid. 

wrote    the    Governor    suggesting    that  APriI  *•  1916.  to  March  31.  1917,  inclusive. 

teams  be  released  from  road  repairing  For  The  Guide  to  Nature   $4,201.11 

or    construction    whenever    the    horses  For  Debt  on  the  Land    1,258.83 

were  needed  for  plowing.  For  Little   Japan    172.96 

Presto  !   In  about  three  days  the  mat-  For  General  Expenses  and   Improve- 

ter  had  been  adjusted  with  the  High-  ments    1,505.89 

way  Commissioner  and  my  suggestion,  

framed  in  a  note  to  all  selectmen  in  the  Total   ....'..- $7,138.79 

state    and    overseers    on    state    roads,  Auditors'  Statements. 

reached  me  by  way  of  the  Committee  The  above  is  a  correct  summary  of  cash  re- 

on    Food    Supply.      In    a    few    hours    a  reived  and  paid  from  April  1,  1916,  to  March 

11      lVl/     itir  1191VP 

man    whose    team    had    been    on    road  (Signed)  Edward  p  BlG 

work  was  turning  the  sod  for  my  corn  Sound  Beach_  Connecticut. 

crop.       Hurrah    for    Holcomb    and    old  Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  12th 

Connecticut,  where  the  corn  yield  per  day  of  May,  1917. 

acre  has   surpassed   that   of  any  other  (Signed)   Harry  C.  Frost 

,                 1                                       J  Notarv  Public, 
state ! 

5fC  *fc  ^  5K  -fc 

Charles  H.  Craxdall.  c'      ,     .  _ 

Stamford,  Connecticut. 

This  is  to  certifv  that  I  have  examined  the 

An   interesting  scientific   monograph  details  of  which  the  foregoing  is  a  summary 

on    a   natural    history    subject    is    Dr.  and  find  all  to  be  correct. 

Glover    M.    Allen's    "The    Whalebone  (Signed)   Clinton  R    Fisher. 

Whales  of  New  England  "brought  out  Subscribed  and  ^^Heforete  5*8* 

by  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  His-  day  of  May,  1917. 

tory.     In  addition  to  the  usual  careful  (Signed)  Clarence  E.  Thompson, 

description,   involving  six  species,  the  Notary  Public, 

author  includes  a  great  deal  of  interest-  ***** 

ing  fact  on  the  history  of  local  whale  T   have  examined  the  books  of  record  and 

fisheries;    together    with    practical    di-  ^count  of  the  AA  for  the  year  ending  March 

c        •■*      .'c    •                                 11  31,  1917,  and  find  that  thev  have  been  properlv 

rections    for   identifying   any   stranded  kept  and  in  mv  opinion  -all  the  expenditures 

specimen  that  can  be  examined  closely,  have  been   made  to  the  best  interest  of  the 

and   also   for   any   creature    seen    in    its  Association.     The  payment  of  the   remaining 

native    element,    where    little    can    be  indebtedness  on  the  land  is  especially  gratify- 

made  out  except  the  general  size  and  mg'                   ,_.       <N  TT          _  _ 

1              ,i_      1       1     r-                 r              £    .1  (Signed)   Hiram  E.  Deats, 

shape,   the   back   fin,   the   form   of   the  Mevmb8er  of  Board  of  Trustees. 

spout  and   the  characteristic   action.  Aiay  28,  1917. 


64 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Contributions  for  Little  Japan. 

Mrs.  C.  O.  Miller,  Stamford  .  .     $  10.00 

Honorable  Zenas  Crane,  Dal- 
ton,  Mass.  (Increase — total 
$125.00)   75°° 

Mr.  Samuel  P.  Avery,  Hart- 
ford, Conn 50.00 

Mr.  Arthur  A.  Carey,  Wal- 
tham,  Mass.  (Increase — 
total  $50.00)    25.00 

J.   H.   Kellogg,   M.   D.,   Battle 

Creek,  Michigan    10.00 

J.  R.  Evans  &  Company,  Stam- 
ford,   Conn 5.00 

Mr.    J.    L.    Cochrane,    Sound 

Beach 2.00 

Mr.  Frank  W.  Howard,  Sound 

Beach 2.00 


$179.00 
Previously  acknowledged   .  .      550.00 

Total    $729.50 

For  Growth  and  Efficiency. 
Waterside  School,  Stamford  .  .      $  5.00 
Mr.  G.  E.  Dodge,  Sound  Beach       5.00 

Special   Gift    30.00 

Mr.  Fitch  A.  Hoyt,  Stamford..        2.00 
Dr.  S.  S   Goldwater,  New  York 

City    5.00 

Mr.  L.  C.  Root,  Stamford   ....       5.00 
Major     Samuel     K.     Thomas, 

Sound  Beach   5.00 

Miscellaneous    Contributions. 

Mr.  Clyde  T.  Ford,  Sound  Beach: 
Shell  from  Avalon. 

Mr.  E.  Hartwright,  Sound  Beach : 
Rhinoceros    beetle    (Dyuastcs    tityrus) . 

Mr.  Benjamin  Wilson,  Stamford: 
Burl — a  wood  frog  and  several  small 
salamanders. 

Mr.  Arthur  Hanson  (Member  of 
Battery  F),  Stamford:  Cactus  from  El 
Paso. 


Mrs.  James  F  Walsh,  Greenwich: 
Luna  Moth. 

Mrs.  Charles  W.  Ford,  Sound  Beach  : 
Interesting  specimen  of  fasciated  aspa- 
ragus. 

Mrs.  Louise  Marion,  Shippan,  Stam- 
ford :  Small  alligator. 

Mrs.  Cornelia  M.  D.  Peck,  Sound 
Beach  :  Globe  of  the  heavens,  in  stand- 
ard. 

Mr.  Leon  Scofield  (Member  of  Bat- 
tery F),  Stamford:  Specimens  of  shrap- 
nel, Mexican  opals,  Mexican  money 
and  postals  and  specimen  pertaining  to 
Mexican  bullfights. 

Mrs.  Grace  Lee  Smidt,  Sound  Beach: 
Double  hen's  egg. 

The  Misses  Margaret  and  Esther 
Ferris,  Sound  Beach:  Mounted  speci- 
men of  parula  warbler  and  of  yellow 
warbler. 

Honorable  George  P.  McLean,  Unit- 
ed States  Senate,  Washington,  D.  C. : 
Sixteen  foot  wool  bunting  flag. 

The  Sound  Beach  Association, 
Sound  Beach :  An  eighty  foot  steel  flag 
pole  dedicated  with  elaborate  cere- 
monies May  30th. 


The  Agassiz  Association  is  doing  a 
great  work  and  should  be  encouraged 
to  continue  it  and  enlarge  it  as  fast  as 
financial  resources  will  permit.  I  only 
regret  that  the  considerable  expense 
incident  to  putting  oneself  through 
the  University  has  prevented  me  from 
contributing  liberally  to  your  funds. 
Perhaps  I  may  be  able  to  do  so  in  the 
future. 

The  Guide  to  Nature  has  alwavs  been 
a  source  of  real  delight  to  me.  My  lit- 
tle sister  also  derives  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure  from  reading  it,  and  eagerly 
watches  the  mail  each  month,  when 
the  new  number  is  due. — William  J. 
Blackburn,  Jr.,  Columbus,  Ohio. 


Please  remember  this  educational  uplifting  work  in  making  your  will. 

Jfform  of  Hrqurat  to  ttjr  AsHoriatinn 

/  hereby  give  and  bequeath  to  The  Agass'iz  Association,  an  incorporated 
association,  having  its  principal  executive  office  at  ArcAdiA,  in  Sound  Beach, 
in  the  town  of  Greemvich,  Connecticut,  the  sum  of dollars. 


EMM 


IPfeg^JBi 


GREENWICH 


THE    EDITION   DE  LUXE 
OF  CONNECTICUT  TOWNS 


GREENWICH 


DO  NOT  LEAVE  FURS,  WOOL- 
ENS OR  VALUABLE  RUGS  FOR 
MOTHS  TO  RUIN.  PLACE  THEM 
IN  OUR  DRY  AIR  COLD  STOR- 
AGE VAULT.  THE  CHARGES 
ARE  REASONABLE. 

THE 

GREENWICH  TRUST 

COMPANY 


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 
tn    all   locations. 

Would  be  pleased  to  have  you  call  or  write. 


Tel.  456 


Laurence  Timmons 

Opp.  Depot       Greenwich,  Conn 


The  Best  Scientific  Work  is  Done  in  the 
Small  Laboratory  with  Local  Support 

(From  an  Editorial  in  "The  Popular  Science  Monthly.") 

"The  most  desirable  institutions  for  scientific  work  would  prob- 
ably be  comparatively  small  laboratories  conducted  by  the  scien- 
tific men  who  work  in  them It  would  be 

well  if  such  institutions  were  endowed  by  the  rich,  still  better  if 
they  were  supported  by  a  state  or  community." 


IMO04O 


3EIO< 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. 


1 


THE  STAMFORD  LUMBER  CO. 

LUMBER 

Sash,  Doors,  Blinds  and  Window-Frames 

WHOLESALE  AND   RETAIL 
OFFICE   AND   YARD,    297    PACIFIC   STREET. 
STAMFORD.  CONN. 


FASHIONS  OF  TO-DAY 


■8 


'5>  ■£  Jh 


'O 


s 


CM 


™  CD 


CO 

z 

UJ 


—   o 

C    (A 

i_   i- 

o  c 

~-   u 

c 
o 

c 
M 


n 


9492   Gi'r/'j  Pajamas,   6  ic   14  years.     Price   15   cents. 

One-piece  pajamas  have  come  to  be  favorite  sleeping 
garments.  These  are  thoroughly  comfortable  and  satis- 
factory to  wear  while  also  they  are  new  and  fashionable. 
They  are  so  simple  that  they  require  no  special  skill  or 
ability  for  the  making  and  the  older  girls  will  be  glad  of 
that  fact  for  they  can  run  them  up  in  a  short  space  of 
time.  Crepe  de  chine  and  handkerchief  lawn  arc  favorite 
materials,  fine  batiste  and  nainsook  always  are  charming 
and  just  now  underwear  is  being  made  of  fine  cotton 
voile.  The  body  portion  and  trousers  are  cut  together, 
as  indicated  in  the  back  view,  and  you  can  leave  the 
trousers  open  or  gather  into  bands  and  finish  them  with 
frilh.  Here,  stitched  edges  make  the  finish  but,  if  you 
like  ?  daintier  effect,  you  could  scallop  the  collar,  the 
sleeves  and  the  upper  edges  of  the  pockets — perhaps  the 
belt   also. 

For  the  10-year  size  will  be  needed  5  3-8  yards  of  ma- 
terial  27  inches  wide,   S   yards   36. 

The  pattern  No.  9492  is  cut  in  sizes  from  6  to  14  years. 
It  will  be  mailed  to  any  address  by  the  Fashion  Depart- 
ment  of   this  magazine   on    receipt   of   fifteen    cents. 


Try 


for 

That  Autumn  Suit 

Cleaning,  Repairing  and  Pressing  a 
Specialty 

Best  Hat  Values  Obtainable  in  the 
Celebrated  C  &  K 

Line  of  Derby  and  Soft  Hats 

Fine   Line   of   Shirts,   Ties,   Collars, 

Cuffs,  Gloves,  etc. 


196  Atlantic  St. 


Stamford 


Connecticut 


BORG  BROTHERS 

Chemical   and   Analytical   Laboratories 

for  Special  Research  Work 

539  MAIN  ST. 

STAMFORD        :-:        CONNECTICUT 


Telephone,  270 
271 


Uptown  Office:  STARK  BROS. 

40    PARK    ROW 


GHAS.  F.  WATERBURY 
David    Waterbury     &    Son 

COAL  DRAIN  PIPE  WOOD 

Crushed  Stone  for  Walks  and  Drives 

YARDS:     Canal  Dock,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 


A  Local  Department. 


Pure   Water  from  Nature's  Well. 

Far  away  from  the  maddening 
crowds  of  the  city,  far  from  its  dust 
and  smoke,  to  a  field  of  daisies,  by  the 
tall  deciduous  trees  in  close  association 
with  beautiful  evergreens,  is  a  bub- 
bling spring  of  superlatively  pure 
water.  The  Indians  knew  it  and  came 
from  afar  to  drink  of  it  and  had  many 
names  to  describe  the  excellence  of 
that  water.  Then  came  the  early  white 
settlers  and  spoke  to  their  grandchil- 
dren and  great-grandchildren  of  the 
beauties  of  their  wells,  but  it  was  us- 
ually admitted  that  it  was  not  fair 
thus  to  compare  the  Indians'  famous 
spring.       Uncle    Jeremiah     was     once 


known  to  remark,  "I  bet  not  one  of  us 
has  a  well  that  quite  comes  up  to  that 
old  Indian  spring.  It  is  just  the  clear- 
est and  purest  of  any  water  on  earth-" 
Uncle  Dan  admitted  that  he  stopped 
there  on  his  way  home  from  town  to 
fill  his  jug,  for  it  was  better  than  any 
that  he  could  get  in  town  or  on  his 
farm.  Uncle  Josiah  said,  "Tell  that 
boy  of  mine  to  hitch  up  the  old  nag 
twice  a  day,  in  the  morning  and  in  the 
afternoon,  and  go  down  and  fill  all  the 
jugs  with  that  water  known  all  over 
Fairfield   County." 

Then  came  the  modern  business  man 
and  saw  that  with  the  combined  com- 
munities of  Stamford,  Greenwich  and 


THE  HOME  OF  PURE  WATER. 


RAN  A  GRUMP  SAYS 


VII 


Burdett-McGillvray  Company 


STAMFORD 


ADVOCATE  BUILDING 

:  :  :  :  CONNECTICUT. 


Phone  268 

STAMFORD'S  PROGRESSIVE  DRY  GOODS  STORE 

Pictorial  Review  Patterns.  Our  Business  is  Increasing  Every  Day 

We  Show  the  New  Goods  First.         Popular  Prices. 

Dependable  Goods. 


the  neighboring  towns  here  was  a  hu- 
man need  supplied,  and  with  liberal 
checks  on  his  bank  he  did  his  part  by 
establishing  a  well  fitted  bottling  works 
for  the  pure  water. 

A  name,  a  name,  who  will  give  it  a 
name  that  will  make  it  famous  over  all 
the  world,  especially  in  the  old  state 
of  Connecticut?  "Varuna"  was  the 
Indian's  word  for  laughing  or  spark- 
ling. So  came  the  name  Varuna  and 
as  Varuna  the  water  is  known  to  this 
day.  Clear,  sparkling,  bottled  water, 
pure  water  bottled  in  pure  air. 

With  spices  and  extracts,  the  best 
that  man  can  procure,  all  sorts  of  ap- 
petizing drinks  are  made.  A  name,  a 
name  for  our  best  product  of  this  kind. 


'  Polo  Club  "  was  suggested,  so  Polo 
Club  and  Varuna  are  the  distinctive 
words  that  suggest  delicious  flavors 
added  to  the  clear,  undiluted  Varuna, 
or  mingled  with  such  delightful  ex 
tracts  as  ginger,  sarsaparilla,  lemon 
soda,  birch  beer,  root  beer  and  others 
to  delight  the  palate  and  quench  the 
thirst  on  a  warm  day. 

Long  may  Varuna  flow  and  supply 
the  households  of  Stamford^  Green- 
wich  and   vicinity. 


Far  the  Better  Half. 

Smith — "How's    everything   at   your 
house?" 

Brown— "Oh.  she's  all  right  .'"—Life. 


-=7-5* 


A  VIEW  OF  VARUNA  DELIGHTFUL  DRINKS. 


VIII 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 


ATLANTIC  SQUARE 

PREPARE- 


Established  49  Years 

:  :  :  :  STAMFORD,  CONN. 

-FOR— FALL— NEEDS— EARLY. 


Reports  all  indicate  that  many  lines  of  merchandise  will  be  difficult  to  secure  on  reorders.  We  offer 
at  this  time  the  largest  stock  of  merchandise  we  have  ever  carried,  in  the  largest  variety  and  most  careful 
selection. 

We   have   foreseen   the  conditions  and   planned   accordingly. 

We  are  therefore  in  a  position  to  ask  you  to  consider  early  selection  at  this  store  as  an  advantage  not 
to  be  overlooked. 

CARPETS— RUGS— LINOLEUM— DRAPERIES— AND— HOUSEHOLD— LINES      WILL      BE      FOUND 

OF  SPECIAL  INTEREST. 
DELIVERIES— IN— SOUND— BEACH— EVERY— AFTERNOON. 


THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 


ATLANTIC  SQUARE 


STAMFORD,  CONN. 


Established    1853 

THEQETMAN&JUDD  CO. 

Lumber  and  Timber  of  all  Kinds 

SPECIALTY:  High-Qrade  HARDWOOD  FLOORING 

thoroughly  Kiln  Dried  and  stored  in  Steam  heated  build- 
ing until  delivered  to  our  customers.  Our  steadily  in- 
creasing trade  in  this  specialty  proves  the  fact  that 
the  country  home  is  not  complete  until  fitted  out  with 
this  beautiful  and  sanitary  furnishing.  Old  residences 
may  be  greatly  improved  by  laying  thin  floors  over  the 
old   ones. 

CANAL  DOCKS,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 
Telephone  2180. 


Homes  Near  to  Nature 

Should  be  so  constructed  as  to  give  lasting  satisfaction. 
Our  method  of  manufacturing  dependable  Interior  and 
Exterior  house  trim  from  thoroughly  kiln  dried  material 
by  skilled  mechanics  insures  such  satisfaction. 

THE  5T.  JOHN  WOOD  WORKING  CO. 

Canal  Docks,  Stamford    Conn. 

Telephone    781 

DIRECTORS 
WALTON     FERGUSON,     Pres.         W.  W.  HEROY, 

W.  D.  DASKAM,  Vice  Pres  Dr.  F.  H.  GETM  AN 

W.   H.  JUDD,  Sec.   and  Treas.  F.  W.  BOGARDUS. 

J.  G.  WIGG,  General  Manager. 


The  LOCKWOOD  &  PALMER  Co. 


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SOUND  BEACH 


97 


SOUND  BEACH 


It  is  a  Sound  Beach,  thoroughly  sound 
in  every  particular  needed  to  make  an 
ideal  community.  Its  soundness  is 
generally  recognized,  not  only  because 
it  is  located  on  the  beautiful  Long  Is- 
land Sound  with  a  wide  expanse  of  at- 
tractive beach,  but  it  is  sound  in  its 
community  spirit ;  sound  in  its  high 
class  hotels ;  sound  in  one  of  the  best 
boarding  houses  to  be  found  anywhere 
along  the  coast ;  sound  in  its  efficient 
and  spiritual  churches ;  sound  in  the 
good  scholarship  and  the  pedagogy  of 
its  schools ;  sound  in  the  possession  of 
one  of  the  best  fire  companies  in  the 
United  States  for  a  community  of  its 
size  or  even  for  one  much  larger  ;  sound 
in  its  various  supply  houses,  stores, 
new  post  office  building ;  sound  in  its 
equipment  for  sending  sounds  to  every 
resident  in  a  new  and  thoroughly 
equipped  telephone  exchange  opened 
in  May,  1917. 

Sound  Beach  is  sound  in  the  sound- 
ness that  accompanies  ideal  golf  links, 
a  clubhouse,  automobile  facilities,  spa- 
cious grounds,  picturesque  scenery,  en- 
ticing ravines,  yes,  even  an  artistic  ra- 
vine in  a  golf  course.  Who  ever  heard 
of  such  a  thing?  But  here  it  is,  not  onlv 
one  of  the  natural  obstacles  but  one  of 
the  natural  invitations.  Here  the  busi- 
ness man  of  New  York  City  finds  the 
quiet  and  the  beauty  in  sharp  contrast 
to  the  turmoil  of  Broadway  and  Wall 
Street.  N,o  longer  the  clang  of  cars 
and  other  discordant  noises,  but  the 
hills,  the  lakes  and  the  fields,  the  song 
of  the  wood  thrush  among  the  trees, 
and  the  call  of  good  cheer  from  his 
jovial  comrades. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  elsewhere 
in  the  state  of  Connecticut,  or  perhaps 
in  any  other  rural  community,  so  much 
of  wild  and  primitive  country,  so  many 
picturesque  roads  and  such  scenery  as, 
for  example,  is  exemplified  in  its 
unique  Laddin's  Rock  Farm.  Where 
in  all  the  world  can  one  find  so  magni- 
ficent an  estate  so  unselfishly  and  cor- 
dially— yes,  beautifully — devoted  to  the 
services  of  the  public  as  this  property 
of  Mr.  William  L.  Marks?  A  stranger 
would  find  it  difficult  to  realize  it  to 
be  a  private  estate  ;  it  would  tax  his 


credulity  if  asked  to  believe  that  the 
place  is — not  under  community  owner- 
ship. 

Sound  in  that  unique  institution,  Ar- 
cAdiA,  which  is  willing  not  only  to  take 
everybody  to  the  beach  and  to  tell  them 
of  the  interests  available  there,  but  to 
ground  them  and  help  them  in  their 
knowledge  of  every  other  phase  off 
nature. 

The  world  may  well  be  challenged* 
to  show  an  institution  equivalent  to< 
that  of  ArcAdiA  in  its  wild  and  pictur- 
esque scenery,  extending  to  the  finest 
concrete  road  in  the  region,  and  to  the 
railroad  station  and  trolley  line.  Here 
is  a  beautiful  grove  well  equipped  in  its 
Little  Japan  for  use  of  church  or  school. 
Here  are  trees  eleven  feet  in  circum- 
ference. Here  are  more  than  five  hun- 
dred white  birches  growing  as  we  ex- 
pect to  find  them  growing  far  from 
thickly  settled  centers.  Here  are  huc- 
kleberry bushes  that  are  really  high, 
for  they  tower  upward  for  twelve  feet, 
densely  laden  with  their  bloom,  rnd  a 
few  weeks  later  with  the  lucious  ber- 
ries. Here  grow  the  shy  cardinal' 
flower  and  the  dainty  lance-leaved  vio- 
let, not  the  ordinary  white  violet 
found  elsewhere,  but  the  rare  and 
dainty  kind  that  covers  the  ground 
with  a  rich  carpet  of  green  leaves  and' 
white  blossoms. 

And  last  but  not  least  sound  in  The- 
Sound  Beach  Association,  an  ideal  lo- 
cal organization  for  keeping  the  ideals 
of  community  life  at  the  highest  stand- 
point  and  for  putting  those  ideals  into 
practice. 

In  every  direction  away  from  the 
Sound  are  lots  awaiting  the  builder. 
Let  us  sound  the  keynote  to  the  people 
everywhere,  and  invite  them  to  Sound 
Beach.  Here  the  most  beautiful  build- 
ing sites  have  been  utilized  to  best  pos- 
sible advantage  by  skilled  architects, 
carpenters,  plumbers  and  painters.  The 
new  residences  are  adapted  to  every 
grade  of  pocketbook  and  size  of  family, 
and  make  this  an  ideal  place  of  resi- 
dence, one  in  which  it  is  easy  to  secure 
and  establish  a  thoroughly  modern 
home.  Few-  country  communities  have 
better  railroad  facilities.     Sound  Beach 


98 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


offers  ideal  conveniences  not  only  for 
the  one  whose  interests  center  in  it, 
but  for  those  with  business  in  the  Great 
Metropolis. 

Sound    Beach    on    Long    Island    Sound 
My   summer   home    shall   be; 

Or,    better   far,    all    the    year   around, 
And   that   sounds   good   to   me. 

Sound  Beach  is  sound  in  being  in  the 
heyday  of  its  community  life  It  has 
passed  the  primitive,  rudimentary 
stage.  It  has  not  yet  become  decayed 
or  fossilized.  It  stands  for  191 7,  with 
rich  memories  of  the  past  and  tremen- 
dous possibilities  for  the  future.  It  is 
■estimated  that  there  are  more  than 
three  hundred  acres  of  well  located  ter- 
ritory in  which  one  may  discern  the 
seed  of  future  building  lots  and  happy 
homes.  Sound  Beach  is  not  only  grow- 
ing but  has  tremendous  possibilities  of 
growth 

Yes,  Sound  Beach  is  sound  in  what 
it  proclaims  itself  to  be — a  community 
of  homes,  of  genial  residents — and  to 
this  Elysian  abode  of  earnest,  happy 
workers,  we  extend  both  hands  in  cor- 
-dial  welcome.  Come  ;  know  and  love 
Sound  Beach,  as  we  who  live  here  have 
known  and  loved  it  for  many  years. 


Ice  Cream  Easily  Carried. 

More  and  more  the  Sound  Beach 
people  and  those  in  the  remote  parts  of 
Stamford  are  learning  that  ice  cream 
can  be  carried  in  a  small  hand  package 
on  account  of  the  excellent  method  of 
packing  and  the  firmness  of  the  cream 
obtained  at  Embree's  Drug  Store, 
Stamford.  This  cream  is  the  famous 
"Harris  Hart"  make  and  is  of  supe- 
rior quality.  Mr.  Embree  is  having  an 
enormous  and  rapidly  increasing  busi- 
ness in  handling  this  cream. 


If  thou  art  worn  and  hard  beset 

With   sorrows  that  thou  would'st  for- 

prpt 

If  thou  would'st  learn  a  lesson  that  will 

keep 
Thy  heart  from   fainting  and  thy   soul 

from  sleep. 
Go  to  the  woods  and  hills  ; — No  tears 
Dim  the  sweet  look  that  Nature  wears. 

-Longfellow. 


.The  Old  and  the  New  in  Dentistry.. 

It  is  forty  years  ago  and  more  since 
I  had  a  tooth  extracted.  That  dread- 
ful event  dates  back  to  the  awful  days 
of  the  old-time  dentistry.  In  my  vi- 
cinity a  German  barber  practised  den- 
tistry as  a  side  issue.  In  the  early 
days  a  barber  combined  hair  cutting 
with  the  practice  of  surgery  and  den- 
tistry, and  even  in  the  more  recent 
days  of  my  boyhood  the  combination 
had  yet  not  entirely  disappeared. 

As  a  boy  I  looked  upon  a  dentist  as 
a  fiendish  ogre.  I  knew  that  some- 
where in  the  back  room  he  had  a  pile 
of  forceps  and  turnkeys,  cruel  instru- 
ments for  lifting  out  teeth,  with  many 
other  surgical  instruments,  some  of 
them,  at  least  in  my  imagination,  ap- 
proaching in  size  the  tongs  used  by  my 
acquaintance,  the  blacksmith.  I  had 
seen  the  blacksmith's  muscular  arm 
grasp  his  huge  tongs  and  pull  the 
glowing  iron  from  the  forge  and 
pound  it  so  that  I  and  the  other  chil- 
dren fled  from  the  shop  in  dismay  as 
the  fiery  sparks  flew  in  every  direction. 
I  held  that  blacksmith,  who  frequently 
chased  me  from  the  shop,  in  the  fas- 
cination that  comes  from  terror  and 
awe. 

The  German  dentist  kept  his  sleeves 
rolled  up  and  he  had  a  similarly  mus- 
cular arm  ;  if  anything  it  was  a  little 
more  gigantic  and  apparently  more  ef- 
fective of  results.  I  felt  through  the 
law  of  association  that  this  huge 
"Fritz,"  when  he  nulled  a  tooth,  would 
grasp  the  tongs  from  his  prolific  heap 
and  that  the  sparks  would  fly  when  the 
molar  left  it-  socket.  That  tooth  in 
my  imagination  was  about  the  size  of 
a  stump  in  the  pasture  lot.  I  knew 
that  when  the  awful  event  should  take 
place  everybody  would  run  as  I  had 
run  from  the  flying  sparks.  But  let 
me  draw  the  curtain  over  the  awful 
scene  which  now  shifts,  after  four  de- 
cades, to  a  modern  dentist's  office. 

It  is  a  long,  long  way  from  my  boy- 
hood on  the  farm  to  the  modern  den- 
tist's city  office,  but  the  associations 
of  the  past  cluster  about  the  city- When 
1  called  on  the  genial  dentist  and  found 
him  attired  in  his  white  suit,  T  could 
only  think  of  "Fritz,"  and  when  he 
said,  "Excuse  me  for  a  moment,"  and 
disappeared  into  the  rear  room  I  knew 
he    had      gone     for     the     blacksmith's 


A  LOCAL  DEPARTMENT 


99 


tongs.  I  was  in  no  haste,  except  to 
get  away,  and  when  in  came  a  woman 
with  an  agonizing  toothache,  and  the 
dentist  said,  "Yon  can  wait  a  little 
longer,  can  yon  not?"  I  acquiesced, 
expecting  every  minute  to  hear  shrieks 
from  the  victim  in  the  chair.  As  I 
waited,  I  heard  the  woman  and  the 
dentist  talking  cheerfully  as  if  she  had 
come  for  a  social  meeting.  He  even 
told  a  funny  story  and  she  laughed.  I 
supposed  he  had  told  that  story  a 
thousand  times  preliminary  to  getting 
in  his  deadly  work.  He  knew  I  was 
sitting  only  a  few  feet  distant  and 
waiting  for  those  tongs,  but  he  fussed 
around  with  a  hottle  as  if  he  were  per- 
fuming her  mouth  and  then  disappear- 
ed in  the  back  room  to  return  in  a  few 
minutes  with  a  hypodermic  syringe. 
While  I  was  expecting  the  shrieks  the 
victim  said,  "Thank  you,  doctor,  verv 
much  :  I  did  not  know  you  had  taken 
it  out." 

No.  I  did  not  faint.  I  was  anxious 
to  escape  the  funny  story  and  said, 
"Doctor,  if  you  can  extract  this  big 
tooth  without  pain  to  me,  you  shall 
h?ve  the  finest  notice  you  have  ever 
had.  You  cannot  make  me  believe 
the"  vou  removed  that  woman's  toot1"* 
without  nain  to  her.  She  kn°w  T  ^-as 
here.  She  kept  silent  to  show  her 
bravery." 

In  the  meanwhile  the  doctor  had 
brought  out  that  bottle.  He  said  that 
it  did  not  contain  cocaine  but  some- 
thing better.  I  knew  that  somewhere 
in  his  coat  he  had  the  tongs.  He 
started  in  to  say,  "Did  I  ever  tell  vou 

about '  and  T  knew  this  was  to  lie 

the  old  story  and  tried  to  head  him 
off,  but  he  continued,  "Did  I  ever  tel1 
yon  about  that  new  local  anaesthetic 
made  from  a  coal  tar  product?"  "No." 
I  said,  "you  didn't."  "Did  I  under- 
stand vou,"  he  said,  "to  tell  me  that 
if  I  extracted  your  tooth  so  yon  would 
not  feel  it  vou  would  write  me  a  good 
notice?"  "Yes."  I  said-  "You  may 
call  yourself  a  painless  dentist  but  vou 
cannot  work  on  my  imagination  to 
that  extent;  you  cannot  hypnotize  me 
into  thinking  that  something  is  that  is 
noy  pivl  something  is  not  that  is-" 
"Well."  be  said  presentlv,  "I  will  try 
to  deserve  that  notice.  You  may  now 
go  home  and  write  it."  "Oh."  I  said, 
"take  out  that  tooth.     You  are  eettine 


to  the  end  of  my  patience  with  your 
nonsense.  Take  it  out."  "There  it  is," 
he  said.  "Carry  it  home,  and  look  at  it 
as  you  write  that  notice."  And  it  was 
even  so.  The  tooth  was  out.  He  said 
he  would.  I  said  I  would.  He  did  his 
part.  I  have  done  mine.  His  name  is 
Dr.  W.  H.  Pomeroy,  of  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  and  I  am  so  delighted 
that  I  could  sing  a  song,  "It's  a  long, 
long  wray,  not  from  Tipperary,  but 
from  the  rotund  ogre,  Fritz,  to  the 
genial  and  painless  Dr.   Pomeroy." 


An    Expensive    Fishing    Trip. 

An  ardent  fisherman  was  President 
Cleveland,  and  a  writer  in  the  New 
York  Sun  says  of  him  that  he  enjoyed 
angling  for  the  fish  that  would  not  bite 
quite  as  much  as  he  did  for  those  that 
would.  While  fishing  one  day,  dressed 
in  oil-skins  and  a  slouch  hat,  he  was 
addressed  by  an  angler  garbed  in  the 
height  of  piscatorial  fashion  with: 

Hello,  boatman!.  You've  certainly 
got  a  good  catch.  What  will  you  take 
for  the  fish?" 

"I'm  not  selling  them,"  replied  the 
man  in  oil-skins. 

"Well,"  continued  the  persistent  ang- 
ler, "what  do  you  want  to  take  me  out 
fishing  to-morrow?" 

Mr.  Cleveland,  who  was  plainly  en- 
joying the  joke,  replied.  "I  can't  make 
any  engagement  except  by  the  season. 
Will  you  give  me  as  much  as  I  made 
last  year?" 

"You're  a  sharp  fellow,"  replied  the 
angler,  "but  a  good  fisherman,  and  I'll 
accept  your  terms.  What  did  you  make 
last  year?" 

"Oh,"  replied  Mr.  Cleveland,  "about 
a  thousand  dollars  a  week !  I  was 
President  of  the  United  States." — 
Youth's    Companion. 


The  best  thing  is  to  go  from  Nature's 
God  down  to  Nature ;  and  if  yon  once 
get  to  Nature's  God  and  believe  Him, 
and  love  Him,  it  is  surprising  how  easy 
it  is  to  hear  music  in  the  waves,  and 
songs  in  the  wild  whisperings  of  the 
winds  ;  to  see  God  everywhere  in  the 
stones,  in  the  rocks,  in  the  rippling 
brooks,  and  hear  Him  even-where.— 
C.  H.  Spurgeon. 


IOO 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Our  Salamander  from  Glenbrook. 

On  page  389  of  our  magazine  for 
May,  we  published  an  announcement 
of  a  rare  salamander  obtained  by  Mr- 
Halbert  Phillips  through  the  boys' 
Glenbrook  Chapter  of  The  Agassiz  As- 
sociation. This  salamander  has  at- 
tracted much  attention  at  Arc  VdiA. 
At  present  it  is  in  good  condition. 


OUR    GLENBROOK     SALAMANDER. 

We  are  indebted  to  "Aquatic  Life" 
of  Philadelphia,  and  to  Dr.  R.  W.  Shu- 
feldt  of  Washington,  for  our  illustra- 
tion of  the  spotted  salamander.  These 
reptiles  seem  to  be  almost  unknown  to 
the  majority  of  people,  or  when  seen 
they  are  called  lizards,  but  there  are  no 
lizards  in  this  vicinity.  I  am  wonder- 
ing why  this  is  so.  Salamanders  are 
far  more  famous  than  lizards,  but  a 
salamander  on  sight  is  called  a  lizard. 
This  is  an  interesting  question,  because 
in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred 
the  person  speaking  never  saw  a  lizard. 


In  bringing  this  particular  specimen 
on  the  trolley  car  from  Stamford,  it 
was  shown  to  a  few  people  who  all 
shuddered  as  if  it  were  something  fear- 
some, although  there  is  not  a  single  dis- 
agreeable thing  about  the  little  crea- 
ture. Why  is  it  that  all  down  the  ages 
there  have  been  so  many  erroneous 
notions  as  to  such  an  inoffensive  form 
of  animal  life? 

"Aquatic  Life"  from  whom  we  bor- 
rowed the  cut  says  : 

"In  Europe  during  mediaeval  times 
the  salamanders  bore  an  undeserved 
sinister  reputation.  Many  strange 
powers  were  ascribed  to  the  inoffensive 
little  animals.  One  of  the  old  writers 
advises  anyone  bitten  by  a  salamander 
to  betake  himself  to  the  'coffin  and 
winding-sheet,'  and  adds  that  the  vic- 
tim needs  as  many  doctors  as  the  sala- 
mander has  spots !  This  creature  was 
also  thought  to  be  able  to  withstand 
fire.  Aristotle  mentions  this  myth  on 
hearsay,  but  Pliny  actually  tried  the 
experiment  and  put  a  salamander  into 
a  fire.  He  remarks  with  evident  sur- 
prise that  it  was  burnt  to  a  powder! 
Even  in  our  enlightened  country  the 
salamander  is  thought  poisonous  by 
the  illiterate-  It  seems  needless  to  add 
that  all  our  eastern  species  are  entirely 
harmless.  Only  one  makes  any  at- 
tempt at  self  defense.  The  Purple 
Salamander,  says  Cope,  snaps  fiercely 
but  harmlessly  and  throws  its  body 
into  contortions  in  terror." 

Penvenuto  Cellini  (in  his  fascinating 
autobiography)  tells  in  detail  of  an  ex- 
perience with  a  salamander  in  the  fire. 


A  back  translation  of  a  work  on 
natural  history — English  into  German 
and  then  German  into  English — -is 
responsible  for  the  statement  that  cer- 
tain birds  "feed  upon  eggs  which  the 
fishermen  lay."  The  original  had  it 
"water  boatmen."  The  author  is  said 
to  have  been  aroused  by  the  tread  of 
roiiie  large  animal,  leaped  from  his  bed 
nnd  taken  down  his  "back  shutters." 
It  was  his  "breechloaders  !" 


You  should  love  your  neighbor  as  yourself. 
And  nature  is  your  neighbor: 

Spontaneous  must  the  feeling  be, 
And  not  akin  to  labor! 

— Emma    Peirce. 


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 


ume 


X 


SEPTEMBER,    1917 


Number  4 


Harmony  of  the  Wild  with  the  Formal. 
Most  of  us  love  either  the  wild  or  the 
formal  but  the  qualities  developed  in 
each  appeal  to  extremes  of  our  nature. 
The  evolutionist  tells  us  that  we  like 
the    wild    because    that    affection    is    a 


remnant  of  primitive  man.  The  love 
of  the  untamed,  tangled  thicket,  the 
picturesque  rock  and  the  yawning  ra- 
vine "harks  back"  to  our  remote  an- 
cestors who  lived  amid  these  objects 
and  scenes  and  the  recollections  remains 


VV-.7; 


^V**ftf 


A   HARMONIZING   TOUCH    OF   THE   ARTIFICIAL   IN    THE   WILD. 


Copyright    1917   by   The   Agassiz   Association,    ArcAdiA:    Sound   Beach,   Conn. 


102 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


STONE   STEPS   LEAD  ENTICINGLY   AWAY  AND  AWAY   IN    A   MAZE  OF    BEAUTY. 


indelibly  impressed  on  our  own  nerve 
cells  and  on  the  corpuscles  of  our  red 
blood.  When  we  plant  our  modern 
shoe  in  the  print  of  the  moccasin,  some 
of  the  Indian's  love  for  the  out  of 
doors  would  make  our  brain  tingle  if 
we  did  not  resist  it,  suppress  it  and 
stay  in  the  house  behind  closed  doors. 
The  modicum  of  primitive  man  in  us 
is  calling,  but  we  deliberately  shut  him 
out. 

On  the  other  hand  the  modern  land- 
scape gardener  tells  us  that  the  formal 
garden  appeals  to  our  appreciation  of 
regularity,  neatness  and  symmetrical 
beauty.  The  two  seem  to  have  few 
points  in  common,  yet  we  must  not  for- 
get that  all  parts  of  the  earth  have  their 
antipodes,  and  the  more  completely 
our  natures  become  developed  in  a 
love  for  the  finest  aesthetics  the  more 
nearly  do  we  approach  the  glory  of  the 
full-blown  rose  and  the  delicate  per- 
fection of  the  original,  primitive  wild 
rose  from  which  its  modern  successor 
has  been  developed-  We  often  exper- 
ience the  homesickness  of  the  stranger 
in  a  strange  land.  We  feel  that  the 
human  rose  has  traveled  far  from  these 


tangled  ravines  and  picturesque  preci- 
pices amid  which  it  had  its  original 
home.  That  spirit  that  impels  a  family 
to  abandon  a  palatial  home  in  the  city 
and  remove  to  the  recesses  of  a  wild 
country  is  similar  to  the  spirit  that  im- 
pels one  psychologically,  I  think,  to 
crave  relief  from  the  distinctively  for- 
mal with  a  return  to  the  wild  and  the 
picturesque.  But  when  we  go  to  that 
primitive  wildness  only,  we  feel  that 
we  are  not  doing  justice  to  the  modern 
man.  I  know  a  beautiful  estate  where 
a  compromise  has  been  attempted  by 
having  on  one  side  of  the  house  a  pri- 
mitive wildne-s  and  on  the  other  side 
intense  artificiality  and  formality.  But 
that  does  not  wholly  solve  the  problem. 
The  sudden  transition  is  incongruous. 
It  is  a  shock.  The  primitive  settlers 
of  America  may  have  been  content  to 
follow  a  sip  of  tea  by  a  nibble  of  hard 
sugar,  but  modern  civilization  says, 
"No,"  to  such  primitive  methods.  We 
prefer  a  proper  blending.  But  I  know 
another  equally  beautiful  estate  in 
which  the  wild  and  the  cultivated,  the 
formal  and  the  irregular,  have  been 
mingled     in      a      delightful     blending. 


HARMONY  OF  THE  WILD  AND  THE  FORMAL 


103 


There  is  no  psychological  incongruity, 

no  shock  to  one's  nerves. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  in  the 
midst  of  a  well  kept  lawn  a  heap  of 
stones  crowned  by  a  flower  bed.  One 
man  in  Sound  Beach  has  been  wise 
enough  to  take  a  natural  ledge  of  rock 
and  to  surround  the  summit  with  a 
fringe  of  stone,  and  has  there  placed 
a  diadem  of  flowers.  The  arrangement 
appeals  to  the  spectator  as  a  novelty 
but,  beautiful  as  it  is.  praiseworthy  as 
is  the  intention,  the  result  is  not  wholly 
satisfactory.  One  may  study  a  pile  of 
stone  in  the  center  of  a  well  kept  lawn 
and,  as  he  ponders,  the  more  he  will  be 
disposed  to  inquire,  "Why  not  cart 
away  these  stones  and  make  the  place 
all  lawn?"  When  he  sees  a  garden  on 
the  top  of  a  ledge,  he  feels  that 
it  is  about  as  much  out  of  place  as  a 
dead  bird  sewed  on  a  woman's  hat. 
Gardens  do  not  grow  on  ledges,  and 
birds  do  not  naturally  roost  on  milli- 
nery. The  greater  the  departure  from 
the  natural  and  from  the  eternal  fit- 
ness of  things,  the  greater  is  the  men- 
tal shock. 

With    these    thoughts    in    mind,    the 


editor  roamed  about  the  delightful 
premises  of  Luke  Vincent  Lockwood 
at  Riverside,  Connecticut.  Here  are 
bits  of  the  formal  interspersed  amid  the 
primitive  wildness  of  ledges,  pools, 
brooks,  lakes,  with  even  that  wildest 
of  all  wild  plants,  our  Connecticut  state 
flower,  the  mountain  laurel,  the  Kalmia 
latifolia.  The  place  looks  right.  It  is 
pleasing.  It  gives  one  a  feeling  of  hap- 
piness, even  the  naturalist  accustomed 
to  the  exploration  of  the  wild  and  to 
the  finding  of  Kalmia  in  the  sanctum 
sanctorum  of  nature.  Here  its  delight- 
ful little  white  umbrellas,  cups,  sau- 
cers, as  the  children  call  them,  add  a 
pleasing  touch  of  perfection  and  of  con- 
trast to  this  rock  garden. 

Here  is  no  graded  walk  nor  walk  of 
cinders  nor  of  comminuted  bluestone 
flagging.  The  path  is  suggestive  of 
that  that  every  country  boy  knows 
when  he  goes  barefoot  on  a  frosty 
morning  into  the  pasture  and  steps 
along  from  stone  to  stone.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  the  owner,  as  well  as  the 
landscape  architect  who  helped  him, 
appreciates  the  beauty  of  a  stone  pas- 
ture.      Its    beauty    can    be    developed 


.4     lit    -        1     ■    ■  *■         -S        '  ;     '  -       ••*  -  "        ■■*.  —-*     ■  -"'  -  7 


rV    '<£.:..  «4£t -V*'  *;■  V'2   -' 


LOVELY   LINES  OF  LAUREL   LIXOER   BY   THE   LANE. 


104 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


THE  HOME  OF   LUKE  VINCENT   LOCKWOOD,   RIVERSIDE,   CONNECTICUT. 


artificially  only  through  unusual  skill, 
the  attempt  to  duplicate  artificially 
such  a  natural  thing  is  almost  impious. 
Mr.  Shedd  of  Greenwich,  skillful 
writer  of  aphorisms,  several  years  ago 
wrote  this  suggestive  sentence,  "If  you 
can't  have  a  tiger,  get  a  cat."  Another 
of  the  editor's  friends  says,  "If  you 
can't  have  a  lake  and  waterfowl,  get  a 
frog  pond  and  a  goose"  A  valuable 
principle  is  enshrined  within  these 
aphorisms.  I  would  not  envy  a  man 
with  a  big  lake  and  many  waterfowl  if 
I  had  a  frog  pond  and  one  goose,  but 
there  is  a  more  satisfactory  middle 
ground  that  Mr.  Lockwood  appears  to 
have  discovered  unaided.  He  has  taken 
a  small  brook  and  developed  not  a 
creek  but  an  interesting  ravine  that  of- 
fers all  the  brook's  value  from  the  artis- 
tic, aesthetic  and  soul  satisfying  point 
of  view.  The  lake  is  not  large,  but  its 
landscape  value  gives  it  the  effect  of 
size.  He  has  skilfully  developed  and 
widened  the  little  brook  into  a  pictur- 
esque, embroidered  pool  of  rather  ela- 
borate dimensions,  fern     embroidered. 


flower  sprinkled,  satisfying.  A  charm- 
ing effect  has  been  secured  by  a  clear 
space  kept  as  a  perfect  lawn,  yet  in 
close  proximity  to  a  natural  ravine  and 
a  fern  fringed,  mimic  precipice. 

The  accompanying  illustrations  show 
only  a  few  aspects  of  this  delightful 
rock  garden.  Mr.  Lockwood  is  to  be 
congratulated  upon  having  so  beauti- 
ful a  home  in  so  delightful  a  setting, 
where  the  primitive  wild  is  so  pleasing- 
ly blended  with  the  formality  of  the 
modern   gardener's  landscape. 


The  discussion  that  has  been  going 
on  in  "Science"  of  various  syncronized 
rythmic  actions  in  groups  of  the  lower 
animals  has  lately  brought  out  the  cu- 
rious habit  of  the  larvae  fall  web-worm- 
(Hyphantria  cunea).  Every  few  min- 
utes, the  caterpillars  start  swaying 
their  bodies  from  side  to  side  in  per- 
fect unison,  keep  it  up  for  a  minute  or 
so,  and  then  stop.  No  cause  yet  ap- 
pears. This  whole  field  offers  an  un- 
commonly good  chance  for  the  ama- 
teur observer. 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  WILD  FLOWERS 


105 


The  Passing  of  the  Wild  Flowers. 

BY    BESSIE    L.    PUTNAM,    CONNEAUT    LAKE, 
PENNSYLVANIA. 

While  scientists  are  lamenting  the 
total  extinction  of  the  passenger  pigeon 
and  other  birds,  and  are  foreseeing 
a  similar  fate  for  still  others  valuable 
to  man,  it  is  fitting  that  a  plea  be  made 
for  the  protection  of  the  wild  flowers. 
We  have  a  flora  rich  and  in  many  re- 
spects unique.  There  is  a  retiring  deli- 
cacy among  American  wild  flowers 
which  renders  them  at  once  attractive 
and,  at  the  same  time,  more  or  less  de- 
pendent upon  us  for  their  very  exis- 
tence. The  professional  root  digger 
has  decimated  plants  with  real  or  re- 
puted medicinal  value,  notably  the 
beautiful  bloodroot.  But  even  more 
disastrous  is  the  habit  of  picking  the 
flowers — just  for  amusement ! 

The  world  seems  to  be  plentifully 
supplied  with  inhabitants  that  are  not 
only  thoughtless  and  careless  but  un- 
utterably selfish.  Only  a  few  days  ago 
I  saw  two  immense  branches  of  dog- 
wood blossoms  adorning  the  front 
porch  of  one  of  the  finest  residences  in 
Meadville.  They  extended  from  the 
floor  to  the  top  of  the  door,  the  spoils 
of  an  automobile  raid  of  the  previous 
day.  Somewhere  was  left  a  badly  mu- 
tilated tree.  Why  did  the  vandals  leave 
any?  Why  not  take  all?  The  country 
people  are  beginning  to  complain  that 
automobile  riders  are  despoiling  their 
fruit  trees  for  the  sake  of  the  "beautiful 
bouquets,"  criminally  careless  of  the 
fact  that  for  each  blossom  destroyed  an 
apple  or  a  peach  may  be  taken  from  the 
year's  harvest.  The  people  thus  treat- 
ed are  beginning  to  mention  such 
words  as  powder  and  shot.  The  same 
words  should  justly  be  brought  to  the 
attention  of  those  selfish  and  careless 
automobile  riders,  as  well  as  others 
who  destroy  our  wild  flowers  for  their 
own  pleasure.  Every  season  brings 
with  it  great  bunches  of  trailing  arbu- 
tus to  the  city  markets  Children  are 
encouraged  to  gather  for  Decoration 
Day  memorials  thousands  of  trilliums, 
unconscious  of  the  fact  that  their  well 
meant  offerings  are  really  a  desecra- 
tion of  nature's  sanctuary.  Nothing 
but  death  is  left  for  the  root  thus  rob- 
bed of  its  foliage. 

Some  twenty  years  ago  a  woman 
who  had   always   lived   in    the   Middle 


West  visited  a  relative  in  the  East  and 
was  charmed  with  the  waxy  white  blos- 
soms of  Chimaphila  maculata,  then  in 
full  bloom.  "I'm  going  to  see  how 
many  blossoms  I  can  find,"  was  her  ex- 
clamation. Every  plant  which  met  her 
eye  was  gathered.  But — never  since 
then  have  those  woods  yielded  more 
than  the  merest  scattering  of  the  flow- 
ers she  "loved !"  One  man  in  Iowa  has 
a  preserve  of  half  an  acre  into  which 
he  has  gathered  the  species  indigenous 
to  that  region.  In  a  smaller  way,  there 
are  rockeries  in  the  home  garden  where 
some  of  the  native  plants  will  thrive. 
And  most  assiduously  should  we  ab- 
stain from  carelessly  uprooting  or  de- 
capitating treasures  which  nature  can- 
not readily  replace. 


The  Work  of  a  Tornado. 
The  tornado  which  in  May  of  this 
year  killed  more  than  a  hundred  per- 
sons in  Monroe  County,  Indiana,  left 
a  track  over  two  hundred  miles  in 
length  with  almost  forty  miles  of  com- 
plete devastation.  The  path  of  utter 
destruction  was  from  five  hundred  to 
seven  hundred  feet  in  width.  Outside 
this  were  two  zones  from  three  hun- 
dred to  five  hundred  feet  wide  where 
buildings  were  damaged  beyond  repair 
but  not  laid  flat.  Still  further  out 
buildings  lost  roofs  and  chimneys  and 
window  glass.  The  usual  counter- 
clockwise whirl  was  well  marked.  Ob- 
jects on  the  right  of  the  center  were 
carried  forward  and  inward,  those  on 
the  left,  backward  and  inward.  As 
usual  the  area  of  greatest  devastation 
was  at  the  right  of  the  storm  track, 
where  the  forward  movement  and  the 
whirl  combined  to  give  the  greatest 
wind  velocity.  The  blast  was  so  pow- 
erful that  it  twisted  off  huge  oak  and 
elm  trees  and  overturned  freight  cars 
loaded  with  brick. 


Gold  Thread. 

There  must  still  be  fairy  sewing-bees. 
For  we  find  their  golden  thread 

All  lying  about  in  sylvan  dells, 
When  fairy  feet  have  sped. 

And  gossamer  garments  must  they  be. 

With  caps  and  wings  and  things, 
All  fashioned  as  easily  as  dew  falls, 
Or  the  bird  in  the  tree-top  sings. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


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. 


The  Sea  Gulls  Save  the  Crops. 

No  event  in  Western  history  awak- 
ens more  interest  than  the  episode  of 
the  Crickets  and  the  Gulls.  It  occur- 
red in  1848,  when  Salt  Lake  City — the 
earliest  settlement  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains— was  less  than  one  year  old. 
The  so-called  "City"  was  not  even  a 
village  at  that  time  ;  it  was  little  more 
than  a  camp,  consisting  of  a  log-and- 
mud  fort,  enclosing  huts,  tents,  and 
wagons,  with  about  eighteen  hundred 
inhabitants.  Most  of  these  had  fol- 
lowed immediately  after  the  Pioneers, 
who,  with  Brigham  Young,  their  lead- 
er, arrived  on  the  shores  of  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  in  July.  1847.  President 
Young  and  others  had  returned  to  the 
Missouri  River  to  bring  more  of  their 
migrating  people  to  their  new  home 
among  the  mountains,  and  those  who 
remained  here  were  anxiously  await- 
ing the  results  of  their  first  labors  to 
redeem  the  desert  and  make  the  wilder- 
ness to  blossom. 

Some  plowing  and  planting  had  been 
done  by  the  Pioneers  upon  their 
arrival,  but  the  seeds  then  put  in  such 
as  potatoes,  corn,  wheat,  oats,  peas  and 
beans,  though  well  irrigated,  did  not 
mature,  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the 
season.  The  nearest  approach  to  a 
harvest,  that  year,  were  a  few  small 
potatoes,  which  served  as  seed  for  an- 
other planting.  It  was  therefore  their 
first  real  harvest  in  this  region  that  the 
settlers  of  these  solitudes  were  looking 
forward  to.  at  the  time  of  the  episode 
mentioned. 

Much  depended  upon  that  harvest, 
not  only  for  the  people  already  there, 


but  for  twenty-five  hundred  additional 
immigrants,  who  were  about  to  join 
them  from  the  far-away  frontier.  The 
supplies  brought  by  those  who  came 
the  first  season  had  been  designed  to 
last  only  about  twelve  months.  They 
were  gradually  getting  low,  and  these 
settlers,  be  it  borne  in  mind,  were  well- 
nigh  isolated  from  the  re^t  of  btrri'n- 
ity.  "A  thousand  miles  form  any- 
where." was  the  phrase  used  by  them 
to  describe  their  location.  They  had 
little  communication  with  the  outside 
world,  and  that  little  was  by  means  of 
the  ox  team  and  the  pack  mule.  If 
their  harvest  failed,  what  would  be- 
come of  them  ? 

In  the  spring  of  1848,  five  thousand 
acres  of  land  were  under  cultivation  in 
Salt  Lake  Valley.  Nine  hundred  acres 
had  been  sown  with  winter  wheat, 
which  was  just  beginning  to  sprout. 

Then  came  an  event  as  unlooked  for 
as  it  was  terrible — the  cricket  plague ! 
In  May  and  June  these  destructive 
pests  rolled  in  black  legions  down  the 
mountain  sides,  and  attacked  the  fields 
of  growing  grain.  The  tender  crops 
fell  an  easy  prey  to  their  fierce  vorac- 
ity. The  ground  over  which  they  had 
passed  looked  as  if  scorched  by  fire. 

Thoroughly  alarmed,  the  commun- 
ity— men.  women  and  children — mar- 
shaled themselves  to  fight  the  ravenous 
foe.  Some  went  through  the  fields 
killing  the  crickets,  but  crushing  much 
of  the  tender  grain.  Some  dug  ditches 
around  the  farms,  turned  water  into 
the  trenches,  and  drove  and  drowned 
therein  the  black  devourers.  Others 
beat  them  back  with  clubs  and  brooms, 
or  burned  them  in  fires.  Still  the  crick- 
ets prevailed.  Despite  all  that  could 
be  done  by  the  settlers,  their  hope  of  a 
harvest  was  fast  vanishing — a  harvest 
upon  which  life  itself  seemed  to  de- 
pend. 

They  were  rescued,  as  they  believed, 
by  a   miracle — a   greater  miracle   than 


ORNITHOLOGY 


107 


is  said  to  have  saved  Rome,  when  the 
cackling  of  geese  roused  the  slumber- 
ing city  in  time  to  beat  back  the  invad- 
ing Gauls.  In  the  midst  of  the  work  of 
ruin,  when  it  seemed  as  if  nothing- 
could  stay  the  destruction,  great  flocks 
of  gulls  appeared,  filling  the  air  with 
their  white  wings  and  plaintive  cries. 
They  settled  down  upon  the  half-ruined 
fields.  At  first  it  looked  as  if  they  came 


punishable  by  law.  Rome  had  her 
sacred  geese;  Utah  would  have  her 
sacred  gulls,  forever  to  be  held  in  hon- 
or as  the  Heaven-sent  messengers  that 
saved  the  Pioneers. — Orson  F.  Whit- 
ney. 


The  Sea  Gull  Monument. 

To  commemorate  the  above  historic 
incident,  a  sea  gull  monument  has  re- 
cently been  completed  and  un- 
veiled upon  Temple  Block. 

For  several  years  the  erec- 
tion of  such  a  monument  had 
been  contemplated,  and  a  few 
years  ago.Mahonri  M.Young, 
a  grandson  of  the  great  pio- 
neer leader,  Brigham  Young, 
submitted  a  design  which  was 
accepted  by  the  First  Presi- 
dency and  he  was  authorized 
to  proceed  with  the  work. 

The  granite  base,  weighing 
twenty  tons,  rests  upon  a  con- 
crete foundation.  From  the 
base  rises  a  round  column  of 
granite  fifteen  feet  high,  sur- 
mounted by  a  granite  globe. 

Two  sea  gulls  of  bronze  rest 
upon  the  granite  ball.  The 
birds  weigh  about  five  hun- 
dred pounds  and  the  stretch 
of  the  wings,  from  tip  to  tip, 
is  eight  feet. 


THE   MONUMENT  TO   SEA  GULLS. 


but  to  help  the  crickets  destroy.  But 
their  real  purpose  was  soon  apparent. 
They  came  to  prey  upon  the  destroy- 
ers. All  day  long  they  gorged  them- 
selves, disgorged,  and  feasted  again, 
the  white  gulls  upon  the  black  crickets, 
like  hosts  of  heaven  and  hell  contend- 
ing, until  the  pests  were  vanquished 
and  the  people  saved.  The  birds  then 
returned  to  the  Lake  islands,  leaving 
the  grateful  settlers  to  shed  tears  of 
joy  over  their  timely  deliverance. 

A  season  of  scarcity  followed,  but  no 
fatal  famine ;  and  before  the  worst 
came,  the  glad  people  celebrated,  with 
a  public  feast,  their  first  harvest  home. 

The  gull  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  The 
wanton  killing  of  these  birds  was  made 


The  unveiling  ceremony 
took  place  on  Wednesday, 
October  1st,   1913. 

The  tablets  are  thus  described  by 
B.  H.  Roberts: 

"The  graceful  Doric  column  of  the 
monument  surmounting  the  base,  is 
fifteen  feet  high  and  is  topped  by  a 
granite  sphere,  on  which  two  gulls  are 
seen  in  the  act  of  lighting  upon  it — a 
most  graceful  thing  in  itself — and  Mr. 
Young,  the  sculptor,  has  caught  the 
action  of  it  true  to  life. 

"On  three  sides  of  the  high  base,  in 
relief  sculpture,  the  Sea  Gull  story  is 
told  :  The  tablature  on  the  east  tells  of 
the  arrival  and  earlv  movements  of  the 
Pioneers.  In  the  left  foreground  of  the 
rugged  Wasatch  mountains  there  is 
the  man  afield  with  ox  team,  plowing 
the  stubborn  soil,  aided  by  the  boy 
driver,  followed  bv  the  sower.     In  the 


io8 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


right  foreground  is  the  wagon  home, 
women  preparing  the  humble  meal 
while  an  Indian  sits  in  idle  but  graceful 
pose  looking  upon  all  this  strange  acti- 
vity that  is  to  redeem  his  land  from 
savagery  and  give  it  back  to  civiliza- 
tion. 

"The  second  tablature — on  the  south 
— tells  the  story  of  the  threatened  de- 
vastation from  the  cricket's  invasion. 

"A  point  of  mountain  and  a  glimpse 
of  the  placid,  distant  lake  are  seen. 
The  farmer's  fight  with  the  invading 
host  is  ended — he  has  exhausted  all 
his  ingenuity  and  strength  in  the  fight. 
He  is  beaten — you  can  see  that  in  the 
hopeless  sinking  of  his  figure  to  the 
earth,  his  bowed  head  and  listless 
down-hanging  hands  from  which  the 
spade  has  fallen. 

"Despair  claims  him  and  laughs. 
With  the  woman  of  this  tablature  it 
is  different.  She  is  holding  a  child  by 
the  hand — through  it  she  feels  throb- 
bing the  call  of  the  future — the  life  of 
a  generation  of  men  and  women  yet 
to  be. 

"Strange  that  to  woman — man's 
complement — is  given  such  superior 
strength  in  hours  of  severest  trial. 
Where  man's  strength  and  courage  and 
fighting  ends,  woman's  hope  and  faith 
and  trust  seem  to  spring  into  newness 
of  life.  From  her  nature  she  seems 
able  to  do  this  inconsistent  yet  true 
thing — to  hope  against  hope,  and  ask 
till  she  receives. 

"I  do  not  know  in  what  school  of 
psychology  the  sculptor  studied  his  art, 
but  he  has  certainly  been  true  to  the 
great  psychological  difference  between 
man  and  woman.  But  to  return  to  this 
woman  of  the  second  tablature — she, 
too,  is  toil  worn,  and  there  is  some- 
thing truly  pathetic  in  her  body  weari- 
ness, but  her  head  is  raised, — raised  to 
what  until  now  has  seemed  the  piti- 
less skies  ;  but  now  they  are  filled  with 
the  oncoming  flocks  of  sea  gulls.  Does 
she  watch  their  coming  with  merely 
idle  curiosity  or  vague  wonderment? 
Or  does  her  soul  in  the  strange  gull 
cry  hear  God's  answer  to  her  call  for 
help?  God's  answer  to  her  they  were, 
these  gulls,  in  any  event,  as  the  gulls 
soon  proved  by  devouring  the  destroy- 
er. 

"The  third  tablature  commemorates 
the    Pioneers'    first    harvest — worthily, 


too.  In  the  background  rises  Ensign 
Peak. 

"In  the  middle  background  the  log 
house  home  stands  finished  ;  in  the  fore- 
ground, harvesting  the  golden  grain  is 
in  progress,  both  men  and  women  take 
joyous  part.  To  the  right,  a  mother 
half-kneeling  holds  to  her  full  breast  a 
babe,  who  'on  the  heart  and  from  the 
heart'  receives  its  nourishment,  and 
about  her  knees  another  child  plays  in 
happy,  childish  oblivion  of  toil  and 
care.  O,  Happy  scene  of  life  and  joy, 
'where  plenty  leaps  to  laughing  life 
with  her  redundant  horn.' 

"On  the  fourth  tablature  is  the  title 
of  the  monument.  Fortunately  it  is 
simple,  and  not  explanatory — the  work 
of  the  sculptor  tells  the  story — tells  it 
well  and  eloquently.  Too  much  narra- 
tion would  have  marred  it — this  is  the 
inscription  : 

********* 

"  'SEA  GULL  MONUMENT  * 

*  ERECTED  IN  GRATEFUL  REMEMBRANCE     * 

*  OF  THE  MERCY  OF  GOD  TO  THE  * 

MORMON    PIONEERS.'  " 


The  Late  Season. 

The  extreme  backwardness  of  the 
spring  season  this  year  was  the  cause  of 
much  comment.  Its  effect  upon  the 
birds  has  been  marked  in  many  ways. 
Migrating  birds  in  general  seem  to 
have  been  far  behind  their  usual  time 
of  arrival  here  in  Massachusetts.  The 
Baltimore  oriole  may  be  confidently 
looked  for  in  this  vicinity  on  the  eighth 
of  May.  the  tenth  being  the  latest  and 
the  fifth  the  earliest  dates  on  my  rec- 
ords for  the  past  twenty-three  years. 
This  year  they  arrived  on  the 
eighteenth. 

Warblers  have  been  seen  and  re- 
ported in  unusually  large  numbers. 
This  may  be  partly  accounted  for  by 
the  fact  that  they  fed  and  remained 
low  in  the  shrubbery,  and  appeared  in 
yards  and  about  houses  and  buildings 
much  more  than  is  their  custom.  The 
reason  for  this  is  that  their  usual  food 
has  been  scarce,  owing  to  the  unde- 
veloped condition  of  the  trees  and  the 
insects  which  supply  so  large  a  part  of 
their  supply.  Insects  which  usually 
hatch  about  the  first  of  May  were 
found  still  in  the  egg  stage  on  the 
twenty-eighth. 


ORNITHOLOGY 


109 


The  birds'  apparent  abundance  and 
tameness  have  given  bird  lovers  a  de- 
lightful opportunity  to  observe  them  at 
close  range,  but  the  lack  of  food,  es- 
pecially with  certain  species,  and  the 
effects  of  the  prolonged  cold  storms 
seem  to  have  produced  disastrous  re- 
sults in  some  localities.  Many  birds 
have  been  reported  in  a  starving  con- 
dition or  have  been  picked  up  dead. 
Cats  have  doubtless  caught  an  unusual 
number  of  the  migrants.  Two  in- 
stances in  which  cats  caught  warblers 
near  the  ground  have  come  to  my  per- 
sonal attention.  The  early  nesting 
birds  have  probably  also  suffered  con- 
siderably from  the  effects  of  the  storms. 
Species  which  usually  remain  away 
from  thickly  settled  districts  have  been 
reported  about  the  streets  and  in  yards, 
apparently  seeking  food. 

The  general  effect  of  these  unusual 
conditions  will  probably  show  itself 
later  in  the  season  by  an  abundance  of 
insects.  Their  escape  from  the  birds  in 
their  early  stages  ;  the  favorable  con- 
ditions for  their  later  development,  and 
the  unusual  denseness  of  the  foliage 
upon  which  they  feed,  will  all  tend  to 
bring  about  this  result.  This  being  a 
season  when  we  more  than  ever  need 
to  conserve  our  crops,  we  should  do  all 
in  our  power  to  fight  insect  pests  and 
to  protect  and  encourage  the  birds 
about  our  homes. 

The  editor  of  this  department  would 
especially  like  to  receive  notes  in  re- 
gard to  the  foregoing  items.  If  you 
know  of  any  nests  destroyed  or  aban- 
doned on  account  of  the  storms,  any 
birds  found  dead  or  seen  to  be  caught 
by  cats,  or  if  you  have  made  unusual 
observations  upon  the  migrating  birds 
of  this  season,  write  and  tell  us  about 
them. 


The   Gulls. 

The   gulls  have   settled   upon   the   bay, 
As  restless  there  as  the  tossing  spray: 
They  flutter  and  preen  in  the  glancing  light. 
An  islet  of  birds,  for  a  novel  sight. 

A  yacht  looms  up  'gainst  the  sunset  skies, 
A  target  for  ever-watchful  eyes: 
Full  well  they  know  it  a  supper  brings, 
And  the  air  is  filled  with  the  whir  of  wings. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


The  Whippoorwill. 

BY    BESSIE    Lu    PUTNAM,    CONNEAUT    LAKE, 
PENNSYLVANIA. 

This  bird  is  easily  identified  by  its 
notes,  which  are  uttered  with  great 
rapidity,  the  word  from  which  it  takes 
its  name  being  sometimes  repeated  a 
hundred  times  or  more  without  seem- 
inglv  a  single  stopping  to  take  breath. 
Its  notes  commence  about  sunset,  and 
may  be  prolonged  through  the  night. 
To  those  unacquainted  with  its  good 
traits,  this  has  been  a  source  of  an- 
noyance, and  one  girl  who  was  visiting 
in  the  country  for  the  first  time  was 
quite  provoked  because  unable  to  sleep 
with  that  chatterer  near  her  window. 

It  flies  at  night,  and  partly  because 
of  this  some  stories  of  its  uncanny 
wavs  and  mysterious  powers  for  evil 
have  given  to  it  a  bit  of  awe  among 
the  superstitious.  Yet  it  is  really  one 
of  man's  best  friends,  catching  an  im- 
mense number  of  harmful,  nocturnal 
insects.  Because  of  its  preference  for 
insect  life,  it  is  strictly  a  summer  bird, 
and  the  old  resident  states  that  we  are 
safe  from  frosts  when  the  whippoor- 
wills  arrive. 

It  sleeps  by  day  like  the  owl ;  and  if 
disturbed,  its  flight  is  almost  as  noise- 
less as  that  of  a  falling  leaf,  while  the 
colors  of  plumage  blend  so  completely 
with  the  surrounding  trunks  of  trees 
and  dead  leaves  that  one  can  scarcely 
locate  it,  even  though  they  know  just 
where  it  lit.  A  striking  feature  is  that 
it  always  sits  lengthwise  of  the  limb 
or  log  upon  which  it  rests,  thus  con- 
cealing its  outlines  more  completely. 
Its  nest  is  slackly  made  in  dry  leaves ; 
but  if  molested  it  is  said  to  remove  its 
young  as  carefully  as  a  cat  does  her 
kittens.  And  thus  it  is  one  of  the 
many  illustrations  that  the  Divine  hand 
is  over  all,  its  sleeping  by  daylight  be- 
ing counterbalanced  by  protective  col- 
oring, silent  flight,  and  unusual  pose 
when  at  rest. 


As  a  result  of  the  whaling  industry 
established  within  a  few  decades  at 
South  Georgia,  near  Cape  Horn,  the 
islands  have  become  overrun  with  rats. 
Millions  of  them  live  on  the  carcasses 
of  the  whales,  and  they  have  killed  off 
most  of  the  small  creaturees  who  pre- 
ceded them. 


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  Y\  that  of  the 
earth  or  1.4  times  that  of  water- 

The  Rotation  from  the  east  to  the  west 
averages  25-35  days.  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  60,000  miles-  This  may  be 
estimated  by  comparing  the  spot  with  the 
diameter  of  the  sun. 

The  Planets,  Our  Family,  All  Recei 
from  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. 

ve  Light  and  Heat  in  Varying  Degrees 


Av.    Distance 

Planet 

from  Sun  in 

Millions  of 

Miles 

DIAMETER 

DAY 

YEAR 

MOONS 

Mercurv 

36 

3-030 

88  davs 

88  davs 

0 

Venus 

67 

7,700 

Probably  2^  h.,  50  m. 

225  days 

0 

Earth 

93 

7.918 

23  h.,  56  m. 

36534  days 

1 

Mars 

142 

4,230 

24  h.,  37  m. 

687  days 

2 

Jupiter 

483 

86,500 

9  K  55  m. 

n.86yrs. 

9 

Saturn 

886 

73,000 

10  h-J4m. 

29V2  yrs. 

10 

Uranus 

1.782 

32,000 

Probably  23  h.,4  m- 

84  yrs. 

4 

Neptune 

2.792 

35,000 

Unknown 

165  yrs. 

1 

Jupiter's  Older  Moons — Four  in  order 
from  Jupiter:  I,  Io ;  II,  Europa ;  III, 
Ganymede  ;  IV,  Callisto.  (Five  others  are 
known  but  they  are  not  seen  except  in 
largest  telescopes). 

Saturn's  Moons :  Iapetus,  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  visible  to  naked  eye  ( estimated ) 

I st  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 


in 


nitude"  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 

Betelgeuze 

Capella 

Procvon 

Arcturus 

Rigel 

A  Few  of  the  Other  Bright  Stars  You 
Should   Know. 

Aldebaran  1  'ollux 

Antares  c    • 

Deneb  tP1Ca 

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). 

Delightfully  Companionable. 

Rigel  (dainty  blue  with  tiny  compan- 
ion) 

Xi  of  Ursa  Major  (  Mizar,  a  double, 
with  Alcor)- 

***** 

A  Few  Best  Double  Stars. 

Gamma  Andromedae  (Almaack). 

Gamma  Arietis  (Mesartim). 

Gamma  Leonis 

Albireo 
Castor 

Eta  Cassiopeia; 
70  Ophiuchi 
Omicron  Eridani 

Quadruple : 

Epsilon  Lyra;. 

***** 

Star  Clusters. 

Naked  Eye  :  Pleiades.  Hyades. 

Opera  Glass :  Praesepe,  Coma  Bereni- 
ces. 

Telescope:  Double  in  Perseus,  13  M  in 
Hercules,  35  Gemini. 

Nebula : 

Andromeda,  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  alliterative^ 
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. 


112 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


The   Starry    Heavens   in   September. 

BY     PROFESSOR     ERIC     DOOLITTLE     OF     THE 
UNIVERSITY    OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 

The  coming  of  September  witnesses 
the  almost  complete  withdrawal  of 
the  striking  midsummer  group  of  the 
Scorpion  from  our  evening  sky :  as 
yet  no  equally  brilliant  constellation 
has  come  to  take  its  place,  for  the 
beautiful  Taurus,  within  whose  boun- 
daries we  find  the  Pleiades  and  the 
Hyades,  is  still  well  below  the  eastern 


little  over  a  month ;  while  in  the  south- 
east we  see  the  reddish  Fomalhaut,  a 
solitary  star,  which  lies  no  less  than 
thirty  degrees  below  the  Celestial 
Equator,  and  is  thus  the  farthest  south 
of  all  bright  stars  visible  in  our  lati- 
tude.. Though  to  us  this  beautiful  star 
is  always  seen  so  low  in  the  south,  to 
those  near  the  earth's  equator  it  is  high 
in  the  heavens,  while  to  the  watchers 
in  the  observatories  of  Chile  and  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  it  passes  exactly 


NO^Th 


South 


Figure   1.     The   Constellations   at   9   P.   M.,    September    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.) 


horizon  in  the  early  evening.  By  the 
beginning  of  next  month,  however, 
these  latter  star  figures  will  appear  to 
lierald  the  long  train  of  bright  winter 
groups  which  will  then  be  close  at 
hand. 

The  September  Stars. 
In  the  extreme  northeast  the  beauti- 
ful golden-yellow  Capella  again  begins 
its    upward    climb    over    our    evening 
heavens,  after  its  brief  absence  of  but 


through  the  zenith.  Five  thousand 
years  ago  Fomalhaut  marked  the  Win- 
ter Solstice  ;  at  this  time  in  Persia  it  was 
marked  out  as  a  Royal  Star,  one  of  the 
four  guardians  of  heaven  who  watched 
over  and  protected  the  other  stars. 

Having  examined  with  a  small  tele- 
scope the  beautiful  flashing  light  of 
Fomalhaut,  the  observer  may  turn  to 
many  other  objects  of  interest  in  this 
part  of  the  sky.  Thus  the  star  at  A 
Figure  I,  is  very  easily  seen  to  be  made 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


TI3 


up  of  two  yellowish  suns,  and  it  is  in- 
teresting- to  know  that  these  two  dis- 
tant objects  are  steadily  moving  away 
from  one  another.  In  the  course  of 
twenty-five  hundred  years  their  dis- 
tance apart  will  be  as  great  as  the  ap- 
parent distance  across  the  disc  of  the 
full  moon. 

The  star  at  B  is  also  a  wide  double. 
but  a  far  more  difficult  one  since  the 
companion  is  of  a  magnitude  of  but 
6.5,  and  each  of  these  suns  is  again 
double-  Thus  four  suns  are  seen  in  a 
large  telescope  where  the  eye  recognizes 
but  one.  The  duplicity  of  the  brightest 
star  was  first  revealed  by  the  motion 
of  our  moon  across  it ;  the  two  compon- 
ents were  successively  covered  up  by 
the  steadily  advancing  east  edge  of  the 
moon,  and  when  our  satellite  had  ad- 
vanced far  enough  eastward  they  re- 
appeared at  the  western  edge  one  at  a 
time.  Altogether  there  are  some  half 
dozen  double  stars  of  the  sky  which 
have  been  discovered  in  this  way. 

Tn  the  region  of  the  heavens  between 
the  star,  Altair  at  C.  the  Dolphin  and 
the  stars  D  and  E,  the  observer  will 
find  a  large  number  of  beautiful  star 
clusters,  nor  will  he  fail  to  examine  the 
remarkable  Nebula  of  Andromeda,  at 
N,  nor  (if  he  possesses  a  glass  of  suf- 
ficient size)  the  Ring  Nebula  of  Lyra, 
which  is  in  a  straight  line  between  the 
stars  at  F  and  G  but  nearer  the  former 
star. 

A  New  Star. 

Much  interest  has  been  taken  by 
astronomers  in  the  very  recent  an- 
nouncement of  the  appearance  of  a 
new  star  in  the  outer  borders  of  one 
of  the  very  faint  spiral  nebulas.  The 
new  object,  which  was  discovered  by 
photography,  is  described  as  of  the 
fourteenth  magnitude,  so  that  it  is 
wholly  invisible  except  in  the  largest 
telescopes.  Some  conception  of  its  ex- 
treme faintness  may  be  formed  when 
it  is  stated  that  if  no  less  than  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  such  stars  had  appeared 
simultaneously  at  the  same  point  their 
combined  light  would  have  rendered 
them  just  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  Any 
standard  first  magnitude  star  is  about 
one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  times 
as  bright  as  the  new  star. 

The  sudden  appearance  of  a  new  star 
within   the  borders  of  a  nebula  is  not 


altogether  unprecedented.  Thus  in 
1885,  in  about  the  middle  of  August,  a 
star  was  seen  in  the  Nebula  of  Andro- 
meda (which  is  also  of  a  spiral  struc- 
ture) and  this  object  was  of  the  sixth 
magnitude  and  so  far  brighter  than  the 
object  recently  discovered.  It  was  also 
very  near  the  center  of  the  spiral,  nebu- 
lous cloud,  being  only  sixteen  seconds 
to  the  southeast  of  the  nucleus. 
Whether  there  had  been  a  sudden  fall- 
ing together  of  the  nebulous  material 
in  sufficient  quantity  to  form  a  new 
sun,  or  whether  one  of  the  cold  and 
dark  suns  of  space  plunged  through  the 
nebulous  cloud  and  was  thus  heated  to 
incandescence,  or  whether,  indeed,  its 
appearance  is  to  be  explained  in  some 
quite  different  way,  we  do  not  know. 

Like  all  of  the  new  suns  which  have 
suddenly  blazed  out  in  the  heavens, 
the  new  star  in  the  Nebula  of  Andro- 
meda, after  attaining  its  maximum 
brightness,  rapidly  began  to  fade  away. 
The  last  view  of  it  was  obtained  with 
the  great  telescope  of  our  Naval  Ob- 
servatory on  February  1,  1886,  only 
five  and  one-half  months  after  its  dis- 
covery, by  which  time  it  was  of  only 
the  sixteenth  magnitude.  Its  light 
when  carefully  studied  was  found  to 
give  a  continuous  spectrum  very  simi- 
lar to  that  given  by  the  nebula  itself. 
It  is  very  remarkable  that  practically 
all  new  stars,  even  the  very  bright 
ones,  have  faded  rapidly  away  into 
what  appear  to  be  nebulous  objects, 
their  sometimes  complicated  spectra 
ultimately  becoming  the  typical,  con- 
tinuous nebular  spectrum. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  this  most 
recent  of  the  new  stars  will  probably 
prove  to  be  too  faint  for  its  light  to  be 
studied  with  the  spectroscope- 

The   Planets  in   September. 

Mercury,  which  attained  its  greatest 
eastern  elongation  on  August  22,  will 
pass  to  the  west  of  the  sun  and  become 
a  morning  star  on  September  18.  It 
will  attain  its  greatest  distance  west 
of  the  sun  on  October  4.  Thus  through- 
out the  month  it  will  be  too  nearly  lost 
in  the  sun's  rays  for  satsifactory  ob- 
servation, though  during  the  last  few 
days  of  September  it  may  be  seen  ris- 
ing almost  at  the  east  point  of  the 
horizon  nearly  an  hour  before  sunrise. 

Venus  is  daily  moving  eastward  from 


"4 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


the  sun  and  is  growing  perceptibly 
brighter.  Unfortunately,  however,  il 
is  also  moving  rapidly  southward 
among  the  stars  so  that  it  continues  to 
set  about  two  hours  after  sunset  dur- 
ing the  entire  month.  It  is  a  beautiful 
object  as  it  shines  in  the  twilight  glow 
and  will  well  repay  examination  in  the 
telescope. 


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Figure  2.  Region  between  Cygnus  and  Aquilla. 
Each  star  marked  D  is  a  double:  a  cluster  will  be 
found  at  each  point  marked  C  and  a  nebula  at  each 
point  marked  N.  Stars  which  vary  in  brightness  are 
marked   V. 


Mars  is  a  morning  star,  seen  far  in 
the  northwest  for  about  two  and  one- 
half  hours  before  sunrise  on  September 
I,  and  this  time  is  increased  to  four 
hours  by  the  end  of  the  month.  The 
planet  in  its  rapid  eastward  motion 
will  pass  the  faint  and  distant  Neptune 
on  September  22  at  ^  A.  M.  (Eastern 
Standard  Time).  The  latter  planet 
may  conveniently  be  found  on  this 
morning  by  first  turning  the  telescope 
on  Mars  and  afterward  depressing  it 
exactly  1  degree  18  minutes  to  the 
south. 

Jupiter  is  moving  slowly  eastward 
and  nothward  in  the  constellation  Tau- 
rus. Throughout  the  month  it  will  be 
found  almost  exactly  north  of  the  star 
Aldebaran.of  the  Hyades  and  eastward 
of  the  Pleiades.  This  part  of  the  sky  is 
thus  rendered  unusually  brilliant  and 
attractive  at  present,  but  unfortunately 
it  is  just  beyond  the  borders  of  our 
evening  map.  Toward  midnight,  how- 
ever. Jupiter  is  high  in  the  northeast- 
ern heavens- 

On  the  morning  of  September  4  Ju- 
piter's second  moon  will  reappear  from 


eclipse  at  o  hr.  35  min.  32  sees.  (East- 
ern Standard  Time)  ;  it  will  next  dis- 
appear behind  the  planet  at  o  hr.  50 
min.  40  sees.,  and  will  finally  reappear 
at  1  hr.  18  min.  26  sees.  Similar  phe- 
nomena may  be  witnessed  on  the  morn- 
ing of  September  11,  beginning  at  c 
hr.  7,^  min.  A.  M.,  while  on  disappear- 
ance into  occultation.  and  the  ecliose 
of  the  first  moon  may  be  seen,  the  phe- 
nomena beginning  at  o  hr.  o  min.  12 
sees.  A.  M. 

Saturn  is  found  in  the  northeastern 
heavens  in  the  early  morning.  On  Sep- 
tember 1  it  lies  about  one  hour  to  the 
east  of  Mars,  but  the  latter  planet  rap- 
idly overtakes  it.  On  October  1  at  7 
A.  M.  Mars  will  pass  to  the  east  of 
Saturn  ;  the  two  planets  will  then  ap- 
pear separated  by  a  distance  slightly 
greater  than  the  apparent  distance 
across  the  moon. 

On  September  23,  at  10  hrs.  T  min. 
A.  M.  (Eastern  Standard  Time),  the 
center  of  the  sun  will  cross  the  Celes- 
tial Equator;  at  this  instant  summer 
will  end  and  autumn  will  begin.  On 
September  t,  at  to  hrs.  53  min.  A.  M. 
our  irregularly  moving  sun  will  be  in 
such  a  position  among  the  stars  that 
at  that  instant  sundial  time  will  coin- 
cide with  local  mean  (or  "watch") 
time.  As  astronomers  express  it,  at 
this  instant  the  "Equation  of  Time" 
will  be  zero- 


The  ninth  satellite  of  Tupiter,  reports 
the  Mount  Wilson  Observatory,  is 
probably  about  fifteen  miles  in  diame- 
ter. Its  period  of  revolution  about  the 
planet  is  seven  hundred  and  forty-five 
days. 


There  is  no  more  lonely  worship  of 
God  than  that  for  which  no  image  is  re- 
quired, but  which  springs  up  in  our 
breast  spontaneously  when  nature 
speaks  to  the  soul,  and  the  soul  speaks 
to  Nature  face  to  face. — Goethe. 


To  the  undevout,  Nature  is  simply  a 
workshop ;  to  the  Christian,  it  is  a 
voice  ;  to  the  Saint  she  opens  at  once 
the  inner  chamber  of  her  most  hallowed 
mysteries  and  tells  of  the  goodness  and 
greatness  of  her  Creator  God. — H.  C. 
McCook,  D.D. 


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^Soc/nc 


ich ,   Conn. 


Hunt  Snapping  Turtles. 
Wisconsin  and  Illinois  can  boast  of 
the  most  noted  turtle  hunters  in  the 
business.  These  men  have  discovered 
a  new  occupation  which  serves  them 
profitably  in  the  dull  winter  months 
when  there  is  little  to  do  on  the  farm- 
There  is  not  only  pretty  good  pay  in  it 
for  the  man  who  knows  how  to  hunt 
turtles,  and  how  to  market  them,  but 
there  is  at  present  very  little  competi- 


CATCHIXG  SNAPPING  TURTLES. 

tion.  The  common  snapping  turtle  may 
be  found  in  almost  any  part  of  the  Unit- 
ed States  between  the  Atlantic  ocean 
and  the  Rocky  mountains.  These  tur- 
tles hide  in  the  mud  along  the  streams 
in  the  fall  of  the  year  and  if  no  one  digs 
them  out  they  remain  in  the  mud  until 
the  warm  weather  of  the  next  spring. 

Among  the  most  noted  turtle  hunters 
of  the  country  are  J.  S.  Bassler,  Max 
Bassler  and   C.   D.  Taylor,  of  Darien, 


Wisconsin,  and  Byron  Sweet  and  Rich- 
ard Ferguson,  both  of  Poplar  Grove, 
Illinois.  No  sooner  do  the  turtles  hide 
in  the  mud  in  the  fall  than  these  men 
equip  wagons  for  a  two  months'  trip. 
Usually  they  take  in  southern  Wiscon- 
sin, southern  Minnesota,  northern  Iowa 
and  northern  Illinois.  They  ship  the 
turtles  from  any  railroad  station  which 
they  happen  to  be  near.  Shipments  are 
made  either  to  Chicago,  Boston,  New 
York  or  Baltimore.  Good  turtle  hunt- 
ers can  go  on  such  a  trip  and  have  a 
fine  time  and  make  the  trip  pay.  but  un- 
less one  is  "up  to  snuff"  in  turtle  hunt- 
ing he  had  better  leave  it  alone,  as  it 
offers  a  good  opportunity  to  waste  time 
and  catch  a  bad  cold.  There  are  only  a 
few  men  in  the  country  who  have  made 
turtle  hunting  a  success. 

Turtles  are  caught  with  a  five- 
eigfhths-inch  steel  rod  about  seven 
feet  in  length  with  a  hook  turned  up  on 
the  end  which  goes  into  the  ground. 
The  hook  is  jabbed  into  the  ground 
along  the  streams  and  the  expert  tur- 
tle hunters  can  tell  the  minute  they 
strike  "Mr.  Turtle-"  The  hook  is  jab- 
bed into  the  turtle's  back  and  the  turtle 
is  hauled  up  out  of  the  mud.  Frequent- 
lv  a  large  number  of  turtles  are  found 
in  the  same  bed  of  mud.  Often  200 
pounds  of  turtles  are  dug  up  out  of  the 
same  hole.  The  turtles  are  placed  in 
bags  and  carried  to  the  road  where  they 
are  loaded  in  a  wagon.  A  bag  filled 
with  turtles  weighs  between  100  and 
125  pounds.  The  turtles  are  packed  in 
sugar  barrels  and  shipped  to  market.  A 
sugar  barrel  filled  weighs  about  325 
pounds.  The  turtles  are  packed  in  alive, 
one  on  top  of  another,  and  they  will 
live  for  many  days.  The  animals  are 
worth  6  to  12  cents  a  pound  on  the 
New  York  or  Chicago  market.  The 
meat  is  used  for  soup  at  the  swellest 


THE  FUN  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


117 


restaurants,  and  the  shell  backs  for 
buttons,  and  many  other  useful  pur- 
poses in  manufacturing. 

Usually  the  turtle  hunters  drive  to 
some  country  that  is  well  watered  with 
small  streams  and  pitch  their  tents. 
The  country  is  then  hunted  for  about 
ten  miles  around  before  moving  on  to 
a  new  camp. 

Rex  Bassler.  of  Darien,  Wisconsin, 
is  probably  the  only  little  buy   in  the 


Keep  Dogs  at  Home. 

I  have  kept  sheep,  poultry  and  a 
rifle  a  good  many  years  ;  have  shot  a 
good  many  dogs  for  killing  both  sheep 
and  poultry  and  in  every  case  where 
the  owners  of  the  dogs  were  respon- 
sible they  have  paid  the  damages. 
Where  the  owner  did  not  have  any- 
thing the  town  paid  the  damage.  Be- 
sides, the  Sheep  Breeders'  Association 
gives   a   reward   of  $10   for   every   dog 


f\  /?  /  EN  WZ+  ~Ts#MC*  fy  -  s  pi  hi, .-' 


A    TEAM    FOR   THE    FUN    OF    SEEING    IT    RATHER    THAN    FOR    UTILITY. 


world  who  has  a  turtle  team.  The  ac- 
companying illustration  shows  his  six 
"speeders"  and  the  faithful  dog  "Pat," 
which  sees  to  it  that  the  turtles  do  not 
run  away  and  hide  in  the  mud. 

Rex  is  a  lucky  little  fellow  in  another 
way.  He  has  nine  living  grandparents. 
There  are  four  great-grandmothers, 
one  great-grandfather,  and  two  grand- 
fathers and  two  grandmothers.  If  any 
of  our  readers  can  beat  this  record  for 
grandparents  we  would  like  to  hear 
from  them. — Newspaper  clipping  sent 
by  Air.  Bassler. 


Recent  studies  on  the  migration  of 
the  salmon  have  completely  exploded 
Isaak  Walton's  ancient  theory  that 
each  fish,  to  lay  its  eggs,  returns  to  the 
particular  river  where  it  was  itself 
hatched. 


shot  chasing  sheep.     This  is  the  way 
we  do  business  in  Connecticut. 

S.  D.  N. 

Bristol,  Conn. 

It  looks  like  good  business,  too.  Of 
course  every  intelligent  man  knows 
that  a  law  may  go  sailing  through  the 
Legislature  and  carry  the  Governor's 
signature  and  still  prove  a  big  fizzle  un- 
less the  people  help  enforce  it.  A  dog 
law  will  not  be  worth  one  single  bark 
unless  the  farmers  put  a  growl  into  it. 
The  Connecticut  way  looks  good. 
There  is  spice  in  it  and  no  wooden 
nutmeg  at  that.  No  dog  has  any  busi- 
ness, or  right,  roaming  at  large  off  his 
owner's   farm  ! — Rural   New  Yorker. 


Just  as  far  as  the  eye  could   see, 
A  wide  sweep  of  fleur-de-lis 
Made  the  common  earth  we  love, 
Like  the  vault  of   Heaven  above. 

— Emma    Peirce. 


n8 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Cut  by  courtesy  of  "American   Bee  Journal,-'   Hamilton,   Illinois. 


THE    FUN    OF    SEEING    BEES    CLOSE    AT   HAND. 
Mr.    J.    E.    Hull.    Maxwell.    Iowa,    says    that    he    enjoys    such    intimati     Hr<iuainta:  ct\ 


THE  FUN  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


119 


Snake    Myths. 

Snakes  do  not  swallow  their  young 
for  protection.  Snakes  do  not  run  like 
a  hoop. 

It  is  hard  to  say  how  the  myth  about 
the  hoop  snake  originated.  I  have  sev- 
eral times  explained  that  the  myth 
about  a  snake  "swallowing  her  young" 
came  from  the  actions  of  cannibal  spe- 
cies feeding  upon  the  young  of  other 
snakes. — Raymond  L.  Ditmars. 


That  Amazing  Myth  that  a  Milk  Snake 
Steals  Milk  from  the  Cows. 
From    the   habit   of   prowling   about 
the  vicinity  of  stables  and  dairies   (in 
search  of  mice  and  rats),  this  prettily 
coloured    snake   has   acquired   the   bad 
reputation    of   stealing   milk   from    the 
cows,    and    making   inroads    upon    the 
farmer's  product  to  such  an  extent  that 
he    may   actually    suffer   financial    loss 
from    the   depredations    committed    by 
one  of  these  reptiles.    This  is  one  of  the 
many   fallacies   existing  about   snakes, 
and  resulting  in  an  unjust  slaughter  of 
really  useful  creatures.     Snakes  show 
no  liking  for  milk.     Captive  specimens 
cannot   be   induced   to   drink   it   unless 
suffering  from  great  thirst.     It  would 
be   a   feat   beyond   physical   possibility 
for  a  serpent  the  size  of  the  largest  milk 
snake  to  consume  enough  milk  from  a 
cow — even  if  the  reptile  should  be  so 
inclined — to  produce  an   effect   notice- 
able to  the  most  minute  degree.    When 
mature,  this  snake  attains  a  length  of 
about  a  yard,  and  is  of  rather  slender 
build.      A    serpent    of   this    size    could 
consume,  if  drinking  its  full  of  water, 
a    quantity    equivalent    to    about    two 
teaspoonsful ;   this   would   demonstrate 
its    capacity    for    milk,    and    any    cow 
that  fed  upon  the  scantiest  vegetation 
that    ever    graced    fertile    soil    should 
yield    enough    milk   to    allow    for    this 
quantity  to  be  lost  without  being  noted 
by  the  dairyman.    Incidentally  it  might 
be  explained  that  the   milk  snake  fre- 
quents  country   where   the   grazing   is 
good  and  the  cattle  yield   much   milk. 
In  the  face  of  these  circumstances  the 
reader  is  asked  to  ponder  on  the  logic 
of  the  farmer  who  declares  that  a  single 
"milk"    snake    can    steal    enough    milk 
from    one    of   his    cows    to    produce    a 
marked  deficiencv  to  be  noted  at  milk- 
ing   time.— "The    Reptile    Book,"    by 
Raymond  L.  Ditmars. 


Big  Chips  by  Beavers. 

Hyde  Park,  New  York. 
To  the  Editor : 

it  may  interest  your  readers  to  know 
that  a  colony  of  wild  beavers  is  living 
here  in  Dutchess  County,  New  York. 
Nobody  seems  to  know  where  they 
came  from  or  how  long  they  have  been 
at  work,  but  it  must  be  a  long  time. 

I  went  to  see  their  work  recently  and 
brought  home  some  souvenirs,  one  be- 
ing a  section  of  a  birch  tree  seven  in- 
ches in  diameter  that  they  had  nearly 
cut  down.  I  also  brought  many  of 
their  chips.  I  am  sending  you  a  few 
samples  of  these. 

They  have  built  a  dam  down  the  out- 
let of  a  lake  and  have  raised  the  water 
fully  three  feet.  Their  work  is  intense- 
ly interesting.  I  never  expected  to  see 
anything  of  the  sort.  Scores  of  trees 
have  been  cut  down.  Many  have 
lodged  and  are  leaning  in  every  direc- 
tion, but  more  are  lying  flat  and  more 
or  less  cut  to  pieces.  Some  are  ten 
inches  in  diameter. 

I  found  where  their  home  is — or  at 
least  one  home — in  a  steep  bank.  They 
had  covered  the  entrance,  which  was 
under  water,  with  a  large  mound  of 
leaves,  moss  and  rubbish  some  three  or 
four  feet  thick  and  twelve  feet  long, 
part  on  land  and  part  in  water,  to  pre- 
vent the  entrance  from  freezing  in  the 
winter.  They  made  a  good  choice  in 
selecting  this  place  for  their  home,  for 
it  is  one  of  the  wildest  and  most  se- 
cluded regions  I  have  ever  seen  and  is 
difficult  of  access.  This  accounts  for 
their  remaining  so  long  undiscovered. 
Their  dam  is  some  forty  or  fifty  feet 
long,  and  the  top,  save  where  the  water 
overflows,  is  as  broad  and  smooth  as 
any  garden  path. 

Sincerely  yours, 

A.  T.  Cook. 


The  aspect  of  Nature  is  devout.  Like 
the  figure  of  Jesus,  She  stands  with 
bended  head,  and  hands  folded  upon 
the  breast.  The  happiest  man  is  he 
who  learns  from  Nature  the  lesson  of 
worship. — Emerson. 


Blue  jays  are  reported  to  put  kernels 
of  corn,  small  acorns,  pebbles  and  the 
like  in  the  cocoons  of  the  large  Cecrop- 
ia  moths. 


120 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


The  Spiny  Swift. 

BY  DR.  R.  W-  SHUFEXDT,  WASHINGTON,  D.C. 

There  is  no  group  of  our  American 
reptiles  more  difficult  to  study  than  are 
the  spiny  swifts  of  the  genus  Sceloporus. 


Some  fourteen  or  fifteen  different  species 
of  them  have  been  recognized,  and  they 
are  distributed  almost  over  the  entire 
country,  various  forms  being  peculiar  to 


certain  regions  or  districts. 


Throughout 


THE  SPINY  SWIFT. 


THE  FUN  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


121 


contiguous  territories,  where  no  natural 
barriers  exist,  the  species  seem  to  inter- 
grade,  giving  rise  to  the  most  confusing 
results  imaginable.  Variations  of  every 
description  are  to  be  observed,  and  the 
student  is  at  his  wits'  end  to  discover 
characters  which  can  be  used  to  safely 
differentiate  them.  As  a  rule,  the  num- 
ber and  arrangement  of  the  scales  on  the 
body  help  in  identification ;  but  this  is 
not  always  the  case  in  Sceloporus.  As 
a  consequence,  other  characters  must  be 
sought  out.  Those  who  have  carefully 
studied  them  find  that  the  scalation  of  the 
head  carries  one  a  long  ways  toward  cor- 
rect indentification  in  any  particular  in- 
stance. 

Our  common  swift  (S.  undulatris)  oc- 
curs in  most  suitable  areas  where  con- 
ditions are  right  from  one  ocean  to  the 
other,  and  in  some  places  it  is  particu- 
larly abundant.  There  is  a  good,  natural 
size  figure  of  this  suedes  in  my  "Chap- 
ters on  the  Natural  History  of  the  United 
States,"  where  its  life  history  is  given. 
In  this  suedes,  as  well  as  in  others  of  the 
genus,  the  male  is  ornamented  with  a 
ventral  patch  of  rich  azure  blue  on  either 
side  of  the  body,  offset  with  black ;  this 
is  also  seen  very  faintly  in  the  female 
sometimes. 

One  of  the  verv  largest  forms  of  the 
genus  is  the  spiny  swift  (Sceloporus 
spinosus),  which  occurs  in  many  parts 
of  northern  Mexico :  in  this  countrv  in 
New  Mexico,  throughout  wrestern  Texas, 
thence  eastward  over  the  tier  of  Gulf 
States  as  far  as  Pensacola,  Florida. 

Recently,  Mr.  Edward  S.  Schmid,  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  received  a  large  in- 
voice of  these  interesting  rept^es  from 
New  Orleans,  and  with  his  usual  gener- 
osity he  allowed  me  to  select  a  number 
of  them  for  the  purposes  of  photography. 
There  do  not  appear  to  be  any  heretofore 
published  photographs  from  life  of  this 
species  ;  so  the  one  here  offered,  giving 
both  male  and  female,  may  prove  inter- 
esting to  nature  students.  They  were 
taken  by  me  in  April,  iqi",  and  of  the 
size  of  nature.  The  male  is  shown  on  the 
upper  side  of  the  limb  and  the  female  be- 
low. It  will  be  noted  that  in  this  species 
the  conspicuously  keeled  scales  are  very 
large  and  sharply  pointed,  giving  the 
reptile  a  very  roughish  coat.  The  gen- 
eral color  is  grayish  or  dull  greenish,  with 
sometimes  a  dash  of  yellowish  tan.  Pale 
transverse   bands   occur   at   intervals   on 


the  body,  to  become  rings  on  the  tail.  In 
the  male,  a  large  patch  of  dull  black  oc- 
curs over  the  shoulder,  faintly  margined 
with  grayish-black.  These  latter  charac- 
ters are  never  present  in  the  female, 
while  the  broad,  longitudinal  stripe  and 
other  minor  characters  are  so  evident  in 
my  photograph  that  they  require  no  es- 
pecial mention. 

As  in  the  case  of  nearly  all  the  species 
of  swifts,  this  one,  too,  lives  largely  an 
arboreal  life,  or  on  old,  fallen  trees 
stretched  upon  the  ground.  It  can  run 
with  the  speed  of  a  race-horse,  and,  as 
in  our  common  form,  dodge  around  on 
the  bark  of  the  tree  with  all  the  alacrity 
of  a  chipmunk.  At  night  they  often  bur- 
row under  ground,  near  the  foot  of  a 
tree,  and  remain  there  until  morning — ■ 
a  habit  they  keep  up  in  captivity  if  sand 
or  soft  earth  be  supplied  them,  which  it 
always  should  be  if  we  make  pets  of  then. 
Thev  eat  many  kinds  of  insects,  some  of 
which  probably  are  of  the  pest  order,  and 
therefore  these  lizards  are  quite  beneficial 
with  respect  to  man's  interests. 


Twenty-nine  cetaceans  were  reported 
stranded  on  the  shores  of  the  British  Isles 
during  1916,  one  more  than  the  year  be- 
fore. Among  them  was  a  suckling 
sperm  whale. 


War  Diet  in  the  Zoo. 

The  animals  of  the  zoological  park 
in  London  have  gone  on  war  diet. 
The  carnivora  get  only  horse  flesh — 
which  was  never  so  cheap  or  abund- 
ant as  now.  Potatoes,  of  which  fifteen 
thousand  pounds  a  year  were  formerly 
consumed,  are  now  not  used  at  all. 
Bread  for  the  monkeys  and  apes  is  now 
only  ship  biscuit  that  has  made  one  or 
two  voyages  and  is  not  fit  for  human 
food.  Instead  of  wheat  and  oats  the 
little  mammals  and  the  birds  get  dari. 
paddy  rice,  horse  beans,  and  locust 
beans  and  Indian  corn.  For  hay  has 
been  substituted  the  grass  clipped 
from  the  city  parks.  Even  bananas, 
formerly  eaten  by  many  birds  and  small 
mammals,  are  now  replaced  by  boiled 
wurzels  and  beetroots.  The  number  of 
animals  also  has  been  greatly  reduced, 
partly  by  killing  such  as  could  be  eas- 
ilv  replaced  and  partly  by  not  replacing 
those  which  die. 


EDITORIAL 


f Reprinted    from    our    August    number    to    correct    an 
error   of   omission.] 

"DON'T  GIVE  UP  THE  SHIP." 


bad  thing  and  every  foolish  thing  and 
every  pernicious  pursuit  and  institu- 
tion should  be  discarded. 


"Roll    the    Sleeves     Higher    and    Try 
Again." 

"Bring  in  the  candles  and  let  us  go 
on  with  the  work,"  (as  commonly 
quoted),  were  the  immortal  words  of 
Abraham  Davenport  in  the  legislative 
halls  of  Hartford  at  the  time  of  the 
famous  Dark  Day. 

Whittier's  poem  metrically  puts  this 
saying  as  follows  : 

"  'No   faithless    servant   frightened   from   my 

task. 
But    ready    when    the    Lord    of    the    harvest 

calls; 
And   therefore,   with   all   reverence,   I   would 

say, 
Let  God  do  His  work,  we  will  see  to  ours. 
Bring    in    the    candles.'      And    they    brought 

them  in." 

These  are  our  dark  days,  due  to  the 
world-wide  crisis,  but  it  is  a  time  for  a 
steadier  and  firmer  clinging  to  all  good 
things.  It  is  not  well  to  let  go.  The 
situation  now  in  war  time  is  different 
from  what  it  is  in  any  other  time  only 
because  it  demands  a  little  more  work 
on  behalf  of  all  good  things. 

The  sensible  words  from  the  famous 
Stamford  lawmaker,  the  unperturbed 
Abraham  Davenport,  have  come  ring- 
ing down  the  decades.  In  recent  times 
another  famous  lawmaker  of  Stamford, 
the  late  Honorable  Samuel  Fessenden, 
said  in  terms  equally  terse  and  equally 
praiseworthy  though  perhaps  rather 
more  startling,  "God  Almighty  hates  a 
quitter."  Neither  Davenport  nor  Fes- 
senden  enunciated  a  new  fact.  They 
only,  each  in  his  own  way,  emphasized 
the  old  truth  taught  by  the  Divine 
Man,  "No  man,  having  put  his  hand  to 
the  plough  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for 
the  kingdom  of  God." 

These  are  the  times  in  which  every 
good  thing  should  be  sustained,  and 
with  more  tenacity  than  ever.     Every 


A  Recess  from  War  Talk. 

When  a  well-known  man  recently 
called  at  ArcAdiA,  after  the  usual 
greetings  I  inquired  of  him,  "What  is 
the  late-t  in  this  morning's  papers 
about  the  war?"  He  held  up  both 
hands  in  protest  and  said,  "Now, 
please,  give  me  a  little  rest  from  war. 
I  hear  it  everywhere.  I  see  it  in  the 
papers,  it  glares  at  me  from  billboards 
and  show  windows.  I  thought  I  would 
come  to  ArcAdiA  for  a  few  minutes  to 
get  a  little  relief.  I  do  not  want  to  hear 
a  single  word  about  the  war.' 

"Sorry,  but    f   did  not  mean- 


"C)h,"  he  said,  "you  meant  all  right 
and  so  does  every  one  else.  I  do  it 
myself.  We  ought  to  talk  war.  The 
newspapers  should  have  a  great  deal 
about  it,  and  the  ministers  should 
preach  about  it,  and  I  thoroughly  be- 
lieve in  this  Liberty  Loan,  Red  Cross 
nurse,  economy  of  food  and  Home 
Guards  and  all  the  frills  and  fixings 
that  go  with  war.  But  once  in  a  while, 
and  I  hope  you  do  not  think  me  un- 
patriotic. I  want  to  quit  it  all,  and  that 
is  why  I  came  to  Arc  VdiA." 

Unconsiouslv  he  voiced  exactly  what 
we  have  in  mind  when  we  omit  from 
this  magazine,  and  ordinarily  from  con- 
versation with  our  visitors,  all  reference 
to  this  war.  Because  the  man  was  par- 
ticularly interested  in  this  war  and  per- 
haps knows  more  about  it  than  any- 
body else  because  he  has  been  right  on 
the  spot,  I  thought  to  please  him  by 
mentioning  what  I  supposed  to  be  his 
favorite  topic.  And  so  it  is  with  you, 
my  dear  reader;  you  read,  you  think, 
you  give,  you  sacrifice,  you  economize 
more  for  the  war  than  for  anything 
else  that  has  ever  come  into  your  life. 
Yon  do  it  gladly,  but  deep  in  your 
heart  there  is  a  feeling  that  once  in  a 


EDITORIAL 


123 


while,  even  fur  a  brief  space,  you  want 
to  think  and  hear  about  something  dif- 
ferent. 

The;  Guide  to  Nature  has  this  great 
distinction :  it  is  the  only  periodical 
that  is  not  at  present  filled  with  war 
talk.  We  believe  this  brief  editorial 
is  our  only  venture  into  that  held. 
Kindly  excuse  us  for  even  this.  This 
magazine  and  ArcAdiA  stand  for  the 
recess  from  all  forms  of  strife.  Some 
of  my  friends  who  are  not  readers  of 
this  magazine  feel  disappointed  be- 
cause they  think  our  magazine  is  not 
"local"  enough.  But  we  have  no  desire 
to  compete  with  the  local  newspapers. 
We  have  no  desire  to  chronicle  the  sad 
and  dreadful  things  of  life.  There  are 
plenty  of  them,  but  we  prefer  to  go  to 
nature  for  relief,  rest  and  refreshment. 

Are  we  less  local  because  we  tell  of 
the  beauty  of  a  local  flower  garden,  of 
the  life  history  of  some  moth  that  a 
friend  has  discovered,  or  detail  an  ob- 
servation in  regard  to  unusual  eggs 
that  some  one's  local  hen  has  laid?  Is 
there  not  a  multiplicity  of  interesting 
things  in  the  local  nature  around  us? 
Can  it  be  possible  that  so  many  people 
think  life  is  all  fight,  fierceness  and 
food  ? 

There  should  be  in  every  life  some 
respite  from  the  routine,  some  breath- 
ing and  resting  spells,  not  only  for  the 
body  but  for  the  mind.  The  keynote, 
the  sustaining  note,  the  "pedal  point" 
of  the  little  poems  that  we  have  pub- 
lished so  freely  and  frequently  from 
Emma  Peirce  is  that  in  only  a  few  lines 
she  asks  you  to  leave  war-like  things 
for  a  few  minutes  and  to  come  to  nature 
for  relief  and  refreshment.  She  sings 
you  a  little  song  of  perhaps  only  four 
lines,  and  vet  she  makes  you  think  that 
after  all  there  is  something  in  life 
worth  the  living.  More  and  more 
earnestly  are  we  trying  to  appreciate 
this  point  of  view.  There  was  a  time 
when  in  our  own  local  community  it 
would  have  been  difficult  to  find  a  doz- 
en readers  for  The  Guide  to  Nature, 
yet  now  over  all  Sound  Beach.  Stam- 
ford and  Greenwich  there  are  readers 
by  the  hundred.  The  magazine  is 
sought  for,  read  and  appreciated. 
People  nowadays  are  craving  what  that 
visitor  at  ArcAdiA  was  craving,  a  re- 
lief from  the  presence  and  the  thought 
of  the  awful  things  of  life.    The  success 


of  this  magazine  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
we  are  giving  the  material  of  that  re- 
cess. 

But  we  have  not  yet  got  everybody. 
We  admit  that.  Once  in  a  great  while 
some  one  says,  "Why  don't  you  have 
something  exciting  in  that  magazine? 
It  is  too  tame.  You  ought  to  get  up 
an  interesting  story." 

A  good  and  well  meaning  friend  re- 
cently remarked,  "Do  you  not  know 
this  is  an  utilitarian  age?  Even  in 
your  own  field  you  are  missing  a  lot  of 
opportunity.  You  ought  to  tell  the 
people  how  they  can  make  more  money 
by  keeping  honeybees,  how  they  can 
raise  bigger  crops  in  the  garden.  The 
country  magazines  publish  many  pa- 
pers to  tell  the  reader  how  to  keep  bull- 
frogs and  skunks  and  pigeons.  Don't 
you  know  there  is  money  even  in  pet 
mice?  I  know  yon  are  a  naturalist 
and  want  to  do  things  right  along  your 
own  line,  but  why  don't  you  do  these 
things  that  people  want  you  to  do.  and 
make  a  big  lot  of  money?  In  this  mod- 
ern scientific  age  there  is  room  for  a 
magazine  that  will  tell  people  how  to 
make  money  out  of  nature." 

I  have  no  dispute  with  this  kind 
friend.  Probably  money  can  be  made 
along  the  lines  he  mentioned.  We  do 
not  cover  the  so-called  current  events 
of  the  day.  even  locally,  but  we  do  give 
the  latest  interesting  observations  of 
the  heavens  above,  the  earth  beneath 
and  the  waters  under  the  earth.  We 
may  not  tell  how  to  make  money  from 
froQ-s'  hind  leg's,  because  there  is  more 
to  a  frog  than  legs,  and  even  those  legs 
do  not  exist  only  to  gratify  the  epicure. 
We  believe  in  money  (the  Lord  knows 
we  need  it  badly  enough)  ;  we  believe 
in  this  just  war.  Nations  must  strug- 
gle and  there  must  be  a  substantial 
1)0 sis  even  for  schools,  churches  and 
The  Agassiz  Association.  Not  for  a 
moment  do  we  decry  the  times,  but 
along  with  the  times  and  through  the 
times  we  try  to  give  you  a  little  relief 
and  rest  from  the  pretty  continuous 
struggle  for  existence. 


With  nature  so  near,  overflowing  with  cheer. 

Why  looking  disgruntled  and  sad? 
Only  give  her  a   chance,   and   she  will   en- 
hance,  

Nay,  treble  the  joys  you  have  had. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


124 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


School-teachers     and     Naturalists     in 
High   Office- 

The  editor  of  this  magazine  is  a 
school-teacher,  an  instructor  of  teach- 
ers and  incidentally  a  naturalist.     He, 


a  heart  more  interested  in  natural  his- 
tory reading  than  in  any  other  kind. 
I  believe  that  in  his  heart  he  cares  more 
for  his  reputation  as  a  naturalist  than 
for  his  popularity  as  president  and  in- 


WOODBRIDGE  N.   FERRIS,  BIG  RAPIDS,  MICHIGAN. 


therefore,    rejoices    in    the    prominence  telligent    worker    along    various    other 

given   to  these   occupations  or  profes-  official    lines. 

sions  in  recent  years  by   some  of  the  There     is     William     Howard     Taft 

highest  official  personages  of  the  land,  whose  genial  smile  suggests  his  happi- 

Everybody      knows      that      Colonel  ness  when  a  word  is  said  to  him  about 

Theodore  Roosevelt,  Ex-president,  has  his  leaving  the  presidential  chair  to  be- 


EDITORIAL 


125 


come  a  teacher  of  the  young  law  stu- 
dents at  Yale  University.  This  for 
him  was  a  step  upward.  There  is  no 
higher  calling-  than  that  of  a  school- 
teacher, whether  the  things  taught  are 
the  principles  of  Blackstone  or  of  the 
multiplication  table. 

Every  teacher  thrills  with  pride  when 
he  remembers  that  a  great  school- 
teacher is  now  president  of  the  United 
States.  President  Wilson  is  not  onlv 
an  inspiration  in  enthusiasm  and  in 
patriotism  but  in  school-teaching.  He 
perhaps  is  the  best  example  that  this 
country  has  ever  had  of  a  school-teach- 
er president. 

Teachers  have  become  governors  of 
states,  but  doubtless  the  greatest  ex- 
ample of  this  kind  of  great  school- 
teacher is  the  highly  honored  ex-gov- 
ernor of  the  big  state  of  Michigan, 
Woodbridge  N.  Ferris.  No  governor 
was  ever  more  beloved.  No  governor 
of  any  state  more  keenly  realized  the 
duties  of  his  high  office  or  set  a  higher 
example  in  moral  methods  than  the 
chief  executive  of  that  state.  After 
four  vears  he  is  back  in  the  educational 
harness.  He  will  devote  the  remainder 
of  hi?  life  to  the  Ferris  Institute,  Big 
Rapids.  Michigan.  It  is  the  impulses 
of  his  big  heart  that  make  the  big 
school  known  as  the  Ferris  Institute  a 
unique  institution-  No  other  school 
can  be  compared  with  it.  The  Insti- 
tute is  not  a  college  but  a  great  sec- 
ondary school  for  the  training  of  men 
pud  women  in  constructive  thinking 
There  one  may  find  young  people  and 
gray  haired  adults  in  the  same  class. 
In  one  room  are  two  hundred  steno- 
graphers taking  dictation ;  in  the  ad- 
joining room  about  an  equal  number 
are  learning  how  to  conduct  a  drug 
store.  In  one  room  the  visitor  will  find 
an  elderly  foreigner  reading  a  primer 
and  across  the  hall  he  will  find  a  class 
in  the  higher  mathematics. 

Tt  is  the  strangest  school  on  earth. 
It  is  the  direct  antipode  to  all  the  ideas 
of  an  ordinary  school.  Tt  is  a  school  of 
life  itself.  It  has  none  of  that  old-fash- 
ioned notion  that  one  should  go  to 
srhool  for  only  a  few  years  of  his  life. 
Teacher  Ferris  has  exploded  that  with 
the  bombshells  of  his  own  inspiration. 

Personallv  Governor  Ferris,  Teacher 
Ferris  or  plain  Mr.  Ferris,  is  a  regular 


Abraham  Lincoln  in  his  pleasant,  rug- 
ged countenance,  big-heartedness  and 
sterling  ability.  He  sees  further  than 
most  men,  and  in  the  lofty  region  in 
which  he  abides  he  sees  more  clearly 
than  most  men. 

Throughout  the  West  he  is  in  de- 
mand at  Teachers'  Institutes-  He  has 
the  most  astonishing  methods  of  any 
teachers'  instructor  on  the  platform. 
He  strikes  at  his  hearers  with  a  stag- 
gering mental  blow  that  inspires  love 
and  enthusiasm.  No  other  speaker  on 
any  platform  says  things  so  strangely, 
so  vigorously  and  in  so  antagonistic 
a  way  nor  so  thoroughly  endears  him- 
self to  every  one  that  hears  him- 

The  editor  has  for  a  long  time  felt 
that  Mr.  Ferris  deserves  every  good 
thing  that  can  possibly  be  said  of  him. 
An  unspeakable  sorrow  has  recentlv 
entered  into  his  life.  His  wife  has 
passed  before  him  into  the  "great  si- 
lence," but  he  continues  the  school 
work  in  which  she  was  for  many  years 
hi?  chief  companion  and  helper.  With 
hoAV  much  pain  and  effort  he  alone 
knows.     But  toil  is  a  boon  to  sorrow. 

He  is  the  type  of  the  old  school  of 
the  old  fashion,  and  yet  the  principal  of 
one  of  the  most  modern  schools  in  the 
United  States.  He  stands  alone  as  the 
Abraham  Lincoln  of  the  school-teach- 
ing profession. 


Personal  Appreciation  by  Aloha  Camps. 

The  editor  of  this  magazine,  accom- 
panied by  his  daughter.  Miss  Pearl 
Agnes  Bigelow,  spent  two  weeks  as 
nature  instructor  at  the  Aloha  Camps. 
at  Pike.  New  Hampshire,  and  Fairlee 
and  Ely,  Vermont. 

"Scamp  Spirit,"  the  official  publica- 
tion of  the  camps,  published  the  fol- 
lowing words  of  welcome  and  appre- 
ciation : 


DR.  BIGELOW'S  VISIT. 

Seldom  has  Aloha  Club's  ever-open 
heart  been  as  quickly  and  completely 
won  as  it  was  by  Dr.  Bigelow,  natural- 
ict  and  astronomer.  President  of  The 
Agassiz  Association,  formerly  Nature 
and  Science  Editor  of  the  St-  Nicholas 
Magazine.  ?n<\  "Daddy"  Bigelow.  to 
the  girls  and  boys.  The  Camp  capitu- 
lated at  once  to  his  large  and  magnetic 
pe.rson?lity  and  he   was  our  Pole   star 


126 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


for  his  all  too  short  visit.  Every  hour 
of  his  stay  was  filled  with  an  exposition 
of  his  novel  and  thrilling  method  of 
nature  study  which  is  best  described 
in  his  own  words,  "I  do  not  teach  na- 
ture study.  What  I  like  to  do  is  to  in- 
troduce young  people  to  Nature  and  to 
help  build  np  a  firm  understanding  be- 
tween them."  He  introduced  us  royal- 
ly and  I  think  our  understanding  is 
many  times  what  it  was.  Indeed  it 
could  hardly  be  anything  else  after  our 
walks  with  "Daddy"  Bigelow,  our 
story  telling  contests  and  the  lovely 
woods  games  we  played.  Star  gazing 
became  a  joy  when  the  heavens  were 
revealed  to  us  as  a  mammoth  circus  in 
which  we  placed  the  animals  and  who 
could  forget  a  detail  of  the  solar  system 
when  we  made  our  own  living  one,  on 
the  grass. 

I  doubt  if  there  is  a  single  "Clubber" 
today  who  is  not  a  convert  to  the  theory 
that  "it  is  better  to  know  one  thing  and 
be  able  to  use  the  English  language  to 
tell  about  it,  than  to  have  many,  many 
crosses  on  one's  'checking  list.'  ' 


DADDY  BIGELOW 

Of  campers  we  have  quite  a  charmin' 
variety. 

Far  removed  from  larnin'  and  piety. 

But  I'll  advance  you  without  improp- 
riety 

Our  Daddy  Bigelow's  the  flower  of 
them  all. 

Here  is  a  health  to  you,  Daddy,  dear 
friend. 

How  you've  got  such  a  knack  sure  I 
can't  comprehend  ; 

Powerfullest  preacher  and  tenderest 
teacher. 

Faith,  may  your  visit  to  us  never  end! 


Not  for  Pity  but  for  Love. 

Pity  is  commendable  but  it  is  not  so 
good  either  for  the  recipient  or  for  the 
giver  as  is  love.  "But  the  greatest  of 
these  is  love."  That  expression  sounds 
familiar.  It  has  been  said  by  thous- 
ands of  people  and  preached  eloquentlv 
by  hundreds  and  yet  how  comparative- 
ly few  practice  it.  Thousands  of  dol- 
lars are  given  for  pity  where  one  dol- 
lar is  given  for  love,  but  if  love  is  real- 
ly the  greatest  thing  in  the  world,  this 
situation  should  be  reversed.  Money, 
as  an  indication  of  the  relative  values 


of  pity  and  love,  is  far  more  readily  ob- 
tained on  solicitation  when  the  object 
is  to  relieve  suffering  rather  than  to 
increase  happiness  or  personal  uplift 
and  improvement.  It  is  right  that 
millions  should  be  given  to  alleviate 
the  suffering  of  the  victims  of  the  bat- 
tle field,  to  help  the  suffering  victims 
of  sickness,  poverty,  misfortune,  acci- 
dent. The  immense  and  innumerable 
gifts  along  these  lines  speak  well  for 
human  nature.  But  with  all  the  com- 
mendation that  should  be  given  for 
gifts  to  relieve  any  form  of  suffering 
or  misfortune,  I  hear  ringing  a  higher 
praise,  "But  the  greatest  of  these  is 
love."  It  is  easy  to  circulate  a  sub- 
scription paper  or  to  sell  tickets  to  ob- 
tain gifts  for  the  alleviation  of  some 
form  of  suffering.  We  give  to  our 
friends  and  members  of  the  family  be- 
cause they  give  to  us.  The  ideal  is 
much  higher  if  we  give  to  make  some 
one  happier,  to  induce  him  to  think 
better  and  cleaner  thoughts,  to  know 
what  it  means  to  live  a  better  life,  if 
we  give  with  no  expectation  of  remun- 
eration, no  expectation  of  complacency 
to  our  own  feelings  because  we  have 
relieved  a  little  suffering.  Should  not 
the  consolation  of  giving  happiness  and 
betterment  to  a  fellow  being  be  even 
greater  than  the  consolation  of  having 
alleviated  suffering?  For  the  greatest 
of  these  is  love.  Yet  the  sweetest  and 
most  gracious  things  of  life  come  from 
kindly  disposition  toward  our  friends 
and  acquaintances.  A  pleasant  smile, 
a  jovial  word  to  a  friend  on  the  street 
is  as  much  needed  and  valued  in  this 
present  age  as  is  the  penny  dropped  in- 
to the  cup  of  the  blind  man  selling  lead 
pencils  from  the  curbstone.  Suppose 
one  were  limited  amid  the  good  things 
of  life  to  these  pennies,  and  that  we 
had  not  the  ability  to  be  kind  and  help- 
ful to  our  fellows,  much  would  be  tak- 
en out  of  life ! 

rt  is  evidently  easy  to  obtain  monev 
to  take  some  man  into  court  to  restrain 
him  from  pounding  his  horses,  but  how 
difficult  it  is  to  obtain  monev  to  help 
a  boy  to  grow  into  a  man  that  shall  re- 
spect every  form  of  animal  life.  How 
easy  it  evidently  is  to  put  out  the 
moneyed  hand  of  law  to  say,  "You 
shall  not  shoot  that  bird  and  wear  it 
on  a  hat."     It  is  easv  to  obtain  a  dol- 


EDITORIAL 


127 


lar  for  that  purpose  where  it  is  difficult 
to  obtain  five  cents  to  buy  that  girl  a 
book  on  birds  or  a  field  glass  or  a  copy 
of  a  magazine  article  that  shall  teach 
and  inspire  her  never  to  want  a  dead 
bird  on  her  hat.  The  Educational  Hu- 
mane Chapter  of  The  Agassiz  Associa- 
tion stands  for  the  law  of  love  rather 
than  for  the  love  of  law.  We  stand  for 
love  more  than  for  pity.  It  is  as  im- 
portant to  "set"  a  broken  point  of  view 
or  to  heal  a  cancerous  mental  sore  as  it 
is  to  set  a  broken  leg  or  to  provide  for 
a  smallpox  victim.  There  are  epidem- 
ics of  evil  that  need  remedying,  that 
need  their  antiseptics,  but  through  love. 

The-e  thoughts  were  suggested  by  a 
recent  remark  of  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Stamford.  I  solicited  a  small  gift 
from  him  to  carry  on  the  work  of  Ar- 
cAdiA,  telling  him  of  the  large  num- 
ber of  visitors,  especially  teachers  and 
school  children.  He  coldly  replied, 
"Those  teachers  and  other  men  and 
women  that  you  tell  about  are  able- 
bodied.  There  is  no  trouble  with  them. 
They  should  pay  for  what  they  get  at 
ArcAdiA,  as  well  as  anywhere  else. 
Charge  them  a  quarter  every  time  they 
come,  and  charge  the  boys  and  girls 
five  or  ten  cents  each,  and  you  will 
soon  find  that  you  will  not  have  so 
many  visitors ;  then  you  will  not  be 
around  to  beg  money  from  me."  I  did 
not  get  a  single  five  cents  from  him 
and  he  is  a  kind-hearted  man.  Had  I 
solicited  him  for  some  form  of  suffer- 
ing the  pocketbook  would  have  come 
out  instantly  and  a  five  or  ten  dollar 
bill  would  have  been  handed  to  me. 

What  is  the  trouble?  Do  we  not 
really  believe  that  the  greatest  of  these 
is  love,  or  do  we  believe  it  and  not  prac- 
tise it? 


ditional  dollar's  worth  of  text,  illustrations  and 
general   improvements. 


The    Microscope.        By    Simon    Henry    Gage. 
Ithaca,   New   York :     The  Comstock  Pub- 
lishing Company. 
This   is   the   greatly   enlarged   and    improved 
edition  for  1917  of  a  well-known  standard  book. 
Professor  Gage  is  a  technical  microscopist  and 
at  the  same  time  a  genuine  amateur.     He  is  an 
expert     with     an     amateur's     enthusiasm.       In 
that  spirit,  he  makes  the  old-time  love  of  mi- 
croscopy still  live  in  modern  biological  science. 
He  also  knows,  what  to  the  reviewer  is  even 
better,   that   the   microscope   is   a   thing  of   joy 
forever.     Its  use  is  always  a  tonic  and  never  a 
task,  if  rightly  viewed. 

The  new  retail  price  of  "The  Microscope" 
is  three  dollars  per  copy.  The  former  price  was 
two  dollars,  but  the  increase  is  not  due  to  the 
high  cost  of  living,  nor  even  to  the  increased 
cost   of   paper,   but   the   book   contains   an   ad- 


Historic  Places  of  Xew  England.     By  Her- 
bert F.  Sherwood.     Issued  by  the   Gen- 
eral    Passenarer     Department     of     The 
Xew    York,    Xew    Haven    and    Hartford 
Railroad. 
The    author    is    well-known    as    an    inter- 
esting   writer,    lecturer    and     photographer. 
The    railroad    company    could    not    have    se- 
lected  a   writer   better   qualified    to    descriKe 
the    historic    places    and    interests    of    Xew 
England.     The  book  is  interesting  and  use- 
ful.      It    contains    valuable    illustrations    of 
historic     spots     and     many    historical     data. 
Any    one    interested    in    Xew    England — and 
wdio   in    all   the   United   States   is   not   inter- 
ested?— can    obtain    a    copy    by    addressing 
the   General   Passenger   Department  of  The 
New  York,  New  Haven  and  Hartford  Rail- 
road, New   Haven   Connecticut. 


The  Motivation  of  School  Work.     By  H.  B. 
Wilson    and    G.    M.    Wilson.       Boston, 
Massachusetts:  Houghton   Mifflin   Com- 
pany. 
This    is    an     interesting    contribution     to 
the   much   mooted   auestion   as   to   what   ex- 
tent    children     should     be     controlled     and 
guided     and     to     what     extent     they     should 
have  their  liberty  to  follow  their  own   will. 
On  no  other  phase  of  child  psychology  are 
there  =0  wide  and  varied  opinions  as  on  this 
one  of  personal  liberty  and  personal  motive 
on  the  part  of  the  child.     There  are  teachers 
and  parents  with   a   widely  divers-ins  range 
of   view.      Some    say,   "Let    the   child   do   as 
he  pleases."     Others  make  the  child  a  mere 
machine    to    be    operated    bv    the    teacher: 
still  others  make  a  mixture  in  varying  pro- 
portions.    In  reply  to  a  personal  Inter.  Mr. 
H.    B.    Wilson,    who    is    Superintendent    of 
the    Topeka,    Kansas,    Public    Schools,    writes 
as  follows  to  the  editor: 

"My  thought  in  writing  this  book  was  to 
do  as  much  as  possible  to  eliminate  the 
drudgery  from  the  lives  of  children  in  the 
public  schools.  The  point  of  view  is  thor- 
oughly established  in  the  teaching  staff 
here,  and  most  of  the  work  proceeds  unon 
the  basis  of  adecuate  motives  in  the  lives 
of  the  children.  I  acknowledge  that  we  do 
not  see  yet  how  to  motivate  all  the  things 
that  it  is  considered  necessary  to  require 
children  to  master,  but  we  have  made  a  long 
step  in  that  direction.  Our  attack  at  pre- 
sent is  upon  the  Problem  as  the  Basis  for 
Teaching.  Since  having  a  problem  to  work 
upon  is  the  real  basis  intellectually  for  mo- 
tive, we  find  it  is  giving  us  a  bigger  hold 
on  the  problem  of  motivating  the  work  the 
children   do." 

The  authors  have  produced  a  book  that 
really  gives  concrete  help  of  a  fundamental 
kind  on  the  part  of  the  teacher.  The  efforts 
toward  motivating,  toward  organic  educa- 
tion, the  Montessori  methods,  with  many 
others,  are  all  commendable,  but  the  editor 
believes  that  the  truth  is  in  none  of  the 
extremes  but  somewhere  in  the  middle 
ground,  the  via  media-  "God  speed  to  everv 
effort  that  shall  help  to  solve  the  problem  and 
shall  train  the  child  in  his  personal  liberty  and 
the   freedom  of  his  will." 


I_'S 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Contributions   for   Little  Japan. 

Mr.  Arthur  A.  Carey,  Waltham, 
Mass.  (Second  increase — 
total  $60.00)    $  10.00 

A  Kicker,  Sound  Beach    2.00 

Mrs.     M.     E.     Cropsey,     Sound 

Beach    2.00 

Mrs-  W.  E.  Damon,  New  York- 
City   2.00 

Dr.  George  F.  Kunz,  New  York 

City   (Increase — total  $4.00) .        2.00 

Mr.   Andrew   J.    Kellock,    Sound 

Beach   1.00 

Mr.  Lewis  H.  Freedman.  Sound 

Beach    5.00 


Previously  acknowledged 


$  24.00 
799.00 


Total $823.00 

For  Growth  and  Efficiency. 

Visitors  at  ArcAdiA   $     .25 

Miss  C  W.  Ritch,  Stamford   .  .        5.00 

I.     Zipfel,     D.     C,    Willimantic, 

Conn 4.00 

Mr.       E.       Hartwright.       Sound 

Beach    _ 5.00 

Some  Individual  Members  of  the 

Sound  Beach  Home  Guard..  27.50 
Visitor  at  ArcAdiA   1.00 

Miscellaneous  Contributions 

Mr.  J.  A.  Kearful,  Ada,  Montana : 
Two  Indian  arrowheads — one  flint,  the 
other  apparently  iron. 

Mr.  W.  A.  Wescott,  Sound  Beach: 
Luna  moth. 

Mrs.  S.  O.  Edmonds,  Sound  Beach  : 
Cloaked  knotty  horn  beetle  (Desmocc- 
rus  palliatus). 

Master  Lansing  Van  Wickel.  Sound 
Beach:  Sundrop  (Oenothera  pratensis). 

Miss      Charlotte      Mansell.      Sound 


Beach  :  Polyphemus  moth  (Telea  poly- 
phemus). 

Miss  Margaret  Ferris,  Sound  Beach: 
Calosoma  beetle. 

Norfolk  &  Western  Railway  Com- 
pany, Roanoke,  Virginia :  Thirty-nine 
named  and  numbered  specimens  of 
minerals  gathered  along  the  railroad. 

Mr.  Emil  Bertolf,  Sound  Beach : 
Polyphemus   and   Luna  moths. 

Dr.  William  T.  Godfrey,  Stamford: 
Mounted  specimen  of  starling  and  of 
purple  grackle. 


In  the   Park. 

The   azalea's   brilliant   beauty 

At  the  foot  of  the   sombre  pines, 

Burns   bright   as   a   beacon   camp-fire, 
That  the  hunter's  trail   defines. 

— Emma    Peirce. 


Your  magazine  is  one  of  my  treasures. 
I  have  received  more  inspiration  and 
help  from  it  than  from  any  other  I 
ever  read. — Annie  Halliday  Adams, 
Camden,  New  Jersey. 


The  uncommon  cold  of  the  present 
spring  in  this  country  has  extended  al- 
so to  Europe.  Among  other  effects, 
has  been  the  death  from  starvation  of 
great  numbers  of  starlings,  thrushes, 
gulls,  and  especially  Lapwings. 


As  a  by-product  of  the  important 
studies  on  human  nutrition  now  be- 
ing carried  on  at  the  Connecticut  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Station,  it  appears 
that  rats  which  are  stunted  during 
their  growth  by  insufficient  food  do 
actually,  as  a  result,  live  longer  than 
those  that  are  normally  developed,  and 
produce  young  later  in  life.  The 
young,  moreover,  though  born  after 
normal  rats  cease  to  breed,  were  as 
vigorous  and  healthy  as  others. 


Please  remember  this  educational  uplifting  work  in  making  your  will. 

tyaxxn  of  Hrqurst  to  tfjp  AaBoriatton 

/  hereby  give  and  bequeath  to  The  Agasvic  Association,  an  incorporated 
association,  having  its  principal  executive  office  at  A*rcAdiA,  in  Sound  Beach, 
in  the  tozvn  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  the  sum  of dollars. 


IT 


GREENWICH 


THE    EDITION    DE  LUXE 
OF  CONNECTICUT  TOWNS 


GREENWICH 


DO  NOT  LEAVE  FURS,  WOOL- 
ENS OR  VALUABLE  RUGS  FOR 
MOTHS  TO  RUIN.  PLACE  THEM 
IN  OUR  DRY  AIR  COLD  STOR- 
AGE VAULT.  THE  CHARGES 
ARE  REASONABLE. 

J  THE 

GREENWICH  TRUST 
COMPANY 


GREENWICH 


•  • 


CONN. 


I 


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  jrou  call  or  write. 

Laurence  Timmons 

Tel.  456        Opp.  Depot       Greenwich,  Conn 


jj—~ 


:o 


I 


n 


The  Best  Scientific  Work  is  Done  in  the 
Small  Laboratory  with  Local  Support 

(From  an  Editorial  in  "The  Popular  Science   Monthly.") 

"The  most  desirable  institutions  for  scientific  work  would  prob- 
ably be  comparatively  small  laboratories  conducted  by  the  scien- 
tific men  who  work  in  them It  would  be 

well  if  such  institutions  were  endowed  by  the  rich,  still  better  if 
they  were  supported  by  a  state  or  community." 


vm 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE.— ADVERTISEMENTS. 


E«2 

cogO 

.pSs 


i-O   >, 


THE  STAMFORD  LUMBER  CO. 

LUMBER 

Sash.  Doors,  Blinds  and  Window-Frames 

WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL 
OFFICE   AND   YARD,    297    PACIFIC   STREET. 
STAMFORD.  CONN. 


FASHIONS  OF  TO-DAY 


09 
0) 


CO 

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li 

to 

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o- 


£.2 

.    i- 
O    4J 

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Q. 


9492    Girl's  Pajamas,   6   to    14    rears.      Pn'ce    IS    cents. 

One-piece  pajamas  have  come  to  be  favorite  sleeping 
garments.  These  are  thoroughly  comfortable  and  satis- 
factory to  wear  while  also  they  are  new  and  fashionable. 
They  are  so  simple  that  they  require  no  special  skill  or 
ability  for  the  making  and  the  older  girls  will  be  glad  of 
that  fact  for  they  can  run  them  up  in  a  short  space  of 
time.  _  Crepe  de  chine  and  handkerchief  lawn  are  favorite 
materials,  fine  batiste  and  nainsook  always  are  charming 
and  just  now  underwear  is  being  made  of  fine  cotton 
voile.  The  body  portion  and  trousers  are  cut  together, 
as  indicated  in  the  back  view,  and  you  can  leave  the 
trousers  open  or  gather  into  bands  and  finish  them  with 
gills.  Here,  stitched  edges  make  the  finish  but,  if  you 
like  a  daintier  effect,  you  could  scallop  the  collar,  the 
sleeves  and  the  upper  edges  of  the  pockets — perhaps  the 
belt  also. 

For  the  10-year  size  will  be  needed  5  3-8  yards  of  ma- 
terial  27   inches  wide,   5  yards  36. 

The  pattern  No.  9492  is  cut  in  sizes  from  6  to  14  years, 
it  will  be  mailed  to  any  address  bv  the  Fashion  Depart- 
ment  of   this   magazine   on    receipt   of   fifteen   cents. 


Try 


9 


for 

That  Autumn  Suit 

Cleaning,  Repairing  and  Pressing  a 
Specialty 

Best  Hat  Values  Obtainable  in  the 
Celebrated  C  &  K 

Line  of  Derby  and  Soft  Hats 

Fine   Line  of  Shirts,   Ties,   Collars, 

Cuffs,  Gloves,  etc. 

196  Atlantic  St. 

Stamford  Connecticut 


BORG  BROTHERS 

Chemical   and   Analytical    Laboratories 

for  Special  Research  Work 

539  MAIN  ST. 

STAMFORD        :-:        CONNECTICUT 


Telephone,  270 
271 


Uptown  Office:  STARK  BROS. 

40    PARK    ROW 


GHAS.  F.  WATERBURY 
David    Waterbury     &    Son 

COAL  DRAIN  PIPE  WOOD 

Crushed  Stone  for  Walks  and  Drives 

YARDS:     Canal  Dock,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 


A  Local  Department. 


A  Horticultural  as  well  as  Military 
Captain. 

Captain  Allan  F.  Kitchel  of  Sound 
Beach  is  the  leader  of  the  Home  Guards 
and  also  leader  in  another  form  of  ser- 
vice for  his  country  in  that  he  has  de- 
veloped and  cultivated  a  garden  that 
the  editor  of  this  magazine  believes  to 


CAPTAIN    ALLAN    F.    KITCHEL    AND    GIANT 
BEANS. 


be  the  best  in  this  region.  Think  of 
beans  covering  poles  twelve  feet  high 
with  about  six  extra  feet  of  vine  over- 
hanging— a  total  of  eighteen  feet,  with 
many  things  in  similar  proportions. 
Few  gardens  show  a  more  luxuriant 
growth  of  potatoes,  tomatoes  and  the 
other  common  crops  of  the  amateur 
gardener.  It  is  not  necessary  to  special- 
ize because  the  whole  is  always  known 
by  a  fair  sample.  The  accompanying 
illustration  showing  Captain  Kitchel 
standing  among  his  pole  beans  is  that 
fair  sample.  It  represents  a  garden  that 
has  produced  a  growth  which  is  not 
all  vines  but  would  be  difficult  to  ex- 
cel. Such  things  do  not  come  by 
chance.  When  Captain  Kitchel  under- 
takes a  project  he  does  it  well.  For 
example,  he  did  his  military  work  at 
Plattsburg  so  well  that  all  of  us  in 
Sound  Beach  recognized  the  justice  of 
the  election  when  the  Home  Guards 
made  him  their  Captain-  He  is  a  thor- 
ough, whole-hearted  patriot,  and  is 
cordially  supplemented  and  aided  in  all 
his  endeavors  by  his  energetic  and 
equally  patriotic  wife.  We  rather  sus- 
pect that  this  magnificent  garden  is  a 
partnership  affair.  The  Captain  may 
have  devoted  more  than  half  the  energy 
needed  to  make  it  a  vegetable  garden 
but  we  feel  sure  that  Mrs.  Kitchel  put 
her  capable  mind  and  her  accomplished 
hands  on  the  aesthetic  part. 

The  garden  of  flowers  though  not  ex- 
tensive is,  in  its  alluring  arrangement 
its  paths  of  luxurant  growth,  an  exquis- 
ite gem.  The  flowers  in  the  canoe,  and 
the  canoe  surrounded  by  picturesque 
rocks,  are  more  than  appropriate  for 
the  ornamentation  of  a  home  on  the 
shore  of  Long  Island  Sound.  They  are 
emblematic.     The  accompanying  illus- 


RAN  A  GRUMP  SAYS 


VII 


Burdett-McGillivray  Company 

ADVOCATE  BUILDING 
STAMFORD  :  :  :  :  CONNECTICUT. 

Phone  268 

STAMFORD'S  PROGRESSIVE  DRY  GOODS  STORE 

Pictorial  Review  Patterns.  Our  Business  is  Increasing  Every  Day 

We  Show  the  New  Goods  First.         Popular  Prices. 

Dependable  Goods. 


tration  shows  Captain  and  Mrs.  Kitchel 
sitting  on  the  edge  of  that  canoe  and 
thinking  pleasant  thoughts  as  they 
ought  to  do  in  such  pleasant  surround- 
ings. In  one  end  of  this  rock-bound 
vessel  is  a  luxuriant  growth  of  purple 
white  and  lemon  verbenas.  Through 
the  middle  marches  a  regiment  of  the 
deliciously  fragrant  heliotrope,  while  the 
stern  is  filled  and  adorned  by  pink  be- 


gonias. 


Conspicuous  in  the  center  of  the  gar- 
den is  a  gorgeous  display  of  spiderwort 
(Cleome).  Scattered  about  are  beauti- 
ful patches  of  phlox,  pink  and  white, 
zinnia,  mignonette  with  other  beautiful 
flowering  plants  that  make  the  garden 
an  altogether  delightful  place. 


Like    altar   fires    above    the    green. 
The   lilies   from   our   lattice   seen. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


A  Thorough  Nature   Student. 

Miss  Holden  had  recently  taken  the 
position  as  governess  in  the  Weaver 
family  and  had  just  returned  home 
with  the  children  after  enjoying  a  long 
walk  in  the  country.  Little  Madeline 
approached  her  teacher  and  confided : 

"I  ate  a  worm  when  I  was  out  this 
afternoon,  Miss  Holden." 

With  grave  anxiety  Miss  Holden, 
thinking  perhaps  the  child  had  really 
done  such  a  thing,  talked  to  her  vehe- 
mently, explaining  the  undesirability 
of  young  worms  as  an  article  of  diet. 
Then,  looking  on  the  funny  side,  the 
governess  went  on  in  a  softer  manner : 

"And  just  think,  dear,  how  dreadful- 
ly the  mother  worm  felt  to  have  her 
little  baby  eaten  up." 

"Oh,  I  ate  she's  muvver,  too,"  re- 
turned the  little  miss  in  a  triumphant 
manner. 


THINKING    PLEASANT    THOUGHTS    ON   A   ROCK-RIMMED   CANOE. 


VIII 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


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"Promote,  then,  as  an  object  of  PRIMARY  IMPORTANCE,  insti- 
tutions for  the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge." 


ii^^^^#^^#^s^f^#^s 


(Cfye  Cast  ©rape  on  tt?e  Dine 

23y  Don  C.  Settr,  <Los  dob,  Conn. 


Let  Horace  sing  his  Latin  lays 
In  praise  of  Tuscan  wine, 

But  save  for  me  the  chance  to  sip 
The  last  grape  on  the  vine! 

Johannisburg  can  keep  its  juice; 

Champagne  its  vintage  fine, 
If  lips  of  mine  can  only  taste 

The  last  grape  on  the  vine! 

Sun  and  dew  have  served  their  best 

Within  its  ripe  confine; 
Take  your  Tokay,  I  only  crave 

The  last  grape  on  the  vine! 

Manna  and  myrrh  cannot  compare, 
Nor  savors  sweet  combine, 

To  bring  such  bliss  to  earthly  lips — 
The  last  grape  on  the  vine! 


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. 


'olume 


X 


OCTOBER,    1917 


Number  5 


Experiments  in  Grape  Growing. 

By  Edward  F.  Bigelow,  ArcAdiA,  Sound  Beach  Connecticut. 


The  history  of  the  early  settlers'  at- 
temn+s  at  grape  growing  in  this  country 
recalls  the  pathos  of  the  early  attempts 
at  inventing  the  typewriter,  in  that  all 
these  experiments  show  the  thick-head- 
edness  of  human  beings,  and  how  diffi- 
cult it  has  been  for  the  race  to  learn 
some  of  the  simplest  things.  All  the 
histories  of  the  invention  of  the  type- 
writer agree  that  the  final  achievement 
was  delayed  for  nearly  a  hundred 
years  because  no  inventor  could  disa- 
buse his  mind  of  the  notion  that  the 
keyboard  must  be  like  that  of  the 
piano  with  keys  black  and  white  and 
similarly  arranged. 

For  more  than  two  hundred  years 
settlers  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  sacrificed  an  enormous 
amount  of  time  and  money  on  account 
of  their  thirst  for  wine.  Vineyard  af- 
ter vineyard  was  established  with  the 
Vitis  vinifera,  the  wine  grape  of  France. 
Little  was  heard  of  grape  growing  east 
of  the  Rockies  so  long  as  the  experi- 
menters persisted  with  this  impossible 
Vitis  vinifera  ;  that  is,  in  trying  to  make 
the  wine  grape  succeed.  It  has  suc- 
ceeded in  only  one  place  in  this  coun- 
try   east    of   the    Rockies-      Louisiana, 


when  owned  by  France,  grew  grapes 
and  made  wine  in  such  quantities  that 
the  French  government  forbade  wine 
grape  growing  in  the  colony.  But  in 
New  England  and  the  Middle  States 
the  French  grapevine  is  entirely  out 
of  place.  The  history  of  these  experi- 
ments is  one  long  series  of  disappoint- 
ment after  disappointment  and  tragedy 
after  tragedy,  yet  with  what  commen- 
dable zeal  did  those  early  experiment- 
ers struggle  with  the  inevitable  fail- 
ure. Nicholas  Longworth  of  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  experimented  with  Euro- 
pean grapes  for  forty  years  and  con- 
cluded in  1846  that  it  is  impossible  to 
grow  foreign  grapes  in  America.  He 
obtained  more  than  fifteen  thousand 
plants  from  abroad  and  went  to  enor- 
mous expense  in  trenching  the  land 
with  a  special  form  of  drainage,  en- 
riching it  with  soil  and  with  sand  even 
three  feet  deep.  He  planted  a  great 
variety  of  foreign  wine  grapes.  Every 
one  failed  ;  not  a  single  plant  was  left 
in  his  vineyards.  He  then  came  to 
the  correct  conclusion  that  grape  grow- 
ing, especially  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  United  States,  must  depend  on  the 
cultivation  of  native  grapes  alone  and 


Copyright    191"  by  The  Agassiz  Association,   ArcAdiA:   Sound  Beach,   Conn. 


132 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


on  the  raising  of  new  varieties  from 
their  seed.  But  in  sharp  contrast  to 
this  is  the  success  of  the  French  grapes 
in  California.  There  are  occasionally 
some  amateurs  in  Eastern  United 
States,  even  nowadays,  who  have  been 
able  to  grow  one  or  more  varieties  of 


roots,  and  it  is  probable  that  in  no 
distant  time  all  California  vines  will 
be  grown  on  native  roots.  The  really 
wonderful  success  of  the  Vitis  vinifera 
west  of  the  great  continental  divide 
makes  all  the  more  remarkable  the 
fact  that  in  no  place  east  of  the  divide 


&~  ft 


J~/je    T}ull  }{ouse,    ^{orrie  of  the   Corjcorcl   §rape 


Cut  bv  courtesy  of   "The   Scientific   Monthly.' 


the  old  world  grape  out  of  doors  with  a 
fair  degree  of  success  in  specially  favor- 
ed locations,  but  these  have  always 
been  by  the  amateur  for  experimental 
purposes,  never  in  the  commercial  vine- 
yard. The  repeated  failures,  without  a 
single  real  success,  serve  to  prove  the 
uselessness  of  trying  to  grow  foreign 
grapes  in  eastern  America.  The  ex- 
periments have  been  tantalizing  be- 
cause for  a  year  or  two  these  foreign 
grapevines  will  grow  with  a  fair 
amount  of  promise,  and  then  become 
diseased  with  finally  nothing  left  but 
dead  vines  and  an  abandoned  vineyard- 
It  is  only  in  the  regions  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  more  particu- 
larly in  California,  that  the  varieties  of 
vinifera,  the  foreign  grape,  are  success- 
fully grown  in  America.  The  great 
viti-cultural  interests  of  the  far  West 
are  founded  upon  the  success  of  this 
one  species.  Native  grapes  can  be 
grown  in  California,  but  for  no  purpose 
can  they  compete  with  the  Vitis  vini- 
fera- It  is  however  an  interesting  fact 
that  even  in  California  the  foreign 
grapes     grow     best     upon     American 


will  its  varieties  thrive.  In  the  early 
history  of  this  country  it  seems  that  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States 
none  thought  of  grapes  for  food.  Wine 
only  was  wanted.  The  hard  working, 
frugal  Puritans  cared  comparatively 
little  for  even  the  wild  grapes  for  food. 
They  were  not  so  fond  of  wine  as  were 
the  Southerners,  nor  did  they  have  so 
much  time  and  so  many  facilities  for 
experimenting  as  had  the  rich  southern 
planters.  That  accounts  for  some  of 
the  success  in  the  far  South.  The  New 
Englanders  had  to  struggle  to  obtain 
the  necessities  of  life.  It  is  an  interest- 
ing fact  that  the  New  England  people 
were  fond  of  rum  while  Southerners 
preferred  wine.  Yet  all  the  writers  on 
the  resources  of  the  New  England  col- 
onies mention  grapes.  Governor  Ed- 
ward Winslow,  writing  in  1621  of  the 
country  in  which  the  Puritans  had 
found  a  home,  says,  "Here  are  grapes 
white  and  red  and  very  sweet  and 
strong  also."  He  seems  to  have  been 
one  of  the  first  to  become  impressed 
with   the  possibility  of  grape  growing 


in     New     England. 


"he     Eighteenth 


EXPERIMENTS  IN  GRAPE  GROWING  133 

Century  in  particular  seems  to  have  in  1849.  Near  the  place  where  this 
had  the  least  interest  in  grape  growing  seedling  was  grown  was  a  Catawba, 
from  the  wild  American  grapes.  In  The  wild  vine  was  exposed  to  cross- 
the  literature  of  that  century  there  are  fertilization.  ,  From  this  came  the  seed- 
fewer  references  to  the  possibility  of  ling  named  the  Concord.  Here  is  cir- 
successful  grape  culture  than  there  are  cumstantial  evidence  that  the  Concord 
in  the  Seventeenth.  This  is  probably  contains  Catawba  blood.  From  the 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  experiments  time  wdien  the  Concord  was  first  placed 
with  foreign  grapes  had  failed,  and  it  on  the  market,  its  success  has  been 
seems  never  to  have  dawned  on  any  phenomenal.  Nothing  else  in  all  the 
one  that  the  failure  of  these  foreign  history  of  grape  culture  has  equaled  it. 
grapes  argued  well  for  the  success  of  Ephraim  W.  Bull  was  born  in  1805 
our  native  species-  One  can  but  pause  and  died  in  1895.  His  ninety  years 
again  to  philosophize  on  the  obtuseness  were  spent  in  the  quiet  of  his  Concord 
of  mankind.  Here  time  and  money  home,  and  he  would  have  remained  un- 
had  for  two  hundred  years  been  spent  known  by  others  than  his  neighbors, 
in  vain  in  trying  to  grow  foreign  who  loved  and  honored  him,  had  it  not 
grapes,  yet  the  woods  and  fields  were  been  for  his  fortunate  discovery  of  the 
full  of  native  grapes.  What  in  heaven's  Concord  grape.  But,  alas,  the  sarcasm 
name,  wdiat  in  the  name  of  common  of  events  is  such  that  the  grape  which 
sense,  was  the  trouble  with  them?  has  added  immensely  to  the  wealth  of 
Grape  growing  in  the  Eastern  United  this  nation  brought  to  its  originator 
States  may  be  summed  up  in  one  word  scarcely  a  year's  competence.  Every 
'failure,'  until  the  Honorable  Ephriam  one  that  eats  a  grape  should  cherish  a 
W.Bull  set  up  an  entirely  new  landmark  kindly  thought  for  Mr.  Bull.  The  Con- 
when  he  developed  American  grape  cul-  cord,  while  it  is  so  successful,  yet  has 
ture.  The  Concord  grape  is  first  re-  many  imperfections  as  a  grape.  But 
corded  in  1852  by  the  Massachusetts  there  is  compensation  for  these  in  the 
Horticultural  Society  as  a  seedling  ex-  fact  that  it  grows  in  enormous  quanti- 
hibited  by  E.  W.  Bull.  Its  history  ties  anywhere  and  everywhere.  Many 
reads  like  a  romance.  At  present  it  things  might  be  said  in  criticism  of 
is  used  almost  exclusively  in  the  great  the  Concord.  It  has  faults  but  it  has 
Chautauqua  grape  growing  belt  of  New  earned  its  phenomenal  success  by  its 
York  for  the  making  of  grape  juice  and  astonishing  prolificness  in  production 
is  grown  for  the  table  everywhere  in  In  really  high  quality  for  the  table 
the  fields  and  gardens.  From  it  have  the  standard  of  all  American  grapes  is 
been  obtained  a  considerable  number  the  Delaware.  It  is  undoubtedly  the 
of  valuable  varieties  of  American  grape  par  excellence.  Its  introduction 
grapes,  including  the  Worden,  the  raised  the  standard  of  quality  of  our 
Early  Moore,  the  Pocklington,  the  viticulture  to  that  of  the  Old  World. 
Martha  and  the  Cottage.  The  Concord  There  is  no  variety  of  Vitis  vinifera 
succeeds  on  a  greater  diversity  of  soil  more  richly  or  more  delicately  flavored, 
than  any  other  variety.  In  the  Chau-  or  with  a  more  delicious  fragrance, 
tauqua  grape  region  there  are  six  than  the  Delaware-  Next  to  the  Con- 
dift'erent  types  of  soil  on  which  grapes  cord  it  undoubtedly  is  our  most  popu- 
are  grown  and  on  each  the  Concord  is  ]ar  grape  for  garden,  vineyard  or  wine 
the  leading  variety.  As  Horace  Greely  press.  Contrary  to  general  supposition 
said,  the  Concord  is  preeminently  "the  it  has  nothing  'to  do  with  the  state  of 
grape  for  the  millions."  It  can  be  pro-  Delaware,  but  originated  in  the  little 
duced  so  cheaply  that  no  other  can  town  of  Delaware  in  Ohio,  and  was 
compete  with  it  in  the  markets.  Near-  first  brought  to  notice  by  a  local  paper 
ly  all  grape  juice  that  may  be  purchased  Qf  that  town  in  1849.  Jt  immediately 
almost  anywhere  in  the  country  at  the  attracted  attention  and  the  horticultural 
present  time  is  made  from  the  Concord  journals  were  filled  with  conflicting  ac- 
grapes-  counts  of  its  history  and  with  discus- 
The  seed  of  a  wild  grape  was  planted  sions  of  its  botany,  and  in  1856  it  was 
in  the  field  in  1843  by  E  W.  Bull  of  placed  on  the  fruit  catalogue  of  the 
Concord,  Massachusetts.     It  bore  fruit  American  Pomological  Society.     There 


134 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


■N  ,     •15.-.  'iiP 


THE  EDITOR  OF  THIS  MAGAZINE  COPYING  THE  INSCRIPTION  ON  THE  BULL  MONUMENT. 


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EPHRAIM   WALES   BULL 

PLANTED  SEEDS  OF  A 
WILD  LABRUSCA  GRAPE 
FOUND  GROWING  ON 
THIS  HILLSIDE 
WHICH, 
AFTER  THREE 
GENERATIONS, 
THROUGH  HIS  WORK 
AND  WISDOM 
BECAME 
IN  THIS  GARDEN 
IN   SEPTEMBER,    1849 
THE 
CONCORD  GRAPE 


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is  still  some  difference  of  opinion  as  to 
its  botanical  status,  but  no  one  doubts 
its  good  qualities.  It  is  a  high  grade 
grape  for  wine  making,  yet  on  account 
of  its  smaller  amount  of  fruitage  it  can 
never  compete  with  the  Concord.  As 
the  table  grape,  it  is  undoubtedly  the 
best,  and  as  such  commands  a  premium 
in  all  markets,  sometimes  selling  for 
double  the  price  of  the  Concord.  The 
Delaware  seems  to  be  the  result  of  a 
freak  of  nature,  yet  it  may  have  been 
produced  by  careful  experimenting. 
Next  to  Mr.  Bull  among  the  great  ex- 
perimenters of  the  country  should  be 
placed  Mr.  Edward  S.  Rogers  of  Sa- 
lem, Massachusetts,  who  produced 
forty-five  seedlings  known  as  Rogers's 
hybrids.  He  was  a  diligent  experimen- 
ter, but  was  evidently  regardless  of  his 
own  interests.  He  gave  away  his  seed- 
lings freely  to  any  inquiring  friends.  It 
is  a  curious  fact  that  in  every  one  of 
the  forty-five  seedlings  that  he  pro- 
duced the  standard  is  high.  There 
have  been  various  attempts  at  explain- 
ing the  almost  uniform  success  of  al- 
most all  his  vines,  but  it  is  generally 
acknowledged  to  be  due  to  his  skill  in 
selecting  the  parent  vines,  and  in  lib- 
erally supplying  pollen  in  cross-fertili- 
zation- But  these  are  only  surmises : 
no  one  knows  exactly  how  he  achieved 
his  success. 


COURTESY  UNDER  TRYING  CONDITIONS 


135 


Raisins  are  not  made  from  American 
grapes;  no  kind  at  least  that  will  com- 
pete commercially  with  those  in  the 
market,  though  some  maintain  that  the 
Indians  of  America  made  raisins  from 
wild  grapes.  California  has  now  be- 
come the  greatest  of  the  world's  raisin 
producing  regions,  the  climate  being 
almost  perfectly  adapted  to  the  indus- 
try. So  to  sum  up :  the  Vitis  vinifera 
succeeds  well  in  California  for  wine 
and  raisins ;  the  Concord  is  the  big  pro- 
ducer in  the  Eastern  United  States  for 
grape  juice,  and  is  fairly  well  esteemed 
as  a  table  grape  ;  the  Delaware  is  un- 
doubtedly the  best  in  the  United  States 
for  the   table. 

For  valuable  suggestions  in  the  pre- 
paration of  this  article  we  are  indebted 
to  "The  Grapes  of  New  York"  by  U. 
P.  Hedrick  of  the  New  York  Agricul- 
tural Experiment  Station.  This  book 
is  a  large  volume  of  five  hundred  and 
sixty-four  pages,  beautifully  illustrated 
with  full  page  plates  in  colors. 


The  passenger  gave  the  railroadman 
a  severe  and  most  profane  tongue  lash- 
ing for  having  motioned  him  back  when 
he  first  started  to  alight. 

But  Peter  Hunt  maintained  absolute 
silence,  remembering  the  New  Haven's 
"Courtesy"  principles : 

"The  railroad  officer  and  employee, 
above  all  others,  should  be  courteous 
because  the  railroad  is  a  semi-public 
institution.  Those  who  patronize  the 
railroad  expect  and  should  receive 
courtesy  and  helpful  treatment." 


Dark  clouds  are  overspreading  all  the   sky, 
And  yet  the  woods  o'erflow  with  sunshine 
bright; 
The   autumn   fairies,   passing   swiftly   by, 
Have     filled     them     with     their     radiance 
overnight. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


Courtesy    under   Trying    Conditions. 

Peter  Hunt  is  station  master  for  th< 
New    Haven    Railroad    at    Bridgeport. 
He  is  a  favorite  with  both  the  patrons 
of  the  road  and  his  fellow  employees. 

Like  most  railroad  men  Mr.  Hunt 
realizes  the  dangers  of  taking  chances 
in  getting  on  and  off  moving  trains,  and 
he  is  always  on  the  lookout  for  passen- 
gers who  disregard  ordinary  safety  pre- 
cautions. 

Recently  an  express  train  pulled  into 
the  Bridgeport  station  and  after  dis- 
charging and  taking  on  passengers  was 
given  the  signal  to  proceed.  At  this 
moment  a  passenger  who  had  evident- 
ly been  dozing  awoke  and  grabbing  his 
bag  rushed  to  the  door  of  the  car-  As 
he  started  to  get  off  the  train  he  was 
seen  by  Mr.  Hunt,  who  motioned  him 
to  get  back  on  the  car.  The  passenger 
started  to  do  this  but  changed  his  mind. 
He  jumped  off  the  train  and  as  he  did 
so  he  fell. 

Mr.  Hunt  was  right  after  him  and 
pulled  him  up  on  his  feet.  Had  he  not 
done  so,  an  eye-witness  asserts,  the 
passenger  would  have  lost  both  legs. 

The  point  of  this  story  is  the  behav- 
ior of  the  two  men  after  the  railroad 
man  saved  the  passenger  from  a  ser- 
ious accident. 


Why  Percy's  Chicken  Hops! 

BY    E.    W.    POMEROY,    D.    D.    S.,    STAMFORD,    CONN. 

Willie  Mendoza,  the  Mexican  jumping  bean, 
Crossed     the    border    after     swimming    the 

stream. 
Willie  was  a  bold  jumping  bean 
And  hopped  about  stealthily  unseen. 
A  bandit  bean,  and  robber  bold 
In  search  of  trouble  and  lust  of  gold. 
As  he  hopped  the  soil  of  Uncle  Sam 
A   song  burst  forth   and  thus  it  ran: 
"Yo  ho — yo   ho — and   some   kerosene! 
I'm   Willie    Mendoza   the   jumping  bean. 
Who'er  interferes  will   get  a  bump." 
And  bv  this  noble  song  he  sung 
An    old    hen's    heart    was    sadly   wrung. 
"Whoe'er  could  sing  a  song  so  sweet 
Would  sure  be  mighty  good  to  eat." 
And  she  sought  the  singer  of  this  lusty  song 
For  Willie   her  heart   did   sadly  long. 
At  lensrth  he  hopped  into  her  sight 
And  she   swallowed  him   down   with   all  her 

might. 
In  her  throat  she  felt  the  beanish  bump 
And   was   thereupon    seized   with   a   case    of 

jumps. 
She  jumped  for  days  upon  both  legs, 
And  jumped  so  hard  she  laid  some  eggs. 
Hardly  had  the  eesrs  been  laid 
When  she  ceased  to  hop  and  felt  repaid. 
But  one  of  the  eggs  disappeared 
As  along  the  road  it  hopped  and  reared. 
Apparentlv   Willie   was   in   the   egg. 
For    it    hopped    and    jumped    like    a    bandit 

yegg. 

It  hopped  North.  South.  East  and  West, 
And  landed  finally  in   Percy's  nest. 
The  nest  he  set  the  hen  upon. 
And   there   it   stayed   and   batched   anon. 
It  hatched  one  day  with  a  loud  report. 
Willie  hopped  out  and  with   a  snort 
Of  disgust  at  the  soil  of  Uncle  Sam, 
Hopped  back  to  his  beanish  Mexican  land. 
But   the   chicken    from   the    egg   that   Willie 

broke 
Has  hopped  ever  since,  and  that's  no  joke. 


136 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Poetry  Prefaced  Peaches. 


In  The  Guide  to  Nature  for  July. 
1914,  we  published  an  article  on  Idyl- 
land,  the  home  of  Charles  H.  Crandall, 
the   farmer-poet,   in   the   northern   part 


MR.    PAUL   M.    BARROWS. 

The  real  happy  farmer. 

of  Stamford,  Connecticut.  In  addition 
to  the  usual  farm  crops  that  farm  was 
then    productive   of   a   prolific    crop    of 


poetry,  and  as  typical  of  that  crop  we 
published  in  our  article  certain  of  the 
poems,  namely,  "The  Forest  Cure," 
"Three  Trees,"  "The  Happy  Farmer'' 
and  "Lean  on  Your  Oars  and  Rest 
Awhile-"  In  the  point  of  view  of  the 
present  these  poems  have  a  special  po- 
etical significance  not  then  recognized 
Idylland  was  afterwards  sold  to  Mr. 
Paul  M.  Barrows,  and  in  its  develop- 
ment into  one  of  the  best  fruit  farms  of 
the  state  of  Connecticut  the  emblema- 
tic three  trees  have  multiplied  into  a 
forest  of  fruit  trees  innumerable.  Mr 
Barrows  as  the  happy  farmer  is  sur- 
rounded by  everything  needful  to  make 
him  the  exemplification  of  the  title,  for 
the  new  homestead  has  every  indica- 
tion of  happiness,  prosperity  and  even 
indeed  of  luxurious  comfort.  While  it 
was  not  a  leaning  on  the  oars  that  has 
transformed  this  poetical  farm  into  a 
model  peach  orchard,  there  was,  even 
in  the  strenuous  labor  of  brain  and 
hand  required  by  the  transformation 
at  least  emblematically  speaking,  a 
period  of  resting  awhile  in  the  time 
necessary  for  the  maturing  of  the  for- 
est of  fruit  trees  which  now  cover  the 
slopes  and  the  summits  of  the  hills  of 
this  farm  of  magnificent  views.  It  has 
been  renamed  Mayapple  Farm  and  is 
being  developed  for  thoroughly  patriot- 
ic service  in  that  each  square  foot  of 
the  land  is  planned  for  the  greatest  pro- 


THE  "FARMHOUSE:":  BESPEAKS  PROSPERITY   IN   PEACHES. 


POETRY  PREFACED  PEACHES 


137 


duction   at   the   least   expenditure   pos-  insect    troubles.      But    care   and    effort 

sible.  rightly    applied    bring    results.      This 

Mr-    Barrows    is    college    trained    in  year  is  the  first  year  of  the  larger  crops 

everything  that  pertains  to  up-to-date  to   be   expected   from   this   farm.      For 

farming  and  forestry  and  especially  in  the  first  time  the  peach  trees  have  come 

fruit  growing.    The  equipment  of  May-  into   bearing  and   it   is   estimated   that 

apple    Farm    is    ideal.      The   old   barns  the  crop  will  total  nearly  two  thousand 


MR.  BARROWS   (AT  LEFT)   AND  ASSISTANTS  SORTING  PEACHES  AND  LOADING  THEM  INTO 

AN  AUTO  TRUCK  (IN  THE  BACKGROUND). 


have  been  pulled  down  and  replaced 
by  better  and  larger  ones.  The  old 
homestead  is  still  retained  as  the  care- 
taker's lodge  while  the  new  homestead 
in  its  palatial  beauty  crowns  the  sum- 
mit of  the  farm  ,the  highest  elevation 
for  miles  around. 

Still  the  work  goes  on-  A  large  ap- 
ple orchard  has  recently  been  set  out 
but  in  the  waiting  for  their  maturity 
there  is  no  leaning  on  the  oars.  The 
ground  has  been  utilized  to  the  utmost 
for  corn,  and  one  of  the  heaviest  crops 
of  the  state  is  produced  between  the 
rows  of  thriving  young  apple  trees 
The  remarkable  prolificness  of  this 
farm  is  not  by  chance.  The  orchards 
represent  industry  combined  with  the 
best  modern  knowledge.  After  every 
rain  the  ground  is  stirred.  The  weeds 
are  kept  out.  The  tree  trunks  are 
treated  with  the  chemicals  most  ap- 
proved for  the  prevention  of  fungus  and 


baskets-  These  are  not  harvested  all 
at  one  time  but  in  the  different  varieties 
are  scattered  well  over  the  season  from 
about  the  middle  of  September  to  way 
into  October. 

We  predict  great  things  for  this 
farm.  Mr.  Barrows  is  full  of  energy 
and  has  the  requisite  knowledge  and 
ample  financial  facilities  for  ideal  de- 
velopment. At  the  recent  meeting  of 
the  Northern  Nut  Growers  Association 
in  Stamford  it  was  voted  to  accept  his 
offer  to  establish  an  experimental  nut 
orchard  on  his  farm.  Work  on  that  will 
begin  in  the  spring  and  will  be  followed 
with  the  greatest  of  interest  by  the 
nut  growers,  while  the  development  of 
all  the  interests  of  this  farm  of  manifold 
efforts  will  be  closely  watched  by 
those  in  the  line  of  the  back  to  nature 
renaissance  as  well  as  thoce  who  real- 
ize that  battles  are  won  by  hoes  and 
spades   as   well    as   by   guns   and    can- 


1 38 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


hons.  There  is  to  the  writer  a  pecul- 
iarly emblematic  significance  in  the 
fact  that  a  farm  which  for  so  many 
years  gave  to  the  world  its  ideal  poetry 
is  now  transforming  into  the  very 
poetry  of  all  nature's  productions. 
Some  one  has  said  that  architecture  is 
frozen  poetry.  In  a  similar  spirit  may 
we  not  say  that  peaches  are  growing 
poetry?  If  so,  then  in  more  senses 
than  one  poetry  has  produced  peaches 
for  Mr.  Barrows  must  have  had  well 
in  mind  the  sentiment  of  the  thing,  the 
ideal  or,  if  you  prefer,  the  prosaic  plans 
before  he  could  accomplish  such  a 
thoroughly  practical  success  as  is 
evinced  everywhere  on  Mayapple  Farm 
a  farm  of  poetry,  patriotism  and  peach- 
es. 


Bees  That  Are  Bandits. 

"A  New  Jersey  man  is  accused  by 
his  neighbors  of  keeping  a  species  of 
bees  that,  instead  of  honestly  making 
honey  from  flower  and  clover  bloom, 
thievishly  plunder  the  hives  of  all  the 
working  bees  in  the  neighborhood. 

"It  is  asserted  that  this  man,  al- 
though he  has  not  kept  an  honest  bee 
in  seven  years,  regularly  sells  more 
honey  than  any  other  bee  man  in  the 
Delaware  Valley. 

"No  doubt  these  allegations  will  sur- 
prise most  people.  The  bee  has  been 
commonly  looked  upon  as  incorrupt- 
ibly  honest  and  as  an  unvarying  model 
of  industry.  Indeed,  it  was  from  the 
bee  that  man  first  learned  that  industry 
and  honesty  go  through  this  world 
hand  in  hand. 

"If  a  story  had  come  from  New  Jer- 
sey, or  anywhere  else,  telling  that  a 
gang  of  men  had  been  making  their 
living,  not  by  work,  but  by  plundering 
the  savings  of  industrious  people,  not 
the  slightest  surprise  would  have  been 
excited.  Men  are  a  good  deal  given  to 
that  sort  of  thing  everywhere. 

"But  it  appears  that  bees  can  suffer 
degradation  as  well  as  men.  And.  ac- 
cording to  the  charges  made  in  this 
case,  whiskey  entered  into  the  degra- 
dation of  the  bees  just  as  it  does  into 
that  of  men-  It  is  claimed  that  the 
bees  were  fed  on  'doped'  honey  in  or- 
der to  make  thieves  of  them.  The 
drunken  bee  becomes  a  bandit.  .  Be- 
fuddled with  booze,  he  refuses  to  work 
and  turns  to  riotous  living. 


"We  fondly   claim  great   superiority 

for  the  human  mind  over  the  mind  of 
the  bee.  But  it  seems  that  booze  brings 
them  to  the  same  level  as  far  as  the 
more  essential  qualities  are  concerned." 

^I>  ^j*  ^j*  5jC  5|C 

The  foregoing  is  a  clipping  from  a 
newspaper.  The  same  item,  credited  to 
the  editorial  page  of  "The  Christian 
Herald,"  has  appeared  in  various  pub- 
lications. It  should  be  credited  to 
Baron  Munchausen  or  to  some 
other  writer  of  fiction.  This  is  the 
sort  of  fool  stuff  that  would  tend 
o  drive  even  a  prohibitionist  to  drink. 
It  would,  if  he  knows  and  appreciates 
the  honeybee.  There  are  plenty  of  in- 
teresting things  to  be  said  about  honey- 
bees without  concocting  such  trash  as 
this,  as  there  are  many  arguments  in 
favor  of  prohibition  or  at  least  in  favor 
of  temperance. 

The  facts  are  that  it  is  not  dishonest 
bees  that  do  the  robbing.  Bees  do  not 
need  to  be  doped  with  whiskey  to  make 
thieves  of  them.  At  certain  times  of 
the  year,  when  the  nectar  of  the  field 
flowers  is  scarce,  any  vigorous  colony 
is  liable  to  assume  this  robbing  habit. 
Bees  will  sting.  A  sting  was  given  to 
them  to  prevent  this  robbing,  not  only 
on  the  part  of  the  bees  themselves  but 
of  bears  and  human  beings-  The 
drunken  bee  has  not  become  a  bandit 
but  what's  the  use  of  wasting  more 
words  on  such  a  fool  article? — E.  F.  B. 

The  whole  thing  must  have  originat- 
ed in  the  fertile  brain  of  some  newspa- 
per reporter  who  had  no  idea  of  boost- 
ing any  cause  good  or  bad.  He  wanted 
to  get  a  story  that  would  be  accepted 
by  the  news  editor.  He  tried  to  write 
a  good   story  but  he  failed  miserably. 

Whiskey  would  have  a  tendency  to 
quiet  the  bees ;  they  would  become 
drowsy  and  calm  ;  it  would  not  infuri- 
ate them  ;  it  would  not  incite  them  to 
rush  out  into  the  fields. 

Tobacco  smoke  quiets  bees,  and  so 
does  any  other  narcotic  or  similar 
drug.  That  the  bees  might  steal  honey 
containing  whiskey  is  altogether  pos- 
sible, even  probable,  but  if  they  robbed 
at  all  it  is  because  they  were  stealing 
honey  and  not  because  whiskey  was  in 
it.  The  whole  thing  is  as  improbable 
as  it  is  ridiculous. — The  A.  I.  Root 
Company,  Medina,  Ohio. 


ENTHUSIASTIC  NUT  GROWING 


i39 


Enthusiastic  Nut  Growing. 


The  Annual  Convention  of  the  North- 
ern Nut  Growers  Association  was  held 
at  the  Hotel  Davenport  in  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  on  Wednesday  and 
Thursday,  September  5th  and  6th-    The 


T;-'-\  ■  t>,- 


SH"***! 


"X-  ,-'" 


FROM    LEFT    TO    RIGHT: 

PROFESSOR  W.  N.  HUTT,  RALEIGH,  NORTH 
CAROLINA. 

DR.    ROBERT   T.    MORRIS.   NEW    YORK  CITY. 

DR.  T.  H.  KELLOGG,  BATTLE  CREEK,  MICHI- 
GAN. 

program  consisted  of  the  regular  busi- 
ness sessions,  addresses  by  various 
prominent  members  and  outings  around 
Stamford.  Greenwich.  South  Norwalk 
and  Georgetown.  It  was  voted  to  en- 
list the  interest  of  the  members  of  The 
Agassiz  Association,  the  Boy  Scouts 
of  America,  the  Woodcraft  League,  the 
Camp  Fire  Girls  and  others  who  may 
find  trees  that  are  productive  of  edible 
nuts  and  will  report  their  location.  Dr. 
Edward  F.  Bigelow  participated  in 
these  plans  and  made  several  sugges- 
tions for  enlisting  the  interest  of  girls 
and  boys  throughout  the  country. 

An  important  discussion  was  in  re- 
gard to  the  scarcity  of  beechnuts  in  the 
North.  No  one  seemed  able  to  explain 
why  in  all  Connecticut,  or  at  any  rate 
in  the  greater  part  of  the  state,  no  edi- 
ble beechnuts  are  to  be  found,  and  it 
was  thought  desirable  to  ascertain  from 


the  various  parts  of  the  countrv  where 
beechnut  trees  are  still  growing  and 
whether  they  are  increasing  or  decreas- 
ing in  productiveness.  This  discussion 
was  started  by  the  editor  of  this  maga- 
zine who  has  for  several  years  been 
conducting  extensive  experiments  and 
correspondence  along  these  lines.  Pie 
enlisted  the  interests  of  the  bovs  and 
girls  of  "St.  Nicholas"  and  later  of  The 
Glide  to  Nature  and  of  "Boys'  Life" 
of  the  Boy  Scouts  of  America. 

The  program  for  these  two  days  of 
the  Convention  was  interesting  but  is 
too  long  for  us  to  publish  in  detail,  yet 
the  papers  that  seemed  to  the  editor  of 
greatest  importance  from  a  popular 
point  of  view  may  be  mentioned.  Dr. 
Robert  T.  Morris  astonished  those  who 
are  not  specialists  in  nut  growing  by 
speaking  of  the  number  of  pine  trees 
that  bear  edible  nuts- 
Next  to  the  cocoanut  trees  the  pines 
probably  furnish  a  larger  standard  food 
supply  for  various  peoples  than  is  fur- 
nished by  any  other  group  of  nut  trees. 
After  the  pines  would  come  chestnuts 
walnuts,  almonds,  hazels  and  others 
which  have  been  looked  upon  largely  as 
luxuries.  Recent  studies  have  shown 
that  nuts  contain  the  balanced  ration 
to  such  an  extent  that  they  are  to  be 
much  more  largely  used  for  food  pur- 
poses in  the  future.  Dr.  ].  H.  Kellogg 
of  the  Brittle  Creek,  Michigan,  Sanita- 
rium, who  was  present,  stated  that  he 
purchases  pine  nuts  by  the  ton  for  use 
in  his  various  food  preparation^.  From 
some  thirty  species  of  pine  trees  which 
furnish  important  food  supply,  Dr 
Morris  showed  nuts  of  sixteen  species 
in  size  varying  from  that  of  buckwheat 
un  to  the  size  of  the  bunya-bunya  and 
resembling  small,  beautiful,  white 
pears.  In  several  parts  of  the  world 
the  nuts  of  pine  trees  of  different  spec- 
ies practicallv  take  the  place  of  the 
potato. 

Dr.  Kellogg  spoke  in  an  interesting 
way  of  nuts  as  a  matter  of  diet.  He  re- 
ferred to  the  increasing  cost  of  meats 
and  to  the  importance  given  to  them  by 
persons  other  than  himself,  then  pro- 
ceeded to  tell  how  nuts  could  be  substi- 
tuted and  are  even  more  nutritious.  He 
conclusively  proved  by  his  experience 


140 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


A  TAPANESE  WALNUT  WITH  BUTTERNUT 
PROGENY  AT  THE  HOME  OF  A.  CARMI 
BETTS,  74  NEWTOWN  AVENUE,  NORWALK, 
CONNCTICUT. 


at  the  Sanitarium  and  by  experiments 
on  wild  animals  that  nuts  are  not  dif- 
ficult to  digest  but  are  on  the  contrary 
beneficial  when  taken  at  the  proper 
time  and  in  the  proper  manner-  He 
has  experimented  on  a  large  number 
of  wild  animals  and  has  found  that 
nearly  all  readily  accept  nuts  instead  of 


meat.  There  was  one  exception.  The 
bald-headed  eagle  refused  the  substi- 
tute. All  others,  even  a  wolf  that  had 
had  nothing  to  eat  except  raw  meat 
since  it  had  been  taken  from  the  mother 
readily  changed  to  a  diet  of  nuts.  He 
told  an  interesting  experience  with  this 
wolf  in  that  it  escaped  from  the  cage 
captured  two  chickens,  devoured  them 
greedily  and  died  within  a  few  hours 
It  appears  that  after  the  wolf  had  be- 
come accustomed  to  the  nuts,  the  shock 
of  the  meat  diet  was  too  great,  provided 
we  are  justified  in  attributing  the  wolf's 
death  to  the  chickens. 

Another  pleasing  address  was  by 
Editor  Collingwood  of  "The  Rural 
New-Yorker."  As  a  humorist,  and  in 
his  ability  to  illustrate  his  remarks  by 
anecdotes,  this  genial  editor  would  take 
first  premium  for  skill  in  pleasing  and 
instructing  a  general  audience.  His 
stories  of  his  boyhood  experiences,  es- 
pecially with  puzzling  problems  in 
arithmetic,  not  only  entertained  the 
audience  but  served  as  admirable  texts 
on  which  to  suspend  his  dissertations 
on  nuts  which  came  later  in  the  address. 

Mr.  F.  A.  Bartlett  of  Stamford  pre- 
sented a  practical  paper  on  the  use  of 
nut  trees  for  shade.  He  maintained 
that  nut  trees  not  onlv  have  the  advan- 


THE  NUT  GROWERS  AT  A  BUTTERNUT  OFFSPRING  OF  THE  TAPANESE  WALNUT. 


ENTHUSIASTIC  NUT  GROWING 


141 


tage  in  the  food  that  grows  on  them  hut 
that  they  are  heauiful  and  useful  as 
shade  trees.  If  his  contention  is  correct 
we  wonder  why  we  should  ever  have 
any  other  shade  trees  around  the  home 
or  on  the  roadside  when  the  nut  trees 
afford  shade  and  in  addition  supply  a 
bountiful  store  of  nutritious  food. 

Mr.  C.  A.  Reed,  the  Government  ex- 
pert, showed  a  number  of  slides  on  the 
screen,  illustrating  valuable  nut  trees 
and  nut  orchards  in  different  parts  of 
America.  There  seemed  to  be  a  con- 
sensus of  opinion  permeating  the  meet- 
ing to  the  effect  that  nut  trees,  combin- 
ing the  Greek  ideal  of  utility  and 
beaut}-,  would  eventually  supplant  the 
kinds  of  trees  in  New  England  which 
are  planted  for  beauty  alone,  and  in- 
cidentally bring  larger  incomes  than 
those  received  from  Connecticut  agri- 
cultural interests  at  the  present  time. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  the 
trees  that  were  visited  was  the  famous 
English  walnut  at  Milbank,  Greenwich 
This  is  indeed  a  giant  tree,  just  fifty 
years  old,  and  of  such  special  interest 
that  we  hope  later  to  publish  a  photo- 
graph and  further  details  of  it.  The  re- 
markable feature  of  this  Milbank  tree 
is  the  superior  quality  of  the  nuts,  most 
of  the  English  walnuts  which  are  raised 
in  New  York  and  New  England  rating 
in  second  or  third  class  quality  with 
dealers. 

A  giant  black  walnut  on  the  Gregory 
place  on  the  Danbury  Road  in  the 
northern  part  of  Norwalk  was  said  tc 
be  the  largest  in  the  state  of  Connecti- 
cut. Even  more  interesting  was  the 
Siebold  Japanese  walnut  on  the  premis- 
es of  Mr.  A.  Carmi  Betts  of  Norwalk. 
The  remarkable  fact  is  that  this  Japan- 
ese walnut  with  small  nuts  is  surround- 
ed by  a  numerous  progeny  that  at  an 
early  age  bear  large  nuts  that  resemble 
the  common  butternut-  The  suppo- 
sition is  that  the  parent  tree  has  been 
cross-pollinated  by  butternuts  growing 
in  the  vicinity,  and  that  the  progeny 
following  a  law  of  heredity,  have  shown 
the  butternut  parentage  more  distinctly 
than  that  of  the  Japanese  walnut. 

At  Dr.  William  C-  Deming's  home  in 
Georgetown  native  black  walnuts,  but- 
ternuts and  hickories  have  been  graft- 
ed over  to  superior  varieties  of  walnuts 
and  hickories,  much  as  ordinary  apple 


and  pear  stocks  are  grafted  to  superior 
varieties  of  those  fruits. 

Much  money  is  required  for  the  new 
and  important  nut  propaganda  for  the 
purpose  of  developing  experimental 
orchards  in  different  parts  of  the  coun- 


MR.  F.  A.  BARTLETT  AND  THE  GIANT  BLACK 
WALNUT  ON  THE  GREGORY  PLACE  ON  THE 
DANBURY    ROAD. 

try.  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  out  the 
literature  of  the  subject,  and  for  put- 
ting the  available  data  already  known 
in  the  best  form  for  public  service.  For 
that  reason  the  Convention  chose 
Stamford  for  a  meeting  place  this  year. 
In  Stamford  there  are  a  number  of  men 
of  means  interested  in  general  horticul- 
ture, who  would  be  expected  to  attend 
the  meeting  as  visitors.  Ordinarily  the 
Association  looks  for  about  two  hun- 
dred local  visitors,  and  a  lively  address 
of  welcome  by  the  mayor  of  the  town 
in  which  the  Association  meets.  There 
is  something  peculiar  about  Connecti- 
cut psychology.  Instead  of  having  two 
hundred  local  visitors  representing  the 
wealth  and  public  interest  of  the  com- 
munity,  there  were  only  about 
half  a  dozen  who  attended  the 
meeting,  although  there  was  a  full  at- 
tendance   of    members    from    different 


142 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


states.  The  particular  object  of  enlist- 
ing- local  interest  failed  in  Connecticut 
and  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
the  Association.  One  of  the  friends  of 
a  prominent  worker  in  the  Association 
said  in  this  connection,  "That's  Con- 
necticut a-  I  know  it." 


Prize  Offers  for  Nuts. 

The  Northern  Nut  Growers  Associa- 
tion wishes  to  interest  the  Boy  Scouts 
the  Girl  Scouts,  the  Campfire  Girls,  the 
Woodcrafters  and  similar  organiza- 
tions, in  its  efforts  to  find  and  preserve 
the  valuable  native  nut  trees  of  Amer- 
ica. 

For  that  purpose  it  offers,  through 
the  kindness  of  one  of  its  members,  a 
special  additional  prize  of  five  dollars 
($5)  to  any  member  of  one  of  these  or- 
ganizations who  shall  win  any  one  of 
the  Association's  prizes.  These  prizes 
are  as  follows : 

For  a  Hazel  nut  of  pure  American 
origin  that  shall  compete  with  the  im- 
ported filbert,  $5000. 

For  a  Shagbark  Hickory  better  than 
those  now  being  propagated,  $25.00. 

For  a  Pecan  better  than  those  now 
being  propagated,  $10.00. 

For  a  better  Black  Walnut,  $10.00. 

For  a  Beechnut  worthy  of  propaga- 
tion, $10.00. 

For  a  blight  resistant  American 
Chestnut,  $15.00. 

For  the  best  butternut  sent  in,  $5.00  ■ 
second,  $3  ;  third,  $2;  and  five  prizes  of 
$1  each. 

Also  prizes  of  from  $1  to  $5  will  be 
awarded  to  the  sender  of  any  of  the 
following  nuts  that  shall  be  deemed  by 
the  judges  worthy  of  propagation  :  the 
western  shellbark,  pignut,  mocker  nut 
or  other  hickory,  Japanese  walnut,  pine 
nut,  almond,  English  walnut  or  hy- 
brids. 

Mere  size  of  nut  is  not  of  greatest 
value,  except,  perhaps,  with  the  hazel 
Before  size  come  cleavage,  or  the  ease 
with  which  the  meat  may  be  taken  from 
the  shell,  plumpness,  richness  and 
flavor  of  kernel,  and  productiveness  of 
tree.  Any  nut,  even  a  small  one,  if  it 
ranks  high  in  these  three  points,  may 
be  of  value. 

Send  at  least  twelve  nuts  from  each 
tree,  pack  them  securely  in  a  box  or 
bag,    address    them    to    Dr.     Deming 


Secretary  Northern  Nut  Growers  As- 
sociation, Georgetown,  Connecticut, 
and  be  sure  to  put  your  name  and  ad- 
dress on  a  slip  of  paper  inside  the  pack- 
age. The  secretary  will  acknowledge 
the  receipt  of  each  specimen  and  write 
his  opinion  of  the  merit  of  the  nut. 

Mark  the  tree  so  as  to  be  sure  you 
can  identify  it. 

Valuable  nuts  are  named  after  the 
sender  and  the  name  goes  on  perma- 
nent record. 

Senders  of  good  nuts  will  find  oppor- 
tunity to  sell  cuttings  from  the  tree  at 
the  usual  rate  of  five  cents  a  foot. 

Prize  winners  must  furnish  one  lot 
of  scions,  or  cuttings,  for  experimental 
propagation,  at  the  request  of  the  As- 
sociation. 

All  packages  must  bear  postmark  not 
later  than  December  31. 

Our  valuable  native  nut  trees  are  dy- 
ing or  being  cut  down  every  year  and 
so  being  lost  to  the  world.  If  you  can 
help  us  find  them  first  we  can  have 
scions  grafted  from  them  on  young  trees 
and  so  the  nut  may  be  grown  forever 
just  as  we  have  found  and  saved  most 
of  our  native  fruits,  the  Baldwin  apple 
or  the  Bartlett  pear,  which  would  have 
been  lost  forever  if  some  one  had  not 
had  the  wit  to  graft  scions  from  the 
original  tree.  Trees  do  not  come  true 
from   seeds- 

The  Northern  Nut  Growers  Associa- 
tion, whose  interests  as  a  body  are  en- 
tirely educational,  experimental  and 
scientific,  appeals  to  the  patriotic  spirit 
of  the  young  people  of  America  to  help 
us  save  the  precious  possession  of  our 
native  nut  trees. 


We  sometimes  get  nearer  to  God  in 
proportion  as  we  get — far  from  men. — 
Henry  WTard  Beecher. 


The  English,  confronted  with  a  ser- 
ious food  shortage,  are  waking  up  to 
the  loss  caused  by  various  destructive 
creatures.  It  is  calculated  that  the 
house  sparrow  alone  costs  the  British 
Isles  no  less  than  $40,000,000  each  year, 
with  twice  as  much  more  to  the  dis- 
credit of  the  starling  and  the  blackbird  to- 
gether. Rats  are  said  to  destroy  about 
$75,000,000  worth  of  property  annually, 
and  altogether  the  loss  is  not  far  from 
$200,000,000. 


All  communications  for  this  department 
should  be  sent  to  the  Department  Editor, 
Air.  Harry  G.  Higbee,  13  Austin  Street, 
Hyde  Park,  Massashusetts.  Items,  articles 
and  photographs  in  this  department  not 
otherwise  credited  are  by  the  Department 
Editor. 


Making  a  Nest  for  a  Wren. 

BY    MISS    HATTIE   REYNOLDS,    UPPER    FALLS, 
MARYLAND. 

Once  there  was  a  wren  that  had  the 
odd  but  appropriate  name  of  "Bubbles," 
because  he  seemed  to  be  the  incarna- 
tion of  overflowing  joy  and  irrepres- 
sible song,  like  the  rainbow-hued  bub- 
bles that  arise  from  a  spring  of  fast 
flowing  water  to  sparkle  in  the  sun- 
shine. There  is  such  a  spring.  It  is 
called  Rock  Creek  and  is  the  admiration 
of  two  counties.  A  small  river  of  the 
same  name  flows  from  it.  The  water 
rushes  forth  like  a  fountain  from  a 
crevice  in  a  rock  under  a  majestic  tulip 
tree.  It  tumbles  down  the  steep  hill- 
side with  five  hundred  gallons  of  water 
a  day-  in  a  little  waterfall  full  of  bub- 
bles and  wreaths  of  foam,  and  goes 
leaping  and  sparkling  to  hide  itself 
among  the  ferns  and  the  wild  flowers. 
It  is  like  a  merry  child  running  out  of 
a  dark  schoolroom  into  the  beautiful 
playhouse  of  out  of  doors — joyous, 
noisy,  free.  So  Bubbles  sings  when  he 
comes  back  in  the  spring,  and  every 
one  stops  to  listen.  He  is  so  delighted 
to  pour  out  that  charming  solo  of  his— 
the  spring  love  song — that  he  can 
scarcely  stop  to  eat. 

Fortunately  little  lady  wren  is  more 
practical  and  sensible.  After  listening 
patiently  to  her  musical  husband,  she 
goes  poking  about  in  crannies  and 
holes  to  find  a  place  in  which  to  build 
a  nest. 

What  do  you  think  those  two  silly 
ones  selected?  A  tomato  can  on  a 
ledge  in  an  outhouse.  They  crammed 
it  full  of  sticks,  a  quart  of  sticks,  with 


no  room  for  the  nest  as  the  sticks 
seemed  to  go  in  endways.  I  found  a 
small  wooden  box  about  eieht  inches, 
each  way  and  emptied  the  sticks  in  it. 
arranging  them  with  my  awkward 
hands  into  the  form  of  a  nest-  When 
the  pair  returned,  they  seemed  to  be 
surprised  and  flew  about  complaining 
and  looking  for  the  can  that  I  had  left 
on  the  ledge.  The  next  morning  there 
were  some  sticks  in  it  again,  so  I  took 
it  away.  Then  they  built  in  the  box. 
Did  they  know  those  sticks  over  which 
they  had  worked  so  hard?  What 
thoughts  were  in  their  minds  when 
they  made  the  delicate  part  of  the  nest 
that  no  hand  of  man  has  been  able  to 
build?  There  they  raised  four  little 
ones  that  fortunately  got  away  with- 
out being  destroyed  by  the  cat,  that 
arch  enemy  of  bird  life. 


A  Quail's  Nest  Under  a  Beehive. 

Atlantic,  Iowa. 

To  the  Editor: 
I   enclose  a  photograph   of  a  quail's 


■'  HI  , 


'  Qik 


THE    QUAIL   NEST    UNDER   THE   BEEHIVE. 

nest  under  a  beehive  that  I  took  when 
visiting  the  queen  breeding  apiary  of 
Mr.  Ben  G-  Davis  at  Spring  Hill,  Ten- 


144 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


nessee.  Mr.  Davis  was  at  work  about 
the  apiary  nearly  every  day,  yet  this 
picture  shows  how  familiarly  the  quail 
would  come  about  our  homes  if  they 
were  encouraged  to  do  so.  We  for- 
merly had  a  fine  covey  of  these  birds 
which  came  into  our  dooryard  and  fed 
about  the  barn  lot  with  the  hens.  Un- 
fortunately there  are  hunters  here  who 
have  little  regard  for  friendly  birds, 
and  our  last  quail  has  fallen  a  victim. 
Cordially  yours, 

Frank  C.   Pellett. 


A  Pet  Blue  Jay. 

Atlantic,  Iowa. 
To  the  Editor : 

I  enclose  a  picture  of  Miss  Austa 
Durkee,  a  primary  teacher  in  this  city, 
and  a  pet  blue  jay  which  I  think  will 
interest  you.     The   bird   was   so   tame 


HER  PET  BLUE  JAY. 

that  it  would  come  at  call,  and  would 
without  fear  alight  on  the  head  or  hand 
of  any  visitor.  Miss  Durkee  has  done 
much  to  interest  the  children  of  her 
school  in  the  study  of  nature  and  to 
make  them  friendlv  toward  the  birds. 
Very  truly  yours, 

Frank  C.  Pellett. 


Mr.  Samuel  Alexander,  an  old-time 
amateur  botanist,  lately  dead  at  the 
age  of  eighty,  was  one  of  the  first  per- 
sons in  this  country  to  advocate  and 
assist  in  systematic  tree  planting  and 
conservation.  His  active  study  of 
plants  continued  to  the  end  of  his  life. 


Dr.   Pomeroy  and   Mr.   Walton. 

Stamford,  Connecticut. 
To  the  Editor : 

The  Guide  to  Nature  is  always  full 
of  interest,  but  of  especial  interest  to 
me  was  the  article  on  Mr.  Mason  A. 
Walton  in  the  August  number.  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  knowing  Mr.  Walton 
intimately,  and  of  spending  many  hap- 
py hours  in  his  charming  company- 
His  knowledge  of  the  little  wild  creat- 
ures of  the  woods  was  equalled  only 
by  his  love  of  them,  which  might  also 
be  said  of  the  flowers  that  he  cultivated 
in  the  garden  near  his  cabin.  Though 
wonderfully  interesting  in  conversa- 
tion, there  was  always  a  reticence  in 
his  manner.  I  felt  that  there  had  been 
a  shadow  in  his  life,  though  he  never 
referred  to  the  past,  and  however 
black  the  shadow,  the  sunshine  of  his 
simple  life  and  his  genial,  kindly  nature 
radiated  from  him  and  was  reflected 
on  all  who  came  into  his  presence. 

Of  the  many  things  that  might  be 
said  to  illustrate  the  courtesy  as  well 
as  the  kindness  of  heart  that  character- 
ized him,  I  will  relate  a  single  incident. 

In  company  with  several  young  men 
and  a  brace  of  fine  hunting  dogs,  the 
writer  started  out  one  night  to  hunt 
the  wily  raccoon.  Intending  to  keep  as 
far  as  possible  from  the  "Hermit's 
Woods,"  we  drove  several  miles  north 
toward  Essex,  turning  our  dogs  loose 
at  a  point  that  we  considered  remote 
from  any  creature  which  Mr.  Walton 
might  know  and  love.  But  the  ways 
of  raccoons  and  dogs  may  not  always.be 
predicted.  Wearily  we  tramped  until 
midnight  with  no  sign  of  a  raccoon- 
Then  suddenly  the  dogs  were  off  on  a 
scent.  There  followed  an  hour  or  more 
of  working  up  an  'old  trail'  then 
away  to  the  south,  the  baying  of  the 
dogs  faintly  audible.  Hastening  on, 
we  came  at  length  to  a  ledge  on  which 
stood  two  huge  trees.  In  one  of  them 
the  dogs  had  the  coon.  While  we  were 
debating  our  next  move,  we  heard 
footsteps,  and  presently  the  hermit  ap- 
peared on  the  scene.  He  greeted  us 
quietly,  without  a  trace  of  excitement 
and  asked  if  we  had  a  coon  up  the  tree 
I  replied,  Yankee  fashion,  by  asking  if 
we  were  near  his  cabin.  He  informed 
us  that  we  were,  but  very  considerate- 
lv   asked   where   we   started   the   coon 


ORNITHOLOGY 


145 


The  writer,  undertaking  to  speak  for 
all,  said,  "In  the  Essex  woods,  but 
when  any  coon  or  any  other  creature 
flees  to  your  back  dooryard  for  safety, 
he  surely  finds  it  when  I  am  on  his 
trail."  Though  the  trees  in  which  the 
raccoon  had  taken  refuge  were  within 
two  hundred  feet  of  the  hermit's  cab- 
in, he  replied,  "It  is  true  that  I  have 
some  pets  about  here,  but  it  is  also 
true  that  there  are  raccoons  in  the  Essex 
woods.  If  you  have  chased  one  of  them 
over  here  you  have  a  right  to  go  up  the 
tree  and  get  it."  "We  may  have  the 
right,"  the  spokesman  answered,  "but 
we  do  not  care  to  exercise  that  right 
and  possibly  shoot  a  pet  coon.  If  you 
will  show  the  boys  your  sleeping 
porch,  we  will  consider  ourselves  re- 
warded." 

A  few  steps  brought  us  to  the  big 
pines  under  which  in  a  hammock  sus- 
pended between  two  of  them  Mr.  Wal- 
ton had  been  sleeping  when  awakened 
by  the  dogs. 

Dr.  W.  H.   Pomeroy. 


actually  believe  the  hen  was  indicating 
her  wish  for  straw  as  her  conduct  was 
very  unusual.  I  can  pick  up  this  hen 
at  any  time. 

C.  D.  Romig. 


Forget  me-nots. 

"Forget-me-not"    they   breathe    in    blue, 
"Forget-me-not  the   season   through; 
For  to  each  gift  of  flowers  blent, 
We  add  the  touch  of  sentiment." 

— Emma   Peirce. 


Bird   Confidence. 

Audenried,  Pennsylvania- 
To  the  Editor : 

While  driving  an  automobile  this 
summer  through  the  country,  on  a  trip 
in  the  direction  of  the  Delaware  Water 
Gap,  I  noticed  a  pigeon  feeding  in  the 
middle  of  the  road  where  it  remained 
and  allowed  me  to  pass  above  it,  as  I 
did  without  disturbing  or  harming  it. 
Another  machine  just  in  front  of  mine 
did  the  same  thing.  The  bird  did  not 
seem  at  all  concerned. 

This  season  I  have  also  noticed  a 
flicker  raising  a  family  in  a  dead  tree 
beside  a  busy  railroad  track  and  within 
a  hundred  yards  of  a  noisy  coal  break- 
er where  many  boys  are  employed. 
This  must  be  largely  the  result  of  the 
protection  that  birds  have  had  in  the 
past  few  years.     Ordinarily  a  flicker  is 


a  shv  bird. 


C.  D.  Romig. 


The  First  Frost. 


Knew  How  to  Get  What  She  Wanted. 

Audenried,  Pennsylvania- 
To  the  Editor: 

I  have  a  pair  of  hens  which  last  win- 
ter and  early  this  spring  had  the  range 
of  the  yard  and  were  unusually  tame. 
One  morning  they  found  themselves  in 
a  wire  pen,  and  when  I  looked  in  at 
noon  and  expressed  my  satisfaction  at 
seeing  them  out  of  the  garden,  the 
gray  hen  squatted  down  much  like  an 
old  chick  and  with  motion  of  the  head 
and  beak  and  considerable  clucking 
seemed  to  say,  "Why  don't  you  put 
some  straw  in  the  nests?  I  want  to 
lay."  I  took  the  hint  and  put  the  straw 
in  one  nest,  then  went  to  dinner.  When 
I  looked  in  the  nest  a  half  hour  later. 
I    found   there    a    nice   brown    egg.      I     mi 


BY    CHARLES    NEVERS    HOLMES,    NEWTON,    MASSA- 
CHUSETTS. 

No  more  the  cricket  chants  ! — no  butterfly 
Like    winged    fairy   flutters   gaily   by, 

No  fragrant  flower  scents  the  midday  air. 
A   sudden  blight  lies   lightly   ev'rywhere. 

No  blithesome  chorus  wakes  at  early  dawn. 
The  virgin  verdure  fades  from  lea  and  lawn, 

And  with  each  fickle  breath  of  chilly  breeze 

Some  more   sere   leaves    fall   slowly   from  the 
trees. 


Music  Without  Charm. 

The  shopman  had  been  using  a  vast 
amount  of  persuasion  in  trying  to  in- 
duce the  visitor  to  buy  the  gramophone 

"Latest  and  most  wonderful  instru- 
ment, sir,"  he  remarked-  "I've  a  blank 
disc  here  if  vou  care  to  hear  vour- 
self." 

The  visitor's  eyes  brightened. 

"I  play  the  flute  a  little,"  he  replied 
producing  an  instrument.  "If  you  don't 

nd— " 


The  shopman  did  not,  and  the  disc 
was  soon  indented  with  something  that 
only  a  sleuth  from  Scotland  Yard  could 
have  recognized  as  "Alice  Where  Art 
Thou?" 

"Is  that  really  me?"  asked  the  flutist 
when  his  performance  was  repeated  by 
the  instrument. 

"That's  you,  exactly,  sir.  Will  you 
bin-  the  gramophone,  sir?" 

"No,"  was  the  reply:  "I'll  sell  the 
flute,  though." 


The  Heavens  in  October. 

By   Professor  Eric   Doolittle    of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 


For  many  months  the  student  of  the 
heavens  has  had  but  little  opportunity 
to  spend  his  early  evenings  in  the  ob- 
servation of  our  most  interesting  sister 
worlds  which  revolve  about  our  sun. 
Occasionally  he  may  have  examined  the 
brilliant  little  Mercury  when  it  emerg- 


During  the  evenings  of  the  present 
month,  however,  the  two  most  brilliant 
worlds  of  all  are  seen  in  the  evening 
heavens.  When  the  observer  has  stud- 
ied the  beautiful,  silvery  Venus  until  it 
has  sunk  below  the  horizon  in  the 
southwest  he  may  turn   to  the  golden 


HORTH 


South 


Figure   1.     The  Constellations  at  9   P.   M.   October  1.      (If  facing  south,  hold  the  map  upright.     If  facing 
east  hold  East  below.     If  facing  west,  hold  West  below.     If  facing  north,  hold  map  inverted.) 

ed   for  a   short   time   into   the   twilight  Jupiter  with   its   interesting  retinue  of 

glow,     and     during    the     past     several  moons  which  will  then  be  climbing  the 

weeks  Venus  has  also  been  steadily  but  heavens   in   the  northeast-     These  two 

very   slowly   emerging   from   the   sun's  planets    will    nightly    come    into    more 

rays,    but    none    of    the    other    planets  favorable  positions  for  observation  for 

could   be   studied   to  advantage   except  many  weeks,  and  to  add  to  the  beauty 

after    midnight    and    during    the    early  of  our  autumn  evenings, 
morning  hours. 


We  this  month  see  for  the  first  time 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


147 


entering  our  evening  heavens  the  won- 
derful constellation  Taurus,  with  its 
striking  star  figures  of  the  Hyades  and 
Pleiades,  and  this  is  but  the  leader  of 

the  brilliant  winter  train  of  stars- 
***** 

The  Planets  in  October. 

Mercury  attains  its  greatest  distance 
west  of  the  sun  on  October  4;  at  thb 
time  it  rises  almost  at  the  east  point  of 
the  horizon  about  one  and  one-half 
hours  before  sunrise,  ft  is  onh-  on  the 
mornings  for  a  few  days  preceding  and 
following  this  date  that  the  planet  can 
be  seen  with  the  naked  eye,  though  the 
possessor  of  a  small  telescope  which  is 
provided  with  setting  circles  can  ob- 
serve it  during  the  daytime,  especially 
if  precautions  are  taken  to  screen  the 
object  gla^s   from   direct   sunlight. 

All  of  the  planets  revolve  about  the 
sun  in  paths  which  are  not  exact  cir- 
cles so  that  at  some  times  they  are 
nearer  the  sun  than  at  others,  but  the 
difference  with  Mercury  is  far  greater 
than  with  any  of  the  other  worlds. 
When  this  little  planet  is  nearest  the 
sun  it  is  but  twenty-eight  millions  of 
miles  distant  from  that  source  of  in- 
tense heat,  but  when  it  is  at  the  most 
remote  part  of  its  orbit  it  is  no  less  than 
forty-four  millions  of  miles  away.  The 
former  position  is  called  Perihelion,  and 
when  it  is  at  this  point  Mercury  re- 
ceives two  and  one-third  times  as  much 
light  and  heat  as  when  it  is  most  dis- 
tant- When  it  is  considered  that  the 
planet  receives  on  the  average  seven 
times  as  much  light  and  heat  as  our 
earth,  it  is  evident  that  its  fluctuations 
of  temperature  must  be  most  remark- 
able. Doubtless  this  alone  would  make 
it  quite  impossible  for  living  beings 
such  as  are  found  on  our  earth  to  exist 
there,  and  this  unfavorable  condition 
must  continue  for  many  long  ages  until 
our  sun  has  become  cooler.  Mercurv 
passes  Perihelion  on  the  third  of  this 
month  at  t  A.  M. 

Venus  is  seen  shining  far  in  the 
southwest  for  two  hours  after  sunset 
on  October  1  ,and  this  time  is  increa-ed 
to  2  hrs.  30  min.  by  the  end  of  the 
month.  The  planet  has  long  since  pass- 
ed the  point  of  its  great  orbit  which  is 
far  beyond  the  sun,  and  it  would 
emerge  from  the  sun's  rays  far  more 
rapidly  did  not  its  motion  also  carrv 
it  rapidly  southward  amon°-  the  stars 


By  October  31  it  will  be  no  less  than 
twenty-six  degrees  south  of  the  equator 
of  the  sky,  a  point  far  more  southerly 
than  is  ever  reached  by  our  sun.  Con- 
sequently it  will  be  found  far  south  of 
the  west  point  of  the  horizon.  On  Oc- 
tober 1  Venus  shines  with  sixtv-three 
times  the  brightness  of  a  first  magni- 
tude star,  while  by  October  31,  on  ac- 
count of  its  decreasing  distance  from 
uc,  it  will  have  become  no  less  than 
ninetv-three  times  as  bright.  It  will  be 
found  a  beautiful  object  in  the  tele- 
scope, looking  as  the  moon  when  two 
or  three  days  past  the  first  quarter. 

On  the  evening  of  October  18  the 
narrow  crescent  of  the  new  moon  will 
be  seen  a  little  to  the  right  of  Venus  : 
both  on  this  and  the  following  evening 
the  two  objects  will  form  a  beautiful 
figure  in  the  southwestern  sky.  It  will 
be  noticed  that  the  moon  is  steadilv 
drawing  nearer  the  planet,  but  unfortu- 
nately the  two  bodies  will  not  be  near 
est  together  until  2  hrs.  57  min-  P.  M 
(Eastern  Standard  Time),  when  they 
cannot  be  seen  (except  in  the  telescope) 
on  account  of  daylight.  The  present 
approach  will  be  a  very  clo^e  one  and 
many  observers  south  of  twenty-six  de- 
grees north  latitude  on  the  earth  will 
see  the  planet  hidden  by  the  moon.  On 
this  same  evening  the  reddish  Antares 
is  seen  two  degrees  south  of  the  silvery 
Venus  ;  the  contrast  both  in  color  and 
brightness   will   be  very   striking-. 

Mars  will  move  from  Cancer  into 
T  eo  dunng  October:  its  rising  precedes 
'ne  rising  of  the  sun  by  about  four 
hours  on  October  1st  and  by  about  five 
hours  on  October  31st;  consequently  it 
1"  high  in  the  eastern  heavens  during 
the  hours  of  the  early  morning. 
Though  not  yet  in  the  most  favorable 
position  for  observation,  the  planet  is 
rapidly  approaching  the  earth,  and  its 
increase  in  brightness  during  the  month 
will  be  very  noticeable.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  October  29  Mars  will  be  found 
one  degree  north  of  the  beautiful  doub'e 
star,  Regulus,  and  the  two  objects  may 
then  be  seen  together  in  the  field  of  a 
small  telescope- 

The  most  striking  object  now  in  our 
evening  heavens  and  the  most  satisfac- 
tory one  for  observation  is  undoubted- 
ly the  planet  Jupiter.  This  rises  at  8 
hrs.  40  min.  P.  M.  on  October  1,  and  so 
early  as  6  hrs.  40  min.  by  October  31. 


148 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


With  its  retinue  of  bright  moons,  its 
wonderful  and  ever-changing  markings 
and  its  rapid  rotation,  its  observation 
is  a  source  of  never  failing  pleasure 
Especially  interesting  phenomena  of  its 
satellites  may  be  seen  on  October  8,  14, 
21,  23  and  26. 

Saturn  is  moving  eastward  and 
southward  in  Cancer,  a  little  to  the  left 
of  the  Praesepe.  On  October  1  at  7 
P.  M.,  Mars  in  its  eastward  motion  will 
pass  forty  minutes  to  the  north  of  Sat- 
urn, so  that  on  this  evening  both  of 
these  very  interesting  worlds  whose 
appearances  are  so  strikingly  contrast- 
ed may  be  seen  together  in  the  field  of 
the  telescope, 

5K  5|»  5jC  yfc  ^f* 

The  New  Star. 

The  nebula  within  whose  boundaries 
a  new  star  recently  appeared  (as  was 
described  in  the  article  of  last  month) 
is  a  faint,  spiral  nebula  lying  in  the 
borders  of  the  constellation  Cepheus,  at 
the  point  A  of  Figure  1.  A  photograph 
of  it  with  many  of  its  neighboring  stars 


M:,W^;r  -:A ''*    : 


//.■^•.■■^y-^CT-A*  '*-* ■:■    ~v*..'. 7  - ■• . 

•  -A     '    A    V.;-V^C.  A  A     :J&? 

*         AA'    •-■**.■      '/A;-:.  ,  ".. 'A'*vif  • 

••  .  ■•>■?-' ■■■■■£■■ '  *• ■'• ■^■iif'';.^ ■  :■     • 


•     ."     -■>   • 


away.  That  a  single  new  star  might 
appear  in  such  a  part  of  our  universe 
that  it  would  be  seen  by  us  in  a  line 
with  the  distant  nebula  and  so  be  mis- 
taken for  a  part  of  it,  might  not  be  sur- 
prising, but  such  an  explanation  could 
hardly  be  adduced  to  account  for  the 
appearance  of  no  less  than  six  of  these 
objects- 

The  conclusion  seems  unavoidable 
that  the  new  stars  are  actually  within 
and  connected  with  the  nebulas  them- 
selves. If  this  is  so,  it  would  seem  that 
the  nebulas  cannot  be  so  immeasurablv 
remote  as  some  suppose,  for  were  this 
the  case,  a  star,  even  though  it  exceed- 
ed by  millions  of  times  the  brightness 
of  the  largest  known  suns  of  our  uni- 
verse, would  be  too  far  away  to  be  vis- 
ible to  us.  Yet  though  this  conclusion 
is  certainly  the  most  probable  one,  we 
cannot  be  perfectly  sure,  even  of  this, 
for  it  is  just  possible  that  in  those  dis- 
tant universes  (if  they  are  such)  there 
may  be  action  and  changes  on  a  scale 
more  stupendous  than  any  hitherto  wit- 
nessed by  us. 


Figure   2.      The    Spiral    Nebula    within    which    a    new 
star  appeared. 


is  shown  in  Figure  2.  As  the  new  star 
is  but  of  the  fourteenth  magnitude,  it  is 
far  too  faint  to  be  seen  with  a  small 
telescope,  but  faint  as  it  is,  its  sudden 
appearance  is  of  the  utmost  philosophic 
interest. 

When  the  complete  records  are  ex- 
amined it  is  found  that  no  less  than  six 
new  stars  have  been  known  to  appear 
within  the  borders  of  spiral  nebulas, 
the  brightest  of  which  was  the  star 
which  in  1885  flashed  out  in  the  Great 
Nebula  of  Andromeda.  Some  astrono- 
mers think  it  probable  that  the  spira! 
nebulas  are  not  true  nebulous  clonds  at 
all  but  that  each  is  a  univese  of  stars, 
more  or  less  like  our  own  Milky  Way 
universe,  but   at  an   immense   distance 


Visible    Occulations    of   Algol    for   the 
Season  of  1917-1918. 

BY   WILLIAM   A.    MASON,   IN   THE   MONTHLY 
EVENING    SKY   MAP. 

The  following  table  gives  the  visible 
minima  of  the  occultations  of  the  varia- 
ble star  Algol  for  the  season  of  1917- 
1Q18.  The  time  given  is  the  middle  of 
the  occultation,  which  begins  five  hours 
earlier  and  lasts  five  hours  later  than 
the  hours  indicated. 

The  ephemeris  has  been  corrected  by 
the  accumulated  acceleration  of  the 
star's  former  period  of  revolution, 
which  now  brings  the  minima  one 
hour  earlier  than  the  standard  tables. 

The  time  given  is  U.  S.  Eastern 
Standard  Time.  Algol  is  visible  even- 
ings in  the  northeast  in  the  Fall,  over- 
head in  the  Winter,  and  in  the  north- 
west in  March  and  April. 

October  2   5:15  P.  M- 

October  17 1  115  A.  M. 

October  19 10  105  P.  M. 

October  22   6:55  P.  M. 

November  8 1 1 150  P.  M. 

November  11    8:40  P.  M. 

November  14 5  130  P.  M. 

November  29 1  130  A.  M- 

December   1    10:20  P.   M. 


TO  KNOW  THE 

December  4 7:10  P.  M 

December  22  o  :oo  A.  M 

December  24  8  .-50  P.  M 

December  27  5  40  P.  M 

January  1  r   1  45  A.  M 

January  13 10:35  P.  M. 

January  16 7 :2$  P.  M 

February  3   0:15  a!  M 

February  5   9:05  P    M 

February  8 s  ;55  p.  M 

February  23 2:00  A.M. 

February  25   IO 150  P.  M 

February  28 7  .-40  P.  AT 

March  18 0:30  A.  M 

March  20 9  :2o  P.  M. 

March  2^ 6:10  P.  M 


STARRY  HEAVENS 


149 


Moonglade. 

BY    CHARLES    NEVERS    HOLMES,    NEWTON",    MASS. 

How  restful   just   at   eventide, 
When   afterglow   is   wholly   o'er, 
To  stand  alone  bv  ocean's  side 
And   hear   its   surf  upon   the    shore, 
To  breathe  its   breath   and  feel  its   might, 
To  see  the  shroud  which  o'er  it  lies. 
The   shapeless    ships,    the    harbor's   light, 
And    sparkling   stars    amid    the    skies. 

When    from   her  darkling  rouch   the   moon 
Serenely   rises   full   and   white. 
And  with  increasing  glory  soon 
Transforms    the    shodaws    of   the    night: 
On  restless  waves  like  silver  shines 
Her    splendor — O    transcendent    sight! — 
In    surging,    scintillating   lines 
Across  the  waters  of  the  bight. 


Had  I  been  free  to  spend  my  life  as 
I  chose  the  study  of  living  nature 
would  assuredlv  have  been  my  choice 
It  is  with  fear  for  the  future  that  I  see 
.the  majority  of  young-  Americans 
growing  up  without  an  interest  in  the 
outdoors.  Such  density  cannot  be 
overcome  by  the  most  elaborate  indoor 
training.  I  am  immensely  interested 
in  The  Agassiz  Association,  if  only 
for  its  name,  which  has  always  been 
musical  to  me. — Ella  Frances  Lynch 
Founder  The  National  League  of 
Teacher-Mothers,  Bryn  Mawr,  Penn- 
sylvania. 


All    across    the    woodland,    under    lowering 
skies, 
The    glowing   tints    of   Autumn    had    been 
sleeping: 
There    came    a    shaft    of    sunlight    from    out 
the  West,   and   lo! 
The  miracle  was  out  they  had  been  keep- 
ing. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


Pitcher-leafed  Ash. 


Princeton,  New  Jersey. 
To  the  Editor: 

I  note  with  pleasure  that  you  have 

called   the  attention   of  the   readers  of 

The  Guide  to  Nature  to  my  desire  for 

information    regarding   the    occurrence 

of  pitcher-leafed  ash.     I  enclose  here- 


NOTE    THE    "PITCHER"    SHAPE. 


with  a  photograph  of  leaves  taken  from 
one  of  the  pedigreed  trees  which  I 
have  grown.  Although  this  is  not  a 
very  satisfactory  photograph  it  will 
give  you  an  idea  of  the  peculiar  feature 
of  these  trees. 

Sincerely  yours, 

George  H.  Shull. 


Civilization  is  surely  advancing,  al- 
though its  progress  may  sometimes  seem 
slow.  African  traders,  who  used  to  sup- 
ply Uganda  with  rum,  calico,  brass  wire 
and  beads,  are  now  doing  a  roaring  trade 
in  wrist  watches. — The  Youth's  Compan- 
ion. 


Your  magazine  is  a  treasure. — Wil- 
liam W.  Dean,  Stamford,  Connecticut. 


Xc^cS&ltcSsitcSBlti 


••••••• • • • •■•••••■4 


®m&, 


&■ 


REGREATIONS^MICROSCOPE 


A  Hint  and  a  Suggestion. 

BY   CLEMENT  B.  DAVIS,    NEW   YORK   CITY. 

To  that  enviable  mortal,  the  micros- 
copist,  everything  is  "fish  that  comes 
to  his  net."    The  seeds  of  the  common 


work.  A  volume  might  be  written  on 
their  surprising  mechanisms  alone — 
the  labrum  or  underlip,  for  instance, 
of  the  larva  of  the  dragon  fly.  In  re- 
pose this  appendage  appears  as  a  sim- 


wee 


ds   and   vegetables   furnish   endless      pie  mask  covering  the  greater  part  of 


THE  AUDITORY    HAIRS  OF  A  MOSQUITO. 


surprises.      The    pappus   of   the    flying      the   face,   but    let    some    helpless    little 


seeds  hold  secrets  that  few  of  us  sus 
pect,  while  the  exhaustless  store  of 
beautiful  forms,  color  combinations 
and  mechanisms  among  the  insects 
alone  would  furnish  material  for  a  life 


fish,  worm  or  tadpole  wriggle  too  close 
and  that  disguise  flies  out  and  back 
like  the  click  of  a  camera  shutter.  That 
mask  is  no  longer  the  simple  face  cov- 
ering it  seemed  to  be,  but  it  becomes 


RECREATIONS  WITH  THE  MICROSCOPE 


151 


a  pair  of  grappling  hooks  on  the  end  of 
a  jointed  arm  which  is  normally  fold- 
ed under  the  chin.  In  the  fraction  of 
a  twinkling,  the  victim  is  drawn  to  the 
waiting  jaws  in  fulfillment  of  its  hum- 
hie   destiny. 

There  is  the  pretty  mechanism  of 
that  agile  acrobat,  the  "hominy  heat- 
er" heetle  which,  when  placed  on  its 
hack,  snaps  itself  about  until  it  finally 
lands  on  its  feet.  And  there  is  the 
great  hairy  mop  of  a  tongue  with 
which  the  stag  beetle  laps  up  the  sap 
that  flows  from  the  tender  twigs  crush- 
ed by  the  huge  mandibles. 

Even  the  ubiquitous  mosquito  holds 
many  beautiful  revelations  for  the  mi- 
croscopist.  The  two  fluffy  tufts  form- 
ing the  antennae  of  the  male  are  well 
worth  your  attention.  Although  these 
are  of  so  odd  a  shape  scientists  tell 
us  that  they  are  organs  of  hearing. 
This  was  suggested  as  early  as  1855. 
Mayer,  in  1874,  led  by  the  observations 
of  Hensen,  conducted  a  series  of  exper- 
iments with  these  beautiful  plumose 
antennae  of  the  male  mosquito  to  show 
their  auditor}'  function.  He  fastened 
a  mosquito  to  a  microscope  slide  and 
then  watched  the  hairs  as  he  sounded 
tuning  forks  near-by.  When  forks 
producing  vibrations  of  five  hundred 
and  twelve  per  second  were  sounded, 
some  of  the  antennal  hairs  were 
thrown  into  violent  sympathetic  vibra- 


The  wings  also  hold  a  pretty  secret. 
It   is   for  you   to   verify   or  to   disprove 
the    existence   of  a   structure   that   ap- 
pears to  exist  on  a  wing  in  one  of  my 
slides  mounted  a  number  of  years  ago. 
It  is-  from  one  of  the  Anopheles,  and 
its   picture   shows   that   butterflies   and 
moths  have  no  monopoly  of  scales  on 
their  wings.     The     interest,     however, 
centers   on   the   fringe   of   scales   along 
the  hind  edge.    The  next  picture  shows 
a  portion  of  this  fringe  greatly  enlarged 
and    carefully    drawn.      In    examining 
this  I  was  impressed  by  the  apparent 
insertion  of  the  scales  along  the  edge. 
This  fringe  appears  to  consist  of  three 
rows  of  scales.     Those  in   the  bottom 
row  are  long.     Those  in  the  next  row. 
set  higher  on  the  membrane,  are  only 
about  half  as  long  and  overlap  the  first. 
Those  of  the  third  row  are  still  shorter, 
and  overlap  the  second.     The  scales  in 
the  bottom  row  are  straight,  in  the  sec- 
ond they  are  slightly  convex  while  in 
the  top  row  they  are  decidedly  convex. 
Can  this  be  a  beautifully  adapted  me- 
chanism for  labor  saving?     It  will  re- 
quire   the    careful    examination    of    a 
number  of  wings  to  determine  this.     If 
it  is  found  to  be  a  common  structure, 
we  can  readily  see  that  the  down  droop- 
ing of  this  fringe  on  each  upstroke  of 
the  wing,  and  its  straightening  out  on 
each    down    stroke,    each    row    bracing 
the  next  lower  like  the  various  pieces 


THE  SCALES  OX  THE  WING  OF  A  MOSOUITO. 
Ihe   dark  markirgs  are   produced   by   closer   groupings   of   the   scales. 


tion.      This    is    no    accidental    circum-      of 
stance.     The   hum    from   the   wings   o: 
the     female     mosquito     produces     this 
same  note. 


a    laminated    vehicle    sprim 


w 


ill 


mean  the  saving  of  an  enormous 
amount  of  energy  in  the  course  of  a  few 
minutes,    when    we    consider    that    the 


152 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


^h*>^  ■    ■■  i 


THE  SCALES  ON  THE  LOWER  EDGE  OF  THE  WING  OF  ANOPHELES  MOSOUITO. 


wings  make  five  hundred  and  twelve 
strokes  a  second. 

The  quest  of  the  truth  in  this  matter 
will  lead  to  many  happy  hours  in  the 
haunts  of  this  little  malarial  pest  and 
numberless  delightful  minutes  with  the 
wings  under  your  microscope. 

You  have  the  hint.  The  suggestion 
is  this  :  Tell  us  what  you  find.  It  is 
immaterial  whether  your  investiga- 
tions confirm  or  disprove  what  appears 
to  be  the  structure  of  the  wing  on  my 
slide.  Your  report  will  be  interesting 
to  us  who  read  The  Guide  to  Nature. 
You  have  enjoyed  the  articles  in  each 
issue,  so  why  not  "do  your  bit,"  and 
help  contribute  to  the  enjoyment  of  the 
rest  of  us? 


From  Nothing,  Nothing  Comes. 

Nature — the  world  I  could  touch — 
was  folded  and  filled  with  myself.  I 
am  inclined  to  believe  those  philoso- 
phers who  declare  that  we  know  noth- 
ing but  our  own  feelings  and  ideas. 
That  is  why,  perhaps,  many  people 
know  so  little  about  what  is  beyond 
their  short  range  of  experience.  They 
look  within  themselves — and  find  noth- 
ing! Therefore  they  conclude  that 
there  is  nothing  outside  themselves 
either. — Helen   Keller. 


Love  of  nature  costs  nothing,  and  yields 
1,000  per  cent. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


Nature — faint  emblem  of  Omnipo- 
tence ! 

Shaped  by  His  hand — the  shadow  of 
His  light— 

The  veil  in  which  He  wraps  His  ma- 
jesty.— Horace  Bushnell. 


•^^^s:^^ 


Seventy-five   Thousand   Insects. 

BY   ROBERT    C.    MILLER,    BUTLER,    PENNSYL- 
VANIA. 

In  the  mountains  of  southwestern 
Pennsylvania,  near  Uniontown,  a  rare 
variety  of  beetle  has  been  discovered, 
over  which  entomologists  have  been 
arguing  more  or  less  for  several  years- 
The  names  suggested  for  it  have  rang- 
ed all  the  way  from  plain  Cychrus 
ridingsii  to  Scaphinotus  ridingsii  mononga- 


While  passing  a  bookseller's  window 
one  day,  his  attention  was  attracted  to 
a  work  on  our  common  butterflies.  He 
bought  the  book,  read  it,  awoke  to  the 
possibilities  of  the  subject,  equipped 
himself  with  a  butterfly  net  and  a  cya- 
nide jar,  and  has  been  at  it  ever  since. 
He  has  collected  throughout  the  United 
States  from  Maine  to  California,  and 
has  exchanged  with  collectors  in  for- 
eign   lands,   until   he   has   assembled   a 


MR.  T.  N.  BROWN  AND  A  PART  OF  HIS  COLLECTION  OF  HANDSOME  MOTHS,  BRIGHT-HUED 
BUTTERFLIES  AND  HUGE  BEETLES  FROM  THE  TROPICS. 


hdae,  and  the  question  is  still  unsettled. 
Most  of  my  readers,  I  suppose,  are  not 
interested  in  this  beetle,  nor  in  the  dis- 
cussion concerning  it,  but  I  am  sure 
every  one  will  be  interested  in  learning 
something  of  Mr.  T.  N.  Brown,  the  en-  ; 
thusiastic  "insect  hunter,"  who  has  the 
reputation  of  being  the  only  successful 
collector  of  the  Cychrus  in  this  region. 
Twenty-four  years  ago  Mr.  Brown 
became     interested     in     insect     studv. 


magnificent  collection  of  more  than 
seventy-five  thousand  specimens  be- 
longing to  eighteen  thousand  different 
species.  His  cabinets  present  a  rare 
display  of  elegant  moths,  bright-hued 
butterflies  and  huge  beetles  from  the 
tropics,  as  well  as  the  more  modest 
"ones  of  our  northern  clime.  Mr. 
Brown  is  thoroughly  informed  on  every 
branch  of  insect  study. 

I    well   remember   my   first   acquain- 


154 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


STALKING  THE  TIGER  SWALLOWTAIL. 


THE  INTEREST  IN  INSECTS 


155 


tance  with  Mr.  Brown,  made  when  I 
was  a  youngster  in  short  trousers- 
From  the  time  I  was  seven  years  old 
I  had  had  an  interest  in  insects  and, 
using  my  straw  hat  in  lieu  of  a  butter- 
fly net  and  cigar  boxes  for  cabinets,  I 
had  collected  as  best  I  could  though 
in  ignorance  of  the  names  and  habits 
of  my  specimens.  One  day  I  learned 
of  Mr.  Brown  and  his  collections  and 
equipping  myself  with  a  box  of  butter- 
flies as  a  talisman,  I  set  out  on  a  pil- 
grimage to  his  home. 

If  I  had  expected  any  formality  I 
was  agreeably  disappointed.  I  found 
him  in  the  garden,  a  pleasant,  kindly 
old  man,  spectacles  set  awry,  a  slouch 
hat  on  one  side  of  his  head,  sleeves 
rolled  up  and  a  trowel  in  his  hand.  He 
welcomed  me  as  one  after  his  own 
heart,  encouraged  me,  provided  me 
with  books  and  allowed  me  to  wander 
to  my  heart's  content  among  his  col- 
lections. The  studies  first  seriously 
begun  there,  I  have  followed  with  in- 
creasing pleasure  to  the  present  time 
and  the  debt  I  owe  to  Mr.  Brown  is 
one  not  likely  to  be  repaid. 

Not  content  in  confining  himself  to 
one  branch  of  nature  study,  Mr.  Brown 
has  made  a  study  of  geology  ,and  his 
collections  of  ores  and  semiprecious 
stones  is  one  to  delight  the  eyes  of  a 
student. 

When  the  Uniontown  Chapter  of 
The  Agassiz  Association  was  organ- 
ized Mr.  Brown  became  an  enthusiastic 
member.  He  has  made  frequent  dona- 
tions to  our  museum,  and  has  ever 
been  willing  to  aid  the  Chapter  in  every 
possible  way.  Under  his  instruction 
several  of  the  members  have  become 
enthusiastic  butterfly  hunters. 

When  not  collecting  insects,  delving 
for  specimens  of  rock,  working  among 
his  flowers  or  helping  some  student 
Mr-  Brown  finds  time  to  paint  lifelike 
color  portraits  of  the  butterflies  and 
moths  in  his  collection,  and  does  it  so 
accurately  that  they  have  scientific 
value.  One  of  his  butterfly  paintings 
is  in  the  Carnegie  Museum  at  Pitts- 
burgh. 

Mr.  Brown  is  one  of  the  old  school 
naturalists,  who  has  loved  the  out- 
doors so  sincerely  as  to  devote  his 
time  to  nature  study  in  the  days  when 
such  pursuits  were  considered  childish 
if  not  a  sign  of  mental  deficiency.     It 


is  largely  owing  to  the  unflagging  zeal 
of  such  men  as  he  that  Mother  Nature 
has  come  into  her  own,  and  the  study 
of  insects,  stones,  birds,  fishes  and 
frogs  relegated  from  the  realm  of  child's 
play  to  one  of  the  most  important  of 
the  intellectual  pursuits. 


Fruit  Requires  the  Bees. 

Fruit  growers  are  beginning  to  rea- 
lize the  necessity  of  bees  for  the  proper 
fertilizing  of  fruit  bloom,  and  that  the 
two  industries  are  mutually  inter-de- 
pendent. If  anything,  the  fruit  grower 
derives  much  more  benefit  from  the 
bees  than  the  bee  keeper  himself.  A 
number  of  years  ago  the  veteran  bee 
keeper  and  queen  breeder,  Henry  Alley 
of  Massachusetts,  now  deceased,  was 
obliged  to  move  his  bees  away,  owing 
to  complaints  of  fruit  growers,  claiming 
them  to  be  a  nuisance,  but  after  a  year 
or  two  they  were  glad  to  get  him  back 
again,  because  of  so  little  fruit  in  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  blossoms. 

I  have  in  mind  an  account  I  read  in 
one  of  the  bee  journals  of  a  man  in  New 
York  State,  who  bought  a  farm  and  set 
it  out  to  fruit  trees,  expecting  to  flood 
the    market    with    fruit.      After    a    few 
years'  waiting  and  getting  no  fruit,  he 
was  obliged  to  sell  out  to  another.    The 
second  man  thought  he  had  a  bonanza 
but    soon    found    out    his   mistake   and 
sold.    The  third  buyer  was  a  bee  keep- 
er and  wanted  it  as  a  location  for  his 
bees,  as  there  were  none  around  there 
and  at  the  same  time  mistrusting  the 
cause  of  the  barrenness  of  the  orchard 
The  result  was  that  the  first  year  he 
harvested  thousands  of  barrels  of  the 
finest  fruit  ever  raised  in  that  section 
and  the  orchard  has  continued  to  bear 
since. — Green's  Fruit  Grower. 


The  sunset  glory  fills  the  woods, 

The  sunset  of  the  year; 
In  Summers  heat  a  cool  retreat, 

Now   full   of  warmth   and   cheer. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


What  is  nature?  Art  thou  not  the 
living  Government  of  God?  O,  Heaven, 
is  it  in  very  deed  He  then  that  ever 
speaks  through  thee, — that  lives  and 
loves  in  thee,  that  lives  and  loves  in 
me  ? — Carlyle. 


The  Seeds  of  Potatoes. 

In  the  January,  1916,  number  of  this 
magazine  there  was  an  article  by  the 
editor  on  the  seeds  of  potatoes.  That 
article  has  attracted  widespread  atten- 
tion and  in  many  respects  has  been  mis- 
represented. It  opened  with  the  fol- 
lowing statement : 

"Thirteen  years  ago  I  originated  the 
annual  summer  school  of  nature  study 
at    the    Connecticut    Agricultural    Col- 


to  the  fruiting  berries  of  the  common 
potato,  he  exclaimed,  'All  these  berries 
have  disappeared  from  the  state.  I  will 
give  twenty-five  dollars  for  one  found 
within   Connecticut.'  " 

Though  that  offer  was  made  in  a 
classroom  from  the  oratorical  rather 
than  the  financial  point  of  view,  the  ex- 
perience of  the  subsequent  years  proves 
it.  In  all  that  time  not  one  fully  de- 
veloped potato  ball  has  been  found  in 


POTATO  SEED  BALLS. 

Natural  size 


lege,  Storrs,  Connecticut,  and  was  the 
director  of  the  first  session.  One  of  the 
members  of  the  staff  at  that  session 
was  Professor  Gully,  the  horticulturist 
of  the  college.  This  expert  in  garden 
products  made  one  day  an  astonishing 
statement  that  I  thought  was  intended 
to  be  oratorical  rather  than  literally 
financial-     When  discoursing  in  regard 


the  state  of  Connecticut.  The  balls 
have  also  quite  largely  disappeared 
from  various  other  places.  However 
they  are  not  extinct  and  no  one  has 
ever  claimed  that  they  are  extinct-  In 
some  places  in  Maine  and  Montana  and 
in  the  far  South  the  seed  balls  have  been 
obtained  in  fairly  large  quantities.  Of 
course  the  offer  of  twentv-five  dollars 


THE  PLANT  WORLD  UNDER  CARE 


157 


for  a  single  seed  ball  does  not  now  hold 
good,  and  perhaps  it  was  never  intend- 
ed to  be  taken  literally.  From  the  first 
the  interest  in  the  matter  has  been  sci- 
entific and  not  commercial,  yet  that 
statement  has  been  exploited  and  dis- 
torted in  various  ways  throughout  the 
country  as  a  commercial  offer  applying 
to  a  single  potato  ball  wherever  ob- 
tained. A.  T.  Cook  in  the  follow- 
ing article  quite  rightly  characterizes 
sucb  exploitation  and  distortion  as  can- 
ard. Sensationalism  is  far  removed 
from  the  spirit  of  the  original  article 
which  was  merely  a  plain  statement  of 
the  fact  that  potato  balls  are  every- 
where disappearing  and  in  certain  lo- 
calities have  altogether  vanished.  Mr 
A.  T.  Cook,  a  seedman  of  Hyde  Park 
New  York,  desires  information  as  tc 
the  extent  of  the  disappearance  in  var- 
ious places,  and  will  purchase  potato 
seed  at  a  reasonable  price. 

$;  %         ^i         ^         ^ 

The  Vanishing  Potato  Seed  Ball. 

BY  A.  T.  COOK,  HYDE  PARK,  NEW  YORK. 

Forty  or  fifty  years  ago  potato  seed 
balls  were  plentiful  in  every  potato 
field.  Of  late  years,  however,  in  most 
sections,  few  if  any  are  found-  Mil- 
lions of  people  have  never  seen  one. 
For  the  benefit  of  those  who  have  not 
it  may  be  said  that  they  grow  in  clus- 
ters on  the  top  of  potato  vines,  a  half 
dozen  more  or  less  in  a  cluster.  They 
look  much  like  green  tomatoes,  and  in 
the  accompanying  illustration  are 
shown  in  the  natural  size. 

Every  now  and  then  there  looms  up  a 
statement  to  the  effect  that  a  "scientist" 
has  offered  twenty-five  dollars  for  a 
singfle  seed  ball.  This  canard  has  been 
well  circulated  by  the  press  but  of 
course  has  no  foundation  as  applicable 
in  potato  balls  in  general-  Although 
potato  seeds  surely  are  vanishing,  they 
are  not  all  gone.     Not  yet. 

Last  season  I  harvested  the  seed  of 
over  seven  bushels  of  balls-  If  I  could 
have  sold  them  for  twenty-five  dollars 
each  they  would  have  brought  a  tidy 
sum.  For  this  season  the  prospect  is 
that  I  shall  harvest  many  more  than 
seven  bushels.  I  have  made  a  specialty 
of  potato  seed  for  the  past  thirty-five 
years  and  supply  the  leading  seedmen 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada.  There 
is  an  immense  demand  for  the  seed.  Few 
things  sell  better.     Everything  pertain- 


ing to  potatoes  is  now  of  absorbing  in- 
terest. 

Potato  seeds  are  curious  and  wonder- 
ful They  produce  an  amazing  diver- 
sity of  potatoes.  It  is  not  generally 
known  that  each  seed,  even  those  from 
the  same  seed  ball,  will  bring  a  different 
variety,  each  one  more  or  less  distinct 
from  every  other.  The  product  of  a 
packet  of  seeds  will  be  a  large  number 
of  shapes,  sizes  and  colors.  From  one 
packet  there  may  be  white,  yellow, 
pink,  red,  blue,  purple,  black  and  varie- 
gated potatoes  of  shapes  and  types  in- 
numerable, some  early,  some  medium 
and  others  late.  Extraordinary  "freaks" 
sometimes  develop,  such  as  those  with 
tubers  the  shape  of  a  banana  and  others 
with  vines  running  along  the  ground 
similar  to  cucumbers,  taking  root  and 
producing  tubers  at  every  joint.  I  am 
now  growing  a  promising  seedling  that 
produces  very  long  tubers  similar  to  a 
long  sweet  potato.  No  one  would  rec- 
ognize it  as  being  of  an  "Irish"  variety 
I  believe  it  to  be  of  great  value- 
Potato  seeds  are  exceedingly  prolific. 
It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  one 
seed  to  produce  from  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  tubers  the  first  season 
The  Montana  Experiment  Station  grew 
one  hundred  and  eighty-four  perfect 
potatoes  from  a  single  seed,  and  Mr.  F 
A.  McDonald  of  North  Dakota  grew 
the  astonishing  number  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy-six  potatoes  from  one  of 
my  seeds. 

Why  not,  dear  reader,  try  your  hand 
at  growing  seedling  potatoes?  They 
will  be  the  most  unique  product  of  your 
garden-  Give  your  boy  and  girl  a 
chance  to  grow  them  also.  They  may 
be  the  lucky  ones.  Great  success  has 
already  attended  the  growing  of  new 
varieties  and  the  end  is  not  yet.  Many 
varieties  will  yet  be  found  that  will 
bring  a  golden  harvest  to  the  fortunate 
growers  and  prove  of  inestimable  value 
to  the  world. 

The  potato  never  "sports."  It  is  only 
from  the  seed  that  new  varieties  are 
produced.  Potatoes  have  their  day, 
deteriorate  and  disappear.  W Tiere  now 
are  the  Mercers,  Peachblows,  Cole- 
brooks,  Prince  Alberts,  Cuzcoes 
lady's  fingers,  Niggertoes  and  many 
others  so  well  known  in  days  of  yore? 
They  are  gone  and  gone  forever-  If 
all    potatoes    failed    to    produce    seeds. 


158 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


every  variety  would  eventually  run  out 
and  vanish  from  the  earth.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  estimate  what  the  loss  of 
this  valuable  esculent  would  be  to  the 
world. 

-J;  j|c  *  *  * 

Save  the  Potato  Balls. 

Gone  are  the  days  when  the  pictur- 
esque seed  balls  could  be  seen  in  count- 
less numbers  in  every  potato  field.  To- 
day they  almost  seem  a  relic  of  a  past 
age.  If  any  one  is  so  fortunate  as  tc 
find  balls  on  their  vines,  they  should 
be  saved  with  the  utmost  care.  I  can 
use  all  you  care  to  dispose  of- 

Potato  seeds  grow  as  readily  as  to- 
mato seeds.  Plant  them  early  in  the 
spring  and  when  they  are  four  or  five 
inches  high  transplant  two  feet  apart 
They  will  produce  tubers  the  size  of 
marbles,  with  perhaps  a  few  as  large 
as  a  hen's  egg,  the  first  year,  and  in 
three  years  will  attain  their  full  de- 
velopment. 

The  growing  of  potatoes  from  the 
seed  is  most  interesting  and  the  possi- 
bilitv  of  producing  a  variety  superioi 
to  all  others  and  therefore  more  valu- 
able than  a  gold  mine  is  fascinating  in 
the  extreme. 


setting  out  onions  upside  down  is  a 
true  incident.  I  do  not  pretend  to  un- 
derstand it.  I  suppose  the  boy  was  in 
error-  I  did  not  take  the  matter  ser- 
iously enough  ever  to  try  the  plan.  At 
all  events,  I  thought  the  incident  is 
along  the  same  line  as  some  of  your 
other  articles  and  might  call  out  some 
interesting  comments." 


Here  and  there  an  Autumn  torch  is  lighted, 
Here  and  there  a  tongue  of  flame  is  seen; 
Soon   there'll   be   a   monster  conflagration, 
And    so   will    end   the   Summer's   reign   of 
green. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


Planting  Bulbs  Upside  Down. 

Hyde  Park,  New  York. 
To  the  Editor : 

Your  several  articles  relative  to  the 
planting  of  bulbs  upside  down  remind 
me  of  a  little  incident  that  occurred 
several  years  ago. 

One  spring  as  I  was  passing  by  a 
neighbor's  farm  where  his  young  son 
was  planting  small  onions,  I  jokingly 
said,  "Of  course  you  know  that  onions 
should  be  set  out  upside  down."  I 
passed  on,  supposing  he  would  take  my 
remark  as  a  joke.  But  he  didn't-  Af- 
ter harvesting  the  onions  he  said,  "Mr. 
Cook,  you  were  right  about  planting 
those  onions,  for  those  I  planted  upside 
down  yielded  twice  as  much  as  the  rest 
Thus  did  my  fame  as  a  gardener  early 
begin  to  spread. 

A.  T.  Cook. 

An  editorial  inquiry  called  Mr.  Cook's 
attention  to  the  danger  of  misunder- 
standing this  letter.  Should  onions  be 
planted  upside  down  ! !     He  replies  : 

"My  little  item  sent  you  relative  to 


Yellow  Jackets  and  Hornets. 

A  letter  just  received  from  W.  C. 
Britton,  State  entomologist,  says  that 
the  plague  of  yellow  jackets  and  other 
hornets  is  extraordinary-  He  advises 
carbon  bi-sulphide  in  their  nests,  or 
soaking  with  kerosene  and  burning  out 
at  night.  It  is  possible  that  fruit-grow- 
ers will  ask  for  a  law  protecting 
skunks  from  being  killed  so  extensively 
as  they  are  for  their  fur.  Skunks  are 
a  great  benefit,  although  they  do  once 
in  a  while  steal  young  chickens  that  are 
left  unprotected  at  night.  Skunks  dig 
up  the  yellow  jackets'  nests  in  the 
ground  and  eat  the  insects  and  larvae 
and  they  also  devour  many  other  nox- 
ious insects,  worms,  moths,  beetles 
etc..  besides  mice  and  moles.  The  ani- 
mals have  been  trapped  so  extensively 
that  the  increase  in  yellow  jackets  may 
be  the  result.  It  is  certainly  interest- 
ing to  find  the  spots  where  skunks 
have  exhumed  the  hot  little  pests  and 
cleaned  out  their  combs,  a  job  that  all 
are  willing  to  leave  to  friend  skunk- 

-"The  Stamford  Advocate." 

This  item  from  a  local  paper  in  no 
sense  exaggerates  the  number  of  yellow 
jackets  and  hornets,  especially  the  for- 
mer, that  are  present  this  year.  On  a 
recent  visit  to  an  apple  orchard  in 
Georgetown,  and  again  to  a  peach  or- 
chard in  Hunting  Ridge,  I  found  it  dif- 
ficult to  pare  an  apple  or  a  peach  on 
account  of  the  yellow  jackets  and  hor- 
nets that  would  alight  on  the  fruit. 
The  peach  orchards  are  full  of  yellow 
jackets,  and  while  the  workmen  do  not 
seem  to  be  stung,  it  is  annoying  to  have 
face  and  hands  covered  with  yellow 
jackets. 


r  HEFUNOF 
SEEjNGTfflNIB, 

I    FOR  YDUNG  FOLKS  j 

EDITED  BY 

\  Edward  FQigelow  / 


V/VVMOT  YOU  WPiNT 
TO  know. 


v5<?C/A>( 


icn, ,   Conn. 


An  Elfin  Table. 
We  almost  caught  the  fairy  folk 

In   upland   walk   to-day, 
When  we  came  across  their  festive  board, 

The  elves  had   run  away. 

The  lichen  doilies  were  in  place; 

And  with  a  yellow  flame, 
St.  John's  wort   candles   burned  serene, 

As  on  the  scene  we  came. 

We  lingered,  cherishing  the  hope 
That  they  might  soon  return; 

But  only  heard  the  wandering  wind, 
Through   fronds   of   eagle   fern. 

— Emma    Peirce. 


A  Fasciated  Cactus! 

The  cactus  is  about  the  last  plant 
that  one  would  ever  think  would  be- 
come fasciated,  but  it  appears  that 
even  this  plant  is  not  exempt  from 
"tying  itself  up  in  a  knot." 

Professor  George  W.  Carver,  Direc- 
tor of  the  Department  of  Research  and 
Experiment  Station  of  The  Tuskegee 
Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  Ala- 
bama, sends  the  accompanying  photo- 
graph of  an  Opuntia  ficus-inrica  that 
made  such  a  peculiar  growth  in  one 
summer.     He  writes: 

"I  found  it  growing  out  of  doors  and 
cut    it    off    just    below    this    peculiar 


growth  and  potted  it.  It  has  now 
been  potted  for  about  three  years  and 
does  not  seem  to  change  in  any  way. 


THE  FUNNY  CACTUS. 

It  throws  out  young  growths  from 
time  to  time,  and  I  let  them  grow  a 
little  while  and  then  cut  them  off." 


A  Belated  Blossom. 

BY   H.    E.   ZIMMERMAN,   MT.   MORRIS,   ILL. 

The  pear  and  blossom  shown  in  the 
illustration  were  found  growing  on  the 
same  limb  three  inches  apart  on  a  tree 
at  Sand  Fork,  West  Virginia.  It  is  not 
often  that  a  tree  is  full  of  ripe  fruit,  as 
this  one  was,  and  blossoming  at  the 
same  time. 


PEAR  BLOOM  AND  FRUIT  TOGETHER. 


LITERAK 


«®©S3<B<S® 


«^ 


NOTICES 


»& 


In    October. 

The   green,   cool,   decorous   forest 
Has   taken   to   madcap   ways; 

Its   aisles    are    a   riot    of   color, 
These  mellow  October  days. 

From  the   carpet   beneath   our   footsteps, 
To  the  canopy  over  our  head, 

All  gone  are  the  trappings  of  Summer, 
Fall    tapestries   glowing   instead. 

The  red  maples  started  the  frolic, 
By  doffing  their  summery  green 

For  the  liveliest  flamelets  of  color, 
That   apart   from   real    fire   are    seen. 

The  oak  trees  soon  followed  in  order, 
With   aspens  in   rare   golden   hue, 

And  ashes,  cool,  furnished  the  shadows, 
And   sometimes   the   sunshine   too. 

The   splendor  can   only  be   transient, 
For  all  flames  were  ever  short-lived, 

But  from   no   brilliant,   worldly  pageant 
Is   such    soulful   pleasure   derived! 

— Emma   Peirce. 


Fiet n  Book  of  American  Wild  Flowers.  Be- 
ing a  Short  Description  of  Their  Char- 
acter  and   Habits,   a    Concise   Definition 
of  Their   Colors,   and   Incidental    Refer- 
ences   to    the    Insects    Which    Assist    in 
Their     Fertilization.       By     F.     Schuyler 
Mathews,    Member    of    the    New    Eng- 
land    Botanical     Club     and     Author     of 
"Wild     Birds    and    Their     Music,"     etc. 
New    Edition,     Revised    and     Enlarged. 
With    24    Colored    Plates    and    over   300 
Other    Illustrations    from    Studies    from 
Nature  by  the  Author.     New  York  City: 
G.   P.   Putnam's   Sons. 
It    is    astonishing    that    five    hundred    and 
eighty-seven     pages,     profusely     illustrated, 
many  of  the  illustrations  being  in  colors,  can 
be    put   into   a    book    so    convenient   that    it 
will   slip   into   an   ordinary   coat   pocket,   but 
it   has   been   done   in   this   case.     To   the   re- 
viewer this  seems  to  be  the  best  of  all  the 
handbooks  for  field  and  indoor  use  with  our 
common  wild  flowers.     The  arrangement  is 
commendable;   the   descriptions   are   concise 
and  readable,  and  every  quality  of  the  book 
enables  the  reader  to  find  readily  the  illus- 
tration   and    the    description    of    a    flower. 
With  such  a  handbook  no  nature  lover  has 
any   excuse    for   not   knowing   our    common 
plants. 


The   Garden    under    Glass.      By    William    F. 

Rowles.      Philadelphia,       Pennsylvania: 

J.  B.  Lippincott  Company. 
The  culture  of  fruit,  flowers  and  vege- 
tables under  glass  has  in  this  book  a  practi- 
cal and  timely  guide  that  will  be  appreciated 
by  the  army  of  Americans  now  fighting  the 
high  cost  of  living.  The  book  was  original- 
ly published  in  England,  and  describes  the 
English  practice  of  growing  fruit  and  vege- 
tables for  the  home  table.  The  plans  are 
well  worth  adopting  in  America. 


A  Textbook  of  Botany  for  Colleges.  Part  II. 
By  William  F.  Ganong,  Ph.  D.  New 
York    City:    The    Macmillan    Company. 

This  book  is  intended  to  assist  in  a  gen- 
eral laboratory  course  in  botany  and  in  the 
study  of  botany  as  a  part  of  a  comprehen- 
sive education.  It  does  not  discuss  theories. 
but  is  truly  conservative,  adopting  only  such 
statements  as  have  survived  the  test  of 
criticism.  It  is  well  arranged  and  will  un- 
doubtedly appeal  to  the  professional  teach- 
er. It  also  contains  a  great  amount  of  ma- 
terial useful  and  important  for  the  student 
of  nature  in  general. 


Ferns    A  Manual  for  the  Northeastern  States, 
with     Analytical     Keys     Based     on     the 
Stalks  and  on  the   Fructification.     With 
over    Two    Hundred    Illustrations    from 
Original     Drawings     and     Photographs. 
By    Campbell    E.    Waters.      New    York 
City:   Henry  Holt  and  Company. 
The  Photographs  in  this  book  are  extreme- 
ly   fine    and    impress    one    with    the    beauty 
of  the  ferns.     Those  that  desire  to  study  this 
botanical    order    will    find    them    helpful    in 
identification.      The    text    is    well    arranged 
and  not  so  extensive  as  to  be  discouraging. 
It   tells  just  what   one  wants   to   know,   and 
does  not  enter  too  deeply  into  technical  de- 
tails.    To  the  reviewer  it  seems  to  be  the 
best     obtainable     general     book    on     ferns. 
There   are   one  or  two  others  pretty  nearly 
as    good,    but   this    really   appears    to    merit 
the  first  place.     We  recommend  it  to  all  our 
students. 


Louis  Agassiz  as  a  Teacher.  By  Lane 
Cooper.  Ithaca,  New  York:  The  Corn- 
stock    Publishing    Company. 

A  teacher  of  English  has  issued  this 
book  to  prove  or  perhaps  rather  to  inspire 
others  with  the  belief  that  the  best  method 
of  teaching  English  is  practically  the  same 
as  that  employed  by  Agassiz  in  teaching 
nature.  He  expresses  the  purpose  of  the 
book  as   follows: 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


IX 


"And  I  might  go  on  to  show  in  some  de- 
tail that  a  doctoral  investigation  in  the 
humanities,  when  the  subject  is  well  chosen, 
serves  the  same  purpose  in  the  education 
of  a  student  of  language  and  literature  as 
the  independent,  intensive  study  of  a  living 
or  a  fossil  animal,  when  prescribed  by  Ag- 
assiz *o  a  beginner  in  natural   science." 


He  has  conferred  a  favor  upon  all  natur- 
alists by  collating  chapters  on  Agassiz's 
methods  of  teaching  Professors  Shaler, 
Verrill,  Wilder  and  Scudder.  There  are 
also  other  interesting  chapters,  especially 
one  on  "Agassiz — His  Personality"  and 
"Passages  for  Comparison  with  the  Method 
of  Agassiz." 


LOUIS  AGASSIZ  AS  A  TEACHER. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


" 'The  Tzvo 
Extremes'1'' 

Made  with 
1c  Tessar 

By 

C.  L.  Beasley 


For  nature  pictures  of  every  kind  there  is  a  Bausch  &  Lomb  Lens. 

Write  for  informative  booklet,  "  What  Lens  Shatl  /  Buy  ?  " 

Bausch  &  jpmb  Optical  (p. 

UW     YORK  WASHINGTON  CHICACO  SAN     FRANCISCO 

london  ROCHESTER..  N.Y.  rB4»Krol4T 


Choose  Your  Children! 

NO !  But  you  can  select  your  paint. 
And  it  pays  to  be  just  as  particular 
about  it  as  though  you  were  picking 
out  children. 

Then  why  not  get  the  guaranteed 
kind — Statesman  Brand — Analyzed 
and  Guaranteed  for  5  years  ?  It  looks 
well  and  wears  well. 

Made   by 

The  Charles  H.  Brown  Paint  Co. 

Makers  of 

Paints,   Enamels,  Stains,  Varmshes, 
Colors  in  Oil,  White  Lead. 
BROOKLN,  N.  Y.,  U.  S.  A. 


THE  BRYOLOGIST  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 
Vloss  Society,  which  includes  moss  students  of  all  grades  of 
achievements  from  the  college  president  to  the  beginner,  all 
anxious  to  help  each  other.  Subscription,  $1.25  a  Year. 
$1.50  pays  for  membership  in  the  society  and  a  year's  sub- 
scription to  the  Bryologist.  Address  Edward  B.  Chamber- 
lain,   18   West  89th   St.,   New  York   City. 


Read  BLUE-BIRD 

Published    in    co-operation    with 
The   Cleveland   Bird   Lovers   Association 

and   devoted   to 

BIRD  STUDY  AND  CONSERVATION 

$i.oo  a  Year,  10  Cents  a  Copy 

Agents   Wanted 

Address,  Editor  BLUE  BIRD 

ioio    Euclid    Avenue,        Cleveland    Ohio 


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,  $i.oo.  Per  copy,  ten  cents. 
JOSEPH  E.  BAUSMAN,  Publisher, 
542  E.  Girard  Ave.,  Philadelphia,  Penna. 


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VVWVVV-AV.^vV'v'vV'A'Al'A 


GREENWICH 


THE    EDITION    DE  LUXE 
OF  CONNECTICUT  TOWNS 


GREENWICH 


DO  NOT  LEAVE  FURS,  WOOL- 
ENS OR  VALUABLE  RUGS  FOR 
MOTHS  TO  RUIN.  PLACE  THEM 
IN  OUR  DRY  AIR  COLD  STOR- 
AGE VAULT.  THE  CHARGES 
ARE  REASONABLE. 

THE 

GREENWICH  TRUST 

COMPANY 


GREENWICH 


CONN. 


I J 


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  aad 
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 


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Convenient  to  Trolley  and  the  Best  Automobile  Route  in  the  State. 


COME  NOW. 


WRITE  NOW. 


Let  us  tell  you  of  Our  Stock  of  Trees,  Shrubs,  Plants,  etc.     Private  Estates  Planted, 
Grounds  Graded,  Drives  Built,  Trees  and  Shrubs  Trimmed  and  Otherwise  cared  for. 

JVe  Have  the  Stock  and  Know  How 

BERTOLF  BROTHERS 

LANDSCAPE  GARDENERS  AND   NURSERYMEN 
SOUND     BEACH  -        -  -        -  CONNECTICUT 

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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. 
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9492    Girl's  Pajamas,   6   to    14   years.     Price   15    cents. 

One-piece  pajamas  have  come  to  be  favorite  sleeping 
garments.  These  are  thoroughly  comfortable  and  satis- 
factory to  wear  while  also  they  are  new  and  fashionable. 
They  are  so  simple  that  they  require  no  special  skill  or 
ability  for  the  making  and  the  older  girls  will  be  glad  of 
that  fact  for  they  can  run  them  up  in  a  short  space  of 
time.  Crepe  de  chine  and  handkerchief  lawn  are  favorite 
materials,  fine  batiste  and  nainsook  always  are  charming 
and  just  now  underwear  is  being  made  of  fine  cotton 
voile.  The  body  portion  and  trousers  are  cut  together, 
as  indicated  in  the  back  view,  and  you  can  leave  the 
trousers  open  or  gather  into  bands  and  finish  them  with 
frills.  Here,  stitched  edges  make  the  finish  but,  if  you 
like  a  daintier  effect,  you  could  scallop  the  collar,  the 
sleeves  and  the  upper  edges  of  the  pockets — perhaps  the 
belt  also. 

For  the  10-year  size  will  be  needed  5  3-8  yards  of  ma- 
terial  27  inches  wide,   5   yards  36. 

The  pattern  No.  9492  is  cut  in  sizes  from  6  to  14  years. 
It  will  be  mailed  to  any  address  by  the  Fashion  Depart- 
ment  of   this   magazine   on    receipt   of   fifteen   cents. 


Try 


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Cleaning,  Repairing  and  Pressing  a 
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Fine   Line  of  Shirts,  Ties,   Collars, 

Cuffs,  Gloves,  etc. 

196  Atlantic  St. 

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BORG  BROTHERS 

Chemical   and   Analytical   Laboratories 

for  Special  Research  Work 

539  MAIN  ST. 

STAMFORD        :-:        CONNECTICUT 


Telephone,  270 
271 


Uptown  Office:  STARK  BROS. 

40    PARK   ROW 


GHAS.  F.  WATERBURY 
David    Waterbury     &    Son 

COAL  DRAIN  PIPE  WOOD 

Crushed  Stone  for  Walks  and  Drives 

YARDS:     Canal  Dock,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 


VI 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


Local  Notices. 


the  Seely  Chapter  of  Stamford  in  the 
Welcome  Reception  Room. 


Rapid  Growth  of  an  Optical  and  Cam- 
era Business- 

W.  A.  McClelland  reports  satisfac- 
tory progress  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
branch  of  his  business  opened  last  May 
in  the  building  formerly  occupied  by 
The  Putnam  Trust  Company  in  Green- 
wich, Connecticut-  Mr.  MeClelland's 
business  in  Stamford  has  also  out- 
grown its  present  location  and  will 
necessitate  enlargements  in  the  near 
future.  Both  stores  are  equipped  with 
every  facility  for  supplying  eyeglasses 
cameras  and  similar  optical  goods.  At 
the  Stamford  store  an  expert  photo- 
grapher and  assistants  are  doing  com- 
mendable work  for  amateurs,  and  the 
store  is  rapidly  advancing  along  these 
lines.  Mr.  McClelland  and  Mr.  Pratt, 
who  is  associated  with  him,  have  be- 
come popular  through  their  courteous 
and  genial  manners  and  through  the 
satisfactory  treatment  which  they  give 
to  every  customer.  There  is  a  pleas- 
ing, homelike  atmosphere  of  geniality 
about  the  store  that  has  proved  more 
than  attractive.  These  methods  to- 
gether with  the  high  class  goods  sold 
at  reasonable  prices  are  rapidly  build- 
ing up  an  enormous  optical  business 
We  are  glad  to  know  that  the  public  is 
in  sympathy  with  these  enterprising 
gentlemen.    They  deserve  it- 


Greenwich  Schools  at  ArcAdiA. 

The  Greenwich  Academy  spent  the 
afternoon  of  October  9th  at  ArcAdiA. 

The  Wabanaki  School  was  here  on 
Saturday,  October  20th,  and  is  to  be 
with  us  again  on  November  24th. 


The  Boy  Scouts  had  a  lecture  by 
Scout  Master  Crandall  on  the  Boy 
Scout  movement  on  October  12.  Re- 
freshments were  served,  and  a  general 
social  evening  enjoyed- 


Miss  Bessie  L.  Putnam  of  Harmons- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  and  her  friend  Mrs 
Ida  Wright  of  New  York  City,  spenl 
the  afternoon  and  evening  of  October 
13th  at  ArcAdiA.  In  the  evening  they 
were  guests  at  the  regular  meeting  of 


I  have  been  a  lover  of  nature  from 
childhood  up,  but  The  Guide  to  Na- 
ture has  increased  my  love  tenfold. — 
Cleveland  P.  Hickman,  Littleton,  West 
Virginia. 


INSECTS  WANTED 

PICK  up  some  easy  money  gathering  butterflies,  insects. 
I  buy  750  kinds.      Some  $l-$7.     Intensely  interesting. 
2c  stamp  brings  PROSPECTUS.     Get  posted.  Sinclair, 
Box    244,    D-68,    Los   Angeles,    California. 


Nature  Lovers  are  Camera  Lovers 

For      reliable,      up-to-date      information, 

there  is  no  better  authority  than 

PHOTO-ERA 

Ranked    universally    as    the    best    photo- 

magazine    in    America.      Six    prizes    each 

month  for  best  pictures. 

Price:    $2.00    a    year;    clubbed,   $1-55. 

SAMPLE  COPY  FREE. 

Published    Monthly,   by 

WILFRED  A.  FRENCH,  Ph.D. 

Standish  Bldg..  Boylston  Street.  Boston.  Mass. 


STOP 


LOOK 


LISTEN 


i.      In  ?!?!. strenuous  war  times,  heed  the  good  advice  in  Washington's 
Farewell  Address:  5 

"Promote,  then,  as  an  object  of  PRIMARY   IMPORTANCE    insti 
tutions  for  the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge." 


A 


■■«• 


r.   O.    Mir.I  ER— HALE    AND    HEARTY    AT    THREESCORE    YEARS    AND    TEN- 


Completing  Fifty  Years  in  Business. 

The  Remarkable  Half  Century  Success  of  Mr.  C.  O.  Miller  as  Evinced  in  the 
Astonishing  Development  and  Present  Prominence  of  The  Miller 

Store. 


This  article  is  written  and  these 
photographs  were  taken  by  the  editor 
of  this  magazine  for  two  reasons:  first, 
personal,  to  chronicle  the  astonishing 
success  of  Mr.  G  O.  Miller,  a  good 
friend  to  The  Agassiz  Association  and  a 
hearty  cooperator  with  ArcAdiA  ;  sec- 
ond, because  we  desire  to  congratulate 
him  on  beginning  the  last  year  of  the 
half  century  of  a  successful  business, 
and  particularly  upon  his  celebration 
of  the  fiftieth  holiday  announcement  of 
the  opening  of  this  staunch  and  trust- 
worthy dry  goods  store. 

This  magazine  stands  for  local  de- 
velopment, for  interest  in  our  homes, 
especially  in  those  that  are  becoming 
plentiful  and  beautiful  in  the  suburbs 
of  Stamford  and  the  surrounding  terri- 
tory. We  believe  that  a  store  that  has 
taken  active  interest  in  all  the  homes 
of  this  vicinity  is  entitled,  aside  from 
any  advertising,  to  a  recognition  of  per- 
sonal merit.  This  announcement  is  not 
an  advertisement.  It  is  not  written  in 
the  spirit  of  an  advertisement.  What- 
ever results  may  come  from  it  as  an  ad- 
vertisement will  be  a  secondary  matter 
and  as  a  corollary  to  our  personal  good 
intention  to  say  good  words  of  good 
people  who  deserve  them.  If  this  were 
an  advertisement,  we  would  lay  special 
stress  upon  the  class  of  goods 'that  the 
store  contains  and  upon  the  facilities 
for  supplying  its  customers,  but  we 
mention  these  only  as  a  necessary  inci- 
dent. 

First  the  editor  wishes  to  congratu- 
late Mr.  C.  O.  Miller  upon  his  ability 
thoroughly  to  enjoy  life  at  the  age  of 
threescore  years  and  ten.  He  has 
through  all  his  life  been  the  exponent  of 
human  sympathy,  of  hearty  interest  in 
his  fellow  beings,  of  an  active  worker 
in  church  and  society,  and  in  financial 
circles,  so  that  he  deserves  all  the  good 
words  that  we  can  give  him.  He  has 
so  many  times  encouraged  others  by  a 
hearty  greeting  and  words  of  good 
cheer,  he  has  so  well  embodied  all  that 
is  best  in  Stamford  and  its  vicinity  that 
the  community  would  do  well  to  take 


this  as  an  especial  opportunity  to  imi- 
tate his  cordiality,  to  grasp  his  hand 
and  congratulate  him  on  his  personality 
and  his  business  acumen. 

The  editor  asks  as  remuneration  for 
his  article  the  pleasure  and  privilege  of 
saying  these  things  in  his  own  way. 
That  is  what  he  has  done  and  intends 
to  do.  He  wishes  it  to  be  distinctly  un- 
derstood that  neither  is  Mr.  Miller  nor 
are  any  of  his  associates  responsible  for 
any  of  these  statements.  It  is  his  right, 
the  editor  claims,  to  express  publicly 
the  thoughts  that  seem  to  him  appro- 
priate at  this  time,  and  while  he  asserts 
again  that  his  reason  for  occupying  so 
much  space  is  not  primarily  to  publish 
an  advertisement,  he  hopes  that  there 
may  be  some  pleasing  results  from  this 
publicity.  But  what  of  that?  Should 
not  goodness  and  efficiency  be  publish- 
ed and  published  widely  in  commenda- 
tory words?  There  is  plenty  of  the 
other  thing  going  around  nowadays. 

Mr.  Miller  is  still  actively  engaged 
in  the  management  of  his  store.  He 
has  not  laid  down  the  cares  of  business 
and  evidently  does  not  intend  to  lay 
them  down  for  some  time  to  come.  He 
also  finds  time,  as  he  always  has,  to 
devote  attention  to  many  things  of 
community  uplift  and  to  his  home  and 
its  surrounding  grounds  on  South 
Street.  It  was  therefore  only  right  for 
the  editor  to  urge  Mr.  C  O.  Miller  to  be 
photographed  in  a  beautiful  and  seclud- 
ed part  of  his  garden.  We  take  much 
pleasure  in  publishing  that  photograph. 
We  are  not  only  giving  to  all  the  citi- 
zens of  Stamford  a  good  photographic 
souvenir  of  this  well-known  man,  but 
we  are  introducing  him  to  newcomers 
and  to  friends  in  distant  places  as  a 
hale,  hearty,  cordial,  active  business 
man  and  a  good  friend. 

Mr.  C.  O.  Miller  is  fortunate  in  hav- 
ing a  son  who  has  so  efficiently  taken 
hold  of  the  business.  Mr.  C.  O."  Miller, 
Jr..  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College 
in  the  class  of  1899  and  entered  his 
father's  business  immediately  after- 
wards- He  is  Secretary  and  Treasurer 
of  The   C.    O.   Miller   Co.,   manager  of 


164 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


MR.   MILLER  AND  HIS    SON.    C.    O.    MILLER,   JR.,   PLANNING   TOGETHER. 


several  departments,  has  charge  of  the 
advertising,  and  assists  in  the  general 
management  of  the  business.  He  has 
inherited  the  ability  and  the  genial 
qualities  of  his  father,  and  every  one 
who  recognizes  the  value  of  such  a 
store  as  a  community  interest,  can  but 
feel  glad  that  the  father  has  such  ar 
able  cooperator. 

Mr.  Frank  E.  DeCamp  has  been  with 
the  store  since  1877,  beginning  as  clerk 
and  is  the  personification  of  a  devoted 
and  careful  business  man.  He  harmon- 
izes well  with  the  cordial  spirit  of  thr 
store.  He  is  ever  ready  to  greet  a  cus- 
tomer and  to  see  that  that  customer 
finds  what  he  wishes  to  find  and  if 
served  satisfactorily.  In  the  perfect 
working  of  the  establishment  no  little 
credit  is  due  to  Mr.  DeCamp. 

Mr.  Oliver  H.  Couch,  the  fourth 
member  of  the  corporation,  has  been 
with  the  store  since  1893.  He  is  en- 
titled to  liberal  credit  for  faithful  work 
especially  in  the  remarkable  growth  of 
the  domestic  department. 

The  editor  has  tried  to  make  clear 
by  aid  of  his  camera  some  of  the  store's 
principal  features.  The  photographs 
will  be  better  understood  bv  the  follow- 


ing condensed  description  of  its  general 
plan.  We  enter  into  no  extensive 
commendation  of  the  goods,  because 
everybody  knows  of  the  high  standard 
maintained  bv  The  C.  O.  Miller  store. 

In  September,  1868,  G  O.  Miller  at 
the  age  of  twenty  years  began  business, 
for  himself  on  Main  Street  in  a  small 
store,  opposite  the  Town  Hall.  He  re- 
moved in  September,  1870,  to  a  new  and 
larger  stand  on  Washington  Place, 
where  he  continued  until  the  erection 
of  the  fine  building  on  Atlantic  Square, 
in  1882,  now  occupied  by  The  C.  O. 
Miller  Company.  His  increasing  busi- 
ness demanding  more  room,  it  was  nec- 
essary to  enlarge  the  building  several 
times  prior  to  the  incorporation  of  the 
company.  The  original  space  was 
thirty-five  by  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  with  the  first  floor  and  basement 
in  use.  This  later  was  broadened  and 
extended  at  the  rear  and  the  entire 
building  occupied.  In  February,  1907. 
Mr.  Miller  incorporated  the  business 
under  the  name  of  The  C.  O.  Miller 
Company,  C.  O.  Miller,  President,  and 
C.  O.  Miller,  Jr.,  Treasurer,  who  to- 
gether with  F.  E.  DeCamp  and  O.  H. 
Couch  form  the  Board  of  Directors. 


COMPLETING  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  BUSINESS 


16= 


MR.   DeCAMP— ALWAYS  ON  THE  JOB. 


Development  of  the  Building- 

In  1916  a  radical  change  was  made. 
The  street  at  the  rear  was  spanned  by 
a  bridge  thirty  feet  wide,  thirty-two 
feet  in  length  and  two  stories  high 
leading  into  a  new  three  story  building. 
In  this  are  housed  two  model  depart- 
ments for  the  domestic  and  carpet 
stocks  occupying  the  second  and  third 
floors  reapectively.  In  the  first  floor 
or  basement  of  the  addition  are  a  new 
heating  plant,  stock  rooms  and  a  shop 
for  upholstering  and  drapery  work-  The 
building  now  has  a  total  depth  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  and  a  width  vary- 
ing from  thirty-five  to  forty-six  feet. 
In  1916  the  old  ash  fixtures  in  the  main 
store  were  largely  replaced  by  new 
fixtures  in  mahogany  finish,  and  many 
new  cases  and  many  special  display 
features  were  added.  A  new  overhead 
Lamson  Electric  cash  system  with  drop 
stations  was  introduced.  The  store 
windows  were  remodelled  and  enlarged 
parquet  floors  were  laid,  mahogany  and 
mirror  backgrounds  installed,  tapestry 
curtains  with  valance  and  paneling  put 
up.    Other  numerous  changes  were  add- 


ed at  this  time,  all  of  which  have 
greatly  increased  the  efficiency  of  the 
business. 

*f*  *lr  ^^  ^^  ^^ 

Wide  Range  of  Serviceable  Goods. 

The  C.  O.  Miller  Company  endeavors 
to  serve  all  people.  Within  its  confines 
are  found  goods  which  will  appeal  to  all 
classes.  Nothing  is  excluded  except 
trash.  Goods  are  cheap  not  in  quality 
but  only  in  price-  The  woman  with  a 
slender  purse  or  the  one  with  the  larger 
pocketbook  can  both  be  satisfied  from 
the  superb  stock.  The  business  which 
has  been  so  steadily  and  consistently 
built  up  during  a  period  of  fifty  years 
is  surpassed  by  few  other  establish- 
ments of  the  kind  in  the  state. 

Description  of  Store  Arrangement. 

Entering  the  front  door  we  see  at  the 
right  gloves,  laces,  dress  trimmings  in 
about  thirty-five  feet  of  cases  lighted  by 
electricity.  Then  we  come  to  the  ele- 
vator— Otis  Electric — connecting  the 
three  floors  and  the  basement.  Then 
follow  toilet  goods,  notions,  leather 
goods,  stationery  in  about  seventy-five 


1 66 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


MR.  COUCH  WILL  TAKE  YOUR  ORDER. 


feet  of  cases.  At  the  left,  hosiery  and 
underwear  department,  sweaters,  um- 
brellas— about  sixty  feet ;  then  follow 
dress  goods  and  silks,  Butterick  pat- 
terns— about  sixty  feet. 

In  the  center,  the  ribbon  department 
and  kindred  goods,  about  seventy  feet 
of  cases.  Then  ladies'  neckwear  depart- 
ment, furs,  etc.,  about  forty-five  feet  of 
cases.  Directly  under  the  skylight  an 
area  is  given  to  exhibition  cases  and 
tables  for  the  display  and  sale  of  mer- 
chandise from  all  the  departments,  spe- 
cial sales,  about  fifty  feet  of  cases-  At 
the  rear  of  the  main  floor  in  the  old 
building  is  an  art  department,  one  of 
the  most  attractive  in  the  store,  about 
thirty  feet  of  cases  supplemented  by 
tables-  Opposite  this  the  building 
broadens.  Here  we  find  a  stairway  to 
the  second  floor,  a  public  telephone 
booth  and  store  offices  extending  over 
the  bridge  on  the  south  side,  covering 
an  area  of  fifteen  by  forty  feet.  Oppo- 
site the  office  on  the  bridge  is  the  linen 
department  and  following  this  and  in 
the  new  addition  is  a  large  and  well  ap- 
pointed array  of  domestic  stock,  bed- 
ding, etc. 

On  the  Second  Floor. 

Leaving  the   elevator  at   the   second 


floor  we  enter  the  center  of  the  depart- 
ment for  ladies'  ready-made  articles 
and  kindred  objects.  The  most  modern 
cases  and  fixtures  protect  and  display 
these  goods.  This  department  occupies 
the  entire  width  of  store  and  extends 
back  for  about  eighty  feet.  At  the 
front  a  ladies'  rest  room  has  been  sup- 
plied. 

Beyond  the  ladies'  department  is  the 
drapery  section  with  a  separate,  carpet- 
ed area  with  pole  fixtures  for  displaying 
the  draperies  and  extending  back  for 
about  forty  feet.  Then  we  arrive  at  a 
well  equipped  luggage  department. 

We  have  now  come  to  the  new  addi- 
tion on  the  second  floor  occupied  by 
the  carpet  department.  In  equipment, 
lighting  and  general  attractiveness  this 
department  compares  favorably  with 
those  in  much  larger  city  stores.  Rugs 
are  shown  on  the  floor  and  flat  in  piles- 
Linoleums  are  shown  in  the  roll,  on 
end  and  facing  out.  Carpets  are  shown 
in  the  shelves,  facing  out. 

On  the  Third  Floor. 

Leaving  elevator  at  the  third  floor 
we  enter  the  center  of  the  china  depart- 
ment. The  entire  floor  is  given  over  to 
china,  bric-a-brac,  cut  glass,  lamps  and 
shades  and  many  kinds  of  novelties." 


COMPLETING  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  BUSINESS 


167 


HOSIERY  AND  UNDERWEAR. 

The_  delivery    service    is    one    of   the  transmission  of  packages.  The  delivery 

most    important   features   of   the    store  system  is  not  confined  to  Stamford   but 

service.     An  automobile  delivery,  with  reaches  out  to  suburbs— New  Canaan 

from  two  to  four  cars,  insures  the  rapid  Darien,  Sound  Beach  and  Greenwich   ' 


SUPPLIES  FOR  THE  CORRESPONDENCE. 


1 68 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


COMPLETING  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  BUSINESS 


169 


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COMPLETING  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  BUSINESS 


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SOUND  BEACH 


A  Real  Sound  Beach. 

What  could  be  sounder  than  a  beach 
of  rocks,  and  what  could  be  more  pic- 
turesque? It  is  probable  that  many 
people  even  in  Sound  Beach  and  its 
vicinity  do  not  realize  the  wonderful 
rock-bound  coast  that  we  have  in  many 
places,  and  at  intervals  long  stretches 
of  smooth  strand.  Here  is  a  marine 
view  as  picturesque  as  any  that  can  be 
found  in  the  world — a  beach  of  solid 
stone,  a  little  bay,  a  slender  rocky  pen- 
insula and  a  lighthouse  in  the  distance, 
all  properly  combined  with  passing 
boats  to  suggest  the  charm  of  the  great 
ocean.  If  one  were  asked  to  point  out 
the  most  picturesque  part  of  the  beach 
in  Sound  Beach,  a  selection  would  be 
difficult ;  all  places  are  good,  each  in  its 
own  way,  but  one  that  seems  to  be  par- 


ticularly so  has  attracted  the  attention 
of  a  camera.  It  is  the  shore  frontage 
owned  by  Mr.  John  Clark  Udall,  and 
shows  as  a  background  the  pleasing 
seashore  residence  with  concrete  em- 
bankment and  the  picturesque  pier 
owned  by  Mr.  William  C.  Strange. 

We  frequently  receive  inquiries  from 
friends  at  a  distance,  asking  if  we  are 
directly  on  the  beach.  No,  ArcAdiA 
is  about  a  mile  from  the  Sound,  but  the 
beach  is  easily  accessible  by  trolley 
car,  by  good  road  and  by  plenty  of  room 
for  flying  machines.  We  are  just  far 
enough  away  to  be  secluded  and  yet  to 
have  all  the  advantages  of  the  beach. 
Some  day  when  ArcAdiA  shall  have 
grown  into  the  larger,  ideal  nature  uni- 
versity, we  fancy  that  one  of  the  at- 
tractions  that   will   then   be   advertised 


THE  PICTURESQUE  PIER  AND  MR.  STRANGE'S  RESIDENCE. 


A  REAL  SOUND  BEACH 


173 


will  be  the  wonderful  beach  and  the 
prolific  source  of  supplies  for  a  labora- 
tory of  marine  biology.  We  are  told 
that  the  marine  fauna  and  flora  of  this 
coast  are  even  better  than  those  of  the 
Long-  Island  shore,  where  a  well-known 
and  well  established  biological  labora- 
tory is  situated.  For  residences  we 
have  a  beach  second  to  none  in  the 
world-  Year  after  year  our  houses  art 
well  rented  and  new  ones  are  constant- 
ly in  process  of  construction.  Opposite 
ArcAdiA,  across  the  road,  several  at- 
tractive houses  have  been  erected  with- 
in a  short  time,  and  the  growth  has 
been  practically  the  same  in  many  other 
parts  of  this  advancing  summer  resort 
But  Sound  Beach  should  become  and 
rapidly  is  becoming  a  place  for  perman- 
ent residence.  To  any  one  contemplat- 
ing moving  to  this  vicinity,  we  wil1 
g-ladly  give  the  addresses  of  local  rea' 
estate  agents  who  will  attend  to  thr 
supplying  of  whatever  may  be  needed. 

Sound  Beach  on  Long  Island  Sound 

My  summer  home  shall  be  ; 
Or,  better  far,  all  the  year  around, 

And  that  sounds  good  to  me. 


Potato  Seed  Balls  in  Connecticut. 

After  a  search  in  cooperation  with 
several  naturalists  and  farmers,  and  af- 
ter liberal  notices  in  the  newspapers  of 
the  state  for  about  twenty  years,  five 
small  potato  fruiting  balls  have  been 
reported  by  Judge  H.  Stanley  Finch  of 
Stamford.  We  believe  these  to  be  the 
first  that  have  been  found  in  Connecti- 
cut.    They  are  the  first  to  be  reported. 

Contrary  to  general  popular  opinion, 
no  one  has  ever  taught  that  potato 
balls  are  entirely  extinct.  In  some  parts 
of  the  United  States  they  are  still  found 
in  fair  quantities,  but  these  are  the  first 
reported  from  Connecticut  for  nearly  a 
cpiarter  of  a  century.  From  several 
states,  Connecticut  taking  the  lead, 
potato  balls  have  practically  disappear- 
ed, the  potato  seeming  to  have 
learned  that  they  are  not  necessary  for 
the  plant's  welfare. 


I  seem  to  feel  a  personal  pride  in  the 
magazine,  and  a  desire  to  have  all  the 
world  of  children — young  and  old — 
know  it  and  care  for  it  the  way  I  do. 
The  cover  for  September  is  charming. 
— Mrs.  S-  O.  Edmonds,  Sound  Beach, 
Connecticut. 


IT'S  A  REAL  SOUND  BEACH. 


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THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


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A  BEAUTIFUL  MONUMENT  IN  NATURAL  SURROUNDINGS    175 


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A  Beautiful  Monument  in  Natural 
Surroundings. 

It  is  the  mission  of  this  magazine  to 
tell  of  homes  near  to  nature,  of  ram- 
blers' walks  in  nature.  Then  why 
should  we  not  speak  a  good  word  for 
charming,  natural  surroundings  for  the 
homes  of  the  dead?  There  is  no  more 
reason  why  a  cemetery,  visited  by  the 
friends  of  the  dead,  should  be  lacking 
in  the  charms  of  nature  than  for  a  gar- 
den. Nature  is  a  joy  forever,  a  charm 
and  consolation  not  only  in  the  environ- 
ment of  the  living  but  in  the  surround- 
ings of  the  dead,  because  nature  cheers 
and  consoles.  She  offers  a  balm  to  the 
sick  heart ;  she  comforts  in  sorrow  as 
no  other  friend  can  comfort- 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  we  here 
present  a  full  page  view  of  one  of  the 
most  attractive  monuments  in  pictur- 
esque natural  surroundings  that  it  has 
ever  been  the  editor's  privilege  to  gaze 
upon.  Here  is  a  resting  place  restful 
to  the  eyes.  The  form  of  the  monu- 
ment as  a  seat  suggests  rest.  The  view 
of  the  bay,  of  placid  Long  Island  Sound 
in  the  distance,  with  the  still  more  dis- 
tant vista  of  grove  and  field,  the  trees, 
the  well  kept  lawns,  the  flower  urns 
and  the  evergreens,  all  combine  to  com- 
prise an  inviting  place-  The  monu- 
ment, in  the  form  of  a  settee,  bears  the 
words,  "Until  the  day  break,  and  the 
shadows  flee  away."  The  natural  beauty 
of  this  place  has  been  used  to  so  great 
advantage  by  the  charming  design  of 
this  unique  monument  that  we  have 
asked  Mr.  Howard  L.  Scofield  to  write 
a  detailed  decription  of  the  work.  It  is 
in  Woodland  Cemetery,  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut. 

"The  love  of  structural  beauty  was  a 
leading  characteristic  of  the  Greeks  in 
the  times  when  that  people  led  the 
world  in  aesthetics,  and  found  expres- 
sion mainly  in  the  erection  of  temple? 
and  tombs.  Whatever  may  be  said  of 
their  mythology,  more  refined  but  less 
sturdy  than  that  of  Northern  Europe, 
it  certainly  developed — and  their  relig- 
ion was  at  the  bottom  of  it — works  of 
matchless  beauty  which  to  this  day,  in 
their  ruined  shape,  challenge  the  admi- 
ration of  all  and  are  the  despair  of 
modern  builders.  As  they  were  firm  be- 
lievers in  immortality — the  continued 
existence  of  the  individual  in  the  great 
Beyond — their  affection  for  those  dear 


to  them  did  not  terminate  with  this 
life,  and  was  shown  by  the  peculiar  care 
given  to  the  designing,  erection  and 
preservation  of  sepulchral  monuments 
and  tombs.  Indeed,  the  frequent  fu- 
neral feasts  and  other  rites  peculiar  to 
their  faith  at  the  graves  of  the  depart- 
ed made  it  well-nigh  impossible  that 
they  should  be  forgotten  or  unmarked 
or  that  memorials  once  placed  should 
be  allowed  to  fall  into  disrepair. 

"Among  a  multitude  of  other  forms, 
all  exquisite  in  proportion  and  adorn- 
ment, the  one  in  especial  favor  when 
means  admitted  of  its  purchase  was  the 
exedra.  Originally  built  as  a  meeting- 
place  for  the  philosophers  or  teachers  of 
the  day  and  their  pupils,  it  soon  sug- 
gested itself  as  a  form  equally  conven- 
ient for  the  assembling  of  families  in 
the  cemeteries,  when  they  visited  the 
graves  of  their  departed  for  the  perform- 
ance of  the  funeral  rites  which  were 
considered  requisite  and  properlv  rever- 
ential. It  was  in  this  latter  use  that  the 
exedra  reached  its  highest  develop- 
ment and  perfected  form — so  perfect,  in 
fact,  that  we  moderns  who  must  needs 
borrow,  and  cannot  add  to  anything- 
architectural  of  Greek  origin,  when  we 
desire  to  erect  a  memorial  along  classic 
lines,  find  no  better  motif  for  our  work 
than  that  of  the  structure  mentioned- 
That  it  is  so  is  sufficiently  attested  by 
the  numerous  examples  erected  to  the 
memory  of  the  great  scholars,  states- 
men and  soldiers  of  Europe,  by  St. 
Gauden's  noble  monument  to  Admiral 
Farragut  in  New  York  City,  the  Benja- 
min Harrison  memorial  in  Indianapolis, 
striking  examples  in  Sleepy  Hollow 
and  Woodlawn   Cemeteries. 

"So  it  is  a  matter  worthy  of  note  that 
our  local  cemetery  has  now  placed  in  it 
the  J.  Hudson  Brown  memorial,  erected 
by  Howard  L.  Scofield,  a  particularly 
fine  reproduction  of  ancient  architectur- 
al worth. 

'The  exedra  makes  a  compliance  with 
the  following  conditions  imperative :  A 
choice  of  material  which  shall  preserve 
the  soft  contours,  and  at  the  same  time 
clearly  define  the  gentle  curves  and 
fine  lines  of  mouldings  and  other  em- 
bellishments ;  proper  natural  setting 
of  outlook,  shade  and  foliage ;  conscien- 
tious craftsmanship,  which  considers 
every  detail,  however  inconspicuous,  an 
important   part   in    the   success   of   the 


176 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


completed  whole.  That  these  require- 
ments have  been  met  in  the  Brown  exe- 
dra  must  be  evident  to  the  cursory  ob- 
server, while  it  can  be  safely  affirmed 
that  the  work  will  bear  the  closest  criti- 
cism of  the  expert  stoneworker  or  de- 
signer. The  burial  plot,  which  is  tri- 
angular, is  enclosed  on  one  side  by  the 
memorial  proper.  The  other  sides  are 
defined  by  finely  wrought  coping, 
through  which,  giving  a  dignified  ap- 
proach to  the  monument,  is  an  entrance 
flanked  on  either  side  by  vases  of  clas- 
sic design,  filled  with  blossoming  plants. 
The  central  feature  of  the  monument 
is  a  massive  Latin  cross  on  a  pedestal 
•showing  in  letters  sharply  relieved  the 
name  and  record  of  the  deceased.  This, 
in  turn,  is  supported  by  three  guardians 
of  symbolic  significance-  On  the  inner 
surface  of  the  converging  walls,  in  pic- 
turesque Roman  text,  is  carved  the  quo- 
tation, 'Until  the  day  break,  and  the 
shadows  flee  away.'  This  legend,  as 
well  as  the  whole  concept  of  the  admir- 
able memorial,  is  a  sermon  in  stone, 
and  speaks  eloquently  as  may  be  of  the 
"reasonable,  religious  and  holy  hope,' 
which  comforts  the  departed  and  cheers 
those  who  survive  for  a  season." 


are  over  an  acre  in  area,  while  others 
are  considerably  smaller. 

A  plan  was  adopted  by  the  company 
last  spring  to  encourage  employees  to 
make  use  of  the  available  land.  A  form 
of  lease  was  approved  whereby  for  a 
nominal  consideration  and  without  de- 
lay or  formality  employees  could  obtain 
such  land  as  they  could  reasonably  cul- 
tivate. 

This  action  on  the  part  of  the  New 
Haven  is  in  line  with  the  efforts  of  all 
the  railways  of  the  United  States  to  be 
of  the  utmost  service  to  the  country  in 
the  present  crisis.  The  railways  have 
taken  extraordinary  measures  to  stimu- 
late food  production  and  millions  of 
acres  of  railroad  land  have  been  rented 
throughout  the  country  for  agricultural 
purposes. 


Increasing  the  Food  Supply. 

Many  employees  of  the  New  York, 
Kew  Haven  and  Hartford  railroad 
company  have  utilized  the  opportunity 
presented  by  the  company  last  spring 
and  are  raising  "war  gardens"  along 
the  railroad's  right  of  way  and  on  other 
vacant  property  of  the  company. 

The  land  is  leased  to  the  employees 
at  a  nominal  rental  through  the  real 
estate  department  of  the  company. 
There  are  a  great  number  of  small  par- 
cels of  land  also  that  have  been  leased 
-with  similar  concessions  by  the  opera- 
ting department,  the  records  of  which 
lhave  not  yet  reached  the  real  estate  de- 
partment. It  is  not  possible,  therefore, 
to  estimate  closely  at  this  time  the  total 
acreage  devoted  to  employees'  gardens, 
nor  the  number  of  such  gardens  that 
"have  been  planted. 

The  "war  gardens"  are  located  in 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connec- 
ticut and  New  York.  They  are  pro- 
ducing crops  of  potatoes,  tomatoes, 
corn,  peas,  beans,  onions  and  many 
other  vegetables.    Some  of  the  gardens 


Upside  Down  the  Best? 

New  York  City. 
To  the  Editor : 

Here  is  another  note  about  planting 
bulbs  upside  down.  I  have  never  plant- 
ed bulbs  in  that  way,  but  last  spring  a 
green  gardener  in  my  employ  planted 
two  rows  of  asparagus  roots  upside 
down.  I  happened  to  appear  on  the 
scene  when  all  but  three  or  four  were 
covered  in.  To  dig  up  and  replant  these 
two  rows  meant  much  extra  work  at  a 
busy  time.  I  knew  that  the  chances 
were  fair  for  the  sprouts  to  loop  the 
loop  and  eventually  to  appear  in  the 
sunshine,  and  they  not  only  did  that 
but  these  were  the  best  two  rows  of 
asparagus  that  I  have  ever  planted. 
That  might  sound  like  too  much  of  a 
ioke,  if  these  two  rows  were  not  still 
in  existence  for  any  of  your  readers  to 
see.  I  have  no  philosophy  in  explana- 
tion and  would  prefer  to  consider  the 
incident  as  a  simple  coincidence. 

Some  time  ago  I  gave  several  Japa- 
neese  heart  nuts  to  a  friend  who  passed 
them  over  to  his  negro  gardener  for 
planting.  Two  weeks  later  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  gardener  had  not 
planted  them  and  when  asked  for  the 
reason,  he  replied : 

"Well,  Massa  John,  I  didn't  know 
which  was  top  o'  them  'ere  nuts,  and 
I's  'fraid  if  they  was  planted  upside 
down,  them  trees  would  grow  like 
weepin'  willows." 

Yours  truly, 

Robert  T.   Morris. 


Published  monthly  by  The  Agassiz  Association,  ArcAdiA-  Sound  Beach,  Connecticut, 

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Vol 


ume 


X 


NOVEMBER,     1917 


Number     6 


Correspondence. 


Bee-like   Flies. 

Stamford,    Connecticut. 
To  the  Editor: 

To  settle  a  dispute,  will  you  kindh 
let  me  know  whether  the  enclosed  in- 
sect is  a  fly  or  a  bee?     I  know  it  is  a 
fly,  but  your  word  will  be  authoritative 
Sincerely, 

Paul  L.  Lockwood. 

The  insect  that  you  send  is  a  member 
of  the  Syrphidae,  an   interesting  family 
of   flies.     These   are   commonly   called 
Syrphus-flies,  flower-flies  or  hover-flies 
and  include  fully  twenty-five  hundred 
known    species,    of    which    more    than 
three  hundred  are  found  in  this  country 
Many    of    the    Syrphus-flies    resemble 
bees  and  wasps  in  appearance,  and  al- 
most   all    are    bright    and    handsome 
They  feed  on  nectar  and  pollen,  and  for 
that  reason  are  to  be  found  during  sun- 
shiny hours  among  the  flowers,  hover- 
ing like  tiny  humming  birds  in   front 
of  open  blossoms,  or  crawling  bee-lik 
in  and  out  of  deep  flower  cups.     Some 
make  a  distinct  humming  or  buzzing  as 
they  fly  and  this  increases  their  resem 
blance  to  honeybees,  but  bees  have  four 
wings,  while  flies  have  only  two.    This 
would    have    told    the    story    to    your 
friends,    if    they    had    remembered    the 
fact. 

In   the   summer  a   few  years   ago,    I 


put  a  hive  of  honeybees  in  a  private 
school  for  girls.  At  the  beginning  of 
autumn  I  received  a  peremptory  order 
to  remove  that  hive,  because  the  bees 
were  going  into  girls'  rooms  and  sting- 
ing the  inmates.  The  stinging  was 
purely  imaginary,  and  so  were  the 
honeybees,  because  examination  proved 
that  the  insects  were  not  bees  but 
Syrphus-flies-  Not  a  girl  had  been 
stung  but  all  were  afraid  they  would 
be.  They  were  like  Thomas  Carlyle 
and  the  neighbor's  dog.  "The  dog  can't 
disturb  you,  Mr.  Carlyle ;  he  never 
barks.'  "I  know  he  doesn't,"  said  the 
irritable  author,  "but  I  am  afraid  he 
will." 

Every  autumn  this  question  comes 
from  various  sources.  It  would  be 
good  missionary  work  if  you  could  in- 
duce people  to  see  things  and  not  to 
jump  at  conclusions  on  shallow  circum- 
stantial evidence. 

E.  F.  B. 


Be  Happy  with  Our  Own. 

Greenwich,  Connecticut. 
To  the  Editor: 

The  current  number  of  The  Guide 
To  Nature  is  the  best  of  all.  Especial- 
ly interesting  is  your  leader  on  the  Con- 
cord grape.  You  do  not  speak  of  the 
original  vine  as  being  on  the  Bull  place 


Copyright    1917   hy   The   Agassiz   Association,    ArcAdiA:    Sound    Beach,    Conn. 


1 78 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


and  perhaps  it  is  not  there,  but  a  vine 
has  been  shown  to  me  as  the  original- 

The  subject  of  the  cultivation  of  for- 
eign trees  and  the  introduction  of  for- 
eign birds  is  an  exceedingly  interesting 
one,  and  if  you  are  as  interested  as  I 
am,  possibly  you  will  follow  the  gr;  pe 
topic  with  one  on  the  introduction  of 
foreign   evergreens. 

The  spruce  in  the  fjords  of  Norway 
is  a  beautiful  tree  as  it  grows  from  the 
crevices  in  the  rocks,  far  above  the  sea, 
but  on  cultivated  lawns  it  always  seems 
a  misfit  and  after  twenty  years  usually 
becomes  a  miserable  failure.  The  white 
pine  of  northern  New  England  thrives 
in  a  light,  sandy  soil,  but  it  is  rarely 
successful  in  Greenwich,  where  the  soil 
is  too  heavy  and  the  owner  is  too  lib- 
eral in  the  application  of  fertilizer. 

We  have  already  made  foolish  moves 
in  the  introduction  of  foreign  birds  as 
attested  by  the  English  sparrow  and 
the  starling.  Our  own  native  trees  and 
birds  are  of  sufficient  beauty,  variety 
and  value  to  make  everybody  happy 
and  with  them  we  ought  to  be  content. 
Yours  sincerely, 

Frederick  A.  Hubbard. 


Origin  of  the  Baldwin  Apple  and 
Others. 

New  York  City. 
To  the  Editor : 

It  seems  that  soon  after  1740  the 
Baldwin  came  up  as  a  chance  seedling 
on  the  farm  of  John  Ball  at  Wilming- 
ton, near  Lowell,  Massachusetts.  You 
will  notice  that  this  was  thirty-five 
years  before  the  Revolution-  That 
country  must  then  have  been  a  wilder- 
ness in  part,  and  I  have  no  doubt  the 
tree  came  up  in  the  woods  or  in  the 
corner  of  some  half  cleared  field,  as  we 
find  such  seedlings  growing  to-day.  The 
apple  was  found  and  its  quality  recog- 
nized, but  for  about  forty  years  its  cul- 
tivation was  confined  to  that  immediate 
neighborhood.  The  farm  finally  came 
into  possession  of  a  Air.  Butters  who 
gave  the  name  of  Woodpecker  to  the 
apple  because  the  tree  was  so  often 
frequented  by  woodpeckers.  For  a 
time  the  apple  was  also  known  as  But- 
ters. 

It  at  last  came  to  the  attention  of 
Colonel  Baldwin,  by  whom  it  was  prop- 
agated     and      introduced      throughout 


eastern  Massachusetts  as  early  at  1784. 
and  from  his  interest  in  the  variety  it 
was  finally  named  Baldwin.  I  am  told 
that  in  181 7  the  original  tree  was  still 
alive.  It  was  destroyed  some  time  be- 
fore 1832,  but  a  monument  to  the  Bald- 
win apple  now  marks  the  location.  The 
apple  has  become  the  leading  variety 
for  commercial  purposes  in  this  coun- 
try. Throughout  the  eastern  states 
and  the  north  it  far  surpasses  any  other, 
and  has  brought  almost  untold  wealth 
to  the  New  England  states. 

It  is  remarkable,  in  a  study  of  the  his- 
tory of  our  leading  fruit  varieties,  to 
see  how  many  came  from  New  Eng- 
land. The  famous  Rhode  Island  green- 
ing was  found  as  a  wild  tree  in  Rhode 
Island  some  two  hundred  years  ago. 
The  famous  Roxbury  russet  is  said  to 
have  originated  in  Massachusetts  about 
1650.  Sutton  Beauty  is  also  a  Massa- 
chusetts product,  and  all  these  were 
found  originally  as  wild  seedlings,  us- 
ually growing  in  the  woods-  The  same 
is  true,  as  of  course  you  know,  with 
the  Bartlett  pear.  In  fact  the  woods 
and  hillsides  of  New  England  have  been 
astonishing  prolific  in  giving  these  high 
class  fruits  to  the  world.  That  is  why  I 
believe  that  out  of  these  hillside  forests 
will  come  in  time  the  hickories  which 
are  to  change  the  character  of  our  New 
England  country  life. 

Very  truly  yours, 

H.    W.    COLLINGWOOD. 


From  a  Lover  of  Grapes. 

New  Rochelle,  New  York. 
To  the  Editor : 

I  have  been  much  interested  in  your 
timely  article  on  grapes,  and  your  ex- 
planation of  how  the  Concord  and 
Delaware  varieties  got  their  names 
answers  an  inquiry  that  has  always 
been  in  my  mind,  although  I  cannot  say 
just  why  I  have  never  taken  the  trouble 
to  look  it  up. 

I  suppose  each  of  us  has  a  special 
fondness  for  some  kind  of  fruit.  In 
California  during  the  top  of  the  orange 
bearing  season  it  seems  as  if  no  fruit 
could  be  more  attractive  or  beautiful 
yet  I  once  knew  a  person  who  declared 
there  could  be  no  finer  exhibition  of 
fruit  than  that  which  decked  the  trees 
in  a  well  cultivated  apple  orchard.  But 
for  me  the  grape  has  always  had  first 
place.    I  may  say  it  is  my  favorite  fruit. 


CORRESPONDENCE 


i/9 


Its  association  with  the  milk  and  honey 
of  the  good  old  Bible  days,  and  its 
place  in  history  as  the  symbol  of  plenty 
and  comfortable  living,  seem  always  ir- 
resistibly conveyed  to  the  senses  by  the 
rich  and  lncions  bouquet  that  pervades 
all  regions  of  the  clustering  vine. 

1  want  to  add  a  bit  of  history  to  your 
article.  In  Fiske's  "Discovery  of  Amer- 
ica" there  are  some  interesting  pas- 
sages about  grapes.  These  have  a  par- 
ticular value  in  view  of  what  you  have 
said  about  the  origin  of  the  Concord 
grape.  He  tells  us  that  probably  in  the 
summer  or  early  autumn  of  the  year 
iooo.  the  famous  Northman  Leif,  the 
son  of  Eric  the  Red,  with  a  crew  of 
thirty-five  men,  brought  his  ship  to  a 
harbor  which  was  reached  after  cruis- 
ing along  the  shores  of  a  strange  coast. 
Here  they  went  ashore  and  one  of  the 
crew,  a  south  country  man  named  Tyr- 
ker.  came  in  from  a  ramble  in  the  neigh- 
borhood making  grimaces  and  talking 
to  himself  in  a  language  (probably  Ger- 
man )  unknown  to  his  comrades.  They 
finally  learned  that  his  excitement  was 
caused  by  the  discovery  of  vines  load- 
ed with  grapes,  and  as  a  native  of  a 
vine  country  he  was  quite  overwhelm- 
ed. Leif  accordingly  called  this  coun- 
trv  Vinland.  Now  the  sequel.  Fiske 
with  his  usual  painstaking  care  weighs 
all  the  pros  and  cons  concerning  the 
location  of  this  Vinland  and  finally 
reaches  the  following  conclusion — I 
quote : 

"On  the  whole  we  may  say  with  some 
confidence  that  the  place  described  by 
our  chroniclers  as  Vinland  was  situated 
somewhere  between  Point  Judith  and 
Cape  Breton  ;  possibly  we  may  narrow 
our  limits  and  say  that  it  was  some- 
where between  Cape  Cod  and  Cape 
Ann." 

In  other  words,  within  the  borders 
of  what  is  now  the  State  of  Massachu- 
setts. 

S.  C.  Hunter. 


The   playful   little   maples   are   in   their   gala 
dress, 

Their  leaves,   they  dance   in   every  breeze 
that  blows; 

The  conifers  behind  them  are  robed  in  liv- 
ing green, 

Xor  will  they  change  till  hoar  with  Win- 
ter  snows. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


Curious  Natural  Grafting. 

Ottawa,  Ontario,  Canada. 
To  the  Editor : 

I  enclose  a  photograph  of  a  tree  that 
I  met  with  in  one  of  my  strolls.  It  is 
a  curious  example  of  a  "wind  graft"  of 


TWO    ELMS    FIRMLY    GRAFTED. 

two  elms.  The  elbowr  from  the  larger 
elm  is  firmly  grafted  to  the  neighbor- 
ing tree,  the  parent  meamvhile  having 
been  killed  by  lightning. 

Jos.   Boucher. 


You  will  find  something  far  greater 
in  the  woods  than  you  will  find  in 
books.  Stones  and  trees  will  teach  you 
that  which  you  will  never  learn  from 
masters. — St:  Bernard. 


A  woman  brushed  a  dewdrop  from  a 
rose.      "A    diamond    shall    replace    it,' 
said  the  woman.     "It  cannot,"  sobbed 
the   parched   flower. — E.   Scott   O'Con- 
nor in  "Tracings." 


The  Heavens  in  November. 

By  Professor  Eric  Doolittle    of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 


November  is  the  "Pleiad-month" ; 
had  we  retained  the  beautiful  little 
group  of  the  Pleiades  in  the  important 
position  assigned  to  it  by  many  early 
peoples,  our  New  Year  would  occur  on 
the  20th  of  the  present  month,  when 
the  "Seven  Sisters"  are  exactly  opposite 


even  with  the  naked  eye  ;  an  opera-glass 
or  small  telescope  reveals  a  far  greater 
complexity  in  the  apparently  simple 
cluster,  while  it  was  reserved  for  the 
modern  photographic  plate  to  show  us 
that  this  entire  group  of  suns  is  im- 
mersed in  and  mixed  up  with  a  most  re- 


South 


Figure  1.     The  Constellations  on  November   1,   at  9  P.   M.      (If  facing  south,  hold  the  map  upright.      If 
facing  east,  hold  East  below.     If  facing  west,   hold  West  below.     If  facing  north,   hold  map   inverted.) 


the  sun  in  the  heavens,  and  this  day 
would  be  for  us  a  day  of  important, 
feasts  and  national  festivals. 

Now,  however,  this  little  star  figure 
is  hardly  known  at  all,  except  to  those 
who  take  pleasure  in  watching  the  face 
of  the  sky.  In  its  delicate  beauty  the 
little   group   is   well   worthy   of   study, 


markable  nebulous  cloud  whose  incon- 
ceivably vast  streamers  join  star  with 
star  and  fill  the  whole  region  with  a 
faintly  shining  light-  Lastly,  a  careful 
study  of  this  light  with  our  most  refined 
modern  instruments  seems  to  show  that 
it  is  reflected  light,  so  that  what  we  see 
is  apparently  an  opaque  cloud  faintly 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


181 


illuminated  by  the  light  of  its  many 
neighboring  suns.  It  may  readily  be 
imagined  that  this  discovery  has  a  very 
important  bearing  on  our  studies  of  the 
structure  of  our  universe,  and  thus,  al- 
though the  Pleiades  may  be  unknown 
to  the  great  majority  of  people,  they 
hold  a  high  position  in  the  regard  of 
the  astronomer. 

***** 

The  November  Stars. 

The  region  of  the  sky  between  the 
Pleiades  and  the  eastern  horizon  is  now 
filled  with  most  brilliant  and  beautiful 
stars.  The  entire  constellation  of  the 
Bull  has  risen  high  into  the  heavens  : 
to  the  left  of  this  there  shines  the  bright 
golden  sun,  Capella,  while  below  it  we 
see  the  Twins  and  Orion,  (that  most 
brilliant  of  all  the  star  groups),  just 
emerging  from  below  the  ground.  In 
almost  the  exact  center  of  the  constella- 
tion of  the  Bull,  there  shines  out  the 
reddish  Aldebaran,  one  of  the  most  con- 
spicuous of  the  winter  stars  but  whose 
brightness  is  now  so  far  exceeded  bv 
that  of  the  near-by  planet  Jupiter  that 
it  is  this  latter  object  which  first  catch- 
es our  attention  as  we  turn  toward  the 
eastern  sky. 

The  very  brilliant  stars  just  men- 
tioned constitute  the  first  of  the  bright 
winter  groups.  From  now  until  next 
March  they  will  be  seen  riding  high  in 
the  evening  heavens  in  excellent  posi- 
tion for  examination  and  study.  Before 
turning  his  attention  to  these,  there  is  a 
special  reason  this  month  why  the  ob- 
server should  trace  out  and  become  fa- 
miliar with  the  far  fainter,  though  ex- 
tended, group  of  Cetus,  which  is  now 
found  in  the  south,  a  little  to  the  east 
of  the  meridian. 

Cetus  is  the  fabled  sea  monster,  us- 
ually represented  as  resting  on  the  bank 
of  the  Celestial  River,  Eridanus,  with 
his  forepaws  in  the  water.  All  of  its 
stars  are,  unfortunately,  rather  faint, 
but  the  observer  may  with  little  diffi- 
culty locate  the  irregular  pentagonal 
figure  of  five  stars,  A  B  C  D,  Fig.  i, 
which  marks  the  head,  and  also  the  ir- 
regular group  of  four  stars  at  E.  F-  G 
and  H,  after  which  a  recognition  of 
the  remaining  stars  of  the  figure  be- 
comes easy. 

The  star  at  D  will  be  found  to  be  a 
beautiful  double  in  a  small  telescope, 
the  components  being     three     seconds 


apart  and  described  as  yellow  and  ash 
colored.  This  double  sun  system  is 
drifting  across  the  face  of  the  sky  at  a 
rate  which  will  change  its  position  an 
amount  equal  to  the  apparent  distance 
across  the  face  of  the  full  moon  in  the 
course  of  nine  thousand  years.  The 
star  at  F  has  a  distant  companion  also, 
though  too  faint  to  be  seen  in  a  small 
telescope,  and  this  star  is  drifting  even 
more  rapidly  than  the  star  at  D.  There 
are  some  eighteen  other  interesting 
double  stars  and  many  nebulas  within 
the  borders  of  this  little  known  constel- 
lation but  its  most  remarkable  object  is, 
beyond  question,  its  wonderful  varia- 
ble star,  Mira,  which  will  be  found  at 

K. 

*     *     *     ;ji     * 

The  Variable  Star,  Mira. 
The  observer  will  have  no  difficulty 
in  finding  the  wonderful  Mira,  for  it  is 
nearly  in  line  with  the  eastern  edges 
of  the  two  quadrilateral  figures  already 
referred  to  and  about  midway  between 
them.  At  a  rather  irregular  interval  of 
about  three  hundred  and  thirty-one 
days  this  sun  increases  thirteen  hundred 
times  in  brightness,  and  its  time  of 
greatest  brilliancy  will  occur  this  year 
on  the  first  of  the  present  month.  The 
observer  will  then  probably  see  it  shin- 
ing about  as  brightly  as  the  star  at  D, 
and  it  may  even  become  so  bright  as  the 
star  at  A-  But  if  he  will  look  at  it  from 
time  to  time  during  the  coming  weeks 
he  will  see  that  it  is  very  rapidly  fading 
away :  in  the  course  of  a  few  months  it 
will  sink  far  below  visibilty  to  the  nak- 
ed eye,  not  to  rise  again  until  the  au- 
tumn of  next  year. 

When  brightest  Mira  has  been  known 
to  exceed  Aldebaran  in  brilliance  ;  some- 
times it  rises  only  to  about  the  fourth 
magnitude,  and  three  centuries  ago  it 
once  remained  invisible  to  the  eye  for 
no  less  than  four  years.  The  interval 
of  time  elapsing  between  two  succes- 
sive outpourings  of  its  light  also  varies 
irregularly  to  the  extent  sometimes  of 
so  much  as  twenty-five  days.  The 
causes  of  these  irregularities  ,and  in- 
deed even  the  cause  of  the  remarkable 
periodic  increase  in  the  light  and  heat 
of  this  distant  sun,  are  wholly  unknown 
to  us. 

The  November  Shooting  Stars. 
It  is  during  the  early  mornings  of  No- 


1 82 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


vember  14  and  15  that  the  Leonids,  or 
November  shooting  stars,  are  to  be 
looked  for.  Since  the  thickest  part  of 
the  great  stream  has  passed  far  beyond 
the  orbit  of  the  earth,  however,  a  bril- 
liant display  must  not  be  expected.  If 
after  midnight  the  observer  will  turn 
toward  the  northeast  and  fix  his  atten- 
tion upon  the  western  border  of  the  con- 
stellation Leo,  he  will  at  intervals  of 
every  few  minutes  see  a  bluish,  very 


emerge  from  the  sun's  rays  until  De- 
cember   17. 

Venus  is  seen  as  a  wonderfully  bril- 
liant object  low  in  the  southwest  for 
about  two  hours  after  sunset.  On  No- 
vember 8  it  attains  its  greatest  distance 
south  of  the  equator  of  the  sky,  being 
then  no  less  than  three  degrees  south 
of  the  Winter  Solstice  or  lowest  point 
of  the  heavens  ever  attained  by  our  sun. 
It  is  approaching  the  earth  and  hence 


Figure    2.      A    small    portion    of    Fig.     1,    enlarged    to    show    the    position    and 
motion  of  the  planet  Uranus. 


swiftly  moving  "star"  dart  outward 
from  a  point  near  the  upper  edge  of  the 
blade  of  the  Sickle,  move  in  any  direc- 
tion over  the  face  of  the  sky  and  then 
suddenly  disappear. 

A  less  well-known,  but  what  will 
probably  this  year  prove  to  be  an  even 
more  interesting  shower,  is  that  of  the 
Taurids.  These  are  to  be  looked  for  on 
the  evenings  of  November  21  and  22; 
they  are  slow  moving,  yellowish,  shoot- 
ing stars  which  move  outward  in  all 
directions  from  a  point  a  little  above 
and  to  the  right  of  Aldebaran  (from 
the  point  S  of  ^iir-  T  \  pnd  it  is  said  that 
fireballs  are  frequently  seen  among 
them. 

As  most  of  our  readers  doubtless 
know,  it  i-  imnoscible  that  these  so- 
called  shooting  stars  should  be  real 
stars  or  suns  :  thev  are  caused  by  the 
collision  of  our  earth  with  o-reat  streams 
of  meteon>  particles,  each  particle  be- 
ing burnt  no  as  it  ploughs  through  our 
atmo^nhere  owing  to  the  great  friction 
to  which  it  is  subjected- 

*fc  ^k  itr  ^fc  ^c 

The  Planets  in  November. 

Mercurv  is  invisible  throughout 
month.     It  enters  the  evening  sk\ 
November    i.    but    does    not    rearh 
greatest  distance  east  of  the  sun  and  so 


the 
on 
its 


continually  growing  brighter.  Its 
brightness  is  eighty-three  times  that  of 
a  first  magnitude  star  on  November  1, 
one  hundred  and  ten  times  on  Novem- 
ber 30,  and  no  less  than  one  hundred 
and  forty-four  times  on  next  January 
5  when  it  will  attain  its  greatest  bril- 
liancy. 

Mars  may  be  seen  after  midnight  in 
the  constellation  Leo,  a  little  to  the  left 
of  Regulus.  During  the  month  it  will 
move  eastward  across  almost  the  entire 
constellation,  being  found  a  little  way 
east  of  Chi  Leonis  on  November  30. 
Its  distance  from  us  diminishes  during 
this  interval  from  one  hundred  and  fif- 
ty-seven to  one  hundred  and  thirty-four 
millions  of  miles  and  its  brightness  in- 
creases from  seven-tenths  to  nine- 
tenths  that  of  a  first  magnitude  star. 
On  November  30  it  will  be  found  almost 
exactly  as  bright  as  Aldebaran- 

Jupiter  is  in  excellent  position  for  ob- 
servation and  will  remain  high  in  the 
eastern  heavens  throughout  all  the 
evenings  of  the  month.  Especially  in- 
teresting phenomena  of  its  satellites 
may  be  seen  on  the  evenings  and  nights 
of  November  2,  6,  8,  13,  15,  22,  24,  2*] 
and  29. 

Saturn  will  be  found  in  the  eastern 
borders  of  Cancer,   a   little   to  the   left 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


183 


of  the  Praesepe.  It  rises  at  about  10  130 
P.  M.  on  November  1,  and  at  about  8  :$o 
P.  M.  on  November  30.  It  will  remain 
throughout  the  winter  in  excellent  po- 
sition for  observation. 

The  planet  Uranus  is  still  high 
enough  in  the  sky  in  the  early  evening 
to  be  well  observed.  One  who  posses- 
ses a  small  telescope  may  readily  lo- 
cate this  interesting  world  with  the 
help  of  Figures  1  and  2.  The  three 
guiding  stars,  L,  M,  and  N,  are  indicat- 
ed equally  on  both  maps,  but  Figure  2 
contains  every  star  so  bright  as  the 
ninth  magnitude,  and  hence  this  shows 
all  stars  which  will  be  visible  in  a  tele- 
scope of  one  inch  aperture  on  a  very 
clear  night. 


in  imagination,  make  the  experiment. 
You  will  feel  the  sensation  of  floating 
in  space,  and  after  you  have  thus  gazed 
at  the  skies  for  only  a  few  minutes,  you 
may  imagine  yourself  on  a  comet  or 
journeying  by  some  similar  convey- 
ance through  the  infinite  depths  of 
space  among  the  starry  jewels  that 
glitter  there. 


Sunset  Clouds. 

The  sunset  clouds  gazed  in  the  lake, 

At   their  reflection   there, 
And  blushed  more  deeply  than  before, 

To  find  themselves  so  fair. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


An  Effective  Method  of  Studying  the 
Stars. 

The  best  method  of  studying  the 
constellations  is  that  which  was  first 
employed  by  the  shepherds  of  old;  that 
is.  to  lie  on  one's  back  and  gaze  into 
the  heavens.    Bv  this  method  the  range 


Daphne. 
A  breath  of  Heaven  wafted  down, 

To  be  a  celestial  dower, 
And  hidden,  quite  unknown  to  us, 
Within  the  heart  of  a  flower. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


A  child  said  to  a  butterfly,  "You  live 
but  a  day."  "But  a  day,"  said  the  but- 
terfly, "is  a  lifetime."— E.  Scott  O'Con- 


nor in 


'Tracings." 


DR.   JUGELOW  AND  THE  ALOHA  CLUB  CLASS  IN   ASTRONOMY. 


is  good  and  there  will  be  no  neck 
ache.  This  method  is  employed  by 
the  editor  of  this  magazine  in  teaching 
young  people  to  know  the  constella- 
tions. In  the  accompanying  illustra- 
tion he  is  shown  with  a  class  of  young 
ladies  at  the  camping  headquarters  of 
the  Aloha  Club.  Pike,  New  Hampshire. 
We  heartily  commend  the  method  as 
the  best  for  individual  or  for  class  use. 
If  you  have  never  tried  lying  on  your 
back  thus  to  leave  Old  Mother  Earth 


The  modern  botanical  garden  had 
its  beginning  in  the  old  monastic  gar- 
dens where  the  monks  cultivated  the 
"  simples  "  for  their  primitive  medical 
art. 


Professor  Hugo  De  Yries  has  trans- 
planted his  experimental  garden  from 
Amsterdam  to  Lunteren,  where  he  will 
continue  his  work  on  the  evening  prim- 
roses. 


i«<«<<<c<«cgca«<g«ggc«g«cc««c«<c««c<<<<<<«ccc<c<«cfe3 


»——»•*' 


AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION' 


Established   1875  Incorporated,   Massachusetts,    1892  Incorporated,    Connecticut,    1910 


The  Pirate  of  the  Night  Watches. 

BY  THE   REVEREND   MANLEY   B.   TOWNSEND, 
NASHUA,    NEW    HAMPSHIRE. 

When  darkness  falls  over  the  earth, 
and  the  furtive  furry  folk  come  from 
their  hiding  places  to  feed  and  to  play 
under  cover  of  the  friendly  gloaming, 
the  great  horned  owl  leaves  his  seclud- 
ed perch  or  some  snug  tree  cavity,  and 
goes  forth  to  seek  whom  he  may  de- 
vour. Then  the  wild  creatures  have 
need  of  all  their  caution.  Noiseless  as 
drifting  smoke,  light  as  thistledown, 
terrible  as  fate,  the  midnight  pirate 
drops1  upon  his  prey. 

Two  recent  experiences  have  brought 
the  hunting  methods  of  the  great  horn- 
ed owl  to  my  attention.  Recently  a 
lady  telephoned  to  ask  if  I  would  go 
into  her  pine  grove  and  ascertain  if 
possible,  what  had  killed  a  rabbit  whose 
mangled  body  she  had  found  there. 
She  was  puzzled,  as  no  tracks  but  those 
of  the  rabbit  were  in  evidence.  There 
were  the  remains  of  poor  Peter  Cotton- 
tail— just  the  skin  and  the  bones.  Noth- 
ing else  about  but  rabbit  tracks-  Death 
seemed  to  have  fallen  from  the  skies. 
About  the  remains  the  snow  was  much 
trampled.  With  a  stick  I  began  to 
poke  among  the  bones  and  the  torn  fur, 
and  soon  found  what  I  was  looking  for 
— a  wad  or  pellet  about  two  inches  long. 
Breaking  it  open  I  saw  in  the  interior 
numerous  bones  of  small  mammals  and 
one  mouse  skull,  all  wadded  together  by 
the  rodent's  fur,  or  the  fur  of  several 
rodents.  Nothing  but  a  great  horned 
owl  could  have  left  that  pellet,  and  the 
mystery  was  explained.  Owls  swallow 
their  prey, — bones,  fur  and  all.  The 
stomach  extracts  every  particle  of 
nourishment,  and  the  refuse  is  auto- 
matically wadded  into  a  great  pellet 
and  coughed  up  at  the  bird's  conven- 
ience. Owl  retreats  are  sometimes  dis- 
covered by  the  presence  of  these  pellets 
beneath  their  hiding  places. 


Last  summer  I  had  another  interest- 
ing experience.  It  was  on  the  shore  of 
a  lake  in  Maine.  As  we  sat  outside  the 
camp  door,  enjoying  the  beauty  and  the 
stillness  of  the  night,  the  intense  silence 
was  suddenly  broken  by  a  succession 
of  piercing  screams.  Something  by  the 
lake  shore  was  in  agony.  What  was 
happening  in  the  darkness?  Only  death 
throes  could  produce  such  agonizing 
screams.  The  wind  was  blowing  di- 
rectly toward  us,  and  presently  an  over- 
powering, sickening  odor  assailed  us. 
Now  all  was  plain.  A  great  horned  owl 
had  found  a  skunk,  that  fears  nothing 
but  the  owl,  unless  it  be  a  man,  and 
had  descended  from  above  on  his  noise- 
less pinions.  Snatching  the  victim  from 
the  ground,  the  scythe-like  claws  had 
pierced  the  tender  vitals  of  his  prey  be- 
fore poor  Mephitis  mephitica  could  bring 
his  anti-aircraft  gun  to  bear  upon  the 
terror.  The  next  morning  shed  more 
light  on  the  tragedy.  The  skunk  had 
been  digging  at  the  hole  in  which  we 
had  buried  the  refuse  fish  heads  and  en- 
trails, when  the  doom  of  the  wild  over- 
took him.  Many  skunks  must  fall  vic- 
tims to  this  owl.  A  great  horned  owl 
that  was  brought  to  me  many  years 
ago  by  a  friend,  I  had  mounted,  though 
it  was  so  rank  with  the  smell  of  skunk 
that  the  taxidermist  protested.  Upon 
what  prey  the  bird  had  fed  was  evident. 
Gradually  the  scent  evaporated,  but  for 
a  dozen  or  more  years,  if  the  room  were 
closed  for  a  few  weeks,  the  odor  could 
be  detected  on  entering. 


The  Mountain. 

With  contour  etched  in  softest  tones, 

And  shining,  snowy  crest, 
It   floated   on   blue   distances, 

An   island  of  the  blest. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


Two  different  prehistoric  peoples 
have  left  relics  in  Mammoth  Cave,  one 
a  tribe  of  hunters,  the  other  farmers. 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


iS= 


How  I  Collect  and  Study  Shells. 

BY  LILLIAX   DYER  THOMPSON',   CAMBRIDGE, 
MASSACHUSETTS. 

For  the  past  few  weeks  T  have  been 
studying  the  habits  of  some  shells  that 
I  have  in  captivity.  Once  I  would  not 
believe  that  shells  are  inhabited  by 
living  animals,  but  now  I  feel  that  T 
am  fairly  well  acquainted  for  I  have 
watched  them  eat.  walk,  lav  eeefs, 
swim  and  make  additions  to  their 
homes. 

I    wanted    to    study    both    land    and 
fresh-water    shell-',    so    I    bought    two 
pans  from  the  five  and  ten  cent  store. 
One  was  the  largest  roasting  pan  that 
they  had,  and   the  other  was  as  long 
as  the  roasting  pan  was  wide.     I  made 
a  box  as  long  and  as  wide  as  the  roast- 
ing pan  and  six  inches  high.     Then  to 
prevent   my  shells  from  crawling  out, 
T  made  a  cover  of  wire  netting  which 
I  fastened  to  a  frame  hinged  to  the  box. 
After  putting  the  bigger  pan  in  the 
box,  I  decided  to  make  the  pond  first, 
so   I   put   the   smaller   pan   across   one 
end  of  the  bigger  one  and  filled  up  any 
cracks  with  moss.    In  this  pan  I  placed 
a   shell   that    I   had   picked    up    on    the 
beach,  after  I  had  washed  it  to  remove 
any  traces  of  salt  which  is  injurious  to 
snails.     I  also  put  in  some  fresh-water 
weeds    with   their   roots    so   that   they 
could    help    to    purify    the    water    and 
serve  as  food  for  the  snails.     Roots  of 
grass  will  do  for  a  short  time  but  they 
decay  and  must  be  changed  frequently. 
When  I  had  partly  filled  the  pan  with 
water,   my  pond   was   ready   for   occu- 
pancy. 

The  home  for  the  land  shells  was  as 
easy  to  make,  as  I  covered  the  remain- 
ing part  of  the  bottom  of  the  larger 
pan  with  earth,  moss  and  bunches  of 
grass  containing  the  growing  plantain. 
I  also  stuck  in  a  few  deaH  oak  leaves 
(any  kind  of  leaves  will  do)  so  that  the 
shells  could  rest  under  them.  I  left 
several  nooks  between  the  pieces  of 
moss  as  hiding  places  for  the  shells. 
Then  I  took  a  scallop  shell  (any  flat 
shell  will  do)  and  filled  it  with  corn 
meal  and  another  shell  with  water.  In 
amongst  the  moss  I  put  a  shell  that 
had  been  thrown  upon  the  beach,  after 
I  had  washed  it,  so  that  my  living  ani- 
mals could  get  lime  from  it  to  increase 
their   own    shells   if   necessary.      As    a 


finishing  touch  I  arranged  a  small 
branch  so  that  the  snails  could  climb 
from  the  moss  to  the  roof. 

The  little  mollusks  (for  such  is  the 
name  given  to  the  animals  tenanting 
the  shells)  are  not  very  particular,  I 
have  found,  about  their  food.  Mine 
enjoy  their  corn  meal  immensely,  and 
also  like  lettuce,  cabbage  and  plantain 
leaves  as  well  as  -an  occasional  carrot. 
As  T  live  in  a  place  where  land  shells 
are  not  abundant  (because  there  is  so 
little  limestone  formation  that  they 
cannot  make  shells)  I  have  had  to  de- 
pend largely  on  friends  for  my  speci- 
mens. Never  send  shells  by  mail  in  a 
tin  box,  glass  bottle  or  a  tobacco  box, 
for  they  cannot  breathe  and  the  fumes 
of  tobacco  kill  them.  The  only  safe 
way  in  which  to  send  them  is  in  either 
a  pasteboard  or  a  wooden  box  with 
some  green  leaves  or  grass. 

If  you  live  near  a  body  of  water  you 
will  find  some  shells ;  no  matter 
whether  it  is  a  lake,  a  pond,  a  river  or  a 
brook,  shell  life  is  sure  to  be  there. 
Turn  over  every  leaf,  stick  or  blade  of 
grass,  whether  floating  or  on  the  bot- 
tom, and  every  stone  and  you  will  find 
some  form  of  shell  life.  If  you  take 
along  a  fine  meshed  skimmer  and  with 
it  scoop  up  some  of  the  muddy  or  sandy 
bottom  and  wash  it  by  gently  shaking 
the  skimmer  in  the  water,  keeping  the 
top  above  the  surface  to  prevent  any- 
thing from  being  washed  overboard, 
you  are  sure  to  find  shells.  These  will 
range  from  one  millimeter  in  length  to 
an  inch  or  more.  Look  along  the 
banks  and  near  the  water's  edge  where 
the  stream  is  running  fairly  swiftly 
and  the  bottom  is  of  gravel  and  you 
may  see  shiny  shells  lying  around. 
These  dead  shells  have  been  dug  up  by 
muskrats  when  the  shells  contained 
living  animals,  and  have  been  eaten 
by  them.  Look  more  closely  in  the 
brook  and  see  if  you  do  not  see  little 
black  objects  protruding  from  the  sand. 
Pick  them  up  with  your  hands  or  with 
the  skimmer  and  you  will  find  that 
they  are  living  shells. 

No  matter  how  little  limestone  is  in 
vour  neighborhood,  you  are  certain  to 
find  some  land  shells.  If  you  are  pa- 
tient and  look  carefully  you  will  be 
doubly  rewarded  by  finding  the  most 
beautiful      little      shells      imaginable ! 


1 86 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Never,  however,  waste  time  in  ever- 
green woods  or  in  any  places  that  have 
recently  been  burned,  but  look  under 
the  bark  or  decaying  logs,  under  the 
logs  themselves,  under  fallen  leaves, 
loose  bark  on  the  grass  and  all  sticks. 
You  may  find  shells  on  stones  or  leaves, 
or  walking  on  some  log,  stone,  stick  or 
leaf.  Where  the  earth  is  very  rich  near 
a  tree,  gather  some  in  your  skimmer 
and  in  the  fine  stuff  that  falls  through 
you  will  find  many  minute  shells.  This 
earth  mould  can  be  taken  home  and 
dried  and  picked  over  when  you  have 
time.  Be  sure  to  put  the  name  of  the 
locality  and  the  date  in  with  each  lot 
of  shells  or  earth  mould  you  take,  as 
both  will  be  important  factors  when 
you  begin  to  name  your  specimens  and 
in  the  collection.  I  also  have  found  it 
wise  to  state  where  the  specimen  was 
found,  whether  on  the  bark  or  under  a 
leaf  or  elsewhere. 

In  case  you  would  like  to  collect 
shells  but  do  not  want  to  keep  them 
alive,  I  can  tell  you  a  little  about  clean- 
ing them.  The  way  in  which  I  clean 
single  shells  is  to  put  them  in  boiling 
water  for  a  few  moments  until  they 
pull  easily.  To  "pull"  or  remove  the 
animal,  all  you  need  to  do  is  to  take 
hold  of  it  with  a  pin  or  a  pair  of  forceps 
and  it  will  come  out  readily  if  it  has 
been  cooked  enough.  As  the  liver  is 
at  the  tip  end  of  the  shell  the  animal 
should  be  pulled  carefully  so  as  not  to 
break  that  organ.  Two  minutes  is  the 
very  longest  time  that  one  should  ever 
cook  a  shell.  I  have  never  cooked  one 
for  more  than  a  minute.  Large  marine 
shells  require  more  cooking.  If  there 
is  a  horny  door  (operculum)  on  the 
animal,  this  must  be  detached  and  put 
in  the  opening  of  the  shell  and  kept  in 
place  with  raw  cotton.  Any  univalve 
that  is  too  small  to  be  pulled  may  be 
dropped  in  alcohol  for  a  few  days,  and 
then  the  animal  will  be  so  saturated 
with  alcohol  that  it  will  dry  up  without 
smelling.  All  bivalves  (two  shells 
united  like  those  of  a  clam)  may  be 
cleaned  by  putting  them  in  boiling 
water  until  they  gape,  when  the  mus- 
cles may  be  cut  and  the  animal  re- 
moved. The  shells  must  be  closed  to- 
gether again  and  tied  until  they  are 
perfectly  dry.  I  usually  leave  mine 
for  at  least  a  week.  With  each  speci- 
men write  a  label  with  the  locality,  the 


date  of  collection,  on  what  it  was 
found  or  under  what  and  by  whom. 
Then  the  shell  may  be  placed  with 
others  until  it  can  be  named  and  put 
in  the  collection. 


When  a  Century  Plant  Could  Attract  a 
Crowd. 

Times  have  changed  in  the  last  sixty 
years.  The  hum  of  the  moving  picture 
machine  and  the  whir  of  the  limousine 
are  heard  everywhere.  Think  nowadays 
of  offering  as  a  startling  attraction  a 
century  plant,  no  matter  how  large, 
with  tickets  at  twenty-five  cents  apiece. 
Possibly  some  would  even  now  go  to 
see  it.  Through  the  courtesy  of  Air. 
H.  E-  Deats  of  Flemington,  New  Jersey, 
we  have  been  favored  with  a  handbill 
making  an  announcement  of  the  kind 
at  Ogdensburg,  New  York,  in  1856.  Mr.. 
Deats  writes,  "May  be  a  subject  for  a 
sermon."  There  surely  is  a  sermon  in 
that  handbill,  but  it  must  be  so  evident 
to  every  appreciative  reader  of  The 
Guide  to  Nature  that  we  will  leave 
each  one  to  preach  it  for  himself.  The 
editor  wrote  to  several  elderly  residents 
of  Ogdensburg  for  information  in  re- 
gard to  the  exhibition,  and  several  re- 
port that  the  family  that  had  the  plant 
is  now  extinct.  Perhaps  the  most  in- 
teresting information  on  the  subject 
came  from  Louis  Hasbrouck.  He 
writes  that  he  was  sixteen  years  old 
at  the  time  and  says  : 

"Mr.  Henry  Van  Rensselear  had  a 
large  greenhouse  attached  to  his  resi- 
dence and  in  it  was  a  century  plant. 
When  it  was  ready  to  bloom,  Mr.  Van 
Rensselear  gave  public  notice  that  if 
any  of  the  citizens  of  Ogdensburg  de- 
sired to  see  it,  they  might  come  up  to 
his  place  and  examine  it.  Some  of  my 
relatives  took  me,  but  all  that  I  remem- 
ber about  it  is  that  it  was  very  large 
and  reached  to  the  roof  of  the  building-. 
I  can  tell  you  nothing  more  than  this 
about  the  looks  of  the  flower  or  of  the 
plant-  Mr.  Van  Rensselear's  place  was- 
burned  down  a  few  years  afterwards, 
and  he  removed  to  New  York  and  prob- 
ably some  of  his  descendants  are  living 
in  that  city  now.  One  of  his  sons  be- 
came a  Jesuit  priest  and  was  attached 
to  a  mission  in  New  York.  I  have 
never  heard  of  his  death  ;  probably  you 
can  learn  what  became  of  him.  A  few- 
years  ago  I   spent  the  winter  in   Cali- 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


187 


RARE  CURIOSITY! 


m 


THES    CS-£^E3A.HZr 


CENTURY  PLANT 


IS  NOW  ON  EXHIBITION  NEAR  THE 

OGDENSBURGH,  N.  Y 

This  rare  plant,  is  indigenous  to  Mexico  and  Central  America  and  comes  to  maturity 

K^ONLY  ONCE  IN  A  HUNDRED  YEARS^S^ 

When  it  runs  up  to  a  great  height,  puts  forth  a  prolusion  of  flowers,  continues  In  blossom  from  two  to  three 
months,  and  then  dies.  In  this  climate,  it  can  bo  raised  in  hothouses,  only,  where  it  is  perfectly  protected 
from  the  weather,  and  can  be  stimulated  by  artificial  heat.  Its  flowering  is  an  occurrence  of  such  EX- 
CE  EDIJVG  RAR'TY,  that  thousands  flock  to  witness  its 

From  all  parts  of  the  country,  multitudes  traveling  great  distances  for  that  purpose.  The  precise  age  of 
the  present  specimen  is  not  known,  bat  It  must  be  nearly 

One  Hundred  Years  Old  ! 

Having  been  in  possession  of  the  family  ot  the  late  STEPHEN  VAN  RENSSELAER  of  Albany,  since 
an  early  date,  and  in  possession  of  Hon.  HENRY  VAN  RENSSELAER  of  Ogdensburgh,  twenty  three 
years.    It  has  been  presented  by  the  latter  gentleman  to  the 

Young  Mens'  Association, 

W  OF  OGDENSBURGH,  N.  Y.  ' 

For  exhibition,  in  aid  of  its  funds.    The  following  is  a  brief  description  of  its  dimensions  : 

Height, 32  feet, 

Circumference  of  trunk, 10  feet, 

Breadth  of  leaf  at  the  trunk,  average, 1  foot, 

Length  of  leaf, -._ 9  feet. 

Number  of  leaves, ,, 100, 

Circumference  of  base  of  upright  stem  sustaining  flowers 2  feet, 

No.  of  blossom  bearing  branches, 33 

Whole  number  of  blossoms  about, 18,000. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  entire  stem,  which  is  twenty  six  feet  long, 
has  grown  since  the  last  days  of  March. 


This  is  the  only  opportunity  the  present  generation,  In  Northern  New  York,  and  Canada  will  ever  Tiave 
for  witnessing  an  exhibition  of  such  exceeding  rarity,  and  no  person  should  fail  to  avail  himself  of  it.  The 
Plant  has  been  reared  at  great  expense,  and,  has  been  removed  with  great  care,  and  is  on  exhibition  in  a 
building  24  by  36  feet  and  36  feet  high,  erected  and  fitted  up  expressly  for  the  purpose,  and  in  tho  evening 

WILL  BE  BRILLIANTLY  LIGHTED  WITH  GAS 

Doors  open  from  5  A.  M.  till  10  P.  M.       Season  Tickets  50  cents, 

Single  Tickets  25  cents. 

Tickets  can  be  procured  of  the  Treasurer,  st  the  St.  Lawrence  Hotel,  on  board  the  Steamer?,  and  at  all 
principal  business  places  in  Ogdensburgh. 

J.  H.  GUEST,  Treasurer, 
OGDENSBURGH  Jcne  21, 185G.  S.  F00TE,  Secretary. 

gjggMar rTB83araTSiiairre»sa^ — TratSjBaaafgXESftsm — T®(SaretrT-¥TrraKB8^ 

PHOTOENGRAVING  REPRODUCTION  OF  THE  HANDBILL. 


iSS 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


fornia  and  saw  a  good  many  of  the  same 
plants  there,  but  that  they  bloom  only 
once  in  a  century  is  a  fiction ;  over  there 
they  bloom  every  eight  or  ten  years." 
Vicar  General  M.  J.  Lavelle,  The 
Cathedral  Rectory,  New  York  City,  in 
answer  to  my  letter,  reports  that  the 
family  seems  to  be  entirely  extinct. 
And  that  in  only  about  sixty  years  after 
they  exhibited  a  plant  a  hundred  years 
old'! 


Salamander  Pets. 

Michigan   City,   Indiana. 
To  the  Editor: 

I  think  you  may  be  interested  to 
learn  of  the  spotted  salamanders  we 
kept  in  the  laboratory  one  winter  in 
northwestern  Illinois.  Some  half  a 
dozen  of  the  salamanders,  which  we 
thought  were  Amblystoma  tigrinum, 
were  brought  into  the  laboratory  in 
September,  some  having  been  found 
in  cellars  and  others  near  ponds.  They 
were  put  in  a  small  wooden  tank  with 
seven  small  frogs  about  an  inch  and  a 
half  long. 

One  morning  as  I  entered  the  labora- 
tory, I  heard  the  oddest  little  squeaky 
cry  from  the  direction  of  the  tank,  and 
there  was  one  of  the  salamanders  start- 
ing to  swallow  a  frog.  No  wonder  the 
frog  cried,  though  I  had  never  dreamed 
before  that  they  could  make  any  sound 
but  a  croak.  It  took  only  a  second  to 
reach  in  and  grab  Mr.  Salamander  by 
the  tail,  and  he  was  only  too  glad  to 
drop  his  prey  immediately.  As  we  had 
no  idea  of  letting  the  salamanders  eat 
up  our  cunning  little  frogs,  the  sala- 
manders were  exiled  to  a  pail  of  damp 
sand  that  happened  to  be  near-by. 
They  burrowed  down  into  it,  and  there 
they  spent  the  winter,  just  the  little 
black  nose  being  visible  in  the  opening 
most  of  the  time.  Sometimes  most  of 
them  were  entirelv  buried  under  the 
sand-  We  dug  them  out  occasionally, 
and  they  seemed  quite  as  lively  as  when 
we  captured  them  in  the  fall. 

They  ate  earthworms  greedily  in  a 
peculiar  way,  making  a  sudden  grab 
at  the  worm  and  shaking  it  fiercely 
from  side  to  side  for  a  second  or  two 
before  swallowing  it.  In  the  middle  of 
the  winter,  as  they  were  in  a  warm 
room  all  the  time  and  not  entirely  dor- 
mant, I  tried  to  feed  them  beefsteak. 
They  wouldn't  swallow  it,  so  I  resort- 


ed to  forcible  feeding,  pushing  the  bits 
of  steak  down  their  throats  with  a  pair 
of  forceps  until  the  involuntary  mus- 
cles took  charge  of  the  swallowing. 
This  was  repeated  two  or  three  times 
during  the  winter. 

Early  in  the  spring  we  took  them 
out  to  a  small  pond  and  let  them  go- 

Another  spring  we  found  some  sala- 
mander eggs  in  late  February  or  early 
March,  while  ice  still  fringed  the  small 
pond,  a  pond  entirely  dry  in  summer. 
They  were  similar  to  frog's  eggs,  with 
black  yolks  imbedded  in  gelatinous 
material,  but  considerably  larger  and 
in  masses  only  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
diameter.  In  a  few  days  the  little  tad- 
poles hatched  out,  slender,  brown, 
shapeless  things,  a  little  over  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  long,  clinging  to  the  outside 
of  the  egg.  A  few  days  later  they  de- 
veloped tiny  bunches  of  external  gills 
and  began  to  swim  about  actively. 
About  the  same  time  tiny  spots  appear- 
ed scattered  over  the  body.  They  were 
longer  and  much  more  slender  than 
frog  tadpoles. 

Some  well-meaning,  but  misguided, 
person  caused  their  death  by  feeding 
them  an  extra  quantity  of  bread  one 
Friday  afternoon.  The  week-end  was 
warm,  and  by  Monday  morning  the 
bread  had  fermented,  and  the  little  tad- 
poles were  all  dead. 

Sincerely  yours, 

Helen  A.  Southgate. 


Salamanders  are  not  Reptiles. 

BY   MR.    G.   T.    K.    NORTON,    NEW   YORK   CITY. 

On  page  ioo  of  the  September  issue 
of  The  Guide  to  Nature  appears  an  ac- 
count of  a  salamander,  with  one  illus- 
tration. In  the  second  sentence  of  the 
second  paragraph  the  salamander  is  re- 
ferred to  as,  "These  reptiles  seem  to 
be,"  etc.  I  trust  you  will  pardon  my 
questioning  the  statement.  Do  not 
salamanders  belong  to  the  class  Am- 
phibia— lizards  to  Reptilia?  Are  not 
salamanders  of  the  Order  Urodela?  I 
believe  salamanders  are  distinguished 
from  the  lizards  by  having  a  skin  rather 
than  scales.  Is  not  the  salamander 
pictured  Plethodon  glutinosus? 


When  I  hear  a  man  preach,  I  like  to 
see  him  act  as  if  he  were  fighting  bees. 

— Lincoln. 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


189 


Judge  John  Clason  is  Dead.  Sustaining  and  Honorary  Member  and 

in    the    death,    on    October    iotb,    of  a  good  friend.     The  local  papers  have 

Judge  John  Clason  in  his  ninety-third  told  in  detail  of  his  long  and  honored 

year,   The   Agassiz   Association   lost   a  career.    It  is  enough  for  us  to  state  that 


JUDGE  JOHN  CLASON  DIED  OCTOBER   10,   1917,  IN  HIS  NINETY-THIRD  YEAR. 


190 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


JUDGE   CLASON   AT   HIS   FAVORITE    SPRING. 


he   celebrated   the   ninety-second   anni-  ened  by  an  attack  of  illness  the  year  be- 

versary  of  his  birth  on  September  Sth  fore.     For  a  man  of  his  years  he  was  as- 

and   at   that   time   was   enjoying  Jairly  tonishingly  active.    A  local  paper  thus 

good  health  although  somewhat  weak-  characterizes  him  : 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


191 


"Rugged  in  health,  abrupt  in  speech, 
kind-hearted  and  loyal,  the  memory  of 
this  old  bachelor-farmer  who  loved  and 
served  his  native  town,  will  not  soon  be 
forgotten-" 

He  stood  high  in  public  esteem  and 
in  his  earlier  life  was  for  several  years 
Judge  of  Probate  and  a  member  of  the 
Legislature.  He  was  the  founder  of 
the  Stamford  Hospital  and  a  contribu- 
tor to  various  causes,  the  whole  ambi- 
tion of  his  life  evidently  being  to  do 
good  to  some  one.  to  make  some  one 
happy. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  The  Ag- 


ing of  the  wind  was  music  to  him.  He 
made  every  foot  of  land  on  which  lie 
trod  sacred  to  himself.  He  loved  the 
fields  as  a  companion.  He  knew  the 
stone  walls  and  could  tell  their  history. 
He  talked  of  the  days  when  he  was  ac- 
tively engaged  in  building  them  and 
told  of  his  labors  in  making  the  stone 
foundation  for  his  own  house  and  re- 
lated it  not  as  a  hardship  but  as  a  joy- 
He  was  a  keen  observer  of  birds  and 
knew  every  one  that  frequented  his 
farm.  He  also  knew  the  insects,  not 
merely  from  the  helpful  and  injurious 
point  of  view  but  from  real  interest  in 


PIE   DEARLY   LOVED   HIS   OXEN. 


assiz  Association  he  was  an  ideal  Mem- 
ber in  his  spirit  of  service  to  others  and 
in  what  one  may  term  his  "intensive 
simplicity"  in  nearness  to  nature.  It 
was  an  inspiration  to  observe  his  fond- 
ness for  the  so-called  simple  things  of 
the  farm.  To  him  his  voke  of  oxen  was 
the  very  centre  of  all  delightful  forms 
of  animal  life.  He  loved  them  as  one 
should  love  a  human  beinsr.  He  talked 
with  them,  argued  with  them,  praised 
them,  and  told  his  friends  of  their  won- 
derful qualities  and  intelligence. 

He  wras  a  keen  observer  of  weather 
conditions  and  really  enthusiastic  over 
a  sunrise  or  a  sunset.     Even  the  sigfh- 


them.  He  would  listen  to  anything  re 
garding  them  as  if  entertained  by  a 
marvelous  tale,  so  keen  was  his  interest 
in  everything  that  pertained  to  Mother 
Nature's  productions  on  his  farm.  His 
love  for  flowers,  both  from  the  aesthetic 
and  utility  point  of  view,  greatly  im- 
pressed any  one  who  talked  with  him 
on  these  subjects. 

His  fondness  for  a  certain  spring  of 
pure  water  was  so  intense  that  to  the 
average  person  it  was  almost  fanatical. 
He  believed  that  pure  water  direct  from 
Mother  Earth  contained  the  real  elixir 
of  life,  and  every  day  he  visited  the  lit- 
tle spring  on  his  farm  and  insisted  upon 


192 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


HE  LOVED  THE  TREES  AND  FIELDS. 

drinking  no  other  water    It  seems  quite  His  love  for  his  fellow  beings  was  of 

probable   that   this   love   of   the   simple  the  highest.     He  never  became  crabbed 

life  was,  indeed,  a  great  factor  in  pro-  nor  miserly  but     was     always     genial, 

longing  the  number  of  his  years.  open-hearted  and  frank.     The  commu- 

He  was  a  typical  gentleman  of  the  old  nity  has  lost  a  citizen  of  high  standard 

school,  mellowed  and  grown  even  more  and  The  Agassiz  Association  has  lost 

kindly  of  heart  with  the  passing  years,  an  ideal  Member. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  XATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


IX 


*«s 


L1TERAK 


««>©sS<b<b® 


NOTICES 


WINIFRED    SACKVILLE     STONER.     JR. 
ING  TO  THE  "KIDDIES." 


RE  An- 


Sonnet. 

[On  visiting  the   birthplace   of  William 
Cullen    Bryant.] 

BY    HAROLD   GORDON    HAWKINS,    WESTFIELD,    MASS. 

Majestic  hills  and  towering  fragrant  pines — 

These  are  the  fittest  monuments  for  him 

Who  told  of  forests,  shadowy  and   dim, 

And  mighty  hills,  in  genius  prompted  lines. 

Soft  on  the  land  a  golden   splendor  shines 

As  the  red  sun  rests  on  a  mountain's  rim, 

While  tired  Nature  chants  her  evening  hymn, 

And    twittering    birds    seek    shelter    in    the 

vines. 

With  scenes  like  this  fair  Nature  did  embue 

The  poet  of  these  hills  with  silent  awe 

And   reverence   for  her  majesty  and  power. 
And  from  companionship  with  her  he  drew 
A  faith  that  only  such  a  mind  might  draw, 
And   give   the   world,   to   face   Death's   bitter 
hour. 


Rogues  and   Mimics.     Sweetest   Singers.     By 
Winifred     Sackville     Stoner,     Jr.       Ann 
Arbor,     Michigan:     Educators    Associa- 
tion. 
This  young  member  of  The  Agassiz  As- 
sociation   knows    howr   to   interest   her   little 
friends  and  other  small  people  everywhere.   « 
These    articles    are     delightfully     expressed 
and    attractively    illustrated.      We    cordially 
recommend    them.      The    illustration    of   the 
author  as   she   tells   the   stories   to   the   chil-|§ 
dren  is  especially  attractive,  and  makes  one 
desirous   to   become   a  member  of  the   com- 
pany in  front  of  this  young  lecturer  to  hear 
what  she  is  saying. 


Human   Nature.     By  George  Scoville  Ham-  \f 
lin.       Xew     York     City :       The     Knicker- 
bocker Press. 
The  teaching  of  the  author  is  that  through 
the    union    of    religion    and    science,    a    fuller 
understanding  may  arise  in  regard  to  "Man's 
Place    in    Nature,"    and    thus    enable    us    con- 
sciously to  use  a  law  that  will  more  fully  care 
for  the  future  well-being  of  humanity. 


The  graceful  little  gull-boats, 
Afloat  on  the  tranquil  bay, 

Will  soon  be  spreading  their  pinions, 
And    swiftly    soaring   away. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


WINIFRED     SACKVILLE     STONER, 
BER  OF  THE  AA. 


MEM- 


X 


THE  GUIDE  TO  XATURE—ADTTERTISEMEXTS 


Pictures  sharp  and 
brilliant  to  the  cor. 
ners — not  dull 
and  hazy 


Bausch  |omb  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  new  gas-filled  Mazda  lamp  gives  an  illuminating 

equipment  superior  to  the  old  style  arc  lamp,  but  using  less 
current.  The  entire  instrument  13  eimple  enough  for  a  child  to 
operate.     Prices  langa  from  f.2^.30  up. 

Write  for  booklets  about  the  Balopticon — also  price  (ists. 


lfce 


TyPe 


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~'  — ._ 


Bausch  &  Jomfa  OPt#lcal  ©• 

585  St.  Paul  Street,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
New  York  Washington  Chicago  San  Francisco 

Leadina  American  Makers  cf  Hhh  C—-'^  Optical  Products. 


Choose  Your  Children! 

NO !  But  you  can  select  your  paint. 
And  it  pays  to  be  just  as  particular 
about  it  as  though  you  were  picking 
out  children. 

Then  why  not  get  the  guaranteed 
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and  Guaranteed  for  5  year-  ?  It  looks 
well  and  wears  well. 

Made   by 

The  Charles  H.  Brown  Paint  Co. 

Makers  of 

Paints,   Enamels,  Stains,  Varnishes, 
Colors  in  Oil,  White  Lead. 
BROOKLN,  N.  Y.,  U.  S.  A. 


THE  BRYOLOGIST  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 
Vloss  Society,  which  includes  moss  students  of  all  grades  of 
achievements  from  the  college  president  to  the  beginner,  all 
anxious  to  help  each  other.  Subscription,  $1.25  a  Year. 
$1.50  pays  for  membership  in  the  society  and  a  year's  sub- 
scription to  the  Bryologist.  Address  Edward  B.  Chamber- 
lain,   18   West   89th   St.,   New  York  City. 


Read  BLUE-BIRD 

Published    in    co-operation    with 
The    Cleveland   Bird   Lovers  Association 

and   devoted   to 

BIRD  STUDY  AND  CONSERVATION 

$i.oo  a  Year,  io  Cents  a  Copy 

Agents  Wanted 

Address,  Editor  BLUE  BIRD 

io  io    Euclid    Avenue,        Cleveland    Ohio 


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. 
I'er  rear,   $i.oo.  Per   copy,   ten   cents. 

JOSEPH    E.    BAUSMAN,    Publisher, 
542  E.  Girard  Ave.,  Philadelphia,  Penna. 


PUBLISHED    BY 

THE   AGASSIZ   ASSOCIATION 

ArcAdiA:   SOUND   BEACH,   CONNECTICUT 

EDWARD    F.    BIGELOW,  Managing  Editor 
Subscription,  $1.00  a  Year.  Single  Copy,  10  Cents 


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THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


THE  STAMFORD  LUfVlB 


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VI 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


Little   Japan. 

This  is  a  development  in  the  Agassiz 
Grove  chiefly  for  the  use  of  parties  that 
visit  us  only  for  the  day.    The  Pavilion, 
the    Serving    House    and    the    outdoor 
grills  will  easily  accommodate  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  people  or  more.     Fami- 
lies, schools  and  churches  find  the  facil- 
ities   satisfactory    although    at   present 
the  place  is  only  about  half  completed- 
We  need  the  Rest  Cottage,  yet  to  be 
built.      This    will    have    the    Japanese 
decoration  contributed   by   Mr.    Irving 
E.  Raymond  of  A.  A.  Vantine  &  Com- 
pany, New  York  City.     The  entire  de- 
velopment takes  its  name  of  Little  Ja- 
pan from  these  decorations,  the  Japa- 
nese  illuminated   torii,  Japanese   ever- 
greens,   flowering    cherries    and    other 
shrubs  from  Japan.     In   the  name  we 
also  signify  our  intention  to  inculcate 
that  sincere  love  of  nature   in   all   the 
simple  grandeur  so  marked  in  the  Japa- 
nese   people    and    manifested    in    their 
cherry   blossom   celebrations,   field   tea 
parties  and  otherwise. 

Up  to  the  autumn  of  1917,  we  have 
expended  $1,064.12  and  have  received 
in  contributions  $838-00.  To  pay  this 
deficit  and  to  build  and  equip  the  Rest 
Cottage  we  need  about  $1,000  more. 
This  Rest  Cottage  will  be  used,  as  its 
name  implies,  mostly  by  women  and 
children,  but  will  have  toilet  facilities 
for  boys  and  men.  It  will  provide  bed- 
rooms for  a  few  permanent  guests  and 
students.  This  completion  of  Little 
Japan  is  greatly  needed. 

For  nearly  a  year  the  Pavilion  has 
been  used  almost  every  week  in  the 
drilling  of  the  Home  Guards,  and  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  191 7  it  was  in  fre- 
quent use  by  all  sorts  of  visiting  par- 
ties.    It  has  proved  its  worth  and  es- 


sentiality, not  only  as  a  community 
center,  but  as  an  efficient  factor  in  "cre- 
ating and  increasing  a  knowledge  and 
love  of  nature." 


An  Attractive  Shoe  Store- 
One  of  the  most  attractive  shoe 
stores  in  this  vicinity  is  that  of  John 
Phillips  in  Stamford,  Connecticut. 
This  is  especially  true  since  the  making 
of  the  many  interior  changes  including" 
the  addition  of  comfortable  seats  for 
the  customers. 

Very  much  in  Mr.  Phillips's  favor  is 
the  fact  that  he  is  skilful  and  expert  in 
selecting  just  the  shoe  proper  for  each 
customer.  He  seems  to  know,  perhaps 
by  intuition,  perhaps  by  experience, 
but  he  seems  to  know  what  is  adapted 
to  each,  and  he  takes  pleasure  in  aiding 
the  customer  to  make  the  right  selec- 
tion, and  in  the  store  there  are  an  air 
and  an  aspect  of  cordiality  that  increas- 
es the  customer's  satisfaction. 


He  Had  Favorable  Appreciation. 

A  man  playing  very  badly  on  the 
piano  turned  to  his  friend  and  inquired. 
"What  do  you  think  of  my  execution?" 
The  reply  was,  "I  am  in  favor  of  it." 


Nature  Lovers  are  Camera  Lovers 

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there  is  no  better  authority  than 
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month  for  best  pictures. 
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COMMODORE  E.  C.  BENEDICT,  INDIAN  HARBOR,  GREENWICH,  CONNECTICUT. 
"White   hcr.i]    of   the   Page,    aid   Foul    of  the   boy" 


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Vol 


time 


X 


DECEMBER,     1917 


Number  7 


The  New  Hospital  at  Greenwich. 

Commodore  E.  C.  Benedict's  Magnificent  Gift. 


The  beautiful  new  Greenwich  Hospi- 
tal, erected  and  equipped  through  the 
munificent  generosity  of  Commodore 
E.  C.  Benedict,  is  now  in  deed  and  in 
fact  the  property  of  the  town  of  Green- 
wich and  the  Greenwich  Hospital  As- 
sociation, the  key  and  title  having  been 
formally  and  finally  turned  over  to. 
President  Edward  Brush,  of  the  Hos- 
pital Association,  by  Commodore  Bene- 
dict, at  an  interesting  function  held  in 
the  Hospital  building  Sunday  after- 
noon, October  14th.  About  150  persons 
were  present,  invited  guests  of  the 
Commodore,  President  Brush  and  offi- 
cial boards,  to  witness  the  simple  but 
impressive  ceremony,  listen  to  the 
speeches  of  presentation  and  accep- 
tance, and  inspect  the  building,  which 
is  said  to  have  cost  about  $600,000. 

The  assembled  company  included 
many  of  the  best-known  people  of 
Greenwich  who  are  interested  and  ac- 
tive in  the  promotion  of  good  works, 
and  their  expressions  of  admiration  and 
approval  of  the  new  Hospital  and  its 
perfection  of  equipment  were  spon- 
taneous and  cordial. 

The  formalities  of  the  affair  consisted 


of  the  delivering  of  the  key  to  Com- 
modore Benedict,  by  Thomas  Hastings, 
the  architect,  in  a  brief  but  fitting 
speech  ;  the  transfer  of  the  key  to  Presi- 
dent Brush,  by  Commodore  Benedict, 
with  remarks  appropriate  to  the  occa- 
sion, which  are  printed  elsewhere  in 
this  issue.  Commodore  Benedict's 
speech  was  received  with  intense  and 
attentive  interest,  and  elicited  appre- 
ciative applause. 

In  accepting  the  key,  President 
Brush  spoke  for  the  Hospital  Associa- 
tion, as  follows : 

"Commodore  Benedict,  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen :  With  this  most  pro- 
pitious occasion,  your  responsibility 
is  ended.  From  this  time,  our  respon- 
sibility begins.  If  we  can  live  up  to 
our  opportunity  as  you  have  done,  we 
will  be  most  happy. 

"The  limited  space  of  this  room,  and 
your  insistent  modesty,  have  not  made 
it  possible  for  more  of  your  friends  and 
ours  to  be  here  today,  in  order,  one  and 
all,  to  express  our  heartfelt  thanks  for 
this  magnificent  gift. 

"Our  critics  say  that  the  American 
people  lay  too  great  stress  on  the  finan- 


Copvrieht    1917   by  The   Agassiz   Association,    ArcAttA:    Sound   Beach,   Conn. 


io,6 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


cial  problem  of  such  a  transaction  as 
this.  Possibly,  in  speaking  of  this  as  a 
magnificent  gift,  1  may  have  thought 
of  the  many  vouchers  which  you  gave 
me  the  responsibility  of  approving  for 
payment,  (as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  can 
never  forget  them).  But  I  beg  to  assure 
you  that  we  will  all  remember,  even 
with  greater  emphasis,  the  magnificent 
thought  and  spirit  that  inspired  this 
gift.  Can  one  think  of  aiding,  even  in 
a  minor  way,  such  an  institution  as 
this  without  being  overcome  with  the 
kindliest  spirit  of  compassion  for  suffer- 
ing humanity,  and  being  inspired  with 
the  hope  that  the  longed  for  relief  may 
here  be  found  by  many?  You.  1 
know,  have  had  this  inspiration,  and 
especially  your  hope  has  been  that 
those,  whose  opportunities  are  few  and 
with  whom  the  means  of  relief  are 
meager,  may  here  find  that  medical  and 
surgical  skill  is  waiting  and  at  the  call 
of  human  needs,  and  that  the  comforts 
which  can  be  extended  by  the  kindly 
nurses  and  the  cleanly  bed  are  not 
withheld  from  them. 

"In  order  that  there  should  be  no 
doubt  as  to  safety,  you  have  insisted 
that  this  hospital  should  be  absolutely 
fire  proof,  and  it  has  been  your  justi- 
fiable pride  that,  so  far  as  building  and 
equipment  could  make  it.  this  hospital 
should  be  a  model  one,  which  would 
assist  those  inspired  as  you  have  been, 
and   which   they   could   well    afford    to 

copy. 

"It  will  rest  with  this  Association,  its 
medical  and  surgical  staff,  and  its  corps 
of  nurses,  to  carry  on  the  work  which 
your  generosity  and  kindly  thought 
have  made  possible.  I  assure  you  that 
we  realize  the  responsibility,  and  have 
made  the  firmest  resolve  that  your  de- 
sires in  this  regard  shall  be  fully  carried 
out.  We  believe  that,  not  only  the 
facilities  of  this  institution,  but  its  man- 
agement, will  be  the  pride  of  our  town. 
and  the  comfort  of  many  of  its  people, 
•and  also  that  it  will  attract  the  attention 
and  patronage  of  the  medical  fraternity 
of  the  nearby  city,  with  which  many  of 
us  are  so  intimately  connected. 

"One  other  feature  of  your  plans  has 
appealed  to  me,  personally,  more  than 
it  would  to  many.  There  is  hardly  an- 
other person  in  this  room,  excepting 
you  and  myself,  who  knew  the  life  of 
this   town   of  fifty  years   ago.     It   has 


very  largely  passed  away,  and  another 
life,  perhaps  a  broader  'life,  has  taken 
its  place.  But  those  old  roots  were 
strong,  even  if  perhaps  narrow.  The 
love  of  the  town  and  pride  in  its  insti- 
tutions were  as  great,  if  not  even  great- 
er, than  at  the  present  time.  It  is  no 
mere  chance  that  this  town  is  such  a 
peculiarly  beautiful  residential  com- 
munity, the  benefit  of  which  is  being- 
enjoyed  by  many  who  never  give  a 
thought  to  the  why  and  the  wherefore 
of  it  all.  It  may  have  been  narrow  to 
insist  that  a  gas  plant  should  not  be 
established  here  nearly  fifty  years  ago. 
But  no  other  manufacturing  plants, 
with  their  polluting  smoke  and  ugly 
smoke  stacks,  were  able  to  take  root 
here.  The  pride  of  the  land-owning 
class  made  it  impossible  to  establish 
anything  here  but  homes.  But  there 
was  a  deep,  strong  character  in  these 
people.  How  else  could  a  congrega- 
tion, made  up  entirely  of  farmers,  not 
one  of  whom  had  ever  employed  an 
architect  erect  a  church,  employing 
the  most  reputable  architect  in  the  land 
and  adorn  it  with  one  of  the  most  strik- 
ingly beautiful  spires  to  be  found  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Yes, 
some  of  them  mortgaged  their  farms  to 
pay  for  this  thing  of  esthetic  beauty. 
it  has  seemed  to  me  that  many  of  today 
do  not  give  due  appreciation  to  the 
things  and  affairs  of  the  past.  If  desir- 
ing to  add  something  to  the  facilities  of 
the  town,  they  have  ignored  that  which 
existed,  and,  in  effect,  have  throttled 
the  old  in  order  to  plant  the  new.  in- 
stead of  grafting  the  improved  variety 
onto  the  roots  which  existed,  you.  in 
looking  for  a  channel  through  which  to 
make  your  gift  to  the  town,  took  an 
existing  organization,  which  you  graft- 
ed and  pruned,  and  broadened  and  made 
to  absorb. 

"Your  modesty  and  good  judgment 
did  not  call  for  a  Benedict  Hospital : 
you  simply  desired  to  make  sure  that 
the  Greenwich  Hospital  should  include 
all  interest,  and  should  extend  its  bene- 
ficent aid  to  all  classes.  Your  insis- 
tence that  the  competition  between  two 
existing  hospitals  should  cease  was,  in 
my  opinion,  one  of  the  most  valuable 
portions  of  vour  gift,  and  one  which 
will  Iwingf  a  lasting  benefit  to  the  town 
A  comforting  thought,  when  a  fear  has 
arisen  that  the  consolidation  and  sup- 


THE  NEW    HOSPITAL  AT  GREENWICH 


197 


pression     of     competition      might     be 

breaking  the  Sherman  law,  has  been 
that,  without  a  doubt,  we  could  rely 
on  you  to  bail  us  out,  if  arrested. 

"And  now.  Commodore  Benedict, 
without  more  words,  we  accept  this 
wonderful  gift  with  a  due  sense  of  the 
responsibility  which  is  bestowed  on 
this    Association,    and    on     the      Town 


We  want  to  say  God  bless  you.  We 
congratulate  you  on  the  noble  spirit 
which  prompted  this  gift.  Wre  con- 
gratulate ourselves  on  being  thought 
worthy  to  receive  and  administer  it. 
Thank  you." 

A  dedicator)  prayer  was  offered  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Carson,  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 


Commodore  Benedict's  Presentation  Speech. 

Delivered  as  He  Handed  Over  the  Key  to  the  New  Hospital  to  President 

Brush  of  the  Hospital  Association. 


Mr.   I 'resident,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

It  must  be  manifest  to  you  that  this 
is  an  occasion  for  deeds  and  not  for 
words,  but  as  I  have  been  somewhat 
prominent  in  the  construction  of  this 
building,  I  hope  to  be  pardoned  for  oc- 
cupying  a  few  moments  of  your  time  in 
giving  you  a  little  story  of  my  long 
residence  here  and  some  of  the  changes 
which  have  taken  place  during  that 
period. 

In  1849  my  brother  Henry,  ten  years 
older  than  I,  married  and  had  a  little 
son.  He  desired  to  leave  the  city  and 
looked  all  about  for  a  country  home. 
The  New  York  and  New  Haven  Rail- 
road had  just  been  completed.  Having 
passed  through  here  in  his  youth  and 
remarked  upon  the  natural  beauties  of 
the  location,  he  concluded  to  come  here 
and  look  it  over.  Being  particularly 
anxious  to  know  about  its  healthful- 
ness,  he  did  not  go  from  door  to  door 
to  inquire  about  it,  but  straight-way 
went  to  the  little  churchyard  adjoining 
the  Second  Congregational  Church,  be- 
lieving that  the  records  on  the  tomb- 
stones giving  the  ages  of  the  deceased 
would  be  a  fair  indication  of  the  health 
of  the  town.  The  church  was  a  dilapi- 
dated old  wooden  building,  badly  heat- 
ed, with  uncomfortable  seats  and  its 
pulpit  was  reached  by  a  stairway  part- 
ly obscured  by  preposterous  large 
wooden  blocks,  painted  to  look  like 
marble. 

The  report  on  the  tombstones  de- 
cided the  question  of  my  brother  set- 
tling in  this  little  hamlet — as  it  was  at 
that  time. 

Erom   Obadiah   Peck  he  bought   the 


celebrated  Rev.  Dr.  Lewis  Mansion, 
which  the  stage  drivers  on  the  Boston 
Post  road  pointed  out,  over  a  hundred 
years  ago,  as  the  finest  house  between 
New  York  and  New  Haven.  It  was 
a  square  house  with  columns,  wings 
and  large  panes  of  glass,  which  the 
rich  wife  of  the  minister  had  built  for 
him,  and  the  marble  mantel  in  the  par- 
lor was  imported  from  Italy.  It  is  now 
in  my  den  at  Indian  Harbor.  The  Lew- 
is Mansion  was  torn  down  and  a  third 
building  now  occupies  its  site.  Oppo- 
site thereto  was  the  only  store  in  town, 
subsequently  kept  by  Mr.  Brush,  who 
was  I  think,  the  father  of  our  president. 
It  was  a  department  store  of  the  day. 
Besides  being  the  post-office,  it  had  on 
sale  hardware,  crockery,  drygoods,  cas- 
tor oil,  Brandreth's  Pills  and  some 
other  standard  drugs  and  medicines— 
the  first  appearance  of  such  things  in  a 
store  here. 

And  who  were  the  other  residents  on 
what  is  now  called  Putnam  Avenue. 
from  Puts  Hill  to  Colonel  Tom  Mead's? 

On  Puts  Hill  lived  Dr.  Darius  Mead, 
the  only  physician  in  town  and  I  think 
the  father  of  Fred  Mead,  Sr.  He  lived 
to  be  about  85  years  of  age.  Opposite 
him  was  the  home  of  Reverend  Mr. 
Yarrington,  who  died  at  the  age  of  85,. 
and  his  widow,  who  died  at  about  go. 
Just  a  little  westward  and  around  the 
corner  of  what  is  now  North  street, 
lived  Alvin  Mead,  who  lived  to  be  85, 
and  Solomon  Mead,  who  died  at  93. 
Proceeding  westward  along  Putnam 
Avenue,  on  the  right  lived  Mrs.  Mand- 
ville,  who  knitted  me  a  doily  at  the  age 
of  102.     (  )pposite  her  lived  Ered  Mead. 


iu8 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Sr.,  who  died  aged  82.  Then  came  Rev- 
erend Mr.  Hubbard,  who  built  next  to 
us  and  died  at  the  age  of  78,  I  believe. 
Next  to  him  was  Mark  Banks,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  93.  Next  came  Mrs.  Ban- 
croft, who  lived  to  be  85,  and  then  Dr. 
Holly,  who  recently  died  at  the  age  of 
85.  Just  around  in  what  is  now  Lafay- 
ette Place  was  another  Dr.  Mead,  a  suc- 
cessor to  Darius,  who  lived  to  be  about 
85.    Then  came  John  Dayton,  who  lived 


to  be  84,  and  his  widow,  who  lived  to 
be  90.  Then  came  Mr.  Seaman  Mead, 
who  recently  died  at  the  early  age  of 
-jz,  while  his  father,  located  just  west 
of  him,  lived  to  be  93.  I  furnish  the 
ages  attained  by  these  persons  to  our 
present  citizens  to  assure  them  that 
nature  has  done  much  to  satisfy  them 
of  the  salubrity  of  the  town,  and  to  our 
real  estate  brokers  as  good  testimony 
for  intending  purchasers  here.     I  have 


COMMODORE   E.   C.   BENEDICT   HAS   GENEROUSLY'AND     CORDIALLY     OPENED    WIDE    THE 

FRONT  DOOR  OF  A  MAGNIFICENT  HOSPITAL. 


to  be  about  the  same  age.  and  his  wife 
who  died  aged  90.  Next  lived  Mr.  John 
Voorhis,  who  died  at  the  age  of  $2.  At 
this  period  I  lived  at  the  Maples,  where 
the  salubrity  of  the  location  accounts 
for  my  having  nearly  reached  the  age 
of  84.  But  I  moved  to  Indian  Harbor 
and  have  an  old  friend,  Mr.  Willard, 
who  took  my  place  at  the  Maples  and 
still  lives  there  at  the  age  of  86.  Op- 
posite was  Mr.  Joseph  Mead,  who  lived 


named  twenty-one  persons.  Their  av- 
erage age  at  death  was  86  years.  I 
knew  them  all. 

Dr.  Darius  Mead  was  my  brother's 
physician,  from  whom  it  was  difficult  to 
get  a  bill.  At  the  end  of  five  years  he 
succeeded  in  doing  so  and  the  total 
amount  was  $25.  That  was  a  time  of 
big  pills  and  little  bills,  since  which  we 
have  had  little  pills  and  big  bills. 

Greenwich    at    that    time    was    dis- 


THE  NEW  HOSPITAL  AT  GREENWICH 


199 


tinctly  a  Calvanistic  and  Puritanic  set- 
tlement. It  was  not  long  after  the 
Blue  Laws  of  Connecticut  were  in  ex- 
istence (a  copy  of  which  is  in  my  lib- 
rary), and  Colonel  Tom  Mead's  father 
was  empowered  to  arrest  anybody 
traveling-  on  the  Lord's  day,  who  could 
not  prove  that  he  was  on  an  errand  of 
necessity  or  mercy.  Similar  bigotry 
manifested  itself  until  recent  years  in 
legislation  prohibiting  the  New  Haven 
road  from  running  trains  on  Sunday. 
Late  one  evening  T  sat  out  in  front  of  my 
brother's  place  when  a  couple  of  very 
dear  old  ladies  stopped  and  their  scut- 
tle-bonnets made  a  parenthesis  in  their 
conversation.  Mv  brother  was  build- 
ing a  little  billiard  room  adjoining  our 
house.  One  dear  old  ladv  askeH  the 
other:  "What  is  Mr.  Benedict  building 
here?"  The  other  answered:  "T  reallv 
don't  know  but  I  hear'd  tell  it  was  a 
billiard  room,  or  some  other  kind  of  a 
gambling  house."  Tf  that  was  a  gamb- 
ling house.  T  wonder  wha+  ^ose 
dear  old  souls  would  think  of  Mrs. 
Wetherell's  princelv  gambling  house 
which  she  has  built  for  the  young 
Christians  of  this  town. 

At  this  time  some  new  forms  of 
treating  diseases  were  making  their  ap- 
pearance but  the  old  school  nhvsicians 
said  of  them  as  did  lob  (T^th  chapter. 
4th  verse:)  "Ye  are  all  phvsinans  of 
no  value."  I  think  we  arp  better  off 
here  todav  in  that  respect  than  he  was. 
Some  are  like  Luke — the  good  phvsi- 
cian.  In  my  rather  extensive  wander- 
ings in  different  parts  of  the  world,  I 
have  been  very  much  impressed  with 
the  fact  that  to  the  Catholic  Church 
Christianity  owes  the  erection  of  that 
symbol  of  relisrion — the  cros^ — in  re- 
mote places  not  visited  by  any  other 
sects.  While  Protestants  are  apt  to 
charge  bigotry  to  the  Catholics.  1  re- 
member one  incident  in  mv  travels 
showing  that  as  earlv  as  i&Si  they 
were  not  bigoted  on  the  subject  of  med- 
icine. Over  one  thousand  miles  up  the 
Amazon  we  found  a  trading  post  where 
a  Catholic  priest,  besides  ministering 
to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  tribes, 
practised  homeopathv.  which  the  na- 
tives were  slow  to  believe  in.  There  is 
much  less  biVotrv  among  the  cb'ental 
today  than  old  school  doctors  like  to 
see  and  I  trust  hereafter  they  may  heed 
Paul's    injunction    (1st    Thessalonians, 


5th  Chapter,  21st  verse:)  "Prove  all 
things,  hold  fast  that  which  is  good." 
How  can  wisdom  better  be  attained 
than  by  consultation  among  the  best 
practioners  of  all  schools  and  compar- 
ing results?  We  have  also  some  politi- 
cal "heelers"  in  town  who  must  not  be 
permitted  on  the  staff. 

When  I  promised  to  contribute  to- 
wards the  erection  of  this  building, 
there  wrere  many  friends  who  desired 
to  have  it  called  the  Benedict  Hospital. 
T  protested  at  once,  and  still  do  so.  This 
is  not  my  hospital  nor  any  other  per- 
son's  hospital  It  is  everybody's  hospi- 
tal, particularly  the  poor,  who  must  not 
h^m'tate  at  any  future  time  to  claim  its 
services. 

This  month  is  full  of  anniversaries  in 
my  life.  My  sign  will  have  been  up  in 
Wall  Street  sixty  years  on  the  26th  of 
this  month.  Mv  former  neighbor,  R. 
M.  Bruce,  was  mv  first  customer  and 
remained  one  until  he  died.  The  6th 
instant  was  the  58th  anniversary  of  my 
marriage.  The  9th  instant  was  the  45th 
anniversary  of  my  partnership  with 
Pocwell  P.  Flower,  who  afterwards  be- 
come governor  of  the  state  of  New 
York  and  founder  of  the  Flower  Hos- 
pital 42  years  ago.  I  am  the  only  sur- 
vivor of  the  original  board  of  twenty 
trustees.  It  is  4s  vears  since  I  acsisted 
in  raising  funds  for  the  New  York  Op- 
thalmic  Hospital,  when  I  was  made  a 
trustee  and  treasurer  and  am  the  only 
survivor  of  the  original  board  of  seven- 
teen. Realizing  that  charity  should  be- 
gin at  home,  vet  not  end  there,  I  turn- 
ed mv  attention  to  what  is  before  you. 
All  phvsicians  will  agree  that  the  sick 
and  the  injured  should  be  protected 
from  shock,  as  far  as  possible.  There 
is  a  natural  recoil  from  being  taken  to 
a  hospital,  so,  on  their  wav  here  I 
wanted  them  to  have  their  first  glance 
at  this  hospital  a  pleasing  one  in  its 
o"*-w?rd  appearance,  in  which  T  am  told 
T  have  succeeded,  thanks  to  Mr.  Hast- 
ings: and  no  matter  what  preference 
the  suffering  one  mav  have  as  to  treat- 
ment, he  should  find  here  a  phvsician 
fitted  to  his  preference.  And  today  is 
another  eventful  and  joyous  October 
dav  to  me. 

I  now  take  opportunity,  in  conclu- 
sion, to  ask  those  present  who  will  be 
rhnrp-pd  with  the  administration  of  this 
hospital  whether  they  are  fully  in  ac- 


200 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


cord  with  my  wishes  and  our  Constitu- 
tion and  By-Laws  in  regard  to  the  ab- 
solute banishment  of  bigotry  of  every 
form,  as  far  as  possible,  in  its  adminis- 
tration? Not  hearing  any  opposition, 
I  take  it  silence  gives  consent. 

Finally,  I  have  two  recpiests  to  make. 
Placed  in  some  conspicuous  position 
within  these  doors,  I  would  have  a  tab- 
let inserted  with  Paul's  injunction  : 
"Prove  all  things,  hold  fast  that  which 
is  good."  I  should  also  like  to  have 
permission  to  have  inserted  somewhere 
a  tablet  stating  that  I  have  constructed 
this  building  in  memory  <>f  my  dear 
wife,  Sarah  Hart  Benedict.  She  lived 
here  for  about  53  years,  was  very  well 
known  among  the  poor  people  and 
those  who  knew  her  best  can  testify 
that  she  spent  her  whole  time  in  mak- 
ing others  happy  and  had  to  die  to 
cause  a  tear. 

And  now,  Mr.  President,  I  take  great 
pleasure  in  handing  you  the  key  to  this 
edifice — as  a  token  of  my  gift. 

^:  ^  ;{c  ^c  :J: 

Postscript. 

I  did  not  say  in  m y  little  address  all 
I  would  like  to  have  said  and  after 
having  finished  it  occurs  to  me  that  T 
spoke  of  Puritanism  too  harshly.  T 
am  one  of  the  senior  members  of  the 
New  England  Society  and  my  atten- 
dance at  annual  dinners  confirms  my 
strong  belief  that  from  the  characteris- 
tics of  the  Puritan?  this  country  de- 
rives its  greatest  strength  in  character 
and  ability. 

Returning  to  the  subject  of  the 
Lewis  mansion,  after  my  brother  moved 
in  he  invited  my  father  to  visit  him. 
My  father  asked:  "Why,  Henry,  isn't 
this  the  old  Lewis  mansion?"  He  said: 
"Yes  it  is."  "At  a  meeting  of  the  Pres- 
bytery in  1824  I  wa^  ordained  to  preach 
in  front  of  that  mantelpiece." 

My  father  settled  in  Westport  on 
the  first  of  May,  1850.  lie  received  six 
hundred  dollars  and  finally  seven  hun- 
dred dollars  per  annum.  His  friends 
said  it  was  a  very  acceptable  Gospel  at 
the  price. 

My  father  left  a  little,  white  Horse- 
hair trunk  fastened  with  brass  nails,  in 
which  were  some  sermons  of  which 
he  approved  in  his  later  years,  having 
torn  up  those  he  had  preached  against 


the  Jews   and   Catholics   in   his   earlier 
years. 

Stationery  was  expensive  and 
scarce,  so  we  all  saved  scraps  of  paper 
not  written  upon  and  these  my  father 
used  in  writing  sermons  or  headings 
of  discourses.  Among  his  papers  I 
found  he  had  used  the  back  of  Deacon 
Solomon  G.  Taylor's  receipted  shoe 
bill,  it  was  a  six  months'  bill  for  a 
family  of  eight  and  amounted  to  three 
dollars  and  ninety-four  cents.  Of 
course,  it  contained  only  the  headings 
of  a  sermon  condensed  in  some  of  his 
hieroglyphic,  and  1  suppose  it  is  the 
only  piece  of  paper  in  existence,  both 
sides  of  which  were  dedicated  to  the 
saving  of  souls. 

Beginning  when  I  was  eight  years 
of  age,  it  was  my  duty  to  make  the 
matches  for  the  family.  With  my  new 
ten  cent  pocketknife  I  went  to  Staple's 
Lumber  Yard  for  little  pieces  of  pine, 
and  having  got  little  slivers  therefrom 
melted  sulphur  and  dipped  the  slivers 
therein.  The  flint  and  steel  had  to  be 
kept  in  good  order  as  well  as  the  tin- 
der box,  and  failing  to  provide  these 
matches  I  was  forced  to  go  out  to  some 
neighbor  early  in  the  cold,  and  some- 
times snow,  to  get  a  shovelful  of  live 
coals  with  which  to  start  my  fire. 

This  penknife  wras  one  of  three  con- 
spicuous toys  I  had,  the  other  two  be- 
ing a  ten  cent  kaleidoscope  and  a  fifteen 
cent  Noah's  ark  with  its  passengers. 
My  lifelong  fondness  for  yachting, 
which  began  at  that  age,  induced  me 
to  put  the  ark  in  a  pan  of  water  and  it 
soon  became  shipwrecked.  But  the 
passengers  were  saved,  in  rather  a  de- 
moralized condition,  Shem's  wife  be- 
ing stuck  to  an  elephant  and  the  others 
of  the  family  glued  to  the  animals. 

Now  I  would  not  exchange  my  rec- 
ollections of  that  frugal  bringing  up  for 
the  collections  of  the  wide  financial 
vicissitudes  that  have  since  entered  in- 
to mv  career." 


The  inspection  of  the  building,  by  the 
guests,  followed  these  ceremonies,  and 
many  were  the  expressions  of  delight 
called  forth  by  the  completeness  and 
perfection  of  its  appointments  in  every 
department. 

The  main  structure,  three  stories 
high,  300  feet  long  and  averaging   130 


THE  NEW    HOSPITAL  AT  GREENWICH 


20 1 


feet  deep,  and  the  half-dozen  or  more  smooth  and  capacious  walks  and  drives, 

detached  buildings,  are  built  upon  land  contains  nothing  at  all  suggestive  of  the 

purchased     by     Commodore     Benedict  rough  and  rocky  condition  that  obtain- 

from    the    Rockefellers,    and    the    rear  ed  before  the  preparatory  process  be- 

view  shown  in  a  picture  printed  here-  gan,    which    required    almost    intermi- 


THE   NEW    HOSPITAL— FRONT   VIEW. 


THE   NEW   HOSPITAL— REAR   VIEW, 


with,  will  convey  an  adequate  idea  of     nable  rock  blasting  and  excavating  on 

the  one  side,  and   filling  and  terracing 


the  tremendous  amount  of  work  entail- 
ed in  preparing  the  ground  for  the  pur-  on  the  other. 
poses   of   the   undertaking.      The    front  Work   on    the    main    building   began 
view    showing   the    velvety    lawns   and  in   1 9 1 5 ,  under  the  superintendency  of 


202 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


A.  W.  Lockwood,  of  Greenwich,  who 
has  been  "on  the  job"  from  the  start 
until  the  present  time,  and  who  is  still 
supervising  the  "finishing  touches." 
Mr.  Lockwood  is  looking  after  the  in- 
terests of  both  Commodore  Benedict 
and  the  constructing  firm  of  Cauldwell- 
Wingate  Company,  of  New  York. 

In  the  rear  of  the  main  building,  as 
shown  in  the  cut,  are  the  power  house, 
laundry,   illuminating  plant,   auto   gar- 


every  convenience  being  provided  for 
its  convenient  and  sanitary  handling. 

But  the  particularly  noteworthy  fea- 
ture of  the  institution  is  the  scientific 
equipment  of  its  laboratory  and  the 
convenience  of  its  domestic  economy. 

A  pharmacy  department  42  feet  long 
contains  all  the  essentials  of  a  first  class 
drug  store. 

The  operating  rooms  are  outfitted 
with  the  latest  and  most  approved  sci- 


ONE  OF  THE   WARDS   IN  THE  NEW  HOSPTTAL. 

This  cut  and  the  two  on   the   previous   page  arc  by   courtesy   of  the   "Greenwich    News  and   Graphic. 


age,  heating  plant  containing  four  large 
boilers  each  30  feet  long — all  equipped 
with  the  most  up-to-date  appliances 
with  special  reference  to  convenience 
and  security. 

The  buildings  are  constructed  prin- 
cipally of  re-enforced  concrete  and  Da- 
vis salt-glazed  tile,  there  being  only 
eleven  tons  of  steel  in  the  entire  build- 
ing. They  are  absolutely  fireproof— 
so  much  so  that  no  fire  insurance  is 
deemed  necessary.  Practically  the  only 
material  in  the  whole  outfit  that  could 
possibly  burn  are  the  doors  and  the 
stair  banisters.  The  exteriors  are  of 
stucco,  with  brick  trimmings. 

The  wings  of  the  main  building  con- 
tain the  sun  parlors,  of  which  there  are 
ten,  to  be  enclosed  in  glass ;  on  the 
lower  floors  the  kitchens,  a  large  nurs- 
es' lecture  room,  and  the  "morgue"  and 
"maternity  room."  Other  essentials 
include  the  "butcher  shop"-— meat  be- 
ing bought  at  wholesale,  in  bulk,  and 


entific  appliances  and  sanitary  equip- 
ment. 

There  are  six  "wards,"  each  contain- 
ing twelve  beds  of  the  most  modern 
design,  and  all  perfectly  ventilated  and 
supplied  with  the  best  devices  for  light- 
ing and  other  essential  equipment  for 
the  comfort    of  the  patients. 

In  all.  there  are  about  90  beds  at 
present  in  the  hospital,  including  those 
in  the  private  rooms.  And  not  a  single 
bell  to  summon  a  nurse — all  signal  de- 
vices being  in  the  form  of  electric 
lights,  which  have  the  virtue  of  being 
effective  without  the  disturbing  ele- 
ment of  noise.  All  rooms  are  equipped 
with  venti'ating  device  whereby  the  bad 
air  is  expelled  by  electric  fans. 

Electricity  plays  a  conspicuous  part 
in  the  economy  of  the  Hospital.  It  op- 
erates the  machinery  of  the  laundry : 
performs  all  the  labor  of  the  kitchen,  in 
the  way  of  mixing  the  dough  for  the 
bakery  department,   peeling  the  vege- 


THE  NEW  HOSPITAL  AT  GREENWICH 


203 


tables,    etc.,     and     operating"     the     ice- 
making  machinery,  refrigerating  plants 
cooking  ranges,  etc.,  and  the  control  of 
the  two  diet  kitchens  on  each  floor. 

An  interesting  feature  is  the  electric 
control  of  the  two  push-button  eleva- 
tors, which  require  no  "elevator  boys  ;" 
the  passenger  desiring  to  go  up  or 
down  simply  pushes  the  button  in  the 
wall  beside  the  elevator  entrance,  which 
automatically  brings  the  elevator  to  his 
service,  no  matter  at  which  floor  it  may 
happen  to  be  anchored  ;  the  passenger 
enters,  pushes  the  button  indicating  the 
floor  at  which  he  wishes  to  alight,  and 
the  elevator  ascends  or  descends  ac- 
cordingly, and  stops  automatically  at 
the  floor  indicated,  whether  it  be  in  the 
basement  or  the  top  story. 

There  are  four  electric  dumb-waiters 
in  the  establishment,  and  six  hand 
dumb-waiters,  affording  adequate  dumb 
waiter  service  at  any  time  of  the  day  or 
night. 


Commodore   Benedict   and   the   New 
Hospital. 

One  of  the  most  noteworthy  inci- 
dents in  the  recent  history  of  Green- 
wich was  the  presentation,  Sunday  af- 
ternoon, October  14th,  of  the  new 
Greenwich  Hospital  building,  with  its 
complete  equipment,  to  the  town  and 
the  Greenwich  Hospital  Association. 
by  Commodore  E.  C.  Benedict — a  bene- 
faction which  will  stand  for  generations 
to  come  as  a  monument  to  the  generos- 
ity, the  local  patriotism,  the  public 
spirit  and  the  philanthropy  of  the  dis- 
tinguished citizen  whom  Greenwich  has 
long  delighted  to  honor. 

The  speech  in  which  he  conveyed 
the  gift,  is  not  only  an  index  to  the 
man,  but  an  irresistible  reflection  of  his 
generous  motives  and  an  indisputable 
proof  of  the  youthfulness  of  his  age. 

It  breathes  a  broad  and  liberal  in- 
terpretation of  the  philosophy  of  life. 
He  owns  up  to  nearly  84  years  of  exis- 
tence, but  talks  like  sixty — or  less. 
There  is  a  flavor  of  perpetual  youth 
about  the  manner  in  which  he  deals 
wbh  the  old  davs  of  big  pills  and  little 
bills,  as  opposed  to  the  later  days  of 
big  bills  and  little  pills;  his  differentia- 
tion between  the  medical  healers  and 
the  political  heelers,  etc. 

And  a  tribute  to  the  wholesomeness 
of  bis  home  region  is  conveyed  in  his 


enumeration  of  the  friends  of  his  early 
days,  who  lived  to  be  all  the  way  from 
&2  to  102  years  of  age. 

There  is  valuable  historical  and  bio- 
graphical material,  as  well  as  humor 
and  philosophy,  in  the  brief  and  unas- 
suming address  ;  and  through  it  all,  the 
modesty  and  human  element  of  the  man 
shine  forth.  He  disclaims  any  sug- 
gestion of  personal  credit  for  the  prince- 
ly benefaction  he  bestows  upon  his 
community,  but  craves  the  praisewor- 
thy and  pathetic  privilege  of  having 
erected  within  its  walls  a  tablet  in- 
scribed to  the  memory  of  his  departed 
wife,  whose  life  among  our  people,  ex- 
tending over  a  period  of  53  years,  was 
->  benediction  to  the  poor;  who  "spent 
her  whole  time  making  others  happy," 
and  who — what  a  happy  phrase,  and 
how  full  of  meaning — "had  to  die  to 
cause  a  tear."-— Greenwich  News  and 
Graphic. 


Sunset. 

BY    GERTRUDE    O.     PALMER,    LAWRENCE,     KANSAS. 

The  peace  of  evening  settles  o'er  the  town; 
The  air  is  still  and  calm,  as  when  a  child, 
Tired  by  happy  play,  lies  down  to  rest, 
And  breathing  softly,  shuts  his  eyes  in  sleep. 
So   Nature,   with   the   mild,   sweet   breath    of 

eve, 
Reclines    upon    her   bed   of   sunset   light. 
That  forms  a  background  of  celestial  hue 
For  every  bush  and  tree  and  house  and  lawn. 
'Tis  then  the  Master  Painter  dips  His  brush 
Into  the  wells  of  beauty  ,and  illumes 
The  face  of  nature  with  the  tints  of  Heaven. 


How  Do  Spiders  Breathe? 

AX    INQUIRY     FROM    MASTER     IIORTOX    OF 
STAMFORD,    COXX. 

There  are  in  the  spider's  body  two 
kinds  of  openings  into  which  air  enters 
—one  lung  slits  leading  to  lung-like  or- 
gans which  consist  of  a  series  of  flat- 
tened plates  around  which  the  air  cir- 
culates. These  breathing  sacs  are  two 
in  number  in  some  spiders,  four  in 
others,  and  are  placed  in  the  front  part 
of  the  abdomen.  The  other  air  open- 
ings are  similar  to  the  breathing  spira- 
cles of  insects,  and  lead  into  two 
branching  tubes  called  tracheal  tubes. 
The  position  of  the  tracheal  spiracles 
differs.  In  some  spiders  these  are  just 
behind  the  lung  slits ;  in  others  they 
are  a  short  distance  in  front  of  the 
spinnerets. 


The  Enormous  Use  of  Christmas  Trees. 

BY  C.  R.  TIELOTSON,  ACTING  CHIEF  <)F  FOR- 
EST INVESTIGATIONS,  WASHINGTON,   I).   C. 

The  United  States  consumes  annually 
not  less  than  four  million  Christmas 
trees,  or  about  one  to  every  four  families. 
Railroad  statistics  corroborate  this  last 
estimate.  Our  annual  consumption,  even 
at  this  figure,  equals  the  combined  con- 
sumption of  England,  Scotland  and 
Wales,  and  is  about  25  per  cent,  greater 
than  that  of  Germany.  Practically  all 
conifers  can  be  and  are  used  as  Christmas 
trees,  but  the  most  popular  ones  are  the 
firs,  spruces  and,  to  a  less  extent,  the 
pines  and  cedars.  The  use  of  one  or  an- 
other evergreen  for  this  purpose  depends 
frequently  upon  its  accessibility,  particu- 
larly in  the  mountainous  sections  of  the 
country.  Thus,  for  instance,  in  Colorado, 
where  fir  is  abundant  but  grows  at  high 
altitudes  and  therefore  is  difficult  to  get 
out,  the  lodgepole  pine,  growing  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  and  the  Douglas 
fir  are  more  frequently  used  than  the  fir. 

The  fir  is  undoubtedly  the  Christmas 
tree  par  excellence,  especially  in  the 
northwestern  and  Lake  States,  on  ac- 
count of  its  long,  horizontally  spreading, 
springy  branches,  and  its  deep  green  and 
fragrant  foliage  which  persists  longer 
than  that  of  almost  any  other  evergreen. 
Tn  the  northeastern  and  Lake  States  it  is 
the  balsam  fir  {Abies  balsam ea)  that  fur- 
nishes the  bulk  of  the  Christmas  tree 
trade ;  in  the  South  it  is  the  Fraser  fir 
(Abies  fraseri)  which  figures  as  a 
Christmas  tree  but  less  frequently  than 
other  more  accessible  conifers,  since  the 
fir  is  confined  exclusively  to  the  tons  of 
mountains  throughout  North  Carolina 
and  Tennessee.  In  Colorado  and  other 
Rocky  Mountain  States,  fir.  though  abun- 
dant, is  difficult  of  access  and  is  used  only 
sporadically,  giving  its  place  to  lodgepole 
pine,  Douglas  fir,  and  occasionally  to  En- 
gelmann  spruce.  On  the  Pacific  Coast  it 
is  principally  the  white  fir   (Abies  con- 


color)   that  is  used  as  a  Christmas  tree. 

The  spruces  vie  with  the  firs  in  popu- 
larity as  Christmas  trees,  but  as  a  rule  in 
the  South  and  West  they  grow  at  high 
altitudes  which  makes  them  also  difficult 
to  get  at,  and  are  therefore  subst'tuted  by 
less  suitable  but  more  accessible  coni- 
fers. Black  spruce  is  the  tree  most  seen 
in  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  Through- 
out the  States  of  Illinois  and  Ohio  nur- 
serymen supply  the  local  demand  with 
nursery  grown  Norway  spruce. 

The  pines  are  in  great  demand  for 
Christmas  trees  when  fir  and  spruce  are 
not  available,  or  are  only  to  be  had  at  a 
high  price.  Throughout  Maryland,  Vir- 
ginia, and  in  Washington  the  scrub  pine 
(Pin us  Virginia)  finds  a  way  into  many 
homes  for  use  in  this  capacity;  while  in 
southern  Wyoming  the  lodgepole  pine  is 
almost  the  only  species  available  for 
Christmas  trees. 

Hemlock,  on  account  of  its  flexible, 
drooping  branches,  is  not  employed  to  a 
great  extent  as  Christmas  trees  but  large 
quantities  of  its  branches  are  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  so-called  "fancy  green," 
comprising  wreaths  and  other  designs. 
Occasionally  a  few  arborvitae  (white 
cedar)  are  shipped  among  firs  and  spru- 
ces to  New  York  and  Philadelphia  mar- 
kets and  used  as  Christmas  trees. 

Red  cedar  is  not  despised  at  this  sea- 
son when  nothing  better  can  be  had — as 
in  the  treeless  States ;  and,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  it  is  even  used  in  such  States  as 
Tennessee  and  Pennsylvania.  In  Cali- 
fornia it  is  not  uncommon  to  find  incense 
cedar  (Libocednts  decurrens)  and  red- 
wood  used   as   Christmas   trees. 

The  center  of  the  Christmas  tree  indus- 
try lies  in  the  big  cities  of  the  East.  New 
York  City  and  the  New  England  States 
consumes  1,500,000  trees,  or  nearly  half 
of  all  the  output.  Nowhere  does  a  Christ- 
mas tree  furnish  such  enjoyment  as  in 
the  North  where  its  green  foliage  is  so 
suggestive  of  summer  during  the  black- 
days    of    winter — and    especially    in    big 


.ANT  W<  >RLI>  UNDER  CARE 


-5o5 


cities  where  evergreen  trees  can  be  seen 
only  in  the  parks. 

Maine.  New  Hampshire,  the  Berkshire 
Hills  in  .Massachusetts,  the  Adirondack's 
and  the  Catskills  in  New  York  arc  the 
sources  of  supply  for  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia and  Boston,  and  even  for  Balti- 
more and  Washington.  The  swamps  <>l 
Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota 
furnish  the  markets  of  Chicago,  St.  Paul, 
and  Minneapolis. 

The  sizes  of  Christmas  trees  vary  from 
five  to  thirty-five  feet  in  height ;  usually 
short-jointed,    stocky   trees   with    perfect 
whorls  of  branches  at  the  base  of  each 
annual  growth  are  the  most  sought  for. 
The   sale   price   varies,   being   dependent 
upon  the  demand  and  supply.    ( )rdinarily 
small  trees  5  to  6  feet  tall  are  sold  for 
25  cents  in  the  city  markets,  while  a  tree 
from  6  to  10  feet  high  brings  a  dollar  or 
more,  according  to  its  symmetry.     Large, 
shapely  trees  are  sold  in  New  York  City 
at  from  $5  to  $30  apiece,  and  trees  35  feet 
high    bring   as    much    as   $35    each.  The 
average  run  of  prices  is  from  a  minimum 
of  25  cents  to  a  maximum  of  $5   for  a 
tree.     There  is  very  little  profit  in   the 
business  for  those  who  furnish  the  mate- 
rial.   These  are  mostly  farmers  and  own- 
ers of  woodlots  who  look  upon  the  trees 
as  a  gift  of  nature,  and  in  selling  them, 
consider  only   the   labor  of   cutting  and 
hauling  and  not  the  labor  and  expense 
required  to  grow   the  trees.     For  trees 
which  in  the  city  bring  25  cents  the  farm- 
ers get  about  5  cents  or  a  stumpage  of  2 
cents.     Trees  sold  in  the  city  for  $1.50 
apiece  bring  them  only   15  cents.     This, 
of  course,  refers  only  to  the  large  cities, 
in  small   towns   the  demand   is  supplied 
by  the  farmers  directly,  who  cut  down  the 
trees   and    peddle    them    from    house    to 
house.     When  the  market  is  not  glutted 
the  dealers  make  large  profits  (200  to  300 
per  cent,  on  their  outlay ) ,  but  when  the 
supply  exceeds  the  demand  they  are  apt 
to  suffer  losses  and  have  been  known  to 
resort  to  the  destruction  of  many  thous- 
ands of  trees  in  order  to  keep  up  the  price- 
The  work  of  cutting  begins  in  October 
and  trees  that  have  grown  in  the  open 
are  preferred  since  they  have  large,  sym- 
metrical crowns.     The  cut  trees  are  ar- 
ranged   according    to    sizes,    their    tops 
are  wrapped  with  twine  to  save  space  and 
then  tied  up  in  bundles  of  from  one  to 
eight  trees.    They  are  then  hauled  to  the 
railroad  in  hayracks  and  loaded  on  plat- 
form cars. 


The  Farmers'  War  Responsibility. 

BY   MR.  CLARENCE  DUBOSE,  DEPARTMENT  oF 
AGRICULTURE,    WASHINGTON,    I).    C. 

The  war  has  given  to  the  American 
farmer  the  greatest  responsibility,  the 
greatest  privilege  and  the  greatest  task 
any  man  or  any  class  of  men  have  ever 
known. 

The  American  farmer  in  large  de- 
gree will  determine  the  trend  of  human 
history  for  all  time  to  come,  because 
the  enormous  ultimate  consequences  of 
this  conflict  rest  primarily  upon  the 
farmers'  production  of  food  and  feed  to 
sustain  the  fighting  forces.  They  might 
fail  even  with  an  adequate  food  supply  ; 
without  it  they  are  certain  to  fail. 

But  in  his  field,  far  from  the  fury  of 
battle,  far  from  either  the  adventures 
or  the  horrors  of  the  firing  line,  the 
American  farmer  will  say  whether  au- 
tocracy or  democracy  shall  rule  the 
world  during  the  seasons  that  are  to 
come. 

In  a  sense  the  war  will  be  won  or 
lost  in  the  fields,  gardens,  orchards,  pas- 
tures and  hog  lots  of  the  American  far- 
mer. 

The  hope  of  the  American  citizen, 
not  a  farmer,  also  hinges  upon  adequate 
agricultural  production.  Our  aero- 
planes are  useless,  our  guns  are  spiked 
and  our  rifles  jammed,  our  shells  are 
but  as  harmless  baubles,  if  the  farmer 
fails.  This  must  be  understood  in  all 
its  grim  force  by  every  man,  woman  and' 
child  in  America;  by  farmers  and  by 
those  who  are  not  farmers. 

With  food  we  can  win  the  war. 

Lack  of  food  will  lose  the  war. 

Whether  or  not  we  produce  the  food 
depends  upon  whether  or  not  each  and 
every  individual  farmer  does  his  level 
best  on  his  farm — produces  its  maxi- 
mum. 

>j;        4:        %        if.        ■%. 

The  Consumers'  Part. 

But  the  "agricultural  problem" 
means  not  merely  the  production  of 
foodstuffs  and  feedstuffs  and  live  stock. 
It  means  the  conservation  of  the  food 
after  it  is  produced.  That  puts  the 
"agricultural  problem"  squarely  up  to 
every  one  from  the  man  on  a  forty  acre 
field  to  the  man  whose  fertile  lands  run 
farther  than  he  can  see  ;  from  the  tene- 
ment cave-dweller  to  the  occupant  of 
the   costliest   mansion. 


2o6 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


The  agricultural  problem  today 
means  to  every  American,  and  indeed 
to  every  civilized  person  on  earth, 
simply  whether  he  shall,  when  this 
strife  ends,  be  a  free  person  in  a  free 
land  or  whether  he  shall  be  bossed  from 
Berlin. 

That  is  the  precise  interest  that  you, 
now  reading  these  lines,  have  in  the 
agricultural  problem  in  America  today. 
You  may  have  been  a  farmer  all  your 
life  or  you  may  not  know  the  difference 
between  a  straight  furrow  and  a  thresh- 
ing machine — no  matter  what  your  con- 
dition may  be,  one  of  the  two  divisions 
of  the  agricultural  problem  is  yours  ;  to 
produce  food  or  to  conserve  food. 

Many  people  have  thought  of  the 
war  as  "far  away,"  as  a  remote,  imper- 
sonal thing,  a  sort  of  dreadful  night- 
mare, but  not  as  a  spectre  menacing  our 
immediate  persons  and  property.  Our 
appreciation  of  the  actuality  is  more 
poignant  now,  with  our  own  flesh  and 
blood  upon  the  firing  line.  That  firing 
line  is  in  France  today.  It  will  come  to 
America  if  the  farmer  fails. 

No  matter  what  course  military  strat- 
egy may  take,  the  final  battle-field  of 
the  war  is  already  fixed.  The  Water- 
loo of  the  Prussian  autocrat  and  all  he 
stands  for,  or  the  Waterloo  of  Ameri- 
can liberty — the  end  of  autocracv  or  the 
end  of  democracy — the  end  of  Prus- 
sianism  or  the  end  of  freedom — will  be 
wrought' on  the  battlefield  of  the  Amer- 
ican  farm — every  American  farm. 

Another  Battlefield. 

But  even  victory  there  will  not  avail 
if  we  lose  in  another  equally  fateful 
battlefield — the  American  kitchen.  If 
we  produce  to  the  limit  of  farm  resour- 
ces and  energies  and  do  not  conserve 
what  we  produce  we  may  lose  by  waste. 

No  conceivable  responsibility  could 
be  more  grave,  no  privilege  more  proud, 
no  opportunity  more  rich  for  signifi- 
cant service  than  the  American  farmer 
has  today.  The  war  has  sounded  a  call 
to  duty  to  every  individual  throughout 
civilization.  The  course  of  the  individ- 
ual life  is  not  now  to  be  considered  in 
terms  of  self.  The  question  dominating 
every  individual  is  for  what  service  can 
he  be  used — what  can  he  best  do  to 
"help  win  the  war.  To  some  the  call 
comes  to  march  away  with  uniform  and 
gun,  to  some  it  comes  for  the  organiza- 


tion and  administration  of  parts  of  the 
great  war  machine — to  the  American 
farmer  comes  the  call  to  feed  the  forces 
fighting  for  liberty.  To  every  other 
man,  woman  and  child  comes  the  call 
to  save. 


Spare  the  Laurel. 

PUBLISHED  BY  REQUEST  OF  THE  SOCIETY 
FOR  THE  PROTECTION  OF  NATIVE  PLANTS, 
NEWBURY  STREET,  BOSTON,  MASSACHU- 
SETTS. 

The  mountain  laurel  is  one  of  our 
most  beautiful  native  shrubs,  not  only 
when  covered  with  its  wonderful  mass- 
es of  pink  and  white  flowers  in  early 
summer  but  during  the  rest  of  the  year 

on  account  of  its  rich  foliage.  As  it  is 
an  evergreen  it  is  a  striking  feature  in 
the  winter  landscape. 

Laurel  is  typical  of  our  woods  and 
pastures;  to  protect  it  from  destruction 
should  be  our  duty  and  pleasure.  But 
its  very  beauty  and  charm  induce  cut- 
ting 10  an  alarming  extent.  It  is  gath- 
ered extensively  twice  a  year-  In  sum- 
mer the  flowers  are  taken  for  the  deco- 
ration of  church  and  home.  In  winter 
the  inroads  are  even  more  exten  ive 
and  dangerous.  Enormous  quantities 
are  then  used  for  festoons,  for  wreaths, 
in  the  Christmas  dressing  of  churches 
and  the  decoration  of  ballrooms.  As 
it  is  then  cold  weather,  the  foliage  keeps 
well  and  bears  transportation  to  a  dis- 
tance, so  that  the  quantity  collected  is 
only  limited  by  the  demand  and  the 
available  material.  It  is  to  be  noted 
that  this  cutting  is  all  from  wild 
growth,  not  from  plants  grown  for  this 
purpose,  although  the  laurel  is  easily 
cultivated. 

The  flowers  are  borne  only  upon  the 
shoots  of  the  previous  year's  growth. 
If  these  pre  cut,  a  year's  flowering  is 
lost.  When  looking  at  long  festoons 
or"  laurel  leaves,  it  is  saddening  to  think 
of  the  great  quantity  of  bloom  that  has 
been  destroved  in  this  extravagant  win- 
ter decoration. 

Care  for  the  future  often  involves 
sacrifice  in  the  present.  Therefore  can 
we  not  forego  some  decoration  for  the 
sake  of  preserving  for  the  enjoyment  of 
future  generations  the  beauty  of  our 
woods,  swamps  and  pastures  where  the 
laurel  now  grows? 


THE  PLANT  WORLD  UNDER  CARE 


207 


Strawberries  in  November- 
We  have  been  favored  with  a  box  of 
strawberries  on  the  vines  grown  at 
Conneaut  Lake,  Pennsylvania.  Miss 
Bessie  L.  Putnam,  our  contributor, 
says  that  in  gathering  them  she  went 
out  with  a  broom  and  swept  away  ? 
thick  layer  of  snow  which  extends  all 
over  that  part  of  the  country  for  one 
hundred    and    fiftv    miles.      Both    blos- 


then  having  almost  incessant  rains, 
they  were  dampened  and  placed  in  the 
cellar  to  await  the  time  when  the 
ground  was  dry  enough  to  be  put  in 
proper  condition.  At  the  end  of  ten 
days  it  was  discovered  that  they  were 
badly  mildewed,  and  I  then  dug  a  shal- 
low trench  between  showers  and  tem- 
porarily 'mudded'  them  into  it. 

"Not  until  the  middle  of  June  could 


STRAW  TERRIES  OX  THE  VINES  RECEIVED  AT  ARCADIA  FROM  MISS  PUTNAM  IN 

NOVEMBER. 


soms  and  berries  were  under  the  snow, 
and  Miss  Putnam  states  that  she  has  no 
doubt  but  that  when  the  snow  melts 
there  will  be  blossoms  better  than 
those  she  was  able  to  find.  The  variety 
is  known  as  the  Progressive.  Who  has 
had  similar  experience  with  everbear- 
ing strawberries  ? 

Miss  Putnam  writes  : 

"My  experience  with  the  everbearing 
strawberries  covers  but  a  single  season, 
and  that  one  of  extremely  adverse 
weather  conditions,  yet  I  am  convinced 
that  the  good  reports  of  them  from  all 
parts  of  the  country  are  deserved. 

"Early  in  May  I  received  one  hun- 
dred plants  each  of  Americus,  Superb 
and  Progressive,  all  with  large  roots 
and  in  excellent  condition.    As  we  were 


they  be  properly  planted,  and  fully 
twenty-five  per  cent,  were  lost  before 
this  time  came.  Specialists  direct  that 
with  spring  planting  no  blossoms 
should  be  allowed  to  form  before  the 
middle  of  June  or  first  of  July,  and 
under  the  conditions  above  noted  we 
decided  to  pick  all  buds  until  August 
1st.  But  the  plants  were  so  persistent 
both  in  throwing  out  runners  and  form- 
ing buds  that  about  the  middle  of 
July  it  was  concluded  best  to  let  them 
do  as  they  pleased.  And  each  plant 
usually  showed  three  or  more  clusters 
of  blossoms,  and  half  matured  and  per- 
fect fruit  from  that  time  until  freezing 
weather  about  the  middle  of  October. 

"The  fruit  proved  of  good  form,  col- 
or and  flavor — as  fine  as  the  berries  of 
June.     At  present  writing  November 


208 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


14th  there  are  still  numerous  blossoms 
and  immature  fruits,  though  we  have 
had  at  least  two  genuine  snowstorms, 
with  freezing  nights  most  of  the  time 
for  a  month,  mercury  in  one  instance 
falling  to  ten  degrees  Fahr.  True,  the 
stems  are  now  short,  the  blossoms  hug- 
ging the  earth,  and  little  attempt  is 
made  to  mature  berries;  but  it  proves 
that  the  plants  are  ready  to  do  their 
part  with  half  a  chance. 

"Of  the  three  varieties,  Superb  gives 
promise  of  being  the  best  late  summer 
bearer,  the  Progressive  the  most  pro- 
ductive in  autumn.  With  these  two 
varieties  I  believe  that  berries  may  be 
had  every  day  during  summer  and 
autumn  until  the  supply  is  cut  short  by 
freezing  weather." 


Potato  Balls  in  West  Virginia. 

Littleton,  West  Virginia. 

To  the  Editor : 

In  regard  to  the  numerous  articles 
on  the  potato  seed  balls,  1  wish  to  say 
that  in  my  agriculture  class  this  fad 
one  of  my  pupils  presented  me  with 
several  of  these  balls — the  hrst  1  ever 
saw.  I  had  always  thought  that  the 
potato  balls  were  extinct,  but  my  ex- 
perience goes  to  confirm  the  statement 
in  The  Guide  to  Nature  that  they  arc- 
still  found  in  fair  quantities  in  certain 
communities.  So  far  as  I  can  learn, 
however,  these  are  the  first  to  be  found 
in  West  Virginia  for  some  time. 
Yours  sincerely, 
Cleveland  P.  Hickman. 


The  Lover. 

BY    HARRIET    REYNOLDS,    UPPER    FALLS, 
MARYLAND. 

The   little  green  moss,  the  dear  green 
moss, 
That   grows   with    the    ferns   by    the 
river ! 
No  one  sees  the  pretty  green  moss 
No  one  looks  at  it  ever. 

They  look  at  the  river  rushing  away. 
At  the  beautiful  trees  bending  over  ; 

I  can  always  see  the  little  green  moss, 
It  is  dear  to  the  eyes  of  its  lover. 

The  little  green  moss,  the  fresh  green 
moss, 
That  grows  where  the  brook  is  the 
fleetest! 


There   the   phoebe   has   a   nest   for   her 
babes. 
There     the     woodthrush     sings     his 
sweetest. 


The  little  green  moss !    The  fairy  green 
moss ! 
W here  the  waterfall  plays  a  tune 
It  weaves  the  robes  that  the  moon  elves 
wear 
When  they  dance  in  the  fidl  of  the 
moon. 

The  little  green  moss !    The  kind  green 
moss ! 
Around  a  pool  in  the  innermost  for- 
est, 
There   is  a   safe  retreat  for  the   weary 
feet 
Of   the   hare,   when   the   hunt   is   the 
hardest. 

The  little  green  moss,  the  lovely  green 
moss, 

With    crimson    berries    dress'd. 
The  mother  partridge  knows  full  well 

Where  her  brownies  feast  and  rest. 

The   little  green   moss,   the   soft  green 
moss, 
In  the  pine  woods  cool  and  sweet! 
No  queen  has  a  carpet  so  rich  and  so 
rare 
As  the  one  that  it  makes  for  my  feet. 

The  little  green  moss  !     The  evergreen 
moss ! 

When  snowflakes  are  fast  flying, 
Under  the  snow  is  an  emerald  glow, 

It  is  the  little  green  moss  undying. 

The  little  green   moss  makes  the  wild 
woods  sweeter. 
And  the  grand  blue  sky  above  it ! 
I  thank  my  God  that  He  made  the  green 
moss, 
And  gave  me  the  heart  to  love  it. 


Overtones. 

I  heard  a  bird  at  break  of  day 

Sing  from  the  autumn  trees 
A  song  so  mystical  and  calm, 

So   full   of  certainties, 
No  man,  I  think,  could  listen  long 

Except  upon  his  knees. 
Yet  this  was  but  a  simple  bird, 

Alone,  among  dead  trees. 
-William   Alexander   Percy  in   Contempor- 
ary Verse. 


EDITORIAL 


The  Bigness  of  Little  Things, 
hi  the  Welcome  Reception  Room  1 
recently  entertained  a  company  of 
guests,  and  tried  to  point  out  the  wide 
held  rilled  by  biology,  preaching  a  lit- 
tle sermon  from  nature  with  the  motto 
of  The  Agassiz  Association,  "Per  na- 
turam  ad  Deum,"  as  my  text-  There 
seems  to  be  no  better  form  of  nature 
than  such  tiny  specimens  as  present 
aspects  of  great  biological  importance 
and  also  show  a  design  in  their  struc- 
ture that  is  not  only  beautiful  but  won- 
derful.  Yet  there  was  one  person  pre- 
sent who  overlooked  the  tremendous 
importance  of  these  little  objects.  She 
considered  them  as  playthings,  and  me 
as  a  man  whose  time  should  be  devoted 
to  the  big  things  of  life,  to  the  things 
of  importance!  She  perceived  not  the 
bigness  of  the  biological  import  but 
only  the  smallness  of  the  small  objects. 
On  her  face  was  a  look  of  pity  for  the 
grown  person  that  could  fritter  away 
his  time  upon  such  microscopic  mat- 
ters. 

"Please  tell  me,  do  you  find  these  lit- 
tle things  very  entertaining?"  The  in- 
quiry was  eminently  proper.  With 
that  I  am  in  accord,  but  there  are  some 
things  so  absolutely  proper,  so  trite, 
so  bland,  so  ignorantly  innocent,  that 
they  are  capable  of  causing  nervous 
prostration.  After  devoting  a  third  of 
a  century  to  the  diligent  study  of  mi- 
croscopical matters,  after  erecting  here 
at  ArcAdiA  an  equipment  costing 
many  hundreds  of  dollars,  after  por- 
traying the  wonders  of  the  microscopi- 
cal world,  especially  in  their  relation 
to  the  biggest  affairs  of  human  welfare 
and  destiny,  after  having  time  and 
again  reveled  in  this  magical  micro- 
scopical world,  that  bland  and  innocent 
tone  came  like  a  blow  in  the  face, 
"Please  tell  me,  do  you  find  these  little 
things  very  entertaining?"  It  affected 
my  nerves,  and  perhaps  in  combina- 
tion with  something  I  had  eaten  it 
troubled  my  sleep.     That  night  I   was 


restless  and  my  mind  rambled  in 
strange  dreams.  I  dreamt  that  I  at- 
tended a  piano  recital  by  a  wonderful 
player — Paderewski  perhaps.  I  joined 
with  the  audience  in  appreciative  ap- 
plause, and  at  the  close  of  the  perfor- 
mance I  went  forward  with  others  to 
thank  the  player-  I  picked  up  a  sheet 
of  music  that  lay  on  the  piano  and 
pointing  to  a  long  run  of  sixteenth 
notes  inquired,  "Please  tell  me,  do  you 
find  these  little  things  very  entertain- 
ing?" Now  it  was  only  a  dream  but 
there  was  a  trapdoor  on  the  stage.  Mr. 
Paderewski  fairly  had  a  fit  and  the  last 
I  saw  of  him  he  was  falling,  falling, 
down,  down  far  beyond  that  trapdoor 
in  the  hazy  darkness  of  the  depths.  He 
never  struck  but  I  rolled  over  in  bed 
and  started  in  again. 

In  my  dream  I  was  young  again,  and 
was  one  of  a  throng  attending  a  wed- 
ding. We  saw  the  bride,  beautiful  and 
blushing,  and  the  procession  of  brides- 
maids and  flower  girls.  The  groom  en- 
tered, and  I  heard  the  words,  "Do  you 
take  this  man  for  better  for  worse," 
and  the  trembling,  loving  response.  I 
knew  it  as  it  can  be  known  only  by  one 
who  has  known  the  birth  and  death  of 
children,  who  has  known  the  tremen- 
dous seriousness  and  joy  of  marriage, 
but  in  my  dream  I  said,  as  I  took  the 
bride  by  the  hand  and  gazed  intently 
at  the  tiny  band  of  gold,  "Please  tell 
me,  do  you  find  these  little  things  very 
entertaining?"  The  groom,  thinking 
me  lacking  in  appreciation,  grasped  me 
at  various  parts  of  my  clothing:  and 
threw  me  out  of  the  window.  When  I 
landed  on  the  ground  I  said  as  I  awak- 
ened, "It  seems  as  if  I  will  not  get  any 
sleep  to-night  " 

1  readjusted  my  pillows,  tried  to  get 
a  cool  and  comfortable  position  for  my 
arms  and  was  in  my  dream  once  more- 
I  saw  a  funeral  procession.  It  wound 
around  the  corner  of  the  road  to  the 
cemetery  and  climbed  the  hill.  I  can 
see  the  very  post  where  our  horse  was 


2IO 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


hitched.  I  went  with  the  crowd  into 
the  cemetery  and  standing  near  the 
grave  watched  the  pallbearers  bring 
in  the  casket,  lay  the  Mowers  one  siue 
and  adjust  the  straps.  The  minister 
came  forward  with  a  little  earth  in  Ins 
hand  just  ordinary  everyday  earth, 
but  as  he  was  about  to  say,  "Earth  to 
earth,  ashes  to  ashes,  dust  to  dust,"  1 
rushed  forward  and  grabbed  him  by 
the  hand.  "Hold  on.  Let  me  see  what 
you  have  in  your  hand."  Naturally  he 
was  a  little  surprised  but  he  opened  his 
hand  and  I  gazed  upon  him  and  then 
gazed  mysteriously  upon  the  little 
particles  of  dirt  in  his  hand.  I  searched 
my  pockets  for  my  lens  and,  looking 
intently  on  the  particles  of  earth,  I 
said,  "Please  tell  me,  do  you  find  these 
little  things  very  entertaining?" 

Then  1  found  myself  in  a  padded 
cell  of  a  lunatic  asylum  bound  hand 
and  foot  as  a  dangerous  maniac.  I 
struggled  and  of  course  that  freed  me 
from  the  tangle  of  the  bedclothes  and 
I  was  ready  to  start  again-  I  could  not 
bear  the  thought  of  being  a  maniac  and 
began  to  philosophize  and  to  wonder  if 
insanity  comes  from  a  microbe.  Then 
in  my  somnambulistic  tour  1  came  to 
Pasteur's  laboratory.  The  great  man 
was  studying  a  microbe.  Around  him 
were  the  multitudes  whose  lives  he  had 
saved.  However,  I  did  not  stop  to  look 
at  the  people  but  rushed  to  Pasteur  and 
his  microbe.  "You  big,  big  man,  why 
do  you  fritter  away  your  time  in  this 
way?"  He  exclaimed,  "Look,  look!  I 
have  found  it.  And  now  I  can  save 
thousands  of  lives  and  help  the  world 
to  help  itself."  I  had  to  look  through 
his  microscope  a  second  time  and  even 
to  rub  my  eyes  before  I  could  see  any- 
thing, and  even  when  I  did  see  a  tiny 
and  transparent  something  I  was  al- 
most in  doubt  as  to  whether  I  had  seen 
it  or  not.  But  I  hugged  Pasteur  and 
shouted  joyfully :  "At  last  I  have  found 
you.  You  come  to  my  maniac  cell,  you 
crazy  headed  man-"  But  still  I  seemed 
to  be  possessed  by  a  delirum  for  I  ad- 
ded, "Please  tell  me,  do  you  find  these 
little  things  very  entertaining?"  Just 
as  things  began  to  happen  I  heard  some 
one  calling,  "Wake  up!  wake  up!  you 
must  be  lying  in  a  cramped  position  to 
give  such  a  yell  as  that." 

It  was  only  a  series  of  painful  dreams 
and  a  restless  night.    I  hope  I  shall  not 


often  have  such  nights.  I  should  like 
to  rid  my  brain  of  that  awful  memory 
of  that  perfectly  proper  question,  that 
ignorantly  innocent  tone,  "Please  tell 
me,  do  you  find  these  little  things  very 


entertaining?' 


Four  Years  on  the  Campus  without 
Knowing   the   Campus. 

As  we  have  recently  published  letters 
about  the  pitcher-shaped  leaves  of  the 
ash,  Mr.  Frank  B.  Hopkins  of  North 
Salem,  Indiana,  thought  he  could  sup- 
ply us  with  specimens  because  he  re- 
called such  leaves  as  growing  on  an  ash 
on  the  campus  at  Bloomington.  He 
learned  of  one  of  the  alumnae  who  was 
to  visit  the  school,  and  requested  her  to 
get  the  leaves  for  him-     He  writes: 

"I  carefully  mapped  the  campus  and 
described  the  tree  and  the  leaves,  then 
rested  in  the  blissful  thoMorht  fhnt  a 
graduate  of  the  school  could  find  any- 
thing on  the  grounds.  But  abs!  her 
mind  had  been  filled  with  other  and 
more  sentimental  things  in  her  under- 
graduate  davs,  for  lo!  she  b-r-o-u-g-h-t 
me  b-i-r-c-h  !" 

Now  where  can  an  expression  be 
found  to  describe  a  circumstance  like 
that?  But  the  pitiful  thing  is  that  that 
ahimna  of  Bloomington  is  far  from  be- 
ing alone.  Ask  any  graduate  of  almost 
anv  high  school  or  college  what  is  to 
be  found  on  the  campus,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  he  can  mention  one  one- 
hundredth  part  of  the  objects  to  be  ob- 
served there.  He  may  know  of  the 
things  many  thousand  miles  awav,  and 
yet  have  no  cognizance  of  the  things 
about  his  own  home.  The  alumna  is 
herself  not  so  pitable  as  is  the  lamen- 
table fact  for  which  she  stands.  After 
four  vears  in  college  and  with  member- 
ship in  the  faculty  of  another  school, 
she  did  not  know  the  leaf  of  the  ash 
tree  from  that  of  the  birch.  But  why 
should  we  deplore  the  fact?  Tt  mav  be 
duplicated  and  more  than  duplicated  in 
almost  any  school. 


Goldfish,  reports  Robert  T.  Hance  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  are 
easily  raised  in  aquaria  from  the  egg. 


Sow  an  act  and  reap  a  habit ;  sow  a 
habit  and  reap  a  character ;  sow  a  char- 
acter and  reap  a  destiny. — Anonymous. 


The  Heavens  in  December. 

By  Professor  Eric  Doolittle  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania- 


By  far  the  most  striking-  star  groups 
of  the  heavens  are  those  which  now 
fill  the  eastern  sky.  Even  one  who  sel- 
dom looks  upward  and  who  hardly 
knows  one  star  from  another  is  apt  to 
have  his  attention  arrested  by  this 
beautiful  display  and  to  perhaps  won- 


The  groups  of  Taurus,  Orion  and 
Gemini  have  now  mounted  high  above 
the  eastern  horizon.  In  this  region 
there  also  shine  the  golden  Capella  and 
the  bluish  Procyon,  while  the  Greater 
Dog  Star,  Sirius,  the  greatest  sun  of 
all,   is   just   emerging   from    below   the 


rJOPTH 


SOUTH 

Figure   1.      The   Constellations   at   9    P.    M.,    December    1.      (If   facing  south,    hold   the   map   upright.      If 
facing  east,   hold   East  below.     If  facing  west,   hold   West  below.    If  facing  north,   hold  map   inverted.) 


der  why  the  stars  seem  to  him  so  un- 
usually bright,  probably  not  at  all 
knowing  that  the  heavenly  objects 
which  shine  upon  these,  the  earliest  of 
our  winter  evenings,  are  wholly  differ- 
ent from  the  fainter  stars  which  are  to 
be  seen  on  the  evenings  of  summer. 


ground.  There  is  only  wanting  the 
bright  group  Leo,  and  when,  toward  the 
end  of  the  month,  this  also  enters  our 
evening  sky  the  brilliant  train  of  win- 
ter constellations  will  be  complete. 

All  of  these  bright  stars  will  remain 
with  us  throughout  the  winter.     It  will 


212 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


not  be  until  toward  the  close  of  April 
that  the  western  edge  of  Taurus  will 
have  reached  the  western  horizon  and 
the  withdrawal  of  the  bright  winter 
groups  from  our  evening  heavens  will 
begin. 

The  remarkable  position  of  the  planet 
lupiter,  almost  in  the  center  of  Taurus 


Figure  2.  South  Polar  regions  of  the  earth,  show- 
ing the  area  within  which  the  eclipse  of  the  sun  of 
December    14    will    be    visible. 


and  just  above  the  Hyades,  will  afford 
the  observer  an  unusually  good  oppor- 
tunity for  clearly  seeing  the  motion  of 
this  slowly  moving  world.  Though 
Jupiter  moves  slowly  eastward  in  its 
great  orbit  and  thus  completes  the  en- 
tire circuit  of  the  heavens  in  the  course 
of  twelve  years,  it  is  now  "retrograd- 
ing," or  moving  westward,  among  the 
stars.  This  apparent  backward  motion 
is  caused  by  the  fact  that  our  earth, 
which  is  now  between  Jupiter  and  the 
sun,  is  moving  eastward  faster  than 
the  distant  planet  and  so  displacing  it 
westward  in  the  sky. 

On  December  i  the  observer  will 
see  Jupiter  at  the  position  of  A  of  Fig- 
ure i,  wholly  to  the  east  of  the  Hyades, 
while  by  the  end  of  the  month  it  will 
have  moved  to  the  position  B,  wholly 
to  the  west  of  this  group  and  almost 
midway  between  the  Pleiades  and  the 
star  at  C.  This  backward  motion  will 
continue  until  next  January  26,  when 
a  rapid  eastward  motion  will  begin. 
***** 

The  Eclipses  of  December. 

Two  interesting  eclipses  will  occur 
during  the  present  month,  one  of  the 
sun  and  one  of  the  moon.  These  will 
make  a  total  of  no  less  than  seven  eclip- 


ses which  have  taken  place  during  the 
year  10 17.  which  is  the  greatest  number 
that  can  occur  in  any  one  year. 

The  first  December  eclipse  will  be  a 
so-called  "Annular  Eclipse"  of  the  sun. 
This  will  be  wholly  invisible  to  us  and 
can,  in  fact,  only  be  seen  by  observers 
within  the  area  M,  N,  P,  Q  of  Figure 
2.  Throughout  most  of  this  region  the 
black  disk  of  the  moon  will  be  seen  to 
move  across  and  so  cover  a  portion 
only  of  the  bright  disc  of  the  sun  ;  from 
all  points  along  the  line  A,  B  however 
the  center  of  the  moon  will  be  seen  to 
move  exactly  across  the  center  of  the 
sun.  At  this  time  our  satellite  will  be 
so  far  from  the  earth  that  it  will  not  ap- 
pear sufficiently  large  to  completely 
hide  the  sun.  Even  when  the  center  of 
the  moon  is  seen  exactly  upon  the  cen- 
ter of  the  sun,  a  narrow  rim  of  the  sun's 
disc  will  remain  uncovered,  thus  en- 
circling the  black  disc  of  the  moon 
with  a  brilliant  ring  of  light. 

The  second  December  eclipse  will 
be  a  total  eclipse  of  the  moon.  This 
may  be  viewed  during  the  early  morn- 
ing hours  of  December  28  from  all  sta- 
tions in  North  and  South  America  and 
from  Eastern  Asia.  Unfortunately,  the 
eclipse  occurs  at  a  rather  inconvenient 
hour;  it  will  be  necesary  for  the  obser- 
ver to  remain  up  until  long  after  mid- 
night of  December  27  in  order  to  wit- 
ness it,  but  the  phenomena  are  so  very 
interesting  that  he  will  be  well  repaid 
for  his  trouble. 

The  great  shadow  of  the  earth,  which 
stretches  out  into  space  to  a  distance 
of  857,000  miles  in  a  direction  exactly 
opposite  the  sun,  has  a  conical  shape. 
From  any  point  within  this  shadow 
cone  the  light  of  the  sun  will  be  cut 
off,  the  brilliant  sun's  disc  being  hidden 
as  seen  from  this  point  by  the  opaque 
ball  of  the  earth  coming  in  front  of  it. 
The  moon  will  plunge  into  this  shadow 
and  so  be  darkened  on  December  28, 
the  center  of  the  moon  moving  along 
the  path  M,  N  of  Figure  3. 

The  moon's  center  will  reach  the 
position  A  and  the  eclipse  begin  on 
December  28  at  3.5.6  A.  M.  (Eastern 
standard  time)  ;  it  will  reach  the  posi- 
tion B  and  the  moon  be  most  deeply  im- 
mersed in  the  shadow  at  4.46.18  A.  M., 
and  it  will  reach  the  point  C  and  the 
eclipse  will  end  at  6.27.24  A.  M. 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


21 


1 1  will  be  noticed  that  even  when 
the  center  of  the  moon  is  at  B  the  moon 
is  so  far  from  the  center  of  the  shadow- 
that  this  eclipse  barely  misses  being 
only  a  partial  one.  The  moon  will,  in 
fact,  remain  wholly  immersed  in  the 
shadow  for  only  sixteen  minutes  and 
thirty  seconds.  As  much  sunlight  is 
usually  bent  within  the  shadow  by  re- 
fraction as  it  passes  through  the  rim  o1 
air  surrounding  the  earth,  the  upper 
portion  of  the  moon  will   at  this  time 


fortunate  that  this  planet  has  been  for 
many  months  so  very  far  below  the 
equator  that  it  could  only  be  seen  low 
in  the  southwestern  sky.  It  moves  up- 
ward quite  rapidly  during  December, 
but  as  it  also  draws  nearer  the  sun  its 
time  of  setting  will  remain  nearly  con- 
stant. 

Mars  moves  rapidly  eastward  dur- 
ing the  month,  passing  from  the  east- 
ern borders  of  Leo  into  the  constella- 
tion \ 'irgo.     It  rises  a  little  to  the  north 


Figure  3.     Passage  of  the  moon  through   the   earth's  shadow   on    December   28.      The   lower   figure   shows 
the   appearance   of   the   partly   eclipsed   moon    at   various   hours. 


doubtless  be  far  more  darkened  than 
the  lower  portion  and  the  latter  will 
very  probably  present  an  ever-chang- 
ing reddish  and  greenish  combination. 

The  Planets  in  December. 

The  planet  Mercury  will  reach  its 
greatest  distance  to  the  east  of  the 
sun's  rays  on  the  morning  of  December 
17.  For  a  few  evenings  before  and  af- 
ter this  date  it  may  be  seen  shining  in 
the  twilight  glow,  very  far  toward  the 
southwest,  for  somewhat  more  than 
one  hour  after  sunset. 

Venus,  which  reached  its  greatest 
eastern  elongation  on  November  30,  re- 
mains our  very  conspicuous  evening 
star  throughout   the  month.      It   is   un- 


of  the  east  point  of  the  horizon  at  about 
11.30  P.  M.,  but  is  not  sufficiently  high 
in  the  sky  for  satisfactory  observation 
until  well  after  midnight. 

Jupiter  remains  the  most  brilliant  ob- 
ject in  the  eastern  heavens,  riding  high 
in  the  sky,  in  excellent  position  for  ob- 
servation. An  interesting  phenomenon 
of  its  satellites  may  be  seen  during  the 
nights  of  December  1,  6,  8,  15,  17,  22,  24 
and  31. 

This  month  witnesses  the  entrance 
of  the  beautiful  Saturn  into  our  even- 
ing heavens.  This  planet,  which,  like 
Jupiter,  is  slowly  retrograding,  will  be 
seen  to  rise  at  about  9  P.  M.  on  Decem- 
ber t  and  so  earlv  as  7  P.  M.  on  Decem- 
ber 31.     Throughout  the  winter  it  will 


2I4 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


remain  with  ns,  a  most  interesting  ob- 
ject for  observation. 

On  December  22  at  4.46  A.  M.  (East- 
ern standard  time),  the  sun  will  reach 
its  lowest  position  in  the  heavens  and 
at  this  instant  winter  will  begin.  This 
will  also  be  the  shortest  day  of  the  pre- 
sent year,  this  day  being  no  less  than 
five  hours  and  thirty  minutes  shorter 
than  the  following  night. 


Private   Observatory  at  Duluth. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Darling  has  recently  com- 
pleted an  observatory  at  Duluth. 
Minnesota,  and  installed  a  9-inch  re- 
fractor.   This  is  for  the  owner's  private 


Superior  and  927  feet  above  sea  level. 
It  is  not  far  from  the  business  portion 
of  trie  city  and  the  harbor  but  the  pre- 
vailing winds  are  such  that  smoke  from 
the  mills,  elevators,  etc.,  does  not  reach 
the  observatory.  Weather  records 
show  that  an  average  of  about  one-third 
of  the  days  are  clear,  one-third  art 
cloudy,  and  one-third  are  partly  cloudy. 
Air  conditions  appear  to  be  fairly  good 
as  far  as  can  be  judged  from  a  number 
of  years  use  of  a  33/2 -inch  telescope. 
The  electric  lights  of  the  city  are  liable 
to  interfere  some  with  the  seeing,  but 
probably  not  to  a  serious  extent. 

The   observatory   is   located   on   city 
property,  in  an  unimproved  park.     Per- 


MK.  DARLING'S  OBSERVATORY  AT  DULUTH.  MINNESOTA. 


use,  to  view  celestial  objects  and  for 
an  aid  to  his  study  of  astronomy.  It  is 
his  desire  also  to  make  this  observa- 
tory a  means  of  awakening  an  interest 
in  this  noble  science  among  the  people 
of  his  city  and  of  contributing  towards 
a  popular  knowledge  of  the  subject. 
There  has  been,  it  is  believed,  no  tele- 
scope in  Duluth  or  its  vicinity  larger 
than  3T/2-inch  and  these  with  a  tripod 
mounting  and  moved  by  hand,  so  that 
this  larger  and  clock-driven  instrument, 
suitably  housed,  will  go  toward  filliner 
a  want  in  the  community. 

The  site  is  about  325  feet  above  Lake 


mission  was  given  to  use  this  site  on 
condition  that  the  observatory  should 
be  open  to  the  public  at  such  times  and 
under  such  conditions  as  the  owner 
Might  deem  practical  and  advisable.  The 
owner  will  endeavor  to  arrange  in  some 
way  for  the  continued  maintenance  and 
use  of  the  observatory  after  he  has  done 
with  it,  possibly  by  the  High  School 
or  the  State  Normal  School  located  in 
Duluth,  or  by  the  city  direct,  so  that  it 
will  remain  a  permanent  city  institu- 
tion. The  cost  of  the  observatorv  has 
been  a  little  more  than  $n,ooo- — Popu- 
lar Astronomv. 


TO  KNOW    THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


What  is  Done  at  This  Observatory. 

Duluth,  Mich. 
To  the  Editor: 

Replying  to  your  note  of  the  6th  in- 
stant I  take  pleasure  in  saying  that  my 
nine-inch  refractor  is  performing  well 
and  it  appears  to  be  a  first  class  instru- 
ment both  as  to  its  optical  parts  and  the 
mounting.  My  19-foot  revolving  dome 
and  the  shutter  are  also  operating  well. 
In  designing  the  dome  I  simplilied  the 
construction  and  reduced  the  weight 
of  some  of  the  members  where  I  found 
it  could  be  safely  done,  as  compared 
with  the  design  of  several  other  steel 
domes  that  I  examined,  and  made  sev- 
eral improvements  in  details.  It  is  al- 
so I  believe  as  nearly  weather-proof 
as  is  practically  possible  to  build  it-  It 
has  already  passed  through  some  storms 
of  wind  and  rain  and  snow  which  gave 
it  a  crucial  test. 

Already  I  am  realizing  the  pleasure 
and  luxury  of  viewing  the  fine  celestial 
objects  with  which  the  sky  abounds, 
and  the  telescopic  observations  prove 
also  a  useful  supplement  to  the  printed 
information  in  standard  treatises  on 
astronomy,  in  my  study  of  this  great 
subject.  Will  add  that  I  am  not  a  pro- 
fessional astronomer  but  an  engineer, 
and  had  given  forty  years  of  service  to 
the  Government  in  the  work  of  surveys 
and  harbor  improvements  up  to  the 
time  of  my  voluntary  retirement  four 
years  ago.  Always  fond  of  astronomy, 
I  followed  up  the  study  as  far  as  op- 
portunity permitted  although  my  exact- 
ing profession  gave  but  little  leisure  for 
this.  With  a  small  telescope  I  did  some 
observing  in  our  back  yard  and  to  this 
primitive  observatory  with  a  tripod  for 
the  pier  and  the  clear  sky  for  my  dome 
I  occasionally  invited  neighbors  to  join 
with  me  in  looking  at  planets,  the  moon 
and  an  occasional  comet.  Of  course  I 
tried  to  tell  my  visitors  some  of  the 
most  interesting  facts  regarding  these 
objects,  and  these  modest  efforts  seem- 
ed to  be  appreciated. 

Mv  new  observatorv  is  in  fact  but 
an  enlargement  of  the  simple  plan  just 
mentioned.  I  am  giving  to  the  public 
one  week  of  consecutive  evenings  dur- 
ing e^rh  month,  the  time  selected  be- 
ing when  the  moon  is  at  its  best  phases 
for  observation,  which  I  find  to  be  the 
most  attractive  object  for  the  general 


visitor.  Planets,  double  stars  and  star 
clusters  are  also  viewed  as  far  as  time 
permits  during  the  two  hours  of  the 
early  evening  given  to  the  public. 
From  fifteen  to  twenty  persons  are  ac- 
commodated at  one  time,  and  dates  are 
arranged  by  phone  in  advance.  Usual- 
ly the  first  part  of  the  evening  is  given 
to  an  illustrated  talk,  explanatory  of 
the  objects  which  are  to  be  viewed  and 
including  something  of  the  broader 
general  features  of  our  solar  and  stellar 
systems-  Further  explanations  are  of 
course  given  in  the  telescope  room.  No 
charge  is  made  for  admission  nor  col- 
lection  taken. 

More  than  five  hundred  have  visited 
bv  observatorv  since  its  opening  last 
Mav.  For  many  of  these  it  was  their 
first  look  through  a  telescope.  The  vis- 
itors have  generally  seemed  very  ap- 
preciative and  pleased  and  quite  a  num- 
ber evinced  a  keen  interest  in  astrono- 
my. Ouestions  were  asked  and  discus- 
sions followed.  All  this  is  gratifying 
to  the  owner  and  encourages  the  hope 
that  this  observatorv  wi1l  provide  an  ef- 
ficient means  of  promoting  a  popular 
knowledge  of  this  fascinating  and  in- 
spiring science  among  our  citizens. 

J.  H.  Darling. 


The  Sun  Dav  and  the  Star  Day. 

BY    PROFESSOR    MARY    E.    BYRD,    LAWRENCE, 
KANSAS. 

Those  who  are  not  confirmed  star- 
gazers  are  often  puzzled  by  what  seem 
erratic  changes  in  the  heavens,.  One 
watches,  perhaps,  the  twin  stars.  Castor 
and  Pollux,  low  in  the  east,  near  the 
time  of  rising;  but  a  few  weeks  later 
they  are  seen  much  higher  and  further 
south,  though  the  time  of  observing  is 
the  same  as  before.  A  young  college 
girl  has  long  kept  a  place  in  my  memory 
because,  early  on  a  September  evening. 
she  insistently  demanded  to  be  shown 
Orion. 

Why  is  it  that  the  same  constella- 
tion appears  sometimes  in  one  part  of 
the  sky,  then  in  another,  and  then  can- 
not be  found  at  all? 

Every  one  understands  in  a  general 
way  that  the  earth's  rotation  makes  the 
stars  as  well  as  the  sun  appear  to  re- 


2l6 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


volve  about  us.  Not  many,  however, 
realize  that  their  times  of  revolution 
differ,  and  yet  it  is  this  difference  that 
gives  the  key  to  the  puzzling-  appear- 
ances noted.  Its  conventional  explana- 
tion is  readily  provided,  but  a  simple  ob- 
servation helps  wonderfully  in  putting 
meaning  into  it.  But  why  should  we 
have  all  our  astronomy  in  pictures  and 
in  easy  reading  with  thrills,  and  make 
not  the  slightest  effort  on  our  own  part ! 

Let  us  go  out  of  doors  and  look  at  the 
heavens  for  ourselves.  Choose  a  con- 
spicuous star  in  the  south,  not  far 
above  the  horizon,  and  keep  watch  till 
it  passes  a  fixed  line  of  reference.  Ap- 
parently the  star  moves  westward,  but 
this  is  in  nowise  due  to  any  motion  of 
its  own ;  for  we,  unconscious  of  the 
earth's  turning  below,  refer  the  motion 
to  the  stars  above.  The  stars  are  so 
distant  that  they  are  for  us  practically 
fixed  points  of  reference,  so  when  our 
chosen  star  again  reaches,  on  the  next 
night,  the  same  reference  line,  the  earth 
has  turned  once  on  its  axis.  The  inter- 
val recpiired  for  this  single  complete 
turn  is,  by  common  agreement,  taken 
as  the  sidereal  or  star  day ;  but  it  is 
found  to  fall  short  of  the  sun  day  by 
about  four  minutes  ;  that  is,  the  interval 
measured  by  a  common  watch  or  clock- 
lacks  four  minutes  of  twenty-four 
hours. 

Among  hundreds  who  have,  under 
the  writer's  direction,  made  proof  of 
this  by  direct  observation,  one  of  the 
first  was  a  student  at  Carleton  College 
thirty  years  ago,  and  the  record  then 
written  reads  as  follows: 

"Northfield,  Minn.,  E.  Hall,  north 
window.     Monday,  Feb.  28,  1887. 

"The  star  chosen  was  Beta  LTrsae 
Majoris,  and  the  middle  bar  of  the  win- 
dow was  taken  as  the  reference  line. 
T  began  watching  at  /h.  15m.  P-  M.,  and 
at  yh.  22m.  the  star  pasced  behind  the 
window  bar.  On  the  following  even- 
ing, Beta  was  observed  from  the  same 
place  [this  is  essentiall  and  at  /h. 
17.5m.  it  passed  again  behind  the  same 
bar. 

Hence,  according  to  these  observa- 
tions, the  sidereal  day  is  4-5  minutes 
shorter  than   the  mean   solar  day." 

If  instead  of  a  star  in  the  north,  as 
here,  a  southern  star  like  Fomalhaut  or 
Sirius  is  taken,  the  line  of  direction 
fixed    by    two    plumb    lines,    and    heed 


given  to  other  details,  results  are  often 
obtained  differing  only  a  second  or 
two  from  the  rigorously  correct  value 
of  astronomers  which  makes  the  side- 
real day  shorter  by  3m.  56s. 

Then  since  one  turn  of  the  earth 
on  its  axis  gives  the  star  day,  it  must 
turn  a  little  further  to  fill  the  full 
measure  of  the  apparent  solar  day. 
Here  again  there  is  transfer  of  motion, 
for  no  one  realizes  directly  that  the 
earth  is  making  an  annual  journey 
around  the  sun  ;  so,  as  we  move  onward 
a  little  each  day,  the  sun  appears  to  ad- 
vance among  the  stars,  and  in  order 
to  bring  it  a  second  time  to  the  refer- 
ence line,  there  is  needed,  in  addition, 
the  small  fraction  of  a  turn,  taking 
nearly  four  minutes. 

Both  expressions,  apparent  solar  day 
and  mean  solar  day,  have  been  used 
above,  but  unfortunately  they  are  not 
the  same,  though  why  and  how  they 
differ  is  "another  story."  It  suffices  to 
say  here  that  the  average  apparent  so- 
lar day  equals  the  unvarying  mean  day, 
and  so  either  may  be  used  in  making 
comparison  with  the  star  day. 

This  comparison  is  the  essential 
thing;  for  once  the  idea  is  really 
grasped  that  the  stars  revolve  above 
us  in  the  shorter  day,  it  follows  as  a 
matter  of  course  that  any  and  every 
star  crosses  the  fixed  line  of  reference 
four  minutes  earlier,  by  watch  time,  on 
each  succeeding  night.  Let  the  horizon 
be  the  reference  line,  then  stars  that 
appeared  on  the  line  at  about  ten  o'clock 
on  the  first  of  the  week,  are  at  its  close 
rising  at  half  past  nine-  Watch,  for 
example,  the  stars  in  the  sword  and 
belt  of  Orion.  Early  in  October,  in 
our  latitude,  they  are,  at  eleven,  just 
visible  above  the  eastern  horizon  ;  but 
in  the  first  week  in  November,  they  are 
rising  at  nine.  And  their  rising  and 
setting  comes  earlier  and  earlier  till 
an  evening  is  reached  in  the  spring 
when  Orion  sets  as  the  sun  sets,  and 
there  follow  nights  with  no  Orion  in 
the  sky. 

It  is  seen  then  that  the  same  aspect 
of  the  heavens  is  found,  not  by  observ- 
ing at  the  same  time  but  at  a  different 
time  on  different  nights.  The  notion 
should  be  dispelled  that  capricious 
changes  are  taking  place  in  the  star 
world  overhead. 


SOME  EXTRAORDINARY  HAILSTONES 


21' 


Some  Extraordinary  Hailstones. 

TRANSLATION       FROM       [/aSTRONOMIE,       BY 
CHARLES   NTEVERS    HOLMES,   NEWTON,   MASS. 

"During  the  course  of  a  violent 
storm,  M.  Quenisset,  astronomer  at  the 
Observatory  of  Juvi'sy,  now  mobilized 
at  Bourget,  had  the  excellent  idea  of 
placing  within  the  range  of  the  photo- 
graphic apparatus,  very  near  some 
hailstones,  a  rule  divided  into  centi- 
metres and  millimetres,  which  gives 
exactly    their   size,    as    we   are   able   to 


Fit;.    109.      THE    LARGE    HAILSTONES. 

judge  by  the  following  photograph- 
(Fig.  109.)  We  observe  that  certain 
of  these  hailstones  measure  as  much 
as  almost  2  centimetres  at  their  greatest 
diameter. 

"There  fall  occasionally  some  larger 
hailstones.  In  his  Report  upon  the 
Observations  of  the  storms  of  1915 
within  the  departments  of  the  Gironde 
and  part  of  the  Dordogne,  M.  F.  Cour- 
tv,  astronomer  at  the  Observatory  of 
Bordeaux,  points  out  the  following- 
facts  : 

"'On  May  4th,  1915.  in  the  Blayais, 
the  inhabitants  of  Saint-Girons,  Saint- 
Paul  (East  part)  and  Generac  see  their 
harvests  totally  destroyed.  In  this  re- 
gion   the    hailstones    measure    two    to 


four  centimetres  in  diameter  and  are 
violently  projected  by  the  wind  which 
is  blowing  a  gale ;  man}'  windows  of 
the  dwellings  are  broken. 

"  'On  the  first  of  August,  in  the  af- 
ternoon, between  4  and  7  o'clock,  some 
stormy  cloud-groups  travel  over  the 
department  of  the  Gironde  in  the  nor- 
mal direction  South-West  to  North- 
East.  The  storm  appears  to  have  had 
its  birth  a  little  to  the  north-west  of 
Villandraut  and  bestows  upon  the 
town  a  rather  heavy  rain,  which  com- 
mences with  some  very  large  drops;  it 
arrives  at  Budos  around  a  quarter  past 
five  ;  the  hailstorm  zone  begins  about 
a  kilometre  in  front  of  the  paragrele 
(a  device  to  guard  against  hail),  in  the 
south-west  direction.  Some  hailstones 
fall  from  3  to  4  centimetres  in  diameter 
resembling  big  walnuts ;  the  inhabi- 
tants have  never  seen  them  as  large  in 
the  region  ;  the  sun  is  hidden  by  them 
as  though  by  the  snow;  there  is  almost 
no  wind.  The  half  of  the  harvest  stand- 
ing is  swept  off.  It  is  appropriate  to 
point  out  that  the  last  fall  of  serious 
hail  at  Budos  had  taken  place  in  1908 
and  the  previous  one  twenty  years  be- 
fore. 

"  'At  Gabarnac,  the  hailstones  also 
reach  the  size  of  big  walnuts;  upon  the 
town  thev  fall  for  about  two  minutes: 
the  inhabitants  do  not  remember  hav- 
ing seen  as  equally  large  hailstone-. 
On  the  higher  ground,  the  devastations 
appear  more  considerable  and  can  be 
valued  at  half  of  the  harvest  on  some 
estates. 

"  'Within  the  hailstorm  zone  all  the 
points  are  not  equally  affected,  but  the 
hailstones,  more  or  less  hard  and 
large,  present  everywhere  the  same 
peculiarity.  They  appear  under  the  as- 
pect of  fragments  of  transparent  ice  ir- 
regular in  form,  the  greatest  part  flat- 
tened ;  some  are  polyhedral  with  sharp 
angles.  Certain  points,  such  as  the  do- 
main 'du  Vigneau'  and  all  the  slope  be- 
tween 'Yquem'  and  'Le  Boutoc'  seem 
particularly  maltreated.  The  hail- 
stones, or,  to  express  it  better  the 
pieces  of  ice,  of  various  forms,  attain  a 
size  of  about  10  cubic  centimetres. 
Manv  dormer-windows  are  broken.  At 
the  Chateau  d'Yciuem.  the  person  who 
performs  the  firing  of  cfuseee  grelifuges 
is  injured  on  the  hand  by  the  fall  of  a 
large  sharp  hailstone.  The  bolt  falls 
upon  the  outbuildings  of  the  chateau."  ' 


2l8 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


$&4€<<€<<<!&m€&€<€&€€C<Z<&C<<<<<<<^^ 


••••••« 


AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION' 


Established   1875  Incorporated,    Massachusetts,    1892  Incorporated,    Connecticut,    1910 


Our  Greenwich  Academy  Chapters. 

The  officers  of  the  Putnam  Chapter 
for  the  current  year  are :  President, 
Rita  Ann  Rheinfrank ;  Vice-President, 
Annie  Louise  Brush  ;  Corresponding- 
Secretary,  Katherine  Marsh  ;  Treasur- 
er, Elizabeth  Anderson. 

Of  a  recent  visit  of  the  two  Chap- 
ters to  ArcAdiA,  the  President  of  this 
Chapter  writes  as  follows  : 

"October  the  ninth  was  looked  for- 
ward to  by  every  girl  in  the  Academy, 
for  that  was  the  day  we  were  going  to 
ArcAdiA.  At  last  it  came  and  with 
rain,  but  even  rain  did  not  stop  us  from 
going  and  we  sallied  forth  with  happy 
hearts. 

"When  we  arrived  at  ArcAdi  Y  we 
were  heartily  greeted  by  Dr.  Bigelow 
and  invited  to  sit  around  the  great  fire- 
place while  Dr.  Bigelow  talked  to  us- 
I  will  state  briefly  about  the  things  he 
told  and  showed  us.  First  he  told  us 
of  the  little  building  we  were  in  ;  look- 
ing not  unlike  a  chapel  it  represented 
the  home,  the  church  and  the  school 
And  we  were  by  this  time  feeling  very 
congenial  and  cozy  at  Arc  \m  A.  We 
then  went  way  back  to  the  time  of 
Lincoln  and  Dr.  Bigelow  brought  out 
nine  shingles  for  some  of  the  cirls  to 
draw  on,  and  they  drew  three  things,  a 
plant,  an  animal  and  a  rock,  three  of 
nature's  first  formations. 

"After  many. many  more  interesting 
things  told  us  the  new  girls  were  made 
Members  of  The  AA  and  received  their 
buttons:  'Under  the  light  of  the  Swiss 
Cross,  holding  the  leaf  of  a  living  plant 
from  the  hands  of  T  ouis  Agassiz.  mav 
we  be  inspired  bv  his  life  to  studv  ah1 
nature  with  his  enthusiasm.'  Dr.  Big- 
elow told  us  that  Louis  Agassiz  found 
the  plant  and  brought  it  to  the  United 
States  from  South  America,  till  at  last 
it  has  found  its  home  with  The  Agassiz 
Association. 


"After  all  the  new  girls  had  been 
made  members  the  lights  were  turned 
out  and  we  were  shown  many,  main- 
interesting  things  on  the  screen  pertain- 
ing to  nature.  We  saw  some  scenes  of 
the  life  of  the  plants  and  animals  at 
ArcAdiA,  and  of  the  different  schools 
on  their  visits  at  ArcAdiA-  One  of  our 
members  was  kind  enough  to  give  Dr. 
Bigelow  a  tiny  snip  of  her  hair  and 
he  put  it  on  the  screen  powerfully  mag- 
nified till  each  little  hair  looked  indeed 
like  an  amber  knitting  needle. 

"At  last  as  a  farewell  Dr.  Bigelow 
told  us  that  if  we  were  asked  at  home 
what  we  had  done  at  ArcAdiA  to  tell 
our  parents  that  we  had  played  in  a 
fly's  eye,  and  he  threw  the  reflection 
of  the  flv's  eye  powerfully  magnified 
on  a  table  and  we  played  in  it. 

"And  I  am  sure  T  need  not  add  that 
we  all  went  awav  feeling  that  we  had 
had  a  wonderful  and  thoroughly  en- 
joyable day." 

The  recently  elected  officers  of  the 
Putnam  Junior  Chapter  are:  Precident, 
Elizabeth  Drummond  ;  Vice-President, 
Frances  Gaines;  Secretary,  Flnora 
Gmnnis:  Treasurer.  Mary  Pouch 

Of  the  trip  to  ArcAdiA  the  secretary 
of  rH<?  Chapter  writes: 

"On  Tuesday  all  the  girls  of  the- 
Greenwich  Academv  above  the  third 
grade  went  to  Sound  Beach.  We  went 
in  automobiles.  We  went  to  be  initiat- 
ed as  Members  of  The  AA.  Dr-  Bige- 
low met  us  at  the  door  and  told  us  to 
+-ke  o^  our  wraps  and  sit  by  the  fire. 
P"p  talked  to  us  about  The  AA  and 
shout  its  magic  number,  three.  Then 
he  gave  us  a  shingle  to  draw  on.  We 
drew  a  rock:  he  showed  us  the  rock. 
We  drew  a  plant  and  anv  kind  of  an 
animah  Then  he  showed  us  some  oic- 
tnres  on  the  screen  and  he  told  us  about 
them.    We  went  home  at  five  o'clock." 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


219 


A  Welcome  Guest  at  ArcAdiA. 
Our  telephone  bell  rang'  on  Sunday, 
November  4th,  and  we  heard  the  glad- 
ly welcome  words,  "John  Burroughs 
will  be  at  ArcAdiA  this  afternoon" 
The  message  was  from  his  friend, 
John  Shea,  who  had  Mr.  Burroughs  as 
a  guest  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shea  arrived 
with  their  honored  visitor,  the  eminent 
naturalist,  early  that  afternoon,  accom- 
panied by  Dr.  Clara  Barrus.  It  is  su- 
perfluous to  say  that  his  visit  was  a  de- 


light and  that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  note 
that  he  is  eighty  years  young.  The 
term  old  would  be  out  of  place  in  con- 
nection with  one  who  has  kept  an  en- 
thusiasm of  his  life  similar  to  that  of 
Louis  Agassiz.  Mr.  Burroughs  in  hi^ 
mellowed  age  has  lost  not  a  bit  of  his 
enthusiastic  love  of  nature  and  of  liv- 
ing people,  especially  the  young  people. 
Nature  does  not  grow  old-  The  seasons 
come  now  as  they  did  centuries  ago 
and    Mr.    Burroughs   has   kept    himself 


JOHN    BURROUGHS   AT  THE  DOOR  OF  OUR  WELCOME  RECEPTION   ROOM. 


220 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


so  attuned  with  nature  that  he  suggests 
thoughts  of  the  present  not  of  the  past. 
He  is  ever  young. 

He  knows  so  much  about  nature  and 
has  so  clearly  expressed  his  knowledge 
and  with  so  much  feeling  and  enthu- 
siasm that  the  work  at  ArcAdiA  has 
been  stimulated  by  his  visit.  He  is 
unquestionably  the  greatest  literary 
naturalist  the  world  has  ever  known. 
!!<.■  is  beloved  by  thousands  who  know 
him  only  through  his  writings.  Much 
greater  is  the  love  of  those  who  have 
been  privileged  to  know  him  person- 
ally. 

We  entertained  him  as  best  we  could. 
chiefly  by  showing  some  of  the  tiny 
things  of  nature  put  on  the  screen  by  "a 
projection  microscope,  and  he  expres- 
sed his  pleasure.  It  was  interesting  to 
note  that  his  frequent  remarks  were 
almost  all  incjuiries.  That  is  contrary 
to  our  usual  experience.  Here  a  skilled 
veteran  naturalist  was  asking  ques- 
tions, simple  questions,  with  all  the 
charm  and  enthusiasm  of  a  child,  and 
he  asked  them  not  of  a  person  but  of 
nature-  He  studied  carefully  the  im- 
ages shown  on  the  screen  and  wanted 
to  know  the  signification  of  everything. 
It  would  have  been  an  inspiration  to 
every  Member  and  friend  of  The  Agas- 
siz  Association  to  have  noted  the 
Agcissiz  method  adopted  by  this  veter- 
an naturalist,  still  in  the  spirit,  as  he 
always  has  been,  of  "Study  Nature/' 
Though  he  has  taught  thousands  he  is 
still  a  humble  learner.  Several  guests 
from  Stamford  and  Darien  were  pre- 
sent, and  every  one  felt  the  greatness 
of  the  encyclopedic  knowledge  that  Air. 
Burroughs  possesses,  and  of  the  gentle 
and  charmingly  childlike  manner  in 
which  he  still  asks  old  Mother  Nature 
what  she  only  can  tell  him.  We  shall 
continue  our  work  inspired  by  the  fact 
that  John  Burroughs  has  been  guest, 
friend  and  student  at  Arc  Am  A. 


deon    tuning   and   photography.      "The 
Bristol  Press"  says : 

"But  it  was  as  a  naturalist  and  micro- 
scopist  that  Mr.  Terry  achieved  special 
distinction  and  fame.  His  studies  of 
algae,  ferns,  diatoms  and  desmids,  es- 
pecially diatoms,  brought  him  into 
touch  with  scientific  men  the  world 
over  and  he  was  recognized  as  an  au- 
thority by  them.  his  investigations 
in  these  helds  were  interesting  and  im- 
portant and  he  derived  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  in  the  work. 
In  a  brief  sketch  of  this  character  not 
more  than  a  hint  can  be  given  of  his 
activities,  but  it  may  be  stated  that  his 
achievements  were  unusual." 

He  was  an  enthusiastic  subscriber 
to  The  Guide  to  Nature.  In  recent 
years,  however,  the  editor  has  not  had 
much  correspondence  with  him  but  in 
the  days  of  "The  Observer,"  which  was 
edited  by  the  present  editor  of  this 
magazine  in  the  'nineties,  Mr-  Terry 
was  a  frequent  contributor  and  corre- 
spondent. He  contributed  many  skill- 
fully made  microscopical  slides.  His 
investigations  and  discoveries  were 
recognized  and  accepted  by  the  scienti- 
fic men  of  Europe.  He  had  an  inter- 
national reputation.  The  diatoms, 
Cyclctella  Tcrryana,  Pleurosigma  Terry- 
amtm  and  others,  were  named  in  his 
honor  by  European  investigators.  His 
death  is  a  loss  not  only  to  his  friends, 
but  to  the  department  of  science  that 
he  cultivated  and  advanced.  He  was  a 
gentleman,  a  kind,  generous,  learned 
gentleman.  Personally,  and  on  behalf 
of  The  Agassiz  Association,  we  extend 
cordial  sympathy  to  the  members  of 
the  family  and  to  the  friends  in  their 
bereavement,  but  we  congratulate  them 
upon  the  fact  that  Mr.  Terry  in  the  full- 
ness of  his  years  had  had  a  well  spent 
life. 


William   Almeron   Terry. 

William  Almeron  Terry  died  Wed- 
nesday morning,  October  31st,  at  his 
home  in  Bristol,  Connecticut,  in  his 
ninetieth  year.  He  was  born  in  Bristol, 
October  14,  1828,  and  spent  nearly  all 
his  life  in  his  native  town.  He  was  of  a 
mechanical  turn  of  mind  and  was  spec- 
ially interested  in  clock  making,  melo- 


Prairie  Night. 

BY    GERTRUDE    0.     PALMER,    LAWRENCE,     KANSAS. 

Go  out  alone  on  the  wind-swept  prairie, 

Lie  on  her  breast,  and  feel  her  mighty  heart 

Beating  'neath  thine; 

See  the  high   regal  glory 

Of    the    stars    in    golden    radiance    o'er   thee 

shine; 
Then   will   thy   soul   know   God   and   be    His 

prophet; 
Then    will    thy   heart   beat   all    in   tune   with 

His,   ' 
Then  will  thy  spirit  leap  in  glad  reunion. 
And  thy  existence  find  its  perfect  bliss. 


THE  AGASSI/  ASSOCIATION 


221 


Congressman  Merritt. 

At  the  special  election  of  the  4th 
Congressional  District  of  Connecticut, 
called  by  Governor  Holcomb  for  a  suc- 
cessor to  the  late  Congressman  E.  J. 
Hill,  Honorable  Schuyler  Merritt  of 
Stamford,  Connecticut,  was  elected. 

Just  at  this  particular  time  the  na- 
tion, the  state  and  the  district  are  to 
be  congratulated  upon  this  election,  be- 


sure  that  it  is  a  commendable  satisfac- 
tion to  us  all  that  another  prominent 
Member  from  this  part  of  the  country 
is  111  the  governmental  affairs  at  Wash- 
ington: 


CONGRESSMAN    MERRITT. 


cause   Congressman   Merritt  is  exactly 


Change  of  Color  in  Glass. 

BY  C.  D.  RO.MIG,  AUDENRIED,  PENNSYLVANIA. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  ordi- 
nary, plain,  transparent  glass  changes 
in  color,  yet  such  is  the  fact.  The 
change  is  due  to  chemical  action  in- 
duced in  the  glass  when  it  is  exposed 
to  sunshine,  rain,  etc.,  or  to  the  full 
force  of  the  weather.  The  location 
seems  to  have  much  to  do  with  it.  I 
think  that  the  higher  the  elevation  the 
more  likely  is  the  color  to  be  formed 
in  the  glass.  Our  elevation  is  about 
seventeen  hundred  feet  above  sea  level, 
and  here  the  coloring  is  common. 

Some  twenty  years  ago  or  more  1 
broke  a  heavy  glass  inkwell.  I  threw 
the  parts  out  on  the  east  side  of  my  of- 
fice, where  for  more  than  a  year  I 
noticed  one  of  the  pieces  almost  daily 
as  it  lay  exposed.  One  day  1  picked  it 
up,  and   1  decided  that  it  had  acquired 


the  type  of  man  that  should  participate  a  purple  tint  or  a  pale  amethyst  color, 
in  the  direction  of  governmental  affairs  which  proved  to  be  true,  for  I  was  for- 
at  Washington.     Though  a  Republican      tunate  enough  to  find  another  piece  that 


in  politics,  he  is  not  partisan  and  wi 
strongly  support  our  President  in  the 
national  crisis.  His  election  brings  joy 
to  every  American  patriot  everywhere. 

Congressman  Merritt  is  known  local- 
ly as  a  man  of  the  highest  type  of  in- 
tegrity and  efficiency,  a  sound  financier, 
a  good  citizen,  an  approachable  and  so- 
cial man  with  kindly  good  will  for  all 
classes  of  people,  and  a  thorough  schol- 
ar interested  in  educational,  charitable 
and  religious  work.  He  is  the  Vice- 
President  of  The  Yale  &  Towne  Manu- 
facturing Company,  President  of  the 
Stamford  Associated  Charities,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Board  of  Education  and 
President  of  the  Stamford  National 
Bank.  In  connection  with  his  banking 
business  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of 
the  bankers'  committee  that  had  charge 
of  the  two  Liberty  Loans  which  were 
such  a  tremendous  success  in  Stamford. 

We  are  glad  to  add  that  he  has  also 
been  a  Member  of  The  Agassiz  Asso- 
ciation for  many  years.  Senator 
George  P.  McLean  also  has  been  a 
Member   for  a   long  time,   and   we  are 


fitted  to  it,  and  this  part  retained  the 
original  tint.  This  discovery  pleased 
me,  yet  the  best  informed  men  whom 
I  could  find  did  not  believe  that  the 
«un  or  the  weather  had  effected  the 
change. 

Two  years  later  a  friend  showed  me 
an  article  on  this  subject  in  a  scientific 
paper,  which  conclusively  proved  my 
contention,  although  the  article  refer- 
red to  glass  found  on  the  plains  in  the 
West.  I  have  been  interested  in  the 
subject  ever  since,  and  have  found  hun- 
dreds of  glacs  pieces  ranging  from  pale 
to  deep  amethyst  color.  This  region 
•s  full  of  broken  glass,  much  of  it  from 
beer  bottles  and  glass  thrown  into  the 
ivoods,  which  are  here  mostly  low 
brush  and  huckleberry  bushes.  Owing 
to  berry  picking,  broken  glass  can  be 
found  many  miles  from  town,  and  it  is 
invariably  changed  in  color.  My  two 
best  specimens  are  a  broken  beer  glass 
and  a  beer  bottle. 

I  have  experimented,  and  found  that 
in  about  six  months  a  noticeable  change 
takes   place.     I  believe   it  would  be   a 


222 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


fine  business  to  put  this  color  into 
cheap  glass  dishes,  or  still  better  into 
cut  glass,  but  I  do  not  believe  that  the 
cut  glass  will  take  the  color  from  ex- 
posure. Some  of  these  specimens  are 
nearly  equivalent  to  a  gem,  so  rich  and 
deep  is  the  tint.  Some  that  I  have  had 
or  seen  would  make  cut  glass  dishes 
almost  priceless.  Ten  cent  dishes  thus 
tinted  would  advance  to  cut  glacs 
prices.  T  want  to  make  some  experi- 
ments along  these  lines  which  may  re- 
sult in  the  solution  of  this  problem. 


Japanese  Hehp  Our  Little  Japan. 

Great  pleasure  and  encouragement 
have  come  to  ArcAdiA  by  the  volun- 
tary contributions  of  several  promi- 
nent Japanese  gentlemen  that  were 
transmitted  to  us  through  the 
"Nippon-Jin  Sha,"  New  York  City. 
These  were  a  complete  and  delightful 
surprise.  The  Japanese  friends  who 
have  thus  not  only  aided  us  financially 
but  have  given  us  practical  approval 
and  encouragement  are  as  follows: 

Mr.  T.  Kozai,  New  York  City $2.00 

Mr.  K.  Obata.  New  York  City  ....  1.00 
M>    S.   Kawashima.   Brooklyn,   New 

York   1. 00 

Mr.  S  Yoshida,  New  York  City.  .  1.00 
Mr-  M.  Oyama,  New  York  City  •  •  1.00 
Mr.  T    Y.  Okamiya,  Brooklyn,  New 

Yo^k   1. 00 

Mr    Tamizo  Watanabe,  New  York 

Citv    2.00 

Work  has  been  suspended  on  Eittle 
Tap^n  because  it  has  become  necessary 
to  shingle  ihe  roofs  of  the  office  and 
laboratory.  The  work  is  now  in  pro- 
gress Work  has  also  been  discontin- 
ued for  financial  reasons.  We  have 
been  obliged  to  draw  from  the  general 
fund  to  pay  for  what  has  already  been 
done.  We  hnve  received  $838  and  have 
paid  out  $1,064-12. 


Do  Your  "Two  Bits." 

The^e  are  strenuous  times  in  which 
every  loval  American  is  expected  to  do 
a  bit  in  behalf  of  his  country. 

But  in  behalf  of  sustaining  the  na- 
ture cause  in  which  we  are  working  we 
ask  you  to  do  vour  "two  bits"  as  they 
sav  in  California,  meaning  twenty-five 
cents.  Tt  would  be  a  lonq-  and  some- 
what pitiful  story  if  we  should  tell  of 
the  intense  struggle  that  we  have  been 


ricking  for  more  than  a  year  to  keep 
the  price  of  this  magazine  at  one  dol- 
lar for  a  year's  subscription.  Only  be- 
cause of  their  time  given  without  charge 
by  several  workers  here  at  ArcAdiA, 
and  the  gift  of  free  time  from  several 
friends,  associations,  etc.,  it  has  been 
possible  to  avoid  an  increase  in  the  rate 
of  subscription.  Every  one  knows  that 
the  cost  of  publication  is  vastly  increas- 
ed. Paper  and  cuts  are  at  a  price  here- 
tofore undreamed  of.  We  have  not  in- 
creased the  price  because  it  is  our  sin- 
cere desire  to  accomplish  the  purpose 
of  The  Agassiz  Association,  which  is 
to  aid  in  the  general  diffusion  of  know- 
ledge. By  keeping  the  price  of  sub- 
scription at  one  dollar,  we  reach  many 
readers  that  could  not  possibly,  espec- 
ially in  these  times,  afford  to  pay  more. 
Even  with  the  free  time  at  this  office 
and  elsewhere,  a  dollar  a  year  does 
not  meet  expenses.  The  deficit  is  made 
up  by  membership  fees  and  contribu- 
tions. In  fact  it  is  one  of  the  primary 
ideas  of  this  Association  that  its  work- 
shall  be  carried  on  by  its  Members  and 
that  one  form  of  this  work  shall  be  this 


magazine. 


But  there  is  another  way  in  which 
friends  could  aid  us,  not  only  in  the 
financial  part  of  our  work,  but  in  our 
labor  of  diffusing  knowledge.  That  is 
by  helping  us  to  interest  more  people. 
To  do  that,  send  us  "two  bits"  or 
twenty-five  cents  and  we  will  make  a 
Christmas  present  of  a  four  months' 
subscription  to  any  person  whose  ad- 
dress may  be  sent  with  the  "two  bits." 
Naturally  it  will  be  seen  that  these  "twr 
bits"  will  not  cover  expenses,  but  they 
will  take  us  into  new  fields,  help  to 
secure  new  Members  and  largely  in- 
crease our  circulation,  and  thereby  help 
our  advertisers.  The  "quarter"  is  not 
much  to  you  but  you  will  be  giving 
more  than  a  "quarter"  in  value  to  a 
friend.  But  if  each  of  the  several 
thousand  people  that  we  reach  every 
month  would  send  twenty-five  cents 
the  aggregate  would  be  many  times 
"two  bits." 


The  Pepper  Tree  of  California. 

Gracefully  bending  and  telling  its  beads, 

The    Pepper    is   everywhere; 
In   exquisite    beauty   a  thing  apart, 

And  bowed  like  a  nun  in  prayer. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


LITERAK 


«€>©2®<B<&®4 


NOTICES 


Around  the  Year  in  the  Garden.     By  Fred- 
erick   Frye    Rockwell.      New    York    City : 
The  Macmillan  Company. 
From  the  aesthetic  and  educational  stand- 
point this  is  a  delightful  book.     Some  of  the 
illustrations    are    especially    inspiring.      The 
author   makes   suggestions   for  work  during 
each    week    in    the    year,    and    has    well    ar- 
ranged   his    material.      The    book    is    really 
necessary    for    the    amateur    gardener.      The 
illustrations    alone    are    well    worth    having, 
and  the  text  is  pleasing  and  helpful. 


Hunting   Dinosaurs    in    the   Bad   Lands   of 
the   Red    Deer    River,   Alberta.    Lax  ah  i. 
By     Charles     H.     Sternberg.       Lawrence, 
Kansas:    Charles    H.    Sternberg. 
This  book  is  a  book  of  personality.      Mr. 
Sternberg    has    been    a    collector    for    many 
years,  and  the  results  of  his  work  are  found 
in  nearly  every  museum  in  the  country.     If 
any  one,  standing  in  the  department  of  fos- 
sils of  any  museum,  should  ask  if  these  dry 
bones  can   be   made   to   live,   he  would   have 
the    question    answered    in    the    positive    by 


reading  Air.  Sternberg's  book.  He  has  as 
much  personality  and  even  as  many  little 
idiosyncrasies  as  Boswell  put  into  his  "Life 
of  Samuel  Johnson."  For  a  half  century 
Mr.  Sternberg  has  collected  fossils.  What 
he  tells  of  his  experiences  and  of  the  im- 
pressions received  by  living  in  the  realm 
of  these  extinct  and  wonderfully  strange 
animals  merits  the  attention  of  every  natur- 
alist. The  price  of  the  book  is  two  dollars 
postpaid.  \\  ■  cordially  advise  even  the  oc- 
casional visitor  to  a  museum  to  obtain  the 
book  and  to  learn  of  the  life  of  the  fossil 
hunter  and  of  his  relations  to  his  work. 


Our  Backdoor  Neighbors.     By  Frank  C.  Pel- 
lett.    New  York  City  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio  : 
The  Abingdon  Press. 
The  author  is  evidently  a  naturalist   with 
special   enthusiasm   for  the   study  of  honey- 
bees.    Some   of  us  had  begun   to  think  that 
he  is  concentrating  his  attention  on  honey- 
bees,   but    his    recent    contributions    to    this 
magazine  and  promises  of  more,  and  espec- 
ial!}'   the    timely    appearance    of    this    book, 


:: 


▼ 


m 


r 


^L^MkMi 


THE   NATURALIST   (MR.   PELLETT)    DECIDED   TO  TAKE  THE  NEST  TO  HIS  STUDY. 

From    "Our   Backdoor   Neighbors." 


224 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


all  tend  to  show  that  his  heart  is  right,  al- 
though he  may  not  get  time  to  extend  his 
interest  over  a  large  territory.  In  his  in- 
teresting book,  Mr.  Pellett  publishes  good 
articles  and  attractive  illustrations  on  red- 
tailed    hawks,    screech    owls,    polecats,    tur- 


and  music  of  it,  of  shore  and  dune  and  pine 
and  mystifying  lights  upon  the  sunset  wat- 
ers and  the  windings  of  the  river  to  meet 
the  waiting  amplitude  of  horizonless  waves. 
God's  perpetuated  mercy  is  that  beauty  is 
customary;   but   in   some   places  beauties   do 


^i 


"AS    SOON    AS    AN    EGG   CRACKED   OPEN,    A    LITTLE   NOSE    WOULD    BE    PUSHED    OUT.    AND 
THERE   BABY  TURTLE   WOLTLD   SIT   FOR   HOURS." 
From    "Our    Backdoor    Neighbors." 


ties,  cotton-tails,  crows,  caterpillars  and 
many  other  things  to  prove  that  he  keep* 
his  eyes  open  when  he  goes  afield,  and  to 
emphasize  the  old  saying,  "Everything  is 
fish  that  comes  to  the  net  of  a  naturalist." 
We  hope  the  book  will  have  an  extensive 
sale.     It  has  the  right  spirit.. 


Beside  Lake  Beautiful.  By  William  A. 
Quayle.  Xew  York  City  :  The  Abingdon 
Press. 

The  naturalist  and  the  minister  combined 
in  one  person  have  produced  this  book. 
The  author's  most  famous  previous  work  is 
perhaps  "In  God's  Out-of-doors."  In  the 
present  book  he  has  revealed  his  heart  from 
a  cottage  "somewhere  on  a  lake,"  but  just 
what  lake  it  is  he  does  not  tell  us.  All  we 
are  to  know  about  it  is: 

"On  the  east  shore  of  one  of  America's 
inland  seas  (which  one  is  not  material )  1 
have  spent  sundry  summers,  and  if  I  set  a- 
talking  and  grow  garrulous,  set  it  down  not 
to  age,  but  to  love;  for  love  and  age  are 
alike  garrulous.  Good  things  bear  talking 
of,  and  that  right  often." 

The  religious  element  is  conspicuous.  He 
tells    us: 

"I  speak  now  of  the  lake  with  tilt  of  wave 


as  stars  do  in  certain  spaces  of  the  skies — 
they  cluster.  Beside  Lake  Beautiful  is  such 
a  spot. 

*         *         %         :|:  t- 

''My  pages  of  memory  are  sown  to  pic- 
tures which  I  humbly  hope  and  pray  my 
God  will  let  me  have  when  I  have  come  to 
stay  with  Him  in  heaven:  and  I  think  He 
will." 

The  publishers  have  done  their  part  well. 
The  book  in  itself  is  admirable.  Not  only 
a  good  thing  to  hold  in  the  hand  but  it 
looks  well  on  the  table.  It  makes  us  see 
what  the  author  sought  at  his  lakeside  and 
shows  us  much  more  of  his  inner  self  and 
what  he  was  thinking  as  he  wanders 
around  the  lake  or  rows  on  the  water.  He 
has  read  the  hymn  and  is  ready  for  the 
people  to   sing. 

"We  come  and  look  at  the  river  or  the 
lake,  and  the  winds  are  fresh  and  glad  and 
the  landscape  seems  like  a  picture  God  had 
just  painted,  and  we  say  grace  and  partake, 
and  laugh  when  there  is  no  joke  and  giggle 
when  we  are  most  solemn.  Out  in  God's 
dining-room  with  those  we  love  the  very 
most  in  this  world  is  pure  delight.  This  is 
the  land  of  pure  delight  whereof  we  wist- 
fully sang  in  winter  days,  and  we  are  its 
inhabitants.      Lift   the   song." 


JANUARY,    1918 


EDWARD    F.  BIGELOW,  Managing    Editor 

|    Jr  PUBLISHED   MONTHLY   BY 

fWHE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION,  ARCAoiA:  Sound  Beach,  Conn. 
I  ^L-*  Subscription,  $1.00  a  Year;  Single  Copy,  10c 


^BHH  I  "■-  -.  -  - 1 


3.A.* 


[m^«e 


IBB 


GREENWICH 


THE    EDITION    DE  LUXE 
OF  CONNECTICUT   TOWNS 


GREENWICH 


Those  who  have  no  safe 
place  for  their 

LIBERTY    BONDS 

may  leave  them  with  this 
Company    for    safekeep- 
ing 

FREE     OF     CHARGE, 

for  which  we  will  issue  a 
receipt. 

THE 

GREENWICH  TRUST 

COMPANY 

GREENWICH       :     :       CONN. 


n 


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  rail  or  write. 

Laurence  Timmons 

Tel.  456        Opp.  Depot        Greenwich,  C 


STRAWBERRIES  FOR  FIVE  MONTHS 

The  Incomparable  "Progressive"  Everbearing 

These  New  Strawberries  are  so  wonderful — so  extraordinary — the  plain 
truth  about  theui  almost  surpasses  belief.  They  stand  alone  the  greatest 
of  plant  marvels. 

You  can  have  an  abundance  of  the  most  superb  strawberries  five  months 
in  the  year. 

Spring  Set  Plants  Will  Bear 

enormously  and  continuously  from  July  till  far  in  November.    The  fruit  sells 
from  25c  to  50c  a  quart.    The  hardiness  of  the  Progressive  is  amazing, 
other  can  compare.    They  are  of  highest  quality- — delicious,  and  are  fully 
days  earlier  than  most  kinds.    What  more  need  be  said? 

Set  out  a  good  bed,  luxuriate  in  the  fruit  for  months  and  sell  both  fi 
and  plants  to  your  neighbors  at  a  big  profit. 

*    BEWARE  OF  SPURIOUS  STOCK.     THOUSANDS  HAVE  BEEN  FOOLED. 
Order  to-day.    Don't  miss  this  chance  to  get  the  genuine.  (Will  ship  when 
spring  opens). 

PRICE  :EXTRA  STRONG  PROGRESSIVE  PLANTS,  PURE  AND  TRUE, 

25  for  $1.00  100  for  $4.00  250  for  $10.00 

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THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


V 


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Every  householder  is  interested  in  the  question  of  con- 
seryation  of  food.  Here  is  the  costume  accepted  by  the 
Hoover  commission  and  which  is  to  be  worn  by  the 
women  who  have  signed  the  pledge.  For  such  use.  it 
should  be  made  of  plain  blue  with  white  trimming.  Here, 
it  is  worn  by  an  active  housewife  and  is  made  of  plaid 
gingham  with  trimming  of  plain  color.  Since  it  will  be  in 
demand  for  general  wear  as  well  as  by  the  signers  in  the 
pledge,  that  suggestion  is  a  good  one.  It  is  a  very  smart, 
attractive  looking  costume.  You  can  wear  it  as  an  apron, 
or  you  can  wear  it  as  a  gown.  The  single  button  and  but- 
tonhole in  the  belt  effect  the  closing,  consequently,  it  is 
exceedingly  easy  to  slip  on  and  off.  Women  who  find 
themselves  compelled  to  do  with  less  help  than  usual  this 
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VI 


M 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 

J&"*',     (SS£SS)     .^'""V, 


-iiv* 


>*& 


PUBLISHERS  NOTICES 


Tis       not       mortals       to    COMMAND 


success, 


K 


o      more,      Sempronius,      we'll      DESERVE      IT 

Addison:      Cato 


Welcome  News  to  Dog  Owners. 

A  personal  letter  from  Spratt's  Pat- 
ent (American)  Limited  states  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Yon  may  care  to  note  that  we  shall 
probably  be  permitted  to  continue  the 
manufacture  of  dog  cakes,  etc.  This 
will  be  welcome  news  to  dog  owners, 
for  Spratt's  Dog  Cakes,  Puppy  Bis- 
cuits, etc.,  are  now  looked  upon  more 
as  economical  necessities  than  canine 
luxuries. 

"In  Great  Britain  it  appeared  likely 
at  one  time  that  the  manufacture  would 
be  prohibited,  but  it  was  soon  shown 
that  the  use  of  these  foods  really  re- 
lieved the  strain  upon  foods  of  various 
kinds  for  human  consumption.  The 
Food  Controller  therefore  gave  the 
necessary  permission  for  the  continu- 
ance of  the  manufacture  of  Spratt's 
Dog  Cakes.  The  same  view  has  been 
taken  here,  at  least  for  the  present,  and 
it  is  hoped  that  it  will  remain  effective." 


Subtraction   of   Natural    Objects. 

The  teacher  was  hearing  the  youth- 
ful class  in  mathematics. 

"No,"  she  said,  "in  order  to  subtract, 
things  have  to  be  in  the  same  denomi- 
nation. For  instance,  we  couldn't  take 
three  pears  from  four  peaches,  nor  eight 
horses  from  ten  cats.  Do  you  under- 
stand ?" 

There  was  assent  from  the  majority 
of  pupils.  One  little  boy  in  the  rear 
raised  a  timid  hand. 

'•Well,  Bobby,  what  is  it?"  asked 
teacher. 

"Please,  teacher,"  said  Bobby, 
"couldn't  you  take  three  quarts  of  milk 
from  two  cows?"-— New  York  Evening 
Post. 


It  Is  Now  Wilt's  Restaurant. 

The  tide  of  favor  and  the  line  of  ex- 
cellence change  from  time  to  time.  It 
is  Wilt's  now  because  he  has  estab- 
lished and  is  conducting  a  highly  pop- 
ular restaurant.  The  place  is  popular 
because  it  is  clean,  the  prices  moderate 
and  the  service  cordial. 

This  item  is  written  not  because  Mr. 
Wilt  has  become  an  advertiser  in  this 
magazine,  but  he  is  an  advertiser  and 
was  invited  to  become  so  on  account  of 
the  good  qualities  that  prevail  in  his 
restaurant. 


Iconoclast. 
A  puppy 

Ambling  sidewise 

Intent  upon  the  memory  of  some  bur- 
ied bone, 
Halts  before  my  pool — 
A  hollow  place  within  the  walk 
Filled  by  this  morning's  rain. 
Thirst  satisfied, 
He  waddles  off, 
Doubtless  never  knowing 
His  rotund  stomach  holds 
My  mirror  of  infinity. 

— Murdock  Pemberton  in  "The  Even- 


ing Post." 


Three  Sets  of  Twins. 

The  father  named  the  first  pair  Pete 
and  Repeat.  He  liked  that  sort  of  idea, 
so  the  second  was  named  Kate  and 
Duplicate.  But  when  the  third  set 
arrived  he  felt  that  even  a  good  thing 
might  be  carried  a  little  too  far  and  he 
called  one  of  these  Max  and  the  other 
Climax. 


"Oh  would  I  were  the  pine  tree," 

A  tiny  floweret  said, 
"That  towers,  tall  and  mighty, 

Far,  far  above  my  head." 

The   tempest  raged  with   fury, 

The  pine  tree  is  no  more; 
But  the  lowly  little  floweret 

Still   blossoms   as   of   yore. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


China  has  long  furnished  the  stock- 
example  of  a  country  ruined  by  cutting 
off  the  forests.  A  newly  organized  De- 
partment of  Forestrv  will  attempt  to 
remedv  the  evil. 


STmttfoaljtp 


No  word  is  oftener  on  the  lips  of  men  than  Friendship,  and  in- 
deed no  thought  is  more  familiar  to  their  aspirations.  All  men  are 
dreaming  of  it,  and  its  drama,  which  is  always  a  tragedy,  is  enacted 
daily.  It  is  the  secret  of  the  universe.  You  may  thread  the  town,  you 
may  wander  the  country,  and  none  shall  ever  speak  of  it,  yet  thought 
is  everywhere  busy  about  it,  and  the  idea  of  what  is  possible  in  this 
respect  affects  our  behavior  toward  all  new  men  and  women,  and  a 
great  many  old  ones. 


* 


* 


* 


Think  of  the  importance  of  Friendship  in  the  education  of  men. 

"He  that  hath  love  and  judgment  too, 
Sees  more  than  any  other  doe." 
It  will  make  a  man  honest ;  it  will  make  him  a  hero ;  it  will  make 
him  a  saint.    It  is  the  state  of  the  just  dealing  with  the  just,  the  mag- 
nanimous with  the  magnanimous,  the  sincere  with  the  sincere,  man 
with  man. 


* 


* 


Between  whom  there  is  hearty  truth,  there  is  love ;  and  in  pro- 
portion to  our  truthfulness  and  confidence  in  one  another,  our  lives 
are  divine  and  miraculous,  and  answer  to  our  ideal.  There  are  pass- 
ages of  affection  in  our  intercourse  with  mortal  men  and  women,  such 
as  no  prophecy  had  taught  us  to  expect,  which  transcend  our  earthly 
life,  and  anticipate  Heaven  for  us. 

J^  *&*  ^f  ^Xf  *^* 

^S  *T^  ^^  ^^  ^^ 

As  I  love  nature,  as  I  love  singing  birds,  and  gleaming  stubble* 
and  flowing  rivers,  and  morning  and  evening,  and  summer  and  winter, 
I  love  thee,  my  Friend. 

«x  ^^  ^^  ^^  ^T* 

Even  the  death  of  Friends  will  inspire  us  as  much  as  their  lives. 
They  will  leave  consolation  to  the  mourners,  as  the  rich  leave  money 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  their  funerals,  and  their  memories  will  be 
incrusted  over  with  sublime  and  pleasing  thoughts,  as  monuments  of 
other  men  are  overgrown  with  moss ;  for  our  Friends  have  no  place  in 
the  graveyard. — Henry  David  Thoreau. 


M 


• 


■■■«. 


Cut  by  courtesy   of   "Our  Town. 


JUDGE    RORERT    JAY    WALSH    DIED    DECEMBER    7,    1917. 


Bwrsn?s^!^^^ss^^^r? 


flll'l  "  ."" 


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 


ume 


X 


JANUARY,     1917 


Number  8 


FRIEND  ROBERT  JAY  WALSH 


A  Great  Friend  of  Greenwich,  Friend  of  The  Agassiz  Association,  Preemi- 
nently a  Friend  of  Everybody,  Died  at  His  Home  in  Greenwich, 
Connecticut,   December   7th,  Aged  Sixty-three   Years. 


In  the  death  of  Judge  Robert  Jay  Walsh,  Greenwich  has  lost  its  greatest 
man.  He  was  great  in  statesmanship,  citizenship,  finance,  politics,  education 
and  personal  character.    But  he  was  greater  than  all  these  as  a  friend. 

Though  not  enrolled  as  a  Member  of  The  Agassiz  Association,  he  was  in 
some  respects  the  best  friend  our  organization  has  ever  had.  His  advice  and 
his  good  deeds  in  behalf  of  our  work  were  many,  but  it  was  his  request  that 
they  be  not  published.  This  request  will  explain,  especially  to  our  friends 
and  Members  in  distant  places,  why  his  name  has  not  previously  been  men- 
tioned in  this  magazine. 

His  life  is  an  inspiration  to  every  faithful  student.  He  was  not  only  self- 
made  but  well  made.  The  story  of  his  early  endeavors,  of  his  life-long  achieve- 
ments, of  his  great  power  always  for  good  in  the  community,  reads  like  a  fairv 
tale.  Probably  no  other  community  can  point  to  a  man  of  such  unique  power 
and  high  esteem  in  his  own  locality. 

A  brief  biographical  sketch,  an  account  of  the  funeral  and  a  few  of  the 
many  testimonials  to  his  greatness  and  goodness,  we  quote  from  local  publi- 
cations as  follows : 


Copyright  1917  by  The  Agassiz  Association  ArcAdiA:   Sound  Beach,  Conn. 


228 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Hon.  Robert  Jay  Walsh,  the  most 
prominent  and  respected  citizen  of 
Greenwich  died  Friday  afternoon  at  4 
o'clock  at  his  residence  on  Dearfield 
Drive,  after  an  illness  which  had  con- 
fined him  to  his  home  for  two  weeks. 
Funeral  services  were  held  at  his  late 
residence  on  Monday  afternoon  at  3:15 
o'clock.  The  services  were  marked  by 
simplicity,  typical  of  the  man  and  were 
conducted  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  H. 
Selden  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  formerly 
pastor  of  the  Second  Congregational 
Church  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Oliver  P. 
Huckel,  the  present  pastor,  and  Rev. 
M.  George  Thompson,  rector  of  Christ 
church.  Hon.  Homer  S.  Cummings 
paid  feeling  tribute  to  Judge  Walsh's 
sterling  character  and  to  his  invaluable 
service  to  the  community.  The  honor- 
ary pallbearers  were : 

John  Maher,  John  W.  Diehl,  John 
D.  Barrett,  Nathaniel  A.  Knapp,  James 
Maher,  S.  Elbert  Mills,  Wilbur  S. 
Wright,  Fred  A.  Hubbard,  James  R. 
Mead,  Homer  S.  Cummings,  E.  L.  Sco- 
field,  John  E.  Keeler,  Luke  Vincent 
Lockwood,  Noah  C.  Rogers,  Julian  W. 
Curtiss,  George  L.  Slawson,  Charles  A. 
Moore,  Jr.,  Augustus  I.  Mead,  Herbert 
McCord,  Henry  H.  Adams. 

The  interment  was  made  in  the  Walsh 
family  mausoleum  at  Putnam  Ceme- 
tery. 

Men  of  marked  ability,  forcible  char- 
acter and  culture  leave  their  impress 
upon  the  world  written  in  such  indel- 
ible characters  that  time  is  powerless 
to  obliterate  their  memory,  or  sweep 
it  from  the  minds  of  men.  Their 
commendable  acts  live  long  after  they 
have  passed  from  the  scene  of  their 
earthly  career. 

In  Judge  Walsh  we  find  the  friend 
and  counsellor  of  all  Greenwich,  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  members  of 
the  Fairfield  County  Bar,  twice  State 
Senator  representing  the  Twelfth  Dis- 
trict, member  of  the  Commission  of 
1888  to  revise  the  Statutes,  Secretary  of 
State  of  Connecticut  in  t88q  for  two 
terms,  Judge  of  the  Criminal  Branch 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  holding 
the  office  until  he  resigned  about  seven- 
teen years  ago  to  give  his  entire  atten- 
tion to  his  law  practice  and  business 
interests  in  Greenwich. 

Judge  Walsh  was  born  August  1, 
1854,  at  Lewisboro,  N.  Y.,  the  son  of 
James  F.  and  Annie  E.  Walsh,  one  of 


six  children,  Mrs.  Thomas  E.  White, 
Miss  Mary  M.  Walsh,  of  Ridgefield, 
Mrs.  John  Morgan  who  died  last 
spring,  Hon.  James  F.  Walsh  of  Green- 
wich, and  Mrs.  Dennis  Buckley  of  Can- 
nondale,  Conn. 

In  1864  Judge  W'alsh's  family  moved 
across  the  boundary  line  into  Connec- 
ticut, settling  in  the  town  of  Ridgefield, 
and  he  having  already  advanced  in 
elementary  studies  continued  them  in 
the  local  public  school.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  years  he  left  the  common  school 
and  became  a  student  in  the  High 
Ridge  Institute  at  Ridgefield,  where  he 
had  the  advantage  of  instruction  under 
the  accomplished  Professor  William  O. 
Seymour.  After  devoting  two  years  to 
acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  higher 
branches  he  felt  that  the  time  had  now 
come  to  enter  the  arena  of  practical 
life ;  a  sturdy  lad  descended  from 
sturdy  ancestry  he  chose  the  ancient 
and  honorable  trade  of  a  blacksmith. 
During  the  years  of  apprenticeship  he 
made  use  of  his  spare  hours  for  the  im- 
provement of  his  mind  by  study  and 
useful  reading,  which  proved  a  large 
asset  in  his  future  sphere  of  usefulness. 
Seeking  the  advice  and  assistance  of 
Dr.  William  S.  Todd,  then  a  practi- 
tioner of  medicine  in  Ridgefield,  with 
him  he  reviewed  his  studies  preparatory 
to  teaching.  Through  the  assistance 
of  Dr.  Todd  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
received  the  appointment  of  teacher  in 
one  of  the  local  schools  ;  he  taught  one 
vear  and  then  in  order  to  perfect  him- 
self in  his  profession  entered  the  State 
Normal  School  at  New  Britain,  but  did 
not  complete  the  full  course,  because 
of  an  advantageous  position  offered 
him  in  Port  Chester,  N.  Y.,  as  teacher 
in  one  of  their  schools.  His  first  school 
was  a  success  and  where  he  taught  he 
left  but  one  record,  a  record  crystal- 
ized  in  the  words  "The  best  teacher  we 
ever  had." 

Characteristically,  while  yet  teach- 
ing he  began  the  study  of  law  under 
the  advice  and  instruction  of  Col.  H. 
W.  R.  Hoyt,  a  prominent  lawyer  in 
Greenwich ;  in  due  time  Mr.  Walsh 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  was  re- 
ceived into  partnership  by  his  accom- 
plished and  experienced  preceptor.  He 
was  immediately  thrown  into  the  field 
of  political  effort  and  won  his  reputa- 
tion as  a  lawyer  under  the  most  benign 
auspices.     In  1882  he  opened  a  law  of- 


FRIEND   ROBERT  JAY   WALSH 


229 


lice  for  himself  in  what  was  then  the 
town  building'.  During  the  year  of  his 
admission  to  the  Bar  he  was  chosen 
counsel  for  the  town  of  Greenwich,  an 
office  which  he  proudly  retained  up  to 
his  death  ;  thirty-five  years  of  continu- 
ous service. 

An  ardent  Republican,  during  the 
presidential  campaign  of  1880,  he  took 
the  hustings  in  Connecticut  for  Gar- 
field and  Arthur  and  the  same  year  he 
was  elected  to  the  Republican  State 
Central  Committee,  a  party  honor 
which  was  afforded  him  by  re-election 
down  to  the  time  he  was  appointed 
Judge,  when  he  resigned.  In  the  year 
1884  he  ran  as  state  senator  from  the 
Twelfth  District  and  was  elected  by  a 
large  majority,  running  far  ahead  of 
his  ticket.  In  1886  he  was  chosen  sec- 
retary of  the  State  Central  Committee 
and  being  renominated  for  the  Senate 
was  re-elected  by  twice  the  majority 
received  in  the  previous  campaign.  He 
was  elected  to  several  important  chair- 
manships of  Committees  and  was  Re- 
publican Senate  leader. 

In  1885  having  already  achieved  a 
wide  reputation  he  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Harrison  a  member  of  the 
commission  to  revise  the  statutes  of 
Connecticut,  and  although  the  young- 
est man  in  this  body  he  was  one  of  the 
most  active  in  its  deliberations.  Prob- 
ablv  no  lawyer  has  occupied  a  more 
distinguished  position  at  the  Bar.  In 
1900  he  gave  up  all  political  activities, 
resigned  as  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas,  and  resumed  the  active 
practice  of  law  and  his  attention  to  his 
several  real  estate  enterprises. 

Early,  Judge  Walsh  saw  the  advan- 
tage of  developing  Greenwich  real  es- 
tate and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in 
buying  property  on  a  large  scale ;  his 
first  venture  was  the  purchase  of  the 
then  Zopher  Mead  farm  which  proved 
very  profitable ;  subsequently  with  the 
late  Nathaniel  Witherell  he  acquired 
the  farm  belonging  to  the  estate  of  Col. 
Thomas  A.  Mead,  and  together  with 
Mr.  Witherell  built  the  Edgewood  Inn. 
About  1901  he  purchased  with  others 
Field  Point,  probably  the  most  valu- 
able suburban  residential  section  of  its 
size  in  New  England. 

Mr.  Walsh  was  intensely  interested 
in  everything  that  was  for  the  benefit 
and  upbuilding  of  the  community. 
He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  in- 


troduction of  electricity  in  town,  and 
of  the  trolley  company.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  president  of  the 
Greenwich  Trust  Company,  which  he 
helped  to  organize  thirty  years  ago ; 
the  Greenwich  Water  Company,  The 
Putnam  Cemetery  Association,  the 
Abendroth  Bros.  Foundry  of  Port 
Chester,  N.  Y.,  and  the  Port  Chester 
Water  Works,  and  director  of  the  New 
York  &  Stamford  St.  R.  R.  He  was 
trustee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Green- 
wich Library  Association,  a  charter 
member  of  the  Fairfield  County  Golf 
Club,  now  the  Greenwich  Country 
Club,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Blind 
Brook  Club,  Indian  Harbor  Yacht 
Club,  the  Republican  Club  of  New 
York,  a  member  of  Acacia  Lodge,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  Empire  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F,, 
both  of  Greenwich. 

Judge  Walsh  married  Miss  Annie  A. 
Merritt,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mat- 
thew Merritt,  on  October  7,  1879,  to 
this  union  three  children  were  born, 
Lucy  M.,  now  the  wife  of  Walter  B. 
Todd  ;  Edith  B.,  who  died  several  years 
ago,  the  wife  of  A.  W.  W.  Marshall, 
and  Roberta  Jay,  the  wife  of  Lloyd  S. 
Cooney. 

Judge  Walsh's  career  is  a  shining 
example  of  what  may  be  accomplished 
by  inherent  natural  ability,  coupled 
with  a  strong  determination  and  perse- 
verance even  under  the  most  adverse 
circumstances.  He  acquired  a  moder- 
ate competence,  an  influential  position 
and  an  honorable  name.  That  there 
are  no  rules  for  building  character,  no 
rules  for  achieving  success,  no  royal 
road  to  fame,  is  proved  by  the  career 
of  Honorable  Robert  Jay  Walsh,  who 
was  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune, 
who  loved  his  friends  and  his  enemies 
and  it  is  thought  that  even  his  enemies 
loved  him. 

>jc         :(:         :J:         :}:         ;>: 

He  was,  in  the  most  unqualified 
sense,  a  self-made  man.  Appren- 
ticed in  earlv  boyhod  to  learn  the  trade 
of  blacksmith,  his  passion  for  books  and 
study,  which  he  indulged  in  his  leisure 
hours  and  at  every  opportunity,  awak- 
ened ambition  for  great  things,  and  he 
soon  abandoned  the  forge  and  anvil  for 
a  career  that  was  destined  to  be  distin- 
guished, brilliant  and  eminentlv  sucess- 
ful. 

His  chief  inheritance  was  sturdy  self- 
reliance,   indomitable   will,   magnetism 


-?3° 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


of  personality  that  enabled  him  to  win 
friends  and  retain  friendships;  a  keen, 
analytical  mind  that  could  read  men 
and  discern  between  the  real  and  the 
sham,  and  a  broad  philosophy  of  life 
and  its  relations,  man  to  man. 

He  was  Greenwich's  best-known  citi- 
zen and  a  man  whom  his  fellows  de- 
lighted to  honor.  His  acquaintance 
extended  far  and  wide,  and  in  his  own 
state  he  was  known  in  every  town  and 
had  friends  everywhere,  by  reason  of 
his  former  active  prominence  in  public 
life.  A  natural  bent  for  the  fascinating- 
pastime  of  politics,  which  brought  him 
into  prominence  even  in  the  early 
days  of  his  career,  soon  developed  his 
capacity  for  leadership,  and  his  party 
recognized  his  services,  his  ability  and 
his  patriotism  by  repeatedly  honoring 
him  with  public  office,  which  he  invari- 
ably filled  with  distinction  and  credit  to 
himself  and  town,  county  and  state. 
***** 

His  tremendous  capacity  for  business 
detail  is  evidenced  in  the  numerous 
successful  enterprises  in  which  he  was 
actively  engaged,  especially  during  the 
later  years  of  his  life.  The  Greenwich 
Trust  Company,  of  which  he  was  vir- 
tually the  founder,  and  its  president 
for  27  years,  was  his  special  pride  :  and 
the  magnificient  new  Trust  building, 
which  is  the  admiration  of  all  behold- 
ers, will  stand  as  an  enduring  monu- 
ment to  his  memory. 

But  it  is  as  Judge  Walsh,  the  man 
that  he  will  be  most  sadly  missed  by 
unnumbered  acquaintances.  He  was 
a  genial,  generous,  helpful  neighbor  and 
friend,  of  broad  charitable  impulses  and 
and  kindly  counsel.  He  was  unosten- 
tatious in  his  charities  and  his  helpful- 
ness ;  but  many  a  man  and  woman  in 
Greenwich  today  mourns  his  departure, 
with  emotions  of  gratitude  born  of  the 
remembrance  of  his  kindness  and  help 
at  times  when  kindness  and  help  were 
sorely  needed.  His  memory  will  long 
endure. — Greenwich  News  and  Graphic. 


JUDGE  WALSH'S   OBSEQUIES. 


Mr.  Cummings,  in  a  Touching  Eulogv. 
Summarizes  His  Character. 

Relatives  and  many  friends,  includ- 
ing a  large  representation  of  the  Fair- 
field County  Bar,  attended  the  funeral 
service   for   Judge    Robert   Jay    Walsh 


yesterday  afternoon,  at  his  late  home  in 
Greenwich.  The  clergy  assisting  were 
Rev.  Joseph  H.  Selden,  D.  D.,  of  Nor- 
wich, formerly  of  Greenwich ;  Rev.  Dr. 
Huckel  and  Rev.  M.  George  Thomp- 
son of  Greenwich.  The  eulogy  was 
pronounced  by  State's  Attorney  Homer 
S.  Cummings,  who  in  a  few  words 
summed  up  the  character  and  career  of 
Judge  Walsh.     Mr.  Cummings  said : 

"I  have  been  asked  to  say  a  few 
words.  I  cannot  resist  such  a  sum- 
mons. Judge  Walsh  was  my  friend, 
and  I  loved  and  respected  him.  In  all 
the  years  of  that  friendship,  I  have 
never  known  him  to  do  an  unjust  deed, 
or  harbor  a  mean  or  unworthy  thought. 

"His  spirit  was  singularly  sweet  and 
genuine.  He  had  a  genius  for  the 
right  thing — the  kind  thing.  In  the 
best  sense  he  was  typically  American. 
Beginning  at  the  very  bottom  of  the 
ladder  of  life,  he  climbed  to  the  top. 
And  in  the  progress  no  one  was 
harmed.  It  was  not  a  ruthless  am- 
bition that  stirred  him  ;  it  was  the 
natural  expression  of  his  talents,  feel- 
ing their  way  to  better  things  and  help- 
ing, the  while,  all  who  came  in  contact 
with  him. 

"It  is  sad  to  see  our  friends  fail  in 
health  and  to  know  that  the  eternal 
summons  will  not  be  long  delayed. 
And  vet  such  is  the  way  of  life : 

"  'Whether  at  Nashipur  or  Babylon, 
Whether  the  cup  with   sweet  or  bitter  run. 
The  wine  of  life  keeps  oozing,  drop  by  drop, 
The  leaves  of  life  keep  falling,  one  by  one.' 

"But  to  the  noble  of  spirit.  Death 
presents  no  aspect  of  terror. 

"  'The  whole  earth,'  said  the  great 
orator  of  antiquity,  'is  the  sepulchre  of 
famous  men.' 

"Our  American  poet  was  a  prophet, 
too,  as  all  true  poets  ever  are.  when 
he  said  : 

"  'There  is  no  death;  what  seems  so  is  tran- 
sition.' 

"For  relatives  and  friends,  this  is  a 
privileged    hour.      Sorrow    is    mingled 
with   a   kind   of   solemn   pride   that   so 
good,  so  wise  and  so  just  a  man  was  a 
part  of  our  daily  life.     That   thought 
brings  an  abiding  peace  like 
"  'The  lone  star  and  the  shadowed  hush 
That   come  at  evening-  when   the  thrush 
Revels  the  day,   so  worn  and  long, 
Into  the  silver  of  a   song.'  ' 

— Stamford  Advocate. 


FRIKNI)   ROBERT  JAY  WALSH 


-M  i 


A  Tribute  to  Judge  Walsh. 

BY    CHARLES  ARTHUR    MOORE,   JR.,   GREEN- 
WICH,   CONNECTICUT. 

Judge  Walsh  was  so  much  bigger  and 
finer  than  anything  which  he  accomplish- 
ed in  his  active  and  successful  life  that 
those  who  knew  him  well  must  realize 
very  keenly  that  his  character  and  the 
influence  he  exerted  upon  everyone  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact  are  the  out- 
standing and  paramount  achievements  of 
his  career. 

What  WE  DO  is  largely  a  question  of 
opportunity;  what  we  are  depends  upon 
onrselves.  The  qualities  of  the  soul  given 
to  us  at  birth  are  developed  as  life  goes 
on,  well  or  ill,  as  nature  impels  us. 
Judge  Walsh  was  fortunate  beyond 
most  men  in  material  ways.  Yet  he 
did  not  amass  a  huge  fortune  nor  ar- 
rive at  national  reputation.  But  when 
he  stood  out  head  and  shoulders  above 
most  of  the  so-called  great,  and  in- 
finitely above  those  whose  only  claim 
to  notice  is  wealth,  is  in  what  he  him- 
self was. 

The  biggest  accomplishment,  the 
greatest  success  of  Judge  Walsh's  life, 
was  the  man  himself.  He  justified  his 
life  in  every  phase  and  turn  of  his  char- 
acter. 

He  was  a  true  leader  of  men  because 
he  had  by  birth  the  heart  of  a  leader, 
honorable,  brave  and  above  all,  kind 
and  generous.  And  those  character- 
istics that  were  his  by  birth  he  made 
the  most  of  through  cleanly  and  brave- 
ly living  a  long  life. 

What  Judge  Walsh  did  in  Greenwich 
he  could  as  easily  have  done  in  Wall 
Street  or  Washington  and  on  a  scale 
magnified  a  hundred-fold.  The  same 
qualities  that  made  him  the  recognized 
great  man  of  this  town  could  have  as 
easily  made  him  the  great  man  any- 
where else  in  any  company. 

But  he  chose  this  town  for  the  scene 
of  his  life  and,  loving  the  place,  he  ex- 
ercised his  talents  here  amongst  us. 
With  none  of  the  glamor  that  is  thrown 
about  far-off  names  by  distance  and 
imperfect  knowledge,  vears  ago  Judge 
Walsh  became  recognized  here  among 
those  with  whom  he  met  almost  daily 
on  intimate  terms,  as  a  great  man.  And. 
a  far  more  difficult  test  of  real  great- 
ness, he  remained  our  unchallenged, 
unquestioned  first  citizen  through  many 
years  after  having  won   that   place   in 


our  opinion.    And  as  our  great  man  he 
died. 

'there  is  a  particularly  characteristic 
touch  in  the  fact  that  he  was  prouder 
of  having  been  the  counsel  for  the 
town  of  Greenwich  for  a  period  of 
thirty-five  years  of  changing  political 
administrations  of  the  town  govern- 
ment than  of  any  of  the  more  showy 
and  solid  honors  that  came  to  him  from 
the  larger  outside  world  ;  a  fact  that  he 
frequently  mentioned.  A  clean,  big  and 
straightforward  citizen  of  Greenwich 
has  left  the  town  and  the  people,  his 
friends  that  he  loved. 


The  Power  of  Kindness. 
Once  in  a  while,  in  recent  years,  some 
of    the    "reformers"    who    occasionally 
try  to  make  a  stir  in  Greenwich  have 
referred  to  the  Walshes  as  local  poli- 
tical bosses.     Not  one  of  them  seemed 
to  understand  the  reason  for  the  great 
personal  popularity  of  R.  Jay   Walsh, 
and   why  the   candidates   he   preferred 
were  most  likely  to  be  nominated  and 
elected.     The  truth  is   that  hundreds, 
perhaps  thousands,  of  people  in  Green- 
wich wrere  indebted  to  him  for  acts  of 
kindness.     He  was  continually  helping 
people  in  one  way  or  another — people 
who   were   in   a   position   to   give   him 
nothing   in    return   but   gratitude,    and 
some  of  whom  did  not  give  even  that. 
Rich    men    recognized    his    remarkable 
abilitv ;    poor    men    were    able    to    ap- 
proach him  with  confidence  of  getting 
from  him  sympathy  in  trouble,  advice 
in   perplexity,  and  substantial  help   in 
time  of  need.     R.  Jay  Walsh  had  the 
advantage    of    experiencing    the    trials 
and  struggles  of  a  poor  boy.     It  was  a 
good  training.     He  might  have  worked 
for  most  of  his  life  in  a  country  smithy. 
but  for  his  ambition  to  be  what  he  be- 
came.    And  he  had  to  make  his  own 
way   in    the    world.      He   had    no   rich 
friends  or  relatives  to  assist  him  to  an 
education,  none  to  help  him  to  advance. 
He  had  to  rely  upon  his  own  efforts. 
He  vras  such  an  apt  student  in  a  coun- 
try school  that  he  qualified,  as  a  youth., 
for  a  position  as  teacher  in  Greenwich, 
and  some  of  his  former  pupils  say  that 
he    was    the    best    teacher    they    ever 
knew.    Greenwich  should  remember  R. 
Jay  Walsh  as  an  example  of  what  can 
be  achieved  by  an  ambitious  boy. — The 
Stamford  Advocate. 


The  Heavens  in  January. 

j 
By  Professor  Eric   Doolittle   o  f  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 


In  the  opening  days  of  the  year  1918 
we  find  every  one  of  the  bright,  naked 
eye  planets  either  high  in  the  evening 
heavens  or  just  beyond  the  borders  of 
our  evening  map.  A  few  months  ago 
the  reader  who  wished  to  study  these 
interesting  worlds  was  obliged  to  look 


observation  during  the  evening,  while 
throughout  the  entire  year  we  will 
have  with  us  the  very  interesting  plan- 
et Mars,  whose  rapid  eastward  motion 
and  conspicuous  changes  in  brightness, 
as  it  first  draws  near  our  earth  and  af- 
terward recedes  again,  will  afford  an 


NORTh 


lOUTH 
Figure   1.      The   Constellations   at    9    P.    M.,   January    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.) 


for  them  in  the  east,  during  the  morn- 
ing hours  shortly  before  sunrise,  but 
it  is  now  in  this  part  of  the  sky  that 
the  planets  are   entirely   wanting. 

For  many  months  to  come  the  won- 
derful worlds,  Jupiter  and  Saturn,  will 
remain  in  the  best  possible  position  for 


object  of  continued  interest  for  study. 
This  world  did  not  come  into  the  most 
favorable  position  for  observation  at 
any  time  during  191 7.  but  on  March 
18  of  the  present  year  it  will  attain  its 
least  distance  from  us  and  will  appear 
largest  and  present  more  detail  in  the 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


233 


telescope  than  at  any  other  time. 

The  Planets  in  1918. 

Mercury,  on  January  1,  is  still  an 
evening  star,  but  it  is  far  too  near  the 
sun  to  be  observed.  Only  two  days 
later  it  will  in  fact  enter  the  morning- 
sky,  not  to  again  pass  to  the  east  of 
the  sun  until  March  12.  On  April  7 
it  will  attain  its  greatest  distance  east 
of  the  sun  and  in  its  interesting  and 
rapid  oscillations  from  one  side  of  the 
sun   to  the  other  will   similarly  reach 


Figure   2.      The   paths    of   Mars   and    Saturn    on    the 
Celestial    Sphere. 


its  greatest  eastern  elongation  on  Aug- 
ust 5  and  on  November  29.  On  the 
first  two  dates  the  planet  will  be  above 
the  celestial  equator  and  will  easily  be 
found  by  the  observer ;  the  last  elonga- 
tion, however,  will  be  a  far  less  favor- 
able one. 

The  beautiful  Venus,  which  has  been 
shining  so  very  brightly  in  the  south- 
west, will  attain  its  greatest  brilliance 
on  January  5,  when  it  will  shine  with 
no  less  than  one  hundred  and  forty-live 
times  the  brightness  of  a  first  magni- 
tude star.  It  is  now  drawing  continu- 
ally nearer  the  sun  and  consequentlv  is 


seen  lower  in  the  sky  on  each  succes- 
sive evening.  Yet  special  effort  should 
be  made  to  observe  it  for  it  is  at  this 
particular  time  that  it  is  of  greatest 
interest  in  the  telescope.  During  Jan- 
uary it  will  be  seen  to  change  from  a 
planet  nearly  half  full  to  the  narrowest 
imaginable  silvery  crescent,  and  more- 
over Venus  is  now  so  near  the  earth 
that  a  very  small  telescope  will  show 
its  change  of  phase  very  clearly. 

Venus  will  pass  to  the  east  of  the  sun 
on  February  9,  reaching  its  greatest 
brilliance  in  the  morning  sky  on  March 
16  and  its  greatest  distance  from  the 
sun's  rays  on  April  23.  On  November 
23  it  will  again  enter  our  evening  hea- 
vens, but  it  will  not  become  a  conspic- 
uous object  in  the  west  until  early  in 
the  following  year. 

Mars  may  be  called  the  reigning 
planet  of  the  coming  year,  for  it  will 
shine  brightly  in  the  evening  heavens 
from  the  very  beginning  of  the  year 
until  its  close.  On  January  1  the  plan- 
et is  found  near  the  western  border  of 
the  constellation  Virgo  and  is  hence 
a  little  beyond  the  limits  of  our  even- 
ing map.  At  this  time  it  is  moving 
slowly  eastward  (as  shown  in  Figure 
2)  and  this  eastward  motion  will  con- 
tinue until  February  4.  From  this  lat- 
ter date  until  April  26  the  planet  will 
move  westward  until  it  reaches  a  point 
in  the  constellation  Leo.  The  rapid 
eastward  motion  will  then  be  resumed 
and  this  will  continue  until  the  end  of 
the  year. 

Tt  is  this  eastward  motion  of  Mars 
which  will  retain  it  in  our  evening  skies 
throughout  the  year.  The  sun,  pur- 
suing its  accustomed  path,  AVB,  Fig- 
ure 1,  will  cross  the  equator  at  V  on 
March  21,  and  in  due  course  will  over- 
take and  pass  to  the  east  of  both  Jupi- 
ter and  Saturn.  By  December  31  it 
will  have  but  a  little  way  passed  the 
Winter  Solstice  in  Sagittarius,  while 
Mars  will  have  moved  still  farther 
east  into  Capricornus.  The  planet  will 
then  be  seen  glowing  redly  in  the 
southwest  for  about  two  and  one-half 
hours  after  sunset. 

Jupiter  is  now  in  its  highest  position 
in  our  evening  heavens.  It  is  seen  shin- 
ing brightly,  almost  on  the  meridian, 
nearly  midway  between  the  Hyades 
and  the  Pleiades.  During  the  year  it 
will  move  eastward  almost  to  the  cen- 
ter of  the  constellation  Gemini,  bv  De- 


234 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


cember  31  reaching-  the  position  indi- 
cated in  Figure  I.  Jupiter  will  remain 
in  our  evening  heavens,  though  con- 
tinually sinking  lower  in  the  west,  un- 
til June  15,  when  it  will  be  passed  by 
the  sun  and  so  become  a  morning  star. 
During  the  last  six  weeks  of  the  year  it 
will  again  be  found  on  our  evening  map. 
Saturn  will  remain  an  evening  star 
until  August  11.  then  to  enter  the 
morning  sky  until  within  a  few  weeks 
of  the  end  of  the  year.  Its  path  among 
the  stars  is  shown  in  Figures  1  and  2, 
of  which  the  most  interesting  feature 
is  the  steady  approach  of  the  Ringed 
Planet  to  the  bright  star,  Regulus.  At 
the  close  of  this  year  and  during  the 
beginning  of  the  next  the  two  bright 
objects  will  shine  out  as  a  beautiful  pair 
of  stars  in  the  sky,  though  one  is  so  im- 


ing  sky,  rising  only  about  two  hours 
before  sunrise. 

Thus  all  of  the  bright  planets  will  be 
visible  at  the  beginning  of  the  present 
year,  and  also  at  its  end.  During  the 
months  of  August,  September  and  Oc- 
tober, however,  all  except  Mars  will 
have  withdrawn  from  our  evening  map. 
But  this  most  interesting  world,  whose 
rapid  motion  and  changing  appearance 
are  always  so  well  worthy  of  study, 
will  remain  with  us  throughout  the  en- 
tire year. 

Phenomena  of  the  Year  1918. 

Unquestionably  the  most  important 
astronomical  event  of  the  year  will  be 
the  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  which  will 
occur  on  the  afternoon  of  June  8.  On 
this  date  the  shadow  of  the  moon  will 


Figure  3.  Two  drawings  of  Venus.  The  first  shows  the  phase  (or 
shape")  of  this  planet  as  it  appears  in  an  inverting  telescope  on  January 
1.   and   the   second   shows  its   phase   on   January   31. 


measurably  more  distant  and  of  so  whol- 
ly different  a  nature  from  the  other. 

Uranus,  which  long  ago  began  its 
slow  upward  climb  from  the  Winter 
Solstice,  is  still  far  below  the  equator 
in  the  constellation  Capricornus.  In 
the  course  of  thirty-five  years  it  will 
have  reached  the  constellation  Gemini 
and  will  then  be  in  far  better  position 
for  observation  than  it  is  at  present. 

The  even  more  slowly  moving  Nep- 
tune, which  requires  one  hundred  and 
sixty-five  years  to  complete  its  circuit 
of  the  heavens,  will  during  the  present 
year  traverse  the  small  arc  of  its  path 
from  C  to  D,  Figure  i.  It  will  pass  be- 
low the  bright  star  at  E  on  August  21, 
but  at  this  time  it  will  be  in  the  morn- 


sweep  entirely  across  our  country, 
from  the  state  of  Washington  in  the 
northwest  to  Florida  in  the  southeast. 
Within  the  path  of  this  shadow  the 
light  of  the  sun  will  be  completely 
blotted  out ;  from  elsewhere  in  the 
United  States  a  part  only  of  the  sun's 
disc  will  be  covered.  The  shadow 
will  strike  the  extreme  northwestern 
border  of  our  country  at  about  5  hrs. 
5  min.  P.  M.  (Eastern  Standard  Time) 
and  will  arrive  at  the  peninsula  of  Flor- 
ida only  fifty  minutes  later.  At  Phila- 
delphia the  eclipse  will  be  a  partial 
one,  only  seven-tenths  of  the  sun's 
diameter  being  covered.  Every  reader 
who  can  do  so  is  urged  to  make  the 
journey  to  some  point  within  the  sha- 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


235 


dow  path  on  this  day,  for  a  total 
eclipse  of  the  sun  is  the  most  impres- 
sive heavenly  phenomenon  that  can 
ever  be  witnessed  by  us. 

Two  other  eclipses  will  also  occur 
during  the  present  year.  The  first  is 
a  very  small  partial  eclipse  of  the  moon, 
only  one-eighth  of  the  moon's  diameter 
being  immersed  in  the  earth's  shadow. 
This  eclipse  will  take  place  shortly  be- 
fore sunrise  on  the  morning  of  June 
24.  The  third  eclipse,  on  December  31, 
is  a  so-called  annular  eclipse  of  the  sun, 
totally  invisible  to  us,  and  visible  only 
from  stations  in  South  America  and  in 
western  and  southern  Africa. 

The  motion  of  our  moon  among  the 
stars  in  the  course  of  its  monthly  cir- 
cuit of  the  heavens  is  a  less  striking 
phenomenon  but  yet  a  most  interesting 
subject  for  study.  A  very  little  obser- 
vation will  show  that  our  satellite 
moves  eastward  a  distance  approxi- 
mately equal  to  its  own  diameter  in  the 
course  of  one  hour,  and  that  this 
changes  its  position  in  the  heavens 
about  thirteen  degrees  each  day.  The 
careful  observer  will  also  discover  that 
it  does  not  follow  exactly  the  same 
path  on  successive  months.  Thus 
while  the  moon  passes  below  the  Plei- 
ades on  January  21,  February  17, 
March  16,  etc.,  during  the  present  year, 
he  will  notice  that  on  each  successive 
passage  its  path  among  the  stars  lies 
lower,  the  displacement  amounting  to 
no  less  than  three  times  the  apparent 
diameter  of  the  moon  in  the  course  of 
the  year. 

On  various  evenings  the  moon  will 
be  seen  to  pass  over,  or  "occult,"  many 
different  stars,  but  there  will  be  occa- 
sions when  a  planet  will  be  seen  to  be 
thus  hidden  during  the  present  year; 
only  two  planetary  occulations  will 
take  place.  On  August  3  the  moon 
will  occult  Jupiter  and  on  October  9 
it  will  pass  over  Mars,  but  neither  of 
these  interesting  phenomena  can  be 
viewed  from  stations  within  the  United 
States. 


The  members,  of  whom  there  are  now 
about  eighty,  are  largely  amateurs.  A 
few  of  them  own  or  nave  access  to  fair 
sized  telescopes,  five  inches  and  above. 
Others  have  only  two-  and  three-inch 
glasses,  while  not  a  few  depend  on  their 
unaided  eyes  or  use  nothing  more  pow- 
erful than  held  and  bird  glasses. 

The  object  of  the  Society  is  to  set 
the  largest  possible  number  of  amateur 
observers  to  watching  individual  vari- 
ables and  recording  carefully  the 
brightness  of  each.  The  records  are 
then  turned  in  to  the  secretary  01  the 
Association  and  to  Harvard  Observa- 
tory, where  they  are  brought  together 
and  plotted.  Immediately  afterwards, 
they  are  published  in  "Popular  Astron- 
omy." The  result  is  a  vastly  greater 
body  of  fact  than  any  observatory  staff 
would  be  able  to  discover. 

Variable  stars  are  the  one  great  mys- 
tery of  the  heavens  still  unsolved.  Save 
for  the  "Algol  type"  in  which  a  dark 
companion  revolves  around  the  bright 
star  and  periodically  shuts  off  a  part 
of  its  light,  there  is  no  satisfactory  ex- 
planation of  variable  stars.  Omicron 
Ceti  or  Mira,  several  times  mentioned 
in  the  astronomical  columns  of  this 
journal,  is  still  as  wonderful  and  al- 
most as  much  an  egima  as  when,  in 
1596,  it  ws  first  discovered  to  be  varia- 
ble. 

But  the  only  way  to  solve  any  puzzle 
which  nature  sets  us  is  by  getting  facts. 
And  facts  concerning  variable  stars 
seem  to  be  about  the  only  sort  of  facts 
concerning  the  heavenly  bodies  which 
the  amateur  of  astronomy  has  it  in  his 
power  to  contribute  to  the  advance  of 
scientific  knowledge. 

The  secretary  of  the  society  is  Mr. 
William  Tyler  Olcott,  64  Church 
Street,  Norwich,  Connecticut. 


An  Unsolved  Problem. 
The  American  Association  of  Vari- 
able Star  Observers  (it  is  the  stars  that 
are  variable,  not  the  observers)  met  on 
November  tenth,  at  the  Harvard  Ob- 
servatory, and  adopted  a  formal  organi- 
zation in  place  of  the  loose  tie  that  had 
held  them  heretofore. 


Not  Elephantine! 

They  were  discussing  that  joke  about 
getting  down  off  an  elephant. 

"How  do  you  get  down?"  asked  the 
jokesmith  for  the  fourth  time. 

"You  climb  down." 

"Wrong!" 
"You  grease  his  sides  and  slide  down." 

"Wrong!   !" 

"You  take  a  ladder  and  get  down." 

"Wrong!    !   !" 

"Well,  you  take  the  trunk  line  down." 

"No,  not  quite.  You  don't  get  down 
off  an  elephant ;  you  get  it  off  a  goose." — 
Indianapolis  News. 


All  communications  for  this  department 
should  be  sent  to  the  Department  Editor, 
Mr.  Harry  G.  Higbee,  13  Austin  Street, 
Hyde  Park,  Massashusetts.  Items,  articles 
and  photographs  in  this  department  not 
otherwise  credited  are  by  the  Department 
Editor. 


Some  Late  Nesting  Dates. 

During  the  past  season  there  have 
come  under  the  writer's  observation 
several  instances  of  late  bird  nesting 
which  have  seemed  rather  unusual  for 
their  particular  localities. 


NEST   AND    EGGS    OF    SONG   SPARROW    AT 
TYNGSBORO,  MASSACHUSETTS. 

At  Hyde  Park,  Massachusetts,  on 
the  twenty-ninth  of  June,  the  nest  of 
a  red-eyed  vireo  was  found  about  ten 
feet  up  in  an  apple  tree.  This  was  an 
unusually  deep  and  well  made  nest, 
and  contained  four  eggs,  apparently 
fresh.  The  mother  bird  remained  upon 
her  eggs  while  the  tree  was  being 
sprayed,  and  did  not  leave  until,  in  a 
later  examination  with  the  aid  of  a 
stepladder,  I  drew  the  nest  within  a 
foot  of  my  head  and  looked  down  upon 
her. 


In  the  same  yard  with  the  above,  and 
on  the  same  date,  a  song  sparrow's 
nest  containing  four  fresh  eggs  was 
noted,  this  being  quite  unusual  in  both 
its  location  and  the  lateness  of  the 
nesting  period.  The  nest  was  four  to 
five  feet  from  the  ground  in  a  small 
spruce  tree.  It  was  composed  of  dried 
grasses  and  a  few  leaves,  was  deeply 
hollowed  and  lined  with  horsehair. 
With  its  four  brown-spotted,  bluish- 
white  eggs,  and  in  its  dark  green  set- 
ting of  the  feathery  spruce,  this  nest 
presented  a  beautiful  picture,  and  one 
quite  different  in  its  surroundings  from 
the  usual  song  sparrow  nest,  which  we 
ordinarily  find  placed  upon  the  ground 
in  a  swamp,  either  in  a  tuft  of  long 
grass  or  some  similar  place  where  it  is 
well  concealed.  On  the  following  day 
this  nest  was  found  to  contain  five 
eggs,  which  showed  the  complement 
to  be  completed  on  that  date,  the  thir- 
tieth   of    June.       It    was    not    visited 


again. 


At  Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  along 
the  Nashua  River,  a  kingbird's  nest 
was  found  containing  young  on  the 
first  day  of  .August.  An  examination 
of  this  nest  on  the  eighth  instant 
showed  it  to  be  empty,  the  birds  prob- 
ably having  developed  and  flown.  A 
Wilson's  thrush  nest  and  three  eggs 
were  also  found  here  on  the  latter  date. 

At  Tyngsboro,  Massachusetts,  on  the 
same  date,  the  song  sparrow's  nest  here 
illustrated  was  found  concealed  in  the 
grass  along  the  high  bank  of  the  Mer- 
rimack River,  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
bordering  boulevard.  There  were  three 
eggs  in  this  nest,  which  was  nearly 
stepped  upon  before  the  bird  was 
flushed,  and  by  the  actions  of  the 
mother  bird  , which  hovered  excitedly 
about  while  we  photographed  the  nest, 
we  presumed  the  eggs  to  be  partly  in- 
cubated. The  structure  was  typical, 
being  composed  entirely  of  grass,  and 
the  small  number  of  eggs  in  the  comple- 


ORNITHOLOGY 


^7 


merit  might  indicate  that  it  was  a  sec- 
ond set  irom  this  pair  of  birds. 

Another  late  nesting  date  was  on  the 
sixteenth  of  August,  when  several  barn 
swallows'  nests  containing  young  were 
noted  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  these 
being  elsewhere  referred  to  in  another 
article.  Along  the  Newport  cliffs  young 
tern--  were  also  observed  on  this  date, 
which  would  indicate  a  much  later  nest- 
ing period  than  is  usual  for  this  species. 

Barn  Swallows  Nesting  on  the  Cliffs. 
It  is  well  known  that  many  birds  have 
of  necessity  gradually  changed  their 
nesting  habits  with  the  advance  of  civ- 
ilization, owing  to  the  encroachment 
upon  their  native  haunts  which  always 
accompanies  this  advance.  Those  which 
have  not  been  able  to  adapt  themselves 
to  these  new  conditions  have  always 
suffered  the  consequences  and  faced 
serious  depletion  in  their  numbers,  if 
not  extermination.  Many  species  seem 
to  be  undergoing  these  changes  at  the 
present   time,    and    thus,    according    to 

show   considerable 
individual 


nesting 


their  environment, 
variation  in  their 
habits. 

Phoebes  and  robins  we  find  readily 
accepting  these  changed  conditions  and 
adapting  themselves  comfortably  to  the 
various  nesting  sites  offered  about  our 
buildings,  although  these  may  still  be 
found  breeding  in  equal  numbers  in  the 
woods.  The  cliff  swallow — an  original 
cliff  dweller — is  now  known  much  more 
commonly  as  the  "eave  swTallow"  owing 
to  its  habit  of  plastering  in  rows  be- 
neath the  eaves  of  old  barns  its  tubular 
clay  nests ;  nighthawks  breed  with 
equal  composure  on  the  flat,  gravel 
roofs  of  our  city  buildings  or  on  a  bare 
rock  on  the  ground  in  the  woods  ;  and 
we  find  bluebirds,  flickers  and  wrens  at 
once  accepting  our  proffered  nesting 
boxes  when  we  set  them  up  in  suitable 
locations  about  our  dwellings. 

The  species  mentioned  are  birds 
which  seem  to  be  undergoing  these 
changes  and  apparently  keeping  pace 
with  the  times,  while  others  have  so 
long  changed  their  habits  that  we  know 
little  of  their  former  customs,  and  in- 
stances where  we  find  them  nesting  in 
the  old  way  appear  to  us  strange  and 
unusual.  Chimney  swifts,  birds  which 
once  dwelt  in  hollow  trees  in  the  woods, 
are   now   common   birds   of   town    and 


city,  and  seem  to  find  in  our  brick  chim- 
neys a  satisfactory  substitute  for  their 
ancient  wilderness  abode;  purple  mar- 
tins apparently  breed  nowhere  except 
in  the  tenement  houses  which  we  erect 
for  them,  while  barn  swallows  have  be- 


PURGATORY— A    CHASM    IN    THE   NEWPORT 
CLIFFS. 

come  so  closely  associated  with  our 
farm  life  that  they  would  now  seem 
out  of  place  if  we  found  them  anywhere 
else,  and  there  seems  to  have  been  lit- 
tle written  concerning  the  nesting  ha- 
bits of  these  birds  before  they  occupied 
the  rafters  of  our  barns,  where  with 
their  cheerful  twitterings,  bright  colors 
and  vivacious  ways,  they  dart  in  and 
out  of  the  open  doors  or  windows. 

There  is,  however,  at  least  one  place 
in  New  England  where  barn  swallows 
are  now  nesting  out  of  doors.  Along 
the  cliffs  at  Middletown,  Rhode  Island, 
just  over  the  Newport  line,  is  a  great 
chasm  known  as  Purgatory ;  our  first 
picture  gives  a  good  idea  of  its  appear- 
ance from  the  land  side.  This  cleft 
varies  in  width  from  five  to  six  feet  at 
its  narrow  end  near  the  shore  to  per- 
haps fifteen  feet  at  the  widest  part.  It 
is  cut  seventy  feet  deep  through  the 
solid  ledge,  and  at  extremely  low  water 
one  might  walk  around  the  base  of  the 


238 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


BARN  AND   CLIFF  SWALLOWS   NEST  ON   THE 
LEDGES    OF   THIS    CHASM. 

cliffs  and  into  its  cavernous  opening, 
though  an  ordinary  tide  reaches  its 
farthermost  end  and  dashes  well  up  on 
to  the  walls. 

On  the  rough  projections  of  these 
rocky  walls,  from  fifteen  to  thirty  feet 
below  the  upper  surface,  a  number  of 
barn  swallows  have  made  their  home 
for  many  years.  I  had  personally 
known  of  their  nesting  here  some 
twenty  years  ago,  and  this  past  season 
had  the  pleasure  of  again  observing  this 
little  colony. 

Here  on  the  sixteenth  of  August, 
191 7,  my  companion  and  I  observed 
several  pairs  of  barn  swallows  flying 
in  and  out  of  the  chasm.  We  were 
somewhat  surprised  to  note  that  these 
birds  were  carrying  food,  as  we  did  not 
suppose  there  would  be  young  in  the 
nests  at  this  late  season.  By  closely 
watching,  however,  we  soon  discovered 
a  nest  a  few  yards  below  the  upper  edge 
of  the  chasm  near  its  farthest  end, 
which  is  shown  in  our  second  picture. 
There  were  three  or  four  young  birds, 
apparently  less  than  a  week  old,  in  this 
nest,  and  we  watched  them  for  some 
time,  noting  that  the  parent  birds  ap- 
peared at  intervals  of  about  a  minute. 


clinging  to  the  edge  of  the  nest  while 
they  fed  their  babies.  There  were  a 
number  of  other  nests  far  down  in  this 
great  rocky  cleft,  where  they  were  con- 
siderably sheltered  by  the  overhanging 
walls,  and  we  could  see  the  adult  birds 
darting  in  and  out  though  we  could  not 
discern  their  nests. 

There  were  also  a  number  of  cliff 
swallows  flying  in  and  out  of  the 
chasm,  apparently  feeding  their  young, 
though  we  could  not  determine  the  ex- 
act location  of  the  nests  which  we  felt 
certain  were  there. 

I  hnd  further  reference  to  barn  swal- 
lows nesting  on  the  cliffs  in  Howes' 
"Birds  of  Rhode  Island,"  published  in 
1899,  where  the  author  states:  "At  the 
present  day  this  species  still  nests 
where  it  has  for  years  in  the  chasm 
called  'Purgatory'  at  the  westerly  end 
of  Second  Beach,  Middletown,  building 
their  nests  in  the  little  inaccessible 
crevices  of  the  vertical  walls,  where 
they  usually  select  a  spot  that  is  pro- 
tected from  rain  by  a  projecting  bit 
of  rock."  He  also  states:  "No  cliff 
swallows  breed  in  this  chasm,  a  place 
apparently  more  suited  to  them  than 
to  the  barn  swallows."  This  statement 
leaves  opportunity  for  further  interest- 
ing observations  in  regard  to  the  latter 
species. 

In  an  article  written  in  1870  by  T. 
M.  Brewer,  and  published  in  "The 
American  Naturalist"  of  that  year 
(Vol.  3,  No.  4)  reference  is  also  made 
to  the  primitive  breeding  of  barn  swal- 
lows on  the  cliffs,  both  at  Newport, 
Rhode  Island  and  Nahant,  Massa- 
chusetts. 


Birds  and  Aviators. 

Some  interesting  observations  on 
the  movements  of  birds  at  great  heights 
have  been  made  by  French  aviators. 
Tt  has  been  now  established,  according 
to  Mr.  Henry  Wood,  the  United  Press 
correspondent  with  the  French  Armies, 
that  swallows  in  flying  maintain  an 
average  altitude  of  700  yds.  Wild 
ducks  on  the  other  hand,  prefer  a 
greater  height,  and  stick  to  an  altitude 
of  1,800  yds.,  or  a  little  over  a  mile. 
Green  plover  maintain  at  all  times  an 
even  greater  altitude,  and  in  March, 
during  their  period  of  migration,  the 
French  aviators  have  met  them  at  a 
height   of   2,150   yds.     Wild    ducks   in 


ORNITHOLOGY 


->39 


flight  are  particularly  interesting. 
Everyone  knows  that  these  birds  al- 
ways fly  in  single  file  behind  their  lead- 
ers, but  it  is  now  proved  that  the  wild 
ducks  execute  every  movement  with  a 
wonderful  simultaneousness  and  de- 
gree of  precision.  If,  for  example,  the 
leading  duck  at  the  head  of  the  rile 
changes  the  position  of  a  wing  in  order 
to  fly  either  higher  or  lower,  all  of  the 
others  make  the  same  movement,  ap- 
parently at  the  same  moment.  The 
average  speed  of  wild  ducks  in  flight  is 
proved  at  65^-2  miles  an  hour  when  they 
are  flying  upwards  and  69  miles  an 
hour  when  flying  horizontally,  which 
agrees  with  the  estimate  which  has 
been  previously  made. — Forest  and 
Stream. 


The  Slaughter  of  the  Innocents. 

BY  THE  REVEREND  MAXLEV   B.  TOWXSEXD. 
NASHUA,    NEW    HAMPSHIRE. 

The  most  destructive  enemy  of  bird 
life  at  the  present  time  is  undoubtedly 
the  domestic  cat.  The  cat,  like  all  the 
Felidae,  is  a  highly  predatory  creature. 
Multitudes  of  birds,  especially  the 
young  in  the  nest  and  those  just  out  of 
it,  fall  an  easy  prey  to  the  cat's  insati- 
able love  of  killing.  Our  cities  are 
overrun  with  vagabond  cats.  Large 
numbers  have  run  wild  in  the  woods, 
subsisting  upon  the  country.  The  low- 
est estimate  of  the  number  of  song 
and  game  birds  destroyed  by  cats  in  the 
United  States  every  year  is  125,000,000. 
The  number  is  actually  nearer  ten  times 
this  figure.  So  destructive  are  cats 
to  game  that  many  sportsmen  shoot 
every  cat  visible  in  the  woods.  This 
they  do  through  no  animosity  toward 
the  cat,  but  in  the  interest  of  bird  and 
game  conservation. 

Two  experiences  this  year  on  mv  own 
grounds  brought  home  to  the  writer  a 
personal  knowledge  of  the  feline  peril  to 
the  birds.  A  pair  of  robins  built  a  nest  in 
the  woodbine  of  my  front  porch  where 
it  was  well  sheltered  bv  the  overhang- 
ing eaves.  In  due  time  the  blue  green 
eggs  hatched  into  four  hungry  young- 
sters. Then  there  were  livelv  times  in- 
deed— the  parents  hustling  from  morn- 
ing till  night  to  fill  those  four  wide 
open  mouths.  The  happy  family 
thrived  apace.  But  one  fateful  night 
a  neighbor's  cat  climbed  to  the  nest, 
snatched  the  brooding  mother  from  her 


little  ones  and  escaped.  Then  did  the 
male  bird  show  of  what  stuff  he  was 
made.  He  at  once  assumed  entire 
charge  of  the  family.  From  the 
earliest  peep  of  dawn  to  the  last  faint 
gray  of  daylight  he  was  "on  the  job," 
fetching  food  for  the  clamorous  grow- 
ing brood.  But  as  they  grew,  their 
appetites  increased.  The  parent  bird 
was  unable  to  get  food  fast  enough  and 
in  sufficient  quantities.  It  was  a  phy- 
sical impossibility.  His  stout  little 
heart  kept  him  at  it,  but  no  robin  could 
do  the  work.  One  day  we  noticed 
another  robin  helping.  At  first  we 
thought  that  "father"  had  got  married 
again  for  the  sake  of  his  children,  until 
we  discovered  that  the  new  bird  was 
another  male,  perhaps  one  that  had  also 
lost  his  mate.  The  two  male  robins 
raised  that  brood  successfully.  A 
volley  of  stones  whenever  the  cat 
appeared  kept  her  at  a  distance. 

At  almost  the  same  time  another 
tragedy  occurred  at  our  home.  A  pair 
of  chipping  sparrows  built  a  hair  lined 
nest  in  the  vines  of  our  back  porch. 
The  eggs  hatched  and  all  was  going  on 
well  when  a  maurading  cat  caught 
both  parents.  The  young,  of  course, 
miserably  perished. 

The  writer  is  not  an  enemy  of  the 
cat.  But  he  submits  that  it  is  high 
time  for  this  terrible  slaughter  of  the 
innocents  to  be  stopped  or  at  least 
greatly  minimized.  Owners  of  cats 
should  watch  their  pets  in  the  birds' 
nesting  season  and  never  let  them  loose 
at  night,  and  in  the  daytime  only  after 
a  full  meal.  The  most  effective  way  to 
solve  the  problem  is  to  do  with  the  cat 
what  has  been  done  with  the  dog — lic- 


Phologiaph  bv  W.  L.  Finley,  Oregon. 
CAT  WITH  ROBIN. 


240 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


ense  it.  This  would  eliminate  the  un- 
desirables and  give  legal  rights  to  the 
legitimate  ones.  With  the  vagabonds 
and  tramps  out  of  the  way,  and  the  cat 
population  reduced  to  reasonable 
numbers,  hundreds  of  millions  of  birds 
would  be  saved  to  our  land.  This  is 
no  inconsiderable  item  in  these  days  of 
food  conservation.  Insects  destroy  the 
crops.  Birds  destroy  insects.  The 
more  birds,  the  fewer  insects  and  the 
more  food.  Why  "save  at  the  spigot 
and  waste  at  the  bunghole?"  License 
the  cat,  save  the  birds  and  increase  the 
food  supply. 


Increased  Bird  Study  and  Support. 

It  is  an  encouraging  sign  that  even 
in  war  times  the  interest  in  the  Audu- 
bon Societies  and  in  their  support  has 
greatly  increased.  This  is  as  it  should 
be.  Any  phase  of  nature  study,  any 
phase  of  protection  of  wild  life  is 
worthy  of  hearty  support. 

The  Agassiz  Association  heartly  con- 
gratulates the  National  Association  of 
Audubon  Societies  upon  their  good 
showing  and  on  their  efficient  work  in 
an  important  department  of  nature. 
Secretary  T.  Gilbert  Pearson  says  in 
his  report : 

"The  entrance  of  our  nation  into  the 
world  war  has  called  for  public  service 
and  financial  support  to  an  extent 
never  even  approached  in  this  country 
before.  Innumerable  war  charities  of 
the  most  worthy  character  have  made 
constant  appeals  for  funds,  and  huge 
sums  of  money  have  gone  into  war 
relief.  As  a  direct  result,  many  insti- 
tutions supported  by  the  general  public 
have  suffered  severely.  Some  have 
closed  their  doors,  and  others  have  cur- 
tailed their  activities.  Forty-six  hos- 
pitals in  New  York  City  alone  are  be- 
hind in  their  budgets,  and  numerous 
worthy  institutions  are  on  the  verge  of 
collapse.  With  this  Association  it  has 
been  different.  True,  some  of  our  good 
workers  marched  away  to  the  war,  and 
some  hitherto  large  supporters  have 
dropped  their  contributions,  but  others 
have  come  forward  to  take  their  places. 
Now,  at  the  close  of  our  year,  it  is  with 
much  pleasure  we  announce  that  in  not 
a  single  line  of  our  endeavor  has  it  been 
necessary  for  us  to  curtail  during  the 
past  year,  and  in  most  lines  of  activitv 


we  have  been  able  to  expand,  because 
of  the  magnificent  support  the  Asso- 
ciation has  received,  for  we  have  not 
only  held  our  own,  but  the  sustaining 
membership  has  grown  33  1-3  per  cent, 
during  the  past  twelve  months. 

*f*  *|£  *|*  5jC  5JC 

"The  total  income  of  the  Association 
for  the  year  amounted  to  $144,  089.21, 
which  is  something  more  than  $30,000 
greater  than  the  income  for  the  pre- 
vious year." 


Winter  Birds  in  Massachusetts. 

A  considerable  flight  of  goshawks 
has  been  reported  in  eastern  Massachu- 
setts during  the  early  winter  months, 
and  a  number  of  great  horned  owls 
have  come  down  from  the  north.  An 
unusual  flight  of  whistling  swans  has 
also  been  reported  off  the  coast.  Snow 
buntings  and  horned  larks  appear  to  be 
in  good  numbers  in  their  usual  haunts. 
A  few  crossbills  and  pine  grosbeaks 
have  also  been  reported.  Ruffed 
grouse  seem  to  be  unusually  scarce 
this  winter. 


Eave  Swallows   Prefer  Unpainted 
Buildings. 

An  exhaustive  article  in  the  Septem- 
ber-October number  of  "Bird  Lore"  by 
Reverend  Manley  B.  Townsend  of 
Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  on  the  nest- 
ing habits  of  the  cliff  swallow  (eave 
swallow),  seems  to  prove  pretty  con- 
clusively the  interesting  statement  that 
these  birds  prefer  unpainted  buildings 
upon  which  to  attach  their  nests,  and 
that  these  clay  nests  when  attached  to 
painted  structures  soon  drop  off  and 
become  abandoned. 


The  expedition  of  the  American  Mu- 
seum of  Natural  History  to  Western 
China  is  bringing  back  some  of  the 
richest  collections  ever  secured  by  a 
single  party.  These  include  more  than 
two  thousand  mammals,  eight  thous- 
and feet  of  moving  picture  films,  and 
more  than  a  hundred  photographs  in 
natural  colors.  The  party,  with  the 
wife  of  the  leader  for  its  official  photo- 
grapher, entered  regions  where  no 
white  persons  had  ever  been  seen,  and 
collected  up  to  levels  as  high  as  fifteen 
thousand  feet. 


m  THE  CAMERA  IN  NATURE 


% 


l]W 


Nature-Faking  With  the   Camera. 

BY   RALPH    OSB0RXE,   IN    PHOTO    ERA. 

The  amateur  photographer  who  has 
exhausted  the  subjects  generally  found 
about  his  home  will  hail  with  more  or 
less  enthusiasm  a  new  field  for  his 
camera-activities.  Although  there  is 
nothing  surprisingly  novel  about  the 
branch  of  photography  I  am  about  to 
describe,  for  it  is  neither  more  nor  less 
than  "table-top  photography,"  yet  it 
appears  that  all  too  few  amateurs  avail 


Yet  he  is  not  censured  for  it,  so  why 
should  not  the  amateur  photographer 
be  allowed  a  similar  privilege? 

The  idea  of  this  sort  of  photography 
came  to  me  from  a  desire  to  do  some 
still-life  studies — something  a  little  dif- 
ferent from  the  eternal  over-turned 
basket  of  fruit,  vegetables  and  the  like. 
While  passing  an  Easter  display  in  a 
shop-window,  it  occurred  to  me  that 
these  same  chicks  and  goslings,  with 
which     the     window     was     decorated, 


THE  EARLY  BIRD  CATCHES  THE  WORM. 


themselves  of  this  interesting  pastime. 
It  consists  simply  in  using  for  photo- 
graphic models,  stuffed  and  imitation 
animals  and  insects  that  may  be  picked 
up  in  the  shops  for  a  few  cents. 

At  the  outset,  it  must  be  said  that 
these  stuffed-animal  studies  are  in  the 
nature  of  a  "fake."  Yet  it  is  just  this 
very  trick  that  the  painter  uses  when 
he  causes  his  lay-figures  of  men  and 
beasts  to  assume  natural  poses  and  then 
paints  them  as  actual,  living  creatures. 


would  make  excellent  models  for  my 
new  venture-  I  therefore  set  about 
collecting  a  stock  of  what  in  the  theatri- 
cal profession  would  be  called  "prop- 
erties." My  stock  at  present  comprises 
a  small  family  of  chickens  and  ducks ; 
a  rubber  snake  that  does  not  look  too 
unreal ;  a  spider  whose  legs  are  made  of 
wire  springs  that  joggle  like  fury  at 
just  the  wrong  time,  thus  making  the 
photographing  of  him  exceedingly  dif- 
ficult ;  and  a  grotesque  dog  that  I  dis- 


242 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


THE  TUG  OF  WAR. 


covered  in  a  Japanese  shop.  Not  a  veryeither  singly  or  in  combination,  will 
varied  assortment,  it  is  true,  but  I  bavemake  highly  interesting  studies.  Just 
my  eye  constantly  out  for  new  objects, here,  however,  let  me  offer  a  word  of 
and  hope  before  long  to  have  a  truly  warning :  Use  only  those  figures  that 
fearful  and  wonderful  collection  tohave  a  dull  finish,  otherwise  the  light 
draw  from.  By  searching  in  the  toywill  fall  on  the  glazed  surface  and  be 
and  novelty  shops,  any  number  of  im-reflected  back  in  the  photograph  in 
ages    will    be    brought    to    light    that, such  a  way  as  to  destroy  the  illusion. 


THE  BONE  OF  CONTENTION. 


THE  CAMERA  IN  NATURE 


-'43 


This  photographing  of  stuffed  ani- 
mals and  the  like  has  many  points  in 
its  favor.  In  the  first  place  it  gives 
one's  artistic  skill  a  loose  rein  to  go 
ahead  and  create  something  unusual 
and  worth  while.  In  the  second  place, 
it  also  gives  one  a  chance  to  show 
one's  skill  as  a  photographer.  One  is 
not  hampered  by  being  hurried,  or  by 
the   feeling   that    the   model   is   getting 


As  to  equipment,  very  little  need  be 
said.  It  is  quite  as  possible  to  obtain 
artistic  and  natural  effects  with  a  pin- 
hole in  a  cigar-box  as  it  is  with  the 
most  expensive  camera  obtainable-  The 
ordinary  folding  pocket-camera  with  a 
portrait-attachment  will  give  a  very 
adequate  negative — but  one  which  will 
need  considerable  enlarging  to  get  the 
best  of  results. 


CONSTERNATION  OF  THE  EARLY  BIRD 


tired — a  fact  which  has  been  account- 
able for  so  many  portraits  being  un- 
successful. The  composition  of  one  of 
these  little  scenes  can  occupy  as  long 
as  one  wishes.  And  last,  but  by  no 
means  least,  among  these  advantages 
is  the  fact  that  it  can  be  done  anywhere 
at  any  time,  out  doors  or  in.  in  sun- 
shine or  artificial  light.  A  very  practi- 
cal method  is  to  set  up  the  composition 
on  a  small  table.  When  all  is  ready, 
table  and  all  can  easily  be  moved  about 
before  a  window,  and  any  number  of 
novel  lighting-effects  may  thus  be  ob- 
tained. 


Although  I  do  not  plan  that  these 
pictures  shall  be  actually  funny,  yet  I 
try  to  have  them  gay  in  character.  It 
seems  to  me  that  unless  they  are  at 
least  mildly  diverting,  their  lose  their 
raison  d'etre,  for  even  with  a  tremendous 
stretch  of  imagination,  they  surely 
cannot  be  called  beautiful.  Their  of- 
fice is  to  divert,  and  if  they  succeed  in 
this  in  a  degree,  they  have  accomplish- 
ed their  object. 


There  are  now,  in  the  various  prov- 
inces of  China,  one  hundred  and  thirty 
agricultural   experiment    stations. 


Skating    and    Picking    Strawberries. 

Hyde  Park,  New  York. 
To  the  Editor : 

You  ask  in  Tiik 
Guide;  to  Nature 
who  has  had  ex- 
erience  with  "ever 
bearing"'  strawber- 
ries. Let  me  give 
mine. 

About  three  years 
ago  T  purchased  a 
number  of  varie- 
ties of  the  so-called 
a.t.cook  "everbearing" 

strawberries,  and 
set  them  out  side  by  side  in  mv  garden. 
One  variety  proved  so  far  superior  to  all 
the  others  that  there  was  simply  no  com- 
parison, and  I  quickly  removed  the 
poorer  ones. 

This  variety  was  the  "Progressive." 
The  plants  set  out  in  the  spring  bore 


enormously  from  July  into  November. 
Indeed,  I  picked  ripe  berries  as  late  as 
December  8th,  and  left  green  ones  and 
many  blossoms  still  on  the  vines.  Their 
hardiness  is  truly  wonderful.  Think  of 
it !  Persons  skating  on  the  lakes  and 
at  the  same  time  I  was  picking  straw- 
berries. I  send  you  a  photograph  of 
one  of  the  plants  set  out  in  the  spring. 
I  picked  forty  big,  ripe  berries  from  it 
on  October  15th,  the  day  on  which  the 
photograph  was  taken,  and  counted 
sixty-nine  green  berries  and  numerous 
blossoms.  Hundreds  of  the  other 
plants  were  just  about  as  good.  Please 
remember  that  these  plants  had  been 
bearing  since  July. 

The  hardiness  of  the  Progressive  al- 
most surpasses  belief.  Last  season  I 
set  nine  plants  in  a  box  of  earth  raised 
above  the  ground.  I  put  no  covering 
of  any  kind  on  them  in  the  fall,  for  I 
had  no  thought  that  it  was  possible  to 
save  them  in  such  an  exposed  position, 
but  seven  wintered  safely  and  bore 
abundantly  during  the  season.     Could 


THE   ASTONISHING   "PROGRESSIVE"   STRAWBERRIES. 


THE  PLANT  WORLD  UNDER    CARE 


245 


any  better  proof  of  their  hardiness  be 
found  ? 

The  quality  of  the  Progressive  is  su- 
perlatively good.  No  richer  or  better 
flavored  strawberry  exists.  The  great 
ambition  of  this  variety  seems  to  be  to 
produce  fruit  early  and  abundantly. 
The  young  plants  on  the  runners  often 
bloom  and  produce  fruit  a  half  inch  in 
diameter  even  before  the  plant  takes 
root. 

With  all  its  other  good  features  it  is 
probably  the  earliest  strawberry  that 
we  have.  At  all  events  it  has  borne 
ripe  berries  ten  days  earlier  than  any 
other  I  have  ever  had  and  I  have  had 
quite  a  number. 

I  will  only  add  that  these  strawber- 
ries, owing  to  their  constant  growing 
and  bearing,  require  exceedingly  rich 
ground  and  careful  attention.  If  a 
drought  comes  they  demand  plenty  of 
water  or  they  will  take  a  rest :  other- 
wise they  will  not  stop  to  rest  till  the 
winter  fairly  sets  in. 

Yours  for  fresh  strawberries  fives 
months  in  the  vear. 

A.  T.  Cook. 


Will  the  Honey  Locust  ever  Disarm? 

BY    ROBERT    SPARKS    WALKER,     CHATTA- 
NOOGA, TENNESSEE. 

Circumstantial  evidence  strongly  indi- 
cates that  the  honey  locust — Glediisia 
triacanthos — is  the  oldest  fruit  bearing 
tree  in  the  world  It  is  difficult  to  im- 
agine the  creation  of  a  fruit  producing 
tree  and  then  arming  it  with  such  a 
formidable  host  of  thorns — protectors 
that  really  make  it  dangerous  for  man 
and  all  beasts — that  it  becomes  a  for- 
tification which  has  stood  the  test  for 
ages  and  succeeded  in  defying  preying 
beasts  against  all  advances.  Rut  why 
this  protection?  In  the  study  of  all 
biological  species  when  we  come  to 
dealing  with  certain  parts  we  must  put 
reason  to  test.  Then  why  did  the  Crea- 
tor first  make  the  locust  tree  with  such 
peculiarities?  This  is  the  only  route 
we  have  to  pursue  that  we  may  expect 
to  lead  to  the  most  reasonable  solution 
of  the  peculiarities  of  this  remarkable 
tree.  And  then  follows  the  question. 
Why  should  the  honev  locust  be  so  for- 
tified with  such  horrible  jaggers?  Tn 
the  natural  state  no  one  dares  touch  the 
tree,  unless  it  is  to  slash  it  with  an  axe. 
Accidents  from  the  penetration  of  these 


THE  FRUIT  OF  THE  HONEY  LOCUST. 

thorns     into     the    human    body     have 
caused  death. 

But  there  certainly  is  a  reason  for 
the  honey  locust  being  so  thoroughly 
provided  with  these  spines — just  for 
the  same  reason  that  the  cactus  of  the 
desert  is  finished  up  with  a  prickly 
coat.  At  the  beginning  when  the  honey 
locust  made  its  advent  by  direct  cre- 
ation of  the  Creator  of  the  universe,  or 
by  a  reason  of  evolution,  there  roamed  the 
land  animals  of  immense  proportions 
like  the  mammoths  and  mastodons 
which  are  now  extinct.  The  honey  lo- 
cust as  a  tree  begins  bearing  fruit  at 
a  comparatively  early  age.  Being  the 
first  tree  to  be  created  which  produced 
fruit,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  for 
it  to  be  provided  with  some  effective 
protection  against  the  ravages  of  any 
of  the  monstrous  animals  now  extinct. 
Without  any  protection,  excepting  bv 
mere  chance,  the  honey  locust  could 
never  have  flourished.  But  these  ar- 
mors served  their  purpose  well,  and 
even  the  largest  land  animal — vegetable 
feeders — dared  not  touch  its  pods  un- 
til they  had  fallen  to  the  ground. 

A  certain  plant  breeder  states  that 
in  the  search  for  spineless  cactus  (me 
species  found  growing  with  spines  in 
sites  exposed  to  wild  animals  as  well 


246 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


honey  shuck  tree.  The  curved  pods, 
measuring  from  nine  to  twenty  inches 
in  length,  when  they  become  dry  and 
ripened  twist  and  retwist  until  they 
eventually  squeeze  out  the  seeds  which 
are  thrown  out  for  germination.  The 
lovers  of  its  fruit,  and  those  who  study 
the  tree,  now  see  no  reason  for  such 
an  armor,  and  knowing  the  wounds 
often  caused  from  the  thorns  of  this  old, 
old  tree,  those  who  live  in  the  same 
community  with  it  are  waiting  with 
much  patience  to  the  time  when,  ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Darwin's  theory,  the 
honey  locust  tree  will  discard  its  much 
dreaded  armor. 


THE    THORNS    OF    THE    HONEY    LOCUST. 
One-half  naural   size. 

protected  with  spines,  and  the  same 
species  found  growing  on  cliffs  beyond 
the  reach  of  animals  as  spineless.  This 
serves  as  a  fine  illustration  in  the  study 
of  the  intelligence  in  plants.  Disuse 
of  these  organs  caused  the  cactus  to 
lose  them.  And  then  may  we  not  in- 
quire if  the  honey  locust  will  not  one 
day  in  like  manner  throw  off  its  pro- 
tection and  become  thornless?  Is  there 
any  reason  today  for  it  wearing  such 
an  armor  of  dangerous  weapons?  If, 
through  disuse,  a  plant  loses  its  un- 
necessary organs,  then  we  may  well 
forebode  that  in  the  future  the  honey 
locust  will  strip  itself  of  these  barbar- 
ous daggers  and  spears.  The  tree  lo- 
cust when  reaching  maturity  now  los- 
es the  thorns  up  to  a  certain  height,  but 
the  severity  of  the  tree's  expression 
caused  by  the  multitude  of  these  fierce 
looking  weapons  is  horrifying,  when 
one  thinks  of  the  probable  result  of 
even  a  frail  attempt  to  scale  or  bump 
against  its  body. 

For  untold  years  the  fruit  of  the 
honey  locust  has  been  considered  a  deli- 
cacy by  many  people.  Natives  who 
gather    the    ripened    pods    call    it    the 


Growing  Potatoes  under  Straw. 

BY    MISS    BESSIE    L-    PUTNAM,     CONNEAUT 
LAKE,  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Some  thirty  years  ago  a  number  of 
our  best  farmers  tried  growing  potatoes 
in  straw,  some  following  this  practice 
for  a  number  of  years.  The  ground  was 
prepared  as  usual,  and  the  seed  placed 
on  top,  sometimes  covered  with  enough 
earth  to  hold  it  in  place  and  then  with 
a  mulch  of  straw  ten  or  twelve  inches 
deep.  They  were  never  cultivated,  and 
unless  bugs  appeared  received  no  care 
until  digging  time.  This  was  easily 
accomplished  by  throwing  the  straw 
back  with  a  fork,  revealing  the  pota- 
toes practically  free  from  dirt.  If  I 
remember  rightly,  my  father  aban- 
doned the  method  after  two  or  three 
trials,  believing  that  though  he  got  a 
greater  number  of  potatoes  they  were 
smaller.  This,  however,  seemed  to  be 
a  disputed  question.  One  man  recalls 
a  field  in  which  both  methods  of  cul- 
ture were  used  on  ground  of  the  same 
nature.  The  tubers  grown  in  straw 
proved  more  soggy  in  quality  than 
thoce  grown  in  the  normal  manner. 

Last  spring  an  inquiry  in  the  "Na- 
tional Stockman  and  Farmer,"  Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania,  drew  forth  a  va- 
riety of  directions  and  opinions.  A 
few  condemned  the  practice ;  others 
reported  having  used  it  for  years  with 
success.  A  Western  Pennsylvania 
man  writes  that  after  experimenting 
for  ten  years,  he  has  found  this  his  best 

way: 

Prepare  the  ground  as  early  as  pos- 
sible. Use  small  or  medium  seed  and 
plant  without  cutting.  The  cut  pota- 
to is  more  apt  to  rot.     Lay  them  on  a 


THE  PLANT  WORLD  UNDER  CARE 


-'47 


mellow  surface  a  foot  apart  each  way. 
Cover  with  straw  so  that  when  it  is 
thoroughly  tramped  down  it  will  be 
twelve  inches  deep.  Nothing  remains 
to  be  done  except  to  keep  any  stray 
weeds  pulled  until  digging  time.  Some 
of  the  disadvantages  he  notes  are  that 
unless  planted  early  they  do  not  get  up 
in  time  to  mature  and  if  the  season  is 
very  wet  they  may  rot.  This  method 
results  best  in  a  dry  season  providing 
the  tops  cover  the  ground  well  before 
drought  commences.  "Tubers  always 
grow  symmetrical,  smooth  and  clean." 
he  declares,  "and  all  things  being  equal, 
they  far  outyield  ordinary  culture." 

Another  grower,  S.  W.  Jones,  Pike 
County,  Ohio,  states  that  growing  po- 
tatoes between  earth  and  straw  is  an 
ideal  way  to  feed  moles,  ground  mice 
and  rats.  His  method  is  unique  and 
seems  to  overcome  most  of  the  draw- 
backs previously  mentioned,  though  it 
involves  a  little  more  labor. 

"Plant  in  the  usual  way  in  a  shallow 
furrow  so  that  when  potatoes  are  cov- 
ered the  ground  will  be  level,  or  better 
still  leave  a  small  ridge  to  mark  the 
row.  When  the  potatoes  come  up 
and  are  six  inches  or  more  high  plow 
and  with  a  hoe  draw  the  earth  to  the 
plants,  almost  covering  them  and  mak- 
ing a  good  high  ridge,  having  a  deep 
furrow  between  the  rows.  Fill  this 
furrow  with  straw.  Any  kind  will  do, 
either  dry  or  half  rotted.  Be  sure  to 
leave  just  enough  dirt  showing  so  you 
can  see  it  along  the  rows  between  the 
hills.  After  you  get  one  good  soaking 
rain  the  potatoes  will  never  suffer  for 
lack  of  moisture.  Tn  a  wet  season  the 
ridge  is  very  necessary  to  keep  them 
from  getting  their  feet  too  wet.  Tn 
this  way  the  potatoes  grow  in  the 
ground  instead  of  next  the  wet  straw 
and  the  quality  is  much  better.  Sev- 
eral trials  of  mulching  part  this  way 
and  planting  part  without  straw  have 
shown  a  difference  of  one-hundred  per 
cent  or  more  in  favor  of  the  part  mul- 
ched, the  difference  all  being  in  the 
size  of  the  potatoes  and  not  in  the 
number.  This  method  is  original  with 
me.  I  have  never  seen  it  tried  by 
others,  excepting  a  few  to  whom  T 
have  recommended  it  and  these  have 
been  well  pleased  by  it.  Re  sure  not 
to  plant  too  early  and  be  sure  not  to 
omit  either  the  straw  or  the  ridg'e.   Yon 


are  then  ready  for  any  kind  of  a  season 


that  comes  along". 


AN   INCLUSION   OF  GRASS   IN   A   POTATO. 


A  Potato  Pierced  by  a  Glass  Blade. 
Port  Chester,  N  .Y. 
To  the  Editor : 

A  short  time  ago,  I  read  an  interest- 
ing article  in  The  Guide  to  Nature 
in  regard  to  inclusions  in  potatoes. 
Last  week  one  of  my  students  brought 
me  the  specimen  that  I  send  you  of  a 
potato  penetrated  by  a  blade  of  grass. 
This  may  not  be  uncommon  but  I  had 
never  previously  seen  anything  of  the 
kind.  As  we  are  all  much  interested 
in  it  I  thought  it  might  possibly  be 
of  interest  to  other  readers. 
Very  truly. 
Catherine  L.  MonagalE. 


Winter  Buds. 


What    unsuspected    beauties    line    the    way, 
As  for  our  winter  walk  we  brave  the  cold  f 
At  first,  grave  topics  our  attention  hold, 

But  soon  the  subtle  influence  of  the  day, 

Doth  lead  us  from  our   subjects  far  astray, 
And  we,  with  broadening  vision,  now  be- 
hold 
Those  beauties,  ever  new  and  ever  old. 

That,    with    the    changing    year,    so    briefly 
stay. 

The   winter  buds,  what   could   more  perfect 

be! 
They  light  the   dark,   stern  branches  of  the 

tree 
With    tips    of    ruddy    brown,    of   bronze,    of 

green, 
Or    roseate   hue,   where    shy   moosewood    is 

seen; 
And   opening;,   they  hint  anew  the   key 
Of  life's  impenetrable  mystery. 

— Emma    Peirce. 


EDITORIAL 


On  What  Part  Do  You  Lecture? 

The  whole  may  be  geometrically 
equivalent  to  the  sum  of  all  the  parts, 
but  it  is  not  always  so  from  the  logical 
point  of  view.  Suppose  that  I  was  to 
announce  that  I  would  give  a  lecture 
on  mankind.  Would  you  inquire  if  I 
were  going  to  divide  that  into  six  parts, 
boy,  girl,  youth,  maiden,  man,  woman  ? 
No,  certainly  not.  You  recognize  the 
fact  that  mankind  stands  for  far  more 
than  the  assemblage  of  the  two  sexes 
of  various  ages. 

But  again,  suppose  I  were  to  an- 
nounce a  lecture  on  the  nation,  would 
you  suppose  it  to  be  necessary  to  divide 
that  into  as  many  parts  as  there  are  states 
and  to  discuss  each  in  turn  ?  No,  cer- 
tainly not.  You  recognize  that  our 
union  stands  for  something  more  than 
a  mere  assemblage  of  states.  It  is  a 
nation  with  its,  own  distinct  individ- 
uality, more  marked  and  distinct  than 
the  individuality  of  each  state. 

But  again,  if  I  may  use  one  or  more 
illustrations,  suppose  I  were  requested 
to  talk  on  the  City  of  Stamford.  Would 
you  think  it  necessary  for  me  to  dis- 
cuss road  making,  coal  carting,  ditch 
digging,  pipe  laying,  storekeeping  and 
school  teaching?  No,  certainly  not. 
You  recognize  the  existence  of  an  in- 
dividuality about  the  city,  greater  and 
more  distinct  than  the  sum  of  its  parts. 
You  perceive  that  the  terms  mankind, 
nation,  state,  etc.,  stand  for  a  distinct 
individuality  above,  beyond  and  greater 
than  the  assemblage  of  details. 

Why  not  use  a  similar  logic  with  the 
term  nature?  Time  and  again,  people 
have  expressed  this  idea,  "I  suppose 
when  you  talk  about  nature,  you  tell 
about  the  bugs,  the  flowers  and  the 
trees."  Yes,  I  do  and  more.  A  lec- 
ture on  nature  is  like  one  on  religion. 
It  stands  for  more  than  a  variety  of 
creeds  or  than  a  single  department  of 
natural  science.     Nature  has  a  distinct 


individuality,  a  personality  and  lov- 
ableness  of  her  own.  A  loving  child 
thinks  a  mother,  a  father  has  an  indi- 
viduality different  and  greater  than  his 
hands,  his  face,  his  shoes  or  his  watch. 
It  is  one  of  the  essential  characteris- 
tics of  the  naturalist  to  think  of  nature 
not  in  detail  but  as  a  lovable  whole.  Do 
not  by  mistake  think  that  he  does  not 
know  the  details.  He  does,  but  this  is 
another  department.  He  may  study 
the  details  and  be  a  specialist  but  when 
he  classifies  those  details  he  is  a  natural 
scientist. 


You  Should  be  Better  than  Your  Tools. 

"I  hear  you  publish  a  magazine.  Do 
you  think  that  it  would  give  material 
for  work  with  the  pupils  in  my  school?" 
That  inquiry  in  practically  this  form 
has  come  to  the  editor  from  many 
teachers  personally  and  otherwise.  It 
is  not  altogether  unselfishness  that  in- 
duces teachers  thus  to  think  of  their 
children  first.  There  are  times  when 
one's  self  should  come  first.  That  is 
particularly  true  of  a  knowledge  and 
love  of  nature.  In  this  it  is  the 
teacher's  pesonality  that  counts  most 
of  all.  Why  does  not  the  average  teacher 
take  the  amateur  naturalist's  point  of 
view  and  say?  "I  hear  that  you  are 
publishing  much  material  that  will  in- 
struct and  inspire  me  in  a  knowledge 
and  love  of  nature.  I  want  the  mag- 
azine for  that  purpose." 

My  dear  teacher,  you  cannot  give 
much  that  you  yourself  do  not  possess. 
To  pass  nature  to  children  without 
your  own  heart  and  personality  is  hand- 
ing  out  so  much  dead  wood.  You 
must  be  alive  and  growing  with  your 
cambium  layer  in  active  development. 

Teachers  inquire,  "How  many  chil- 
dren do  you  think  I  should  take  with 
me  on  an  outing  in  the  woods?"  My 
reply  is  invariably,  "You  shoidd  sev- 
eral times  practise  going  alone."  If 
the  response  is,  "I  do  not  care  about 
going  into  the  woods  :  there  is  nothing 


EDITORIAL 


249 


there  for  me."  the  reply  is  invariably, 
"Do  not  be  so  sacrilegious  as  to  take 
children  with  yon.  Do  not.  Become 
converted  yourself  before  yon  try  to 
convert  others.  If  the  essence  of  na- 
ture study  is  not  good  for  you  first  of 
all.  then  it  is  not  good  for  the  children." 
Some  of  the  compliments  that  come 
to  this  magazine  are  painfully  jarring 
because  they  treat  the  magazine  as  so 
much  material  to  be  bought  and 
handed  over.  This  journal  stands  for 
personality,  for  inspiration  in  the  study 
of  nature,  not  for  something  merely  in- 
teresting to  be  read  nor  attractive  pic- 
tures to  be  admired.  It  stands  for  life 
even  more  than  for  something  that  that 
life  may  do.  Nature  study  is  not  al- 
together a  matter  of  knowledge  nor  of 
materials.  It  is  chiefly  a  matter  of  per- 
sonal inspiration.  It  is  not  a  thing  but 
a  point  of  view.  It  is  not  a  daily  talk 
of  fifteen  minutes  in  the  presence  of 
your  pupils ;  it  is  living  for  twenty- 
four   hours   a    day. 


War  Co-operation  with  Railroads. 

Chairman  Fairfax  Harrison  of  the 
railroads'  war  board,  in  a  statement  to 
the  public  published  today,  makes  an 
appeal  for  co-operation  of  the  people 
with  the  railroads  in  the  stupendous 
task  now  confronting  the  carriers,  and 
for  patience  while  the  railroads  grapple 
with  staggering  difficulties  yet  to  be 
overcome.  It  should  attract  the  atten- 
tion and  receive  the  sympathy  of  every 
one.  To  say  that  upon  the  railroads 
rest  a  great  burden  in  the  winning  of 
the  war  is  but  to  state  the  elemental. 
To  say  that  the  railroads  have  demon- 
strated not  only  their  willingness,  but 
ability  to  shoulder  their  load  is  but  to 
give  simplest  credit  where  it  is  most 
obviously  due. 

In  his  statement  Chairman  Harrison 
calls  attention,  without  boastfulness,  to 
some  of  the  facts  accomplished  by  the 
railroads.  They  have  in  the  five  months 
of  the  war  hauled  116,000  carloads  of 
freight  to  national  camps ;  have  handled 
17,000  carloads  of  freight  for  the  ship- 
ping board  ;  have  moved  750,000  car- 
loads more  of  coal  than  in  1916,  while 
the  general  freight  traffic  was  50  per 
cent,  heavier  than  in  191 5.  They  have 
transported  1,200,000  soldiers  to  train- 
ing camps.    They  will  move  75,000  car- 


loads of  supplies  a  month  to  these 
camps. 

All  this  in  the  face  of  difficulties  of 
their  own,  occasioned  by  serious  short- 
age of  the  highly  skilled  labor  neces- 
sary for  railroad  operation ;  of  a  lack 
of  sufficient  cars  and  locomotives ;  of  a 
lamentable  inability  to  get  adequate 
equipment  while  the  government  has 
priority  in  its  demands  for  steel  and 
other  material.  Even  their  officers  have 
diverted  their  attention  to  government 
business  to  the  detriment  of  executive 
management  of  their  own  properties. 

The  railroads'  war  board  has  sub- 
mitted to  the  government  director  of 
priority  and  the  fuel  administrator  a 
list  of  450  commodities  whose  trans- 
portation can  be  dispensed  with  with- 
out inconvenience  to  the  public,  and  75 
commodities  which  could  be  dispensed 
with,  although,  admittedly,  with  incon- 
venience. Denial  of  transportation  of 
these  commodities  will  aid  the  rail- 
roads to  give  greater  service  to  the 
war.  Chairman  Harrison  asks  the  pub- 
lic to  co-operate. 

May  he  not  reasonably  expect  us  all 
to  pay  heed  to  this  request,  not  only  to 
submit  without  complaining  to  the  cur- 
tailment, but  even  to  help  it  along?  It 
is  all  for  the  winning  of  the  war. — The 
Washington  Evening  Star. 


Where  There's  Plenty  of  Rain. 

The  little  island  of  Kauai  ,in  the 
Hawaiian  group  may  well  claim  the 
record  for  range  of  climate.  The  island, 
which  is  nearly  circular,  is  only  thirty 
miles  across,  with  an  old  volcano  in 
the  center,  some  five  thousand  feet 
high.  On  the  leeward  side  of  the  peak 
the  country  has  the  rainfall  of  a  semi- 
desert,  only  about  twenty  inches  a  year 
on  the  average,  and  in  some  years  less 
than  fifteen  inches.  But  the  windward 
side  of  the  mountain,  only  fourteen 
miles  away,  is  one  of  the  wettest  spots 
on  earth.  The  average  rainfall  is  over 
five  hundred  inches  a  year,  while  in 
1914  it  passed  six  hundred  inches.  This 
is  fifty  feet  of  water  each  season  over 
the  entire  country,  as  against  about 
seven  feet  for  New  England,  which  is 
one  of  the  best  watered  portions  of  the 
United  States.  Naturally,  the  whole 
region  is  one  dripping  bog,  on  which 
the  rain  falls  virtuallv  all  the  time. 


WRITE 
W/lftT  YOU  H&VE- 

SEEM 


THEFUNDF 

(5EEIN6THINGS, 

I    FOR  YOUNG  FOLKS   1 

V  EDITED  BY  * 

\  Edward  FBigelow  / 


W/HOT  YOU  WP>NT 
TO  KNOW. 


^Souna^Qc^ch ,   Conn 


A  Wooden  Flower. 

A  piece  of  wood  in  the  form  of  a 
flower  or  at  any  rate  suggestive  of  a 
flower  has  been  sent  to  us  by  Mr.  H. 
E.  Deats  of  Flemington,  New  Jersey. 
He  writes  that  he  has  no  knowledge  of 
the  curiosity  except  that  it  was  given 
him  by  his  aunt,  who  received  it  from 


■■ 


• 


SUGGESTS    A   FLOWER. 


a  young  man  who  brought  it  from 
Mexico.  We  shall  be  glad  if  any  of  our 
botanical  friends  will  tell  us  just  what 
it  is,  and  if  others  have  similar  speci- 
mens we  should  be  glad  to  see  them. 


The  Slimy  Salamander. 

We  are  indebted  to  "Aquatic  Life" 
for  the  cut  of  an  interesting  illustration 
of  the  slimy  salamander.     The  photo- 
graph  was   taken  by  Dr-   R.   W.   Shu- 
feldt,    who    in   an    article    in    "Aquatic 
Life"  states  as  follows : 

"It  will  be  observed  that  this  speci- 
men presents  very  unusual  markings 
for  the  species,  the  white  speckling  on 
the  upper  parts  being  very  numerous. 
However,  the  Slimy  Salamander  is 
known  to  show  great  variation  in  this 
particular,  some  individuals  being  like 
the  one  in  the  cut,  others  having  very 
few  fine  speckles,  while  still  others  are 
blotched  with  the  light  color  markings. 
Sometimes  the  speckling  is  moderately 
continued  onto  the  ventral  aspect  of 
the  animal,  where  the  general  color  is 
of  a  deep  lead  color  or  stone  gray  ;  for 
the  rest,  it  is  a  rich  black,  as  shown  in 
the  cut.  The  tail  is  round  ;  the  eyes 
conspicuously  prominent,  the  species 
being  a  slender  one  of  moderate  size. 

"This  specimen  measured  about  five 
inches  in  length,  half  of  which  being 
devoted  to  the  tail.  This  Salamander 
has  rather  a  wide  range,  being  found 
from  southern  Canada  to  Florida  and 
westward  to  include  Texas.  In  some 
sections  it  is  said  to  be  very  abundant; 
but  this  surely  does  not  apply  to  the 
District  of  Columbia,  where  1  have  col- 
lected salamanders  for  many  years,  and 
where  I  have  never  taken  a  single  in- 
dividual of  this  species. 

"When  trying  to  escape  from  the 
hand,  the  Slimy  Salamander  often  at- 
temps  to  do  so  by  quite  an  active  little 
jump  in  a  horizontal  direction  ;  but  the 
attempt  is  feeble.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
it  is  a  gentle  little  creature,  and,  in  my 
eyes,  a  very  pretty  one.  It  has  earned 
its  scientific  and  common  names  from 
the  slimy  exudation  from  its  skin — a 
clear,  sticky  mucus,  a  product  of  the 
dermal  glands-     The  species  is  a  typi- 


THE  FUN  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


2^1 


cal    land    one,   and    to   some   extent   of  Wheel  Captured  by  Tree. 

nocturnal  habits.     It  will  also  come  out  by  h.  e.  zimmerman,  mt.  morris,  ill. 

from  its  hiding  places  under  logs,  flat  A  wheel  was  thrown  aside  in  the  cor- 

stones,   and   leaf-masses   in   rain}-   wea-  ner  of  a  barnyard.    A  tree  concluded  to 

ther.     Doubtless  it  lives  upon  the  same  grow  up  between  two  of  the  spokes,  lit— 


AN  INTERESTING  SALAMANDER. 


character  of  food  as  do  other  salaman- 
ders allied  to  it — small  worms  of  var- 
ious kinds,  and  certain  insects,  such  as 
it  can  capture.  In  captivity,  I  doubt 
not  but  that  it  would  take  bits  of  raw 
meat ;  but  I  made  no  trials  along  such 
lines,  as  I  had,  at  that  time,  quite  a  list 
of  living  things  in  my  study  to  photo- 
graph." 


What  are  Snails? 

AN    INQUIRY    FROM    MASTER    HORTOX    OF 
STAMFORD,    CONN. 

Snails  are  of  the  order  Mollusca,  one 
of  the  great  divisions  of  the  animal 
kingdom.  It  includes  all  the  shellfish 
proper.  All  these  creatures  have  soft 
bodies  and  are  not  supported  by  any 
internal  framework  that  may  be  called 
a  skeleton.  The  two  shells  like  clam 
or  oyster  are  Pelecypoda.  The  single 
shell  generally  in  the  form  of  a  spiral 
(snail)  is  Gastropoda. 


Winter  does  not  work  only  on  a 
broad  scale  ;  he  is  careful  in  trifles. — 
Smith. 


tie  thinking  of  the  predicament  it  would 
get  into.  It  can  be  seen  into  what  a 
tight  place  it  has  gotten  itself-  One  of 
the  spokes  has  been  broken  off  entire- 
ly at  the  rim  of  the  wheel  and  pressed 
back  against  another  spoke.  The  spoke 
in  front  of  the  tree  is  also  about  to 
break  because  of  outward  pressure  of 
the  tree. 


THE    WHEEL    AND    TREE. 


f  i  ^-~ ..^--^ :  inc.  •    •••........ 

AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


KC^CC^C^CClCC^C<gCC^<CC 


c^c<iccc^^:<:gcacgccci<:<fi^ 


3MKBKS 


Established     1S75  Incorporated,     Massachusetts,    1892 


Incorporated,    Connecticut,     1910 


Dr.  Henry  Marcus  Leipziger. 

This  great  lecturer  and  educator  died 
on  December  ist  after  a  long  life  handi- 
capped by  much  ill  health  and  a  frail 
physique ;  but  in  spite  of  these  obsta- 
cles he  accomplished  an  almost  incred- 
ible amount  of  work,  especially  in  con- 
nection with  adult  education.  He  was 
Supervisor  of  the  great  University  of 
the  People  of  New  York  City,  that  free 
lecture  course  which  has  grown  to 
gigantic  proportions,  the  attendance  be- 
ing in  the  millions  and  the  staff  includ- 
ing several  hundred  lecturers.  Dr. 
Leipziger,  by  his  peculiar  enthusiasm 
and  ability,  was  able  to  direct  the  com- 
plicated machinery  of  the  institution  so 
skillfully  that  not  a  flaw  in  the  man- 
agement was  discernible.  The  whole 
course  has  become  unqualifiedly  suc- 
cessful and  the  admiration  of  cities  and 
of  educators  everywhere.  This  great 
work  has  the  special  and  hearty  appro- 
val of  The  Agassiz  Association,  which 
believes  that  education  is  not  for  life 
but  is  life  itself.  The  work  of  The  AA 
has  always  been  directed,  not  so  that  a 
child  may  complete  an  education  but 
that  he  may  begin  an  education  that 
shall  continue  through  life.  The  mis- 
taken belief  that  nature  study  is  for 
children  only  has  had  the  approval  of 
The  AA  only  so  far  as  it  prepares  the 
child  for  the  employment  of  the  full 
powers  of  the  adult  so  that  he  may 
then  study  this  great  and  wonderful 
world.  Dr.  Leipziger  had  a  similar 
opinion  in  regard  to  all  education.  He 
believed  that  the  public  schools  should 
be  merely  inciters,  and  that  thev  fail 
in  their  mission  if  they  convey  the  im- 
pression that  education  may  be  com- 
pleted within  the  days  of  childhood. 
More  than  any  other  man  in  all  the 
world  he  carried  education  into  the 
life  of  the  adult.  Some  of  the  most  de- 
voted  pupils  of  the   great   New  York 


course  were  elderly  men  and  women. 
These  lectures  were  given  in  true  uni- 
versity  style,   and   children,   unaccom- 
panied by  adults,  were  not  admitted. 
But  just  at  present  another  phase  of 


DR.    LEIPZIGER    DIED    DECEMBER 


1917. 


Dr.  Leipziger's  great  work  should  be 
emphasized.  He  was  a  masterly  teach- 
er of  patriotism.  He  was  perhaps  more 
successful  than  any  other  man  in 
America  in  educating  the  foreigner  and 
in  introducing  him  to  American  ideals. 
He  gathered  members  of  all  national- 
ities in  his  numerous  auditoriums  and 
there  instructed  them  in  the  principles 
of  Americanism.  His  influence  among 
the  great  medley  of  foreigners  in  cos- 
mopolitan New  York  City  was  beyond 
all  estimate.  His  life,  handicapped  by 
the  weakness  of  his  physique,  and  ob- 
structed by  people  who  did  not  under- 
stand and  therefore  did  not  agree  with 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


-'53 


him,  was  an  inspiration  to  any  heroic 
worker  in  a  good  cause.  He  had  the 
genius  of  success  and  that  very  quality 
made  him   sometimes  misunderstood. 

i  ie  possessed  unbounded  love  for  his 
fellow  man,  and  was  sympathetic  in  the 
highest  degree.  For  many  years  he 
suffered  from  tuberculosis,  yet  he 
would  not  for  a  moment  even  consider 
the  advice  of  his  physician  to  leave 
New  York  City  and  go  to  Colorado,  al 
though  he  knew  that  there  his  life 
would  be  prolonged.  "No,"  he  unhes- 
itatingly replied,  "I  would  better  live 
a  shorter  life  and  devote  it  to  the  good 
of  my  fellow  beings  than  live  a  longer 
life  in  selfishness." 

Next  to  him  in  his  prolonged  life 
of  service  was  his  sister,  Pauline  Leip- 
ziger.  who  for  many  years  was  his 
faithful  companion  and  his  support  in 
his  labor. 

He  so  thoroughly  inspired  those  im- 
mediately active  in  his  great  work  at 
the  office  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
and  had  so  perfected  the  machinery 
there,  that  everything  will  continue  to 
move  smoothly  and  effectively.  Dr. 
Leipziger  in  his  younger  days  was  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools,  and  for 
several  years  was  Assistant  Superin- 
tendent of  those  schools  in  New  York 
City  He  also  travelled  extensively  and 
investigated  methods  of  industrial  edu- 
cation. He  had  been  Supervisor  of  the 
Lecture  System  since  1890. 

The  Agassiz  Association  and  the  edi- 
tor of  this  magazine  express  their  sin- 
cere sympathy  to  his  workers  in  the 
office,  to  his  immediate  assistants  and 
especially  to  his  faithful  sister. 


By  way  of  making  its  grounds  into 
a  bird  sanctuary,  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Radford,  Virginia,  has  plant- 
ed its  campus  with  crab  apple,  dog- 
wood, black  gum,  cedar,  service  berry, 
beech,  black  haw,  thorn  berry,  wild 
rose,  hackberry.  sumac,  elder,  native 
and  Russian  mulberries,  and  other  like 
plants  that  furnish  shelter,  food  or 
nesting  places  for  feathered  visitors. 


Certain  beaches  of  the  Carolina  coast 
have  been  shot  over  for  so  long  bv  wild 
fowl  hunters  that  the  sand  itself  hr>- 
become  mixed  with  lead.  The  birds 
swallow  the  pellets  and  are  slowlv 
poisoned  with  all  the  usual  symptoms. 


Enjoying  the  Winter  Sunshine. 

BY     C.    D.     ROMIGj     AUDEXRIED,     PENNSYL- 
VANIA. 

On  a  Sunday  late  in  January,  1916, 
I  wandered  over  some  old  hunting 
grounds  and  at  a  choice  spot  I  sat 
down  beside  a  tiny  stream  to  eat  my 
lunch.  The  day  was  raw  and  cold, 
freezing  cold  in  the  shade  and  barely 
thawing  in  the  sunshine  at  noon. 
However,  the  sunshine  had  tempted  me 
out  and  I  tried  to  make  the  best  of  my 
outing.  After  my  lunch  I  sat  down 
close  to  some  large  rocks,  out  of  the 
wind  and  right  in  the  sunshine.  I 
soon  realized  that  I  had  found  a  warm, 
cozy  spot,  so  I  hunted  up  some  drv 
poles  with  which  I  made  a  bed  and 
there  I  rested  unusually  well  for  more 
than  four  hours,  when  clouds  appeared 
and   cut  off  sunshine. 

I  am  not  fond  of  cold  weather  but  I 
am  fond  of  the  outdoors  and  the  warm 
sunshine.  Being  used  to  steam  heat, 
I  was  rather  tender  for  such  an  experi- 
ence as  lying  down  surrounded  by 
snow  for  four  hours  even  in  the  sun. 
But  I  left  the  spot  reluctantly  when 
the  clouds  began  to  thicken. 

The  wind  was  strong  but  I  could  not 
feel  its  movement ;  I  felt  only  the  warm 
sunshine.  I  began  to  study  the  reason 
for  that.  I  found  that  Indians  had  used 
that  very  spot.  Hunters  had  found 
shelter  and  had  made  camp  fires  there. 
Once  I  found  a  big  and  lively  black 
snake  sunning  itself  there  early  in  the 
spring,  yet  all  these  do  not  indicate 
that  the  place  was  enchanted  as  the 
spot  about  the  rock  was  not  really  in- 
viting. 

The  whole  thing  was  due  to  the  lo- 
cation and  the  position  of  the  rock,  vet 
my  unusual  experience  may  be  ex- 
plained by  the  following  method. 
Take  a  long  book,  lay  it  flat  in  the  sun- 
shine and  lift  the  upper  lid  just  enough 
to  let  in  all  the  sunshine  all  day.  The 
book  should  be  laid  about  east  and  west 
and  open  toward  the  south.  In  winter 
it  need  not  be  opened  as  much  as  in 
summer  since  the  sun  is  low  in  winter. 

Bv  experimenting  with  a  suitable 
book  or  with  boards,  plans  could  be 
formed  for  a  structure  of  anv  suitable 
material  or  dimensions  and  cost.  I 
would  use  lumber,  stone  or  cement.  I 
would  call  it  a  sun  wall,  and  mv  first 


254 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


structure  would  be  more  than  seven 
feet  high  and  twenty-five  feet  long, 
with  ends  and  front  open  and  without 
pillars.  The  lean  of  the  wad  toward 
the  south  and  the  exact  east  and  west 
direction.  I  would  get  by  all  day  experi- 
ments with  tin*  hi  10k. 

For  cold  weather  the  idea  is  to  keep 
out  the  north  and  west  winds  and  let 
in  all  the  sunshine.  Hospitals  and 
sanitariums  and  others  who  are  inter- 
ested have  here  an  idea  on  which  more 
might  be  said  that  is  worth  while. 

Like  most  of  us,  I  have  tried  all  sorts 
of  places  in  the  sun  on  cold  days  but 
have  always  found  the  wind  and  the 
cold  predominating.  It  is  hard  to  be- 
lieve that  there  is  anything  new  under 
the  sun  along  these  lines,  but  several 
trials  have  convinced  me  that  the  sub- 
ject is  worth  studying,  especially  for 
the  sick.  T  have  given  it  much  thought, 
and  am  prepared  to  write  another 
article  on  building  plans  along  these 
lines,  in  considerable  detail  if  desired. 

In  these  days  of  trenches  and  war  a 
step  toward  peace  and  sunshine  should 
be  acceptable.  I  believe  this  idea  has 
great  possibilities  for  the  utilizing  of 
cement  and  iron  and  other  building 
material,  and  T  can  imagine  such  struc- 
tures the  length  of  a  city  block  in  every 
burg,  like  a  city  park,  and  well  crowd- 
ed, Avhile  other  structures  of  the  kind 
might  be  built  in  parallel  rows  on  the 
ground^  of  hospitals  and  sanitariums. 
I  consider  this  the  best  subject  upon 
which  I  could  dwrell  for  the  coming 
winter  and  the  future.  Army  men  will 
find  the  use  of  this  idea  a  luxury  in 
camp  life.  Let  them  use  soil  and  boards 
or  any  other  suitable  material.  Details 
are  available  as  aforesaid. 


Miscellaneous    Contributions. 

Bertolf  Brothers,  Sound  Beach  :  Two 
caterpillars  of  the  royal  walnut  moth 
(Cithcronia  regalis)  known  as  the  hick- 
ory horn  devils,  caterpillar  of  the  Callo- 
samia  promethea  moth  and  a  walking 
stick  insect   (Diaplwromcra  femorata). 

Mr.  A.  T.  Cook,  Hyde  Park,  New 
York:     Chips  made  by  beavers. 

Master  Knapp,  Sound  Beach :  Turtle. 

Miss  Bessie  L.  Putnam,  Conneaut 
Lake,  Pennsylvania :  Mountain  ash  ber- 
ries, mountain  ash  berry  jelly  and  ever- 
bearing strawberries. 


.Air.  Ernest  W.  Austin.  Stamford,:  Cat- 
erpillar of  royal  walnut  moth. 

Mr.  G.  Fred  Farnham,  Sound  Beach: 
Female  spider  (Argiope  riparia)  and 
caterpillar  of  Sibinc  stimulea  moth. 

Mr.  Nelson  Palmer,  Sound  Beach: 
Kingfisher  injured  by  striking  vvire. 

Lieutenant  C.  Dana  Potter.  Sound 
Beach:  Somewhat  rare  larva  that  imi- 
tates twigs.  Brought  from  Llome 
Guards'  camp. 

Mr.  Stephen  I.  Clason,  Sound  Beach: 
Collection  of  minerals  for  our  minera- 
logical  fireplace,  from  quarry  near  Wil- 
limantic.  Connecticut. 

Mr.  Robert  S.  Walker,  Chattanooga, 
Tennessee:  Seeds  of  sensitive  brier 
( Mimosa). 

Captain  Allan  F.  Kitchel,  Sound 
Beach:     Quadruple  ear  of  sweet  corn. 

Miss  M.  Van  Gaasbeck,  Mt.  Vernon, 
New  York :  Collection  of  mosses  and 
lichens  from  New  Hampshire,  Lake  Sun- 
apee  and  White  Mountains. 

Mrs.  Smith,  Tower  House,  Sound 
Beach  :     Tarantula  found  in  bananas. 

Miss  Jean  Herzberg,  New  York  City: 
Walking  stick  insect. 

Mrs.  Hattie  Hull,  Williamsport,  Penn- 
sylvania :  Hornets'  nest  similar  to  the 
one  pictured  in  the  June,  191 7,  number 
of  The  Guide  to  Nature. 

Miss  Lena  Artz,  Port  Republic,  Vir- 
ginia: Potato  seed  balls,  dodder  and 
willow  cone  galls. 

Master  Roger  Reynolds,  Riverside, 
Connecticut :     Bat. 

Mr.  Isaac  Ferris,  Riverside,  Connec- 
ticut :    Load  of  wood  for  fireplace,  etc. 

Miss  Catherine  Palmer,  Sound  Beach: 
Sea  urchin. 

Mr.  George  Maurer,  New  York  City : 
A  pair  of  tweezers  made  of  wood  for 
removing  materials  from  bottom  of 
aquarium. 

Dr.  W.  V.  Nichols,  Oceanside,  Cali- 
fornia :  Nine  specimens  of  minerals — 
eight  from  California  and  one  from  Ari- 
zona. 


An  avenue  of  birches 

Made  the  roadway  a  thing  of  grace, 
Their  slender  boles   and   silver   stoles 

Etherealized    the    place. 

Could  only  this  sylvan  beauty 

Extend  for  miles,  not  feet, 
We  need  not  stray  from  the  broad  highway, 

To  find  a  cool  retreat. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASS<  >(  1ATION 


255 


Additions   to   Our   Membership. 
Corresponding  : 

Miss  Annie  Cloyd,  Sewickley,  Penn- 
s\  Ivania. 

Mrs.  Flora  May  Tuttle,  Osage.  Iowa. 

Miss  Edna  L.  Bogue,  Montclair,  New- 
Jersey. 

Miss  George  Ann  Lillard,  Chicago, 
Illinois. 

Mr.    Leu    E.    Mingus,    Battle    Creek 
Michigan. 

Mr.  Maurice  L.  Henry,  Vandalia, 
Illim  lis. 

Mr.  Elmer  Kern  Smith,  Chattanooga, 
Tennessee. 

Mr.  Richard  Waltham  Hanes.  Stam- 
ford, Connecticut. 

Mr.     Robert     Marrison,     Cataraqui. 
Ontario,  Canada. 
Mr.  H.  M.  Cross,  New  York  City. 

Mr.  P.  Stanley  Woodward,  Atlanta- 
Georgia. 

Sustaining: 

Mr.  William  English  Walling, 
Greenwich,  Connecticut. 

Mrs.  Grace  Eee  Smidt,  New  York 
City. 

Miss  Elizabeth  L.  Elv,  Greenwich, 
Connecticut. 

Mr.  A.  A.  Christian,  Philadelphia. 
Pennsylvania. 

Mrs.  E.  Wachenheim,  New  Rochelle, 
New  York. 

Dr.  Joseph  A.  Deghuee,  Stamford, 
Connecticut. 

Mr.  Elisha  P.  Cronkhite,  Green- 
wich, Connecticut. 

Mr.  A.  T.  Cook,  Hyde  Park,  New 
York. 

Captain  Allan  F.  Kitchel,  Sound 
Beach,  Connecticut. 

Mr.  Henry  L.  Stoddard,  New  York 
City. 

Mr.  Charles  O.  Miller,  Jr.,  New 
Canaan,  Connecticut. 

Dr.  Charles  B.  Keeler,  Darien,  Con- 
necticut. 

Mrs.   Charles   Tarbell   Dudley,   Green- 
wich, Connecticut. 


Lif  k 


Mr.  Charles  (  ).  Miller,  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut. 


The  Hills. 
The  hills,  the  everlasting  hills, 

Are  round  us,  fold  on  fold; 
Their  beauty  and  their  influence 

Are   paramount,   untold. 

Their  rounded   contours   bound   the  view, 
Their  slopes  are  bathed   in  light, 

Their  forms,  though  lowly  through   the  day, 
Loom  mountainous  at  night. 

Tall  pines  add  dignity  to  some, 

On  others  grainfields  wave; 
On  all  are  many  hardy  things, 

That  winter  storms   may   brave. 

The  sunshine  glorifies  them  all. 

Cloud  shadows  linger  there: 
When   Autumn  weaves  her  tapestries, 

They  are   divinely   fair. 

The  hills  our  bulwarks  are  by  day, 

Our  sentinels  at  night; 
Almost  an  eerie  look  they  have, 

When    bathed    in    soft   moonlight. 

We  find  them  so  dependable. 

They   give   us   peaee,   not  thrills; 
For   grandeur   dwells   on    mountain    heights, 

But   friendliness    in    hills. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


The  Wintergreen  Flag. 

At  a  recent  display  of  the  flags  of  all 
nations  several  foreigners  were  pre- 
sent, each  eulogizing  the  flag  of  his 
own  country.  An  American  said, 
"Among  them  all,  the  United  States 
flag,  aside  from  what  it  stands  for,  is 
really  the  most  beautiful.  It  is  a  work 
of  art.  There  is  no  other  flag  in  the 
world  so  beautiful."  A  critic  said,  "I 
never  could  see  anything  very  wonder- 
ful about  the  United  States  flag.  To 
me  it  suggests  a  stick  of  wintergreen 
candy  with  its  alternate  stripes  of  red 
and  white."  The  ubiquitous  small  boy 
piped  up,  "Say,  Mister,  'taint  that  kind 
o'  wintergreen  'cauce  it  makes  every- 
body sick  that  tries  to  lick  it,  and  that 
kind  don't." 


It  was  not  Johnny's  Shortcoming. 

A  mother  wrote  to  the  teacher,  "I 
think  my  Johnny  is  not  trying  as  he 
should  be."  The  teacher  replied,  My 
dear  Madam :  you  are  entirely  mis- 
taken. Johnny  is  the  most  trying  pupil 
I  have  in  my  school." 


te'- 


Rising  Floods  and  Falling  Torrents. 

In  the  sense  that  every  rose  has  its 
thorn,  the  location  of  ArcAdiA  in  Tho- 
reau's  sanctum  sanctorum,  a  swamp, 
has  at  times  serious  drawbacks  though 
taking  the  year  all  together  we  much 
prefer  the  lowlands  to  the  highland-. 
One  consolation  is  that  we  evidently 
have  the  sympathy  of  our  fellow  towns- 
men, for  at  almost  every  meeting  of  the 
Sound  Beach  Association  there  is  a 
deal  of  talk  about  surface  drainage, 
especially  when  the  water  over  the 
sidewalk  and  road  requires  knee  boots 
or  a  boat.  Our  nature  park,  Nympha- 
lia,  the  garden  and  other  parts  of  Ar- 
cAdiA are  at  times  in  good  navigable 
condition.  We  alwavs  trv  to  look  on 
the  pleasant  side  of  things  and  men- 
tally picture  the  beautiful  Venetian 
scenes  if  we  had  a  liberal  supply  of 
gondolas.  But  not  having  gondolas, 
we  must  content  ourselves  with  rubber 
boots ;  they  are  needed  when  we  must 
shovel  coal  into  our  furnace  with  water 
a  foot  deep  in  our  cellars.  But  these 
temporary  rising  floods  add  to  the  va- 
riety of  life.  We  try  to  look  compla- 
cently upon  the  situation,  and  hope 
that  sometime  this  talk  about  surface 
drainage,  clogged  up  gutters  and  about 
other  things  that  sound  good  in  vehe- 
ment oratory  will  materialize  at  the 
end  of  a  shovel  and  a  crowbar. 

Serious  as  this  situation  is  at  times, 
the  ArcAdiAns  have  become  so  thor- 
oughly accustomed  to  it,  and  are  withal 
of  so  generally  cheerful  a  disposition 
that  they  have  never  lost  much  sleep 
on  account  of  these  floods  which  occur 
on  an  average  three  times  during  the 
year.  So  long  as  the  torrents  fell  on 
golf  grounds  and  other  near-by  water 
sheds,  we  have  been  philosophical^  tak- 
ing the  brunt  of  the  floods  of  things. 
But  when  Old  Mother  Nature  with  a 
long  dry  spell  in  the  summer  time  warp- 
ed all  the  fragile  clapboards  on  our 
roofs   (they  never  were  shingled)    and 


then  with  the  autumn  rains  drenched 
every  part  of  the  attic  and  consequent- 
ly of  the  rooms  below,  we  were  driven, 
not  quite  to  desperation,  but  to  a  re- 
quisition of  all  the  pots,  pans  and  kettles 
on  the  premises.  In  one  of  the  storms 
in  September,  something  like  twenty- 
five  dollars  worth  of  damage  was  done 
to  one  part  of  our  library,  and  much  of 
the  scientific  apparatus,  papers,  files, 
etc.,  in  various  parts  of  the  office  and 
laboratory,  was  seriously  injured.  "It 
never  rains  but  it  pours,"  is  literally 
true  not  only  in  things  aquatic  but  in 
things  financial.  It  was  between  the 
two  fires  of  the  Second  Liberty  Loan 
and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  War  fund,  and 
therefore  we  knew  it  would  not  be 
right  to  speak  out  in  meeting  with  a 
general  cry  for  "Help,  help  ;  it  is  rain- 
ing on  us,"  so  we  confidentially  re- 
vealed the  situation  to  a  few  chosen 
friends  and,  bless  them  all,  they  re- 
sponded with  checks  even  in  these 
strenuous  times. 

Though  we  may  not  be  high  and  dry 
we  are  now  dry  on  high.  The  work  has 
been  done  skillfully  and  efficiently  by 
our  good  friend,  Mr.  Stephen  I  Clason. 


Enclosed  find  my  check  for  which 
please  send  me  The  Guide  to  Nature 
beginning  with  the  November  issue. 
Thought  I  couldn't  afford  it,  but  think 
now  I  can't  afford  not  to  take  it.- — Bert 
Carmonv,   Shelbvville,   Indiana. 


I  felt  that  I  could  not  afford  the 
magazine  this  year,  but  do  not  see  how 
I  can  do  without  it.  The  articles  on 
knowing  the  starry  heavens  are  in- 
tensely interesting. — Miss  M.  Inez  Lee, 
Plainfield,  Iowa. 


Wherever  we  go,  wherever  we  look, 
Is  Nature  spread,  an  open  book; 
Why  not  study  her  while  we  may, 
If  only  with  a  line  a  day? 


THE  GUIDE  TO  X AT U RE— ADVERTISEMENTS  XV 

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Our  selection  of  Fine  Cover  Papers  is  unsurpassed. 
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XVI 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


LITERAK 


«€>©23®<S®' 


NOTICES 


l.\   the  Beauty  of   Meadow   and   Mountain. 

By  Charles  Coke  Woods.    New  York  City  : 

The  Methodist  Book  Concern. 
An  attractive  book,  well  printed  on  high 
grade  paper  and  profusely  illustrated.  It 
pleasingly  mingles  knowledge  and  senti- 
ment. The  author  has  brought  both  head 
and  heart,  and  both  in  earnest,  to  the  study 
of  nature.  The  arrangement  is  good,  the 
dainty  little  sketches  are  appropriate,  the 
whole  spirit  of  the  work  not  only  is  raptur- 
ous in  stimulation  for  the  love  of  nature 
but  it  sets  one  to  thinking  and  incites  a  de- 
sire to  know.  Much  good  poetry  is  scattered 
through  the  volume. 


The  American  Annual  of  Photography, 
1918.  Edited  by  Percy  Y.  Howe.  57 
East  Ninth  Street,  New  York  City: 
George  Murphy,  Incorporated. 
This  annual  visitor  is  welcomed  by  the 
enthusiastic  photographer.  It  teems  with 
specimens  of  expert  work,  with  text  that 
tells  the  reader  what  to  do,  how  to  do  it, 
and  how  to  approach  the  wrork  in  the  right 
spirit.  For  the  photographer  that  cares 
only  for  a  souvenir,  and  snaps  everything 
indiscriminately,  this  book  will  be  of  bene- 
fit in  showing  him  the  error  of  his  ways,  and 
in  getting  him  started  in  paths  that  are 
really  photographic.  But  for  the  camerist 
who  cares  for  his  art,  who  loves  photog- 
raphy for  itself  as  well  as  the  mere  por- 
trayal of  something  the  book  is  a  delight 
not  only  because  it  is  informing  but  because 
it  is  stimulating  and  satisfying  to  profes- 
sional pride. 


Down  the  Year.  Bv  C.  DuFay  Robertson. 
New  York  City:  Methodist  Rook  Concern. 

Tf  I  were  riding  on  a  trolley  car  in  a  for- 
eign city  far  away  from  all  my  friends,  I 
could  perhaps  sit  and  admire  the  personal 
beauty  and  geniality  of  strangers,  I  could 
gaze  from  one  to  another  and  note  the  good 
points  of  their  attire,  the  color  of  their 
hair,  the  expression  of  their  faces,  and  listen 
to  their  conversation  one  with  another,  but 
I  do  not  believe  that  I  could  love  those 
people  just  as  the  Lord  made  them,  with- 
out making  at  least  some  effort  to  know 
some  specific  details  about  them.  T  should 
like,  before  giving  my  heart  to  them,  to 
know  some  of  their  characteristics. 

Yet  here  is  Mr.  Robertson  who  loves 
nature  as  he  might  love  a  stranger.  He 
makes  no  effort  to  know  the  finer,  detailed, 
loveable    characteristics.      He    savs: 


"This  writer  is  no  botanist,  or  entomolo- 
gist, or  meteorologist,  or  scientist  of  any  sort 
whatever.  He  loves  the  good  world  as 
God  made  it,  and  the  year,  to  him,  is  a 
pathway  of  delight.  He  cannot  tell  you  the 
Latin  names  of  flowers  and  birds  and  in- 
sects, nor  the  scientific  words  for  'cloud' 
and  'snowflake'  and  'raindrop;'  but  he  loves 
to  look  at  these  things  and  finds  them  well- 
worth  looking  at." 

It  is  not  Latin  names  that  make  the  scien- 
tist. If  one  merely  gazes  at  a  cloud,  at  a 
raindrop,  he  is  to  a  certain  extent  a  metero- 
logist.  The  author  has  filled  a  good  book 
with  praises  of  nature  and  so  far  as  it  goes 
it  is  good  praise.  The  reviewer  can  only 
say  that  the  book,  in  a  eulogistic  sort  of 
way  and  so  far  as  it   goes,   is  praiseworthy. 


By  the  Sea. 

BY    CAROLINE    CI. ARK    HINTON,    NEW    YORK 
CITY. 

1   walked  by  the  sea  alone, 

And  the  sun  upon  the  sea 

Was  reflected  in  my  eyes, 

And  in   my  ears 

Beat  the  pulse  of  its  surging  depths. 

At  night  I  came  again  to  the  sea, 

Darkness  and   starlight  brooded  above. 

Peace  entered  my  soul, 

And  my  heart  was  glad 

As  I  walked  by  the  sea  with  God. 


Rhymes  of  a  Nature  Student. 

The  camel  is  a  curious  bird: 

Its  wings  are  in  its  heels. 
It  scoots  across  the  desert  sands 

No  matter  how  it  feels. 

%  jfc  ijl  jfc  :fc 

The  fly  has  three  thousand  eyes, 

A  man  but  two; 
That  makes  one  hard  to  swat 

For  me  and  you! 

:{:        $        $        $        $ 

Little  skeeter  fly  away 

Come  and  bite  some  other  day! 

jji         sp         t*         H»         ^ 

The  snake  he  takes  but  little  room 

And  does  a  lot  of  good; 
He  catches  bugs  and  rats  and  mice 

And  uses  'em  for  food. 

The  poor  little  bee 

Who  lives  in  a  tree 
That  shades  the  rippling  river 

Works  all  its  days 

A  nd   never  plays, 
And  has  but  one  arrow  in  its  quiver. 

— D.  C.  S. 


iVaSi-'  '■'"  ■'  "' 


19  18 

February 

VOL.  X,  No.  9 


EDWARD  F.  B1GELOW       ^ 

MANAGING  EDITOR 


Published  Monthly  by 

The  Agassiz  Association 

ArcAdiA,  SOUND  BEACH,  CONN. 

Subscription,  $1.00  a  Year;  Single  Copy,  10c 


SVilson 


■tut 


? 
i 


ill 


GREENWICH 


^O 


THE    EDITION    DE  LUXE 
OF  CONNECTICUT  TOWNS 


GREENWICH 


" 


o 

Those  who  have  no  safe 
place  for  their 

LIBERTY    BONDS 

may  leave  them  with  this 
Company    for    safekeep- 
ing 

FREE     OF     CHARGE, 

for  which  we  will  issue  a 
receipt. 

THE 

GREENWICH  TRUST 

COMPANY 

GREENWICH       :     :       CONN. 


r  i 


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  yon  call  or  write. 

Laurence  Timmons 

Tel.  456        Opp.  Depot        Greenwich,  Conn 


a 


w&uwm 


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THE  BEST  SCIENTIFIC  WORK  IS  DONE  IN  THE  SMALL  LABORA- 
TORY WITH  LOCAL  SUPPORT. 

[From  an   Editorial  in  "The  Popular  Science   Monthly."] 

"The  most  desirable  institutions  for  scientific  work  would  probably  be 
comparatively  small  laboratories  conducted  by  the  scientific  men  who  work  in 

them It  would  be  well  if  such  institutions  were  endowed  by  the 

.rich,  still  better  if  they  were  supported  by  a  state  or  a  community." 


IE 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


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Hoover  commission  and  which  is  to  be  worn  by  the 
women  who  have  signed  the  pledge.  For  such  use,  it 
should  be  made  of  plain  blue  with  white  trimming.  Here, 
it  is  worn  by  an  active  housewife  and  is  made  of  plaid 
gingham  with  trimming  of  plain  color.  Since  it  willbe  in 
demand  for  general  wear  as  well  as  by  the  signers  in  the 
pledge,  that  suggestion  is  a  good  one.  It  is  a  very  smart, 
attractive  looking  costume.  You  can  wear  it  as  an  apron, 
or  you  can  wear  it  as  a  gown.  The  single  button  and  but- 
tonhole in  the  belt  effect  the  closing,  consequently,  it  is 
exceedingly  easy  to  slip  on  and  off.  Women  who  find 
themselves  compelled  to  do  with  less  help  than  usual  this 
season   will   find  the  apron   valuable. 


Try 


for 

That  Winter  Suit 

Cleaning,  Repairing  and  Pressing  a 
Specialty 

Best  Hat  Values  Obtainable  in  the 
Celebrated  C  &  K 

Line  of  Derby  and  Soft  Hats 

Fine  Line  of  Shirts,  Ties,   Collars, 

Cuffs,  Gloves,  etc. 

196  Atlantic  St. 

Stamford  Connecticut 


BORG  BROTHERS 

Chemical   and   Analytical   Laboratories 

for  Special  Research  Work 

539  MAIN  ST. 

STAMFORD        :-:        CONNECTICUT 


Telephone,  270 
271 


Uptown  Office:  STARK  BROS. 

40    PARK    ROW 


GHAS.  F.  WATERBURY 
David    Waterbury     &    Son 

COAL  DRAIN  PIPE  WOOD 

Crushed  Stone  for  Walks  and  Drives 

YARDS:     Canal  Dock,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 


VI 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


A  Justifiable  Pride. 
The  J.   R.  Johnson  Taxi  Service  of 
Greenwich,  Connecticut,  have  been  ad- 
vertising in  some  other  Greenwich  pub- 
lications that  in  the  heavy  snowstorms 
of  December  they  did  not  increase  their 
rates.     Though  the  advertisement  for 
some    unaccountable    reason    was    not 
sent  to  us,  we  feel  that  there  is  so  much 
of  public   merit   in   the  announcement 
as  to  make  it  worth   while   for  us  to 
give  the  company  a  free  advertisement, 
if  these  commendatory  words  may  be 
so  considered.    The  fact  that  the  com- 
pany kept  their  rates  unchanged  dur- 
ing one   snowstorm   is  not  in   itself  a 
thing  to  boast  of  except  when  one  com- 
pares it  with  the  conduct  of  other  taxi 
companies   in   Greenwich.     The  John- 
son   Company    did   what   they    should 
have  done.     Praise  to  that  company  is 
only    an   indirect    reprimand    to    those 
that,  in  the  humble  opinion  of  the  edi- 
tor of  this  magazine,  did  an  unjustifi- 
able thing.     As  a  matter  of  public  ser- 
vice there  is  no  doubt  that  the  storm 
was  a  trial  to  the  machines,  it  may  have 
called   for   a   little   more   gasoline   and 
have  increased  the  expense,  but  that  is 
one  of  the  exigencies  of  a  public  service 
business.     A   taxi   company   is   in   the 
class  of  public  carriers  and  is  no  more 
entitled  to  double  their  rates  when  a 
snowstorm  happens  to  come  along  than 
is  a  trolley  car  company  or  a  railroad 
company  or  Uncle  Sam  in  his  postage 
rates.      The    editor    of    this    magazine 
called  another  company  with  which  he 
had  been  accustomed  to  deal,  supposing 
the  rate  would  be  fifty  cents.     Imagine 
his    astonishment    when    he    was    in- 
formed, after  it  was  too  late  to  change 
the  order,  that  the  charge  would  be  just 
double  that  amount.     If  so  pernicious 
a  principle  were  put  into  general  prac- 
tice,  we   might   expect   our   grocer   to 
charge  in  a  snowstorm  six  cents  for  a 


yeast   cake   instead   of   three.     And   if 
we  should  call  the  doctor  he  would  say, 
"I  will  come  for  ten  dollars  instead  of 
five   dollars."     On   the   same  principle 
the  clothier,  the  butcher,  the  baker,  the 
candle-stick  maker  might  all  announce 
that  they  had  doubled  their  price  be- 
cause the  snow  was  falling  and  the  of- 
fice boy  had  difficulty  in  getting  in  to 
light  the  fires.     It  is  neither  right  nor 
expedient  to  increase  rates  because  of 
every  little  difficulty  that  occurs.     We 
have   not   increased   the   price   of   sub- 
scription nor  the  price  of  advertising, 
because  we  believe  the  present  emer- 
gencies   of    a    war    to    be    only    trans- 
cient,      that      paper      and      cuts      and 
photographs   will   sometime — we   hope 
in  the  near  future — drop  back  to  the 
normal.      But    the    increase    to    cover 
several  months'  difficulty  is  surely  more 
justifiable  than  an   increase  in  only  a 
temporary    trouble.      The    world    war 
seems  to  be  making  matters  unsteady 
enough    without    having    every    little 
snowstorm  increase  our  anxieties.    We 
say  therefore   that  the  J.   R.   Johnson 
Taxi   Company   did   only  what   it   was 
their  duty  to  do,  but  when  compared 
with   what   some   of  their  competitors 
did  the  company  deserve  praise. 


Where  to  Buy  Seeds. 

There  are  many  good  places  at  which 
seeds  may  be  obtained,  but  one  of  the 
best,  as  we  have  found  by  experience, 
is  the  house  of  Henry  A.  Dreer,  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania.  Attention  at 
Dreer's  is  always  prompt  and  courte- 
ous, and  the  seeds  are  always  of  good 
quality.  Doesn't  this  embody  every 
desirable  quality  in  a  good  seed  house? 
No,  not  quite.  An  important  factor  is 
a  beautiful  catalogue.  Such  a  book  be- 
comes a  horticultural  and  agricultural 
textbook.  Nothing  of  the  kind  is  more 
attractive   than   Dreer's.     We   suggest 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


VII 


Burdett-McGillivray  Company 

ADVOCATE  BUILDING,  STAMFORD 

PICTORIAL  REVIEW  PATTERNS 

DRY  GOODS 

THE  WOMAN'S  STORE 

Where  our  customers  will  always  find  the  new  styles  first.     Our  Motto:    Clean 
Up  to  the  Minute  Merchandise  at  Popular  Prices. 

B  URD  ET  T- M  c  G  I  LLI  V  R  A  Y     CO. 


that  every  reader  of  The  Guide  to 
Nature  send  for  this  catalogue.  Kind- 
ly mention  the  fact  that  you  do  so  at 
the  request  of  The  Guide  to  Nature. 
It  will  not  take  long  to  say  a  good  word 
for  this  magazine,  and  it  will  please  the 
seed  house  management,  because  they 
think  that  there  is  no  little  nature  mag-- 
azine  better  than  The  Guide  to  Na- 
ture. They  have  shown  that  apprecia- 
tion practically  by  placing  an  advertise- 
ment in  our  pages,  and  we  should  like 
to  reciprocate  with  the  expression  of 
our  good  will. 


The  One  Man  for  Jobbing. 

Mr.  A.  C.  Arnold  of  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, has  earned  the  title  of  "The 
Man  Who  Does  Everything."  He  is  a 
general  jobber,  especially  good  in  re- 
pairing furniture,  laying  carpets  and 
oilcloth,  and  renewing  the  old-fash- 
ioned flag  bottom  in  chairs.  Probably 
no  man  in  the  community  has  given  a 
longer  service  or  had  a  greater  variety 
of  jobbing  work  than  Mr.  Arnold.  He 
has  risrhtly  earned  his  title. — Advt. 


:>: 


>?•-: 
, 


ttv 


.BUTTER 

by  not  serv  ing  too  much  1o  cac  h  person 

SERVE  INDIVIDUAL  PORTIONS. 

A  pound  makes  48  one-third  ounce  pieces. 

::'"::*;:::'::':y:::  >>:':'  ":••>':-:'■  ''""■'  ■■■■■*  -vi-v-vS-  '::v''^v:v*  ■ 

Hotels  Have  beamed 
lhal  there  is  the  least  waste 
from  one- third  ounce  pieces. 


VIII 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 

ATLANTIC  SQUARE      Established  50  Years       STAMFORD,  CONN. 

DEPARTMENT  STORE. 


FEBRUARY 
IS  THE 
MONTH 


Do   not    overlook.      February   Merchandise   Opportunities. 
This   year  specially   you   will    find   many   of   the    Spring   Lines    already    on 
sale   offering   a  better   selection   and  lower   prices   than    later   will   be   pos- 
sible. 

At  the  same  time,  special  prices  from  our  January  Clearance  Sales  offer 
tempting  bargains  in  all  departments  for  those  who  like  to  save  money 
on   needed  merchandise 


Our  Carpet  Department  offers  unusual  opportunities  to  supply  your  needs  at 

this  time. 

THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 

ATLANTIC  SQUARE  :         :        :        :        :        :  STAMFORD,  CONN. 


Established   1853 

THEQETMAN&JUDDCO. 

Lumber  and  Timber  of  all  Kinds 

SPECIALTY:  High-Grade  HARDWOOD  FLOORING 

thoroughly  Kiln  Dried  and  stored  in  Steam  heated  build- 
ing until  delivered  to  our  customers.  Our  steadily  in- 
creasing trade  in  this  specialty  proves  the  fact  that 
the  country  home  is  not  complete  until  fitted  out  with 
this  beautiful  and  sanitary  furnishing.  Old  Residences 
may  be  greatly  improved  by  laying  thin  floors  over  the 
old   ones. 

CANAL  DOCKS,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 
Telephone  2180. 


Homes  Near  to  Nature 

Should  be  so  constructed  as  to  give  lasting  satisfaction. 
Our  method  of  manufacturing  dependable  Interior  and 
Exterior  house  trim  from  thoroughly  kiln  dried  material 
by  skilled  mechanics  insures  such  satisfaction. 

THE  5T.  JOHN  WOOD  WORKING  CO. 

Canal   Docks.   Stamford    Conn. 

Telephone    781 

DIRECTORS 
WALTON     FERGUSON,     Pres.         W.  W.  HEROY, 
W.  D.  DASKAM,  Vice  Pres  Dr.  F.  H.  GETMAN 

W.    H.  JUDD,   Sec.   and  Treas.  F.   W.   BOGARDUS. 

J.  G.  WIGG,  General  Manager. 


The  LOCKWOOD  &  PALMER  Co. 


Wholesale  and  Retail 
Dealers  in 

HARDWARE 

AGRICULTURAL 

IMPLEMENTS 

House  Furnishings,  Etc. 


TOOLS 
All  Kinds 


92    PARK    PLACE 

(Cor.  Summer  Street) 


STAMFORD 


CONN. 


TELFPHONE    CONNECTIONS 


m 


STAMFORD 


AN  EXPONENT  OF  EFFICIENCY 
AND  SERVICE. 


Stamford  Has  Lost  One  of  Her  Most 
Prominent  and  Loyal  Citizens  in  the 
Death   of  the   Honorable   Edwin    L. 

Scofield. 

Honorable  Edwin  L.  Scofield  died  at 
the  Stamford  Hospital  Monday  morn- 
ing, January  14th,  following  an  opera 
tion  for  appendicitis.  Mr.  Scofield  ral- 
lied from  the  operation  with  a  vitality 
unusual  for  his  sixty-six  years,  but 
later  a  paralysis  of  the  intestines  defied 
the  skill  of  several  of  our  most  eminent 
physicians  and  his  death  took  place 
some  three  days  after  the  beginning  of 
the  intestinal  trouble.  He  leaves  one 
son,  Captain  Edwin  L.  Scofield,  Junior, 
U.  S.  O.  R.  C,  who  was  with  him  at  the 
time  of  his  death  and,  with  Mrs.  Fan- 
nie F.  Glendenning,  Mr.  Scofield's 
housekeeper  for  a  number  of  years,  had 
been  almost  constantly  in  or  near  the 
sick  room  since  the  operation. 

Mr.  Scofield  was  a  man  of  remark- 
able ability,  loyalty  and  high  civic 
ideals.  In  his  profession  as  a  lawyer 
he  was  generally  regarded  as  a  leader. 
His  ability  ramified  into  various  chan- 
nels of  doing  good  to  others.  He  was 
prominent  in  securing  recruits,  raising 
funds  for  the  Red  Cross,  floating  Lib- 
erty Bonds  and  putting  into  effect 
measures  for  the  welfare  of  Stamford 
men  in  the  service.  He  was  Chairman 
of  the  local  Advisory  Board  of  the 
Board  of  Registration,  and  his  duties 
in  this  position  and  in  connection  with 
various  other  patriotic  endeavors  kept 
him  very  busy.  He  held  a  long  list  of 
prominent  offices  for  city  and  state  but 
was  especially  active  in  work  for  his 
own  beloved  city.  "The  Daily  Advo- 
cate" of  Stamford  well  sums  up  the 
general  public  regard  in  the  following 
words  : 


"Mr.  Scofield  made  and  preserved 
very  close  and  genuine  friendships. 
Those  who  were  nearest  to  him  can 
tell  best  of  his  kindness  and  thought- 
fulness,  his  gentle,  considerate  nature, 
his  share  in  the  troubles  and  sorrows 
of  others.  It  is  because  of  these  traits 
of  his  character  that  many  eyes  were 
moist  when  the  sad  news  of  his  death 
came  today.    True  friends  are  never  too 


THE    HONORABLE   EDWIN    L.    SCOFIELD    DIED 
JANUARY    14,    1918. 

Cut  by  courtesy  of  Gillespie  Bros.,  Inc. 

numerous,  and  men  like  Edwin  L.  Sco- 
field are  so  few  that  his  passing  away 
must  be  regarded  by  many  as  a  calam- 
ity. They  will  miss  a  delightful  com- 
panion, genial,  sympathetic,  high-mind- 
ed ;  a  worthy  son  of  old  Stamford,  and 
a  sterling  patriot." 

A  characteristic  of  Mr.  Scofield  re- 
marked upon  by  many  was  that  he 
grew  better  and  better  as  he  grew  old- 
er. Instead  of  lessening  his  services 
with  advancing  years  he  entered  more 
actively  and.  from  the  benefit  of  all  past 
experience,  more  efficiently  into  his  pro- 


258 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


fession  and  especially  into  all  forms  of 
city  and  state  and  national  welfare. 
Many  men  seem  to  slow  down  when 
they  pass  the  sixty  mark.  Those  most 
intimate  with  Mr.  Scofield  speak  of  his 
increasing  enthusiasm  and  devotion  as 
being  perhaps  his  more  marked  char- 
acteristic. 

From  the  nature  point  of  view  his 
most  distinguished  service  to  this  com- 
munity was  the  chairmanship  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  a  $50,000  fund  to 
carry  out  the  wishes  of  his  client,  the 
late  Robert  Bruce  of  Greenwich,  in 
development  of  his  castle-like  home 
into  a  museum  for  natural  history,  his- 
tory and  art.  Under  Mr.  Scofield's 
leadership  the  Board  of  Trustees  has 
this  past  summer,  notwithstanding  the 
strenuous  war  times,  made  extended 
changes  in  that  home  and  fitted  it  with 
cases  to  a  total  expenditure  of  some 
$35,000.  The  Board  of  Trustees  origi- 
nally consisted  of  five  members — Mr. 
Scofield,  Chairman,  and  Commodore 
E.  C.  Benedict  (resigned),  William  J. 
Smith  (deceased)  and  Messrs.  E.  C. 
Converse  and  W.  H.  Truesdale.  Of 
the  original  Board  Mr.  Scofield's  death 
now  leaves  the  Bruce  Museum  in  the 
hands  of  Messrs.  Converse  and  Trues- 
dale together  with  the  Selectmen  of 
the  town.  The  editor  of  this  magazine 
had  been  assisting  Mr.  Scofield  in  the 
development  of  the  plans  for  more  than 
two  years  and  is  consequently  familiar 
with  his  desire  to  benefit  this  part  of 
Fairfield  County  by  the  establishment 
of  a  thoroughly  efficient  and  well 
equipped  museum. 

Mr.  Scofield  was  actively  interested 
in  the  work  of  The  Agassiz  Association 
and  expressed  his  appreciation  not  only 
in  words  but  in  substantial  aid. 

From  the  address  by  the  Reverend 
A.  G.  Walton  at  the  funeral : 

"Mr.  Scofield  had  a  deep  interest  in 
all  social  movements  and  philanthro- 
pies. The  hospital  on  the  hill,  of  which 
we  are  so  justly  proud,  is  there  largely 
through  his  efforts.  It  is  common 
knowledge  that  it  was  the  confidence 
which  Judge  Clason  had  in  Mr.  Sco- 
field, and  his  advice,  that  caused  that 
noble  citizen  to  give  generously  that 
the  hospital  might  be  built.  Through 
many   years    Mr.   Scofield   has   closelv 


identified  himself  with  the  hospital.  He 
has  been  largely  responsible  for  its  suc- 
cesses and  has  upheld  in  it  its  vicissi- 
tudes. It  is  not  going  to  be  easy  to  fill 
the  chair  that  he  has  left  vacant  a 
President  of  the  official  board.  Had  h 
done  nothing  more  than  to  foster  thi 
valuable  institution,  he  would  have 
been  worthy  of  our  lasting  esteem  and 
affection." 


as 
e 

is 


Alone  with  the  Stars. 
To  go  into  solitude,  a  man  needs  to 
retire  as  much  from  his  chamber  as 
from  society.  I  am  not  solitary  whilst 
I  read  and  write,  though  nobody  is  with 
me.  But  if  a  man  would  be  alone,  let 
him  look  at  the  stars.  The  rays  that 
come  from  those  heavenly  worlds  will 
separate  between  him  and  what  he 
touches.  One  might  think  the  atmos- 
phere was  made  transparent  with  this 
design,  to  give  man,  in  the  heavenly 
bodies,  the  perpetual  presence  of  the 
sublime.  Seen  in  the  streets  of  cities, 
how  great  they  are !  If  the  stars  should 
appear  one  night  in  a  thousand  years, 
how  would  men  believe  and  adore ;  and 
preserve  for  many  generations  the  re- 
membrance of  the  city  of  God  which 
had  been  shown !  But  every  night 
come  out  these  envoys  of  beauty,  and 
light  the  universe  with  their  admon- 
ishing smile. — Emerson. 


Additions   to   Our   Membership. 

Sustaining : 

Mr.  Paul  M.  Barrows,  Stamford, 
Connecticut. 

Mrs.  Paul  M.  Barrows,  Stamford, 
Connecticut. 

Miss  Elizabeth  D.  Ferguson,  Stam- 
ford,  Connecticut. 


Miscellaneous    Contributions. 

Mrs.  D.  T.  Woodbury,  Springdale, 
Connecticut :  Mounted  northern  shrike. 

Mr.  H.  E.  Deats,  Flemington,  New 
Jersey :  Wooden  flower. 

Mrs.  Lillian  Dyer  Thompson,  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts:  Three  micro- 
scopial  mounts  of  radula  and  their  ac- 
companying shells ;  also  one  diatom 
mount. 

Mr.  Arthur  S.  Baiz,  Sound  Beach, 
Connecticut :     Wooden  flower. 


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 


ume 


X 


FEBRUARY,    1918 


Number  9 


How  Honeybees  Produce  Honeycomb. 

By  Edward  F.  Bigelow,  ArcAdiA,  Sound  Beach,   Connecticut. 


Honeybees  gather  principally  two 
kinds  of  material — nectar  and  pollen. 
They  also  gather  gum,  the  sticky  exu- 
dation of  buds,  etc.  This  is  called  prop- 
olis and  is  for  coating  over  the  inside 
of  the  hive,  filling  cracks,  etc.  It  is 
also  mixed  with  wax  to  strengthen  the 
comb,  and  applied  to  cells  for  "varnish- 
ing" and  strengthening.  The  chief  ma- 
terial for  the  building  of  the  comb  and 
for  the  honey  is  the  nectar  from  the 
nectaries  of  flowers.  Pollen,  that  well- 
known  mealy  material  from  the  stamens 
of  flowers,  is  used  for  the  more  solid 
food  for  the  larval  honeybees,  on  practi- 
cally the  same  principle  observed  when 
other  larvae  feed  on  the  solid  parts  of 
plants,  as,  for  example,  common  tent 
caterpillars  on  leaves. 

It  is  well-known  that  the  caterpillars 
of  moths  and  of  butterflies  feed  on 
leaves,  while  the  adults  sip  only  a  little 
nectar  from  the  flower  nectaries.  So  it 
is  with  the  honeybee.  A  large  part  i  if 
the  diet  of  the  growing  bee  in  its  larval 
or  caterpillar  stage,  is  the  solid  part  of 
the  plant,  of  which  it  selects  the  most 
refined  portion,  the  pollen.  Nectar  is 
transformed  into  honeycomb  for  the 
pn  itection    of   the   eggs   of    larval    and 


pupal  forms,  and  for  storing  the  honey. 
When  the  honeybee  is  to  transform 
the  nectar  into  honey  it  takes  the  nectar 
into  its  honey  sac,  carries  it  to 
the  hive  and  regurgitates  it  into  the 
cell.  When  the  nectar  is  to  be  trans- 
formed into  comb  it  is  swallowed  and 
passed  on  beyond  the  stomach  sac, 
through  what  is  known  as  the  stomach 
mouth.  The  nectar  then  goes  through 
the  processes  of  digestion,  and  enters  the 
blood  or  the  body  fluid  analogous  with 
the  blood,  for  the  nourishment  of  the 
bee.  But  as  is  well-known,  from  blood 
other  products  may  be  obtained  by  the 
action  of  certain  glands,  as,  for  example, 
milk.  The  honeybee  obtains  comb  wax 
from  the  blood  by  the  action  of  certain 
wax  glands.  These  are  eight  in  number 
and  are  situated  on  the  lower  side  of 
the  abdomen.  From  a  recently  hived 
swarm,  bees  may  be  obtained  that  will 
show  thin  films  of  pure  wax  somewhat 
resembling  mica  scales,  and  projecting 
for  a  microscopical  distance  from  be- 
tween the  abdominal  plates.  It  is  an 
expensive  product,  demanding  much 
food,  and  taxing  to  the  extreme  the 
bee's  vital  energy.  The  original  esti- 
mate was  that  the  bee  must  eat  twenty 


Copyright  1918  by  The  Agassiz  Association,  ArcAdiA:  Sound  Beach,  Conn. 


260 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


pounds  of  honey  to  produce  one  pound 
of  wax,  but  more  recent  investigators 
are  inclined  to  lower  the  estimate,  al- 
though some  investigators  still  call  for 
fifteen  pounds.  The  secretion  from 
these  wax  glands  is  in  liquid  form  that 


withdrawn  from  between  the  abdomi- 
nal plates.  Some  observers  asserted 
that  they  are  scattered  on  the  bottom 
of  the  hive,  and  collected  by  other  bees 
as  they  might  collect  material  outside 
of  the  hive.  Other  observers  taught 
that  the  wax  is  passed  from  a  wax  pro- 
ducing bee  to  another  bee  that  then 
molds  it  with  her  mandibles.  About 
two  years  ago  the  Bureau  of  Entomo- 
logy, Washington,  D.  C,  published  a 
remarkable  circular  to  record  the  origi- 
nal investigations  of  Dr.  D.  B.  Casteel, 


IV/JX 


Fig.    1.      Ventral   abdominal    plates   of  a    worker  bee 
dissected  to   show  the  position   of  the   wax   plates. 

by  the  action  of  the  atmosphere  soon 
hardens.  The  wax  is  then  extremely 
brittle,  and  not  adapted  directly  to  the 
making  of  comb.  It  must  be  thorough- 
ly worked  over  by  the  honeybee's  man- 
dibles. 

Until  about  two  years  ago  it  was  not 
known    exactlv    how    these    scales    are 


Fig.  3.  Side  view  of  a  worker  in  the  same  posture 
as  that  shown  in  figure  2. 

entitled  "The  Manipulation  of  the  Wax 
Scales  of  The  Honey  Bee." 

The  workers  never  assist  one  another 
in  the  process  of  removal.  The  scales 
are  extracted  by  the  bee  that  secretes 
them,  and  by  this  bee  they  are  usually 


MillAi 


Fig.  2.  Ventral  view  of  a  worker  bee  in  the  act  of 
removing  a  wax  scale.  The  two  middle  legs  and  the 
right  hind  leg  are  used  for  support,  while  the  left 
hind   leg   removes   the    scale. 


Fig.  4.  Ventral  view  of  a  worker  bee  showing  the 
position  of  the  wax  scale  just  before  it  is  grasped  by 
the  forelegs  and  mandibles.  The  scale  is  still  adhering 
to  the  spines  of  the  pollen  combs  The  bee  is  sup- 
ported upon  the  two  middle  legs  and  upon  the  hind 
leg  which  is  not  removing  the  scale. 


HOW  HONEYBEES  PRODUCE  HONEYCOMB 


261 


PHOTOMICROGRAPH    (ORIGINAL.)    OF    THE    ABDOMINAL    PLATES    ON    THE    UNDERSIDE    OF 

THE  BEE  THAT  PRODUCE  THE  WAX   SCALES. 


masticated  and  added  to  the  comb.  The 
bee  removes  them  while  she  stands  on 
the  comb  or  on  its  support.  One  of  the 
hind  legs  is  raised,  and  its  flattened 
portion,  known  as  the  planta,  is  pushed 
along  the  underside  of  the  extended 
abdomen  until  it  comes  in  contact  with 
a  scale  protruding  on  that  side.  Steady 
pressure  is  now  exerted  against  the  ab- 
domen and  toward  the  rear.  The  re- 
sult is  that  the  scale  is  drawn  out  of  its 
pocket  and  remains  attached  to  the 
sharp,    bristle-like    hairs    on    the    leg. 


Fig.    5.      Side    view    of    a    woiker    bee    in    the    same 
posture   as   that  shown   in   figure   4. 


262 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


This  hind  leg,  now  bearing  the  scale,  has  been  throughly  treated,  the  wax  is 
is  quickly  bent  forward  toward  the  applied  to  the  comb.  It  is  difficult  to 
head,  and  the  scale  is  grasped  by  the  capture  a  bee  just  as  the  scale  has  been 
fore  legs,  or  by  the  mandibles.  Some-  impaled  by  the  tiny  spines  at  the  end 
times  it  is  apparently  removed  from  the     of  the  leg,  but  the  experimenter  was  in 

a  few  cases  successful  in  doing  so,  and 
found  that  the  scale  had  been  pierced 
in  several  places  by  the  strong  spines 
that  project  from  the  lower  rows  of  the 


T/B/sl— 


PLs4A/7?P; 


x     tK4X 


Fig.  6.  Inner  surface  of  the  left  hind  leg  of  a 
worker  bee,  showing  the  position  of  a  wax  scale  im- 
mediately after  it  has  been  removed  from  the  wax 
pocket.  The  scale  has  been  pierced  by  seven  of  the 
spines  of  the  pollen  combs  of  the  first  tarsal  segment 
or  planta.  The  jaws  of  the  so-called  wax  shears  or 
pincers  are  formed  by  the  pecten  spines  above  and 
the  surface  of  the  auricle  below. 

hind  leg  by  the  mandibles  alone,  but 
usually  the  fore  legs  aid  in  the  process, 
and  also  manipulate  the  scale  while  the 
mandibles  masticate  it.    After  the  scale 


PHOTOGRAPH  OF  THE  SPINES  DIAGRAMMATI- 
CAL!. Y  SHOWN  IN   FIG.   6. 


ONE  OF  THE  TWO  MASTICATING  MANDIULES 
OF  THE  HONEYBEE. 

pollen  combs  of  the  leg,  as  shown  in 
the  illustration.  Regarding  the  scales 
that  have  been  accidentally  dropped 
the  author  writes  as  follows : 

"In  any  hive  where  comb  is  being 
constructed  rapidly  many  free  scales 
will  be  found  upon  the  bottom  board 
and  upon  the  lower  bars  of  the  frames. 
If  these  scales  are  examined  micro- 
scopically some  will  be  found  without 
marks  upon  them,  having  evidently 
been  loosened  from  their  pockets  acci- 
dentally during  the  movements  of  the 
workers  over  the  comb  and  around  the 
hive.  Others  will  show  certain  marks 
and  scratches  upon  them,  indicating 
that  they  were  voluntarily  removed 
from  the  pockets,  and  in  some  cases 
they  may  bear  the  marks  of  the  man- 


HOW  HONEYBEES  PRODUCE  HONEYCOMB 


263 


W             vnag^         ■r-^d|Mr^|B    W^"   JJP^P^^^^fc     Y~"                JTT    ^PSPJPJ                             P^PJW    -^ 

^r         «L-flPjMk       ^PJ     Pa -3           __#^^r       *» »             ^HUTJv^^A 

L  iW^PJ    pV 

ttp>^H 

##^0  jfepfiiPfipWj&kr?'      ~li    ^trvi;  ^f 

►  ,  «i.  ifc^JTSM^  '  -^t-  ^      1  ipj   .^..  ^,  ■     vAmp>    WTU^.i 
^  L_m   ^SCjJIm^^  *            m*   pT  »'  ™    lrT^uil 

^VF      .^  .            ^^•^■ista>«                   PJP^Pjr    ^PJk*    v^^^PJr  JjPJ 

■to^|rJ-5r^^ri*  IkJC      ^3^W    '^'/MpWj      pP^    ^^a 

>»-     3flpJb*T            D&A^              P>.£i»4i                       ^JL^La^W 

WAX   SCALES  AND  WORKED  OVER  "CHIPS"   OF  WAX   THAT  THE  BEES   HAVE   DROPPED  TO 

THE   BOTTOM    OF   THE    HIVE. 
These   '"chips"   from   the   circular   coping    or    elsewhere  are   always   circular.      If   the   bees   cut   the   angles 
(not   press   them)   some  of  the    "chips"   would  be   sharp  or  angular. 

dibles,  showing  that  they  were  dropped  however,    is   not   always    the   case,   for 

during     the     process     of     mastication,  some  bees  appear  to  be  'careless'  and 

Most  of  the  scales  which  are  marked  at  will    mingle    small    unchewed    portions 

all    are    indented    with    several     small  of  scales  with  the  masticated  wax.    In- 

punctures    showing    the    places    where  deed,  it  is  not  uncommon  to  find  nearly 

the    spines    of   the   pollen    combs   have  perfect  scales  mixed  with  the  wax  of  a 

pierced  them.     These  scars  are  exactly  newly    made    comb.      The    masticated 

similar  in  appearance  to  those  on  the  wax  itself  is  spongy  and  flaky  when  it 

scale  shown  in  the  illustration.  is  deposited  by  the  producing  bee  and 

*****  will  later  be  reworked,  thereby  gaining 

"As  a  rule  the  wax  which  is  deposited  greatly    in    compactness    and    smooth- 

upon  the  comb  by  the  producing  bee  is  ness. 

first  subjected  to  the  action  of  the  man-  "The  entire  process  of  the  removal 

dibles   and   mixed   with    saliva.      Such,  of  one   scale,  its  mastication,   and   the 


WAX   SCALES  ISOLATED   FROM   THE   "CHIPS." 
A  compound  micioscope  more  clearly  shows  markings  and  scratches  made  by  mandibles  and  spines. 


264 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


THESE  ARE  SELECTIONS  FROM  A  LARGE  NUM- 
BER OF  PHOTOMICROGRAPHS  OF  HONEY- 
COMB IN  ALL  STAGES  OF  BUILDING,  SHOW- 
IXC,  CRUDE  CIRCLES  OF  WAX.  NOT  ONE 
HEXAGON   HAS  YET  BEEN  FOUND. 


application  of  the  wax  to  the  comb  is 
completed  in  about  four  minutes,  only 
a  very  small  portion  of  this  interval  be- 
ing consumed  in  the  work  of  extracting 
the  scale  from  its  pocket  and  passing 
it  to  the  mouth,  except  in  cases  in  which 
scales  appear  to  be  removed  with  diffi- 
culty. ***** 

"Scales  which  drop  are  likely  to  re- 
main for  a  long  time,  and  some  may 
even  be  carried  out  through  the  en- 
trance with  waste  material.  If,  how- 
ever, scales  accidentally  dislodged  or 
voluntarily  removed  fall  on  the  comb 
among  the  comb  workers  they  are 
often  noticed  by  them,  picked  up,  mas- 
ticated, and  built  into  the  comb.  If  a 
scale  slips  from  the  pollen  combs  or  is 
fumbled  by  the  bee  before  being 
grasped  by  the  mandibles,  it  is  seldom 
recovered  by  the  worker  to  which  it 
belongs  unless  it  falls  very  near  her  or 
she  stumbles  upon  it  accidentally." 

MY  THESIS. 

In  my  positive  assertions,  it  is  but  fair 
to  the  general  reader  to  state  that  many 
expert  beekeepers  do  not  agree  with  me. 
My  claims  have  even  brought  ridicule  from 
some;  others  have  advised  that  I  investi- 
gate further  before  publishing.  This  article 
is  the  result  of  about  six  years  of  study,  and 
I  publish  it  to  bring  out  definite  approval 
or  objections  as  guidance  in  further  study. 
I  seek  merely  the  truth,  not  victory  of 
claim  or   argument. — E.   F.   B. 

In  making  the  comb,  the  honeybees 

never  work  in  hexagons,  but  always  in 

circles.     Poets   and   philosophers   have 

for  ages  expressed  admiration  for  the 


"ALL  SHE  DOES  IS  TO  MAKE  A  CYLINDER  OF  WAX  AND  A  MIGHTY  CRUDE  OXE  AT  THAT." 


NOW"  HONEYBEES  PRODUCE  HONEYCOMB 


26  s 


wonderful  skill  of  the  bee  in  making 
angles  and  perfect  hexagons  in  their 
comb  cells.  There  are  two  errors  in 
such  commendations.  First,  the  bee 
does  not  voluntarily  make  hexagons. 
The  hexagons  are  the  result  of  physical 


in  series — that  is,  one  after  another — 
take  the  little  plates  of  wax  secreted 
from  between  the  body  scales  and  pack 
them  into  circles  as  crude  as  a  child 
would  make  when  she  makes  her  mud 
pies.      Under   the   microscope   there   is 


THE  BEES,  LIKE  HUGE  GUN  SWABS,  COMPARED  WITH  SIZE  OF  CELLS,  PRESS  IN  TO  CLEAN 

THE  SIDES. 

It   is   this   going   in    with    the   consequent    pressure   on    all    sides   when    the    wax    is   warm    and   soft   that 
presses  the  circular  cells  into  hexagons. 


laws.  They  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  "intent"  of  the  bee,  nor  has  the  in- 
tent of  the  bee  anything  to  do  with 
them.  Secondly,  they  are  not  perfect. 
Careful  measurement  of  the  various 
cells  has  shown  that  there  is  variation, 
due  to  difference  in  the  size  of  adjoin- 
ing cells.  At  one  time  it  was  thought 
that  there  could  be  no  better  standard 
of  measurement  than  these  hexagons. 
Naturalists  have  studied  and  argued  as 
to  how  the  bees  have  learned  to  make 
them.  Even  so  careful  a  naturalist  as 
Darwin  in  his  interesting  chapter, 
"Cell-making  Instinct  of  the  Hive-Bee," 
tries  to  prove  his  theory  of  special  se- 
lection by  teaching  that  the  bee  has 
learned  through  the  influence  of  her 
environment.  He  admits  that  the  bee 
makes  a  rough,  circumferential  wall  or 
rim  all  around  the  comb,  and  then  he 
tries  to  explain  how  the  bee  has  learned 
to  make  the  hexagons.  The  honey- 
bee deserves  not  one  particle  of  credit 
for  making  a  beautiful  hexagon.  All 
she  does  is  to  make  a  cylinder  of  wax, 
and  a  mightv  crude  one  at  that.     Bees 


here  no  symmetry  nor  beauty,  but  only 
the  crudest  kind  of  work.  The  bee 
heaps  up  these  pellets  one  after  an- 
other, and  the  action  of  a  physical  law, 
and  that  action  only,  does  the  rest. 
She  is  as  little  responsible  for  the  hexa- 
gonal form  as  she  is  for  the  movements 
of  a  planet.  Both  are  under  control  of 
physical  laws  totally  separate  and  dis- 
tinct from  any  animal  organism.  For 
a  lifetime,  I  may  have  watched  that 
planet  on  every  clear  night  when  it  is 
visible  above  the  horizon,  and  I  may 
repeatedly  have  observed  that  it  moves, 
but  I  shall  never  learn  how  to  make  it 
move,  nor  shall  I  ever  take  to  myself  any 
credit  for  its  movement.  Through  un- 
thinkable ages  honeybees  have  been 
making  crude  cylinders  of  wax,  but 
they  never  yet  have  been  able  to  make 
a  hexagon  nor  to  learn  how  to  make  one. 
Darwin  and  a  host  of  minor  lights, 
chiefly  the  utilitarian  beekeepers,  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding.  In 
making  this  statement  T  Haim  no  orig- 
inality. Eong  ago  Cheshire,  and 
Cowan  said  practically  the  same  thing. 


266 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


CELLS   ON   THE   EDGE   OF   ATTACHMENT   WHERE   THERE    IS   NO   EVEN    PRESSURE   ON    ALL 

SIDES   ARE  NEVER  HEXAGONS. 


but  somehow  their  statements  seem  to 
flee  from  our  modern  thought  of  the 
honeycomb.  Cheshire  says,  "All  na- 
ture apart  from  the  mystery  of  life 
solves  everything  mathematically.  The 
cricket  ball  flying  from  the  bat  of  the 
tyro,  the  spray  from  the  maiden's  mop, 
the  tiny  soap-bubbles  of  the  laundress's 
lather,  as  much  conform  to  perfect 
mathematical  solution  as  the  path  of  a 
comet  or  the  form  of  a  star."  A  child 
may  blow  a  soap  bubble  and  toss  it  in 
the  air.  No  credit  can  inure  to  the 
child  for  the  beautiful  spherical  form 
of  the   mid-air   bubble.     That   form    is 


simply  the  result  of  a  natural  law.  If 
the  child  blows  several  soap  bubbles  in 
contact  with  one  another,  they  become 
beautifully  hexagonal,  but  here  again 
no  credit  is  due  the  child.  The  hexagons 
are  physically  not  biologically  pro- 
duced. 

The  edge  of  the  honeycomb  built 
wholly  by  bees  is  never  hexagonal  nor 
angular.  The  side  is  a  curve  and  the 
cells  immediately  on  that  curve  are 
spherical  at  their  bottom  and  circular 
at  their  rim.  All  solitary  bees  work  in 
circles.  I  have  felt  about  this  like  Lowell 
when  he  argues  in  regard  to  the  straight 


SOAP  BUBBLES  BLOWN  BETWEEN  TWO  PIECES  OF  GLASS  HAVE  ANGLES  AND  FLATTENED 

SIDES. 

IF   all    were   of  same   size   under    uniform    pressure    they    would    be    regular    hexagons. 


HOW  HONEYBEES  PRODUCE  HONEYCOMB 


267 


canals  on  Mars.  He  maintains  that 
nature  does  nothing  in  straight  lines. 
You  never  saw  an  absolutely  straight 
tree,  a  straight  mountain  ridge,  a 
straight  brook  in  a  meadow.  You 
never  have  known  a  woodchuck  to  dig 
a  square  hole  nor  any  other  kind  with 
angles,  neither  does  the  woodpecker 
make  an  angular  hole,  [f  we  enter 
the  realm  of  the  honeybee  and  of  other 
members  of  the  Hymenoptera,  we  shall 
observe  that  no  mud  wasp  makes 
angles  on  the  sides  of  its  cells.  The 
carpenter  bee  does  not  bore  an  angular 
opening.  All  excavations  and  all  nests 
of  all  forms  of  animal  life  are  normally 
free  from  angular  outlines.  He  that 
gives  the  matter  consideration  will  nat- 
urally   feel    that    the    hexagons    of    the 


"The  Melipona  itself  is  intermediate 
in  structure  between  the  hive  and  the 
bumblebee,  but  more  nearly  related  to 
the  latter  ;  it  forms  a  nearly  regular  wax- 
en comb  of  cylindrical  cells  in  which  the 
young  are  hatched,  and,  in  addition,  some 
large  cells  of  wax  for  holding  honey. 
These  latter  cells  are  nearly  spherical  and 
of  nearly  equal  sizes,  and  are  aggregated 
into  an  irregular  mass.  But  the  import- 
ant point  to  notice  is  that  these  cells  are 
always  made  at  that  degree  of  nearne--  n  1 
each  other  that  they  would  have  in 
tersected  or  broken  into  each  other  if 
the  spheres  had  been  completed  ;  but 
this  is  never  permitted,  the  bees  build- 
ing perfectly  flat  walls  of  wax  between 
the  spheres  which  thus  tend  to  inter- 
sect." 


QUEEN    CELLS,    PEANUT-SHAPED,    WITH    NO    SURROUNDING    PRESSURE    ARE    ALWAYS 

CIRCULAR. 


honeybee's  comb  are  associated  with 
something  beyond  and  outside  of  bio- 
logical law.  This  circular  habit  con- 
tinues even  with  some  of  the  social  Hy- 
menoptera. It  is  known  to  every  boy  that 
has  dug  out  a  bumblebees'  nest,  that 
the  honey  is  in  tubes  of  wax,  or  in  i-^epa- 
rate  and  irregularly  rounded  cells  of  wax. 
Darwin  was  puzzled  by  this  fact,  be- 
cause at  one  end  of  the  series  he  had 
the  cells  of  the  hive  bee  in  a  double 
laver,  each  one  hexagonal  prism,  and 
at  the  other  the  bumblebees  that 
utilize  their  old  cocoons  which  are  cir- 
cular, or  make  a  wax  tube.  He  reasoned 
regarding  the  intermediate  form  of  the 
Melipona  domestica,  which  was  care- 
ful lv  described  and  figured  by  Pierre 
Huber.  and  decided  :- 


Therein  is  the  secret.  The  honey- 
bee has  not  learned  to  make  hexagons, 
but  she  crowds  so  much  into  a  little 
space,  putting  her  tubes  so  close  to- 
gether that  they  intersect.  The  sides 
are  flattened,  and  the  cells  become  hex- 
agonal. Only  three  forms  can  be  put 
together  without  interstices  — the 
square,  the  triangle,  and  the  hexagon. 
The  hexagon  most  nearly  approaches 
the  circle  and  would  be  well  adapted  to 
curved  or  circular  larvae.  If  the 
honeybee  had  plenty  of  room,  she 
would  make  all  her  cells  circular. 
This  is  proved  by  the  circumstantial 
evidence,  that  when  she  has  a  suffi- 
ciently important  larva  to  care  for,  she 
takes  plenty  of  room  and  makes  a  cir- 
cular cell  for  the  queen.     The  cells  at 


268 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


BUTTONS.    PENNIES,   LEAD   PENCILS— ANYTHING   CIRCULAR— WHEN    MASSED   HAVE   EACH 

ONE  SURROUNDED  BY  SIX. 


the  edge  of  the  comb,  where  there  is 
no  pressure  on  the  sides,  are  in  outline 
always   circular,   never   hexagonal. 

As  pointed  out  years  ago  by  Cowan, 
an  English  investigator,  these  "cells 
behave  mutually  like  soap  bubbles, 
which  when  isolated  are  round  ;  but  if 
they  touch  each  other,  the  united  films 
form  a  perfectly  flat  wall.  If  there  are 
many,  those  in  the  centre  will  be  hexa- 
gonal, while  those  on  the  outside  will 
have  their  free  sides  curved."  This  is 
exactly  the  situation  though,  as  Cowan 
states,  it  is  denied  by  some. 

After  the  bees  have  manipulated  the 
wax  they  press  it  down  in  a  crowded, 
irregular  mass,  which,  under  a  micro- 
scope, looks  about  like  a  mass  of  mortar 
slumped  off  from  the  hod  of  the  carrier. 
Then  the  bees  scoop  out  the  wax  into 
little  holes,  and  that  scooping  manifests 
itself  as  vestigial,  circumstantial  evi- 
dence in  the  pittings  all  over  the  queen- 
bee  cell  which  give  it  its  peanut-shell 
roughness.  Regarding  this  Cowan 
says : 

"As  the  wax  is  scooped  out  it  is  put 
on  the  side  walls,  which  are  thereby 
thickened,  and  give  the  mouth  of  the 
cell  a  circular  form,  in  all  stages  of  its 
progress.  Many  cells  are  found  into 
which  a  bee  cannot  enter,  but  as  the 
wax  is  always  added  to  the  top  edge 
she  has  only  to  work  down  inside  a 
very  little  way,  and  we  presume  she 
does    much    in    the    same    way    that    a 


bricklayer  would  do  when  building  a 
chimney  from  the  outside,  into  which 
he  could  not  introduce  his  whole  body." 

Darwin  made  extended  experiments 
regarding  this,  and  found  that  the 
bees  always  scoop  out  the  wax  from 
spherical  cavities. 

"I  separated  two  combs,  and  put  be- 
tween them  a  long,  thick,  rectangular 
strip  of  wax :  the  bees  instantly  began 
to  excavate  minute  circular  pits  in  it ; 
and  as  they  deepened  these  little  pits, 
they  made  them  wider  and  wider  until 
they  were  converted  into  shallow 
basins,  appearing  to  the  eye  perfectly 
true  or  parts  of  a  sphere,  and  of  about 
the  diameter  of  a  cell.  It  was  most 
interesting  to  observe  that,  wherever 
several  bees  had  begun  to  excavate 
these  basins  near  together,  they  had 
begun  their  work  at  such  a  distance 
from  each  other,  that  by  the  time  the 
basins  had  acquired  the  above-stated 
width  (i.e.  about  the  width  of  an  ordi- 
nary cell),  and  were  in  depth  about 
one-sixth  of  the  diameter  of  the  sphere 
of  which  they  formed  a  part,  the  rims 
of  the  basins  intersected  or  broke  into 
each  other.  As  soon  as  this  occurred. 
the  bees  ceased  to  excavate,  and  be- 
gan to  build  up  flat  walls  of  wax  on 
the  lines  of  intersection  between  the 
basins,  so  that  each  hexagonal  prism 
was  built  upon  the  scalloped  edge  of 
a  smooth  basin,  instead  of  on  the 
straight  edges  of  a  three-sided  pyramid 


HOW  HONEYBEES  PRODUCE  HONEYCOMB 


269 


as  in  the  case  of  ordinary  cells." 

But  the  bee  is  a  scraper  as  is  the 
mason  when  he  builds  a  chimney  or 
makes  a  cement  and  stone  wall.  Have 
you  never  noticed  how  he  slaps  on 
roughly  a  trowel  full  of  mortar  and 
spends  most  of  his  time  in  scraping 
the  sides?  So  it  is  with  the  honeybee. 
She  keeps  piling  up  the  end  of  a  cylin- 
der and  then  constantly  goes  into  her 
cylinder  and  scrapes  the  sides  to  make 
them  thin.  It  is  this  going  in  that  does 
the  hexagonal  work  and  is  the  exact 
equivalent  of  what  I  did  when  I  pressed 
a  solid  on  the  soap  bubbles.  She  does 
more  than  scrape.  Her  body  is  covered 
with  hair,  even  feathers  one  might  al- 
most call  them  when  they  are  viewed 
under  a  microscope.  She  is  like  a  gun 
swab  and  when  she  pushes  into  that 
cell  she  pushes  out  the  sides.  If  there 
is  onlv  one  cell  as  in  the  case  of  the 
queen  bee  cell  the  pushing  out  of  the 
sides  makes  a  cylinder,  but  there  are 
other  bees  making  other  cells  and  they 
are  close  to  this  and  it  is  this  pressure 


on  the  sides,  with  not  the  slightest 
intent  nor  skill  on  the  bee's  part,  but 
purely  the  effect  of  a  mathematical 
law,  that  makes  the  hexagon.  As 
Cheshire  told  us  years  ago,  "The  geo- 
metrical relation,  which  embellish  the 
wax  tracery  of  the  bee  are  the  neces- 
sary result  of  her  mode  of  proceeding. 
And  mathematics  is  no  more  her  en- 
dowment than  it  is  that  of  the  soap 
and  water  we  have  been  considering. 
These  wonders  come  because  the  whole 
creation  is  founded  and  sustained  by 
the  great  Geometer,  whose  laws  of 
weight  and  measure  neither  falter  nor 
vary,  so  that,  for  the  advantage  of 
man,  the  experience  and  observation  of 
the  past  make  him  the  prophet  of  the 
future."  And  Cheshire  proceeds  to 
make  it  perfectly  plain  that  a  single 
cell  made  by  a  honeybee  is  always  cir- 
cular. The  queen  cell  is  an  example  of 
this.  "It  is  circular — the  typical  form 
— in  cross  section,  because  it  is  built 
alone,  and  is  made  to  grow  with  the 
growth  of  the  grub   it  contains." 


HONEYCOMB  CELLS  ON   A  SHEET.THE    BACKGROUND)    OF    PURE    BEESWAX   ARE   ALWAYS 
CIRCULAR  IN  THEIR  ATTACHMENT.     THE  SAME  IS  TRUE  OF  CELLS  ON  GLASS. 


2  7° 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


If  a  number  of  wax  cups,  such  as  are 
supplied  by  the  manufacturers  for 
queen  cell  starters,  are  placed  compact- 
ly together  and  then  warmed  until  the 
wax  is  plastic,  and  into  each  one  of 
these  is  thrust  a  small  circular  brush, 
so  as  to  push  out  the  interior,  the  cups 


ABOVE  THE  THREAD,  ARTIFICIAL  HEXAGONS 
SLIGHTLY  SMEARED  WITH  WAX.  AS  THE 
SMEARING  CONTINUES  THEY  BECOME 
CIRCLES,    BELOW   THE   THREAD. 

will,  by  the  pressure  of  the  brush,  be- 
come hexagonal  in  outline. 

Note  carefully  that  whenever  comb 
is  turned  out  on  the  artificial  founda- 
tion that  the  bee  commences  at  the  very 
start  to  build  circular  piles  of  wax  upon 


the  hexagons.  The  cells  of  honeycomb 
are  always  circular  in  outline  on  the 
edges  of  the  comb  where  there  are  no 
others  to  press  against  them.  We  give 
the  honeybee  hexagons  as  a  foundation, 
but  when  she  makes  comb  she  never 
makes  hexagons.  There  are  no  hexa- 
gons made  at  the  base  of  growing  comb 
nor  at  the  top  of  the  cells.  There  never 
has  been  and  there  never  will  be,  for  the 
reason  that  the  honeybee  always  -works 
in   roughly  circular  lines. 

The  optical  illusion  hexagons  on  the 
surface  of  any  growing  honeycomb 
disappear  the  moment  they  are  ex- 
amined with  eyes  wide  open.  Take  a 
collection  of  circular  dots,  or  look  at 
the  ends  of  a  pile  of  lead  pencils  with 
the  eyes'partly  closed  and  looking 
through  the  eyelashes,  and  immediately 
they  all  become  hexagonal.  It  is  the 
old  argument  about  the  markings  of 
the  diatom  called  Plcurosigma  angula- 
tion. Xote  the  accompanying  expanse  of 
circular  black  dots.  Does  any  one  doubt 
for  a  moment  that  these  are  circular? 
Look  at  them  through  your  eyelashes 
with  the  eyes  half  closed  and  see  what 
beautiful  hexagons  you  will  have.  The 
appearance  is  really  all  owing  to  IMPER- 
FECT EYES.  It  is  an  optical  illusion.  All 
growing  honeycomb  held  at  a  distance 
or  reduced  by  photography  will  show 
the  thing  dimly.  Examine  the  comb 
with  clear  strong  light  and  under  a 
pocket  lens  of  an  inch  focus,  and  every 
one  of  those  hexagons  will  vanish  and 
the  comb  will  become  a  plane  of  circles. 

I  have  entered  extensively  into  this 
monographic  exposition,  because  of  the 
many  attacks  that  have  been  made  up- 
on my  claims  by  some  of  the  most  prac- 
tical authorities  in  the  United  States. 
Articles  on  this  subject,  in  which  I  have 
asserted  these  facts,  have  been  refused 
by  two  important  bee  journals— 
"Gleanings  in  Bee  Culture,"  Medina, 
Ohio,  and  "The  American  Bee  Jour- 
nal," Hamilton,  Illinois,  and  I  have 
been  not  a  little  ridiculed  because  I  be- 
lieve and  say  that  the  bee  does  not 
build  hexagons.  Some  things  are  the 
outcome  of  definite  physical  laws  and 
have  nothing  to  do  with  intent  nor  with 
learning. 

Perhaps  this  opposition  is  based  on 
the  fact  that  it  exposes  the  error  of 
making  artificial  comb  foundation  in 
hexagons.    Theoretically  this  is  wrong. 


HOW  HONEYBEES  PRODUCE  HONEYCOMB 


271 


yet  1  believe  that  the  error  makes  no 
practical  difference.  The  manufactur- 
ers of  artificial  comb  ma}-  have  reason- 
ed in  this  way:  "If  we  examine  the 
middle  division  of  a  honeycomb,  we 
find  that  it  is  formed  of  the  sides  of 
cubes.  We  will  therefore  mould  our 
sheets  of  wax  with  cubical  indenta- 
tions." But  this  comb  foundation  is 
for  the  beginning,  not  the  end  nor  the 
middle.  The  bee  starts  with  parts  of 
spheres  and  circles,  and  physical  law- 
only,  not  the  bees,  finishes  with  cubical 
indentations.  The  bees  ask  for  circles, 
and  you  give  them  cubical  depressions. 
It  is  a  plain  example  of  getting  the  cart 
theoretically  before  the  horse.  In  the 
production  of  comb  foundation,  circles 
and  spheres  should  come  first  in  what 
we  supply  to  the  honeybee  in  starter 
sheets  of  wax.  I  assert,  without  hesi- 
tation, that  all  comb  foundations  that 
offer  such  cubical  indentations  are  logi- 
cally and  theoretically  wrong.  1  doubt 
whether  any  so-called  practical  bee- 
keeper will  support  this  statement,  but 
I  am  confident  that  the  manufacturers 
will  oppose  it.  Opposition  cannot 
change  the  facts  in  the  case.  /  cheerfully 
admit  that  practically  the  foundation   as 


supplied  by  the  manufacturers  may  be 
even  better  than  Jia,t  sheets  of  circular 
surface  ridges.  I  am  not  discussing  the 
practical  point,  but  the  theoretical,  the 
purely  scientific  point.  A  thing  theo- 
retically right  may  be  practically 
wrong.  Any  bee-keeper  may  witness 
an    exemplification    of   this    claim    if   he 


CIRCLES  VIEWED  THROUGH  THE  EYELASHES 
WITH  THE  EVES  PARTLY  CLOSED  BECOME 
HEXAGONAL. 

Honeycomb,  even  after  the  bees  have  pressed  the 
cells,  is  sometimes  not  really  so  hexagonal  as  optical 
illusion    makes   it   seem. 

— Hopkins's    "Experimental    Science." 
Munn   &  Company. 


ARCADIA  APIARY   WI 


i    HAVE   STUDIED  IN   RECENT  YEARS. 


272 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


will  place  some  of  this  artificial  comb 
foundation  within  the  hive  and  note 
that  the  honeybees  will  invariably,  in 
their  very  first  work,  change  hexagons 
and  cubical  indentations  into  simple  cir- 
cular rings.  I  have  examined  hundreds 
of  specimens  of  natural  honeycomb  made 
wholly  by  the  bees,  and  as  many  others 
of  the  beginning  of  artificial  comb  foun- 
dation, from  the  moment  when  the  first 
masticated  particle  of  wax  was  placed 
on  the  ridge,  but  without  a  single  ex- 
ception I  have  found  that  the  bees 
worked  circularly  or  spherically.  In 
such  cases  like  comb  built  between  the 
top  of  the  frame  where  there  is  room  for 
only  one  or  two  rows  of  cells,  or  on  the 
edge  of  the  honeycomb  next  to  the  at- 
tachment to  the  wood,  the  cells  invar- 
iably are  circular  in  outline. 


Figs.  1  to  6  are  lent  to  us  by  the  United 
States  Government.  The  other  illustra- 
tions, with  the  exception  of  the  one  on  page 
271  credited  to  Munn  &  Company,  are  by 
the  author. 


A  Wax  and  Honey  Church. 
Mr.  George  F.  Bowersox  of  Portland, 
Indiana,  is  an  artist  in  church  archi- 
tecture as  well  as  with  honeybees.  On 
a  base  sixteen  by  twenty  inches  he  has 
made  for  exhibition  purposes  a  church 
that  is  not  only  symmetrical  in  design 
but  sweet  and  attractive.  The  build- 
ing is  made  of  honey  and  of  sheets  of 
wax. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  "American 
Bee  Journal"  of  Hamilton,  Illinois,  for 
the  use  of  the  accompanying  illustra- 
tion. The  editor  writes  that  Mr.  Bow- 
ersox would  like  to  dispose  of  this 
church.  Here  is  an  op- 
portunity for  some  one  to 
obtain  an  attractive  novel- 
ty. It  might  be  difficult 
to  pack  the  building  so 
that  it  could  be  trans- 
ported in  good  shape,  but 
somebody  in  that  immedi- 
ate vicinity  should  hail 
this  as  a  rare  opportunity 
to   secure   a   novel   adver- 


tising 


design. 


The  Search  for  Truth. 

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  the 
effort  one  is  able  to  make 
towards  the  truth. 

The  fact  that  the  hive 
contains  so  much  that  is 
wonderful  does  not  war- 
rant our  seeking  to  add  to 
its  wonders.  —  Maurice 
Maeterlinck  in  "The  Life 
of  The  Bee." 


A  CHURCH  BUILT  OF  WAX  AND  HONEYCOMB. 


According  to  his  nature, 
man  loves  truth  with  a 
pure  and  disinterested 
love,  the  strongest  intel- 
lectual affection.  The 
healthy  eye  does  not  more 
naturally  turn  to  the  light 
than  the  honest  mind 
turns  toward  the  truth.— 
Hume :  Essays.  II. 


Jtt  $ratgp  (if  WxnUt. 

1%  Son  (G.  i>ritg,  (Eos  (£ob,  (Eonnrrtirttt. 

I  do  not  like  the  Summer's  sun 

Or  Autumn's  silver  sigh; 
Give  me  instead  the  Winter's  cold 

And  northwinds  blowing  high. 

Knee  deep  I  wade  across  the  fields 
And  through  the  pine  groves  green 

While  sparkles  in  the  crystal  air 
The  landscape's  silver  sheen. 

Tingles  the  blood  from  crown  to  toe 

No  tropic  languor  here — 
But  light  and  life  and  ecstacy 

In  zero's  atmosphere! 

When  curling  drifts  close  up  the  roads 

No  bitter  exile  this, 
But  days  of  joy  and  deep  content 

And  nights  of  sweetest  bliss. 

For  in  the  broad  and  open  arch 
The  back  log  brightly  glows — 

With  hickory  crackling  on  the  hearth 
I  laugh  at  storms  and  snows! 


I  believe  more  than  ever  at  this  time  we  should 
endeavor  to  keep  the  love  and  beauty  of  Nature  before 
the  public  and  to  turn  their  thoughts  to  something 
besides  war. — Harry  G.  Higbee,  13  Austin  Street, 
Hvde  Park,  Massachusetts. 


WHAT  WE  STAND  FOR. 

This  department  desires  especially 
articles  of  general  interest  pertaining 
to  bird  study.  To  promote  a  love  for 
the  birds  and  a  sincere  desire  to  study 
them  in  the  woods  and  fields  is  our 
object,  rather  than  to  give  strictly 
scientific  data  which  would  be  of  in- 
terest to  a  comparatively  few. 

We  intend  to  print  no  records  which 
are  not  known  to  be  accurate,  and  we 
welcome  any  observations  of  an  orni- 
thological nature,  either  from  young 
or  old,  which  would  tend  to  stimulate 
first-hand  study.  Good  illustrations 
add  greatly  to  the  interest  of  an  ar- 
ticle, and  these  need  not  necessarily  be 
large  if  the  photographs  are  sharp  and 
clear. 

This  is  a  popular  magazine,  with  a 
wide-spread  circulation,  and  a  diversi- 
fied group  of  interests  as  regards  the 
big  subject  of  Nature  Study.  We  be- 
lieve Ornithology  to  be  an  important 
part  of  this  general  study,  and  we  wish 
to  make  this  department  so  full  of  in- 
terest and  so  completely  in  harmony 
with  other  subjects  treated  in  our  mag- 
azine, that  it  may  add  materially  to  its 
general  usefulness  and  to  its  circula- 
tion. 

We  believe  that  all  of  our  readers 
should   be   "bird-lovers,"   even    though 


they  are  not  strictly  "ornithologists," 
just  as  we  believe  that  all  should  be 
lovers  of  the  stars  and  of  the  flowers, 
though  they  may  not  aspire  to  be 
learned  astronomers  or  scientific  bo- 
tanists. 

We  would  by  no  means  discourage 
the  most  painstaking  and  detailed 
study  in  any  form  of  science,  for  only 
thus  are  new  facts  being  constantly 
added  to  our  store  of  knowledge,  but 
where  one  person  may  seek  to  know 
the  structural  parts  of  a  bird  and  its 
minute  classification,  one  hundred  may 
be  found  who  would  gladly  become 
acquainted  with  its  name,  its  general 
habits  and  its  song,  so  that  they  may 
know  it  as  a  friend,  and  may  know  its 
general  relation  with  other  creatures 
which  they  encounter  and  enjoy  in  the 
day's  walk. 

Let  us  aspire  to  bring  the  greatest 
portion  of  pleasure  to  the  greatest 
number  of  people. 

Harry   G.   Higbee. 


Albino   Coot  from   Wallingford,   Iowa. 

A  pure  white  coot,  or  "mud-hen," 
shot  some  time  ago  in  the  marshes  near 
High  Lake,  Wallingford,  Iowa,  has 
been  reported  by  B.  O.  Holden  of  that 
place. 


ORNITHOLOGY 


-75 


The   February  Birds. 

In  New  England  we  do  not  look  for 
much  spring  weather  during  the  month 
of  February.  There  may  be,  however, 
considerable  movement  in  bird  life 
during  this  month,  this  depending  more 
or  less,  of  course,  on  weather  conditi- 
ons as  regards  the  appearance  of  early 
migrants  from  the  south.  Then  also 
we  have  learned  that  food  supply  has 
in  many  instances  more  to  do  with  the 
distribution  of  birds  than  has  tempera- 
ture  or  other  weather  conditions. 

Robins,  song  sparrows,  flickers,  pur- 
ple finches  and  meadow-larks  are  found 
to  be  more  or  less  resident  in  certain 
localities  where  they  were  formerly 
supposed  to  be  strictly  migrator}'.  In 
middle  and  southern  New  England  it  is 
not  unusual  to  find  large  flocks  of  rob- 
ins winteringin the  thick  cedar  swamps. 
These  are  likely  to  appear  about  our 
houses  earlier  than  migrating  individu- 
als of  the  same  species.  Crows  appear  in 
greater  numbers  during  February  than 
we  have  observed  them  through  the 
early  winter  months.  Purple  flnches 
may  be  noted ;  song  sparrows  which 
have  wintered  with  us  but  have  kept  in 
seclusion,  may  be  heard  singing  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  month,  especiallv 
if  we  are  favored  with  a  mild  "spell," 
and  blue  jays  seem  to  become  more 
restless  and  noisy  at  this  season.  There 
seems  to  be  "something  in  the  air," 
even  though  the  ground  is  still  frozen 
and  the  general  atmosphere  of  winter 
pervades. 

Although  rather  exceptional  for 
the  past  few  years,  in  event  of  an  early 
spring  the  more  hardy  and  daring  of 
our  first  spring  migrants  sometimes  ar- 
rive during  the  latter  part  of  February. 
Bluebirds  have  been  known  to  appear 
in  the  vicinity  of  Boston  on  the  twenty- 
second,  though  this  is  unusual.  Rusty 
blackbirds,  bronzed  grackles.  song 
s]  tarrows.  swamp  sparrows,  flickers, 
phoebes  and  sometimes  red-winged 
blackbirds  may  arrive  in  small  num- 
bers, these  probably  being  individuals 
that  have  wintered  not  far  south  of  the 
localities  where  they  now  appear.  Of- 
ten these  earliest  migrants  are  not 
noted  on  their  first  appearance,  as  it  is 
supposedly  too  early  to  look  for  them. 
It  is  the  constant  observer,  however. 
— who  braves  all  weathers  and  who 
keeps  up  his  daily  walks, — who  is  apt 
to  be  rewarded  with  the  sight  of  these 


"first   spring  birds"   which   so  gladden 
the  heart  of  the  nature-lover. 

During  February  we  may  also  look 
for  such  northern  visitors  as  "snowy" 
and  "great-horned"  owls,  pine  gros- 
beaks, cross-bills,  pine  siskins,  red- 
polls and  evening  grosbeaks,  in  addi- 
tion to  our  regular  winter  residents 
like  the  nuthatches,  golden-crowned 
kinglets,  tree  sparrows,  slate-colored 
jnncos,  horned  larks  and  snow  bunt- 
ings, although  these  former  species  are 
erratic  and  uncertain  in  their  move- 
ments and  visitations  to  any  given  lo- 
cality. With  them  it  is  usually  a  ques- 
tion of  food  supply:  they  seem  to  have 
preferences  for  a  somewhat  limited 
"menu,"  and  frequently  are  abundant 
for  a  short  time  in  a  localitv  where 
their  favorite  food  may  be  found. 
_  There  appears  to  be,  in  many  locali- 
ties, an  entire  absence  of  seeds  on  the 
white  (gray)  birches  this  winter, 
which  probably  accounts  for  the  ab- 
sence of  red-polls  and  pine  siskins  not- 
ed in  these  localities,  as  these  birds 
depend  largely  upon  the  birch  seeds  for 
subsistence  at  this  season.  Cedar  wax- 
wings  are  also  wanderers,  and  may  re- 
main in  considerable  numbers  about 
certain  grounds  while  they  are  able  to 
obtain  a  supply  of  berries  of  the  moun- 
tain ash  or  cedar.  As  long  as  the  food 
supply  holds  out  these  various  birds 
seem  to  care  little  what  the  weather 
may  be. 

February  is  also  the  month,  in  New 
England  and  the  middle  west,  ivhen 
the  great  horned  owl  is  nesting.  Its 
two  eggs  are  laid  and  incubation  be- 
gtm  often  by  the  middle  of  the  month, 
—cold  and  bleak  as  it  may  be,— and  it 
is  not  unusual  for  the  young  of  these 
hardy  birds  to  be  hatched  and  brooded 
during  severe   winter  weather. 

The  wanderer  afield  in  the  month 
of  February  should  be  rewarded  with  a 
larger  and  more  interesting  list  of 
birds  than  at  any  other  part  of  the  win- 
ter season. 


The  plan  for  the  new  Illinois  wild 
life  sanctuaries  is  to  have  tracts  of  a 
thousand  to  five  thousand  acres  each, 
in  which  about  five  acres  will  be  sown 
to  various  sorts  of  grain  left  standing 
for  bird  food.  Besides  this  there  will 
be  brush  heap  shelters  containing 
gravel  and  sand. 


276 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


The     Thirty-fifth     Congress     of     the 
A.  O.  U. 

The    thirty-fifth    convention    of    the 
American    Ornithologists'    Union    was 
held    at    the    Agassiz    Museum,    Cam- 
bridge,    Mass.,    on    November     12-14, 
1917.    It  was  well  attended,  with  repre- 
sentatives   from    man}'    states,    and    a 
number    of    interesting    and    valuable 
papers  were  presented.     Among  these, 
a  paper  by  Frank  M.  Chapman,  Curator 
of  the  American  Museum  at  New  York, 
entitled    "An    Ornithological    Journey 
From  the  Tableland  to  the  Tropics  of 
Peru,"    and   one   by    Robert    Cushman 
Murphy  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  on  "The 
Explorations  of  Rollo  H.  Beck  in  South 
America  and  the  West  Indies  for  the 
Brewster-Sanford  Collections,"  seemed 
of    peculiar    interest, — both    of    these 
papers    being    illustrated    by    lantern 
slides. 

A  resume  of  the  principal  ornitholo- 
gical work  of  1917  was  given  by  Dr.  T. 
S.  Palmer,  of  the  Biological  Survey  at 
Washington,  followed  by  a  discussion 
by  the  members. 

Some  remarkable  motion  pictures  of 
the  home  life  of  a  lion  were  shown, 
these  being  taken  by  the  Hon.  George 
D.  Pratt. 

A  very  interesting  series  of  "Respon- 
sive Notes  of  some  African  Bush 
Shrikes"  was  given  by  Dr.  Glover  M. 
Allen  of  The  Boston  Society  of  Natural 
History.  This  peculiarity  of  a  short 
song  or  series  of  notes,  given  by  two 
different  birds  as  a  responsive  call, 
seems  quite  remarkable, — in  each 
instance  the  harmony  of  the  notes  and 
time  of  their  utterance  being  such  as 
to  indicate  the  performance  being 
given  by  a  single  bird. 

"The  Future  of  Federal  Bird  Reser- 
vations" was  presented  by  Dr.  George 
W.  Field,  of  Washington,  D.  C.  Dr. 
Charles  W.  Townsend  of  Boston  gave 
his  very  interesting  paper  "In  Audu- 
bon's Labrador,"  illustrating  the  route 
taken  through  this  northern  territory 
by  the  great  naturalist  in  the  early  part 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  compar- 
ing the  birds  found  by  Audubon  at  that 
time  with  the  species  of  the  present 
day  throughout  the  same  range.  Many 
other  interesting  and  valuable  papers 
were  given  at  these  meetings,  which 
were  open  to  the  public  and  were  well 
patronized. 

Five  Associates  were  raised  to  the 


rank  of  Members, — these  being  Mes- 
srs Rollo  H.  Beck,  Winthrop  S.  Brooks, 
James  P.  Chapin,  Francis  H.  Harper' 
and  Dr.  Winsor  M.  Tyler,  all  well- 
known  ornithologists  who  have  done 
commendable  work  in  their  various 
spheres.  One  hundred  and  twelve  new 
Associates  were  also  elected  to  mem- 
bership in  the  Union.  Mr.  Arthur 
Humble  Evans  of  Cambridge,  England, 
and  Mr.  William  Lutler  Sclater  of 
London,  were  elected  Honorary  Fel- 
lows, and  Mr.  F.  E.  Beddard  of  Lon- 
don, a  Corresponding  Fellow. 


To    Train    Seagulls    as    "Spotters"    of 
Submarines. 

If  the  scheme  of  Dr.  A.  D.  Pentz,  Jr., 
of  New  Brighton,  L.  L,  works  out  the 
Prussians  will  have  an  immense  num- 
ber of  new  enemies  added  to  their  al- 
ready long  list  of  foes.  Doctor  Pentz 
wants  to  mobilize  the  seagulls  against 
the  U-boats  and  teach  the  "feathered 
airplanes"  to  act  as  scouts  for  the  al- 
lies. 

Chimerical  as  that  may  sound,  it  is 
receiving  the  serious  attention  of  the 
navy  department  and  has  been  en- 
dorsed by  distinguished  scientists  and 
men  of  note.  The  National  Associa- 
tion of  Audubon  Societies  has  taken  a 
decided  interest  in  the  matter,  and  it  is 
through  that  association  that  Doctor 
Pentz  has  made  the  scheme  public. 

"The  U-boat  menace  is  so  serious," 
says  T.  Gilbert  Pearson,  secretary  of 
the  association,  "that  every  means 
should  be  employed  to  counteract  it. 
Naval  officers  who  have  discussed  this 
matter  with  me  believe  there  is  merit 
in  the  scheme  proposed. 

"I  consider  the  submersible  craft  as 
a  gigantic  fish,  the  presence  of  which 
can  be  detected  at  a  considerable 
depth  by  the  sharp  eyes  of  the  sea  gulls, 
for  these  creatures  are  nature's  air- 
planes. In  the  U-boat  zone  the  British 
officers  have  from  time  to  time  learned 
of  the  presence  of  the  German  under- 
sea fighters  through  the  action  of  the 
gulls,  as  flocks  of  the  birds  are  fre- 
quently attracted  by  the  shining  peri- 
scopes. 

"The  appliance  we  consider  using  is 
a  hopper,  54  inches  long,  made  of  sheet 
steel,  and  securely  bolted  to  the  top  of 
the  submarine.  In  this  receptacle  chop- 
ped fish  is  placed.     This  bait  rises  to 


ORNITHOLOGY 


2/7 


the  top  of  the  liquid  in  the  container, 
and  from  time  to  time  may  be  released 
by  the  turning  of  a  crank  by  an  opera- 
tor inside  the  submarine. 

"The  gulls  would  soon  learn  to  asso- 
ciate food  with  the  submerged  sub- 
marines, just  as  they  do  with  surface 
craft,  which  they  accompany  for  miles 
in  quest  of  refuse.  Once  they  have 
seen  food  emerge  from  one  undersea 
boat,  they  will  pursue  others  of  the 
same  type,  so  that  in  time  these  white 
winged  aviators  would  be  marking  the 
course  of  concealed  U-boats. 

"On  clear  days  the  flight  of  gulls 
may  be  observed  for  five  miles.  Gulls 
are  known  to  travel  for  hundreds  of 
miles,  and  are  frequently  seen  in  mid- 
ocean.  Owing  to  the  protective  meas- 
ures of  the  National  Association  of 
Auduborn  Societies,  they  have  greatly 
increased  in  numbers  on  these  coasts, 
and  it  is  estimated  that  there  are  half 
a  million  of  them  about  the  waters  of 
New  York  harbor  alone." 


Migrating  Warblers. 

Elkader,   Iowa. 
To  the  Editor: 

I  was  very  much  interested  in  your 
article  on  warblers  in  the  September 
number.  Warblers  are  usually  rare 
in  this  vicinity,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1 91 7  I  saw  more  than  ever  before, 
some  of  which  were  very  rare  indeed 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  A  great 
many  that  I  had  not  previously  ob- 
served were  quite  common  here  for  a 
few  days. 

The  spring  was  unusually  late,  and 
in  May  when  the  elms  are  ordinarily  in 
full  leaf  this  year  found  them  with  leaf- 
buds  and  seeds.  The  warblers  came 
gradually :  the  first — a  chestnut-sided 
— we  saw  on  May  ninth  ;  on  the  thir- 
teenth came  the  "black  and  white,"  the 
Audubon's  and  the  "myrtle" ; — the  lat- 
ter I  had  never  seen  before.  The  Amer- 
ican redstart  appeared  on  the  18th : 
Wilson's  and  Blackburnian  on  the 
19th, — and  then  one  morning  we  awoke 
to  the  fact  that  the  warblers  were  here 
indeed. 

I  first  discovered  a  chestnut-sided 
beauty  in  one  of  our  elms,  and  all  that 
day  and  throughout  the  next,  which 
was  Sunday,  the  trees  in  our  yard 
seemed  "thick  with  warblers."  A  "Can- 
adian." which  is  very  rare  indeed,  was 


so  tame  that  I  walked  almost  up  to  him 
before  he  flew  away  :  then  there  were 
black-polls  and  numerous  others  that 
I  could  not  identify.  The  Wilson's, 
blackburnian  and  "chestnut-sided" 
were  the  most  common.  Vireos  were 
also  numerous.  I  do  not  know  when 
I  enjoyed  myself  so  much.  I  was  out 
at  all  hours  of  the  day  watching  them 
through  my  bird-glasses.  Certainly 
the  warblers  are  the  prettiest  of  all  our 
birds,  and  it  seems  a  shame  that  they 
are  not  better  known.  On  the  follow- 
ing Monday  all  was  quiet  again, — our 
little  travellers  having  left  us, — and  the 
days  seemed  dull  indeed  without  them. 

Perhaps  you  can  tell  me  the  name  of 
a  certain  warbler  that  1  saw,  as  I  have 
exhausted  my  bird  books  and  failed  to 
find  the  likeness.  It  was  unusually 
slender.  I  first  discovered  it  on  the 
topmost  branches  of  a  big  elm.  I  kept 
my  glasses  fixed  upon  him  and  soon  he 
began  to  descend  until  he  was  in  a 
position  where  I  could  get  an  excellent 
view.  He  was  very  tame  and  I  came 
closer  very  gradually  and  he  did  not 
move.  On  the  back  and  top  of  the  head 
he  was  a  dull  green,  and  his  under  parts 
and  throat  were  unbroken  bright  yel- 
low. There  were  no  markings  on  his 
head  or  body  in  black,  I  had  a  very 
near  view  both  with  and  without  my 
glasses.  I  hope  you  can  tell  me  what 
it  was,  as  I  am  very  curious  to  know. 

I  am  very  much  interested  in  the 
birds,  and  saved  sun-flower,  cantaloupe 
and  pumpkin  seeds  for  my  winter 
"boarders."  They  certainly  appreciate 
my  feeding-shelf. 

Kathleen  M.  Hempel. 

From  the  description  which  you  give 
of  the  unindentified  warbler,  it  would 
appear  to  be  a  young  female  of  the 
Wilson's  warbler.  These  birds  lack 
the  black  cap  which  at  once  identifies 
the  adult.  The  young  of  the  hooded 
warbler,  which  might  also  be  found  in 
your  locality  during  the  spring  migra- 
tions, very  closely  resembles  the  above. 
but  averages  about  half  an  inch  longer, 
and  should  show  white  on  the  outer  tail 
feathers. — II .  G.  H. 


February,  in  the  northern  and  middle 
portions  of  the  Union,  is  still  uninter- 
rupted winter — often  the  worst  of  it  — 


Ernest   Ingersoll. 


The  Heavens  in  February. 

By  Professor  Eric   Doolittle   o  f  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 


With  the  coming  of  midwinter,  our 
southern  heavens  shine  out  with  their 
most  brilliant  aspect  of  the  entire  year. 
All  of  the  most  beautiful  constellations 
are  now  near  the  meridian.  (  )rion,  Tau- 
rus and  Auriga  having  just  passed  it  at 
nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  while  the 
two  Dog  Stars  and  Gemini  attain  it  an 


tire  band  of  the  southern  heavens,  from 
the  east  to  the  west,  is  wholly  covered 
with  the  brilliant  winter  stars. 

SfC  SjC  3jC  3jC  5jS 

The   February  Stars. 

Beautiful  as  these  striking  constella- 
tions are,  it  is  hoped  that  the  reader 
interested  in  astronomv  will  find  even 


NOETH 


South 

Figure    1.      The   Constellations  at   9  P.   M.,    February    1.      (If   facing  south,    hold  ma])    upright.      If   facing 
east,  hold   East   below.      If   facing   west,   hold   West   below.      If   facing   north,   hold   the   map   inverted) 


hour  later.  Leo,  the  very  last  of  the 
bright  winter  groups,  has  risen  high 
above  the  ground  in  the  east,  and  as  the 
faint  Virgo,  which  follows  it,  is  as  yet 
just  below  the  eastern  horizon,  the  en- 


more  pleasure  in  becoming  familiar 
with  the  many  fainter  and  more  deli- 
cate little  groups.  For  example,  on 
these  winter  evenings  he  may  trace  out 
the  Triangle,  at  K,  and  the  little  groups 


TO  KNOW    THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


279 


of  the  Hare  and  the  Dove,  which  lie 
just  below  Orion.  He  may  also  recog- 
nize the  very  upper  stars  of  the  large 
southern  constellation  Argo  Navis,  a 
wonderful  collection  of  suns  among 
which  is  the  giant  sun  Canopus,  a  star 
which  appears  to  us  but  little  fainter 
than  Sirius,  although  it  is  at  least 
twelve  times  as  far  away.  It  is  indeed 
the  second  brightest  star  in  the  sky 
(Sirius  being  the  first)  but  unfortu- 
nately it,  as  well  as  nearly  the  whole  of 
Argo.  is  hidden  from  us,  never  rising 
above  our  southern  horizon. 

Above  Argo  and  below  Sirius  is  the 
Unicorn,  while  bordering  the  Milky- 
Way  in  the  zenith  we  find  the  Giraffe. 
The  Lynx  and  the  lesser  Lion,  the  lat- 
ter lying  between  Ursa  Major  and  the 
Greater  Lion,  and  the  former  between 
the  Bear  and  the  Cancer,  are  more 
easily  traced  out.  while  below  the 
Great  Dipper  (at  H  and  G,  Fig.  1)  are 
the  Hunting  Dogs  and  the  Maiden's 
Hair,  the  last  the  most  beautiful  little 
group  of  all,  especially  when  viewed  on 
a  clear,  moonless  night  with  a  pair  of 
opera  glasses. 

The  reader  will  find  an  inexpensive 
star  atlas  of  the  greatest  assistance  to 


jects  which  have  come  down  to  us  from 
a  remote  antiquity  and  about  whose 
origin  (when  it  can  be  ascertained) 
there  is  often  so  much  of  interest. 
There  is  a  large  held  of  work  even  for 
naked  eye  study,  enough  to  occupy  the 
beginner  for  many  evenings  and  indeed 
for  many  whole  nights.  But  the  small- 
est  telescope  will  enormously  widen 
the  field  of  work.  With  such  an  instru- 
ment he  will  be  surprised  to  find  how 
much  is  revealed  to  him  when  he  turns 
to  star  groups  such  as  the  Pleiades  (at 
L)  or  the  Hyades  (at  C),  while  the 
true  character  of  such  objects  as  the 
beautiful  cluster  in  Perseus  (at  M)  and 
Praesepe  (at  D),  which  are  only  just 
visible  to  the  naked  eye,  can  only  be 
revealed  by  the  use  of  a  small  tele- 
scope. A  great  number  of  interesting 
objects  will  be  found  on  the  charts  of 
the  atlas  ;  study  and  exploration  of  the 
heavens  in  this  way  may  be  found  an 
almost  inexhaustible  source  of  interest. 


The  Planets  in  February. 

Mercury  is  in  the  morning  sky 
throughout  the  month,  but  too  near  the 
sun's  rays  to  be  well  observed.  Though 
it   will  pass  to  the  east  of  the  sun   on 


1878 


Figure   2.      Views   of   the    planet   Jupiter.      The   second  shows   the   appearance   of   the   Great   Red    Spot    in 


him   in   becoming  familiar   with    these  March  12,  it  will  not  attain  its  greatest 

fainter    groups.      The    interest    of    his  distance  away  in  the  evening  sky  until 

study  will  be  much  increased  if  he  se-  the  first  week  in  April, 
lects  an  atlas  on  which  are  drawn  those  The  very  brilliant  Venus,  which  for 

figures   of   the   animals   and   other   ob-  so  manv  months  has  been  so  very  con- 


28o 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


spicuous  in  the  southwestern  heavens 
after  sunset,  will  pass  to  the  west  of 
the  sun  and  so  become  a  morning  star 
on  February  7.  Toward  the  end  of  the 
month  it  may  be  seen  before  sunrise, 
creeping  outward  from  the  sun's  rays, 
but  it  will  not  attain  its  greatest  bril- 
liance in  the  morning  heavens  until 
March  16. 

Mars  is  just  beyond  the  eastern  bor- 
ders of  our  evening  map,  in  the  western 
portion  of  the  constellation  Virgo.  On 
February  1  the  planet  is  two  degrees 
due  north  of  the  bluish,  variable  star 
Eta,  or  Virgo,  while  by  February  28  it 
will  be  thirteen  minutes  to  the  west  of 
this  star.  Mars  rises  almost  exactly  at 
the  east  point  of  the  horizon  at  9  hrs. 

20  min.  P.  M.  on  February  1,  but  this 
time  is  diminished  to  7  hrs.  20  min.  by 
February  28,  when  the  planet  will  be 
seen  high  in  the  evening  heavens. 

Jupiter  and  Saturn  are  both  in  excel 
lent  position  for  observation.  The  for- 
mer planet  is  in  Taurus  and  the  latter 
is  in  Cancer,  in  the  positions  indicated 
in  Fig.  1.  The  retrograde  motion  of 
Jupiter  has  now  ceased  and  during  the 
month  it  will  move  eastward  an 
amount  about  equal  to  twice  the  ap- 
parent diameter  of  the  full  moon.  Sat- 
urn, however,  is  retrograding  and  will 
continue  to  do  so  until  April  9. 

Uranus  enters  the  morning  sky  on 
February    12.      Neptune   is   in    Cancer, 

21  minutes  to  the  west  and  29  minutes 
north  of  Saturn  on  February  1  :  these 
figures  diminish,  however,  to  18 
minutes  and  1  minute,  respectively,  by 
February  28.  If  on  the  latter  date  the 
observer  will  point  his  telescope  on 
Saturn,  and  leave  it  undisturbed  for  17 
minutes  52  seconds,  he  will  then  see  the 
more  distant  planet  exactly  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  field  of  view. 


In  astronomies  written  fifty  or  more 
years  ago,  the  reader  will  find  the  spec- 
ulation whether  these  clusters  may  not 
be  universes  of  stars,  not  so  very  un- 
like our  own  universe,  but  almost  in- 
conceivably remote  from  us.  From 
more  modern  books  he  will  learn  that 
it  is  far  more  reasonable  to  regard  them 
as  dense  clouds  immersed  in  and  a  part 
of  our  Milky  Way  universe. 

Several  different  lines  of  investiga- 
tion are  now  leading  us  to  believe  that 
the  older  conception  was  in  the  main 
the  truer  one.  It  is  evident  that  these 
clusters  are  of  a  very  different  struc- 
ture from  that  of  our  flattened,  very 
heterogeneous  and  extended  Milky 
Way  cluster,  yet  a  study  of  four  of 
the  spherical  clusters  leads  to  figures 
so  great  as  from  15,000  to  50,000  light 
years  for  their  distance  away  from  us. 
Thus  they  are  on  the  outer  boundaries 
or  even  far  beyond  the  limits  of  our 
visible   universe. 

Of  four  clusters  studied  the  nearest 
was  found  to  be  the  magnificent  clus- 


Spherical  Star  Clusters. 

Quite  recently  astronomical  interest 
has  largely  centered  in  those  remark- 
able aggregations  of  faint  suns,  found 
in  many  parts  of  the  sky,  which  are 
known  as  spherical  clusters.  In  the 
telescope  these  beautiful  objects  appear 
as  almost  perfectly  spherical  balls  of 
innumerable  points  of  light,  toward  the 
center  of  which,  however,  the  crowding 
is  so  great  that  the  separate  stars  are 
no  longer  distinguishable. 


Figure    3.      The    great    spherical    cluster    of    stars   i:i 
khe    constellation    Centaurus. 


ter  in  the  southern  constellation  Cen- 
taurus. This  is  not  surprising,  since 
this  cluster  appears  so  much  larger 
than  any  of  the  others ;  its  apparent 
diameter  is  two-thirds  that  of  the  full 
moon  and  it  is  easily  visible  to  the 
naked  eye.  We  would  naturally  ex- 
pect, therefore,  that  it  would  prove  to 
be  our  nearest  neighbor  among  this 
class  of  objects. 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


281 


One  very  interesting  method  of  esti- 
mating the  distance  of  certain  of  these 
clusters  is  made  possible  by  the  cir- 
cumstance, known  for  many  years,  that 
a  large  number  of  their  stars  are  varia- 
ble in  brightness.  These  belong  to  a 
definite  class  of  variables  known  as  the 
Delta  Cepheid  variables,  so  called  be- 
cause the  star  Delta  of  the  constella- 
tion Cepheus  (shown  at  A,  Fig.  1)  is  a 
typical  and  conspicuous  example  of  the 
class.  These  stars  increase  quite  sud- 
denly to  maximum  brightness,  then 
diminish  more  slowly  and  irregularly, 
and  then  brighten  again,  the  whole  pe- 
riod being  so  short  as  a  few  days  or 
even  as  a  few  hours. 

Such  a  kind  of  variation  can  only 
occur  in  stars  of  a  quite  definite  physi- 
cal condition  and  inherent  brightness, 
especially  if  the  period  is  about  one- 
half  a  day,  a  type  very  common  in 
clusters.  By  comparing  the  apparent 
brightness  of  these  stars  with  the  ap- 
parent brightness  at  a  known  distance, 
the  distance  of  the  cluster  at  once  fol- 
lows. 

Thus  in  the  well-known,  though 
rather  faint  little  cluster  in  the  constel- 
lation of  the  Hunting  Dogs  (at  B,  Fig. 
1)  the  average  brightness  of  no  vari- 
ables was  found  to  be  15.5  magnitude, 
the  average  deviation  of  separate  stars 
from  this  being  0.08  magnitude,  thus 
indicating  clearly  how  uniform  the  real 
brightness  of  these  objects  is.  Simi- 
larly in  the  cluster  in  Centaurus  the 
average  magnitude  was  13.57  (that  is, 
6.25  times  brighter)  from  which  we 
conclude  that  the  first  cluster  is  2.5 
times  as  far  away  as  the  second. 

A  recent  interesting  investigation  is 
upon  the  probable  ages  of  these  spheri- 
cal clusters ;  that  is,  upon  the  time 
which  would  be  required  for  a  rather 
irregular  cloud  of  stars  of  such  vast 
dimensions  to  acquire  an  approximate- 
ly spherical  form.  Basing  the  mathe- 
matical investigation  upon  what  seem 
to  be  reasonable  assumptions  in  regard 
to  the  size  and  average  distance  apart 
of  the  stars,  the  required  time  is  found 
to  be  no  less  than  two  thousand  million 
years.  Truly  our  conceptions  of  dis- 
tance and  of  duration  have  been  enor- 
mously extended  during  the  past  few 
Years ! 


The  Things  I  Love  in  Nature. 

It    is    strange    perhaps    to    think    of,    but    I 
never  cared  for  flowers, 
With  their  tints  of  pink  and  purple,  blue 
and  red; 

But    the    things    I    love    in    nature    are    the 
height,  the  depth,  the  length 
Of  the  mountains  and  the  ocean  and  the 
plain, 

Oh,  I  love  to  see  the  mountains  with  their 
everlasting  snow, 
And  the  things  too  big  and  fine  to  under- 
stand, 
Like  the  huge  and  mighty  cataracts  where 
waters   ever   flow, 
And  the  limitless  expanse  of  desert  sand. 

And    the    forests   and   the   jungles,    and    the 
desert,  and  the  plain, 
Where   the   colors  always   mix  and  never 
clash, 
For  there's  nothing  bad  in   nature,  nothing 
ever  small  or  mean, 
Ev'rything    is    always    good    and    square 
and  strong; 
And    there's    nothing    looks    untidy,    ev'ry 
place  is  pure  and  clean, 
And    there's    no    mistakes,    and    nothing's 
ever   wrong. 

Oh,   I   love  to   lie   at  midnight  in   the  clean 
and  open  veld, 
And  to  watch  the  stars  above  me  in  the 
sky;  .  .  . 
It   is   good   to   be   out   somewhere   all   alone 
in  Nature's  arms, 
When   one   lays   one's   blanket   down   and 
goes  to  rest; 
And  I've  often  thought  of  all  her  gifts,   of 
all  of  Nature's  charms, 
That    the    glory    of    her    silence    is    the 
best.  .  .  . 

— Brian   Brooke,  in   "The   Christian   Science 
Monitor." 


Winter. 

These   Winter   nights   against    my   window- 
pane 

Nature  with  busy  pencil  draws  designs 

Of   ferns    and    blossoms    and    fine    spray    of 
pines, 

Oak-leaf  and  acorn  and  fantastic  vines, 

Which  she  will  make  when   summer  comes 
again — 

Quaint  arabesques  in  argent,  flat  and  cold, 

Like    curious    Chinese    etchings. 

T.    P.    Aldrick— "Frost-Work." 


"We  love  things  not  because  they  are 
beautiful,  but  they  are  beautiful  be- 
cause we  love  them." 


Every  pleasant  glance  we  give  to  the 
realities  around  us,  with  intent  to  learn, 
proceeds  from  a  holy  impulse,  and  is 
really  songs  of  praise.  What  differ- 
ence can  it  make  whether  it  take  the 
shape  of  exhortation,  or  of  passionate 
exclamation,  or  of  scientific  statement? 
These  are  forms  merely.  Through 
them  we  express,  at  last,  the  fact  that 
God  has  done  thus  or  thus. — Emerson. 


tf^T^te^TflKa1 


-s> 


RECREATIONS^MICROSGOPE  lw 


I 


PHOTOMICROGRAPH. 


STARCH.      POTATO.      MAGNIFICATION 
200    DIAMETERS. 


cell  wall  in  the  early  stage 
of  its  development. 

Under  the  microscope 
the  granules  show  a  charac- 
teristic form  and  a  struc- 
ture composed  of  a  series  of 
apparently  concentric  lay- 
ers, which  in  connection 
with  the  size  and  shape  are 
characteristic  of  the  plant 
to  which  they  belong. 

The  accompanying  photo- 
micrographs illustrate  three 
varieties.  These  were  all 
made  at  a  magnification  of 
two  hundred  diameters,  and 
give  an  idea  of  the  compar- 
ative size,  form  and  posi- 
tion of  hilum  in  these  three 
starches. 

The  canna  grains  are  well 
known  to  microscopists  as 
"tous-les-mois,"  and  are  the 
largest  in  common  use. 


Starch     Granules     under 
Polarized  Light. 

BY  PHILIP  0-GRAVELXE,  SOUTH 
ORANGE,    NEW   JERSEY. 

The  microscopic  exami- 
nation of  starch  granules 
under  polarized  light  pre- 
sents some  advantages  over 
their  examination  in  the  or- 
dinary way. 

With  crossed  Nichol 
prisms  giving  a  dark  field, 
the  outline  of  the  granules 
may  be  seen  to  better  ad- 
vantage and  the  forms  will 
glow  in  the  beautiful  color 
display  afforded  under  po- 
larized light. 

A  dark  cross  is  formed 
with  the  place  of  intersec- 
tion of  its  arms  at  the  hi- 
lum, the  point  at  which  the 
grain  was  attached  to  the 


PHOTOMICROGRAPH.       STARCH.       BERMUDA    ARROWROOI 
MAGNIFICATION    200    DIAMETERS. 


RECREATIONS  WITH  THE  MICROSCOPE 


283 


PHOTOMICROGRAPH.      STARCH.      CANNA. 


200  DIAMETERS.     "TOUS  LE  MOIS." 

Natural  Paper  in  a  Reservoir. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Frank 
E.  Hale,  Director  of  the  Mt.  Prospect 
Laboratories  of  Brooklyn.  New  York, 
we  have  been  favored  with  samples  of 
a  paper-like  substance  taken  from  a 
reservoir  and  composed  of  microscopic 
material.  Futher  data  are  given  by 
Thomas  Wilbur  Melia,  Bacteriologist, 
who  writes  as  follows : 

"A  ten  million  gallon  reservoir  at 
Pottsville,  Pennsylvania,  was  by  the 
State  Health  Officer  ordered  to  be  shut 
off  from  the  source  of  supply  and  to  be 
cleaned  as  the  consumers  complained 
that  the  water  was  unfit  to  drink. 
After  stripping  the  reservoir,  ten  tons 
of  this  paper-like  substance  were  taken 
from  the  side  walls  of  the  dam.  When 
this  specimen  was  sent  to  me  for  iden- 
tification I  teased  it  in  water,  using  a 
needle  for  separation. 
"The  substance  is  composed  of  almost 
a  pure  culture  of  the  fresh-water  alga, 
Conferva  bombycina.  The  plant  is  com- 
mon in  the  ponds  but  that  it  should  have 
developed  in  the  reservoir  in  so  enormous 
a  quantity  is  amazing.  These  fresh- 
water algae  were  probably  formed  into 
this  paper-like  substance  by  the  constant 
water  pressure  upon  the  side  wails  of  the 
reservoir." 


Development   by    Amateurs. 

It  is  largely  to  amateur  mi- 
croscopy that  the   desire  and 
motive  for  the  great  improve- 
ments   in    object-glasses    and 
eye-pieces  for  the  last  twenty 
years    are    due.      The    men 
who     have     compared     the 
qualities  of  respective  lenses, 
and   have  had  specific  ideas 
as    to   how   these   could    be- 
come possessed  of  still  high- 
er qualities,  have  been  com- 
paratively rarely  those  who 
have    employed    the    micro- 
scope   for    professional    and 
educational  purposes.     They 
have  the  rather  simply  used 
— employed  in  the  execution 
of  their  professional  work — 
the     best     with     which     the 
practical  optician  could  sup- 
ply  them.      It   has   been   by 
magnification   amateur    microscopists    that 
the   opticians   have   been   in- 
cited   to    the    production    of 
new  and  improved  objectives.     But  it 
is  the  men  who  work  in  our  biological 
and    medical    schools    that    ultimately 
reap  the  immense  advantage — not  only 
of  greatly  improved,  but  in  the  end  of 
greatly     cheapened,     object-glasses. — 
"The  Microscope  and  Its  Revelations."' 


There  certainly  never  was  a  time 
when  the  microscope  was  so  generally 
used  as  it  now  is.  With  many,  as  al- 
ready stated,  it  is  simply  an  instrument 
employed  for  elegant  and  instructive 
relaxation    and    amusement. 


natural  paper  of  algae. 


The  Home 

The  Research  Laboratories,  and 
The  Clearing  House  of  Nature  Study, 

of 
The  Agassiz  Association 
and 
The  Boy  Scouts  of  America, 
aiding  and  benefiting  continuously   more  than  600,000 
people;    in    affiliations    with    other    organizations     and 
through  other  channels  really  more  than  one  million  ad- 
ditional. 


ARCADIA'S  OFFICE  ENTRANCE  DECORATED  BY  NATURE  WITH  HER  WINTER'S   FLORA. 

Most  persons  see  only  one  or  a  few  you  take  care  of  it  all,  and  do  it  all?" 

phases  of  our  work,  and  fail  to  realize  cannot  realize,   as   do   the   workers,   to 

its   tremendous   extent,    its   systematic  what  ponderous  dimensions  the  whole 

efficiency  and  its  rapid  growth.     Even  thing  has  grown  in  a  few  years,  and 

visitors   at   ArcAdiA,   who   exclaim   at  how  embarrassingly  it  insists  on  grow- 

the  extent  and  detail  of  the  equipment,  ing,  in  spite  of  only  a  few  workers  and 

and  enthusiastically  inquire,  "How  do  meagre  finances. 


ARCADIA 


285 


Ten  buildings ;  viz.,  Welcome  Re- 
ception Room,  Office  Home,  Labora- 
tory. Birchen  Bower,  (residence)*  As- 
tronomical Observatory,  Botany  Bun- 
galow (residence),  Pet  House,  Apiary, 
Serving  House  and  Storage  Building 
(cuts  and  negatives). 

Heating:  Two  hot  water  furnaces, 
mineralogical  fireplace,  four  cooking- 
stoves,  three  heating  stoves — ten  in 
all — a  problem  at  any  time,  much  more 
so  in  these  days  of  fuel  shortage. 

Water:  The  entire  premises  are  well 
supplied.  For  three  months  ending 
December  1st,  191 7,  there  were  used 
10,200  cubic  feet  of  water  costing 
$19.94. 

Electric  Lights :  Interior  lighting 
131,  scientific  experimenting  and  pro- 
jecting 12,  outside  lighting  38,  total 
181.  The  scientific  lighting  consists 
of  one  arc,  three  nitrogen  filled,  one 
Nernst  and  seven  Mazdas. 

The  Welcome  Reception  Room,  even 
in  the  coldest  and  stormiest  days  of 
December  and  January,  has  been  in 
frequent  use  as  a  community  center  by 
the  Sound  Beach  Home  Guards,  the 
Boy  Scouts  of  Greenwich  and  Stam- 
ford, for  club  meetings  of  public  school 
children,  private  schools,  visiting  par- 
ties, etc. 

Many  questions  on  nature  study  are 
every  day  answered  by  telephone. 

The  mail  requires  a  secretary  and 
two  stenographers. 

The  Observatory  is  in  use  on  clear 
nights  and  even  in  zero  weather  has 
received  visitors. 


^c         ^c 


PERSONAL. 

For  developing  and  caring  for  all 
this,  what  is  in  it  for  the  Bigelows? 
Two  members  of  the  family  devote 
all  their  time  to  the  work,  and  two 
others  a  greater  part  of  their  time.  For 
the  first  seven  months  of  the  present 
fiscal  year  the  total  that  all  have  re- 
ceived was  $81.57  {not  per  month  but 
for  the  whole  seven  months  for  all  four 


members).  This  situation  was  ex- 
plained to  a  few  friends.  One  gave  $200 
and  the  others  $25  or  $50  apiece,  a  total 
of  $405  ;  but  only  a  little  over  one-half 
of  this  could  be  used  personally,  the 
rest  must  go  for  The  Agassiz  Associa- 
tion bills  in  arrears.  On  December  31, 
191 7,  at  the  end  of  nine  months  of  the 
fiscal  year,  the  total  that  all  four  mem- 
bers had  received  was  $446.03,  an  aver- 
age aggregate  per  month  for  four 
workers  of  only  $49.56. 

Love  of  the  work  and  the  joy  of  ac- 
complishment in  a  great  Cause  would 
incite  the  Bigelows  to  continue  undi- 
minished efforts  regardless  of  financial 
income,  but  we  believe  the  time  has 
arrived  when  the  situation  should  not 
be  merely  reported  confidentially  to  a 
few  friends,  but  should  be  made  known 
to  all  who  are  interested  in  the  general 
work,  or  in  ArcAdiA  as  a  community 
center.  It  is  worth  at  least  a  dollar  a 
year  to  every  resident  of  Greenwich 
and  Stamford  to  have  The  Guide  to 
Nature  in  his  home,  and  to  have  Ar- 
cAdiA in  this  community,  whether  he 
is  interested  in  nature  or  not. 

But  the  low  price  of  subscription 
(even  with  the  advertisements)  in  the 
present  high  cost  of  things  barely  cov- 
ers the  expenses  of  the  magazine. 

The  general  work  and  the  expense  of 
ArcAdiA  are  largely  supported  by 
membership  fees  and  contributions. 

In  war  or  in  peace,  in  strenuous  or 
in  easy  times,  don't  forget  the  words 
of  George  Washington  : 

"Promote,  then,  as  an  object  of  pri- 
mary importance,  institutions  for  the 
general  diffusion  of  knowledge." 

To  the  educator,  to  the  philanthro- 
pist, interested  especially  in  boys  and 
girls,  to  the  public-spirited  citizen  of 
Greenwich  or  Stamford  that  recognizes 
the  value  of  ArcAdiA  as  a  community 
center  and  contemplates  Cooperating- 
Membership,  or  a  liberal  gift,  we  will 
gladly  explain  every  detail.  The  work 
needs  and  merits  general  cooperation 
in  subscriptions,  memberships  and  con- 
tributions. 

I  am  publishing  this  personal  state- 
ment that  every  friend  of  the  Associa- 
tion may  know  the  real  situation  and 
that  we  may  gain  new  friends  who  will 
have  an  introduction  to  the  good  Cause 
through  the  testimony  of  our  faithful 
work  in  behalf  of  it.     But.  kind  reader, 


286 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


do  not  make  either  of  two  very  pos- 
sible mistakes. 

1.  Above  all  things,  do  not  say  if  it 
does  not  pay  it  is  not  worth  while.  It 
does  pay  liberally  in  the  value  of  the 
work.  There  are,  strange  to  say,  as 
many  people  have  to  learn,  many 
things  in  this  world  well  worth  while 
though  not  measured  by  financial  divi- 
dends. 

2.  Do  not  regard  this  as  a  begging 
appeal  in  behalf  of  the  ArcAdiAn 
workers.  We  have  gladly  done  what 
we  have,  and  we  hope  to  inspire  you 
to  go   forward   enthusiastically   in    the 


LOCAL  SCOUTS' 

NATURE  CONVENTION 


The  First  Quarterly  Session  was  held 
at  ArcAdiA,  December  29th. 


BY    NOBLE    P-    RANDEL,    SCOUT    EXECUTIVE, 
STAMFORD,    CONNECTICUT. 

What  promises  to  be  one  of  the 
most  interesting  of  the  Scout  activities 
of  Stamford  and  vicinity  is  the  work 
that  is  being  taken  by  the  representa- 
tives of  the  various  Troops  in  connec- 
tion with  nature  study.     Action  to  that 


Jtiu.  ^  • 


""f  • 


ft     A4 


\ 


*mmm  !"■■  !■* 

'•Hrlfl-I 


IN    BOTANY    BUNGALOW   OUR   BOTANIST   IS   PLANNING   TO    MEET    THE    COMING   OF   THE 

WILD  FLOWERS. 


same  spirit  of  devotion.  We  believe  a 
gift  to  The  Agassiz  Association  should 
not  be  regarded  as  in  any  sense  a  per- 
sonal pittance.  It  is  a  contribution  to 
greater  efficiency. 

Edward  F.  Bigelow. 


VALUE  OF  NATURE  STUDY 
NOW. 

In  times  like  these  it  is  fitting  that 
the  beautiful  shall  subsist  in  order  that 
the  spirit  of  man  may  continue  to  pos- 
sess something  of  its  accustomed  joy. 
In  general,  the  face  of  the  world  is  ex- 
ceeding solemn  and  the  heart  is  verv 
sad,  but  with  that  divine  ordering  of 
things  the  bounties  of  nature  continue 
and  its  beauties  and  its  glories  still  sub- 
sist among  men. — Keene  H.  Adding- 
ton,  Illinois. 


effect  was  taken  at  the  conference  held 
at  ArcAdiA  in  Sound  Beach,  Saturday, 
evening,  December  29th.  Scouts  from 
Glenbrook,  Greenwich,  Sound  Beach 
and  Stamford  will  participate,  and  con- 
ferences will  be  held  quarterly,  at 
which  time  reports  will  be  made  by  the 
Scouts  on  observations  which  they 
have  made,  together  with  the  results 
of  their  investigation  of  subjects  chos- 
en by  themselves  or  assigned  to  them. 
Those  who  attended  the  first  confer- 
ence spent  a  most  enjoyable  evening 
around  a  large  fireplace  in  the  Recep- 
tion Room,  before  a  rousing  fire.  No 
one  could  imagine  that  the  tempera- 
ture out  of  doors  was  far  below  zero 
point,  but  this  was  not  the  only  warmth 
which  characterized  the  occasion,  for 
the  warm  reception  extended  to  the 
delegates,  together  with  the  hot  cocoa 


ARCADIA 


287 


which  was  served,  will  lung  be  remem- 
bered. The  only  cold  part  of  the  pro- 
gram was  that  spent  in  the  observa- 
tory, but  in  spite  of  the  severe  cold 
the  boys  thoroughly  appreciated  the 
opportunity  to  view  the  heavens 
through  the  large  telescope.  The  bod- 
ies viewed  which  were  of  the  greatest 
interest  were  the  planets,  Jupiter  and 
Saturn,  with  their  moons,  the  incon- 
ceivably great  Orion  nebula  and  the 
wonderful  double  star,  Castor,  of  the 
constellation  Gemini.  Nature  study  is 
of  primary  importance  in  scouting,  and 
if  the  Scout  loses  sight  of  this  fact  and 
fails  to  appreciate  the  necessity  of  liv- 
ing close  to  and  in  constant  harmony 
with  nature,  he  is  losing  his  bearing 
and  should  consult  his  compass  at  once. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  overestimate 
the  value  of  the  Scout  to  the  army  or 
the  body  with  which  he  is  connected. 
It  is  his  duty  to  go  out  and  reconnoiter, 
to  observe,  to  see  things  and  study  con- 
ditions and  then  return  and  report  on 
his  findings.  The  boy  is  not  a  real 
Scout,  neither  is  he  worthy  of  the  name 
Scout,  unless  he  is  capable  of  actually 
performing  his  Scout  duties.  It  is  with 
this  in  view  and  the  desire  to  make 
scouting  mean  more  to  the  boys,  to 
help  them  the  better  to  improve  the 
opportunities  offered  by  scouting,  and 
in  turn  to  make  their  best  contributions 
to  scouting  and  to  the  good  of  those 
with  whom  they  come  in  daily  contact, 
that  these  conferences  are  to  be  held. 
The  Scouts  of  this  vicinity  are  to  have 
an  opportunity  to  carry  out  their  na- 
ture study  program  under  conditions 
which  are  most  favorable,  and  fortu- 
nate indeed  will  be  those  who  partici- 
pate. The  ArcAdIxA.  at  Sound  Beach 
with  Dr.  Edward  F.  Bigelow,  its  head, 
is  the  headquarters  for  all  the  nature 
study  work  of  the  Boy  Scouts  of  Amer- 
ica, and  with  its  excellent  equipment 
and  the  hearty  cooperation  of  Dr.  Big- 
elow, the  Scouts  are  to  have  an  oppor- 
tunity for  nature  study  which  far  sur- 
passes that  of  any  other  groups  in  the 
country. 

5jC  Jp  5|%  J|»  5|* 

By  the  Scout  Naturalist. 

The  plan  proposed  for  the  Scouts  of 
Sound  Beach,  other  parts  of  Greenwich 
and  Stamford  is  one  that  should  be 
adopted  by  Scouts  in  every  locality 
that  has  a  central  clearing  office.  This 
may  be  the  local  Scout  office  or  some 


other  place  conveniently  located,  and 
some  one  should  be  in  charge  of  the 
work  who  has  at  least  a  fair  knowledge 
of  nature.  As  has  been  stated  before 
the  duty  of  the  Scout  is  primarily  to 
see  and  to  hear.  That  is  the  meaning 
of  the  root  word,  escoute.  In  the  army 
a  scout  is  one  who  goes  out  to  obtain 
information,  to  see,  to  hear  and  to 
learn  by  every  possible  means.  Scouts 
are  sent  in  even-  direction.  They  are 
assigned  to  specific  duties,  to  recon- 
noiter, to  investigate,  to  be  alert  in 
every  respect.  Nature  study  work 
should  be  much  on  the  same  plan.  In 
every  community  things  are  happening 
at  all  times.  These  should  be  investi- 
gated and  reported.  For  example  let 
us  take  the  conditions  as  they  arise  at 
ArcAdiA,  the  home  of  the  Scout  Natur- 
alist, and  show  what  this  new  plan  is 
expected  to  accomplish. 

Only  a  few  days  ago  we  were  asked 
by  telephone,  "Is  a  wild  cat  good  to 
eat?"  When  we  answered,  we  asked 
the  speaker  why  he  desired  the  infor- 
mation. It  appears  that  in  Stamford  a 
hunter  lives  who  had  been  in  the  woods 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  state  and 
had  shot  a  wild  cat.  What  should  he 
do  with  it?  No  one  seemed  to  know. 
Comparatively  few  persons  saw  the 
cat.  Two  Scouts  should  have  been 
assigned,  preferably  one  of  them  a 
photographer,  and  the  other  with 
ability  to  sketch  the  teeth,  the  claws 
and  other  parts  of  the  animal.  At  the 
next  nature  convention  (and,  by  the 
way,  these  conventions  should  be  held 
periodically,  say  once  in  three  months) 
a  full  report  should  have  been  made, 
including  statements  from  the  books, 
inquiries  as  to  the  habits,  dwelling 
places  and  other  particulars  of  the  wild 
creature. 

At  about  the  same  time  a  deer  was 
reported  to  have  attempted  to  jump 
over  an  iron  fence  surrounding  a  fine 
estate  and  had  become  impaled  on  the 
spear-like  pickets.  In  that  case  a 
photographer  did  take  a  picture.  A 
copy  of  that  photograph  should  have 
been  secured  and  other  details  obtained 
by  definitely  assigned  Scouts.  In  the 
City  of  Stamford  a  wild  deer  ran 
througdi  the  street  and  into  a  saloon. 
The  police  assisted  in  capturing  the 
animal  which  was  then  taken  into  the 
suburbs  and  released.  Military  scouts 
would  have  had  a  method  of  reporting 


288 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


the  occurrence  to  headquarters,  and 
scouts  would  have  accompanied  the  po- 
lice and  those  that  released  the  wild 
animal. 

In  the  town  of  Greenwich  a  fox  with 
five  little  foxes  was  captured.  This 
was  a  rare  subject  but  not  more  than  a 
dozen  people  saw  that  mother  and  the 
little  foxes.  What  was  done  with  them 
the  Scout  Naturalist  does  not  know. 
There  should  have  been  a  system  by 
which  such  information  could  be 
promptly  obtained  and  as  definite  and 
careful  as  that  of  the  city  editor  of  a 
newspaper  who  makes  an  assignment 
to  the  reporter  as  soon  as  even  a  stray 
bit  of  information  reaches  the  office. 
Observations  of  Scouts  should  not  be 
limited  to  nature.  It  should  be  infor- 
mation as  definitely  obtained  as  a  mili- 
tary scout  or  a  reporter  obtains  his. 
This  applies  to  a  multitude  of  things — 
some  new  and  wonderful  piece  of  ma- 
chinery has  been  installed  ;  somebody 
has  obtained  an  unusual  object ;  a 
woodchopper  reports  an  unusual  dis- 
covery in  the  woods  ;  somebody  reports 
that  a  deer  has  been  devastating  some- 
body's garden,  and  yet  no  one  seems 
to  know  definitely  whether  the  report 
is  correct  or  not,  or  to  what  extent  the 
garden  has  been  injured.  The  Scout 
Naturalist  urges  the  Scouts  of  every 
community  to  appoint  specially  detail- 
ed Scouts  from  all  the  Troops  in  the 
vicinity  for  this  very  purpose.  They 
should  obtain  full  details  and  return  to 
headquarters  as  early  as  possible,  so 
that  the  information  may  be  made 
known  for  the  good  of  all. 


Perpetual  Youth  in  the  Woods. 

In  the  woods,  too,  a  man  casts  off 
his  years,  as  the  snake  his  slough,  and 
at  what  period  soever  of  life,  is  always 
a  child.  In  the  woods  is  perpetual 
youth.  Within  these  plantations  of 
God,  a  decorum  and  sancity  reign,  a 
perennial  festival  is  dressed,  and  the 
guest  sees  not  how  he  should  tire  of 
'them  in  a  thousand  years.  In  the 
woods,  we  return  to  reason  and  faith. — 
Emerson. 


Nature's  Appeal  Nowadays. 
In  this  latitude,  in  the  winter  months, 
nature's  particular  appeal  is  to  our  ap- 
preciation of  the  beautiful ;  the  lone- 
some tree  with  its  bare  branches,  the 
solitary  gull  against  the  storm  clouds, 
the  blue  of  the  sunlight  on  the  snow, 
the  warmth  and  purple  of  the  ever 
changing  sunsets,  the  frozen  streams 
and  sparkling  ice  crystals,  the  glory 
and  wonder  of  the  stars.  Winter  pos- 
sesses two  things  which  the  other  sea- 
sons have  not,  space  and  simplicity. 
The  super-abundance  of  confusing 
forms,  and  sounds,  and  color  has  so 
diminished  that  what  we  see  or  hear  or 
feel  makes  fewer  but  more  lasting  im- 
pressions. Plant  life  is  dormant  and 
only  the  warm  blooded  animals,  the 
birds,  the  squirrels,  the  rabbits,  the 
weasels,  the  minks  and  the  foxes  are 
abroad. — Park  Museum  Bulletin.  Pro- 
vidence, R.  I. 


About  three  hundred  thousand  acres 
in  Utah  is  to  be  set  aside  for  wild  life 
sanctuaries.  Each  county  in  the  state 
is  to  have  two  tracts,  one  for  birds  onlv, 
the  other  for  upland  birds,  game  birds 
and  mammals. 


The  Campfire. 

BY    EDWARD    A.     C.     MURPHY,     WABANAKI,    GREEN- 
WICH,   CONNECTICUT. 
I. 

When  the  golden  sun  has  tumbled  o'er  the 

western  hills, 
And    the    screech-owl's    distant    hooting    all 

the   valley   fills, 
When  we  gather  by  the   great  oak 
That  stands   guard   above   the   mill, 
Then    the    campfire    through    the    darkness 

shines, 
A  beacon  on  the  hill. 

II. 
When    we    wrap    in    blankets    sitting   cross- 
legged   on   the   ground, 
And    our    story-teller    rises,    silence    is    pro- 
found 
As  he  tells  his  tales  of  terror 
Gives  us  many  a  welcome  thrill. 
While     the     campfire     glowing,     sparkling 

shines 
A  beacon  on  the  hill. 

III. 

When  we've  left  the  magic  circle,  after  many 

a  hearty  song, 
And    the    bugle's    warning    "tent-call"    tells 

the  day  is  gone, 
When   the   call   of  "taps"   has   sounded 
And  the   camp   is   still, 

Then  the   campfire  growing  dimmer  shines 
A  beacon  on  the  hill. 

IV. 

When    summer's   gone   and   autumn's    come 

to  end  these   happy  days, 
And  the   call  of  home  and  duty  brings  the 

parting  of  our  ways, 
Then  our  thoughts  around  home  fires 
Bring  us  back  to   camp,   until 
We  can  see  the  yellow  campfire  shine 
A   beacon   on   the   hill. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


XV 


■    IF  YOU  ARE  A  USER  OF  PAPER  WE  WISH  TO  INTEREST  YOU  IN  g 

THE  FAMOUS  1 

J.TLINDENMEYR  LINES.,  j 

m    They  embody  the  best  products  of  the  foremost  mills  of  this  country  and  cover  j 

H    every  conceivable  requirement.    Complete  stocks  are  on  hand  of  the  renowned  |j 

H    Warren  Standard  Book  Papers —  jg 

I        "LUSTRO,"  "CAMEO,"  "CUMBERLAND,"  Etc.  | 

m  Our  selection  of  Fine  Cover  Papers  is  unsurpassed.  |j 

Samples  furnished  gladly  to  those  who  are  interested. 

M  We  invite  your  inquiry.  jg 


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PAPER  WAREHOUSES 

32-34-36  Bleecker  Street  NEW  YORK      32  Clinton  St  NEWARK,  N.  J. 


W=     16  and  18  Beekman  Street 


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VISIT  OUR  NURSERY  ASK  FOR  CATALOG 

■  ^NURSERYMEN  and  FLORISTS 

RUTHERFORD,  "         NEW  JERSEY 


XVI 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


**® 


^^^S 


LITERAK 


°®<!)®©«3<b<S® 


NOTICES 


Tropical  Wild  Life  in  British  Guiana. 
Zoological  Contributions  from  the  Tropi- 
cal Research  Station  of  the  New  York 
Zoological  Society.  By  \\  llliam  Beebe, 
Directing  Curator ;  G.  Inness  Hartley, 
Research  Associate,  and  Paul  G.  Howes, 
Research  Assistant.  Introduction  by 
Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt.  111 
Broadway,  New  York  City:  The  New 
York  Zoological  Society. 

The  New  York  Zoological  Society  has 
entered  upon  a  new  era  in  establishing  a 
tropical  research  station  in  British  Guiana. 
This  will  give  wide  scope  for  obtaining 
knowledge  of  living  creatures.  The  station 
provides  for  intensive,  open  field  study  of 
the  teeming  animal  life  of  the  tropics,  and 
extends  a  cordial  hospitality  to  all  natural- 
ists. A  somewhat  significant  announcement 
is  that  ''jealousy  is  regarded  as  utterly  un- 
worthy." Every  original  investigator  fit  to 
work  in  the  field  is  sure  of  a  welcome  and 
of  all  possible  aid  in  his  studies.  Theodore 
Roosevelt  in  the  introduction  says  many 
good  things.     We  quote  the  following: 

"The  time  has  passed  when  we  can  afford 
to  accept  as  satisfactory  a  science  of  animal 
life  whose  professors  are  either  mere  roam- 
ing field  collectors  or  mere  closet  catalogue 
writers  who  examine  and  record  minute  dif- 
ferences in  'specimens'  precisely  as  phila- 
telists examine  and  record  minute  differ- 
ences in  postage  stamps — and  with  about 
the  same  breadth  of  view  and  power  of  in- 
sight into  the  essential.  Little  is  to  be 
gained  by  that  kind  of  'intensive'  collecting 
and  cataloguing  which  bears  fruit  only  in 
innumerable  little  pamphlets  describing 
with  meticulous  care  unimportant  new  sub- 
species, or  new  'species'  hardly  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  those  already  long  known. 
Such  pamphlets  have  almost  no  real  inter- 
est except  for  the  infrequent  rival  special- 
ists who  read  them  with  quarrelsome  inter- 
est. 

"Of  course  a  good  deal  can  still  be  done 
by  the  collector  who  covers  a  wide  field,  if 
in  addition  to  being  a  collector  he  is  a 
good  field  naturalist  and  a  close  and  intel- 
ligent observer;  and  there  must  be  careful 
laboratory  study  of  series  of  specimens  of 
all  kinds.  But  the  stage  has  now  been 
reached  when  not  only  life  histories,  but 
even  taxonomic  characters  can  normally  be 
studied  better  in  the  field  than  in  a  museum 
—or  at  least,  when,  although  both  types  of 
study  are  necessary,  the  field  study  is  the 
more  important;  and  when  intensive  study 
in  the  field,  as  carried  on  at  this  station, 
yields  more  important  results  than  can  nor- 
mally be  achieved  by  the  roaming  collec- 
tor. 


"In  addition,  it  must  always  be  remem- 
bered that  the  really  firstclass  naturalist 
whose  observations  are  to  bear  most  fruit, 
must  possess  the  gift  of  vividly  truthful 
portrayal  of  what  he  has  possessed,  the  vis- 
ion clearly  to  see  in  its  real  essentials." 

Volume  I  contains  an  immense  amount 
of  good  original  work.  It  is  not  a  compila- 
tion but  a  real  book  The  naturalists  that 
have  participated  are  thoroughly  sincere, 
well  informed,  energetic  and  enthusiastic. 
They  have  produced  a  book  that  not  only 
adds  to  natural  science  but  to  the  pleasure 
of  the  general  reader.  The  illustrations  are 
new,  the  text  is  interesting  and  the  magnifi- 
cent workmanship  of  the  book  is  a  delight. 
We  cordially  recommend  it. 


Audup.on    The    Naturalist.     A    History    of 
His    Life   and   Time.      By    Francis    Ho- 
bart  Herrick,  Ph.  D.,  Sc.  D.     New  York 
City.     D.  Appleton  and  Company. 
This    history    has    been    prepared    by    an 
eminent  ornithologist  and  admirer  of  Audu- 
bon after  years  of  research.     It  contains  the 
first    authentic    record    of    Audubon's    birth 
and   antecedents,  with   a  wealth   of  hitherto 
unpublished  material  regarding  the  life  and 
romantic   career   of   America's   pioneer   nat- 
uralist.    The  complete  history  of  Audubon's 
life  is  a  story  of  rare  interest.     Every  bird 
lover  will  delight  in   it. 

The  work  is  in  two  volumes  sumptuously 
illustrated  with  color  portraits  of  Audubon's 
birds,  photogravure  portraits,  many  half- 
tones of  scenes  in  Audubon's  life,  examples 
of  his  work,  portraits  of  contemporaries, 
etc.  There  are  also  numerous  reproduc- 
tions of  rare  letters  and  documents.  It  is 
printed  on  special  paper,  and  attractively 
bound  in  blue  cloth,  gilt  tops,  uncut  edges. 
In  a  box.     $7.50  net  per  set. 


Productive  Bee-keeping,  By  Frank  C.  Pel- 
lett.  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania:  J.  B. 
Lippincott  Company. 
Mr.  Pellett  is  an  accomplished  apiarist 
and  naturalist  and,  one  may  add,  an  earnest 
sympathizer  with  human  beings.  He  evi- 
dently has  had  experience  with  the  troubles 
of  bee-keeping  and  knows  how  to  make 
the  knowledge  gained  in  that  way  beneficial 
to  others.  The  book  is  one  of  a  series  of 
farm  manuals  and,  like  most  of  the  others, 
merits  commendation  for  the  manner  in 
which  it  depicts  its  subject.  The  plan  is 
good,  the  information  concise  and  practical. 
We  heartily  congratulate  the  author  and  the 
publishers,  and  especially  the  beginner  in 
bee-keeping,  upon  the  fact  that  so  attractive 
a  book  is  now  available. 


lllliltM^ 


1:9  18 

MARCH 

VOL.  X,  No    10 


EDWARD  F.  BIGELOW       ^# 

MANAGING  EDITOR  <&&&***?* 


Published  Monthly  by 

The  Agassiz  Association 

;  ARCADIA,  sound  beach,  conn. 

Subscription,  $1.00  a  Year;  Single  Copy,  10c 


aiiyiiiiuiiMMiiiiiai^ 


I^^^( 


GREENWICH 


THE    EDITION    DE  LUXE 
OF  CONNECTICUT  TOWNS 


GREENWIGH 


You  Can't  Lose 

Make  a  list  of  your  papers  of  value, 
jewelry,  etc.,  that  you  have  scattered 
about  your  home.  Figure  out  what 
it  would  cost  to  restore  them.  Could 
they  be  replaced  at  any  price?  To  one 
side  of  this  figure  put  the  premium  on 
burglar  insurance  to  cover  this 
amount.  On  the  other  side  place  the 
amount  of  the  rental  charge  for  our 

Safe  Deposit   Boxes. 

Burglar  insurance  doesn't  cover  your 

entire  loss,  for  such  a  loss,  cannot 

be  computed  in  dollars  and  cents. 

A  SAFE  DEPOSIT  BOX 
Means  you  cannot  lose. 


THE 

GREENWICH  TRUST 

COMPANY 

Greenwich  Avenue 
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 


"HAVE  A  TAXI" 

Watch  for  the  Cars  with  a   Green 
Stripe  or  a  Green  Light. 


CARS  IN  GOOD  CONDITION 


SKILLED  DRIVERS 


PROMPT  SERVICE 


REASONABLE  RATES 


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J.  R.  JOHNSON  AUTO  SERVICE, 

Incorporated, 

Near  the  Railroad  Station 
GREENWICH,    CONNECTICUT. 


1    Buy  if  with  thought 

2"  cook  if  with  care 

I 
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|:':  ^Save  s#ha£  will  keep 

•  4™  eat  what  would  spoil 

L  6tthoine«^rown  is  best 


£88KSiS88sia««SS3!xS!!88S5^^ 


I! 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


V 


THE  STAMFORD  LUMBER  GO. 

LUMBER 

Sash   Doors,  Blinds  and  Window-Frames 

WHOLESALE   AND   RETAIL 
OFFICE    AND    YARD,    297    PACIFIC    STREET. 
STAMFORD.  CONN. 


FASHIONS  OF  TO-DAY 


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9531  Food  Conservation  Uniform  36,  40.  44  bust. 
Price  10  cents. 

Every  householder  is  interested  in  the  question  of  con- 
servation of  food.  Here  is  the  costume  accepted  by  the 
Hoover  commission  and  which  is  to  be  worn  by  the 
women  who  have  signed  the  pledge.  For  such  use,  it 
should  be  made  of  plain  blue  with  white  trimming.  Here, 
it  is  worn  by  an  active  housewife  and  is  made  of  plaid 
gingham  with  trimming  of  plain  color.  Since  it  will  be  in 
demand  for  general  wear  as  well  as  by  the  signers  in  the 
pledge,  that  suggestion  is  a  good  one.  It  is  a  very  smart, 
attractive  looking  costume.  You  can  wear  it  as  an  apron, 
or  vou  can  wear  it  as  a  gown.  The  single  button  and  but- 
tonhole in  the  belt  effect  the  closing,  consequently,  it  is 
exceedingly  easy  to  slip  on  and  off.  Women  who  find 
themselves  compelled  to  do  with  less  help  than  usual  this 
season   will   find  the  apron   valuable. 


Good  dressers,  particular  dressers — 
every  one  of  them  wear  derby  hats. 

A  new  shipment  has  just  arrived  in  six 
different  shapes  in  all  sizes.  Drop  in  and 
try    one    on — vou    will    like    the    change. 

pice  $2.50 

THE    COMES-NORTHROP    CO., 

445  Main  Street,  Stamford,  Conn. 


BORG  BROTHERS 

Chemical   and   Analytical    Laboratories 

for  Special  Research  Work 

539  MAIN  ST. 

STAMFORD        :-:        CONNECTICUT 


Telephone,  270 
271 


Uptown  Office:  STARK  BROS. 

40    PARK    ROW 


GHAS.  F.  WATERBURY 
David    Waterbury     &    Son 

COAL  DRAIN  PIPE  WOOD 

Crushed  Stone  for  Walks  and  Drives 

YARDS:     Canal  Dock,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 


VI 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


The  Greenwich  Trust  Company. 

Mr.  E.  C.  Converse  has  been  elected 
president  of  The  Greenwich  Trust 
Company,  succeeding  the  late  R.  J. 
Walsh.  The  other  members  of  the 
board  of  trustees  are  as  follows :  John 
D.  Barrett,  U.  S.  Lloyds ;  Russell  A. 
Cowles,  president  Metals  Trading 
Corp. ;  George  A.  Drew,  manager  Con- 
yers  farm ;  Nathaniel  A.  Knapp,  high- 
way commisioner ;  James  Maher, 
treasurer  Maher  Bros,  corporation  :  S. 
Elbert  Mills,  retired;  F.  A.  Springer, 
treasurer  Mianus  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  James  F.  Walsh,  attorney  at 
law. 

The  officers  are  as  follows :  James 
F.  Walsh,  chairman  ;  A.  W.  W.  Mar- 
shall, vice-president  and  secretary ; 
Walter  B.  Todd,  treasurer,  and  Luther 
H.  Allcorn,  trust  officer. 


which,  of  course,  control  price.  Their 
advice  is,  "Put  every  acre  you  own  into 
use  at  once.  Get  those  stumps  out,  and 
cultivate  that  land."  Now  is  the  time 
to  get  the  high  price  for  your  crops. 
Make  money  now  while  the  war  lasts. 
Don't  wait  until  it  is  over.  Those 
stumps  are  occupying  land  that  should 
be  under  cultivation.  Get  busy  and 
pull  them  out. 

Write  to  Mr.  Walter  J.  Fitzpatrick, 
Box  L,  182  Fifth  Street,  San  Francisco, 
California.  Do  not  forget  to  mention 
The  Guide  to  Nature  and  he  will  send 
you  full  particulars. 


A  Wonderful  Stump  Puller. 

It  does  not  look  big  in  the  advertise- 
ment, but  its  claims  are  so  big  that  oc- 
casionally some  of  our  readers  inquire 
if  the  little  machine  is  really  so  very 
powerful.  The  editor  of  this  maga- 
zine has  seen  one  of  these  little  ma- 
chines in  operation  on  the  premises  of 
Ernest  Thompson  Seton.  What  it  did 
was  marvelous.  It  will  not  only  pull 
up  a  huge  tree  from  the  earth,  but  will 
easily  drag  the  entire  tree  with  a  moun- 
tainous mass  of  earth  attached  to  it. 

Opportunity  is  now  knocking  at  the 
farmer's  door.  Why?  Because  the 
prices  of  all  crops  are  higher  now  than 
they  ever  will  be  again  in  the  history 
of  the  world,  or  ever  have  been, 
and  crops  will  be  higher  in  price  next 
year  than  they  are  this  year.  This 
statement  is  made  on  the  authority  of 
the  food  experts  in  Washington  who 
know  what  they  are  talking  about. 
They   know    the    demand    and    supply 


Needed  a   Dentist's  Pull. 

Wild  and  disheveled,  watery  of  eye, 
and  trembling  of  limb,  he  burst  into 
the  dentist's  consulting-room,  and  ad- 
dressed the  molar  merchant  in  gasping 
tones: 

"Do  you  give  gas  here?" 

"Yes,  replied  the  dentist. 

"Does  it  put  a  man  to  sleep?" 

"Of  course." 

"Nothing  would  wake  him  ?" 

"Nothing.     But—" 

"Wait  a  bit ;  you  could  break  his  jaw 
or  black  his   eye   without  him  feeling 

it?" 

"My  dear  sir,  of  course,  I — " 
"It  lasts  about  half  a  minute,  doesn't 
it?" 
"Yes." 

With  a  wild  whoop  of  joy  and  relief 
the  excited  man  threw  off  his  coat  and 
waistcoat. 

"Now,"  he  yelled,  as  he  tugged  at  his 
shirt,    "get    yer    gas-engine    ready.      1 
want  you  to  pull  a  porous-plaster  off  my 
back."— "Tit-Bits." 


Why  did   the  fly  fly? — Because   the 
spider  spi(e)der. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


VII 


THESE  ARE  THE  DAYS  OF  FULL  STOCKS  AND  TEMPTING 

SPRING  STYLES. 

We  cordially  invite  you  to  visit   our  store  these  early  spring  days. 
Everything    New,    Everything   Fashionable.      No    old    stocks   to    show   as    they    are 
gone  with  ihe  season  that  has  gone. 

Coats,  Suits,  Dresses,  Waists,   Wash   Fabrics,  Children's  and   Infant's  Wear,   Neckwear, 

Gloves,  Etc.,  Etc. 

Burdett-McGillivray  Company 

ADVOCATE  BUILDING,  STAMFORD 


Mistaken  Classification ! 

Two  brothers  were  being  entertained 

by  a  rich  friend.    As  ill  luck  would  have 

it,  the  talk  drifted  away  from  ordinary 
topics. 

"Do  you  like  Omar  Khayyam  ?" 
thoughtlessly  asked  the  host,  trying  to 
make  conversation.  The  elder  brother 
plunged  heroically  into  the  breach. 

"Pretty  well,"  he  said,  "but  I  prefer 
Chianti." 

Nothing  more  was  said  on  this  sub- 


ject until   the  brothers   were  on  their 
way  home. 

"Bill,"  said  the  younger  brother, 
breaking  a  painful  silence,  "why  can't 
you  leave  things  that  you  don't  under- 
stand to  me?  Omar  Khayyam  ain't  a 
wine,  you  chump ;  it's  a  cheese." — New 
York  Globe. 


Hail  to  you,  winds  of  March  ! 

And  welcome,  April's  showers! 
For  you  blaze  the  way  to  the  heart 

Of    the    summer's    fragrant    bowers. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


QUALITY  SEED  STORE 

Seeds  !        Seeds  !!        Seeds  !!! 

NOW 

Buy  your  seeds  early.    It  will  be  impossible  to  get  most  of  them  later. 
Some  kinds  difficult  now. 


SEEDS,   FLOWERS,    BULBS,    INSECTICIDES.    FERTILIZER 

NURSERY 
GROWER— IMPORTER— DEALER 


43  ATLANTIC  STREET 
G.  B.  CANNON 


STAMFORD,  CONN. 
Tels.  1767,  1768 


VIII 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 

ATLANTIC  SQUARE      Established  50  Years       STAMFORD,  CONN. 

SPRING  IS  HERE 

Spring  is  here  according  to  the  Calendar.     At  any   rate  you  are  needing,   or  soon  will  be,   many  new  things 
for  the  Wardrobe  and   for  the  Home. 

TOUR— EARLY— VISIT— TO— THIS— STORE— IS— INVITED. 

We    want   you    to   see   our    superb    stocks   in    readiness    for   your    requirements.      Advancing    prices    have    in- 
fluenced us  to  buy  earlier  and  in   larger  quantities  than   ever  before.     The  results  are  in  your  favor. 

LARGER— SELECTION— AND— LOWER— PRICES 

than   would  otherwise  be  possible. 

THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 

ATLANTIC  SQUARE  :         :        :        :        :         :  STAMFORD,  CONN. 


Established   1853 

THEQETMAN&JUDD  CO. 

Lumber  and  Timber  of  all  Kinds 

SPECIALTY:  High-Grade  HARDWOOD  FLOORING 

thoroughly  Kiln  Dried  and  stored  in  Steam  heated  build- 
ing until  delivered  to  our  customers.  Our  steadily  in- 
creasing trade  in  this  specialty  proves  the  fact  that 
the  country  home  is  not  complete  until  fitted  out  with 
this  beautiful  and  sanitary  furnishing.  Old  Residences 
may  be  greatly  improved  by  laying  thin  floors  over  the 
old   ones. 

CANAL  DOCKS,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 
Telephone  2180. 


Homes  Near  to  Nature 

Should  be  so  constructed  as  to  give  lasting  satisfaction. 
Our  method  of  manufacturing  dependable  Interior  and 
Exterior  house  trim  from  thoroughly  kiln  dried  material 
by  skilled  mechanics  insures  such  satisfaction. 

THE  ST.  JOHN  WOOD  WORKING  CO. 

Canal   Docks,  Stamford    Conn. 

Telephone    781 

DIRECTORS 
WALTON     FERGUSON,     Pres.  W.   W.   HEROY, 

W.  D.  DASKAM,  Vice  Pres  Dr.  F.  H.  GETMAN 

W.    H.  JUDD,   Sec.   and  Treas.  F.   W.   BOGARDUS. 

J.  G.  WIGG,  General  Manager. 


The  LOCKWOOD  &  PALMER  Co. 


Wholesale  and  Retail 
Dealers  in 

HARDWARE 

AGRICULTURAL 

IMPLEMENTS 

House  Furnishings,  Etc. 


TOOLS 
All  Kinds 


92    PARK    PLACE 

(Cor.  Summer  Street) 

STAMFORD      -       CONN. 

TELEPHONE    CONNECTIONS 


3S2 


WaJwarth  Snlton 


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 


ume 


X 


MARCH,     1918 


Number  10 


Rare  Animals  in  This  Vicinity. 

BY     PROFESSOR     JOHN     J.     SCHOONHOVEN, 
BROOKLYN,    NEW   YORK. 

In  nearby  Westchester  County  with 
its  valley  lands  and  rugged  picturesque 
hills  claimed  for  agriculture  and  graz- 
ing purposes  there  still  remains  a  large 
part  of  the  country  covered  by  forests 
and  undergrowth  affording  a  most  ex- 
cellent sanctuary  for  wild  life.  It  is 
not  surprising  therefore  that  the  list  of 
mammals  is  large  including  bats,  foxes, 
skunks,  weasels,  minks,  raccoons,  rab- 
bits, woodchucks,  squirrels,  muskrats, 
many  other  species  of  rodents,  and  oc- 
casionally a  deer.  These  forms  seem 
perfectly  normal  and  natural  in  this 
environment. 

Occasionally,  however,  some  form  of 
wild  animal  life  appears  for  which  it  is 
hard  to  account.  During  the  last  week, 
for  instance,  a  coyote  shot  by  a  West- 
chester farmer  was  brought  to  the 
New  York  Zoological  Park  for  identi- 
fication, and  the  hunter  was  genuinely 
astonished  at  his  own  prowess  when 
Dr.  Raymond  Ditmars  assured  him 
that  it  was  a  real  coyote. 

In  Pound  Ridge,  just  over  the  Con- 
necticut boundary  line,  a  year  or  two 
ago  a  basket  maker  went  down  to  the 
pond  in  which  he  had  some  logs  soak- 
ing and  saw  what  he  supposed  to  be 
an  inoffensive  muskrat.  He  was  sur- 
prised at  the  stiff  fight  the  "muskrat" 


put  up  when  he  somewhat  casually 
undertook  his  capture  and  his  surprise 
was  further  increased  when  his  "musk- 
rat"  turned  out  to  be  a  fine  specimen  of 
otter.  As  a  result  his  wife  is  now  the 
proud  possessor  of  a  beautiful  otter 
muff  quite  the  envy  of  her  neighbors. 

Last  summer  at  Sarles  Corners  near 
the  farm  of  Leland  Waterbury  a  cur- 
ious small  mammal  was  picked  up  dead 
beside  the  road  killed  evidently  by  a 
passing  motor  car.  Nothing  like  it  had 
been  seen  in  those  parts  by  the  oldest 
inhabitant  and  it  was  examined  with 
curiosity  by  the  neighborhood.  After 
some  difficulty  I  exhumed  the  body 
where  it  had  been  buried  by  its  captors. 
Upon  examining  it  I  was  convinced 
at  once  that  it  was  a  badger  though 
this  animal  has,  to  my  knowledge, 
never  been  reported  from  this  part  of 
Westchester. 

I  brought  the  skull  to  our  museum 
where  the  identification  was  confirmed 
When  this  country  was  new  badgers 
were  met  with  everywhere  in  open 
lands  from  the  Alleghenies  to  the  Paci- 
fic and  as  far  north  as  Peace  River. 
Now  they  have  disappeared  from  the 
prairie  states  and  are  rare  except  in 
the  high,  dry  plains  where  gophers  and 
prairie  dogs  form  an  abundant  food 
supply.  The  eastern  limit  of  the  bad- 
ger is  placed  by  Seton  as  Wisconsin. 
An  animal  with  so  indomitable  a  spirit, 


Copyright  1918  by  The  Agassiz  Association,  ArcAdiA:  Sound  Beach,  Conn. 


290 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


so  massive  a  head,  and  jaws  filled  with 
formidable  teeth  with  a  bulldog  grip, 
locking  themselves  mechanically  as 
they  close,  seems  out  of  place  in  our 
quiet,  peaceful  Westchester  hills. 
Whence  came  he  and  what  was  he 
doing  here? 


The  Path  is  a  Guide  to  Nature- 

Wmat  student  and  lover  of  nature 
does  not  like  a  path  in  the  woods  and 
through  the  fields?  There  is  something 
enticing,  yes,  even  enchanting  in  the 
beckoning  of  the  distant  vista  of  the 
path   that   leads   one   on   and  on.     The 


A  PATH  IN  THE  WOODS  AT  ALL  TIMES  OF  THE  YEAR  IS  A  GOOD  GUIDE  TO  NATURE. 
Cut  by  courtesy  of  "Photo-Era." 


FLOWERS  AS  A  LIFE  RESOURCE 


291 


path  is  a  parallel  of  human  life.  We 
can  see  only  the  immediate  present,  but 
where  will  that  path  lead  us  in  its  rami- 
fications, what  of  the  uncertainties  that 
surround  it,  what  are  its  surprises, 
what  its  entanglements,  yes,  what  the 
disappointments?  There  is  ever  the 
charm  of  exploring  the   unknown. 

These  thoughts  must  necessarily 
come  to  one  who  rambles  through  the 
forest  and  Mr.  A.  A.  Falls,  who  took 
the  accompanying  photograph  is  evi- 
dently a  path  lover.  For  the  cut  we  are 
indebted  to  "Photo-Era"  of  Boston. 
Do  not  give  this  merely  a  hasty  glance. 
You  cannot  see  it  even  in  the  first  five 
minutes  of  close  examination.  Sit  for 
twenty  minutes  and  gaze  intently  at 
that  path,  coupling  it  up  with  your  own 
life.  It  is  only  when  one  puts  human 
nature,  one's  own  personality,  into  sur- 
rounding nature  that  it  really  becomes 
one's  own. 

Only  a  wood  path  but  if  ten  thousand 
people  gaze  intently  and  personally  up- 
on that  path  there  will  be  ten  thousand 
different  versions  as  to  its  meaning. 
Nature,  after  all,  is  a  mirror  of  our- 
selves. 


The  Heralds  of  Spring. 

March    winds   are   heralds,    to   proclaim 

The   coming  of  the   spring: 
They  do  not  bear  a  charmed  name, 

Yet   vistas    sweet   they   bring, 

That   open   out,   through   April's   gate, 
To  flowery  meads  and  bowers; 

The  alchemy  we  now  await, 
Of  sunshine  and  of  showers. 

"And  when   the  finished  work  appears, 

Behold  a  vision  bright! 
No  purer  joy  through  all  the  years, 
Than    this    transcendent    sight. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


Flowers  as  a  Life  Resource. 

{FROM    A    CHICAGO   DAILY    PAPER    IN    GAR- 
DENERS' CHRONICLE.] 

Folks  who  went  to  the  La  Salle 
Theater  last  night  saw  a  comedy.  In 
the  office  of  Nat  Royster,  the  manager, 
a  tragedy  was  being  enacted. 

Several  days  ago  Royster  received 
complaints  from  Joe  Daly,  property 
man,  that  artificial  roses  used  in  one 
of  the  sets  were  being  stolen.  The 
flowers  were  not  taken  in  large  num- 
bers. But  every  other  day  or  so  three 
or  four  would  be  missing.     Detectives 


worked  on  the  case  for  a  few  days. 
The  roses  continued  to  disappear. 

Yesterday  the  detectives  arrested 
Sophie  Korab,  a  theater  scrubwoman. 
When  the  detectives  and  Royster  ques- 
tioned her  she  sobbed  violently,  but 
would  not  talk.  Finally  she  found  a 
champion  in  Miss  May  Dowling,  of  the 
theater  staff,  who  pleaded  for  her  re- 
lease. Then  Mrs.  Korab  broke  down 
and  told  her  story.  Six  months  ago  her 
husband,  Anton,  joined  the  army,  leav- 
ing her  to  take  care  of  the  two  children, 
John  2  years  old,  and  Mary,  3. 

A  few  weeks  ago  little  John  contract- 
ed an  ailment.  There  was  no  money 
for  adequate  medical  attention  and  he 
died.  The  day  of  the  burial  Mrs.  Ko- 
rab appeared  as  usual  to  do  her  scrub 
work  at  the  theater.  She  saw  the  roses 
and  purloined  a  couple  of  them.  Next 
day  she  went  to  the  cemetery  and  put 
the  artificial  flowers  on  John's  grave. 

The  detectives  made  an  exit.  Miss 
Dowling  slipped  out  and  returned  with 
a  handful  of  real  flowers.  "For  John- 
ny," she  said,  and  wiped  her  eyes. 

The  scrubwoman  fearfully  asked  if 
she  could  go.  Royster  requested  her 
to  stay.  He  left  the  room  for  a  few 
minutes  and  he  saw  Daly,  the  property 
man ;  Charlie  Heede,  in  the  box  office ; 
Bob  Corning,  the  superintendent;  the 
stage  hands,  the  ushers,  the  doorman, 
the  cigar  store  man  next  door,  and  the 
cafe  man  next  to  next  door,  and  when 
he  returned  he  handed  $60.35  to  Mrs. 
Korab. 

"For  Mary,"  he  said. 

After  reading  this  little  tragedy 
woven  around  the  disappearance  of  a 
few  artificial  flowers,  who  will  declare 
that  the  beautiful  flowers,  the  best  that 
Nature  produces,  have  no  place  in  this 
careworn  world  of  ours? 


The  Swedes  have  recently  establish- 
ed a  society  for  collecting  and  diffusing 
information  concerning  their  great 
naturalist,  Linnaeus.  Its  first  presi- 
dent is  a  descendant  of  Linnaeus, 
whose  name,  oddly  enough,  happens 
to  be  Tycho. 


The  eye  may  well  be  glad  that  looks 

Where  Pharpar's  fountains  rise  and  fall; 

But  he  who  sees  his  native  brooks 
Laugh  in  the  sun,  has  seen  them  all. 

— Whittier. 


All  communications  for  this  department  Park,  Massachusetts  Items,  Articles  and 
should  he  sent  to  the  Department  Editor,  Mr  photographs  in  this  department  not  other- 
Harry   G.    Higbee,    13   Austin   Street,   Hyde       wise  credited  are  by  this  Department  Editor. 

The  Brown  Pelicans  of  Eastern  Florida. 


ONE  of  the  welcome  sights  to  the 
winter  tourist  along  the  east  coast 
of  Florida,  especially  if  he  he  fol- 
lowing the  coastal  waterway  known  as 
The  Inside  Route,  is  that  of  watching 


now  flapping,  now  sailing,  as  the  little 
band  moves  in  perfect  rythm  with  its 
leader. 

On  account  of  their  large  size — the 
wing   spread   of  the   adult  being   over 


P.ROWN  PELICANS  SOARING. 


little  flocks  of  the  great-winged,  silent  six  feet — these  birds  are  among  the 
pelicans,  as  they  move  gracefully  over  most  conspicuous  to  be  found  along  the 
the  water  with  slow,  measured  flight,      coast,     and     although     their    breeding 


RETURNING   FROM   THE   FISHING   GROUNDS. 


ORNITHOLOGY 


293 


range  has  for  many  years  been  practi- 
cally confined  to  one  small  island  in 
the  Indian  River  ,  these  interesting 
birds  may  be  met  with  for  many  miles 
both  above  and  below  their  island 
home. 

On  many  islands  in  the  Mosquito 
Inlet  Reservation  we  found  large  flocks 
of  pelicans  in  company  with  gulls  and 
cormorants.  At  Eau  Gallie  I  watched 
for  a  long  time  an  adult  pelican  ap- 
parently teaching  a  well  grown  young- 
ster the  art  of  fishing.    It  is  some-times 


in  their  usual  line  formation,  skimming 
low  over  the  waves  and  fishing  in  the 
surf  along  the  beach  at  Grant.  No 
flight  could  be  more  graceful  and 
charming  than  the  slow  "sailing"  of 
these  birds  in  perfect  unison,  as  they 
unlulated  in  their  flight  with  the  roll- 
ing motion  of  the  waves,  dipping  down 
into  the  hollows  and  rising  over  the 
crests,  but  keeping  always  close  to  the 
surface.  A  few  flaps  of  their  great 
wings  now  and  then  seemed  to  furnish 
momentum  to  carry  them  a  long  way 


THE    PICTURESQUE    HOME    OF    WARDEN    KROEGEL    WHO    HAS    BEEN    FOR    MANY    YEARS 

GUARDIAN  OF  PELICAN  ISLAND. 


ludicrous  to  see  the  great  ado  with 
which  these  birds  plunge  into  the  water 
after  fish.  They  will  soar  and  wheel 
about  most  gracefully  a  few  yards 
above  the  water ;  then  suddenly  turn- 
ing, will  drop  with  a  great  splash  into 
a  school  of  menhaden,  and  seem  to 
plow  up  the  water  in  their  hasty  en- 
deavors to  capture  their  victims  which 
they  scoop  up  in  their  great  bills.  Sil- 
very spray  is  flung  high  into  the  air, 
and  the  resultant  splash  from  these  sud- 
den plunges  may  be  heard  for  more 
than  half  a  mile  across  the  water. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  sights 
which  I  observed  in  Florida  was  a 
flock  of  brown  pelicans  stretched  out 


over  the  water,  and  so  silent  and  so 
rythmic  was  their  motion  that  one 
might  fancy  them  propelled  by  the 
same  power  that  carried  along  the  blue 
waves  over  which  they  floated. 

To  visit  the  nesting  colony  on  Peli- 
can Island  one  must  have  permission 
from  the  government  and  the  sanction 
of  the  warden  who  guards  this  island 
under  the  protection  of  the  Audubon 
Society.  Here  at  Sebastian,  on  the 
mainland,  stands  Warden  Kroegel's 
picturesque  home,  under  the  shelter  of 
a  great,  protecting  live  oak  which 
spreads  its  broad,  moss  draped  canopy 
completely  over  the  house  and  door- 
yard.      Several    shell    mounds    of    the 


294 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


"OUR   VISIT   TO   PELICAN    ISLAND   WAS   ON   THE    12TH   OF    DECEMBER." 


ancient  Indians  are  located  here  and 
some  relics  of  value  have  been  exca- 
vated from  one  of  them. 

President  Roosevelt,  in  1903,  set 
apart  Pelican  Island  as  a  permanent 
government  reservation  where  the 
brown  pelicans  might  be  protected,  as 
for  years  this  island  had  been  the 
natural  breeding  ground  of  these  birds, 
and  they  were  at  that  time  in  immi- 
nent danger  of  being  exterminated  by 
the  plume  hunters.  Shortly  after  pro- 
tection had  been  established,  however, 
and  the  location  of  their  permanent 
home  designated,  these  birds  for  some 
unknown  reason — unless  it  was  to  show 
their  independence — suddenly  deserted 
the  island  which  they  had  so  long  oc- 
cupied, and  sought  to  establish  them- 
selves in  new  and  unprotected  terri- 
tory. This  somewhat  alarmed  the  bird 
conservationists,  but  to  the  delight  of 
all  interested  in  their  welfare,  the  peli- 


cans seemed  gradually  to  capitulate  to 
the  old  ties  and  again  returned  to  their 
ancestral  island  home. 

This  island  was  originally  covered 
with  mangrove  trees  wherein  the  birds 
built  their  huge  nests,  and  although 
these  operations  have  gradually  de- 
stroyed the  trees  so  that  the  island  is 
now  entirely  bare,  they  have  since  con- 
tinued in  its  use,  placing  their  nests 
upon  the  ground  at  great  peril  of  floods 
and  storms. 

Our  visit  to  Pelican  Island  was  on 
the  twelfth  of  December  1913,  and 
nesting  operations  appeared  then  at 
their  height.  We  learned  from  the 
warden'  that  nesting  began  about  the 
first  of  October,  which  was  about  a 
month  earlier  than  usual.  While  still 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
colony,  in  the  warden's  launch,  I  was 
conscious  of  a  low  whistling  and 
squeaking  sound  from  the  young  birds,. 


"A  GREAT   ARMY  OF  ADULT   BIRDS   SEEMED   DRAWN  UP   NEAR  THE    SHORE.' 


ORNITHOLOGY 


295 


which  at  a  little  distance  blended  into 
a  low  monotone.  (No  sound  was  ob- 
served at  any  time  from  the  adult  peli- 
cans.) A  strong  odor  of  fish  pervaded 
the  surroundings. 

As  we  neared  the  island  a  great  army 
of  adult  birds  seemed  drawn  up  near 
the  shore,  as  if  to  give  battle  at  our  at- 
tempt to  land.  A  few  groups  of  half 
grown  young  were  paddling  or  flapping 
about  in  the  shallow  water.  Before 
landing  on  the  island  we  encircled  it  in 


perched  near-by  on  some  of  the  stubs, 
or  sat  gorging  themselves  upon  the 
dead  young  pelicans  which  were  lying 
about.  A  flock  of  cormorants  arose 
and  left  the  island  at  our  approach. 

Only  a  few  of  the  birds  left  their 
nests  as  I  landed  on  the  shore  and 
walked  carefully  about  among  them. 
Eggs  and  young  in  all  stages  were  at 
once  noticeable.  Groups  of  the  larger 
young  were  wandering  about  like  so 
many  schoolbovs.  while  others  in  the 


AX  ADULT   BLUE   EAGI  E  WAS  SOARING  OVER  THE  COLONY 


the  launch,  keeping  as  close  as  pos- 
sible to  the  shore  and  securing  several 
pictures,  as  the  birds  paid  but  little  at- 
tention to  us  while  we  were  on  the 
water.  The  bleached  remains  of  a  few 
trees  could  be  seen  sticking  up  near 
the  center  of  the  island,  and  there  were 
a  couple  of  old  stumps  on  the  shore 
near  the  southerly  end.  Every  advan- 
tage seemed  to  be  taken  where  a  nert 
could  be  placed  at  a  slight  elevation. 
though  of  course,  the  great  majority 
of  necessity  placed  upon  the  ground. 

In  one  photograph  an  adult  bald 
eagle  may  be  seen  soaring  over  the 
colony.  Many  scavengers  found  here 
a  rich  repast  with  little  effort  on  their 
part  at  securing  food.     Buzzards  were 


nests  were  clamoring  for  food.  Some 
were  bathing  near  the  water's  edge. 
Individuals  and  small  groups  of  the 
parent  birds  were  constantly  leaving 
the  colony  or  returning  from  the  fish- 
ing grounds  n<  »t  far  away. 

Some  of  the  nests  were  well  built 
structures  of  grass  a  foot  or  more  in 
height ;  others  seemed  considerably 
dilapidated,  while  many  were  simply 
a  hollow  in  the  sand  where  the  eggs 
might  be  laid.  Most  of  these  nests 
contained  three  eggs — this  being  the 
usual  complement  of  the  set.  In  color 
they  seemed  a  pale  bluish-wdiite,  but 
were  mostly  covered  with  a  chalky  de- 
posit. A  number  of  eggs  lay  scattered 
about    on    the    bare    ground,    probably 


296 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


"ONLY  A  FEW  OF  THE  BIRDS  LEFT  THEIR  NESTS. 


many  of  these  being  sterile. 

One  photograph  in  our  series  shows 
a  typical  nest  containing  one  egg  and 
a  small  naked  youngster  apparently  but 
a  few  days  old.  Others  show  groups 
of  young  in  and  about  the  nests.  Some 
of  these  seemed  alarmed  at  my  ap- 
proach and  scrambled  away  in  a  most 
awkward  manner ;  a  few  showed  an  in- 
clination to  light,  but  the  most  of  them 
remained  silent  and  paid  no  attention 
to  me  whatever. 

The  young  pelicans  are  comparative- 
ly helpless  until  they  are  quite  large,  it 
being  several  months  before  they  are 


"SOME    OF    THE    NESTS    WERE    WELL    BUILT 
STRUCTURES    OF    GRASS." 


•%> 


'**  **, 


% 


if  - 


SVB 


YOUNG  PELICAN  A  FEW  DAYS  OLD. 

able  to  care  for  themselves.  During 
this  time  they  are  subject  to  many  dan- 
gers. Storms  rage  over  the  island  de- 
stroying many  young  in  their  nests. 
On  account  of  its  slight  rise  above  the 
surface  of  the  river,  and  the  unusual 
fact  of  these  nests  being  placed  upon 
the  ground,  a  flood  sometimes  destroys 
them  in  large  numbers,  or  causes  the 
old  birds  to  temporarily  leave  the 
island,  while  the  young  starve.  For 
some    reason,    not    fully    understood, 


ORNITHOLOGY 


297 


"MOST    OF    THEM 


PAID    XO    ATTENTION    TO    ME    WHATEVER." 


practically  the  entire  brood  of  1913-14 
(those  pictured  here)  was  later  destroy- 
ed before  the  birds  were  able  to  shift 
for  themselves.  This  meant  a  consid- 
erable loss,  as  we  estimated  fifteen  hun- 
dred young  and  two  thousand  adult 
birds  on  the  island  at  the  time  of  our 
visit.  From  these  facts  it  may  be  un- 
derstood that  the  brown  pelican  has  in- 
creased but  little  in  numbers  during  the 
past  few  years. 

In  the  photograph  of  the  adult 
birds  just  returning  from  the  fishing 
grounds,  it  will  be  noted  that  the 
pouches  of  the  flying  birds  are  not  ex- 
panded,  and  the  statement  that   these 


THE  YOUNG  ARE  COMPARATIVELY  HE1  PI  ESS 
UNTIL   THEY    ARE    QUITE    LARGE. 


great  pouches  are  used  for  carrying  fish 
to  the  young  is  an  erroneous  one.  From 
the  time  of  hatching  until  they  are 
many  weeks  old  these  young  are  fed  by 
regurgitation.  Several  of  the  adult 
birds  upon  the  ground,  shown  in  this 
picture,  may  be  seen  preparing  to  feed 
their  young.  In  this  process  the  pouch 
is  extended  and  the  partly  digested  fish 
"regurgitated"  into  the  sac ;  the  bill 
is  then  opened  and  the  hungry  young- 
ster allowed  to  help  himself,  except  in 
the  case  of  a  very  small  bird,  when  the 
parent  probably  places  the  food  in  the 
throat  of  the  nestling. 

The  awkwardness  of  these  birds, 
both  old  and  young,  while  on  the 
ground  is  noticeable,  and  the  feeding  of 
some  of  the  larger  young  is  sometimes 
an  astonishing  and  somewhat  remark- 
able procedure.  A  bird  two-thirds  the 
size  of  the  adult  may  be  seen  with  its 
head  thrust  completely  inside  the 
parent's  bill  and,  in  some  cases,  clear 
down  its  throat.  This  proceeding  is 
not  taken  calmly  by  the  parent  bird, 
but  is  accompanied  by  all  sorts  of  con- 
tortions and  apparent  efforts  to  release 
itself  from  what  appears  to  be  a  very 
uncomfortable  situation.  In  this  way 
the  two  birds  may  be  seen  struggling 
about  amid  great  confusion,  especially 
if  there  are  other  young — as  is  fre- 
quently the  case — making  vain  endea- 


298 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


PELICANS  PREPARING  TO  FEED  THEIR  YOUNG  BY  REGURGITATION. 


vors  to.  oust  their  companion  and  se- 
cure the  coveted  place  at  the  source  of 
food  supply. 

Another  interesting  episode  in  peli- 
can life  is  the  exchange  of  parental  du- 
ties while  the  birds  are  incubating  their 
eggs  or  brooding  young  in  the  nest. 
Both  parents  take  part  in  these  duties, 
and  the  exchange  of  places  upon  the 
nest  is  accompanied  with  the  most  pro- 
found   "bowing   and    scraping,"    wing- 


flapping  and  other  emotional  perfor- 
mances. Preliminary  salutations  of 
this  sort  are  well  shown  in  the  picture 
of  the  two  birds  on  the  old  stump. 
Both  birds  ma}'  be  seen  with  wings 
partially  spread  and  facing  each  other. 
Then,  after  due  respects  are  mutually 
paid,  pardons  apparently  asked  and 
granted,  and  promises  made  to  be  faith- 
ful in  each  other's  absence,  the  bird 
which  is  to  relieve  the  one  on  the  nest 


"PRELIMINARY   SALUTATIONS." 
Getting  ready  to  exchange   places   upon   the   nest. 


ORNITHOLOGY 


299 


finally  takes  its  place,  while  the  other 
spreads  its  great  wings,  mounts  into 
the  air  and  is  oft*  to  enjoy  a  sail  over 
the  bounding  waves. 

A  bit  of  quiet  home  life  is  shown  in 
one  photograph.  Under  the  sheltering 
protection  of  its  parent,  a  tiny  young- 
ster may  be  observed  here  peering  over 
the  edge  of  the  nest.  In  the  nests  near- 
by are  contented  little  families,  and 
floating  upon  wide  pinions,  like  a  veri- 
table airship,  the  master  aviator  comes 
sailing  home  to  his  nest.  Among  these 
great  birds,  as  among  many  other  of 


thousand  birds  when  all  were  here,  but 
on  account  of  nesting  accommodations 
upon  this  small  island,  which  covers 
less  than  three  acres  of  ground,  their 
feeding  is  extended  over  a  considerable 
period  of  time ;  and  while  a  few  some- 
times nest  on  near-by  islands,  the  great 
majority  seem  so  attached  to  this  one 
spot  that  they  apparently  prefer  to 
postpone  their  nesting  until  others  are 
through,  rather  than  to  take  up  their 
abode  elsewhere.  On  the  day  of  our 
visit  we  noted  birds  carrying  material 
for  new  nests,  while  at  the  same  time 
were  young  pelicans   in   all   stages   of 


THE   PELICAN  IS   SURELY  A   MASTER   AVIATOR. 


the  wild  creatures,  an  intimate  study 
of  their  habits  and  their  home  customs 
discloses  characteristics  which  appear 
almost  human,  and  in  the  relations  of 
parent  and  offspring  we  discover  in- 
stinctive traits  akin  to  our  own. 

In  watching  the  pelicans  we  noticed 
that  they  always  flew  high  and  in  regu- 
lar order  when  going  to  the  fishing 
grounds,  while  upon  returning  they 
as  regularly  dropped  down  and  skim- 
med low  over  the  water  to  the  island, 
after  they  had  risen  above  the  border- 
ing fringe  of  palms  and  sand  hills  which 
at  this  point  separate  the  river  from  the 
ocean.  This  is  illustrated  in  our  first 
two   photographs. 

We  were  informed  that  the  present 
number  of  this  colony  was  about  five 


development,    from    the    egg   to    birds 
nearly  two  months  old. 

Nesting  dates  are  considerably  later 
for  this  species  where  they  congregate 
for  breeding  on  the  gulf  coast  of  Flor- 
ida. The  larger  white  pelican  is  also 
found  here,  although  this  bird  seldom 
appears  along  the  waters  of  the  east 
coast,  where  the  brown  pelican  reigns 
supreme. 


Only  those  have  produced  perma- 
nent results  who  have  interrogated  na- 
ture in  the  spirit  of  devotion  to  truth 
and  waited  patiently  for  her  replies. 
The  work  founded  on  selfish  motives 
and  vanity  has  sooner  or  later  fallen 
by  the  wayside. — Locy,  "Biology  and 
It's  Makers." 


3°° 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


The   Mocking    Bird's   Marvelous   Ver- 
satility. 

BY  FRANKLIN  J.   IIAYDLN,   NOKOMIS,   FLA. 

During-  a  number  of  seasons  spent  in 
Florida,  I  have  been  impressed  more  and 
more  with  the  marvelous  versatility  of 
the  mocking  bird,  which,  as  a  name,  dis- 
credits him.  It  is  not  impossible,  I 
think,  that  other  birds  are  mocking  him, 
for  he  seems  to  have  the  songs  and 
calls  of  most  of  our  common  birds  as 
well  as  other  songs  they  can  never  hope 

to  sing. 

I  have  heard  him  render  the  calls  and 
songs  of  chewinks,  meadowlarks,  cat- 
birds, brown  thrashers,  wood  thrushes, 
wrens  and  red-winged  blackbirds  with 
such  absolute  accuracy  that  you  would 
expect  to  see  them  all  with  him  in  the 
tree. 

Once  I  came  upon  a  mocking  bird 
and  a  brown  thrasher  singing  at  the 
same  time.  They  sang  and  sang  while 
I  stood  between  them  and  listened,  but 
I  could  not  detect  the  slightest  differ- 
ence in  their  songs.  Had  they  changed 
places  I  should  have  been  none  the 
wiser. 

What  I  love  most  in  a  singer  is  a 
voice  that  reaches  the  soul.  In  this 
respect  the  mocking  bird  is  so  far  be- 
yond the  other  songsters  that  I  have 
heard  as  to  render  comparisons  ab- 
surd. 

Maurice  Thompson  said,  "If  I  was 
going  to  risk  the  reputation  of  our  coun- 
try against  a  European  nightingale  I 
would  choose  for  my  champion  a  mock- 
ins:  bird  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Tallahassee." 

Blanchan  says,  "This  is  the  angel 
that  the  catbird  was  before  he  fell  from 
grace.  Slim,  graceful,  imitative,  amus- 
ing, with  a  rich  tender  song  that  only 
the  hermit  thrush  can  hope  to  rival." 

"All  moods  are  his — delicate  as  the 
perfume  of  the  first  violet,  wild  as  the 
storm,  he  knows  the  music  of  all  sounds 
from  the  rustle  of  leaves  and  the  whis- 
per of  hidden  springs  to  the  voices  of 
the  sea." 

When  I  hear  the  mocking  bird  I  ex- 
claim, "Is  it  possible  that  a  bird  is  do- 
ing all  this  with  common  air'" 

Sidney  Lanier  well  said  that  the  bird 
is  a  poet  of  the  spiritual  universe  and, 
he  might  have  added,  the  Shakespeare 
of  all  our  songsters. 


An  Enthusiastic  Student  of  Winter 
Birds. 

Mrs.  W.  Emmet  Smith  of  Katonah, 
New  York,  sends  a  very  interesting  list 
of  winter  birds  that  have  been  observed 
by  a  near-by  neighbor,  Mrs.  F.  W.  Gor- 
ham,  who  is  a  great  lover  of  birds.  Mrs. 
Smith  says  : 

"An  old  apple  tree,  left  standing  for 
the  purpose  when  the  house  was  built, 
serves  as  a  feeding  place  for  the  birds. 
From  a  position  a  little  back  from  the 
window,  Mrs.  Gorham  often  watches 
them  through  a  glass  and  derives  great 
pleasure  from  so  doing. 

"The  table  is  the  lid  of  a  pail  tacked 
to  a  branch  of  the  tree.  In  it  she  places 
crumbs,  grain  and  seed,  scattering 
some  on  the  ground.  A  piece  of  suet 
hangs  on  the  tree.  Mrs.  Gorham  says 
the  pleasure  of  watching  the  birds 
abundantly  repays  for  all   the   trouble 

taken. 

"How  thankful  we  should  be  for 
birds.  What  a  blessing  they  are  in 
destroying  harmful  insects,  and  what 
would  a  summer  be  without  their  sweet 
songs !  It  seems  to  me  there  is  no  bet- 
ter way  of  proving  our  thankfulness 
than  by  caring  for  them." 


A  White  Hawk. 

BY    C.    D.    ROMIG,    AUDENRIFJ),    PENNSYL- 
VANIA. 

At  noon,  December  15th,  after  the 
cold  spell  and  a  heavy  snowfall,  the 
cawing  of  a  crow  overhead  attracted 
my  attention  and  I  noticed  that  the 
crow  was  pursuing  a  snow-white  hawk 
considerably  larger  than  itself.  The 
hawk  was  snow-white  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  outer  tips  of  the  wings 
which  appeared  to  be  brownish. 

The  bird  was  soaring  like  a  hawk 
but  it  may  have  been  an  owl,  as  its 
body  and  wings  were  somewhat  stub- 
by in  outline.  Owls  are  not  supposed 
to  fly  in  the  daytime,  but  I  recall  the 
shooting  of  brown  owls  as  large  as 
crows  that  were  flying  about  the  corn- 
fields in  the  daytime.  At  the  time  I  be- 
lieved they  were  hawks.  In  any  event 
this  was  an  extraordinary  bird.  It  had 
possibly  been  driven  from  home  by 
the  severe  storm  and  cold.  Against  a 
clear  blue  sky  it  was  an  unusual  and 
interesting  sight.  It  at  least  excited 
the  crow  and  me  too. 


ORNITHOLOGY 


301 


Florida  Should  Wake  up  to  Her  Duties 
in  Bird  Conservation. 

The  nearly  successful  attempt  to  se- 
cure the  establishment  of  a  State  Game 
Commission  in  Florida  during  the  past 
season,  was  unfortunately  blocked  by 
the  Governor,  who  vetoed  the  measure 
after  it  had  passed  both  Houses  in  the 
Legislature. 

This  state,  with  its  myriads  of  water- 
fowl and  marsh  birds :  sheltering,  as 
it  does,  many  of  our  northern  birds 
throughout  the  winter  months,  and  be- 
ing in  the  path  of  many  more  of  our 
migrating  species,  is  an  important  one 
to  the  bird-lover  and  conservationist, 
and  it  is  high  time  that  better  laws  for 
bird  protection  were  enacted  here. 

Most  of  the  conservation  work  which 
has  been  done  here,  including  the  pro- 
tecting of  the  great  egret  and  heron 
rookeries  which  would  otherwise  have 
been  destroyed,  seems  to  have  been 
accomplished  at  the  expense  and 
through  the  efforts  of  bird-lovers  out- 
side the  state,  and  it  would  seem  only 
fair  for  the  state  which  reaps  most  of 
the  benefit  to  at  least  support  and  help 
this  work  by  proper  laws  and  by  the 
establishing  of  a  Game  Commission  to 
enforce  them. 

Florida  is  now  a  winter  playground 
for  thousands  of  people  from  all  over 
the  country,  and  it  seems  highly  im- 
portant to  have  adequate  laws  for  the 
protection  of  the  wild  life  of  this  state, 
especially  as  the  conservation  of  this 
wild  life  so  vitally  affects  the  inhabi- 
tants of  other  states  and  the  good  work 
which  they  are  trying  to  do. 


society  have  made  thousands  of  new 
converts  in  the  interest  of  bird  pro- 
tection and  conservation,  thus  aiding 
materially  in  both  a  moral  and  financial 
way  the  society's  work  during  the  past 
season. 

In  addition  to  Mr.  Herbert  K.  Job's 
well-known  work  in  his  Department 
of  Applied  Ornithology,  he  has  added, 
during  the  past  season,  to  his  valuable 
bird  photographs  another  thousand 
feet  of  motion  picture  film,  showing 
work  in  the  propagation  of  water-fowl 
at  the  association's  Bird  Experiment 
Station  at  Amston,  Conn.,  besides 
many  interesting  phases  of  the  home 
life  of  several  wild  species  not  hither- 
to shown. 


Audubon   Society   Work. 

Forty-six  wardens  have  been  em- 
ployed during  the  past  year  to  guard 
the  various  rookeries  and  protected 
sanctuaries  under  the  supervision  of 
the  Audubon  Societies.  Reports  from 
these  wardens  show  that  more  than  a 
million  water-birds  bred  in  these  pro- 
tected areas  during  1917. 

A  regular  course  in  wild  life  con- 
servation has  been  established  at  Cor- 
nell University,  New  York,  a  bill  in 
the  legislature  appropriating  $15,000.00 
for  this  purpose  having  been  passed. 

The  many  lectures  and  course  of 
study  conducted  by  field  agents  of  the 


The  Weed-seed  Eaters. 

During  the  winter  months  our  north- 
eastern states  are  usually  visited  by 
several  species  of  birds  which  would 
not,  at  first  thought,  be  supposed  to  be 
of  any  special  economic  value.  Aside, 
however,  from  enlivening  the  winter 
landscape,  which  all  of  these  birds  do, 
many  of  them  perform  a  real  service 
to  mankind..  Chief  among  these  is 
the  tree  sparrow,  whose  diet  is  com- 
posed principally  of  weed  seeds.  Flocks 
of  these  birds  are  common  sights  along 
our  country  roadsides  and  pastures 
from  November  to  April,  and  investi- 
gation has  shown  that  they  prove  of  in- 
calculable value  in  destroying  the  seeds 
of  noxious  weeds. 

This  species  alone  has  been  estimat- 
ed to  destroy  no  less  than  eight  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  tons  of  weed- 
seed  annually  in  the  state  of  Iowa. 
Snow  buntings,  usually  abundant 
along  the  coast  and  often  wandering  in- 
land to  a  considerable  distance,  are 
also  very  beneficial  in  this  respect,  a 
thousand  seeds  of  the  pig-weed  having 
been  found  in  the  stomach  of  a  single 
one  of  these  birds.  Mourning  doves 
and  bobwhites  are  also  efficient  weed- 
seed  eaters,  and  our  common  goldfinch 
at  this  season  depends  largely  upon 
such  diet  for  its  food  supply. 


How  welcome  to  the  winter-weary  folk, 
The  first  up-springing  green,  or  bird-note 
sweet! 
A  harbinger  of  longed-for  summer  joys, 
Of  all  that  she  alone  lays  at  our  feet. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


WRITE 
WAIftT  YOU  HftVE- 

SEEN 


r  THEFUNDF  * 
,5EEINdTH|HQS, 

[FOR  YOUNG  FOLKS 

»  EDITED  BY  ' 

V   Edward  FDiqelow  J 


W/1M"  YOU  WftNT 
TO  KNOW. 


&x&ssB0®e&ssa 


^Soc/nc 


T&ch ,   Conn. 


Frost  Work  that  Resembled  Bark  and 
Leaves. 

Newton,    Massachusetts. 
To  the  Editor : 

Lately  I   have  been  thinking  about 
nature.     I  do  not  understand  how  one 


nomenon  which  has  attracted  my  at- 
tention. I  observed  that  Jack  Frost 
had  painted  something  on  the  window- 
panes.  There  were  three  windows  in 
the  room  and  each  bore  a  layer  of  frost 
so  thick  that  I  could  not  scratch  it  off 


PATTERNS   IN    FR< 


!  learn  to  be  familiar  with  the  1  with   my  finger   nail.     The   room    was 

of  the   leafless   tree,   and   the   question      warm   yet   the   frost   did    not   melt  be- 
comes to  me  because  of  an  odd  phe-      cause   of  the   severe   cold   outside.       \ 


FLOWERS,    ROSETTE  AND   FERN   IN   FROST. 


THE  FUN  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


303 


picture  of  large  leaves  gracefully  with  the  bark  of  trees  troubled  me ! 
placed,  with  a  mass  of  small  dots  To  me  this  appearance  is  an  extraordi- 
grouped  in  the  centre  to  resemble  nary  occurrence  and  interests  me  great- 
tansy,  was  sculptured  on  the  two  panes  ly.  I  am  anxious  to  hear  what  you  may 
facing  the  street.  A  huge  tree  grew  have  to  tell  me  about  it.  I  keep  my  eyes 
outside    near    the    windows    with    its  open  every  minute  in  search  of  inter- 


A  LEAFY  FOREST  OF  FROST. 
I  graph  by  R.  A.  Buchanan   in   "Photo-Era." 


branches  barren  of  leaves.  My  friend 
said  that  the  leaves  of  the  tree  were  in 
form  like  those  that  were  distinctly 
marked  on  the  windowpane.  The  fig- 
ures were  as  large  as  oak  leaves,  but 
resembled  large  beech  tree  leaves. 
Here  was  where  my  lack  of  familiarity 


esting  objects  and  extraordinary  hap- 
penings which  will  give  me  worthy 
things  to  think  about.  You  make  every 
difficult  subject  interesting,  therefore 
with  your  help  it  is  a  pleasure  to  learn. 
Yours  sincerely, 

Eleanor  Reid  Wheeler. 


3°4 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


In  regard  to  the  apparently  imitative 
work  of  the  frost :  Hoarfrost,  in  com- 
mon with  other  water  crystals,  has  a 
habit  (we  know  not  why  any  more 
than  we  know  why  one  tree  grows  one 
way  and  another  a  different  way)  of 
crystallizing  in  a  manner  that  resem- 
bles natural  objects,  such  as  trees,  leaves, 
ferns,  stars,  etc.  The  designs  are  not 
influenced  by  objects  near  them  nor, 
in  the  case  of  window  hoarfrost,  by  ex- 
ternal objects.  The  temperature,  the 
humidity,  the  nature  of  the  surface 
upon  which  they  form  and  the  play  of 
the  mysterious  electromagnetic  forces 
determine  their  forms.  We  may  be  sure 
also  that  the  size  of  the  particles  of 
water  vapor  in  the  air  has  something 
to  do  with  form  determination  ;  i.e.,  if 
they  are  of  truly  molecular  dimensions 
(too  small  for  the  most  powerful  micro- 
scope to  reveal)  the  crystals  will  be 
ivhollx  crystalline  in  nature  and  form, 
fashioned  rigidly  according  to  the  rule 
of  six,  according  to  their  crystalline 
habit  of  growth  and  formation,  and  will 
have  well  defined  axes,  facets,  lines, 
etc.,  such  as  true  crystals  have.  But 
in  the  case  of  hoarfrost  on  windows 
and  of  window  ice  formation,  doubtless 
a  large  number  of  the  water  particles  in 
the  air  that  form  them  are  larger  than 
true  water  molecules,  consisting  in  part 
of  groups  of  water  molecules  and  par- 
ticles of  water  of  various  (though  of 
course  extremely  minute)  dimensions, 
and  hence  not  completely  under  crystal- 
line laws.  Water  forms  composed  in 
part  of  these  vapor  particles  larger 
than  molecular  water  particles  have  a 
much  greater  latitude  of  formation, 
and  we  find  them  assuming  the  grace- 
ful curving  forms  and  the  various 
shapes  not  possible  for  wholly  true  crys- 
tals to  take.  The  forms  of  window  frost 
(?)  that  your  correspondent  mentions 
were  probably  not  frost  forms  at  all,  but 
window  ice  crystals.  Window  ice  forms 
always  on  wet  windowpanes,  frost  only 
on  dry  windowpanes.  Practically  all  the 
large  so-called  window  frost  designs  are 
window  ice  crystallizations.  Window  ice 
assumes  many  graceful,  curving,  leaf- 
like, vine-like  and  other  similar  designs. 
— W.  A.  Bentley. 


The  Ambergris  King. 


Ever  hear  of  an 
ambergris  king? 
Probably  not; 
for  there  is  only 
one  in  the  world 
—and  here  he  is. 
Only  a  ton  and  a 
half  of  ambergris 
has  been  offered 
for  sale  in  the 
history  of  the 
world ;  and  of 
that  quantity  the 
"king"  has  hand- 
led more  than 
half. 


Skunks    bathe    frequently,    but    will 
not  swim  unless  forced  into  deep  water. 


Photograph    from 
G.  A.  Walton. 

Down  in  the  quaint  old  town  of 
Provincetown,  Massachusetts,  at  the 
head  of  a  wharf  in  Commercial  Street, 
is  an  unpretentious  little  building  that 
is  anything  but  attractive  to  one  who 
comes  to  look  for  places  of  historic  in- 
terest ;  yet  it  contains  the  throne  of  one 
of  the  most  interesting  men  in  the  coun- 
try— that  of  David  C.  Stull,  known  as 
"the  Ambergris  King." 

A  ton  of  ambergris,  at  prices  that 
have  been  paid  there  for  it,  would  bring 
$92,000,  or  twice  the  amount  that  a  ton 
of  gold  would  produce.  And,  of  the 
ton  and  a  half  of  ambergris  known  to 
have  been  offered  for  sale  in  the  history 
of  the  world,  Mr.  Stull,  as  agent  for  a 
famous  firm  of  French  perfumers,  has 
handled  more  than  half. 

There  is  a  never-ceasing  cry  for  more 
of  this  substance  from  across  the  water, 
and  it  is  a  known  fact  that  nothing  in- 
vented as  yet  by  man's  fertile  brain  will 
in  the  least  compare  to  ambergris  as  a 
base  in  the  manufacture  of  choice  per- 
fumes. Dissolved  in  alcohol,  it  holds  in 
solution  the  various  oils  and  essences 
that  compose  the  scents  dear  to  the 
feminine  heart. 

The  ambergris  comes  from  a  whale 
that  has  been  careless  about  his  diet, 
according  to  scientists.  It  is  said  that 
when  he  eats  more  squid  and  cuttlefish 
than  is  good  for  him  he  is  attacked  by 
this  peculiar  kind  of  mal-de-mar.  These 
marine   dainties   have   long,   hard,   and 


THE  FUN  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


305 


sharp  beaks,  and  when  taken  into  the 
whale's  stomach  in  large  quantities 
cause  the  forming  of  a  substance  that 
turns  into  ambergris.  If  the  whale 
continues  this  sort  of  diet,  it  causes  his 
day  of  reckoning  to  make  an  appear- 
ance when  the  monster  mammal  of  the 
sea  seeks  shallow  water  and  dies. 

"Sir.  Stull  has  paid  as  high  as  $500  a 
pound  for  the  coverted  substance.  Not 
many  years  ago  he  paid  $18,000  for  a 
single  lump  of  ambergris ;  and  his 
record  price  is  $35,000  for  one  lot  of 
several  pieces. — Every  Week. 


Astonishing  Bubble  Formation  in  Ice. 
Jack  Frost  is  a  freaky  fellow ;  one 
never  knows  what  he  will  do  next  nor 
why  he  does  any  one  of  his  queer  deeds. 
Of  all  the  strange  freaks  that  I  have 
seen,  one  of  the  most  interesting  was 
done  in  a  small  aquarium  jar  in  our 
laboratory  on  a  recent  cold  night.  The 
water  was  frozen  solid,  and  in  some 
mysterious  way  was  filled  with  innu- 
merable strings  of  bubbles  radiating 
from  a  common  center  which  appeared 
to  serve  as  a  headquarters  for  their  de- 


parture. As  far  as  observation  can  de- 
cide, they  appear  in  general  to  direct 
their  course  to  that  center  or  from  it. 
The  entire  mass  of  ice  appears  to  be 
filled  with  strings  of  pearls,  and  among 
them  other  equally  beautiful  pearls  ap- 
pear to  have  been  tossed  by  the  hand- 
ful. Notice,  too,  the  central  group  of 
diverging  lines  among  the  pearls  of  that 
part.  These  are  air  bubbles  elongated 
in  some  unknown  way  into  thread-like 
air  channels  that  add  much  to  the  inter- 
est and  mysterious  beauty.  The  result 
is  altogether  one  of  the  strangest  and 
most  inexplicible  performances  of  the 
cold  that  I  have  ever  seen.  If  any  pro- 
fessor of  physics  in  any  college  or  if 
any  one  else  can  explain  the  matter, 
will  he  not  kindly  communicate  with 
the  editor? 

Since  observing  this  remarkable 
work  my  attention  has  been  called  to 
other  ice  forms,  and  I  have  noted  that 
the  bubbles  frequently  take  somewhat 
of  an  alignment  but  I  have  not  pre- 
viously seen  any  so  marked  as  these. 


WHY  THESE  CURIOUS  "STRINGS"  OF  "PEARL 
AIR  BUBBLES  IN  ICE? 


Not  a  Joke,  but  a  Coincidence. 

Seriously  and  with  no  intent  to  tell 
a  good  joke,  a  correspondent  in  New 
York  relates  some  ordinary  observa- 
tions of  winter  birds  made  by  a  neigh- 
bor, and  then  relates  this  somewhat 
startling  experience. 

"A  friend  of  ours,  living  in  the  town 
of  Greenwich,  has  a  number  of  canaries 
and  has  raised  several  of  them. 

"One  day  her  husband  was  enter- 
taining her  with  opera  music,  and  after 
singing  several  verses,  increasing  the 
sound  in  volume  and  possibly  in  dis- 
cord as  he  is  no  musician,  he  struck  up 
a  third  in  impossible  bass  tones,  and 
a  canary  perched  high  in  his  cage  drop- 
ped to  the  floor  dead. 

"I  had  never  known  such  a  circum- 
stance, but  I  have  heard  singing  that 
seemed  as  though  it  would  have  a  simi- 
lar effect  on  me." 

Japan  has  especially  beautiful  to- 
pazes. Their  colors  run  from  white 
through  wine  yellow,  yellow  blue,  pale 
blue,  pale  green  and  brown.  One  of  the 
finest  known  specimens  stands  three 
inches  high,  rising  from  a  base  of  feld- 
spar and  having  beside  it  a  crystal  of 
black  quartz. 


306 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


A  Wooden  Flower  or  Wooden  Rose. 

That  is  what  Professor  William  F. 
Ganong  of  Smith  College,  Northamp- 
ton, Massachusetts,  calls  the  interest- 
ing specimen  from  Mr.  H.  E.  Deats 
that  we  pictured  on  page  250  of  our 
January  number. 

In  his  interesting  "Textbook  of  Bo- 
tany" he  further  states  in  regard  to 
this  growth  which  is  from  a  legumi- 
nous plant  and  is  induced  by  a  parasite, 


of  the  tissues  after  the  control  stimuli 
have  been  inhibited,  usually  as  result 
of  some  strain  or  other  accident.  Other 
burls,  however,  with  various  kinds  of 
knotty  growths,  are  started  by  presence 
of  parasites,  which  also  inhibit  the 
usual  control,  presumably  by  chemical 
action.  Of  this  nature  is  the  remark- 
able 'wooden  flower,'  sold  to  tourists 
in  tropical  America.  It  is  nothing  but 
a  stem  in  which  a  parasite  has  inhibited 


Till-:    WOO]  LOWER   CONTRIBUTED   BY    MR.    BAIZ. 


a  flowering  plant,  Phcradendron.  After 
stating  various  cases  of  the  peculiar 
growths  such  as  twin  fruits,  fasciated 
pineapples  and  various  fasciated  stems, 
witches'  brooms,  etc.,  he  continues  : 

"In  some  cases  such  growths  are  ap- 
parently started  by  injurious  strains, 
which  would  explain  their  frequency  at 
the  bases  of  great  branches;  and  very 
likely  they  represent  areas  in  which 
the  growth-control  mechanism  has 
been  ruptured  by  the  strain.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  note  that  a  close  analogy 
exists  between  these  burls  and  the 
troublesome  tumors  which  form  in  the 
human  body,  for  the  latter  also  are 
formless  growths  resulting  from  con- 
tinued operation  of  the  growth  energy 


h  control  over  a  limited  area, 
leaving  that  part  free  to  grow  as  it 
happens." 

An  elaborate  and  magnificent  speci- 
men has  recently  been  presented  to  us 
at  ArcAdiA  by  Arthur  S.  Baiz  of  Sound 
Beach. 


Fine  Specimen  of  "Wooden  Flower." 

New  York  City. 
To  the  Editor : 

Several  weeks  ago,  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  leaving  with  your  daughter  a  "vol- 
cano flower."  This  was  brought  to 
New  York  many  years  ago  by  my 
father,  who  was  Consul  General  in 
this  city  for  Guatemala  and  Honduras. 

I  understand  that  this  growth  occurs 


THE  FUN  OF  SEEING  THINGS 


307 


near  the  rim  of  the  volcanos  in  South 
America,  and  is  known  by  several 
names ;  sometimes  they  are  called 
"roses"  and  again  "Rosas  de  Inherno" 
the  Spanish  for  "Roses  of  Hell,"  and 
I  am  told  that  the  Indian  name  is  "Co- 
chij  Riche."  In  general  the  wood  of 
the  host  is  of  a  light  tint,  slightly  red- 
dish externally  and  yellow  cored.  The 
inside  of  the  "rose"  is  invariably  dark- 
er than  the  host  branch. 

I  obtained  the  following  front  a  Lat- 
in-American magazine,  which  is  pub- 
lished in  this  city,  and  which  I  believe 
will  give  you  about  as  much  informa- 
tion as  I  can  obtain  at  this  time,  al- 
though possibly  the  American  Museum 
of  Natural  History  might  be  able  to 
give  you  further  information  : 

"The  wooden  flower  consists  of  an 
excrescence  found  on  the  branch  of 
an}'  tree  by  the  invasion  of  a  certain 
parasite,  which  forces  itself  into  them, 
working  actively  on  their  organism. 
This  parasite  is  generated  by  seeds 
conveyed  by  birds,  which  seeds  contain 
a  viscid  matter  which  allows  their 
holding    wherever  are    dropped. 

The  substance  as  well  as  the  plant 
which  produces  it  is  called  liga  (gt 
a  sticky  substance  used  for  catching 
birds.  The  plant  belongs  to  the  Loran- 
thus  or  Struthantus  family,  and  is  in- 
dige  to    the    Yolcan    de    Fuego, 

where  alone  its  results,  the  wooden 
flower,  are  known.  So  true  is  this  that 
the  distinguished  French  naturalist 
Morelot,  believed  that  these  flowers 
were  produced  by  emanations  from  the 
volcano.  The  parasite,  it  is  further 
said,  has  no  roots;  the  seed  fixes  itself 
to  the  tree,  and  a  tumor-like  swelling 
is  formed  which  assumes  a  spherical 
shape;    sometimes    several    ;  be 

seen  on  one  branch.  Parasite  and  host 
are  so  closely  united  that  a  transverse 
section  hardly  shows  any  division  of 
the  fibers.  The  invader  is  short-lived 
— three  or  four  years  at  the  most — the 
wooden  flower's  dead  image  on  the  tree 
indicating  its  place  of  refuge.  The 
size  varies  from  two  centimeters  to 
sixty  centimeters.  The  wooden  flower 
must  be  regarded  as  an  extension  of 
the  woody  fibers  of  the  host  tree,  not 
the  parasite ;  'the  injury  has  not  yet 
been  studied,  but  there  must  be  injury 
or  the  phenomenon  is  not  explicable.' 
This   strange   and   beautiful    result    is, 


then,  classed  with  the  gall-nut  found 
on  oak-trees,  or  the  red  silky  excres- 
cence seen  on  rose-bushes  ;  in  all  cases 
an  envelopment  of  the  foreign  body  by 
the  fibers  of  the  host  occurs,  in  much  the 
same  circumstances  as  are  responsible 
for  the  formation  of  the  pearl  in  the 
oyster-shell." 

I  hope  that  you  will  find  the  above 
information    of   interest,   and    that   the 
"rose"  will  give  pleasure  to  you  and 
those  who  may  frequent  ArcAdiA. 
Very  truly  yours, 

Arthur  S.  Baiz. 


Starlings  in  New  Hampshire. 

Nashua,  N.  H. 
To  the  Editor : 

Just  at   sunset   the  other  day   Avhile 
down  town  on  our  main  street,  I  notic- 
ed a  flock  of  about  a  dozen   starlings 
fly  to  the  steeple  of  an  old  abandoi 
church    and    disappear    within.       An- 
other flock  followed,  and  then  another. 
I  stood  and  watched  for  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  while  the  starlings 
continued  to  arrive,  and  counted  dur- 
ing this  ti  o  hundred  and  nin 
seven  birds.     I  do  not  know  how  many 
arrived  before  I  noticed  them.     These 
birds  evidently  roost  in  the  old  be 
I  have  observed  starlings  he 
but  had  no  idea  there  were   so   n 
of  them. 

These  birds  are  not  here  in  the  day- 
time, for  I  have  repeatedly  looked  for 
them  during  the  past  two  weeks.  They 
evidently  breed  somewhere  in  this  gen- 
eral locality,  but  where,  I  do  not  know. 
Their  present  feeding  ground  is  also 
a  mystery.  This  is  the  third  year  of 
the   starling   in   Nashua. 

M.  B.  Towxsi-xd. 


The  Egoistical  View  of  Nature. 

A  little  while  ago,  at  Buffalo,  1  was 
the  guest  of  a  lady  who,  a  fortnight  be- 
fore, had  taken  her  seven-}  ear-old  boy 
for  the  first  time  to  Niagara  Falls.  The 
child  silently  glared  at  the  phenomenon 
until  his  mother,  supposing  him  struck 
speechless  by  its  sublimity,  said,  "Well, 
my  boy,  what  do  you  think  of  it?"  to 
which,  "Is  that  the  kind  of  spray  I 
spray  my  nose  with  ?"  wras  the  boy's 
only  reply.  That  was  his  mode  of  ap- 
preciating the  snectacle. — William 
James  in  "Talks  to  Teachers." 


The  Heavens  in  March. 

By  Professor  Eric  Doolittle  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 


THE  most  interesting  arrival  in  our 
evening-  heavens  is  the  beautiful 
planet  Mars  which  in  these  early 
March  evenings  is  seen  shining  with  its 
reddish  light  nearly  as  high  above  the 
horizon  in  the  east  as  is  the  bright  gold- 
en  Jupiter   in   the   west.     As   the   one 


will  not  pass  beyond  the  borders  of  our 
evening  map  until  May  and  in  the 
meantime  Mars  will  continually  mount 
higher  and  shine  out  more  conspicu- 
ously in  the  evening  heavens. 

From  the  slow  change  of  the  face  of 
the  skv  it  now  results  that  the  western 


NO^.TM 


South 

Figurej.     The  Constellations  at  9  P.  M.,   March   1.      (If  facing  south,   hold  the  map  upright.      If  facing 
If  facing  west,  hold   West  below.     If  facing  north,   hold  the  map  inverted.) 


east,  hold  East  be!o\ 


planet  sets  the  other  rises,  and  as  the 
weeks  of  the  month  go  on  the  more 
brilliant  Jupiter  will  be  found  lower 
and  lower  in  the  southwest,  though  it 


heavens  are  more  brilliant  than  the 
eastern.  Almost  all  of  the  bright  win- 
ter groups  are  now  past  the  meridian 
and  in  the  east  there  is  just  appearing 


TO  KNOW  THE  S  TARRY  HEAVENS 


309 


the  first  of  the  faint  summer  constella- 
tions, Virgo,  with  its  promise  of  the 
time  when  warmer  days  shall  come.  All 
of  the  winter  groups  are  still  with  us 
during  this,  the  last  of  the  winter 
months,  but  by  April,  Taurus  will  have 
begun  to  sink  below  the  ground,  Virgo 
will  have  entirely  emerged,  and  even 
the  Balances  will  be  visible  in  the  east 
and  the  transformation  of  the  winter  in- 
to the  summer  sky  will  be  well  under 
way. 


The  March  Stars. 

One  of  the  very  interesting  con- 
stellations is  Hydra,  the  Watersnake, 
which  now  stretches  entirely  from  the 
horizon  in  the  southeast  to  the  meri- 
dian. Only  half  of  this  interesting 
figure  is  as  yet  visible  ;  the  tip  of  the 
tail  will  not  reach  the  meridian  until 
the  early  evenings  of  June,  and  by  this 
time  the  head  will  have  begun  to  set. 

On  the  back  of  this  long,  winding 
constellation  there  are  the  figures  of 
the  Crow  and  the  Cup,  while  a  group 
of  faint  stars  over  the  tail  of  the  Water- 
snake  (not  yet  risen)  was  formed  into 
a  little  figure  known  as  the  "Solitarv 
Thrush." 

Twenty  centuries  ago  the  Crow  lay 
half  above  and  half  below  the  Celes- 
tial Equator;  the  slow  precession  of 
the  equinoxes  has  changed  its  position 
in  the  sky  until  it  is  now  no  less  than 
twenty  degrees  below.  When  first  let- 
tered, the  star  at  A  was  indicated  as  the 
brightest  star  of  this  group,  but  it  is 
now  less  than  one-sixth  as  bright  as 
the  star  at  C  and  less  than  half  as 
bright  as  the  other  three  most  import- 
ant stars  of  the  figure.  It  is  now  of  an 
orange  color;  as  early  Arabians  de- 
scribed it  as  red,  it  has  probably 
changed  both  in  color  and  brightness 
in  recent  times. 

The  star  at  D  is  of  a  pale  yellow  color 
but  it  has  a  deep  blue,  eight  and  five- 
tenths  magnitude  companion  twenty- 
four  seconds  away.  There  are 
many  variable  stars  in  this  constella- 
tion ;  the  two  at  V  sink  from  the 
seventh  to  the  thirteenth  magnitude  in 
the  course  of  eight  to  ten  months.  The 
orange  star  at  B  is  also  probably  a  var- 
iable and  is  a  typical  example  of  the 
second    great     type     of     stars     whose 


spectre  resemble  very  closely  that  of 
our  sun. 

At  a  distance  below  the  bright  star 
at  F  equal  to  four  times  the  diameter 
of  our  moon  there  is  a  remarkable 
planetary  nebula  which  resembles 
Jupiter  in  the  color  and  steadiness  of 
its  ligfht.  It  is  described  by  some  ob- 
servers,  however,  as  of  a  steely,  bluish 
light  and  is  rather  difficult  in  small 
telescopes. 

The  observer  will  welcome  the  great 
golden  yellow  Antares,  at  H,  which  is 
so  bright  and  yet  so  immensely  far 
away.  And  indeed  the  whole  region  of 
Bootes  as  well  as  the  sky  between  this 
constellation  and  the  Great  Dipper  will 
well  repay  exploration.  In  the  center 
of  the  Constellation  Leo,  at  the  point 
K,  will  be  found  one  of  the  starless  re- 
gions of  the  sky,  while  at  O,  almost 
in  a  line  with  the  Stars  L  and  N,  there 
is  a  celebrated  variable  of  a  fiery  red 
color  which  varies  from  the  fifth  to  the 
tenth  magnitude  in  a  period  of  about 
ten  months. 

^c         ^c         $z         $z         ■% 

The  Precession  of  the  Equinoxes. 

This  slow  change  of  the  equator  of 
the  heavens,  which  has  been  referred 
to  in  speaking  of  Corvus,  produces  as 
the  ages  go  on  a  great  change  in  the 
apparent  positions  of  the  constellations 
in  the  sky,  but  it  does  not  change  the 
form  or  appearance  of  these  constella- 
tions themselves.  It  is,  in  fact,  merely 
the  equator  which  is  slowing  moving. 
The  intersection  (V,  Figure  1)  of  this 
circle  with  the  apparent  path  of  the 
sun  among  the  stars  SVT.  is  slowly 
moving  westward,  completing  the  cir- 
cuit of  the  heavens  in  twentv-five 
thousand  eight  hundred  years.  Thus 
in  six  thousand  years  it  will  have 
reached  Gemini  :  this  constellation  will 
then  lie  on  both  sides  of  the  equator 
and  will  rise  in  the  east  and  set  in  the 
west,  never  rising  higher  in  our  sky 
than  Orion  does  at  present.  The  latter 
constellation  will  then  be  far  below  the 
equator.  To  observers  north  of  fiftv 
deerees  north  latitude  the  Dog  Star, 
Sirius,  will  not  be  seen  at  all.  Six 
thousand  years  later  the  latter  star  will 
be  wholly  invisible  throughout  the 
United  States  and  the  former  star 
group,  which  is  now  so  conspicuous 
in  our  evening  heavens,  will  just  rise 


iio 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


for  a  short  time  in  the  extreme  south, 
and  from  northern  latitudes  will  be 
wholly  invisible. 

In  the  same  way  six  thousand  years 
ago  the  Southern  Cross  was  visible 
throughout  this  country  and  even 
throughout  England  corresponding  re- 
gions of  the  sky  now  visible  were  then 
wholly  invisible.  This  describes  why 
the  constellations  in  certain  parts  of 
the  sky  were  not  named  or  described 
by  the  ancients  ;  they  were  at  that  time 
so  near  the  South  Pole  of  the  heavens 
that  thev  were  not  visible  from  north- 


the  present  month  to  be  well  observed. 
It  will  not  reach  its  greatest  elongation 
until  April  7. 

Venus  is  now  steadily  withdrawing 
from  the  sun's  rays  into  the  morning 
sky.  On  March  16  it  will  attain  its 
greatest  brilliancy  and  will  then  appear 
exactly  as  bright  as  it  did  on  last  Jan- 
uary 5,  when  it  shone  so  brilliantly  in 
the  evening  heavens.  By  the  end  of  the 
month  it  rises  in  the  southeast  fully  two 
hours  before  sunrise,  though  it  will  not 
attain  its  greatest  distance  west  of  the 
sun  until  April  21. 


Dawe3  1864-  ■ 


•  Green  167? 


Lowell  1894-  • 


Figure   2.      These    drawings   of   the   same   region    of    Mars,    made   by    observers    with    different    telescopes, 
illustrate  the  difficulty  of  seeing  the  faint,   uncertain  markings  except   with   telescopes   of  the  highest   power. 


ern  latitudes.  When  the  great  pyramid 
of  Cheops  was  built  Alpha  Draconis 
was  our  Pole  Star,  and  the  central  pass- 
age of  the  pyramid  (as  well  as  those  in 
several  others)  was  directed  to  this 
star. 

Now  our  North  Star  is  the  rather 
faint  Polaris,  which  has  the  advantage, 
however,  of  being  very  near  the  Pole. 
In  twelve  thousand  years  our  North 
Star  will  be  the  magnificent  blue  Vega, 
and  to  one  accustomed  to  the  nightly 
view  of  the  sky  the  spectacle  of  the 
heavens  apparently  turning  about  this 
star  as  a  center  would  at  first  seem  very 
peculiar;  he  would  soon  recognize, 
however,  that  it  is  only  the  direction  in 
space  of  the  axis  about  which  the  earth 
is  rotating  that  is  changed.  The  gen- 
eral appearance  of  the  heavens  would 
be  unaltered  by  precession,  but  what 
interesting  other  changes  may  be 
brought  about  in  the  course  of  twelve 
thousand  years  we  cannot  at  all  tell. 
***** 

The  Planets  in  March. 

Mercury  enters  the  evening  heavens 
on  March  12  but  it  will  hardly  emerge 
sufficiently  from  the  sun's  rays  during 


Mars  is  in  excellent  position  for  ob- 
servation being  in  opposition  with  the 
sun  and  hence  due  south  at  midnight 
on  March  18  though  it  does  not  reach 
its  least  distance  from  the  earth  until 
three  days  later.  Then  it  will  be  but 
sixty-one  and  two-fifths  millions  of 
miles  away.  Though  a  view  of  this 
world  is  rather  disappointing  in  a  small 
telescope  yet  when  the  conditions  are 
favorable  the  polar  caps  and  the  larger 
markings  can  be  clearly  seen  even  with 
a  small  glass.  By  careful  attention  the 
observer  may  also  see  that  this  world 
is  turning  around,  the  day  on  Mars  be- 
ing but  thirty-seven  minutes  longer 
than  the  day  on  the  earth.  The  finer 
markings  and  the  so-called  canals  are, 
of  course,  invisible  except  in  the  largest 
telescopes. 

Jupiter  and  Saturn  are  still  in  excel- 
lent position  for  observation,  though 
by  the  end  of  the  month  the  former  will 
be  low  in  the  west.  The  former  is 
slowly  moving  eastward  and  upward, 
the  latter  westward  and  downward,  in 
the  positions  shown  in  Figure  1. 

Uranus  is  in  the  morning  sky  in  the 
constellation  Aquarius  where  it  is 
passed   by   Venus   on   April   2,   Venus 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


3ii 


then  being  three  degrees  eighteen  min- 
utes north  of  Uranus. 

There  are  few  oecultations  ol  the 
brighter  stars  during  the  present  year 
though  an  interesting  passage  of  our 
satellite  over  the  quite  bright  star  at 
M,  Figure  1,  may  be  witnessed  on  the 
evening  of  March  9.  As  seen  from 
Washington  the  dark  edge  of  the  moon 
will  overtake  and  hide  the  star  at  7 
hr.  41  min.  P.  M.  (Eastern  Standard 
Time)  and  the  star  will  reappear  1  hr. 
10  min.  later.  These  times  differ  much 
as  one  changes  his  position  on  the 
earth,  however,  and  the  only  way  for 
the  observer  to  make  the  observation 
successfully  is  to  note  the  position  of 
the  moon  and  star  some  little  time  be- 
fore the  phenomenon  is  to  occur  and 
estimate  as  well  as  he  can  the  moment 
of  disappearance.  The  star  at  M  is 
described  as  a  crocus-vellow  color.    It 


is  an  interesting  double,  having  a  blu- 
ish, eleventh  magnitude  companion 
about  eighty  seconds  away. 

The  center  of  the  sun  will  cross  the 
celestial  equator  and  spring  will  begin 
5  hrs.  26  min.  A.  M.  on  March  21.  This 
day  and  the  preceding  night  will  be  of 
equal  length  and  at  this  instant  winter 
will  end. 


The  stars  are  blossoming  in  the  sky, 
Fair  lilies  of  gold  in  the  fields  on  high: 
But    the    sun,    which    opens    our    earthly 

flowers, 
Will   the   star-blooms  close  in  the  morning 

hours. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


The  American  Association  of  Vari- 
able Star  Observers  is  now  collecting 
data  on  more  than  three  hundred  vari- 
able stars. 


JL 


3C 


£>om?  ICmtp  tlir  dianal)  Sag. 

?By  Biarolb  (Snrbmt  IfamkittB,  IHpBtfirlii,  fHaaBarijuafltB. 

Some  love  the  garish  day — but  I 
Prefer  the  quiet  of  a  darkening  sky, 
When  to  their  rest  have  gone  the  tired  birds, 
And  at  the  pasture  bars  full  uddered  herds 
Reflectively  await  the  driver's  coming. 

And  also  do  I  love  the  dim  mysterious  wood 
When  night  descends,  and  a  rich  melodious  flood 
Of  melody  bursts  from  the  thrush's  throat 
To  die  away  in  one  sweet,  solemn  note, 

Accompanied  by  the  grouse's  thrumming. 

Then,  is  Dame  Nature  in  her  sweetest  mood, 

And  tranquil  quietude  seems  to  brood 

In  motherly  silence  on  each  wooded  height, 

And  all  things  are  hushed — expectant  of  the  night, 

All,  but  the  weird  tattoo  of  a  partridge  drumming. 


K 


3E 


EDITORIAL 


The  Brighter  Phages  of  War. 

"War  is  hell."  This  war  in  particu- 
lar seems  to  be  the  most  hellish  of  all. 
Its  bad  features  have  been  so  promi- 
nently brought  to  the  minds  of  the 
people  in  its  awful  horror  and  devas- 
tation that  there  is  no  need  for  us  to 
dwell  on  the  subject.  In  the  main  we 
are  trying  to  publish  a  magazine  that 
shall  be  especially  valuable  at  this  time 
distracting  the  mind  of  the  reader  from 
horrible  things.  It  is  in  this  spirit  that 
attention  is  invited  to  some  of  the  good 
features  of  the  war,  and  these  mostly 
from  the  nature  or  the  Arcadian  point 
of  view.  They  are  exactly  what  we  have 
all  the  time  been  preaching  and  prac- 
tising. 

To  depart  from  the  subject  for  a 
moment  by  way  of  illustration,  consider 
that  darkness  will  not  make  a  photo- 
graph. It  is  the  light  that  changes  the 
sensitive  plate,  yet  darkness  is  essen- 
tial to  good  photography,  not  only  in 
the  dark  room,  but  in  the  shaded  por- 
tions of  all  such  pictures.  And  the 
photograph,  no  matter  of  how  favor- 
able a  subject,  depends  upon  the  black- 
ness to  bring  out  its  beauty.  In  re- 
gard to  this  much  discussed  question 
of  war,  is  not  the  situation  much  the 
same? 

From  our  point  of  view,  among  the 
brightest  things  in  this  war  era  is  the 
fact  that  it  has  done  what  the  enthus- 
iasists  in  the  study  of  nature  in  times 
of  peace  were  unable  to  do.  For  the 
last  decade  or  more  a  few  faithful  nat- 
uralists and  teachers  have  been  ursrinsf 

1  i      • 

the  cultivation  of  school  gardens  as  an 
important  part  of  an  education.  By  the 
majority  of  the  public  these  earnest 
people  were  regarded  as  faddists  or  as 
overly  enthusiastic.  But  everybody 
now  believes  not  only  in  school  gardens 
but  in  every  other  kind.  There  are 
many  of  us  faithful  workers  in  garden- 
ing, especially  as  a  factor  in  the  child's 


education,  who  can  hardly  refrain  from 
exultantly  murmuring  even  if  we  do 
not  audibly  express  it,  "I  all  the  time 
told  you  so."  Then  another  company, 
faithful  yet  at  times  discouraged,  have 
been  clamoring,  "Leave  the  crowded 
city  with  its  artificial  life  and  go  back 
to  the  farm  ;  return  to  the  simplicity 
of  life  of  the  early  settlers ;  go  back  to 
hard  work,  earnest  endeavor  and  direct 
dealings  with  old  Mother  Nature." 

Everybody  agrees  with  that,  and  it 
is  one  of  the  bright  spots  brought  out 
in  a  beautiful  picture  by  this  blackness 
of  war.  There  are  many  of  us,  and 
some  have  been  called  cranks,  who  have 
argued  for  the  beneficial  results  to  be 
obtained  by  leaving  stuffy  homes  and 
taking  to  the  woods  and  fields,  or  that 
nature's  sanitarium  is  the  best  in  ex- 
istence. Plenty  of  enthusiasts  believe 
that  a  good  position  for  a  young  man 
to  assume  is  not  to  bend  himself  like 
a  bow,  to  support  the  sides  of  build- 
ings at  street  corners,  to  engage  in 
frivolous  talk  and  to  spit  on  the  side- 
walk. That  kind  of  position  is  not  the 
best  developer  of  physique  and  that 
kind  of  talk  on  the  worthless  things  of 
life  is  not  the  best  mental  gymnastics 
for  the  developing  of  intellectual 
strength.  We  all  the  time  have  said. 
Go  away  from  the  cities  ;  go  into  camp  ; 
take  long  walks  ;  get  out  in  the  realms 
of  that  beautiful  old  Sovereign,  Mother 
Nature. 

And  now  the  "I-told-you-so"  is  visi- 
ble in  the  vastly  improved  appearance 
of  all  those  young  men  who  return 
from  camp  on  a  furlough.  They  have 
been  in  the  open  for  only  a  few  weeks, 
but  they  have  been  transformed  by  the 
magic  of  outdoor  living,  blow  erect, 
how  well  poised,  how  graceful  they  are. 
As  we  look  at  some  of  them,  we  ex- 
claim, "Can  these  be  the  slouchy,  pale, 
weak-kneed  fellows  that  some  of  them 
appeared  to  be  before  they  went  into 
military  training !"  It  is  a  curious  fact 
that  peace  and  prosperity  tend  to  de- 
velop    hunched     shoulders,     bow-like 


EDITORIAL 


3*3 


backs,  while  war  makes  men  erect  ,  fine 
in  appearance  and  wholesome  to  look 
at. 

Arcadian  simplicity  means  exactly 
what  the  country  is  now  urging  that 
everybody  shall  do.  Work  hard,  live 
near  to  nature,  and  as  simply  as  pos- 
sible ;  for  frivolous  expenses  and  fool- 
ish pursuits  substitute  economy  and 
hard  work  faithfully  and  earnestly  per- 
formed. 

War  has  also  supplied  our  tables 
with  better  fare.  Formerly  every  one 
was  regarded  as  a  crank  who  said,  Eat 
less  meat  and  more  vegetables.  We 
now  say  that  such  a  man  is  a  patriot 
and  shout  hurrah  for  his  patriotism. 
Many  of  us  with  Arcadian  instincts 
could  all  the  time  have  told  you  that. 
They  who  have  been  preaching  and 
practising  it  have  been  called  vegeta- 
rians and  cranks.  It  took  submarines 
and  howitzers  to  blow  even  a  part  of 
the  superfluous  meat  from  our  tables. 

Hoover  did  not  inflict  suffering  but 
furnished  luxuries  in  his  war  breads. 
We  never  did  believe  in  the  autocracy 
of  white  bread. 

The  farther  we  depart  from  nature 
the  worse  the  result  always  seems  to 
be.  When  we  refuse  whole  wheat  for 
the  jejune  yet  beautiful  white  bread  we 
are  not  heeding  nature's  call.  Now 
thanks  to  the  war,  we  have  economical 
war  bread  that,  in  comparison  with  the 
innutritious  plain  white  bread,  is  an  un- 
dreamed of  luxury.  The  mixtures  of 
Graham,  whole  wheat,  bran,  rye,  buck- 
wheat, corn  meal  are  blessings.  They 
are  bright  spots  in  a  picture  brought 
out  by  the  blackness  of  war.  The  world 
will  never  go  back  to  where  it  was  be- 
fore the  war. 

So  much  for  the  nature  and  Arcadian 
point  of  view.  The  naturalists  are  de- 
lighted by  this  return  to  the  simple 
things  of  life.  We  leave  to  the  preach- 
ers in  the  pulpits  what  is  especially 
their  province,  the  discussion  of  our  re- 
turn to  the  serious,  thoughtful,  relig- 
ious point  of  view,  to  which  the  hor- 
rors of  war  are  bringing  us.  One  of 
the  best  preachers  who  have  pointed 
out  these  good  features  of  the  war, 
while  not  a  preacher  in  the  common 
acceptation  of  the  term,  is  in  reality 
one  of  the  best.  We  refer  to  Harry 
Lauder.    Hear  his  words. 

"In  the  days  before  the  war,  young 


Englishmen  and  Frenchmen  were 
leading  gay,  careless  lives,  with  hardly 
a  thought  for  the  morrow  or  for  such 
shadowy  things  as  death  or  a  future 
life.  'Let  us  live  and  be  merry'  was 
the  cry  then,  but  now  it  is  all  different. 
Because  when  men  know  that  at  any 
moment  a  shell  may  explode  in  their 
midst  and  blow  them  to  shreds,  or  that 
an  order  may  come  during  the  night 
for  certain  regiments  to  make  ready  to 
go  over  the  top  at  dawn,  their  thoughts 
are   mostly   on  their   God   and   on   the 

life  to  come all  through 

the  night  you  see  silent,  yet  calm  and 
peaceful  faces  in  the  dugouts,  and, 
somehow,  the  religious  atmosphere 
makes  a  definite  impression  upon  you. 
So  much  so  that  one  night  an  officer 
said  to  me,  very  quietly  : 

AVhen  I  see  the  men  this  way,  I 
sometimes  wonder  if  this  war  was  not 
brought  about  by  God  as  the  only 
means  of  making  the  world  think  of 
Him  and  His  laws  more  often!'" 

The  Reverend  Oliver  Huckel,  Pas- 
tor Second  Congregational  Church  of 
Greenwich,  Connecticut,  says  it  is  a 
blessing  to  churches.  He  cites  as  fol- 
lows : 

"One  striking  instance  is  the  united 
church  services Person- 
al preferences  and  personal  conven- 
iences have  been  set  aside,  and  all  the 
churches  have  united  heartily,  loyally 
and  enthusiastically  in  these  services. 
I  am  sure  that  this  war-measure  and 
coal-exigency  are  proving  an  emphatic 
blessing  to  the  churches.  It  is  inaugu- 
rating an  era  of  Christian  fellowship 
from  which,  I  pray  God,  there  will 
never  be  a  retreat,  even  after  the  Avar. 
We  have  all  made  mutual  concessions, 
but  we  have  found  how  delightful  is 
this  united  fellowship  in  worship  and 
service.  I  believe  it  is  a  distinct  lead- 
ing of  God,  a  providential  step  in  the 
progress  of  God's  kingdom." 


Truly,  he  who  unfolds  to  us  the  way 
in  which  God  works  through  the  world 
of  phenomena  may  well  be  called  the 
best  of  religious  teachers.  In  the  study 
of  the  organic  world,  no  less  than  in 
the  study  of  the  starry  heavens,  is  it 
true  that  "day  unto  day  uttereth 
speech,  and  night  unto  night  showeth 
knowledge." — John  Fiske,  "Excursions 
of  an  Evolutionist." 


314 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Admiration  not  for  a  Part,  but  for  the 
Whole. 

Here  is  a  modern  fable  in  which  1 
am  chief  actor : 

I  fell  out  of  a  boat ;  a  friendly  hand 
pulled  me  in.  I  cried  to  my  friend.  "All 
my  life  I  shall  be  grateful  to  that  hand." 
The  friend  replied,  "Why  not  to  all  of 
me  ?" 

I  was  in  straightened  financial  cir- 
cumstances. I  had  not  ten  cents  with 
which  to  buy  a  sandwich  ;  the  gnawing 
pains  of  hunger  made  me  sick.  A 
friend  handed  me  a  half-dollar  and  said, 
"Go,  eat."  I  grabbed  his  pocketbook 
and  exclaimed,  "O  pocketbook,  all  my 
life  I  shall  be  loyal  to  you  in  deepest 
gratitude."  The  friend,  pained,  said. 
"Why  does  he  not  take  me  as  well  as 
my  pocketbook  into  consideration?" 

I  was  engaged  in  a  tangled  quarrel 
with  one  who  had  been  my  friend.  I 
consulted  a  lawyer;  the  wise  man  pa- 
tiently heard  my  story,  and  in  a  few 
words  told  me  what  to  do.  In  my  depth 
of  gratitude  I  exclaimed,  "O  wise 
mouth,  I  shall  always  admire  you  for 
the  words  that  have  come  from  you." 
The  lawyer  said,  "What  a  peculiar 
man!  He  does  not  take  me  into  con- 
sideration." 

I  was  lame  and  decrepit ;  a  youth  of- 
fered to  do  an  errand  for  me.  When 
he  returned  I  thus  adored  him  :  "O  you 
legs  that  have  so  swiftly  brought  me 
what  I  needed,  I  shall  always  hold  you 
in  the  highest  appreciation."  The 
youth,  with  wondering  eyes,  spoke  his 
thoughts,  "Why  does  this  man  limit 
his  appreciation  to  my  legs?" 

But  perhaps  the  more  astonishing 
fact  is  that  the  gratitude  was  soon  for- 
gotten. The  helping  hand,  the  gener- 
ous pocketbook,  the  wise  mouth,  the 
nimble  legs  were  soon  out  of  mind.  O 
gratitude,  how  limited  you  are  not  only 
in  time  but  in  extent. 

You,  you,  reader,  man,  woman,  child, 
you  are  as  foolish  as  I  was  for  in  these 
recent  strenuous  times  you  have  said 
of  old  Mother  Nature  as  a  whole,  "O 
how  I  appreciate  her  coal  fields,  her 
wheat  fields,  her  potato  patch.  O 
Mother  Nature,  you  have  warmed  me 
from  your  storage  in  the  ground,  and 
to  those  mines  I  shall  ever  be  grateful. 
You  have  fed  me  from  the  fields,  and 
to  those  fields  my  heart  will  always  be 


bound  with  the  strongest  ties  of  appre- 
ciation." Does  it  require  the  ear  of 
imagination  to  hear  old  Mother  Nature 
say  to  each  one  of  her  children,  "You 
have  learned  only  a  part  of  the  lesson 
of  the  war.  You  are  grateful,  yet  for 
only  a  part  of  my  bounties  to  you. 
You  will  come  into  your  full  heritage 
of  appreciation  and  gratitude  when  you 
learn  to  love  me  as  a  whole,  and  desire 
to  know  me  better.  Thus  far  you  have 
learned  to  see  me  only  in  part." 


Photographing  Lenses  Wanted. 

Early  in  the  war,  The  Guide  to  Na- 
ture called  attention  to  a  well-organ- 
ized movement  in  Great  Britain  to  lend 
to  the  government  for  use  in  the  army 
various  sorts  of  field  glasses,  telescopes 
and  other  optical  instruments,  the  prop- 
erty of  individuals.  Something  of  the 
same  enterprise  is  now  under  way  in 
this  country.  The  pressing  need,  just 
at  present,  is  for  camera  lenses  to  equip 
the  observation  airplanes  of  the  new 
fleet.  In  particular,  the  government 
desires  to  buy  the  following : 

Zeiss,  Tessar  anastigmat,  working 
aperture  F.  3.5  of  4.5. 

Bausch  and  Lomb,  Tessar,  F.  4.5  ; 

Voigtlander    Heliar    anastigmat,    F. 

4-5- 

The  focal  lengths  of  all  these  should 
lie  between  8-*4  and  20  inches. 

Persons  having  any  of  these  lenses 
which  they  are  willing  to  sell,  should 
send  price  and  description  to  the  Pho- 
tographic Division  of  the  Signal  Corps, 
U.  S.  A.,  Mills  Building  Annex,  Wash- 


ington. 


Snowdrops. 

Out  of  the  snow,  into  the  glow 
Of  the   quickening,  vernal   sun ; 

These  fragile  blooms   from  nature's   looms, 
Whisper   that   spring  has   begun. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


The  Greater  Untold  Problem. 

In  the  present  coal  situation  we  wish 
to  bring  to  the  surface  one  of  the  most 
important  factors  of  the  problem  ap- 
parently lost  sight  of  so  far  as  common 
talk  and  newspaper  articles  are  con- 
cerned. Everybody  nowadays  says, 
"Where  can  we  get  the  coal?"  Appar- 
ently we  are  the  only  ones  who  raise 
our  voice  to  ask,  "Where  on  earth  shall 
we  get  the  money  to  pay  for  it?" 


rORRESPONDENCE 

~^  and  Information 


^ 


r 


A  Burning  Question. 

Sound  Beach,  Connecticut. 
Dr.  Frederick  H.  Getman, 
Stamford,   Connecticut. 
Mr.  Dear  Dr.  Getman : 

Will  you  kindly  inform  me  for  pub- 
lication in  regard  to  the  chemical  action 
involved  in  the  production  of  charcoal. 
I  have  become  much  interested  in  the 
subject  since  we  began  to  use  in  the 
office  an  air-tight,  wood  burning  stove 
for  coal  saving.  I  had  not  seen  one  of 
these  stoves  since  I  was  a  boy,  and  it 
brings  back  the  memories  of  those 
days  and  how  I  wondered  even  then  at 
the  action  of  an  air-tight  stove.  We 
can  put  in  heavy  wood  and  a  fierce  fire 
follows  if  the  draft  is  left  on.  but  if  it 
is  closed  entirely  the  wood  is  converted 
into  charcoal,  and  on  opening  the  door 
we  sometimes  find  almost  a  peck  of  the 
live  coal  which  flames  up  as  soon  as  air 
is  brought  to  bear  upon  it. 

I  recall  as  a  boy  spending  much  time 
with  the  woodchoppers  and  coalpit 
burners.  I  remember  that  they  made  a 
huge,  semispherical  pile  of  wood,  cover- 
ed it  with  earth  and  lit  a  fire  in  one  end. 
Gradually  the  fire  worked  through  the 
entire  pile  and  converted  it  into  char- 
coal. I  remembered  being  puzzled  by 
the  expression,  "We  must  look  out  that 
it  does  not  get  on  fire,"  when  the  fire 
was  even  then  working  all  through  it. 
Men  stamped  down  the  turf  and  kept  it 
tight  as  the  pile  settled. 

I  recall  that  I  was  informed  at  one 
time  when  I  was  in  Pennsylvania  that 
a  coal  mine  there  had  been  on  fire  for 
many  years  and  apparently  was  burn- 
ing without  the  admission  of  air.  What 
is  the  action  in  these  cases?  If  the 
mine  burns  and  the  charcoal  is  pro- 
duced without  air  or  with  a  very  limit- 
ed supply,  what  is  the  difference  in  the 
combustion  that  produces  ashes  and 
that  that  makes  charcoal  ? 
Yours  very  truly, 

Edward  F.  Bigeeow. 


Wood   Charcoal. 

FREDERICK    II  •    GETMAN,    PH.D.,    E.    C.    S., 
STAMFORD,   CONNECTICUT. 

Wood  charcoal  is  made  by  burning 
wood  in  pits  or  kilns  with  a  limited 
supply  of  air,  or  by  heating  wood  in 
closed  retorts. 

The  process  of  charcoal  burning  may 
be  illustrated  by  the  following  simple 
experiment.  Place  a  few  small  pieces 
of  wood  in  a  crucible  and  cover  with 
sand  to  protect  the  wood  from  the  air ; 
heat  the  crucible  until  all  combustible 
gases  cease  to  be  evolved.  On  cool- 
ing the  crucible  and  removing  the  pro- 
tecting layer  of  sand,  the  wood  will  be 
found  to  have  undergone  complete 
transformation  into  charcoal  with  con- 
comitant shrinkage  in  volume. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  charcoal  is 
here  produced  without  access  of  air — 
the  layer  of  sand  completely  or  almost 
completely  excluding  any  atmospheric 
action.  From  this  we  see  that  char- 
coal is  produced  from  wood  by  the 
action  of  heat  without  undergoing  com- 
bustion. 

The  process  involved  in  the  produc- 
tion of  charcoal  is  known  as  "destruc- 
tive distillation."  In  general,  this  term 
refers  to  all  cases  of  chemical  decom- 
position produced  by  the  action  of  heat 
in  the  absence  of  air.  The  substances 
which  are  ordinarily  subjected  to  des- 
tructive distillation  are  of  organic  ori- 
gin and  hence  the  end-product  con- 
sists largely  of  carbon.  For  this  reason 
the  process  of  destructive  distillation 
is  often  designated  as  "carbonization.'" 

When  wood  is  heated  in  the  air  it 
"takes  fire"  and  burns  to  ash.  When 
charcoal  is  heated  in  the  air  it  also  ig- 
nites and  burns  to  ash,  but  charcoal  is 
not  an  intermediate  product  in  the 
combustion  of  wood.  Charcoal  is  the 
residue  from  the  destructive  distilla- 
tion of  wood  and  absolutely  no  air  or 
oxygen  is  essential  to  its  production — 
in  fact  the  more  air  there  is  present 
the  smaller  the  yield  of  charcoal  will  be. 


3t6 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


The  production  of  charcoal  does  not 
involve  any  specific  act  of  combina- 
tion as  does  the  combustion  of  wood. 
On  the  other  hand  it  involves  a  series 
of  decompositions  of  the  complex  or- 
ganic compounds  which  compose  the 
wood  brought  about  by  heat  in  the 
absence  of  air.  The  end  product  of 
these  decompositions  is  charcoal.  The 
heat  energy  supplied  to  the  wood  is 
used  up  in  bringing  about  the  decom- 
position of  the  wood  and  in  the  for- 
mation of  the  various  volatile  products. 

The  primitive  method  of  making 
charcoal  was  to  pile  small  logs  or  bil- 
lets of  wood  into  beehive-shaped  heaps, 
leaving  a  shaft  in  the  middle  of  the  pile 
to  serve  as  a  flue  and  providing  several 
small  holes  at  the  base  to  admit  air. 
The  pile  was  then  covered  with  turf 
to  prevent  free  access  of  air,  and  a  .-mall 
fire  of  brushwood  was  lighted  in  the 
center  of  the  heap,  the  air  supply  being 
regulated  so  that  combustion  progres- 
sed very  slowly.  During  the  burning, 
the  volatile  products  escaped  and  in 
about  a  fortnight  the  fire  died  out  leav- 
ing a  mass  of  charcoal.  This  process 
is  very  wasteful,  between  eighty  and 
ninety  per  cent,  of  the  wood  being  lost 
by  combustion  to  say  nothing  of  the 
loss  of  many  valuable  volatile  by-pro- 
ducts. 

This  crude  method  of  charcoal  burn- 
ing, while  still  followed  in  many  parts 
of  the  world,  has  been  supplanted  by 
more  improved  methods  in  which  more 
efficient  carbonization  is  secured  and 
the  by-products  are  conserved.  By 
heating  the  wood  in  iron  retorts  with- 
out access  of  air,  a  true  destructive  dis- 
tillation results.  The  gaseous  products 
are  conducted  through  appropriate 
condensing  appliances  to  remove  the 
liquid  by-products,  while  the  non-con- 
densible  gases  are  led  back  to  the  fire- 
box t  >  be  burned  as  fuel  in  the  distil- 
lation of  more  wood.  When  carboni- 
zation is  complete,  the  reports  must  be 
allowed  to  cool  before  opening;  othei- 
wise  the  charcoal  would  ignite  on  ex- 
posure to  the  air.  When  wood  ;,^  heated 
in  a  closed  retort  the  first  product  to 
be  given  off  is  steam.  On  further  heat- 
ing, various  organic  compounds  are 
formed  such  as  acetic  acid  (the  acid 
contained  in  vinegar),  methyl  alcohol 
(wood  alcohol),  acetone,  furfural  and 
wood  tar. 

From  the  distillation  of  one  hundred 


pounds  of  hard  wood,  such  as  maple  or 
oak,  there  are  obtained  approximately 
thirty  pounds  of  charcoal,  fifty  pounds 
of  liquid  products  and  twenty  pounds 
of  gaseous  products. 

When  resinous  woods  are  destruc- 
tively distilled,  volatile  oils,  such  as 
turpentine,  are  carried  over  with  the 
steam  and  collect  on  the  surface  of  the 
distillate  or  else  form  a  homogeneous 
solution  with  the  woodtar. 

Wood  distillation  has  developed  rap- 
idly in  this  country,  there  being  at  the 
present  time  over  one  hundred  such 
plants  producing  annually  charcoal  and 
by  products  valued  at  approximately 
$10,000,000. 


Cloudland. 

How  wonderful  the  cloudland, 
Its    drifting,    changing    forms ! 

Now  ominous  and  threatening, 
The    kind    that    presage    storms: 

Now  delicate  and  fleecy, 

As  feathery  fine  as  lace, 
A  veil  of  cobweb  texture, 

Drawn  o'er  the   sky's  fair  face. 

Those   heaped-up,    billowy   masses, 

The  "cumuli"   in  form, 
Make   continents   and   islands, 

When  days  are  bright  and  warm: 

Strange  shapes  therein  are  sculptured, 

Of  turrets,   faces,   gnomes; 
And   often   things   fantastic, 

Not   found   in   any   tomes. 

The   "cirri,"  high   above  them, 

Those  silvery  films  of  ice, 
Gleam  cold  as   distant   snow-peaks, 

For  cooling  draught  suffice. 

"Mare's  tails   and   mackerel   scales" 

Bear  menace  in  their  look; 
Their  message  and  their  meaning 

We    read,   an    open   book. 

■ — Emma  Peirce. 


Two  people  of  Bellingham  Center 
have  formed  the  habit  of  borrowing 
The  Guide  to  Nature  and  hunting  in 
the  woods  for  the  things  it  describes'. 
One  lady  says,  "I  have  never  taken  so 
much  comfort  in  my  life  before  with  a 
magazine.  Everything  in  it  is  told  so 
sweetly  and  so  simply."  You  people 
at  ArcAdiA  must  have  discourage- 
ments enough  to  meet  and  like  to  know 
when  people  enjoy  the  magazine. — Ed- 
na S.  Knapp,  Caryville,  Massachusetts. 


<««««««c«gc«<«<ggcggg«cc««g««««««c<ccccc«cc<ecc^ 


AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION' 


W<<&<<&&&^ 


Es!ab1Mu.l     1ST 


Incorporated,     Massachusetts,    1892  Incorporated.    Connecticut.    1910 


.-=    a -a^SM",-.    .*»«. 


IN    MEMORIAM. 

HONORABLE    ZENAS    CRANE 

DALTON.    MASSACHUSETTS 

BORN    DECEMBER     8.    1840 
DIED     DECEMBER     17.     1917 


In  the  death  of  the  Honorable  Zenas 
Crane,  The  Agassiz  Association  has 
lost  one  of  its  best  friends  and  liberal 
supporters.  He  was  an  Incorporator 
from  the  first  incorporation  in  Pitts- 
field,  Massachusetts,  in  1892,  to  Decem- 
ber 15,  1908,  when  the  headquarters 
were  changed  to  Stamford  (later  to 
Sound  Beach),  Connecticut,  and  the 
present  Board  of  Trustees  was  orga- 
nized— later  incorporated  in  Connecti- 
cut in  1910. 

Zenas  Crane  received  at  W'illiston 
and  elsewhere  a  thorough  business 
education.  In  1865  he  rented  the  Bay 
State  Mill  and  operated  it  until  May 
15,  1877,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Upon  its  site  was  immediately  erected 
a  larger  mill  by  the  new  firm  of  Zenas 
Crane,  Jr.  &  Brother,  the  junior  part- 
ner being  Winthrop  Murray  Crane. 

Mr.  Crane  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Executive  Council  during  the  adminis- 
tration of  Governor  Robinson  in  T884- 
1887.  He  was  the  senior  director  of  the 
Berkshire  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany, a  director  of  the  Chicago  and 
Northwestern  Railroad,  St.  Paul  and 
Omaha  Railroad,  Boston  and  Albany 
Railroad  and  the  Pittsfield  National 
Bank. 

He  gave  the  Museum  in  Pittsfield 
known  as  the  Berkshire  Museum  of 
Natural  History ;  also  the  Boys'  Club 
in  Pittsfield  erected  in  1906. 

Mr.  Crane  married  Ellen  J.,  daugh- 


ter of  Charles  J.  and  Frances  Kitt- 
redge  of  Hinsdale.  Those  who  survive 
him  include  Mrs.  Crane ;  a  daughter, 
Airs.  Samuel  G.  Colt  of  Pittsfield ;  two 
sons,  Z.  Marshall  Crane  of  Dalton  and 
Charles  K.  Crane  who  is  now  in  Paris 
engaged  in  war  work ;  three  sisters, 
Mrs.  George  T.  Plunkett  of  Hinsdale, 
Miss  Clara  L.  Crane  and  Mrs.  Harry 
O.  Bates  of  Dalton,  and  one  brother, 
Winthrop  Murray  Crane,  former  Gov- 
ernor and  United  States  Senator. 

In  all  ways  Mr.  Crane  was  a  helpful 
citizen,  a  painstaking  trustee  of  the 
wealth  that  became  his  and  a  factor  in 
the  local  life  always  to  be  counted  up- 
on. His  kindly  personality  will  be 
missed  beyond  the  Berkshire  environ- 
ment. He  gave  money  to  Williams 
College,  and  in  other  well  considered 
ways  that  included  the  country  and 
causes  which  took  in  the  welfare  of  the 
world.  For  some  time  back  Mr. 
Crane's  activities  had  been  restricted 
because  of  limitations  which  years  and 
failing  health  had  put  upon  him.  His 
was  a  good  life,  representing  substan- 
tial usefulness  to  his  fellow  men,  and 
so  he  will  be  remembered  and  honored. 

Mr.  Crane  was  greatly  interested  in 
the  study  of  nature.  He  sent  us  a  lib- 
eral check  frequently.  His  last  contri- 
bution was  received  the  week  before 
his  death.  We  have  lost  one  of  our 
very  best  friends. 


[8 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Appreciation  of  the  Agassiz   Method. 

East  Orange,  New  Jersey. 
To  the  Editor: 

In  reading  through  the  pamphlet  on 
The  Agassiz  Association,  I  was  very 
much  struck  with  the  picture  of  the 
Professor  at  the  blackboard  with  a 
piece  of  chalk  in  his  hand.     After  my 


AGASSIZ    AS    A    TEACHER. 

graduation  in  medicine  I  spent  a  most 
delightful  season  in  Cambridge  at  the 
Museum  of  Zoology,  the  pet  scheme 
of  Agassiz,  then  run  by  his  successors 
upon  the  plan  set  down  by  the  founder. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  and  lik- 
able men  I  met  there  was  Count  de 
Pourtales,  who  showed  me  particular 
attention  in  a  thousand  ways,  embody- 
ing in  all  his  teachings  the  simplicity 
of  his  master  whom  he  followed  from 
France.  The  methods  of  teaching  were 
entirely  new  to  me,  contrasting  strange- 
ly with  accustomed  book  study.  My 
Waterloo  surely  stared  me  in  the  face 
when  the  Count  placed  a  starfish  in  front 
of  me,  a  notebook  and  pencil,  with  the 
remark,  "Write  down  what  you  see!" 
For  one  whole  morning  I  did  not  see 
anything  but  blankness,  but  gradually  it 
dawned  upon  me  what  they  wanted,  and 
I  must  say  that  the  old  notebook,  crude 
as  it  was,  is  the  most  cherished  posses- 


sion I  have,  for  it  always  awakens  mem- 
ories of  those  most  delightful  days 
when  I  was  taught  to  see. 

I  lived  in  the  atmosphere  that  seemed 
to  be  a  part  of  Agassiz's  exhaustless 
spirit,  and  the  exponent  of  that  spirit  in 
a  large  degree  was  Count  de  Pourtales. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  recall 
any  incidents  that  could  be  fixed  upon  as 
carrying  out  the  idea  formulated  by  Ag- 
assiz, but  the  whole  general  tone  of  the 
school  was  that  of  seeing  for  yourself. 
It  was  plodding  work,  not  very  much 
accomplished  each  day,  but  the  constant 
effort  to  do  something  yourself  really 
brought  results  eventually. 

This  incident  has  no  public  interest, 
but  I  clearly  remember  dissecting  an 
alcoholic  specimen  of  a  Brazilian  fish 
one  warm  morning,  when  Alexander 
Agassiz  came  through  the  laboratory 
accompanied  by  Dom  Pedro,  the  then 
Emperor.  I  can  find  no  reason  why 
he  should  have  stopped  at  my  table 
and  asked  what  I  was  doing,  but  he 
did,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  telling 
him  that  I  was  studying  one  of  his  own 
country's  fishes,  which  seemed  to 
please  him  mightily,  for  he  continued 
to  ask  me  questions,  some  of  which  I 
could  answer,  others  I  "let  go  by  the 
board." 

There  was  great  informality  in  every- 
thing done  in  the  school,  no  rigid  rules 
for  conduct,  but  nevertheless  there  was 
apparently  an  unwritten  code  that 
kept  the  room  in  a  quiet  state  that  made 
for  study  and  contemplation.  For  it 
did  seem  as  though  at  times  one's 
thoughts  were  looking  through  and 
away  beyond  the  specimen  under  study, 
speculating  upon  many  and  wondrous 
things  suggested  by  the  subject. 

This  I  apprehend  was  what  the 
master  was  looking  for,  to  see  if  he 
could  instill  that  spirit  of  the  imagi- 
nation that  could  carry  you  back,  as 
well  as  forward,  into  the  mysteries  of 
creation.  You  are  aware  of  the  antag- 
onism Agassiz's  views  created  among 
the  adherents  of  the  evolution  theory, 
but  I  apprehend  today,  with  all  the 
so-called  light  science  can  bring,  that 
neither  side  can  be  proven  entirely 
wrong.  I  am  quite  sure  that  evolution 
cannot  prove  everything. 

I  would  like  to  refer  to  one  particu- 
lar faculty  possessed  by  Louis  Agassiz 
which  was  highly  developed,  that  was 


THE  AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


3'9 


his  ability  to  draw  with  both  hands, 
and  simultaneously.  This  feat  I  have 
seen  performed  repeatedly  in  his  pub- 
lic lectures  in  New  York  and  Brook- 
lyn, before  my  course  at  Cambridge. 
It  was  always  a  surprising-,  and  a  some- 


main  idea  in  the  Agassiz  movement,  to 
instill  a  growing  and  a  continuing  in- 
terest in  things  about  you. 

Morgan  YYillcox  Avrks. 


AGASSIZ    AND    COUNT    DE    POURTALES. 

what  speculative  attitude  on  the  part 
of  the  audience,  as  to  whether  both 
pieces  of  chalk  were  coming  out  right 
in  the  end,  but  when  he  started  in  at 
the  head  of  a  fish,  there  was  no  uncer- 
tainty when  both  hands  ended  at  the 
tail!' 

I  have  only  seen  two  other  public 
men  who  could  do  that  feat.  Water- 
house  Hawkins  of  London,  and  John 
C.  Dalton,  Professor  of  Physiology  in 
Columbia.  From  the  fact  that  this 
thing  could  be  done,  it  has  always 
seemed  to  me  that  any  child  that 
showed  a  tendency  toward  being  left- 
handed  should  be  encouraged  in  the 
use  of  that  hand,  while  the  right  one 
was  being  cultivated  at  the  same  time. 
The  contrary  course  is  too  often  fol- 
lowed in  utterly  ignoring  this  ten- 
dency, depriving  the  adult  of  an  ex- 
tremely useful  and  practical  addendum 
to  his  outfit. 

I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot  add  more 
to  what  I  have  already  said,  but  my  ap- 
prenticeship was  a  long  while  ago,  but 
one  thing  I  can  say — that  what  little  T 
learned  in  my  brief  sojourn  in  Cam- 
bridge has  always  been  a  stimulus  to 
learn  more,  and  this  I  apprehend  is  the 


Good  Words  for  Our  Work. 

by  g.  stanley  hall,  ph-d.,  ll.d.,  in 
"youth,  its  education,  regimen  and 
hygiene/' 

"The  Agassiz  Association,  founded 
in  1875  'to  encourage  personal  work  in 
natural  science,'  now  numbers  some 
twenty-five  thousand  members  with 
Chapters  distributed  all  over  the  coun- 
try, and  was  said  by  the  late  Professor 
Hyatt  to  include  'the  largest  number 
of  persons  ever  bound  together  for  the 
purpose  of  mutual  help  in  the  study  of 
nature.'  It  furnishes  practical  courses 
of  study  in  the  sciences ;  has  local 
Chapters  in  thousands  of  towns  and 
cities  in  this  and  other  countries  ;.  pub- 
lishes a  monthly  organ,  'The  Swiss 
Cross,'*  to  facilitate  correspondence 
and  exchange  specimens ;  has  a  small 
endowment,  a  badge,  is  incorporated, 
and  is  animated  by  a  spirit  akin  to  that 
of  University  Extension  ;  and,  although 
not  exclusively  for  young  people,  is 
chiefly   sustained   by   them." 

*Later  succeeded  by  The  Guide  to 
Nature. 


Our  Ernest  Thompson  Seton  Chapter. 

Officers  :  President,  Carol  Marmon  ; 
Vice-President,  Cecile  Dudley  ;  Record- 
ing and  Corresponding  Secretary, 
Charlotte  Driggs ;  Treasurer,  Monroe 
O'Flynn  ;  Curator  of  Collections,  Wil- 
liam Hoisington.  Number  of  mem- 
bers, twenty. 

In  the  year  1916  we  organized  an 
Ernest  Thompson  Seton  Chapter  of 
The  Agassiz  Association.  It  was  quite 
successful  and  all  Wabanaki  took  an 
interest  in  it.  So  this  year  it  was  con- 
tinued with  new  officers  elected. 

We  have  decided  to  use  as  a  meet- 
ing place  Casa  Penikese,  a  small  cabin 
which  is  really  an  ideal  spot  quite  a 
distance  away  from  the  Mesa  (the 
main  building)  with  a  fireplace  and 
long  rows  of  shelves  on  which  the  cura- 
tor can  arrange  our  nature  specimens. 

We  are  to  hold  regular  meetings 
once  a  month  but  go  on  observing  out- 
ings at  least  once  a  week,  usually  on 
Wednesdays.  We  have  lectures,  some 
with    lantern    slides.      Sometimes    we 


320 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


THE  SKATERS  IN  FRONT  OF  ARCADIA. 


talk  about  the  stars  and  on  our  visits 
to  ArcAdiA,  at  Sound  Beach,  we  look 
through  a  telescope  and  see  mountains 
and  craters  and  plains  on  the  moon. 
We  also  see  planets  and  double  stars. 

Caroe  Marmon,  President. 

Charlotte  Driggs,  Secretary. 


The  museum  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  has  been  exhibiting  a 
new  collection  of  South  American  pot- 
tery, the  work  of  a  long  extinct  race  of 
which  not  even  the  tradition  remains. 
Among  other  features  are  immense 
funeral  jars  in  which  two  entire  human 
bodies  could  be  seated  side  by  side. 


The  United  States  Bureau  of  Fish- 
eries is  just  beginning  systematic  and 
detailed  work  on  the  edible  clams  of 
the  Pacific  coast.  Little  is  yet  known 
of  their  life  history ;  but  there  seem 
to  be  great  possibilities  of  a  cheap  food 
supply. 


ArcAdiA  at  Several  Ages. 

The  found  of  the  seasons  brings  an 

ever     changing     series     of     panoramic 

views  at  ArcAdiA,  represented  by  the 

climes  and  ages  of  the  year.      In   our 

January  number  we  showed  the  snow 
age.  Just  previously  to  that  we  could 
readily  have  shown,  as  was  explained 
in  the  article,  the  gondola  age  when  all 
our  buildings,  paths  and  fields  present- 
ed a  fairly  good  picture  of  Venice.  It 
is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  one 
could  have  gone  all  over  Nymphalia 
and  parts  of  our  garden  in  a  flat-bot- 
tomed boat.  Then  came  a  long,  dry, 
cold  snap  and  the  glacial  age  was  rep- 
resented, much  to  the  delight  of  the 
young  people  who  found  the  skating 
on  the  Maher  premises  in  front  of  Ar- 
cAdiA, and  also  in  Nymphalia,  our 
nature  study  park,  entirely  satisfactory, 
as  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  illus- 
tration. 


Please  remember  this  educational  uplifting  work  in  making  your  wfll. 

3Form  of  Hrqunst  tn  tljr  AaHnriattnn 

/  hereby  give  and  bequeath  to  7  he  Agassi?  Association,  an  incorporated, 
association,  having  its  principal  executive  office  at  A"rcAdiA,  in  Sound  Beach, 
in  the  town  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  the  sum  of dollars 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


XI 


Trade  Mark  Reg. 


Mattress  $15.  up 

Look  Forth  at  the  Morning  After  a  Perfect  Night's  Rest 

If  your  dealer  can't  supply,  do  not  accept  a  substitute,  but 
send  us  $15  for  a  full-size  Ostermoor,  express  prepaid.  Money 
back  if  not  satisfied  after  30  days'  trial. 

A  postal  brings  144-page  book  of  mattresses,  springs, 
cushions,  etc.,  with  many  samples  of  tickings. 

OSTERMOOR  &  COMPANY  116  Elizabeth  Street.  New  York 

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PHILIPPINE    LAND    SHELLS 


If  you  are  interested  in  nature, 
you  should  have  a  collection  of 
above.  They  are  among  the 
most  beautiful  and  interesting  in 
the  World.  I  have  sold  them  to 
teachers,  collectors,  schools,  art 
clubs  and  all  classes  of  people 
who  love  the  beautiful  in  nature. 
These  shells  are  of  the  most  dainty 
coloring  known,  range  from  1  to 
4  inch  with  many  tiny  forms,  to 
All  are  in  perfect  order,  scientifi- 
cally collected  and  prepared,  with  accurate  name,  locality. 
habits,  etc.  Will  be  sent  on  selection  if  desired.  Fine 
collection  for  $5.00  Larger  collections  showing  complete 
range  of  coloration  up  to  $100.  Fists  free.  I  carry  the 
largest  stock  of  named  scientific  shells  in  the  world  and 
wish  to  correspond  with  collectors  of  means  who  would 
enjoy  building  up  a  real  collection.  Walter  F.  Webb,  202 
Westminister    Road,    Rochester,    N.    Y.,    U.    S.    A. 


those  who   love   such. 


Forest  Conservation  on  Big  Scale! 

"I  venture  to  assert,"  said  the  lectur- 
er, "that  there  isn't  a  man  in  this  audi- 
ence who  has  ever  done  anything  to 
prevent  the  destruction  of  our  forests." 

A  modest-looking  man  in  the  back  of 
the  hall  stood  up. 

"I — er — I've  shot  woodpeckers,"  he 
said. — Boston   Transcript. 


In  nature's  changes  through  the  year, 

Enchantments  never  cease; 
Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness, 

And  all   her  paths  are  peace. 

— Emma  Peirce. 


XII 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


Gold  Medal  Crayons; 

Highest  Aivard  Always 


-  ».     --....- 


"SPECTRA" 

PASTEL  CRAYON 
EIGHT  COLORS 

MADE  ev 

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London  -  Paris  -  Hamburg" 


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BINNEY  &  SMITH  CO., 

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Unsurpassed  I 


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Compound  or  Ilex  high-speed  shutter  is 
still  unsurpassed  in  practical  efficiency, 
portability  and  real  service.  The  GOERZ 
DAGOR  F/6.8  has  never  been  surpassed 
as  one  of  the  finest  all-around  anistig- 
mats  ever  constructed — it  meets  every 
up-to-the-minute  photographic  require- 
ment. The  ANSCO  V.  P.  SPEEDEX 
is  the  only  camera  of  its  kind — it  em- 
bodies the  best  in  American  camera- 
manufacture.  We  can  furnish  the  ANS- 
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your   name   and   address   to-day. 

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handle     can     pull     96,000     V 


lbs.  or  48  tons.     Think  of  it!     This  is  more  power  than  16  horses  de 


Also  used  by  many  States  and  Countries.  I  have  pulled  3,000  stumps  with  it,  without 
help !  It  will  pull  any  stump  that  a  1-inch  cable  will  hold.  Made  of  Krupp  steel.  Built  to 
last  a  life-time.  Absolutely  guaranteed.  Works  on  any  kind  of  land,  dry  or  wet,  hard  or 
soft,  hilly  or  level.  Weighs  171  lbs.  Easily  moved  and  handled  by  one  man.  Send  for 
my  special  money-saving  offer,  valuable  free  book  on  land  clearing  and  actual  guaranteed 
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WALTER  J.  FITZPATRICK.  Box  L,  182  5th  Street,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


Managing  Editor 

Published  Monthly  hy  THE  AGASSIZ    ASSOCIATION 
AucAdiA.  SOUND  BEACH,  CONN. 

Sub»criPtion,*l.00  a  Year;  Sjngje  Copy,  10  cents 


ID1 


GREENWICH 


mmran 
£  LUXE 


THE    EDIT  HON 

OF  CONNECTICUT  TOWNS 


GREENWICH 


You  Can't  Lose 

Make  a  list  of  your  papers  of  value, 
jewelry,  etc.,  that  you  have  scattered 
about  your  home.  Figure  out  what 
it  would  cost  to  restore  them.  Could 
they  be  replaced  at  any  price?  To  one 
side  of  this  figure  put  the  premium  on 
burglar  insurance  to  cover  this 
amount.  On  the  other  side  place  the 
amount  of  the  rental   charge  for  our 

Safe  Deposit  Boxes. 

Burglar  insurance  doesn't  cover  your 

entire  loss,  for  such  a  loss  cannot 

be  computed  in  dollars  and  cents. 

A  SAFE  DEPOSIT  BOX 
Means  you  cannot  lose. 


THE 

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has  good  transportation  facilities  to 
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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  too  call  or  write. 

Laurence  Timmons 

Tel.  456  7    Opp.  Depot       Greenwich,  Conn 


"HAVE  A  TAXI" 

Watch  for  the  Cars  with  a   Green 
Stripe  or  a  Green  Light. 


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■= 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


V 


THE  STAMFORD  LUMBER 

GO. 

LUMBER 

Sash   Doors,  Blinds  and  Window 

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WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL 

OFFICE   AND    YARD,    297    PACIFIC   STREET. 

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A  "Feather  Weight"  Derby 

Mr.  Good  Dressers  choice.     Made  in  our 
own  factory  of  finest   Cony  Fur 


$3.00 


MAIL    ORDERS    PROMPTLY    FILLED 

THE    COMES-NORTHROP    CO. 
445  Main  Street,  Stamford,  Conn. 


9531  Food  Conservation  Uniform  36,  40,  44  bust. 
Price   10  cents. 

Every  householder  is  interested  in  the  question  of  con- 
servation of  food.  Here  is  the  costume  accepted  by  the 
Hoover  commission  and  which  is  to  be  worn  by  the 
women  who  have  signed  the  pledge.  For  such  use,  it 
should  be  made  of  plain  blue  with  white  trimming.  Here, 
it  is  worn  by  an  active  housewife  and  is  made  of  plaid 
gingham  with  trimming  of  plain  color.  Since  it  will  be  in 
demand  for  general  wear  as  well  as  by  the  signers  in  the 
pledge,  that  suggestion  is  a  good  one.  It  is  a  very  smart, 
attractive  looking  costume.  You  can  wear  it  as  an  apron, 
or  you  can  wear  it  as  a  gown.  The  single  button  and  but- 
tonhole in  the  belt  effect  the  closing,  consequently,  it  is 
exceedingly  easy  to  slip  on  and  off.  Women  who  find 
themselves  compelled  to  do  with  less  help  than  usual  this 
season   will   find  the  apron   valuable. 


BORG  BROTHERS 

Chemical   and   Analytical   Laboratories 

for  Special  Research  Work 

539  MAIN  ST. 

STAMFORD        :-:        CONNECTICUT 


Telephone,  270 
271 


Uptown  Office:  STARK  BROS. 

40    PARK    ROW 


GHAS.  F.  WATERBURY 
David    Waterbury     &    Son 

COAL  DRAIN   PIPE  WOOD 

Crushed  Stone  for  Walks  and  Drives 

YARDS:     Canal  Dock,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 


VI 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


F.  Beehler,  Retiring. 

We  have  lost  an  advertisement — that 
of  Beehler,  Stamford.  His  patriotism 
shown  in  sending  his  sons  out  of  his 
business  to  war,  together  with  not  the 
best  of  health,  make  it  necessary  for 
him  to  close  the  business.  Mr.  Beeh- 
ler was  a  regular  advertiser  in  The 
Guide  to  Nature  for  many  years,  and 
highly  appreciative  of  this  magazine 
as  a  local  advertising  medium,  and  of 
ArcAdiA  as  a  community  center.  We 
have  always  felt  that  he  had  for  us  a 
personal  bond  of  interest  and  that  his 
heart  was  with  us  in  our  great  work. 

We  can  but  reciprocate  this  kindly 
good  will  and  give  expression  to  what 
everybody  in  Stamford  and  vicinity 
knows,  that  Mr.  Beehler  has  conducted 
a  first-class  business  in  men's  furnish- 
ing goods  and  in  a  manner  highly 
creditable  to  himself  and  satisfactory 
to  his  customers.  Personally  he  has 
been  popular  with  a  large  number  of 
men  who  regard  him  as  a  royal  good 
fellow  and  highly  appreciate  his  social 
qualities  and  his  ability  to  entertain  a 
company.  His  oratorical  and  recitative 
accomplishments  are  better  than  those 
of  the  average  amateur  and,  had  he 
not  been  so  successful  as  a  business 
man,  he  would  perhaps  have  turned 
his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his 
next  best  talent— that  of  public  enter- 
taining. The  ability  to  entertain 
seems  not  so  much  to  "depend  upon  tal- 
ent as  on  royal  genuine  good  will  to- 
ward an  assemblage  of  people.  We 
take  great  pleasure  in  extending  to 
Mr.  Beehler  the  personal  and  hearty 
good  will  of  the  editor  of  this  magazine 
and  of  every  one  who  has  assisted  in 
the  development  and  efficiency  of  The 
Agassiz  Association. 


Where  to  Begin  to  Win  This  War. 

In  the  national  crisis  there  are  just 
two  points : 

i.     We  must  win  this  war. 
2.     We  are  going  to  win  it ! 

Had  a  letter  from  Horace  W.  Graves 
at  Camp  Funston  the  other  day.  He 
says  that  the  boys  are  all  right,  all 
right,  thank  you,  and  gives  the  laconic 
advice  not  to  worry  about  the  "poor 
soldier"  but  take  care  of  the  people  at 
home.  Now  that  is  good  philosophy. 
The  soldiers  can  be  trusted  to  do  their 
duty.     It's  up  to  us  at  home. 

Have  had  several  letters  from  Uncle 
Sam  down  at  Washington.  He  says, 
"Food  will  win  this  war."  Aye,  there's 
where  it's  up  to  us.  We've  got  to  get 
more  food.  We  must  tickle  the  earth 
with  hoe  and  plough  and  a  lot  of  other 
agricultural  tools  till  Old  Mother  Na- 
ture laughs  with  a  harvest. 

Of  course  everybody  who  reads  this 
magazine  knows  that  the  place  to  get 
agricultural  implements  is  at  The 
Lockwood  &  Palmer  Co.'s  big  store, 
where  everybody  goes  to  begin  to  win 
this  war  by  solving  the  more  food  prob- 
lem. 


GREENWICH  INN 

SOUND  BEACH.  CONN. 

On  the  Water,  50  Minutes  from  N.Y. 

Open  lune  to  October.  Accom- 
modates 200.  Frequent  trains.  Golf. 
Tennis.  Bathing.  Boating,  Garage. 
Fxcellent  orchestra.  Fresh  vege- 
tables from  our  own  farm. 


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. 


Volume  X 


APRIL,     1918 


Number  11 


How  Honeybees  Produce  Honeycomb. 

By  Edward  F.  Bigelow,  ArcAdiA:  Sound  Beach,  Connecticut. 

j  CONTINUED  FROM  THE  FEBRUARY  NUMBER.] 

Unanimous  Support  of  the  Thesis    by    Eminent    Natural    Scientists. 


SOME  of  our  readers  have  re- 
marked, intending  to  be  compli- 
mentary as  to  the  thesis,  that  the 
demonstration  is  so  plain  that  they  do 
not  see  any  reason  why  anybody 
should  think  anything  else,  and  conse- 
quently they  do  not  see  any  excuse  foi 
using  fourteen  pages  of  the  February 
number  to  prove  an  evident  fact.  From 
my  point  of  view  the  thesis  is  so  con 
vincmg  that  these  criticisms  of  wasted 
space  are  well  founded. 

In   this   number  we  publish   the   un 


Some  one  has  defined  commerce  as 
the  taking  of  goods  from  a  place  where 
there  is  a  supply  to  a  place  where  there 
is  none.  I  have  for  a  long  time  known 
that  the  leading  laboratories  of  the 
land  are  in  accord  with  what  I  call  my 
thesis,  though  I  distinctly  assert  that 
I  claim  no  originality  except  in  the 
method  of  demonstration.  Several 
years  ago  I  began  to  tell  some  beekeep- 
ers that  natural  scientists  do  not  agree 
with  them.  The  beekeepers  maintained 
that    they    are    right    and    the    natural 


qualified    support    of   many    prominent      scientists  wrong.     My  purpose  in  using 

so  much  space  for  the  text  and  illus- 
trations was  not  only  to  carry  know- 
ledge from  where  it  exists  to  where  it 
does  not  but  to  carry  it  in  a  convincing 
manner.  I  believe  this  to  be  the  proper 
work  of  Hie  Agassiz  Association,  that 
clearing  house  of  information.  I  have 
never  desired  to  make  original  discov- 
eries except  in  methods  of  popular  ex- 
ploitation. The  .original  publication 
and  the  following  letters  from  the 
ablest  scientists  of  this  country  should 
forever  establish  the  fact  that  the  hexa- 
gons of  honeybees  are  the  outcome  of 


scientists.     They  fully  sustain  the  the- 
sis. 

But  it  is  necessary  to  settle  this 
question  everlastingly  and  authorita- 
tively. I  am  not  publishing  the  letters 
of  some  who  disagree  with  the  theory 
especially  of  prominent  scientists  thai 
frankly  and  surprisingly  admit  that 
they  do  not  know.  Several  of  our  in- 
fluential textbooks  and,  as  mentioned 
in  the  previous  number,  some  of  oui 
leading  bee  journals  insist  on  the  act- 
ual "intentional"  hexagonal  construc- 
tion. 


Copyright   1918  by  The  Agassiz  Association,   ArcAdiA:   Sound   Beach,   Conn. 


322 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


strictly  physical  laws  and  not  the  re- 
sult of  blind  instinct  nor  of  any  bio- 
logical "intent"  and  still  less  of  any- 
thing in  any  way  approaching  an  intel- 
ligence almost  superior  to  human  intel- 
ligence. 


My  Thesis  and  the  Darwinian  Theory. 

In  my  article  on  "How  Honeybees 
Produce  Honeycomb,"  page  256  of  our 
number  for  February,  I  made  this 
statement  in  regard  to  the  bees :  "  They 
never  yet  have  been  able  to  make  a 
hexagon  nor  to  learn  how  to  make  one, 
Darwin  and  a  host  of  minor  lights 
chiefly  the  utilitarian  beekeepers,  to 
the   contrary   notwithstanding." 

I  did  not  mean  to  imply  that  I  dis- 
agree wholly  with  Darwin  and  with 
the  utilitarian  beekeepers  for  on  some 
phases  of  the  discussion  I  am  in  per- 
fect agreement  with  them.  In  develop- 
ing the  demonstration  I  could  not  ex- 
plain all  points  of  view,  but  several 
scientific  friends  who  cordially  sup- 
port my  thesis  say  that  Darwin  held  a 
similar  opinion  and  that  I  am  in  accord 
with  him.  One  learned  professor  says 
that  I  do  injustice  to  Darwin  when  I 
imply  that  there  is  any  disagreement. 

Darwin  was  a  careful  observer,  and 
was  nearly  always  correct  in  his  ob- 
servations and  in  the  statement  of 
facts,  but  not  all  of  us  will  agree  with 
all  his  deductions.  He  was  so  intent  up- 
on strengthening  his  thesis  of  the  strug- 
gle for  existence,  natural  selection,  sur- 
vival of  the  fittest,  etc.,  that  he  used 
some  facts  as  a  part  of  his  philosophy 
that  in  my  opinion  do  not  belong  there. 
The  very  fact  that  in  his  "The  Origin 
of  Species"  he  devoted  space  to  the 
subject  of  comb  building  shows  that 
he  regarded  it  as  part  of  his  theory  of 
evolution.  Many  aspects  of  honeybees 
and  perhaps  even  of  comb  building! 
rightly  belong  in  a  philosophy  of  evo- 
lution but  the  structure  of  the  hexa- 
gons does  not.     I  quote  from  him  : 

"By  such  modifications  of  instincts 
which  in  themselves  are  not  very  won- 
derful,— hardly  more  wonderful  than 
those  which  guide  a  bird  to  make  its 
nest, — I  believe  that  the  hive-bee  has 
acquired,  through  natural  selection,  her 
inimitable  architectural  powers." 

"That  individual  swarm  which  thus 
made  the  best  cells  with  least  labour 


and  least  waste  of  honey  in  the  secre- 
tion of  wax,  having  succeeded  best,  and 
having  transmitted  their  newly-ac- 
quired economical  instincts  to  new 
swarms,  which  in  their  turn  will  have 
had  the  best  chance  of  succeeding  in 
the  struggle  for  existence." 

Aye,  there's  the  rub.  "Has  acquired 
....  her  inimitable  architectural  pow- 
ers," and  "newly-acquired  economical 
instincts."  On  the  structure  of  the 
hexagons  I  agree  as  perfectly  with  Dar- 
win as  I  would  in  a  discussion  of  hex- 
agonal soap  bubbles,  but  I  deny  that 
there  have  been  any  acquired  instincts, 
etc.  Whenever  hexagons  were  pro- 
duced as  a  result  of  the  honeybees 
working  in  wax,  they  were  solely  the 
result  of  physical  laws  as  perfectly  as 
they  are  now  and  for  the  same  reason. 

Let  me  illustrate  by  a  partly  imigi- 
nary  story.  I  was  taking  a  company 
of  pupils  on  an  inspection  tour  through 
an  insane  asylum  and  its  grounds.  As 
we  were  walking  in  a  picturesque 
place,  an  attendant  called  my  attention 
to  an  old  man  sitting  in  the  shade  of 
a  tree  with  a  basket  of  balls  that  he  was 
tossing  one  after  another  in  the  air. 
Said  the  attendant,  "I  think  you  will 
find  his  answer  interesting  if  you  ask 
him  what  he  is  doing." 

"Yes,  sir,"  the  old  man  said,  "I  am 
quite  an  expert  in  making  these  balls 
come  down  to  the  ground.  When  I 
was  a  young  boy  I  began  to  throw 
balls  into  the  air;  they  did  not  come 
down  very  well,  but  I  have  practised 
at  this  all  my  life,  and  now,"  as  he  tos- 
sed another,  "you  see  I  have  acquired 
an  instinct.  I  possess  inimitable  gravi- 
tational powers  so  that  after  these  long 
decades  of  practise  I  can  bring  them 
down  in  a  perfect  manner." 

In  the  building  was  another  aged 
person  with  a  clay  pipe  and  soapy 
water  engaged  in  blowing  a  pile  of  bub- 
bles on  a  plate.  Said  the  attendant. 
"That  man  thinks  he  is  a  geometric 
artist." 

"Yes,  sir,'  he  replied,  "I  am  a  skilled 
man  because  I  have  all  my  life  practised 
blowing  bubbles.  I  began  when  I  was 
a  boy  and  obtained  inferior  hexagonal 
results  within  the  pile,  but  there  is 
nothing  like  keeping  at  it.  I  have 
practiced  all  my  life  and,"  to  illustrate 
his  argument  he  dipped  his  pipe  in  the 
suds,  "now,  you  see,  I  have  acquired 


HOW  HONEYBEES  PRODUCE  HONEYCOMB  323 

new    soap    bubble    instincts    that   give  As  a  matter  of  fact  in  my  lectures  to 

me,  sir,  the  title  of  geometrical,  hexa-  my  classes  I  have  always  held  to  that 

gonal  artist.     You  will  be  surprised  to  opinion  and  have  tried  to  demonstrate 

learn  that  my  first  soap  bubbles  were  experimentally  the  fact  that  such  forms 

like  the  cells  of  a  bumblebee,  but  I  have  cannot   be   formed   in    any   other   way 

gradually  worked  through  the  various  than  by  pressure.    The  distribution  of 

stages.      It   took   me   decades   and   de-  pressure  in  the  fluid  content  would  in- 

cades  but  I  have  at  last  come  to  artistic  evitably  result  in  the  circular  outline 

perfection."  of  the  bounding  walls  unless  they  were 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  gravita-  absolutely  rigid.     The  evidence  given 

tion,  not  skill,  brought  the  balls  to  the  by  the  free  cells  in  the  comb  seems  to 

ground,  and  that  pressure  made  beau-  me  to  be  sufficient  justification  for  this 

tiful  angles  within  the  pile  of  bubbles,  opinion. 

That  is  the  way  in  which  I  feel  I  congratulate  you,  however,  on  hav- 
about  Darwin's  claim  as  a  part  of  his  ing  worked  out  the  thesis  in  such  corn- 
evolutionary  theory  that  honeybees  plete  detail  and  in  having  massed  the 
have  learned  how  to  make  hexagons,  arguments  in  favor  of  it  in  such  a  cora- 
The  honeybee,  instead  of  learning  plete  and  convincing  fashion.  From 
could  not  from  the  very  first  have  my  point  of  view  you  are  absolutely 
avoided  making  hexagons,  when  she  correct. 
rubs  off  rough  wax  and  scrapes  the  in- 
terior of  her  rising  cylindrical  pile  of  a  nothing  left  to  be  said  on  the  other 
series  of  circles  of  wax.  side. 

Stanford  University,  California:  David 

cannot  add  or  state  the  case  better.  Starr  Jordan,  Chancellor. 

Yale    University,     Osborn    Zoological  I  do  not  think  that  you  have  left  any 

Laboratory,   New  Haven,   Connecti-  opportunity  for  anything  to  be  said  on 

cut:  Alexander  Petrunkevitch,  Pro-  the  other  side.     Bees  make  hexagons 

fessor  of  Zoology,  Sheffield  Scientific  because  being  round  animals  working 

School.  close  together,  they  cannot  make  any- 

I  have  carefully  read  your  article,  and  tmn§"  but  cylinders,  and  cylinders  be- 

find  that  I  cannot  add  anything  to  it,  c?me  hexagons  where  they  lie  side  by 

nor  state  the  case  better.    There  can  be  Slde- 

no  question  whatever  as  to  the  truth  ***** 

of  your  statement   that   the   hexagons  "1  AGREE  with  you/' 

are  the  outcome  of  physical  forces.    In  Harvard  University,  Bussey  Institution 


former  years  I  have  worked  a  great  for  Research  in  Applied  Biology, 
deal  on  bees  and  have  noticed  the  ir-  Forest  Hills,  Boston,  Massachusetts : 
regularity  of  the  cells  to  which  you  call  Economic  Entomology,  Professor 
attention  and  which  is  apparent  even  tc  W  M>  wheeler  Dean 
a  casual  observer.  There  is  no  more  in- 
tention in  the  hexagon  construction  of  In  reg"ard  to  your  paper  on  the  hon- 
the  bee  cell  than  in  the  spiral  curve  of  eybee  l  would  say  that  I  agree  with 
a  snail  or  the  radial  structure  of  a  ^ou  tnat#the  fundamental  shape  of  the 
starfish.  bee  ce^  is  circular  in  cross  section.  I 
*****  believe  the  paper  making  wasps  show 
"you  are  absolutely  correct"  tne  transition  from  circular  to  hexa- 
Purdue    University,    Lafayette,    Indi-  ?onalcells  m«ch  better  than  the  bees. 

ana :  School  of  Science,  Stanley  Coul-  The  ?rSt  cdI  formf d  ^  the  ™other  1S 

ter,  Dean.  circular    as    are    also    the    cells    built 

'             "  around    it,    until    they   are    carried    up 

1  think  that  you  prove  your  thesis  high    enough    to    interfere    with    the 

beyond  _  the    possibility    of    successful  other  cells  when  the  outlines  become 

contradiction.     I  have  for  a  long  time  hexagonal.      This    is    beautifully   seen 

been  perfectly  convinced  that  the  hex-  in  any  of  the  combs  of  any  of  our  pa- 

agonal  shape  of  the  honeybee  cells  was  per  wasp  nests  and  has  been  carefully 

due  to  pressure  and  not  to  any  opera-  worked  out  by  Janet  in  his  papers  on 

tive  intelligence  on  the  part  of  the  bee.  the  European  wasps 


3-?4 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


literai.lv  CHECKED  up  HIS  APPRECIATION 
0E   A   "MUCH    NEEDED   SCIENTIFIC   JOB- 

Doctor  George  M.  Gould,  Atlantic  City 
New  Jersey.  Author  of  a  long  list  ot 
scientific  books. 

I  am  so  delighted  with  your  admir- 
able article  on  honeycomb  that  1  am 
sending  von  a  little  cheque  Lor  ?  10.00 
subscription  account.  The  Guide  to  Na- 
ture You  have  done  a  much  needed 
scientific  job!  It  is  strange  that  alter 
the  long  and  numerous  studies  ot  the 
bee  you  have  outdone  all  the  students 
in  solving  the  riddle.  1  have  long  had 
a  suspicion  that  something  was  wrong 

with  the  hexagonal  theory. 
***** 

"l    SEE    NO   REASON    TO   DOUBT    YOUR    CON- 
CLUSIONS." 

University  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadel- 
phia, Zoological  Laboratory :  Profes- 
sor C.  E.  McClung.  Zoologist. 

It  seems  to  me  that  your  account  is 
very  plausible  and  reasonable.  Upon 
theoretical  grounds  T  see  no  reason  to 
doubt  your  conclusions.  The  work  of 
your  Association  would  seem  to  be  of  a 
character  to  do  much  good  for  general 
biology  in  this  country  and  I  wish  you 
much  success.  I  hope  the  time  will 
come  when  such  agencies  as  yours  re- 
ceive the  practical  encouragement  due 
them.  You  noted  no  doubt  the  place 
assigned  science  in  the  program  of  the 
Labor  Party  of  England.  It  was  most 
encouraging  to  find  the  appreciation 
of  the  fundamental  position  of  science 

in  human  affairs. 

***** 

"PROVE    YOUR    POSTULATE    ....    BEYOND 
QUESTION." 

The    Brooklyn    Institute   of    Arts    and 
Sciences,  Department  of  Education 
Professor  John  J.  Schoonhoven,  De 
partment  of  Zoology. 

Permit  me  to  express  my  apprecia- 
tion of  your  interesting  and  illumina- 
ting article  on  the  honeybee  in  Thj 
Guide  to  Nature.  Your  investigations 
seem  to  me  to  prove  your  postulate  ir 
regard  to  the  formation  of  bee  cells  be 
vond  question.  You  have  done  a  dis- 
tinct service  for  students  by  these  stud- 
ies and  investigations.  Too  often 
traditional  knowledge  goes  unchalleng- 
ed   especially    concerning    matters    of 


everyday  experience  and  no  one  think? 
of  subjecting  them  to  the  acid  test  o, 

science  as  you  have  done. 

***** 

"yOUR  ARTICLE  SEEMS  TO  MAKE  IT  CLEAR." 

State  Normal  College,  Ypsilanti,  Mich- 
igan: F.  R.  Gorton,  Professor  of 
Physics. 

I  have  read  your  article  on  comb 
building  with  a  great  deal  of  interest. 
It  is  my  feeling  that  we  are  apt  to  give 
animals  and  insects  credit  for  much 
sagacity  and  highly  developed  instincts 
where  it  is  not  merited.  In  fact  a  be- 
ing of  a  superlative  order  might  offer 
certain  operations  of  the  human  race  as 
evidence  of  marked  genius  in  cases 
where  man  has  simply  followed  physi- 
cal laws. 

I  have  the  greatest  admiration  for 
the  honeybee  which  has  been  a  source 
of  amusement  as  well  as  amazement 
for  many  years.  Its  so-called  instincts 
are  remarkable  and  afford  many  points 
of  vantage  of  which  we  can  make  use 
in  the  handling  of  a  colony.  Neverthe- 
less, it  is  for  the  scientist  to  discover 
if  possible  what  are  actually  instincts 
and  what  are  purely  physical  opera- 
tions. I  think  your  thesis  is  correct  in 
the  main,  but  f  should  like  to  present 
an  additional  fact  or  two  which  seem 
to  bear  upon  the  subject  somewhat  vi- 
tally. 

Your  article  seems  to  make  it  clear 
as  to  the  spacing  of  cells  when  started 
on  plain  foundation,  and  it  is  also 
plain  that  if  the  cell  walls  are  to  be 
worked  thin  by  pressing  and  scraping" 
they  will  be  worked  out  to  rather  sharp 
ansfles  which  will  be  more  or  less  roun- 
ded  out  as  the  bees  leave  much  or  little 
wax  in  the  finishing  process.  Eurther, 
cells  might  be  three,  four,  five,  six,  or 
more  sided  if  it  were  not  for  two  physi- 
cal facts  (1)  the  cell  must  be  symmet- 
rical from  the  fact  that  it  is  measured, 
worked,  and  fitted  around  the  body  of 
the  bee,  and  (2)  it  must  include  an 
angle  which  is  contained  in  360  degrees, 
or  at  least  nearly  so.  Three  and  four- 
sided  cells  satisfy  the  second  condition 
perfectly,  but  conform  too  poorly  to 
the  shape  of  a  bee's  body.  In  brief,  the 
six-sided  figure  is  the  only  flat-sided 
symmetrical  cell  which  does  fulfill  both 
conditions.  It  is  not  that  the  bee  knows 
how  to  make  the  hexagonal  cell,  but  be 


HOW  HONEYBEES  PRODUCE  HONEYCOMB 


325 


cause  she  can  build  no  other  with  the 
building"  processes  at  her  command 
when  it  comes  to  grouping-  cells  side  by 
side  with  their  openings  even.  Freak 
cells  arise  when  abnormal  conditions 
are  forced  upon  the  insect,  as  at  the 
edge  of  the  comb,  drone  cells,  queen 
cells,  etc.  The  most  remarkable  thing 
about  the  honeybee,  to  my  mind,  is  not 
its  ability  to  build  a  comb  of  wonderful 
beauty  and  symmetry,  but  in  the  unex- 
celled   equipment    which    Nature    has 


detract  from  the  feasible  character  of 
the  theory. 

SgE  3|C  3jC  3|C  SfC 

"my  personal  opinion  that  you  are 
essentially  correct." 

The  University  of  Texas,  Austin:  Pro- 
fessor D.  B.  Casteel,  School  of  Zoo- 
logy. Author  of  "The  Manipulation 
of  the  Wax  Scales  of  the  Honeybee." 

For  the  last  few  years  I  have  been 
engaged  in  another  line  of  research,  so 
do  not  feel  entirely  competent  to  give 


given  so  small  a  body  to  produce  and      you  an  opinion  upon  your  thesis.   How- 


care  for  half  a  dozen  entirely  different 
products,  with  perfect  precision  select- 
ing each  for  its  best  use.  Can  these 
capacities  be  as  well  explained  as  can 
the   process   of  cell   building? 

"\  most  certainly  agree  with  your 
view." 

Garrett  P.  Serviss,  Closten  New  Jer- 
sey: Well-known,  skilled  writer  of 
popular  science  articles. 

I    most    certainly    agree    with    your 
view  that  the  bee,  like  other  construct- 
ing insects,   works   on   the  basis   of   a 
circle,  turning  around  her  own  center 
of  gravity  as  a  sort  of  fulcrum.     Dar- 
win, as  I  remember,  demonstrated  this 
fact.     It  is  easy  to  see  how  the  hexa- 
gonal form  arises  from  the  simple  in- 
tersection of  circles  placed   at   central 
distances     determined     by     the     bees 
crowding  as  closely  as  convenient  for 
working.     A  single  bee  working  alone 
will  make  a  circular  cell.  That  fact  alone 
demonstrates  the  truth  of  the  view  that 
the  hexagonal  shape  of  crowded  cells 
is    merely    a    mathematical    necessity 
arising   out    of   the    situation    and    not 
originating  in  the  brain  of  the  bee. 

:fc        j)5        H*        %        ^ 
POETRY   WONT  CHANGE  FACTS. 

Hanover  College.  Indiana:  Professor 
L.  L.  Huber.  Department  of  Chemis- 
try and  Biology. 

I  have  read  with  unusual  interest 
your  article.  "Mow  Honeybees  Pro- 
duce Honeycomb."  especially  since 
your  theory  concerning  the  "form  of 
the  wax-cell  corresponds  to  a  personal 
theory  that  I  have  fostered  for  some 
time  myself.  I  know  of  course  that  a 
good  number  of  the  "orthodox"  poeti- 
cally inclined  nature  worshippers  who 
indulge  in  more  sentiment  than  science 
reject  this,  but  that  does  not  prove  the 
same  false.  Nor  does  the  attitude  of 
the  commercially  inclined  bee  journals 


ever,    my    personal,    rather    than    my 
strictly  scientific  opinion,   is   that  you 
are   essentially  correct  in  your  views. 
I    studied   the   same   problem   to   some 
extent   when  working  at   Washington 
about  five  years  ago  and  I  have  a  num- 
ber of  combs  which  were  constructed 
under  experimental  conditions.     I  was 
of  the  opinion  at  that  time,  as  I  now 
recall,  that  the  form  of  the  wax  cells 
was  largely  determined  by  the  manner 
in  which  they  were  closely  crowded  to- 
gether, and  also  by  the  manner  in  which 
the  bees  handled   the   wax  with   their 
mandibles.      At    least    it    can    be    said 
that    a    "natural"    explanation    of    this 
mathematical  regularity  of  the  honey- 
bee cell  is  far  superior  to  any  anthropo- 
morphic interpretation. 

"ALWAYS  TAUGHT  THAT  THE  CELLS  WERE 
MADE   IN    CIRCLES." 

Rhode  Island  Normal  School,  Provi- 
dence, Rhode  Island:  Professor  Wil- 
liam S.  VinaL  Biologist. 

I  have  always  taught  that  the  cells 
were  made  in  circles  and  became  hexa- 
gonal through  pressure.     I  have  never 
observed  the  bee  making  the  cells.   Lin- 
ville   and   Kelly,  Textbook   in   General 
Zoology,  p.  65  say  in  regard  to  the  so- 
cial wasps  :  "This  material  is  fashioned 
by  the  feet  and  mandibles  into  circular 
cells,  which  became  hexagonal  as  their 
number  is  added   to  and   the  pressure 
increases."     I  have  always  understood 
that    this    phenomenon   is    common    in 
nature  as  in  the  pressure  of  plant  and 
animal    cells    the    tissues    often    show 

hexagonal  cells. 

#     *     #     *     * 

"CLAIM    IS    ENTIREEY    CORRECT." 

Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio:  Pro 
fessor  J.  A.  Culler. 

I  have  read  your  article  with  a  great 
deal  of  interest  and  think  your  claim  is 
entirely  correct. 


326 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


"BEES  work  only  in  circles. 
Teachers  College,  Columbia  University 
New    York    City:    Professor    M.    A. 
Bigelow. 

Of  course  you  have  the  right  theory. 
So  far  as  I  know,  no  entomologist  of 
the  last  hundred  years  has  claimed  that 
bees  directly  make  hexagons.  The  evi- 
dence is  cumulative  that  they  work  in 
circles  and  that  the  hexagons  are  the 
"outcome    of    physical    laws,"    as    you 

say.  , 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  many  ob- 
jects in  biology  are  hexagonal  because 
they  are  surrounded  by  six  compan- 
ions of  approximately  the  same  diam- 
eter, and  they  become  hexagonal  be- 
cause of  mutual  pressure.  I  believe 
you  have  mentioned  the  familiar  case 
'of  soap  bubbles  in  the  mass.  I  recall 
that  at  one  time  I  was  working  on  the 
embryo  of  a  crustacean  of  which  it  was 
possible  to  get  the  transparent  eggs  to 
develop  under  pressure  between  glass 
slides.  The  result  was  a  single  layer 
of  flattened  cells  all  of  which  were  hex- 
agonal, except  those  at  the  border, 
which  were  slightly  hexagonal — that 
is,  they  were  rounded  on  the  outside 
where  they  were  in  contact  with  the  Ject  but  I  have  found  the  article  ex- 
water,  and  had  three  flattened  sides  in      ceedingly  interesting  and  my  best  judg- 

ment  is  that  you  have,  as  lawyers  sayr 

made  your  case. 

$:  %  ^  ;$:  $: 


"l  THINK  YOU  ARE  UNDOUBTEDLY  RIGHT/ 

Carnegie    Institution    of    Washington, 
Station  for  Experimental  Evolution* 
Cold    Spring    Harbor,    Long    Island 
New  York:  Professor  Charles  B.  Da- 
venport. 

I  think  you  are  undoubtedly  right 
that  bees  tend  to  make  their  cylinders 
with  the  greatest  economy  of  wax  and 
in  doing-  so  remove  all  the  thick  inter- 
spaces  that  lie  between  cylinders  and 
thus  reduce  the  cavity  to  the  form  of  a 
prism  approximating  the  hexagon 
which  is,  as  you  point  out.  the  natural 
result  of  placing  a  number  of  cylinders 
with  minimum  walls  as  close  together 
as  possible. 

sk  its  jtt  rfc  5$» 

"YOU   HAVE   MADE  YOUR  CASE.''' 

Elory  McKendree  Avery,  Cleveland* 
Ohio:  Physicist,  Author  of  a  large 
number  of  books  on  physics,  chemis- 
try and  philosopy. 

I  have  carefully  read  your  article  on 
"How  Honeybees  Produce  Honey- 
comb." 

As  you  must  know,  I  am  not  quali- 
fied to  speak  ex  cathedra  on  such  a  sub- 


contact  with  the  adjoining  cells.  When 
after  many  hours  T  released  the  pres- 
sure all  of  the  cells  rounded  up  and  be- 
came spherical,  and  the  result  was  a 
pile  of  spherical  cells,  such  as  you  are 
familiar  with  in  the  case  of  the  embryo 
of  the  starfish  and  many  lower  forms 
in  which  the  cells  of  the  developing 
eggs  are  not  pressed  together. 

I  thank  you  for  calling  my  attention 
to  this  interesting  problem,  presented 
in  such  an  attractive  way. 

"article  is  very  interesting  and  Ex- 
cellent." 
Sheffield  Scientific  School  of  Yale  Uni- 
versity,   New    Haven,    Connecticut: 
H.  L.  Wells,  Professor  of  Analytical 
Chemistry  and  Metallurgy. 
Your  article  is  a  very  interesting  and 
excellent  one  ,  and  I  believe  you  are 
perfectly    right     that    the     honeybees 
make  the  hexagonal  combs  by  accident 
and  without  mathematical  knowledge. 
I  get  the  same  idea  from  Darwin  that 
I  get  from  you,  and  I  should  still  refer 
any  one  to  Darwin  to  learn  about  this 
matter. 


HEXAGONS    ARE    NOT    MADE    BY    BEES    BUT 
ARE  THE  RESULT  OE  PRESSURE. 

University  of  California,  College  of 
Agriculture,  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  Berkeley,  California: 
Geo.  A.  Coleman,  In  Charge  of  Api- 
culture. 

My  own  observations  confirm  yours; 
i.e.,  that  the  bees  start  the  cells  as  a 
circle,  or  cylinder,  and  it  is  pressure 
that  makes  them  hexagonal. 

"YOUR    POSITION     IS     UNDOUBTEDLY     COR- 
RECT."" 

The  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana,  Illi- 
nois: Professor  Henry  B.  Ward.  In 
Charge  of  Department  of  Zoology. 

I  think  your  position  is  undoubtedly 
correct.  The  bee  naturally  approxi- 
mates a  circle  although  not  very  exact- 
ly at  that,  and  the  mechanical  influence 
of  crowding  circles  together  is  to  pro- 
duce hexagons.  With  best  wishes  for 
your  valuable  work. 


HOW  HONEYBEES  PRODUCE  HONEYCOMB 


o?7 


"bees  do  things   because  they  can't 

HELP  IT-" 
Iowa      State      Horticultural      Society: 
Eugene    Secor,    a    Director,    Forest 
City,  Iowa. 

I  like  the  way  you  treat  your  thesis. 

I  have  thought  for  a  good  many  years 

that    people    generally    attribute     too 

much  intelligence  to  the  honeybee.    In 

all    my    fifty    years'    experience    with 

them  I've  never  seen  any  indication  of 

thought.     Intelligence  signifies  power 

to   reason — initiative.     They   do   many 

things  that  show  a  lack  of  reason,  but 

nothing  that   leads   one  to  think  they 

have  improved  on  any  of  their  original 

processes.      They    do    things    because 

they  can't   help   it.     They  were  made 

that  way.     Maeterlinck  speaks  of  "the 

spirit  of  the  hive,"  I  believe.     That's 

a  good  definition  of  most  of  their  actions. 
***** 

"undoubtedly  due  to  pressure/' 
Connecticut    Agricultural    Experiment 
Station,    New    Haven,    Connecticut: 
W.  E.  Britton,  Ph.D.,  State  Entomo- 
logist. 

I  have  read  your  interesting  article 
in  The  Guide  to  Nature  for  February 
and  have  no  quarrel  with  the  ideas 
which  you  have  expressed.  The  hexa- 
gonal shape  of  the  cells  of  the  honey- 
comb is  undoubtedly  due  to  pressure 
as  you  have  stated. 

***** 

"your  well  written  article." 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History, 
New  York  City :  Frank  E.  Lutz,  En- 
tomologist. 

I  have  read  your  well  written  article 
on  honeycomb  with  a  great  deal  of  in- 
terest. I  had  supposed  that  all  up-to- 
date  students  of  bees  believed  that  the 
roughly  hexagonal  shape  of  the  cells 
comes  about  in  the  way  you  state  but, 
from  what  you  say,  it  appears  that  they 
do  not. 

***** 

"simple  and  SENSIBLE." 
"Popular  Science  Monthly,"  New  York 

City :  Waldemar  Kaempff ert,  Editor. 

As  for  honeybees,  I  must  frankly  re- 
peat that  I  know  nothing  about  them. 
But  I  will  say  this  for  your  theory.  It 
is  simple  and  sensible."  Personally,  I 
am  more  willing  to  accept  it  than  I  am 
the  theories  which  presuppose  in  a  bee 
the  abilities  of  a  Sir  Christopher  Wren. 


Big  Archaeological  Collection. 

Through  the  generosity  of  Dr.  W.  I. 
Hildburgh,  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History  has  become  the  fortu- 
nate possessor  of  an  archaeological  col- 
lection made  up  of  some  four  thousand 
specimens  from  Central  New  York 
state,  which  well  illustrate  Iroquois  In- 
dian life  in  prehistoric  and  colonial 
times.  It  is  a  remarkably  full  and  valu- 
able collection,  rivaled  only,  if  at  all.  by 
that  in  the  New  York  State  Museum  at 
Albany. 

The    Hildburgh    collection    has    for 
many  years  been  known  to  archaeolo- 
gists   as    one    containing    exceedingly 
rare  types  of  stone  and  pottery  pipes, 
gorgets,  banner  stones  curiously  carved 
stones  used  for  ornamentation  or  as  bad- 
ges  of   authority,    native   copper   imple- 
ments including  kettles  and  knives,  stone 
axes,  chisels  and  pottery.     It  also  con- 
tains a  number  of  the  ornamental  bone 
combs  for  which  the  ancient  Iroquois 
were    noted.      One    of    the    specimens, 
without   doubt   the    finest   example   of 
its  kind,  is  ten  and  one-fourth  inches  in 
length,  with  teeth  one  and  three-fourths 
inches   long.     The   carving  represents 
two    quadrupeds — probably    wolves — 
rampant,  with  upturned  mouths  holding 
a  serpent's  head.     Another  specimen  has 
a  man  standing  behind  and  probably  lay- 
ing hold  of  a  rampant  animal  whose 
head  is  gone.    One  has  two  bears  ram- 
pant.    In  this  only  the  teeth  are  miss- 
ing.    Another  has  an  animal  standing 
with  the  head  turned  over  the  back  of 
the  comb.     The  tail  of  the  animal  and 
the  teeth  of  the  comb  are  broken.    Still 
another    is    suggestive     of     European 
contact,   inasmuch  as  the   design  con- 
sists of  a  human  figure  with  buttons 
down  the  front  of  the  garment,  prob- 
ably imitating  a  military  costume.     A 
number  of  bone  fishhooks  are  also  in 
the  collection.     Owing  to  their  fragil- 
ity,  such   specimens   are   rarely   found 
intact. 

The  collection,  as  a  whole  the  most 
complete  now  in  New  York,  has  been 
presented  by  Dr.  Hildburgh  as  a  me- 
morial of  his  father,  the  late  Henry 
hildburgh. 


Every  path  is  filled  with  beauty, 

If  only  we  would  look: 
Could   seeing  but  be   made  a   duty, 

Behold   an    open   book! 

— Emma  Peirce. 


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  this  Department  Editor. 


The  Swallows — How  to  Secure  Them 
for  Friends  and  Neighbors. 

BY  THE   REVEREND   MANLY   B.    T0WNSEND, 
NASHUA,    NEW   HAMPSHIRE. 

Some  one  has  said,  "In  time  of  peace 
prepare  for  war."  It  is,  therefore, 
timely  for  us  now  to  begin  our  plans 
to  attract  the  birds  and  induce  them  to 
make  their  homes  with  us  next  sum- 
mer. If  we  live  in  the  country  it  will 
be  an  easy  matter  to  obtain  plenty  of 
bird  tenants.  If  our  homes  are  in  the 
city,  this  will  not  be  so  easy,  though 
by  no  means  impossible,  as  many  have 
proved  by  experience. 

Among  the  most  interesting  and  use- 
ful birds  that  man  has  induced  to  as- 
sociate with  him  are  the  swallows. 
Four  'species  in  New  England  have  con- 


fided themselves  to  his  company — the 
tree,  the  barn  and  the  cliff  swallows 
and  the  purple  martin. 

The  tree  swallow  nests  in  hollow 
places,  usually  under  natural  circum- 
stances in  a  hole  in  a  tree  ;  but  it  is 
easy  to  induce  this  sleek,  trim  creature 
with  the  steel  blue  coat  and  pure  white 
waistcoat  to  inhabit  a  box,  if  it  is  con- 
veniently placed  for  him.  In  fact  your 
bird  box  is  more  likely  to  be  rented 
by  the  tree  swallows  than  by  any  other 
tenants  except  the  bluebirds. 

The  purple  martins,  unlike  the  tree 
swallows  which  nest  in  solitary  pairs, 
are  extremely  gregarious.  For  them 
should  be  provided  a  colony  house  con- 
sisting of  many  rooms.  Just  before 
their  arrival  in  the  spring,  the  Fnglish 


OCCUPIED  PURPLE   MARTIN   HOUSES  ON   POLES   IN   OJIBWAY   INDIAN    SUMMER   CAMP   ON 

LITTLE   BOY   RIVER,   MINNESOTA. 
Photograph  by   Walter   Bennett. 


ORNITHOLOGY 


329 


TREE  SWALLOW'S   NEST  BUILT   IN   DEAD  WILLOW   STUB  OVER  WATER. 

Photograph  by  Dr.  T.  C.  Stephens. 


sparrows  should  be  summarily  ejected, 
else  the  martins  may  be  prevented 
from  taking  possession.  Yet  the  mar- 
tins are  not  always  to  be  defrauded, 
especially  if  the  house  be  a  nesting  site 
of  long  standing.  The  author  knows 
of  such  a  colony  in  Maine.  Every  year' 
when  the  rightful  owners  return  from 
the  south,  the  sparrows  are  in  posses- 
sion, they  having  "jumped"  the  claim. 
Then  begins  a  sustained  and  spirited 
warfare.  The  sparrows  are  in  and  have 
the  advantage  of  possession.  The  mar- 
tins are  out,  but  possessed  of  a  clear 
knowledge  of  their  rights.  After  a 
week's  maneuvering  the  sparrows  are 
invariably  ousted  and  leave,  loudly  pro- 
claiming their  opinion  of  the  victors. 
In  a  neighboring  bird  house  the  spar- 
rows and  martins  have  proclaimed  a 
truce  and  live  and  breed  amicably  to- 
gether. This,  however,  is  a  new  struc- 
ture, where  the  sense  of  possession  is 
not  so  strongly  inherent  as  in  the  case 
of  the  old  house  that  has  been  used  for 
many  years  exclusively  by  the  martins. 
The  Indian  loved  the  wild  birds  and 
called  them  his  friends.  On  a  canoe 
trip    through    the    wilds   of    Minnesota 


near  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  the  writer  noted  that  the  Ojib- 
way  Indians  had  put  up  bird  houses  in 
which  the  martins  were  breeding. 
Every  Indian  hut  had  its  martin  house. 
Truly  the  Red  Man  must  have  a  poetic 
soul  thus  to  love  and  care  for  these 
gentle  creatures. 

The  cliff  swallows  and  the  barn  swal~ 
lows  have  allied  themselves  with  man. 
The  barn  swallow  was  originally  a 
cave  dweller.  But  with  the  advent  of 
the  white  man,  he  left  his  caves  and 
boldly  adopted  the  barn  as  sort  of  arti- 
ficial cave  in  which  to  build  his  mud 
nest.  The  cave  swallow  originally  built 
against  cliffs,  and  does  so  to  this  day 
in  some  sections  of  the  country.  But 
he  too  has  taken  to  modern  improve- 
ments and  become  a  "progressive,"" 
plastering  his  gourd-shaped  nest  of 
mud  pellets  under  the  eaves  in  favored 
spots.  Almost  any  barn  with  conven- 
ient entrance  will  attract  the  barn  swal- 
low, but  the  cave  swallow  is  of  much 
more  local  distribution,  shunning 
painted  buildings  and  plastering  his 
nest  against  the  rough,  unpainted 
boards. 


330 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Swallows  of  all  kinds  are  expert  fly- 
catchers, taking  all  their  food  on  the 
wing.  Happy  should  be  the  fortunate 
individual  who  can  attract  about  his 
place  numbers  of  these  beautiful  and 
useful  birds.  They  will  keep  the  air 
swept  clear  of  all  mosquitoes,  gnats 
and  other  flying  pests.  A  certain  farm- 
er "way  down  east"  has  succeeded  in 
getting  all  four  species  to  nest  in  his 
dooryard — the  martins  in  a  colony 
house,  the  tree  swallows  in  individual 
bird  boxes  and  the  barn  and  cliff  swal- 
lows inside  and  under  the  eaves  of  his 
barn.  Every  year  when  his  friends  ar- 
rive from  far-off  South  America  he  gets 
a  quantity  of  clay  from  the  near-by 
lake  and  mixes  it  to  the  right  consis- 
tency in  his  dooryard.  The  swallows 
sit  about  expectantly  waiting.  No 
sooner  has  he  stepped  aside  than  they 
are  at  it.  filling  beaks  with  clay  pellets 
which  they,  skilled  masons  as  they  are, 
work  into  the  structure  of  their  homes. 
Here  is  a  hint  to  all  who  wish  to  help 
these  birds  and  to  attract  them  for 
neighbors.  This  man  lives  far  from 
towns  and  railroads,  in  the  big  woods, 
in  the  heart  of  a  mosquito  infested  re- 
gion. But  while  the  swallows  are  about 
the  mosquito  pest  is  negligible.  The 
birds  snap  them  up  as  fast  as  they  ap- 
pear in  the  dooryard. 

Now  is  the  time  to  plan  our  attrac- 
tions for  the  swallows  and  other  birds. 
Build  your  bird  houses,  fasten  them  in 
position  on  poles  or  on  trees,  and  have 
the  tenements  ready  when  the  migrants 
appear  in  the  spring. 


While  Dutch  navigators  who  landed 
on  the  Island  of  Mauritius  in  the  Six- 
teenth Century  called  this  bird  "wal- 
ghvogel"  or  "nauseous,"  because  it  was 
not  very  palatable  with  any  kind  of 
cooking,  yet  it  became  extinct  because 


The  Extinct  Dodo. 

Mt.    Morris,   Illinois. 
To  the  Editor : 

Some  persons  not  versed  in  natural 
history,  when  they  hear  the  dodo  re- 
ferred to,  imagine  it  to  have  been  some 
fabled  bird  of  the  distant  past.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  up  to  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years' ago,  this  bird  was  plen- 
tiful on  the  Island  of  Mauritius,  near 
the  African  coast,  its  only  known  habi- 
tat. It  derives  its  name  from  the  Por- 
tugese word  "doudo,"  meaning  "sim- 
pleton." The  bird  was  twice  as  large 
as  an  average  sized  turkey.  Its  plu- 
mage, was  ash-colored,  its  bill  darkish, 
and  its  legs  and  feet  clumsy  and  yellow. 
No  dodo  was  known  to  exist  after  1681. 


THE    EXTINCT    DODO. 

it  was  eagerly  sought  for  the  table  in 
the  absence  of  daintier  food.  In  1870, 
when  Colonel  Nicholas  Pike  was  Amer- 
ican Consul  in  Mauritius,  he  presented 
to  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History  of  New  York  City,  through 
Mr.  J.  Carson  Brevoort,  a  number  of 
bones  of  this  extinct  bird  that  had  been 
excavated  on  the  island.  With  these 
bones  and  some  others  received  from 
the  University  of  Cambridge,  Eng- 
land, a  complete,  articulated  skeleton 
has  been  constructed  and  is  on  exhibi- 
tion in  the  above  mentioned  museum. 
The  restored  specimen,  shown  here,  is 
also  the  property  of  this  museum. 

H.  E.  Zimmerman. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  dodo  was 
"eaten  off  the  face  of  the  earth  by  glut- 
tonous man."  Although  not  a  dainty 
it  was  doubtless  better  than  the  loon, 
albatros  or  shearwater,  all  of  which 
are  eaten,  and  it  was  killed  and  de- 
voured by  the  Dutch  navigators.  Al- 
most any  fresh  meat  tastes  good  after 
three  or  four  months  at  sea,  and  the 
dodo  was  big,  fat  and  easily  caught. 
Several  were  brought  alive  to  Europe 


ORNITHOLOGY 


33i 


and  were  painted  by  Roelandt  Savery 
and  others,  and  these  paintings  fur- 
nished the  basis  of  Rowland  Ward's 
excellent  restoration.  Dr.  Goode 
would  have  been  charmed  with  it,  for 
it  was  one  of  the  many  things  he  plan- 
ned to  do  but  did  not  live  to  execute. 

Our  bird  was  given  by  Walter  Wi- 
nans. 

A  very  large  number  of  bones  were 
recovered  from  the  Mare  I  marais)  aux 
songcs,  Mauritius  by  E.  T.  Newton. 

F.  A.  Lucas. 


place,  and  the  second  in  being  unable 
to  distinguish  with  certainty  the  spot 
selected.  One  picture  is  taken  from 
the  open  door  looking  outward.  The 
distance  was  not  sufficient  to  get  the 
fourth  nest  on  the  plate,  but  the  edge 
of  the  fourth  can  be  seen  in  the  picture 
taken  outside  the  building. 

Frank  C.  Pellett. 


Puzzled  Robins. 

Atlantic,    Iowa. 
To  the  Editor : 

We  often  hear  the  expression  that 
reason  makes  mistakes  but  that  instinct 
is  infallible.     I   send   a  photograph   to 


Eagle's  Nest  Destroyed  by  Fire. 
Word  has  been  received  that  the  big 
bald  eagle's  nest  at  Nokomis,  (former- 
ly Venice)  Florida,  which  has  been  a 
landmark  in  this  vicinity  for  a  score 
of  years,  has  been  destroyed  by  fire. 
This  nest  was  of  unusual  dimensions, 
being  twelve  feet  in  height  and  seven 
feet  in  diameter.  It  was  a  solid  mass 
of  sticks,  added  to  year  after  year,  and 
was  known  to  have  been  occupied  for 


B  ,;.  |^^^^^^__  ^^^^^M^H  -^^^^^Hk 

33  '     «fi 


THE   FOUR  NESTS  OF  ONE  PAIR  OF  PUZZLED  ROBINS. 


which  I  would  like  to  call  the  attention 
of  those  who  believe  that  instinct  is  not 
liable  to  error.  A  pair  of  robins  started 
a  nest  on  my  study  porch,  on  which 
there  are  four  spaces  just  alike  between 
the  rafters.  The  birds  did  not  seem  to 
be  able  to  distinguish  among  the  dif- 
ferent positions  and  soon  had  four  nests 
under  construction  at  one  time.  As 
will  be  seen  by  the  picture,  three  of 
them  were  nearly  completed,  although 
eggs  were  deposited  in  only  one.  When 
the  nest  was  finally  completed  and  one 
or  two  eggs  had  been  laid,  the  birds 
discovered  that  there  was  not  sufficient 
room  above  the  nest  to  admit  of  their 
entrance  and  exit  without  damage,  and 
all  four  were  abandoned.  It  seems  that 
in  this  case  the  birds  made  two  mis- 
takes— one   in    selecting   an   unsuitable 


at  least  twenty  consecutive  seasons. 
The  nest  was  sixty  feet  up  in  a  large, 
dead  longleaf  pine,  and  a  fire  sweeping 
through  the  grove  destroyed  both  the 
nest  and  the  old  tree. 

It  may  be  remembered  by  our  read- 
ers that  this  nest  was  pictured  in  the 
September,  1915  issue  of  The  Guide 
to  Nature,  with  notes  on  the  breeding 
of  the  birds  here  in  the  winter  of  the 
preceeding  year.. 


The  ordinary  skunk  squirts  its  char- 
acteristic fluid  to  a  distance  of  from 
six  to  ten  feet.  Occasionally  a  special- 
ly muscular  individual  has  a  range  of 
fifteen  feet.  The  principle  of  "safety 
first"  indicates  at  least  twenty  feet  as 
a  wise  interval  between  the  animal  and 
the  observer. 


332 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Photographs  of  Hawks  in  Flight. 

Atlantic,  Iowa. 
To  the  Editor : 

These  hawk  pictures  must  be  held 
above  the  head  to  give  the  proper  po- 
sition. Getting  good  pictures  of  birds 
on  the  wing  is  a  difficult  matter.  These 
three  are  all  of  one  bird,  a  marsh  hawk, 


A  Snowy  Owl. 

Osage,  Iowa. 
To  the  Editor : 

The  Guide;  to  Nature;  is  appreciated 
and  Sunday  afternoon  while  perusing 
the  last  number  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
find  the  time  this  week  to  let  the  edi- 
tor know  how  much  I  enjoy  it.    To  me 


PHOTOGRAPHS  OF  HAWKS  IX  FLIGHT. 


and  one  picture  shows*  two  exposures 
of  the  same  bird.  These  give  a  good 
idea  of  the  different  positions  assumed 
by  a  hawk  in  flight. 

Few  good  pictures  of  flying  birds 
have  appeared  in  print  and  to  one  who 
has  given  much  effort  in  getting  such 
pictures  it  is  not  surprising.  There  is 
considerable  difficulty  in  getting  suffi- 
ciently near  to  get  a  satisfactory  pic- 
ture, to  say  nothing  of  the  trouble  to 
get  proper  lighting  to  'permit  such 
short  exposures  as  are  necessary.  The 
photo  must  of  necessity  be  from  the 
shadowed  side  of  the  bird  since  it  is 
higher  than  the  man  with  the  camera. 
If  it  were  possible  to  look  down  upon 
the  bird  instead  of  up  to  it  the  problem 
would  be  much  simpler. 

If  it  were  possible  to  get  about  half 
a  dozen  characteristic  positions  of  each 
species  of  bird  while  on  the  wing,  they 
would  be  of  great  assistance  in  identi- 
fication of  species  with  which  we  might 
not  be  fully  familiar. 

Cordially, 

Frank  C.  PellETT. 


The  growth  of  the  knowledge  of  or- 
ganic nature  is  a  long  story,  full  of 
human  interest.  Nature  has  been  al- 
ways the  same  but  the  capacity  of  man 
as  its  interpreter  has  varied. — Locy, 
"Biology  and  Its  Makers." 


the  articles  on  astronomy  and  Emma 
Peirce's  exquisite  verses  make  the 
strongest  appeal. 

If  I  had  the  latter's  skill,  I  should 
try  to  tell  your  readers  about  my  first 
live  snowy  owl.  I  had  been  sent  out  by 
our  City  Federation  to  gather  what  I 
could  for  the  Armenian  relief  fund.  The 
day  for  the  drive  brought  a  blizzard,, 
but  I  have  braved  so  many  that  I  did 
not  let  this  one  stand  in  my  way.  My 
district  was  a  mile  and  a  half  from  my 
home.  I  had  canvassed  all  the  homes 
on  the  south  side  of  the  street  and  had 
nearly  finished  the  north  side,  and  with 
head  down,  bent  to  the  wind,  my  only 
object  was  to  get  home  where  it  was- 
warm,  when  my  good  angel  of  whose 
presence  I  am  often  conscious  told  me 
to  look  up,  and  there  sailing  over  the 
chimney  tops  was  a  great  white  bird 
with  a  wing  expanse  of  at  least  three 
feet.  It  seemed  to  be  born  out  of  the 
throes  of  the  storm.  Just  for  me — al- 
most a  vision.  It  too  had  hard  work  to- 
face  the  gale  and  as  its  body  tipped  I 
saw  the  telltale  tan  feathers. 

Slouching  down  the  road  came  a  boy. 
When  we  met  I  asked,  "Did  you  see 
that  white  bird?"  "Ye-a,  I  seen  it :  the 
front  of  it  looked  like  an  owl,"  and  I 
replied,  "Well,  the  hind  of  it  looked 
like  an  owl." 

These  birds  are  rarely  seen  in  Iowa, 
so  I   felt  well  paid  for  going  into  the 


ORNITHOLOGY 


333 


storm.  A  week  later  a  white  owl  was 
reported  to  me  from  a  farmhouse 
twelve  miles  east  of  here. 

The  discussion  of  the  everbearing- 
strawberry  is  somewhat  of  a  surprise 
to  me,  for  it  is  common  here.  At  the 
nursery  we  have  it  until  the  hard  frost 
puts  an  end  to  it.  We  often  pick  from 
sixteen  to  twenty  quarts  in  one  day. 

Wishing    The    Agassiz    Association 
the  best  year  of  its  history,  I  am. 
Its  well  wisher, 

F.  May  Tuttle- 


were    so    strong    that    the    birds    were 
blown  from  their  usual  routes. 

(Miss)  Phebe  A.  Field. 


Tragedy  of  the  Wren's  Nest. 

Atlantic,   Iowa. 
To  the  Editor : 

This  view  illustrates  the  work  of  the 
assassin  and  robber.  I  had  invited 
Mr.  Wren  and  his  little  wife,  to  occupy 
the  little  home.  The  rent  was  to  be 
paid  in  the  stir  and  thrill  of  their  chip- 


Migrations  of  North  American  Birds. 

An  exceedingly  valuable  series  of  ar- 
ticles on  "The  Migrations  of  North 
American  Birds"  is  now  being  pub- 
lished in  Bird-Lore.  These  tables  and 
dates  of  appearance  and  departure  of 
our  common  species  in  given  localities, 
cover  a  long  period  of  observation  from 
many  points,  and  represent  years  of 
patient  study  and  hard  work. 

This  painstaking  work  was  begun 
and  for  many  years  carried  on  by  Prof. 
Wells  W.  Cooke,  of  the  Biological  Sur- 
vey at  Washington,  who,  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  was  probably  the  foremost 
authority  on  bird  migration.  Dr.  Harry 
Oberholser  is  now  carrying  on  the 
studies  instituted  by  Prof.  Cooke,  and 
we  are  glad  to  note  that  he  will  con- 
tinue this  series  of  articles  begun  by 
his  predecessor. 


Notes  from  Ocean  County,  New  Jersey. 

Point  Pleasant,  New  Jersey. 
To  the  Editor: 

We  had  here,  when  the  peach  trees 
were  in  bloom,  two  strange  birds  which 
cut  into  the  heart  of  the  blossoms  on 
our  largest  peach,  and  the  petals  fell 
to  the  ground.  They  were  discovered 
before  they  had  injured  all  the  blooms, 
and  driven  off.  I  found  from  an  article 
on  birds  with  colored  plates  that  they 
were  the  females  of  the  purple  finch 
and  have  obtained  the  name  of  "bud- 
ders"  from  their  habits.  Previously  a 
neighbor  had  told  me  of  seeing  a  bird 
new  to  her,  and  she  had  learned  from 
a  bird  book  that  it  was  the  male  of  the 
purple  finch.  I  have  read  and  heard  of 
new  species  having  appeared  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  this  state,  and  the  reason 
given  for  it  is  that  the  prevailing  winds, 
at  the  time  of  the   spring  migration, 


THE    SNAKE    ENTERING   A    WREN    HOUSE. 

per  and  song.  But  alas!  when  the 
fledglings  came  the  serpent  came  also. 
He  heard  the  baby  twitter,  climbed  the 
tree,  entered  the  sacred  doorway  and 
devoured  the  nestlings. 

The  kodak  shows  the  murderous 
plan.  He  did  not  back  out,  for  obvious 
reasons  but  filled  the  bird  home  with 
his  slimy  length.  It  became  necessary 
to  lower  the  box  and  remove  the  roof, 
before  his  snakeship  could  be  dispatch- 
ed,. He  was  of  the  variety  locally 
known  as  the  "bull  snake." 

A.  D.  Beckhart. 


The  domestic  cat  probably  originated 
in  ancient  Egypt,  where  the  native 
wild  cats  (Felis  libyca)  were  caught  and 
locked  into  the  national  grain  houses 
to  catch  the  rats  and  mice.  This  tamed 
species  was  carried  by  Phoenician  sail- 
ors to  various  parts  of  Europe  and 
Asia,  and  more  or  less  interbred  with 
the  several  local  wild  cats.  Thus  arose 
the  numerous  varieties  and  color  mark- 
ings. 


The  Heavens  in  April. 

By  Professor  Eric  Doolittle  o  f  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 


FOR  the  first  time  during  the  pre- 
sent year  our  star  map  shows  the 
bright  winter  constellations  begin- 
ning to  disappear.  The  first  to  go  is 
the  brilliant  Taurus,  though  Orion  is 
now  very  near  the  ground  in  the  west 
and  the  bright  Dog  Star,  Sirius,  is  so 
low  down  that  in  a  few  weeks  more  it 


feet  outline  of  the  Sickle  forms  a  strik- 
ing figure  in  the  evening  heavens. 

Meanwhile  the  whole  eastern  half  of 
the  heavens  is  becoming  covered  with 
the  fainter  constellations  of  summer. 
The  whole  of  the  very  long  group,  Vir- 
go, has  now  emerged  from  below  the 
ground,  the  Balances    have    appeared. 


NORTH 


■South 

Figure  1.     The  Constellations  at  9   P.   M.,  April   1.      (If  facing  south,  hold  the  map   upright.     If   facing 
west,   hold   West  below.      If   facing':  east,   hold   East   below.      If   facing   north,   hold   the   map   inverted.) 

will  no  longer  be  seen  in  our  evening  and   the   head   of  the   Serpent   is   seen, 

sky.     Gemini  is  now  some  hours  past  though  it  will  not  be  until  June  that 

the  meridian,  while  Leo,  the  last  of  the  this  very  long,  winding     constellation 

bright  winter  train,  is  exactly  on   the  will  have  completely     risen.      In     the 

meridian  in  the  south,  where  the  per-  south  the  extended  Hydra  now  reaches 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


535 


almost  to  Sirius,  though  the  star  mark- 
ing the  end  of  the  tail  of  the  Water- 
snake    has    not    yet    risen    above    the 

ground. 

***** 

The  April  Stars. 

There  is  no  better  time  of  the  year 
than  this  for  the  student  to  become 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  beauti- 
ful constellation  Leo  which  is  now  on 
the  meridian  in  its  highest  position  in 
the  heavens.  Even  to  the  naked  eye 
the  region  from  the  eastern  horizon  to 
the  meridian  is  a  most  beautiful  and 
interesting  sight,  and  though  on  the 
whole  the  star  groups  now  there  are 
rather  faint,  there  are  many  bright  stars 
among  them.  Arcturus  and  Spica  and 
the  star  at  A,  Figure  i,  form  a  nearly 
equal  sided  triangle,  and  this  together 
with  the  lines  joining  the  star  at  A 
and  B  is  known  as  the  Diamond  of 
Virgo. 

Even  to  the  naked  eye,  Spica,  Regu- 
lus  and  the  star  at  A  are  seen  to  be  of 
a    much    bluer    color    than    Arcturus, 
which  is  golden,  while  the  star  at  D  is 
usually  described  as  white.     This  last 
is  a  most  interesting     object,     having 
what  is  described  as  a  pale  lilac  com- 
panion twenty  seconds  away  which  is 
a  beautiful  object  in  a  small  telescope. 
The    constellation    Leo    is    of    great 
antiquity,  and  indeed  is  prehistoric  in 
its  origin.     Some     believe      that     the 
Sphinx    represents    Virgo's    head    on 
Leo's   body   to   represent   the   passage 
of  the  sun  through  these  constellations 
at  the  time  of  the  rising  of  the   Nile. 
Pliny  stated  that  the  Egyptians  wor- 
shipped the  stars  of  Leo  because  the 
rise  of  the  great  river  occurred  when 
the  sun  passed  through  this  constella- 
tion.   The  principal  star  of  this  beauti- 
ful figure  is  Regulus,  the  Ruler,  so  call- 
ed because  for  five  thousand  years  it 
was  believed  to  rule  the  heavens.  Four 
thousand  years  ago  its  longitude  was 
measured    in    Babylonia,    and    twenty 
centuries  later  Hipparchus,  the  Father 
of   Astronomy,    from    observations    of 
this  star  and  of  Spica  made  the  wonder- 
ful discovery  of  Precession  of  the  Equi- 
noxes.   At  the  time  of  the  first  observa- 
tion   mentioned    Regulus    was    almost 
exactly  at  the  summer  solstice,  so  that 
the  sun  passed  before  it  at  the  time  of 
the  longest  day.     Now  the  sun  almost 


covers  the  star,  which  lies  very  close 
to  the  ecliptic,  on  the  20th  of  August; 
the  change  of  date  is  owing  to  the  slow 
motion  westward  of  the  Autumnal 
Equinox  (at  C,  Figure  1)  which  is 
known  as  the  Precession  of  the  Equi- 
noxes. 

Regulus  has  a  deep  blue  companion 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven 
seconds  away  which  is  itself  double, 
while  the  stars  at  D,  E  and  F  are  all 
doubles  also.  The  first  is  described  as 
the  finest  double  star  of  the  northern 
skv,  the  brighter  star  being  of  a  white 
and  the  companion  of  a  lilac  color. 

Having  thus   studied   the    constella- 
tion Leo,  the  observer  may  next  turn 
to  a  group  of  equally  great  antiquity, 
the  constellation  Virgo,  which  though 
not  quite  so  high  in  the  heavens  is  still 
well  above  the  ground  in  the  southeast. 
This  constellation  is  filled  with  objects 
of   interest.      The   region   between    the 
stars  H.  K,  L  and  A  is  more  crowded 
with  nebulus  than  any  other  region  of 
the  heavens  ;  more   than  five  hundred 
have  already  been  found  in  this  little 
space,  many  of  which  can  be  seen  with 
a  small  telescope.    There  are  many  in- 
teresting  double   stars,   of  which   that 
at  M  is  composed  of  two  suns  revolv- 
ing about  one  another  in  the  least  cir- 
cular of  all  orbits  known  in  double  star 
systems,    the    time    occupied    by    one 
revolution     being     one     hundred     and 
ninety  years. 

***** 

The  Planets  in  April. 

Mercury  will  attain  its  greatest  dis- 
tance east  of  the  sun  on  April  7,  and 
this  will  be  the  most  favorable  time  of 
the  present  year  to  look  for  this  little 
planet.  It  will  then  be  well  north  of 
the  west  point  of  the  horizon  about 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  after  sunset, 
when  we  will  see  the  little  world  shin- 
ing brightly  in  the  twilight  glow.  The 
planet  in  fact  sets  more  than  an  hour 
and  one-half  after  the  sun,  but  it  is 
more  difficult  to  see  as  it  approaches 
the  ground  and  therefore  the  observer 
should  begin  to  look  for  it  as  soon  as 
the  greatest  brightness  of  the  twilight 
glow  has  passed.  On  the  evening  of 
April  1 1  the  narrow  crescent  of  the  new 
moon,  by  this  time  arrived  east  of  the 
sun,  will  draw  very  near  to  the  planet, 
though   it  unfortunately  will  not  pass 


336 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


it  until  the  next  morning.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  if  the  weather  is  favorable, 
Mercury  can  be  followed  from  elonga- 
tion until  this  time,  when  the  two  ob- 
jects will  form  a  beautiful  figure  in  the 
northwestern  sky. 

Venus  reaches  its  greatest  distance 
west  of  the  sun  on  April  20  when  it 
will  rise  three  hours  before  sunrise. 
Those   who  are   up  before  dawn  have 


3  at  7  hrs.  3  min.,  and  to  reappear  from 
eclipse  at  10  hrs.  21  min.,  (Eastern 
Standard  Time).  Similarly  the  third 
satellite  will  begin  to  transit  the  plan- 
et's disc  at  10  hrs.  o  min.,  and  the  sec- 
ond satellite  on  April  6  at  8  hrs.  52  min. 
The  second  satellite  will  reappear  from 
eclipse  on  April  8  at  7  hrs.  41  min.  ;  the 
third  will  disappear  in  eclipse  on  April 
16  at  8  hrs.  12  min.,  and  the  first  may 


m  April  6>. 
Ijapuil  22. 

s 

T1TA.M 

A,PR^-Tz"~~^ 

•  April 
/         5. 

Apr.il     t»      ^ 

APRIL     V 

IB.  7 

&.PR.IL  9. 

■RHEA 

*^^~                       APRIL  8? 

apr.ii_  e, 

N 

"Figure  2.  Showing  the  motion  of  two  of  Saturn's  moons  during  the  present  month.  The  largest  of 
these  is  Titan,  which  is  easily  visible  in  a  three  inch  telescope.  If  the  satellites  are  observed  on  other 
dates  than  those  indicated,  their  positions  can  be  estimated  by  bearing  in  mind  that  Titan  performs  one 
revolution  in  IS  days  23.3  hours  and  Rhea  in  4  days  12.5  hours.  The  former  will  reach  its  greatest  eastern 
distance  from  Saturn  on  April  15,  9  hrs.  13  min.  A.  M. ;  the  latter  will  reach  its  greatest  eastern  elonga- 
tion on  April  5,  4  hrs.   18  min.  P.  M. 


doubtless  noticed  how  very  brightly  it 
has  been   shining   in   the  southeastern 
heavens.     It  will  not  again   enter  the 
evening  sky  until  November  24. 

Mars  is  slowly  retrograding  (or 
moving  westward),  its  motion  carry- 
ing it  from  Virgo  across  the  borders 
of  Leo  into  the  position  shown  in  Fig- 
ure 1.  This  retrograde  motion  will 
cease  on  April  26  and  the  planet  begin 
to  run  rapidly  eastward  again,  though 
it  will  not  have  passed  entirely  through 
the  long  constellation  Virgo  until  next 
September.  It  is  still  in  excellent  po- 
sition for  observation  though  its  dis- 
tance from  us  increases  from  sixty-four 
to  seventy-six  millions  of  miles  during 
the  month,  and  it  will  in  this  time  lose 
about  two-thirds  of  its  brightness, 
though  it  will  still  be  more  than  three 
times  as  bright  as  a  first  magnitude 
•star. 

Jupiter  may  still  be  seen  in  the  early 
•evening,  though  it  is  fast  sinking  in  the 
west.  It  has  now  arrived  well  to  the 
•east  of  a  line  joining  the  Hyades  and 
the  Pleiades,  and  its  eastward  motion 
-will  for  some  time  be  accelerated.  It 
now  sets  so  early  that  but  few  of  the 
phenomena  of  its  satellites  can  be  seen, 
but  the  first  satellite  may  be  seen  to 
disappear  behind  the  planet  on  April 


be  seen  to  reappear  from  eclipse  on 
April  19  at  8  hrs.  40  min.  These  are 
most  interesting  phenomena  to  watch 
in  a  small  telescope. 

Saturn  is  in  excellent  position  for 
observation  in  the  eastern  borders  of 
Cancer  in  the  position  shown  in  Figure 
1.  Figure  2  shows  the  path  and  posi- 
tion of  the  largest  moon,  Titan,  during 
the  present  month ;  this  can  be  well 
observed  by  the  possessor  of  a  small 
telescope  of  perhaps  three  inches  aper- 
ture. This  remarkable  moon  is  much 
larger  than  our  own  moon,  being  al- 
most exactly  as  large  as  the  third 
moon  of  Jupiter  and  almost  half  as  fat- 
through  as  the  earth.  It  occupies  fif- 
teen days  twenty-three  hours  in  pass- 
ing once  around  the  planet  from  which 
it  is  about  seven  hundred  and  seventy- 
one  thousand  miles  distant.  It  is  the 
sixth  in  order  of  distance  from  the 
planet,  there  being  ten  satellites  alto- 
gether, the  most  distant  one  being  no 
less  than  eight  million  miles  away.  The 
extent  of  the  system  is  thus  enormous, 
far  greater  than  that  of  any  of  the 
smallers  worlds,  though  not  so  great 
as  that  of  Jupiter  which  has  one  satel- 
lite nearly  twice  as  distant  as  the  outer- 
most satellite  of  Saturn. 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


337 


A  Double  Asteroid. 

There  has  been  recently  announced 
the  discovery  of  a  new  asteroid  which 
has  another  asteroid  or  "moonlet"  re- 
volving about  it.     If  this  is  true,  it  is 
the  only  one  of  the  over  eight  hundred 
asteroids,      or      "planetoids,"      known 
which  has  a  companion.     These  little 
bodies  move  about  the  sun,  nearly  all 
of   them   between   the   orbits   of    Mars 
and  of  Jupiter ;  they  vary  in  size  from 
four  hundred  and  eighty-eight  miles  in 
diameter  to  but  two  miles  in  diameter, 
which    is    the    estimated    size    of    the 
smallest  one  so  far  found.     It  is  rather 
surprising  that  even  the  smaller  ones 
seem  to  be  approximately  spherical  in 
shape  :  they  are  veritable  little  worlds, 
though  they  doubtless  have  but  little 
or  no  atmosphere  or  water  upon  them 
because   they   are   too   small   for   their 
gravitational  pull  to  retain  gases  upon 
their    surface.      Our    nearest    neighbor 
of  all  among  the  heavenly  bodies  (with 
the  single  exception  of  the  moon)  is  a 
small     asteroid     called      Eros,     about 
twenty  miles  in  diameter;  it  was  at  one 
time  thought   to  be   perhaps  a  double 
asteroid,   because  its   light   was   found 
to  periodically  vary  when  brightest.    It 
is  more  than  three  times  as  bright  as 
when  faintest,   only  two  and  one-half 
hours  later.    The  interval  between  the 
times  of  the  greatest  brightness     was 
found   to   be   about   five    hours.      This 
could  be  explained  by  supposing  that 
Eros  is  a  double  asteroid  and  that  the 
two    little   worlds,    almost    in    contact, 
eclipse  one  another  at  a  constant  inter- 
val.    It  is  now  quite  certain,  however, 
that  there  is  but  one  asteroid  there  and 
that  the  little  world  is  nearly  round  but 
that  one  side  of  it  is  a  much  better  re- 
flector of  sunlight  than  the  other.,   The 
variation  of  its  light  is  caused  by  its 
rotation    upon    its    axis.      So    that    the 
new    discovery    seems    to    be    unique 
among  the  bodies  of  the  solar  system. 


The  Call  of  Spring. 

The   call   of   Spring  has   resounded, 
And  all  things  obey  its  behest; 

We  are  going  out  into  the  open, 
Intent   on   a  new   beauty-quest. 

Each  tiniest  bud  by  the  roadside, 

Just  bursting  its  warm  winter   sheath, 

Reveals  to  whoever  will  tarry. 

The   wonders  that  lay  just   beneath. 

Such   crinklings  and  creasings  and   flutings, 

Such   intricate  folding  away 
Of  the  leaves,  that  will  now  in  a  twinkling, 

Be  a-wave  in  the   bright  April   day! 

Such  silky  and  delicate  tissues, 
Such   glowing,  delectable  tints! 

Of  which  the  brown  buds  through  the  Win- 
ter, 
Have  given   no   vaguest  of   hints. 

This   marvelous   Vernal   awakening 
Should   draw  us  out  under  the   skies; 

And   then,   when    the    wonder   is   over, 
Let  us  stay  out, — if  we  would  be  wise! 

— Emma   Peirce. 


"The  wisdom  of  God  receives  small 
honour  from  those  that  stare  about  and 
with  gross  rusticity  admire  His  works  : 
those  highly  magnify  Him,  whoso  judi- 
cious inquiry  into  His  acts,  and  delibe- 
rate research  into  His  creations,  return 
the  duty  of  a  devout  and  learned  [i.e. 
intelligent]  admiration."— Religio  Med- 
ici A.  D.  1686. 


The  Diffusion  of  Knowledge  in  War 
Time. 

Incidentally  there  is  a  good  testi- 
monial as  to  the  value  of  activelv  con- 
tinuing such  work  as  that  of  The  Agas- 
siz  Association  for  the  diffusion  of 
knowledge,  in  the  fact  that  the  people 
of  Canada  have  now,  after  three  years 
of  war,  more  lyceums  and  chautauquas 
than  they  ever  had  before  the  war. 
They  found  it  absolutely  necessary  to 
strengthen  the  lines  of  popular  educa- 
tion. 


The  American  skunk  proves  to  be  so 
valuable  a  friend  to  the  farmer  and  con- 
tributor to  our  fur  supply  that  already 
more  than  a  dozen  states  have  passed 
laws  to  protect  the  animal. 


Data  from  the  great  meteor  which 
fell  over  Texas  on  the  evening  of  Oc- 
tober 1  show  that  the  mysterious  body 
passed  at  a  low  angle  from  northeast 
to  southwest,  and  ended  its  course  not 
far  from  the  main  bend  of  the  Rio 
Grande.  Over  an  area  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  in  diameter  sounds  like 
thunder  were  heard  from  three  to  five 
minutes  after  the  light  disappeared, 
and  strong  enough  in  some  places  to 
rattle  windows  and  dishes.  The  light 
was  seen  from  all  points  within  six 
hundred  miles.  Several  observers  de- 
scribe it  as  lightning-like  and  blinding. 


33§ 


Til  E  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


The  100-Inch  Telescope  at  Mount  Wilson. 

By  Jennie  B.  Lasby,  In  Popular  Astronomy. 


After  nearly  nine  years  of  continuous 
work  the  mirror  for  the  ioo-inch  tele- 
scope has  been  finished  and  is  in  its 
mounting'  at  the  summit  of  Mount 
Wilson.      Since    this    is    the    greatest 


old  town  with  its  huge  glass  factories 
is  now  in  ruins  and  what  remains  is 
in  the  hands  of  the  Germans.  The 
glass  was  packed  just  as  it  came  from 
the  mold  and  shipped  to  Galveston  by 


■n 


O 

C/3 


H 

P 
O 


■n  < 

<  e 

v  E 

o  z 

«  H 

<  c 


X 


triumph  of  the  optician's  skill  it  may  be 
of  interest  to  the  readers  of  this  maga- 
zine to  review  its  history. 

The  disc  from  which  the  mirror  was 
fashioned  was  cast,  early  in  1908,  in  the 
factory   at    St.    Gobain,   France.      This 


water  and  from  there  transported  to 
the  workshops  at  Pasadena,  where  a 
building  had  been  erected  especially 
for  the  work  of  grinding  and  polishing. 
The  glass  in  its  rough  state  weighed 
about  five  and  one-half  tons,  was   101 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


339 


inches  in  diameter  and  when  examined 
was  found  to  have  been  cast  in  three 
layers.  This  was  clue  to  the  fact  that 
there  were  no  crucibles  large  enough 
to  hold  such  a  mass  of  molten  glass  and 
the  pourings  into  the  mould  had  been 
made  as  closely  together  as  possible, 
but  the  expert  optician  could  detect 
flaws  that  made  it  seem  unwise  to  at- 
tempt the  grinding  of  the  disc.     Two 


rust  be  deposited  and  cause  scratches. 
The  brushes  revolved  very  slowly  and 
with  an  even  motion,  working  from  the 
center  to  the  circumference  of  the  disc. 
After  the  first  cutting  had  been  clone 
and  the  depression  was  about  an  inch 
and  a  quarter  deep  in  the  center,  the 
grinding  was  clone  with  even  greater 
care  the  emery  solution  was  allowed 
to    stand    for    a    time    and    the    liquid 


THE  MACHINERY  USED  TX  THE  ROUGH  GRINDING  OF  THE  100-INCH  DISC. 
Note  the  relative  sizes   of  the  child  and  the   disc. 


more  attempts  were  made  at  St.  Go- 
bian,  but  word  was  sent  to  Pasadena 
that  neither  of  the  later  attempts  was 
as  successful  as  the  earlier  one.  Pro- 
fessor Ritchey  then  made  a  trip  to 
France,  but  found  that  the  mechanical 
obstacles  at  the  factory  made  it  impos- 
sible to  pour  so  large  a  piece  of  glass 
from  one  crucible.  Finally  it  was  de- 
cided that  work  should  proceed  on  the 
disc  at  Pasadena.  It  was  placed  upon 
the  bed-plate  of  the  grinding  machine 
and  Mr.  W.  L.  Kinny  and  Mr.  Dalton, 
to  whose  skill  its  final  perfection  is 
due,  began  the  preliminary  grinding. 
The  surfaces  were  smoothed  until  it 
measured  ioo  inches  in  diameter  and  13 
inches  in  thickness. 

This  smoothing  process  was  followed 
by  the.  actual  grinding  of  the  concave 
surface.  This  was  done  by  applying 
flour  emery  in  water  with  wooden 
brushes  covered  with  cheesecloth.  No 
metal  was  allowed  to  touch  the  surface 
of   the   glass,   lest   minute   particles   of 


siphoned  off  so  that  only  the  very  fine 
particles  were  allowed  to  touch  the 
glass. 

After  the  grinding  was  finished  there 
remained  the  gigantic  task  of  polish- 
ing the  surface  and  this  included  a  ser- 
ies of  the  most  delicate  and  exhaustive 
tests.  One  of  the  earlier  of  the  tests 
was  to  determine  the  effect  of  changes 
of  temperature  upon  the  glass.  The 
temperature  of  the  shop  was  lowered 
to  300  and  then  in  a  few  days  raised  to 
1050.  In  spite  of  the  many  defects  in 
the  structure  of  the  glass,  it  was  found 
that  it  was  not  harmed  by  this  range 
when  the  change  was  gradual.  Rapid 
changes,  however,  did  effect  the  figure 
and  as  the  polishing  advanced  it  was 
found  that  the  heat  from  the  friction 
made  it  necessary  to  discontinue  the 
work  for  the  day  after  a  couple  of 
hours. 

While  the  glass  was  being  polished 
an  elaborate  series  of  experimental 
tests  were  made  each  day  to  determine 


340 


T  H  E  G  U I J  )  E  TO  NATURE 


the  result  of  the  previous  days  work 
and  to  correct  the  adjustments  of  the 
tools.  These  tests  were  made  with  a 
6o-inch  optically  plane  mirror,  and  the 
grinding  of  this  mirror  was  in  itself  a 
huge  task  and  took  nearly  a  year.  Over 
600  of  these   tests   were   made   during 


This  was  constructed  in  the  form  of  a 
revolving  plate  as  large  as  the  glass 
itself  and  weighing  1500  pounds.  It 
was  so  arranged  that  it  would  exert 
an  even  pressure  on  the  entire  surface 
of  the  glass  and  so  corrected  the  ten- 
dency to  astigmatism. 


THE  TOOL  USED  FOR  APPLYING  THE  EMERY  FLOUR  IN  POLISHING  THE   GREAT   MIRROR. 


THE   WORKING   MODEL   OF   THE    MOUNTING    OF   THE    100-INCH    REFLECTOR. 


the  three  years  of  polishing.  One  very 
serious  difficulty  was  encountered 
early  in  the  polishing.  It  was  found 
that  the  curves  of  concavity  were  not 
the  same  at  right  angles  to  each  other 
or,  in  other  words,  there  was  astigma- 
tism in  the  glass.  The  .0016  of  an  inch 
by  which  they  differed  threatened  to 
render  the  glass  useless,  but  after  sev- 
eral months  of  work  the  problem  was 
solved  by  the  use  of  a  new  kind  of  tool. 


Early  in  the  spring  of  1917  the  most 
rigorous  tests  failed  to  show  any  im- 
perfection in  the  concavity  of  the  sur- 
face and  the  glass  was  made  into  a 
mirror  by  chemical  precipitation  of 
silver  from  a  solution  poured  over  the 
surface. 

The  task  of  transporting  the  four 
and  one-half  tons  of  glass  up  a  moun- 
tain road,  where  it  would  be  subject 
to  jar  and  sudden  changes  of  tempera- 


TO  KN(  )\\    THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


34i 


ture,  was  no  light  one.  It  was  lifted 
from  the  grinding  table  by  a  device 
such  that  the  stress  would  be  evenly 
distributed  throughout  the  disc.  Then 
it  was  lowered  into  an  octagonal  box 
which  had  been  lined  with  paraffin  pa- 
per and  was  sealed  at  every  joint  to 
exclude  the  dust.  Inside  the  paper  was 
a  packing  of  carded  wool  and  Brussels 
carpet  to  protect  from  heat  and  jolting. 


100  feet  high,  constructed  of  metal  and 
has  double  walls,  so  that  the  tempera- 
ture can  be  kept  as  even  as  possible. 
The  lower  28  feet  is  stationary  and  the 
upper  part  rotates.  Forty  huge  piers 
surrounding  a  still  larger  central  pier 
supply  the  foundation.  The  main  pier 
rests  on  a  bed  of  sand  six  feet  deep  and 
carries  a  circular  floor  52  feet  in  diam- 
eter.    This  has  around  its  outer  rim  a 


THE  DOME  FOR  THE  100-INCH  REFLECTOR  OF  THE  MOUNT  WILSON  SOLAR  OBSERVATORY. 


Only  the  very  edge  of  the  silvered  sur- 
face touched  anything.  A  correspond- 
ing rim  of  wood,  faced  with  carpet  and 
wool,  had  been  placed  inside  the  box 
cover  and  held  the  mirror  rigidly  in 
place  when  the  cover  was  screwed 
down.  The  box  was  then  hermetically 
sealed  and  encased  in  another  layer  of 
paraffin  paper  and  clamped  between 
parallel  sets  of  heavy  timbers  with  a 
steel  bolt  at  the  top  for  lifting.  Even 
this  did  not  seem  enough  and  a  cradle 
of  heavy  timbers  was  bolted  on  the 
bed  of  the  motor  and  this  was  lined 
with  cushions  in  which  were  heavy 
springs  so  that  the  box  might  oscillate 
easily.  A  strong  canvas  covered  this 
and  the  trip  was  successfully  made  to 
the  top  of  the  mountain  in  one  day. 

Scarcely  less  interesting  than  the 
mirror  itself  is  the  mounting.  The 
larger  parts  of  this  were  constructed 
in  a  shipyard  for  battleships  and  the 
work  was  delayed  very  much  by  the 
increased  activity  in  ship  construction 
after  the  beginning  of  the  war.  The 
dome   which    shelters   the   telescope   is 


metal  wall  nine  feet  high,  to  keep 
drafts  from  penetrating  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  dome.  The  moving  parts 
of  the  telescope  weigh  100  tons  and 
the  bulk  of  this  weight  is  borne  by 
pedestals  floating  in  Mercury, 

The  driving  clock  has  a  weight  of 
one  and  one-half  tons  and  winds  auto- 
matically every  ten  minutes.  There  is 
an  elaborate  system  of  electric  con- 
trols, so  that  the  observer  can  move 
the  telescope  any  distance  in  any  direc- 
tion he  chooses,  rotate  the  dome  and 
move  the  platform  without  leaving  his 
chair. 

The  telescope  is  fitted  with  a  fine 
spectrograph  and  much  of  the  work 
will  probably  be  done  with  this  instru- 
ment. Undubtedly  a  large  amount  of 
work  will  be  done  in  gathering  data  for 
Kapteyn's  work  on  star-streams  and  to 
add  to  our  knowledge  of  the  structure 
and  limits  of  the  universe.  The  huge 
increase  of  light-gathering  power 
should  help  materially  in  the  study  of 
star  clusters  and   nebulae. 


tf«w 


rs^ 


r$r 


REGREATIONS^M  IGROSGOPE 


POPULAR  MICROSCOPY. 

BY    FRANCIS    ROLT-WHEELER,    PH.D.,    NEW 
YORK  CITY. 

[PART    OE    A    LECTURE.] 

Microscopy  is  primarily  an  art,  not  a 
science.  Only  because  of  its  general  use- 
fulness to  certain  of  the  sciences,  no- 
tably biology  and  petrology  has  it  been 
mistakenly  placed  in  the  scientific  class. 
It  is  as  absured  to  call  microscopy  a 
science  as  to  call  normal  vision  a 
science,  for,  in  very  truth,  the  entire 
purpose  of  microscopy  is  to  extend  the 
range  of  normal  vision.  There  is  no 
more  a  science  of  looking  at  diatoms 
than  there  is  a  science  of  looking  at 
elephants.  Many  thousand  persons 
visit  a  Zoological  Park  on  Sunday  and 
holidays  in  any  of  our  large  cities,  but 
their  visit  does  not  make  them  zoolo- 
gists :  it  makes  them,  to  coin  a  word, 
— macroscopists. — Many  thousand  per- 
sons may  look  at  a  diatom,  but  that 
does  not  make  them  botanists  ;  it  makes 
them  microscopists,  because  a  diatom 
cannot  be  seen  without  a  microscope. 
My  first  point,  then,  is  that  there  is  no 
science  of  microscopy. 

As  this  is  a  somewhat  sweeping 
statement,  I  hasten  to  answer  possible 
objections.  Most  authorities  on  micros- 
copy, when  setting  forth  their  art,  de- 
vote more  or  less  time  to  the  question 
of  the  principles  of  microscopic  illumi- 
nation and  magnification.  This  is  not 
microscopy.  It  is  no  more  microscopy 
than  would  be  a  dessertation  on  glass- 
making  or  the  alloys  composing  a  brass 
tube.  The  principles  of  microscopic 
magnification  appertain  to  the  Science 
of  Optics.  One  might  as  well  declare 
that  the  arrangement  of  lenses  in  a 
telescope  was  a  part  of  the  science  of 
astronomy.  I  might  point  out,  more- 
over, that  telescopic  observation  of  the 
sky,  per  se,  is  not  astronomy. 

In  answer  to  my  denial  that  micro- 
scopy is  a  science,  it  may  be  advanced 
that  such  matters  as  the  proper  prepa- 


ration and  mounting  of  microscopic 
specimens  requires  experience,  deft- 
ness and  technical  skill.  This  is  true. 
So  do  ivory  carving,  filigree  work,  min- 
ature  painting  and  lace  pillow  making, 
but  these  are  not  sciences.  It  may  be 
suggested  that  a  knowledge  of  chemis- 
try is  necessary  to  understand  such 
matters  as  dehydration  and  staining, 
and  especially  such  complicated  pro- 
cesses as  fixing  of  Actinozoa  and  Hy- 
drozoa  with  polypi  extended.  I  reply 
that  chemical  knowledge  is  equally 
necessary  for  the  manufacture  of  chew- 
ing gum  or  toilet  soap,  but  one  cannot 
consider  such  manufacturers  as  scien- 
tists. 

It  may  be  said — indeed  I  have  heard 
it  said, — that  the  smaller  is  the  object 
on  the  microscope  stage,  the  greater  is 
the  amount  of  science  involved.  This 
is  sheer  nonsense.  Microscopy  con- 
sists in  the  art  of  seeing;  not  in  object 
seen.  No  one  will  say  that  he  who 
regards  Yolvox  is  less  a  microscopist 
than  one  who  observes  non-filterable 
bacteria  through  the  ultra-microscope. 
Such  a  statement  would  be  of  an  ab- 
surdity comparable  to  the  remark  that 
he  who  studies  the  planet  Jupiter  is 
less  of  an  astronomer  than  he  who 
studies  Jupiter's  moons. 

It  may  be  objected  that  the  observa- 
tion of  an  object  is  of  little  value  if  the 
observer  does  not  know  what  he  is  ob- 
serving. This  I  flatly  deny.  To  me, 
it  is  rank  heresy.  I  cannot  see  that  a 
man's  delight  in  mountain  scenery  is 
to  be  set  aside  as  unimportant  because 
he  does  not  know  the  principles  of  tec- 
tonic stratigraphy  and  because  he  does 
not  know  a  geological  fault  from  a  hat- 
rack.  Nor  am  I  willing  to  admit  that 
the  country  girl  who  makes  a  posy  of 
wild  flowers  is  to  be  frowned  upon  be- 
cause she  does  not  understand  chloro- 
phyllic  processes  nor  because  she  calls 
a  flower  "love-lies-bleeding"  instead  of 
Amarantus  Caudatus.     I  am  unwilling 


KKCRKATIONS  WITH  THE  MICROSCOPE 


343 


to  consider  as  outside  the  pale  of  mi- 
croscopist  charity  those  people  who 
say,  on  looking  at  a  slide,  "How  love- 
ly!    What  is  it!" 

Microscopy,  thus  regarded,  possesses 
three  sharply  marked  divisions.  It  can 
serve  i)  as  a  handmaiden  to  the 
sciences  by  yielding  additional  mater- 
ial from  realms  below  the  range  of 
normal  vision  ;  2)  as  a  provocative  of 
intellectual  interest  and  a  spur  to  edu- 
cation, whether  self-education  or  oth- 
erwise, and  3)  as  an  emotional  stimu- 
lus, satisfying  the  senses  with  beauty. 
The  first  is  a  process  or  research,  and 
not  a  thing  in  itself ;  the  second  is  a 
process  of  education  and  not  a  thing  in 
itself;  the  third  is  pure  art  and  is  a 
thing  of  itself.  Since  the  first  presup- 
poses a  line  of  scientific  research  that 
is  being  followed,  it  cannot  be  called 
"popular" ;  since  the  second  presup- 
poses a  desire  to  secure  general  infor- 
mation, it  cannot  be  called  popular ; 
since  the  third  inherently  satisfies  the 
beholder,  it  can  and  should  be  called 
"popular."  This  art,  then  contains  the 
nexus  of  popular  microscopy. 

Let  me  give  a  few  sharply  contrast- 
ed examples.  The  flea  of  a  rat  is  a 
creature  most  deserving  of  study  as  a 
part  of  scientific  research  because  of 
its  possible  relation  to  bubonic  plague  ; 
the  cheese  mite  is  a  matter  of  intelli- 
gent curiosity  ;  the  moths  of  the  leaf- 
mining  caterpillars  are  lovelier  than 
any  of  the  butterflies  we  can  see  with 
the  naked  eye.  The  average  unin- 
formed person  will  say  "How  queer !" 
to  the  first,  "How  horrid !"  to  the  sec- 
ond and  "How  lovely!"  to  the  third. 
It  is  my  contention  that  Popular  Mi- 
croscopy should  lay  more  stress  on 
those  things  which  are  lovely. 

Let  us  take  an  illustration  from  the 
vegetable  world.  The  fungus  of  a 
plant-disease  is  of  importance  to  the 
plant  pathologist ;  the  cross  section  of 
a  pine  needle  is  of  value  to  the  botani- 
cal beginner;  the  pollen  grain  of  the 
hollyhock  is  a  marvel  of  beauty  in  it- 
self. It  is  my  contention  that  Popular 
Microscopy  should  exclude  the  two 
former  types  from  its  domain  and 
amplify  in  the  latter. 

Let  us  take  a  popular  lecture  with 
lantern  slides.  There  are  three  classes 
of  lantern  slides,  just  as  there  are  three 
classes  of  microscope  slides;  those 
which   are   technical,    those   which    are 


interesting  and  those  which  are  beauti- 
ful. Permit  me  to  assure  you,  from  a 
long  experience,  that  popular  interest 
depends  in  no  small  measure  upon  the 
inclusion  of  a  large  proportion  of 
slides  which  may  or  may  not  be  direct- 
ly applicable  to  the  subject  of  the  lec- 
ture, but  which  attract  popular  atten- 
tion because  of  their  sheer  beauty  of 
color. 

The  sense  appeal  is  always  stronger 
than  the  brain  appeal.  Popular  Micros- 
copy has  been  barking  up  the  wrong 
tree,  it  has  tried  to  appeal  to  the  pub- 
lic by  the  brain  route. 

In  order  to  awaken  a  wide  popular 
appeal  and  love  for  microscopy,  it  is 
my  first  conviction  that  the  public 
should  be  taught  to  regard  the  micro- 
scope as  a  medium  for  opening  a  new 
world  of  beauty,  not  a  new  world  of 
instruction.  To  regard  the  microscope 
only  as  an  aid  to  scientific  research  is 
equivalent  to  a  declaration  that  draw- 
ing and  painting  should  be  confined 
only  to  the  delineation  of  anatomical 
dissections. 

Why  is  there  such  an  outcry  against 
the  destruction  of  Rheims  Cathedral? 
Is  it  because  the  public  realizes  the 
amazing  architectural  skill  evinced  in 
the  balancing  of  the  thrust  ?  Is  it  be- 
cause it  is  a  religious  edifice?  No.  It 
is  because  it  is  a  thing  of  beauty.  Is 
the  huge  membership  and  work  of  the 
Audubon  Society  dependent  on  a  pub- 
lic knowledge  of  microscopy?  Not  a 
whit.  It  is  because  people  love  birds 
for  the  charm  of  their  melody  and  the 
beauty  of  their  Presence  in  the  woods 
and  fields. 

In  order  that  I  might  assure  myself 
that  I  am  in  the  right  in  saying  that 
microscopy  has  always  been  on  the 
wrong  track  in  its  efforts  to  interest  the 
public,  I  visited  one  of  our  largest 
libraries  in  the  United  States  and  got 
down  from  the  shelves  every  book  to 
be  found  there  published  on  micro- 
scopy during  the  past  fifty  years.  I  as- 
sure you,  less  than  ten  per  cent,  of  any 
of  these  volumes  dealt  with  objects 
that  were  beautiful  in  themselves.  The 
sole  book  which  had  a  slight  purview 
of  this  need  was  an  amplification  of  a 
slide-maker's  catalogue.  He  had  found 
out, through  the  character  of  his  pur- 
chases, the  slides  which  were  most  in 
demand.  And  these  demands,  be  it  re- 
membered, came  from  microscopists  of 


344 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


the  old  school.  The  best  books  are  the 
French,  next  the  English,  next  the 
American,  and  the  German  last. 

So  far  I  have  been  dealing  with  de- 
structive criticism,  and  if  my  argu- 
ments so  far  have  proved  to  you  sound, 
I  have  shown  that  there  lias  been  a 
great  and  woeful  lacuna  in  the  manner 
in  which  microscopy  is  presented  to  the 
people.  I  do  not  want  to  bring  only  a 
torch  to  destroy  and  no  hammer  to 
build.  On  the  contrary,  I  am  hopeful 
of  being  able  to  start  a  movement  along 
the  right  track.  I  can  conceive  of  no 
better  work  than  the  preparation  of 
microscopic  slides  selected  for  their 
beauty. 

It  had  been  my  hope,  before  this  lec- 
ture, to  get  in  touch  with  many  of  your 
members,  secure  their  consultation  and 
advice,  discuss  with  them  this  angle  of 
beauty,  and  make  a  series  of  lantern 
slides  to  illustrate  my  meaning.  Lack 
of  time,  however,  has  prevented  this, 
and,  in  consequence,  I  have  drawn  up 
a  rough  list. 

I  have  divided  a  rough  list  of  one 
hundred  slides  into  twenty-five  groups, 
with  four  pictorial  types  in  each,  avoid- 
ing section-making  in  each  and  every 
case.  Every  specialist  in  each  of  these 
lines  would  be  able  to  give  better  ex- 
amples, without  doubt.  As  a  practical 
result  of  this  talk,  I  should  esteem  it  a 
great  favor  if  members  interested  in 
any  of  these  fields  would  write  to  me 
what  they  consider  the  lovliest  micro- 
scopic objects  in  their  particular  do- 
main, especially  those  which  are  easily 
secured  and  may  be  permanently 
mounted. 


Four  years  of  study  of  the  yellow 
clothes  (Tincola  biccllieUa)  shows  that 
no  known  method  of  moth-proofing 
cloth  is  of  any  practical  use.  Even 
fabrics  that  had  been  soaked  in  corro- 
sive sublimate  proved  a  perfectly 
wholesome  food  for  the  young  insects. 
Cedar,  tobacco  and  gasoline  are  equally 
ineffective.  Camphor  and  napthalene, 
however,  are  promptly  fatal  in  closed 
places. 


Somewhere  in  the  Country  Side. 

All  about  are  the   graceful   elms, 

And   on   almost   every   one 
Is   the   pendant   nest   of   an   oriole, 

A  swing  in  the  morning  sun. 

—Emma  Peirce. 


The  Simplest  and  Smallest  of  Flower- 
ing Plants. 

BY   EDWARD   E.    BIGELOW,    ARCADIA,    SOUND 
BEACH,    CONNECTICUT. 

Here  is  a  photograph  of  the  simplest 
and  smallest  flowering  plant  in  the 
known  world.  Complete  it  is  repre- 
sented by  one  of  the  small  egg-shaped 
green  bits  that  in  the  photograph,  ow- 
ing to  the  special  lighting  used,  appear 


FLOATING  PLANTS. 
The  largest  branching  colonies  are  Axolla;  the  small- 
est plants  are  Wolffia;  those  of  the  intermediate  size  are 
Lemna   minor.. 

Photograph  by  Dr.  Emmeline  Moore. 

Cut  from  "The  Life  of  Inland  Waters"   (Needham  and 
Lloyd)    by  courtesy  of  The   Comstock  Publishing  Com- 
pany,   Ithaca,    New   York. 


to  be  white.  They  are  photographed  in 
comparison  with  two  pinheads  maked 
"x,"  to  show  relative  size.  It  will  be 
seen  that  each  plant,  even  the  largest, 
is  not  one-quarter  the  size  of  the  pin- 
head,  and  some  are  not  even  one-tenth 
of  that  size.  Yet  astonishing  as  it  may 
seem,  this  tiny  plant  that  requires  a 
microscope  to  reveal  its  details,  is  a 
phaenogamous  or  flowering  plant,  pro- 
ducing flowers  and  seeds.  The  flower 
is  the  simplest  possible,  consisting  of 
only  a  single  stamen  with  a  one-celled, 
two-valved  anther  and  producing  a 
single   seed  or,   as  the  botanist  would 


RECREATIONS  WITH  THE  MICROSCOPE 


345 


express  it,  an  orthotropous  ovule  placed 
rather  obliquely  in  the  cell.     Think  for 
a  moment  what  this  means.     The  ob- 
jects like  the  tiny  granules  shown  here 
are  not  the  flowers,  but  are  the  plants 
themselves    that    produce    the    flowers 
and,  like  the  blossoms  of  all  flowering 
plants,  the  blossom  here  is  much  small- 
er than  the  plant  itself,  and  consequent- 
ly  this  orthotropous   ovule   is   smaller 
than   the  flower.     Yet  strange  as  this 
may    seem,    botanists    have    carefully 
described,  in  technical  language,  every 
detail    of   the    plant,    flower,   fruit   and 
seed,  even  to  the  astonishing  statement 
that  this  almost  invisible  orthotropous 
ovule  lies  rather  obliquely  in  the  cell. 
Such    is    a    glimpse    of    the    wonderful 
fairyland   world   visible   to   the   micro- 
scope.    The  whole  plant  is  hardly  ap- 
parent to  the  naked  eye,  yet  a  flower 
bursts  from  the  side  of  that  plant  and 
produces  a  seed,  and  the  microscope  re- 
veals even  the  attitude  of  that  seed  as 
it  lies  in  its  cell.    These  specimens  were 
sent  to  ArcAdiA  in  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember by  one  of  our  correspondents 
in   New  Jersey,   who  informs   us   that 
they  are  the  first  he  has  ever  seen.   The 
plants    were    placed    in    a    tumbler    of 
water  with   a   few   fronds   of   ordinary 
Lemna.    Some  of  them  have  since  died 
but  the  accompanying  photograph  was 
taken  of  green  and  vigorous  specimens 
three  months  after  they  were  received ; 
that  is,  in  the  middle  of  December.  The 
mature  plant  ranges  from  seven-tenths 
to   one   and    five-tenths   millimeters   in 
diameter,  or  from   one-fiftieth  to  one- 
eighteenth  of  an  inch.     Another  aston- 
ishing fact  is  that  it   is  well   supplied 


with  breathing  pores,  the  stomata  of 
the  botanist,  from  one  to  six  for  each 
plant.  In  their  native  habitat  the  plants 
float  as  minute  green  grains  just  below 
the  surface  of  the  water  in  ponds,  pools 
and  shallow  lakes,  from  Ontario  to 
Connecticut  and  New  Jersey,  west  to 
Minnesota,  to  Missouri  and  south  to 
Louisiana.  It  is  found  also  in  Mexico 
and  South  America.  It  blooms  in  June 
and  July.  We  hope  that  our  microscop- 
ical botanists  will  remember  these 
plants,  will  seek  them  in  likely  places, 
and  observe  them  in  the  early  spring. 
If  possible  to  capture  them  in  bloom  we 
shall  be  grateful  for  specimens.  We 
should  like  to  photograph  them  in  full 
flower.  The  plant  has  no  common 
name,  probably  because  it  is  itself  not 
common,  and  is  rarely  observed  by 
any  except  the  botanist,  or  by  the  lover 
of  nature  that  goes  peering  into  the 
ponds  and  pools,  often  to  the  wonder- 
ment of  the  spectator,  who  is  more 
than  amazed  to  see  a  comparatively 
well-dressed  man,  apparently  in  his 
right  mind,  scooping  weeds  from  a 
ditch.  The  plant  is  the  JJ'olffia  Columbi- 
ana, known  to  botanists  as  JJ'olffia,  a  sim- 
ple name,  easily  remembered,  and  used 
in  honor  of  Johann  Fried  Wolff 
who  in  1801  wrote  about  the  Lemna 
of  the  duckweed  family  to  which  this 
belongs. 

It  is  one  of  the  rarest  plants  in  the 
country.  When  the  botanist  finds  it, 
he  considers  the  finding  an  event  to  be 
recorded  and  for  congratulation..  It 
has  been  discovered  in  the  localities 
named  above,  but  not  often  ;  only  once 
in  Connecticut,  and  perhaps  once  only 


WOLFFIA    PLANTS    PHOTOGRAPHE I )    WITH   PIXHEADS    (MARKED   X)    FOR   COMPARISON    A. 

TO  SIZE. 
By   Edward   F.   Bigelow. 


346 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


in  the  other  places ;  in  a  few  spots  in 
New  Jersey  (but  anything  can  be 
found  in  New  Jersey)  and  it  is  so  un- 
common that  it  is  not  mentioned  in  the 
one  edition  of  Gray's  Manual  of  Bo- 
tany.. A  learned  botanist  writing  on 
the  subject  says : 

"The  little  green  discs  of  the  Duck- 
weed [Lemna],  with  their  slender 
rootlets  hanging  beneath,  reproducing 
by  branching  and  separation  from  the 
parent  disc  and  rarely  found  blossom- 
ing, seem  far  enough  removed  from 
our  conception  of  a  flowering  plant, 
but  the  still  more  minute  U'olffia  is  the 
extreme  in  this  direction.  The  plants 
consist  of  minute  green  globules  about 
a  millimeter  in  diameter,  which  float 
just  below  the  surface  of  the  water."  It 
is  only  rarely  and  at  long  intervals 
found  in  bloom. 

The  plant  as  a  whole  is  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  that  we  have  ever  re- 
ceived at  ArcAdiA.  It  has  attracted 
much  attention  from  our  visitors,  manv 
of  whom  have  seen  its  details  under  the 
microscope. 


Blood  Corpuscles. 

BY    PHILir    O.    GRAVELLE,    SOUTH    ORANGE, 
NEW  JERSEY. 

tn  man  the  cellular  elements  of  the 
blood  occur  in  two  forms,  the  red  and 
the  white  (or  colorless)  corpuscles.  The 
red  corpuscles  are  circular,  biconcave 
discs  while  the  white  are  larger,  volun- 


tarily vary  in  form  and  have  well  de- 
fined nuclei.  These  corpuscles  are  shown 
by  the  two  accompanying  photomicro- 
graphs of  human  blood.  Unstained 
they  are  pale,  but  if  stained  by  means 


BLOOD  OF  BIRD. 

Magnification    one   thousand   diameters. 

of  a  double  stain  they  can  be  readily 
seen  under  the  microscope. 

The  proportion  of  white  cells  to  red 
is  one  white  to  about  five  hundred  of 
the  red.  The  blood  corpuscles  of  birds 
and  cold-blooded  animals  differ  in  be- 
ing oval  in  shape  and  having  elongated 
nuclei. 

The  size  of  the  corpuscles  bears  no 


BLOOD   OF   NECTURUS. 
Magnification  one  thousand  diameters. 


HUMAN    BLOOD. 

Magnification    one   thousand   diameters. 

relation  to  the  size  of  the  animal.  The 
elephant  and  the  humming  bird  have 
corpuscles  of  about  the  same  size, 
while  those  of  the  Proteus  are  among 
the  largest  known,  those  of  the  musk 
deer  among  the  smallest. 


Our  Summer  Camp  for  Girls. 

BY   EDWARD   E.   BIGEE0W,   ARCADIA  [   SOUND 
BEACH,    CONNECTICUT. 

The  girl  in  some  respects  takes  to 
camp  life  even  better  than  the  boy. 
Perhaps  it  is  a  greater  treat  for  a  girl 
because  to  her.  after  the  ordinary  con- 


not  only  the  liberty  and  the  hilarious 
outdoor  living  of  a  camp  from  the 
physical  point  of  view,  but  she  is  well 
adapted  to  the  mental  phases  of  living 
in  nearness  to  nature.  I  venture  to 
say  that  the  camp  has  done  more  for 
the  girl  than  for  the  boy,  because  she 


IN  THE  HEART  OF  WILDEST  NATURE. 


ditions  in  which  she  lives,  especially 
the  girl  from  the  city,  camp  life  corner 
with  sharper  contrast,  and  the  greater 
the  change  the  greater  the  enjoympn' 
Most  boys  have  a  little  more  freedom 
than  the  girl.     The  average  girl  enjoys 


needed    it    more    and    can    assimilate 
more. 

But  there  are  camps  and  camps,  and 
a  camp  for  a  girl  must  be  chosen  with 
care.  It  must  be  one  in  which  she  will 
have  the  advantages  of  wholesome  liv- 


34* 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


ing,  congenial  surroundings,  and  free- 
dom of  the  wild  under  all  necessary 
guards  for  health  and  safety.  I  have 
investigated    a    number    of   camps    for 


IN    THE   GORGE. 

girls,  and  have  decided  that  our  camp 
shall  be  the  Tela-Wauket  at  Roxbury, 
Vermont.  This  1  believe  is  ideal.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  C.  A.  Roys  devote  their  time 
and  thought  during  the  entire  year  to 


camp    work. 


Th 


ev 


ha> 


assoc 


iated 


with  them  a  corps  of  assistants  of  loy- 
alty and  whole-hearted  cooperation. 
These  assistants  and  councilors  are 
chosen  because  of  exceptional  fitness 
for  the  part  they  are  to  have  in  making 
the  camp  pleasing  and  beneficial  to  the 
campers  and  a  source  of  gratification 
to  the  parents.  Accompanied  by  my 
daughter,  I  shall  have  charge  of  the 
nature  work  at  this  camp,  and  the  na- 
ture work  will  not  be  natural  science, 
it  will  be  nature  study.  A  well-known 
authority  has  made  a  distinction  be- 
tween these  terms.  Science,  he  says, 
considers  the  subject,  while  nature 
study  considers  the  pupil.  This  nature 
guidance  will  consist  of  a  royal  good 
time  for  every  girl.  She  is  going  to 
know  nature  at  first-hand  and  have  a 
deal  of  satisfaction  in  making  the  ac- 
quaintance. Every  reader  of  this  mag- 
azine knows  from  the  department 
"The  Fun  of  Seeing  Things,"  that  there 
is  a  real  joy  in  getting  acquainted  with 
nature.  There  will  be  more  fun  to 
every  square  inch  in  seeing  things  with 
a  seeing  eye  at  the  Tela-Wauket 
Camps  than'  at  any  other  similar  place. 
There  are  two  camps,  one  for  Tie 
juniors,  the  other  for  the  seniors.  Girls 
from  eight  to  twenty  years  of  age  who 
wish  to  know  why  the  editor  of  this 
magazine  is  enthusiastically  devoted 
to  the  study  of  nature  as  a  mental  rec- 
reation, as  well  as  a  factor  in  liberal 
education,  should  inquire  regarding 
this  camp.  Full  particulars  including 
a  beautifully  illustrated  catalogue  may 


A   SOCIAL  TIME   AT  Till'.    KM)   OK   A    PERFECT    DAY. 


THE  <  )UTD(  )(  )R  W(  >KI.I  ) 


349 


be  obtained  by  addressing  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  C.  A.  Roys.  Directors,  id  Bow- 
doin  Street,  Cambridge,  Massachu- 
setts Both  camps  will  open  June  29th 
and  Close  August  30th.  The  term-  for 
the  season  are  $-'50.  or  $130  for  one- 
half  of  the  season. 


A  Primer  of  Bird-Study. 
Mr.  Ernest  [ngersoll,  whose  address 
is  304  West  [2ist  Street,  New  York 
City,  has  published  a  small  pamphlet 
giving  an  account  of  the  structure  and 
functions  of  hirds.  It  seems  to  the  edi- 
tor to  contain  a  great  amount  of  valu- 


COMPARING    AND    TALKING    OVER    "FINDS"     ['.V    T1IK    ROADSIDE. 


The  camp  spirit  is  well  shown  in  the 
followingquotationfrom  the  Catalogue 
It  was  written  by  Bishop  J.  L.  Spauld- 
ing  in  his  "Education  and  the  Highest 
Life." 

"To  run,  to  jump,  to  ride,  to  swim. 
to  sit  in  the  shade  of  trees  by  flowing 
waters,  to  look  on  orchards  blooming, 
to  dream  in  the  silence  that  lies  amid 
the  hills,  to  feel  the  solemn  loneliness 
of  the  deep  woods,  to  follow  cattle  as 
they  crop  the  sweet-scented  clover,  to 
learn,  too,  as  one  knows  a  mother's 
face,  every  change  that  comes  over  the 
heavens  from  the  dewy  freshness  of 
the  early  morn  to  the  restful  calm  of 
evening,  from  the  overpowering  mys- 
tery of  the  starlit  sky  to  the  look  with 
which  the  moon  smiles  upon  the  earth  ; 
all  this  is  education  of  a  higher  and 
more  real  kind  than  it  is  possible  to 
receive  within  the  walls  of  a  school, 
and  lacking  this,  nothing  shall  have 
power  to  develop  the  faculties  of  the 
soul   in   symmetry   and   completeness." 


Twin-flowers. 

A  rosy  cloud  of  delicate  bloom 

Hung   over    the    leaflets    green; — 

We'd  surprised  the  little  twin-flower  vine 
In   its  transformation   scene. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


able  material  in  a  small  compass.  We 
advise  our  readers  to  send  fifteen  cents 
to  Mr.  Ingersoll  and  receive  a  copy  of 
this  interesting  little  book,  which  is 
not  intended  for  the  identification  of 
the  birds  but  for  the  proper  understand- 
ing of  their  structure,  adaptability, 
faculties,  nests,  purposes,  etc.  Mr. 
Ingersoll  is  well  known  throughout  the 
country  as  one  of  our  most  careful 
scientific  ornithologists.  He  also  is 
skilled  in  the  popular  treatment  of  the 
subject  and  probably  has  done  as  much 
as  any  other  man  in  popularizing  and 
stimulating  the  study  of  birds  and 
mammals.  He  is  the  author  of  "The 
Life  of  Mammals,"  "Wit  of  the  Wild" 
and  "Wild  Neighbors." 

The  book  contains  not  only  the 
name  of  the  bird — that  detail  is  good 
so  far  as  it  goes  but  it  is  a  superficial 
part  of  ornithology,  and  no  real  teach 
er  of  this  beautiful  science  would  be 
willing  to  stop  there.  In  a  study  of 
plants  one  is  supposed  to  know  every 
detail  of  structure,  but  there  are  too 
many  people  who  seem  perfectly  con- 
tented in  the  study  of  birds  to  know 
only  the  name.  One  should  know  the 
structure  of  the  bird,  its  nest  and  its 
general  habits.  Teachers  of  nature 
study,  scout  masters,  amateur  and  pro- 
fessional naturalists  will  find  this  a 
helpful  book. 


35o                                      THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 

"Delicious  Hypocrites."  beyond  weighing  in  dollars  and  cents, 

for,  as  in  Dr.  Bigelow's  own  case,  it 
[from  "out  in  the  open"— a  depart-  may  be  liie  itself — life  and  love  and 
MENT  OF  THE  Newark  (n.  J.)  EVEN-  memories.  Play  hard  when  you  play, 
ING  news.]  for  our  hour  outdoors  is  all  too  short 
In  classifying  the  members  of  the  and  what  has  been  today  may  never  be 
angling  fraternity  as  "delicious  hypo-  a£f"n-  ,  ,  .  .  ,  ,  , 
crites,"  Dr.  Edward  F.  Bigelow,  the  Under  the  snow  and  ice  the  faded 
noted  naturalist,  created  not  a  bit  of  pmeneedles  sleep  in  the  camp  site  on 
resentment  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  the  Esopus  with  the  dead  ashes  of  yes- 
heard  him  at  the  meeting  of  the  New-  terday  s  fires.  And  one  of  that  trio 
ark  Bait  and  Fly  Casting  Club  Tucs-  whose  companionship  gladdened  the 
day.  For  he  stated  a  fact  that  may  be  days  has  gone  forever  and  another  now 
said  to  apply  to  the  majority  of—  ma7  be  in  the  Bntish  trenches.  But 
though  not  all— anglers.  Not  a  few  of  we  two  wl™  are  eft  have  the  memory 
us  have  put  our  delicious  hyprocrisy  that  we  Playe,d  hard  wlth,  th™  and 
aside  and  have  come  out  openly  with  worshiped  with  them    in  thought  and 

the   declaration    that   the   endeavor   to  in  word>  the  glones  of  nature  that  were 

catch   fish   is   only   one   of   the   factors  a^  around  us. 

that  go  to  make  up  the  delight  of  our 

days  outdoors.     We  may  not  view  na-  Where  to  Send  Your  Boy  for  the 

ture  with  the  eye  of  the  expert,  but  we  Summer. 

find  in  its  many  elements  a  joy  and  an  Wg  takg     leasure  in  calH       attention 

interest   that   truly   make   us    more   of  tQ  the   Nonowantuc   C           established 

the  naturalist  than  of  the  angler.  ,      ,^      t?  i         j    a    r    tv/t       i              +u^ 

&  bv  Mr.  Edward  A.  C.  Murphy,  on  the 

The  fisherman  makes  a  great  to-do  east  shore  of  Mt.  Sinai  Harbor,  on  the 
about  going  fishing,  said  Dr.  Bigelow.  north  coast  of  Long  island)  immediate- 
He  fusses  over  his  rods,  reels,  lines  and  ly  connected  with  Long  Island  Sound 
baits  and  centers  all  his  talk  on  what  and  about  sixty  miles  outside  of  New 
he  expects  to  do  to  the  fish,  when,  as  York  City.  Fuji  particulars  of  the 
a  matter  of  fact,  he  goes  to  enjoy  the  c  property,  '  the  fields,  the  pine 
world  outdoors  and  to  get  from  it  the  woods,  the  grove  of  locust  trees,  the 
benefit  that  it  is  certain  to  yield  in  splendid  view  of  Long  Island  Sound 
health,  interest  and  recreation.  whh  its  facilities  for  boating,  canoeing, 

That  is  what  Out  in  the  Open  has  fishingt  etc    may  be  obtained  by  writ- 
been  preaching  consistently.    Its  editor  •        tQ  Mr    Murphy 
recalls  a  year  when  he  spent  ten  days  It  is  not  the  intention  Gf  this  notice 
on  the  Esopus  during  which  time  he  to         jnto  any  detailed  advertising  of 
caught  exactly  three  trout-and  had  a  the  campj  bu|  to  say  a  word  for  Mr 
wonderful  trip!  Murphy  with  whom  the  editor  of  this 

Why.  magazine  is  well  acquainted.   His  qual- 

Was  it  because  the  stream  was  ifications  are  summed  up  in  two  state- 
beautiful,  the  mountains  magnificent,  ments:  he  is  a  thoroughly  efficient 
the  camp  a  real  joy,  the  bold  little  chip-  teacher  and  he  is  a  royally  good  fel- 
munks  a  source  of  constant  entertain-  low.  These  are  the  qualifications  need- 
ment,  the  wild  strawberries  luscious,  ed  in  the  manager  of  a  camp  for  boys. 
the  meadows  and  fields  a  glorious  When  that  has  been  said,  the  whole 
green,  the  heavens,  by  day  and  night,  a  thing  has  been  specified.  He  must 
panorama  of  unlimited  interest,  even  understand  boys  and  be  a  genial  com- 
though  rain  fell  from  them  off  and  on  panion  for  them.  He  must  have  an  out- 
nearly  every  day?  You  bet  it  was!  look  on  life  from  the  boy's  point  of 
Those  things  and  the  comradeship  of  view,  although  that  is  not  enough.  Any 
the  men  who  shared  them  made  forever  boy  that  is  considered  a  good  fellow 
dear  the  memory  of  that  little  camp  by  his  mates  has  that.  The  manager 
among  the  tall  pines  of  the  creek.  must  stand  head  and  shoulders  intel- 

You  delicious  hyprocrites  need  feel  lectually  and  in  wholesome  aspirations 

no  shame  in  your  hyprocrisy.    You  are  above   the  boy.      He   must   uplift   and 

laying  up  a  store  the  value  of  which  is  inspire  him  for  life.    He  must  not  be  a 


THE  OUTDOOR  WORLD 


35i 


preacher  in  words  but  in  actions  and 
in  his  innate  qualifications.  Do  you 
known  that  old  Latin  epitome,  "Omnium 
vivum  ex  vivo."  You  know  what  that 
means?  I  will  tell  you.  From  the 
boy's  point  of  view  it  means :  "We  are 
inspired  by  the  other  fellow."  The 
other  fellow  for  the  boy,  and  for  the 
father  and  mother,  is  Mr.  Edward  A. 
C.  Murphy.  You  can  reach  him  by 
writing  to  him  at  W'abanaki  School, 
Greenwich,   Connecticut. 


Snails  and  Spiders. 

Springdale,  Connecticut. 
To  the  Editor : 

The  spider  of  which  father  spoke 
to  you  is  a  beautiful  creature  and  the 
snail  though  not  so  pretty  is  just  as  in- 
teresting. Brer  Snail  deserves  all  that 
has  been  said  about  slowness.  It  took 
mine  nearly  an  hour  to  go  eighteen 
inches,  and  deposits  of  little  globules 
were  left  on  the  trail.  Were  these 
eggs  or  isn't  the  snail  an  egg  laying 
creature?  My  father  says  the  word  is 
oviparous.  Is  that  right?  He  says 
too  that  there  is  some  reason  why  the 
female  spider  makes  a  meal  of  the 
father  of  the  family.  What  is  it?  We 
understand  why  the  worker  bees 
butcher  the  drones.  Maeterlinck  makes 
that  clear,  but  what  possesses  the  spi- 
der? Father  says  that  only  the  female 
mosquito  bites.  Is  that  so?  Just  one 
more  question.  Why  call  such  little 
things  by  long  Latin  names?  Why 
not  talk  United  States? 

A.  Horace  Horton. 

The  snail  does  lay  eggs.  Probably 
the  globules  in  its  slimy  trail  were 
glistening  air  bubbles,  but  I  can  give 
you  no  definite  information  without 
examining  the  particles. 

In  reference  to  your  inquiry  as  to 
why  the  female  spider  eats  the  male,  I 
wrote  to  Professor  John  Henry  Coms- 
tock.  Ithaca,  New  York.  He  says, 
"Under  ordinary  circumstances  the 
predaceous  instinct  in  the  female  spi- 
der is  very  strong ;  all  prey  looks  alike 
to  her."  The  spider  is  a  ferocious  ani- 
mal and  her  appetite  predominates  at 
most  times.  The  fact  is  that  nobody 
knows  why.  Scorpions  eat  the  males : 
the  praying  mantis  does  the  same ; 
other  insects  are  similarly  guilty.  It 
is  a  common  occurrence,  but  no  one 
can  tell  "why." 

Your  father  is  right  in  saying  that 


only  the  female  mosquito  has  the  bill, 
and  presents  it  in  a  piercing  way  to  the 
annoyance  of  human  beings  and  other 
animals. 

I  note  your  inquiry  as  to  why  natur- 
alists use  Latin  names,  yet  your  parents 
named  you  Horace  after  a  Roman  poet 
who  died  eight  years  before  Christ 
came  on  earth.  Why  did  not  your  pa- 
rents in  the  colloquialism  of  the  United 
States  call  you  Hey  Boy,  Ho  Boy, 
Young  Youngster,  My  Lad,  Here  You, 
Laddie,  Nickey  or  Bub?  Take  one  of 
our  common  birds,  perhaps  the  one 
known  as  the  flicker.  I  have  heard  it 
said  that  this  bird  has  about  forty 
names  in  as  many  different  parts  of  the 
country.  Fishermen  use  the  larva  of  the 
Corydalis  for  bait,  and  when  you  see 
some  of  the  nicknames  given  in  the  book 
of  entomology  as  in  actual  use,  you  can 
readily  see  that  if  one  is  going  to  speak 
with  any  sort  of  precision  it  is  better 
to  use  Corydalis  than  any  of  the  nick- 
names such  as  dobsons,  crawlers,  amly, 
conniption  bugs,  clipper,  water  gam- 
pus,  goggle  goy,  bogart,  crock,  hell 
devils,  flip-flaps,  alligators,  Ho  Jack, 
snake  doctor,  dragon  and  hell-diver,  as 
given  in  Howard's  "The  Insect  Book." 
Just  as  it  is  better  for  me  to  say  "  I  thank 
you  Horace,  for  your  kind  interest,"  then 
to  say,  "Thank  you,"  with  a  lot  of  nick- 
names and  aliases.  Latin  names  are 
used  because  all  naturalists  in  all  coun- 
tries of  the  world  are  supposed  to  be 
familiar  with  Latin.  If  you  should 
speak  to  a  Chinese  naturalist  of  the 
"flip-flap,"  the  "snake-doctor"  or  the 
"goggle  goy,"  he  would  be  lost  in  won- 
der at  the  barbarous  sounds  that  to  him 
would  mean  nothing.  But  say,  "Cory- 
dalis;' and  if  he  is  an  entomologist  he 
will  have  some  comprehension  of  your 
meaning.  Among  naturalists  Latin  is 
the  universal  language. 


Under  April  Skies. 

Spring's    shimmering   iridescence 

Is   again   in   the   vital   air; 
Again  are  her  rainbow  garments 

Flung  over  the  branches  bare. 

This  is  our  modern  miracle, 

Surprising  us  over  night; 
With  no  words  in  the  language, 

To   do  it  justice,   quite. 

An  answering  note  of  beauty 

Must  in  our  souls  arise, 
If  we  would  gauge  this  marvel 

Abroad  'neath  the  April  skies. 

— Emma   Peirce. 


352 


THE  <;i/LDE  TO  NATURE 


"Children  of  the  Dawn." 

AN  EDITORIAL  ON  WABANAKI  SCHOOL 
ROUND  HILL  ROAD,  GREENWICH,  CON- 
NECTICUT, BY  DR.  FRANK  CRANE,  IN 
NEW   YORK   GLOBE,   JANUARY  31,    IQlS. 

Now  that  Christmas  has  come  and 
eone  it  is  worth  while  to  ask  what  is 
the  best  gift  we  can  imagine. 

I  have  asked  myself  that  question 
and  have  found  the  answer  that  satis- 
fies me. 

The  best  gift  I  can  imagine — the  one 
that  would  do  the  most  good,  both  now 
and  for  years  to  come — would  be  to  the 
boys  and  girls  who  today  are  in  our 
tutelage  but  tomorrow  will  be  in  charge 
of  the  world. 

And  the  best  kind  of  a  child  gift  is 
the  right  kind  of  a  school. 

School — that  is  the  biggest  little 
world  in  the  language. 

School !  Not  the  kind  I  went  to  nor 
the  kind  we  find  around  us,  but  the 
ideal  school,  the  happy  school,  the  out- 
door school,  where  the  glad  forces  of 
childhood  come  to  harmonious  develop- 
ment through  play. 

T  have  one  now  in  my  mind's  eye. 
It  is  set  on  a  hillside  in  the  woods  in 
Connecticut.  A  deer  path  crosses  the 
school  yard.  A  great  naturalist  comes 
and  tells  the  children  the  secrets  of 
nature.  A  master  woodcraftsman 
lives  near  and  through  him  the  children 
learn  the  marvellous  adventures  of  the 
simple  life. 

They  teach  from  books  in  this  school, 
but  it  is  full  of  life  rather  than  on  know- 
ledge. 

They  do  not  train  children  to  be 
scholars,  doctors,  lawyers,  mechanics, 
nor  any  other  pigeonhole  occupants, 
but  to  be  men  and  women. 

The  children  learn  how  to  use  their 
bodies  and  to  revere  them. 

They  learn  the  infinite  resources  of 
pleasure  that  abound  in  knowing  how 
to  do  things  for  themselves  with  their 
own  hands,  and  find  out  facts  for  them- 
selves with  their  own  minds. 

They  meet  in  the  council  ring  and 
there  learn  team  play,  self-discipline, 
respect  for  the  opinions  of  others,  the 
sublime  art  of  getting  along  with  folks. 

There  the  teachers  are  also  learners. 
Teachers  and  learners  are  not  two  hos- 
tile   camps.      They    explore    the    hills 


hand  in  hand  and  do  not  oppose  each 
other  across  the  desk. 

They  live  reverently,  to  them  the 
Great  Spirit  is  a  daily  reality.  They 
don't  preach,  they  realize. 

The  school  is  not  for  bright  children 
nor  stupid,  but  for  all  children,  as  God 
made  them  ;  the  best  in  them  is  brought 
out,  whatever  it  is. 

There  they  teach  the  right  kind  of 
patriotism,    the   flower   of   humanity. 

The  school  is  called  Wabanaki,  which 
means  Children  of  the  Dawn. 

If  I  had  millions  I  would  endow  such 
a  school,  not  museums  nor  libraries  nor 
institutions  to  perpetuate  tradition,  but 
something:  that  would  mean  life,  for  in 
so  doing  I  should  lay  up  my  treasure 
where  moth  and  rust  do  not  corrupt 
nor  thieves  break  through  and  steal. 


Those  Stringy  Bubbles  in  Ice. 

New   York  City. 
To  the  Editor : 

If  no  one  offers  a  better  explanation 
for  the  bubble  formation  in  ice  describ- 
ed on  page  305  of  the  March  number  of 
The  Guide  to  Nature,  I  will  venture 
a  suggestion.  If  there  was  any  decom- 
posing vegetable  matter  in  the  aqua- 
rium the  water  was  filled  to  saturation 
with  gas  resulting  from  this  decompo- 
sition. The  water  remains  saturated 
with  the  gas  under  ordinary  tempera- 
ture, but  at  the  freezing  point  would 
dispose  of  most  of  it.  There  is  a  pos- 
sibility that  in  a  small  aquarium  jar 
congelation  of  the  water  occurred  in 
nearly  all  parts  of  the  jar  at  a  certain 
moment  and  the  bubbles  of  gas  then 
escaping  were  mostly  confined  ;';/  situ 
although  some  of  them  made  their  way 
toward  the  surface,  leaving  the  narrow 
lines  of  open  space. 

Yours  truly, 

Robert  T.  Morris. 


The  ancient  Greek  "cat,"  kept  on 
ships  for  killing  the  rats  and  mice, 
seems  really  to  have  been  a  martin  and 
not  a  cat  at  all. 


The  "old  squaw  ducks"  of  our  north- 
ern lakes,  which  are  divers  and  eaters 
of  small  fish,  are  reported  to  swim  to 
depths  beneath  the  surface  exceeding 
a  hundred  feet. 


. 


liliifJtJUiiliniJiiiitJuntiJiiUJJJI^i.NUNiLiljLjJiUUiJ^iiiiiUjnJiiiiiJijjiiinjnjuiiiiinnnuMiii.iifmj! 


m*,.i**o<iM-wm*i**tnmmwum 


GREENWICH 


rHE";F.nmoN   r>F  i.uxe 

OF  CONNECTICUT  TOWNS 


GREENWICH 


"HAVE  A  TAXI" 

WATCH    FOR   THE   CARS   WITH,  A 

GREEN    STRIPE    OR   A   GREEN 

LIGHT 


CARS  IN  GOOD   CONDITION 


SKILLED  DRIVERS 


PROMPT  SERVICE 


REASONABLE  RATES 


J.  R.  JOHNSON  AUTO  SERVICE. 

Incorporated, 

Near  the  Railroad  Station 

GREENWICH,    CONNECTICUT. 


GREENWICH,   CONNECTICUT 

hns  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  ol  selected 
Furnished    Residences    and    Cottages   to    Rent 

in     all    locations. 

WonM  be  pleased  to  have  yon  call  or  writ*. 

Laurence  Timmons 

Tel.  456        Opp.  Depot        Greenwich,  Conn, 


Puzzle-find  the  slackfr, 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


V 


THE    LACE    AND  TRIMMING   STORE 


in  Atlantic  St. 

AMONG  THE  IMPORTANT  ITEMS  WE  FEATURE 

WAISTS.   NECKWEAR,   HOSIERY,  UNDERWEAR,   CORSETS,   GLOVES,    SILKS.   RIBBONS 
And  all  of  the  better  accessories  for  women.     Come  and  make  a  study  of  the   new-style  tendencies. 


PURE  WATER  SERVICE 

Complete      Installation,      Including 

Two  Bottles,  is  Made  at  Our 

Expense. 

Does  Not  Mar  the  Plumbing-. 

Is   Quickly   Installed. 

Does    Not    Interfere    with    Regular 
Flow  of  Water  of  Tap. 

Drink     More     Water     Through 
"MOORE    PROCESS" 

Operated    by    

PURE    WATER     SERVICE     CORP'N 
OF  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY 

FAIRFIELD      PURE      WATER 
CORPORATION 

28  DOCK  STREET,  YONKERS  N.  V. 
Tel.  Yonkers  4936 


You  can't  "camouflage"  much  longer 
with  that  old  Winter  hat,  for  the  change 
in  the  range  of  Spring  stjdes  exposes 
you  at  once.  No  time  to  lose  if  you 
want  to  be  in  the  swim  this  Spring  with 
a  smart  soft  hat  at  the  modest  price  of 

$2.50  EACH 

MAIL    ORDERS    PROMPTLY    FILLED 

THE    COMES-NORTHROP    CO., 

445  Main  Street,  Stamford,  Conn. 


THE  STAMFORD  LUMBER  CO. 

LUMBER 

Sash   Doors,  Blinds  and  Window-Frames 

WHOLESALE  AND   RETAIL 
OFFICE    AND    YARD,    297    PACIFIC   STREET. 
STAMFORD.   CONN. 


VI 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


GREENWICH  INN 


Sound  Beach,  GonrL 

On  the  Water.  50  Minutes  from  N.Y 
ACCOMMODATING  200 

Frequent  trains.     Golf,  Tennis,  Bathing,  Boating 

Saddle  Horses,    Orchestra. 
New  York  Office:  ROOM  1108,  347  FIFTH  AVE 
Telephone,    1  185  Murray  Mill 


Ye  Olde  Greenwich  Inn. 

The  editor  of  this  magazine  wishes 
to  add  a  word  to  this  advertisement 
of  the  Greenwich  Inn,  located  in  Sound 
Beach  ("Old  Greenwich").  The  an- 
nouncement represents  a  thoroughly 
first-class  summer  hotel  at  the  best  of 
seasides,  Sound  Beach. 

Do  you  want  to  know  what  kind  of 
a  place  Sound  Beach  is.  Then  send 
for  the  beautiful  illustrated  booklet 
telling  of  this  famous  Inn. 

It  is  located  on  the  most  beautiful 
part  of  Long  Island  Sound,  with  mod- 
ern roads  leading  to  most  picturesque 
country. 

It  is  near  ArcAdiA.  Come  to  Sound 
Beach ! 


A  Successful  Seed  and  Plant  Store. 
We  take  pleasure  in  calling  atten- 
tion to  the  Quality  Seed  Store  of 
Stamford,  Connecticut,  not  because 
the  store  is  one  of  our  advertisers,  but 
because  a  magazine  devoted  to  the 
study  of  nature  in  all  its  forms  would 
be  interested  in  the  success  of  any 
store  devoted  to  seeds,  plants  and  flow- 
ers.     The  experience  of  several  similar 


stores  in  Stamford  has  been  discourag- 
ing, but  the  success  of  the  Quality 
store  shows  that  the  failures,  of  which 
there  have  been  many,  were  not  due 
to  the  merchandise  nor  to  the  locality. 
Faulty  management  may  have  been  a 
fatal  factor.  Stamford  is  a  plant  lov- 
ing city.  The  success  of  the  Quality 
store  demonstrates  that,  and  that  suc- 
cess is  proof  of  Mr.  G.  B.  Cannon's 
good  management.  The  store  is  ideal- 
ly located,  is  well  equipped,  well  stock- 
ed, and  is  controlled  by  a  pleasing, 
genial,  efficient  manager.  We  are  al- 
ways gratified  to  note  the  success  of 
any  business  house  that  advertises  in 
this  magazine,  but  we  are  especially 
pleased  when  the  success  is  achieved 
through  the  aid  of  that  nature  to  which 
The  Guide  to  Nature  is  devoted. 

We  are  proud  of  the  class  of  adver- 
tisers represented  in  The  Guide  to  Na- 
ture, and  another  source  of  justifiable 
pride  is  that  seldom  in  the  ten  years 
of  the  magazine's  life  has  any  of  its 
advertisers  failed,  although  many  firms 
have  gone  down  that  did  not  adver- 
tise with  us !  We  do  not  for  a  moment 
assert   that   advertising   in   this   maga- 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS  VII 


Burdett-McGillivray  Company 

ADVOCATE  BUILDING,  STAMFORD 

Phone  268 

WHERE  TO  BUY  SUMMER  KNIT  UNDERWEAR 

Stamford's  largest  Underwear  Stock  is  at  your  service  with  wonderful  assortments  of 
Forest  and  Essex  Mills  Knit  Underwear.  All  weights,  all  sizes,  finest  yarns,  lowest 
prices-.  &i.flilJS 

GORDON  DYE  HOSIERY. 


zine  will  make  a  store  nor  that  the  ice ;  but  nowadays  old  things  have 
absence  of  an  advertisement  will  de-  passed  away  and  the  method  is  to  call 
stroy  it,  but  we  do  say  that  discerning  at  A.  L.  Embree's  Drug  Store,  Stam- 
management  enables  the  merchant  to  ford,  Connecticut,  and  have  a  brick  of 
see  the  value  of  The:  Guide;  to  Nature  ice  cream  wrapped  up,  making  a  pack- 
as  an  advertising  medium.  age   no    more    clumsy    than    a   box   of 

candy.     It   may   be   easily   carried   for 

Conveniently  Taking  Home  Ice  Cream,  an  hour  in  this  manner  and  in  an  hour 

How   methods   are    changing    is    as-  one  can  go  a  long  distance  by  train, 

tonishing.      Not    long    ago    when    ice  trolley  or  automobile, 
cream  was  to  be  taken  home  or  deliv-  Another  point  worthy  of  mention  is 

ered   from   the    store,    it   was   thought  the   fact  that   Mr.   Embree's   cream   is 

necessary  to  carry  a  huge  tub  with  the  genuinely  high  quality.     It  ranks  with 

ice  cream  can  surrounded  by  cracked  the  best  fancy  creams  sold  anywhere. 


QUALITY  SEED  STORE 

Seeds  !        Seeds  !!        Seeds  !!! 

NOW 

Buy  your  seeds  early.    It  will  be  impossible  to  get  most  of  them  later. 
Some  kinds  difficult  now. 

SEEDS,   FLOWERS,   BULBS,   INSECTICIDES,   FERTILIZER 

NURSERY 
GROWER— IMPORTER— DEALER 


43  ATLANTIC  STREET  STAMFORD,  CONN. 

G.  B.  CANNON  Tels.  1767,  1768 


VIII 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 

ATLANTIC  SQUARE      Established  50  Years       STAMFORD,  CONN. 

STAMFORD'S  PRINCIPAL  SHOPPING  PLACE 


WHERE 


{Here  you   are   sure   of  intelligent   service,    each    price   a   fair   price.      In    every   way 
this  is  a  store  of  aggressive  planning  in   accord  with  the   needs  of  the  community. 
SPRING   STOCKS   are   in   full    readiness,   the   store   is   completely   ready,    the   sales 
people   eager   to   help   and   to   serve   you.      We   invite   frequent   visits. 
Porch — Rugs — Screens — Chairs — Tables — Couch    Hammocks    are    nozv    on   sale    in    new    assortments. 

THE— TROLLEY— BRINGS— YOU— TO— OUR— DOOR. 


THE  C.  O.  MILLER  CO. 


ATLANTIC  SQUARE 


STAMFORD,  CONN. 


Established   1853 

THEQETMAN&JUDDCO. 

Lumber  and  Timber  of  all  Kinds 

SPECIALTY:  High-Qrade  HARDWOOD  FLOORING 

tkoroughly  Kiln  Dried  and  stored  in  Steam  heated  build- 
ing until  delivered  to  our  customers.  Our  steadily  in- 
creasing trade  in  this  specialty  proves  the  fact  that 
the  country  home  is  not  complete  until  fitted  out  with 
this  beautiful  and  sanitary  furnishing.  Old  Residences 
may  be  greatly  improved  by  laying  thin  floors  over  the 
eld   ones. 

CANAL  DOCKS,  STAMFORD,  CONN. 
Telephone  2180. 


Homes  Near  to  Nature 

Should  be  so  constructed  as  to  give  lasting  satisfaction. 
Our  method  of  manufacturing  dependable  Interior  and 
Exterior  house  trim  from  thoroughly  kiln  dried  material 
by  skilled  mechanics  insures  such  satisfaction. 

THE  ST.  JOHN  WOOD  WORKING  CO. 

Canal   Docks,  Stamford    Conn. 

Telephone    781 

DIRECTORS 
WALTON     FERGUSON,     Pres.         W.  W.  HEROY, 
W.  D.  DASKAM,  Vice  Pres  Dr.  F.  H.  GETMAN 

VV.    H.  JUDD,   Sec.   and  Treas.  F.   W.   BOGARDUS. 

J.  G.  WIGG,  General  Manager. 


The  LOCKWOOD  &  PALMER  Co. 


Wholesale  and  Retail 
Dealers  in 

HARDWARE 

AGRICULTURAL 

IMPLEMENTS 

House  Furnishings,  Etc. 


TOOLS 
All  Kinds 


92    PARK    PLACE 

(Cor.  Summer  Street) 

STAMFORD     -      CONN. 

TELEPHONE    CONNECTIONS 


Sound  Beach  Roll  of  Honor. 


SERVICE  FLAG  PRESENTED  BY  THE  LEND  A  HAND  CLUB  OF  THE  FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL 
CHURCH  SUNDAY  AFTERNOON,  APRIL  7.  APPROPRIATE  CEREMONIES  OF  PARADE, 
SPEECHES,  MUSIC,  ETC. 

Soil  nf  if  emir 

iht  ^rrtrirr  iFrnm  i>omtd  Ifearb. 


Gardner  Adams 
Charles  Babcock 
Robert  Babcock 
Irving  Baldwin 
Henry  Barmour 
Ashley  Bogard 
Alvin  Carlson 
Kenneth  Cook 
Russell  Cook 
George  Cornish 
Roland  Crandall 
Newkirk  Crockett 
Reginald  Ferris 
Harry  Fonda 
James  H.  Graham 


Egbert  Griffin 
Harold  Hatter 
Harry  Hawkes 
John  Hawkes 
William  Hawkes 
Arthur  Hedges 
King  Hoyt 
Sears  Hoyt 
Clarence  Jones 
Thomas  King 
Allan  Kitchell 
Stanley  Lewis 
Earl  Lucan 
Clarence  McGarry 
Robert  McGarry 


Alden  McMurtry 
Clarence  Mortimer 
William  Randolph 
Oliver  Sandreuter 
Stuart  Sandreuter 
Leon  Scofield 
Oscar  Scovgard 
Walter  Scovgard 
David  Stephenson 
William   Strange 
John  Thomasson 
William  Thomasson* 
Fred  D.  Thompson 
Howard  Peare 
Andrew  Post 


*A  white  star  on  the  flag.     Killed  in  battle    of  Somme. 


Copyright    1917    "The   Great   Lakes   Recruit,"   Great   Lakes,    Illinois. 

FLAG   FORMED    BY   SAILORS   AT   THE   UNITED   STATES   NAVAL  TRAINING   STATION,   GREAT 

LAKES,  ILLINOIS. 

SEE   "A   FLAG  COMPOSED   OF   SAILORS"   PAGE   3h7, 


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. 


olume 


X 


MAY,     1918 


Number   12 


BIRDS  FOR  BRUCE  MUSEUM. 


Rowell  Collection  Loaned  and  May  Be 
Given  Outright  Later. 

[FROM     THE     STAMFORD     ADVOCATE.] 

Bruce  Museum  of  Greenwich  has 
been  granted  a  ''long  term  loan"  of  a 
large  collection  of  birds.  The  collec- 
tion was  made  by  Dr.  Charles  E.  Row- 
ell, late  Mayor  of  Stamford.  The  loan 
is  granted  by  Dr.  Rowell's  sons,  and  it 
is  likely  that  it  will  become  an  out 
right  gift,  in  due  course  of  time. 

George  P.  Rowell,  one  of  the  late 
Mayor's  sons,  has  also  given  outright 
his  collection  of  Indian  relics. 

Stamford  people  have  more  than  a 
neighborly  interest  in  Bruce  Museum 
of  Natural  History  and  Art,  because  it 
was  practically  developed  by  the  late 
and  lamented  Hon.  Edwin  L.  Scoficld. 
Under  the  will  of  Robert  M.  Bruce  of 
Greenwich,  $50,000  was  set  aside  to 
create  the  Bruce  Museum.  Mr.  Sco- 
tield  was  appointed  trustee  of  the  fund. 
For  more  than  two  years  before  he 
died,  he  had  been  at  work  on  the  pre- 
lect. Dr.  Edward  F.  Bigelow,  of  Vr- 
cAdiA:  Sound  Beach,  was  consulted 
by  Mr.  Scofield,  and  was  his  adviser 
in  the  matter.  During  the  past  five  or 
six  months,  $35,000  has  been  expended 
along  lines  suggested  by  Dr.  Bigelow. 
to   improve  the  museum  building  and 


equip  it  properly.  It  is  today  one  of 
the  finest  museums  of  this  type  to  be 
found  in  any  small  town  in  the  land. 
Many  collections  have  been  donated 
to  the  museum  and  many  more  will  be 
given.  About  $15,000  of  the  original 
gift  remains.  This  will  be  used  to  pur- 
chase specimens  and  to  defray  other 
expenses.  It  is  expected,  however,  that 
the  museum  will  be  maintained  and 
improved  chiefly  by  gifts  of  money  and 
specimens. 

E.  C.  Converse,  W.  T.  Truesdale  and 
the  Selectment  of  Greenwich  are  the 
trustees  at  present.  They  are  assisted 
by  an  advisory  board  composed  of  Dr. 
Bigelow,  Frederick  A.  Hubbard,  Neil 
M.  Ladd,  Fred  A.  Springer  and 
Leonard  Ochtman.  Eventually  the 
museum  will  be  conveyed  to  the  Town 
of  Greenwich. 

The  Rowell  collection  was  being 
moved  today  to  the  museum  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Bigelow  and  John 
Schaler.  a  local  taxidermist. 

Dr.  R.  R.  Hertzberg  is  another  Stam- 
ford man  who  has  given  a  collection 
of  specimens  to  the  museum. 


A  Great  Local  Fair. 

\\  hen  the  chicken  show  arrives  in 
town  every  poultryman  brings  out  his 
best  biddy  and  points  to  her  with 
pride.  When  the  horticulturists 
have    their    exhibition    the    gardeners 


Copyright   1918  by  The  Aga=-iz  Association,   AbcAdiA:   Sound   Beach.   Conn. 


356 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


walk  on  air  in  the  pride  of  their 
achievements,  and  point  to  a  dahlia  or 
a  chrysanthemum,  a  white  and  succu- 
lent leek  or  a  parsnip  two  feet  long  ( !) 
as  the  best  of  human  achievements. 
The  automobile  manufacturers  vie 
with  one  another  in  exhibiting  the  good 
points  of  each  machine.  The  spirit  of 
such  a  fair  is  commendable.  Many  a 
man,  woman,  boy  or  girl  has  become 
interested  in  chickens,  vegetables, 
flowers,  machinery  by  attending  a  fair 
where  these  are  exhibited. 

Some  one  has  called  a  museum  a 
dead  circus.  Not  so.  It  is  better  de- 
fined as  a  perpetual  fair  where  each 
exhibitor  tries  to  transmit  to  a  fellow 
being  some  of  his  own  interest  and  joy 
in  a  particular  subject.  The  Bruce 
Museum  at  Greenwich,  Connecticut, 
will  be  a  perpetual  inspirational  exhi- 
bition. Several  years  ago  Mr.  Robert 
M.  Bruce,  a  wealthy  philanthropist, 
made  various  gifts  to  the  Town  of 
Greenwich.  Among  these  and  evi- 
dently dear  to  his  heart,  was  the  gift  of 
his  own  home  in  which  he  took  so 
much  pride,  and  with  it  fifty  thousand 
dollars  to  refit  and  adapt  it  to  receive 
and  make  permanent  an  exhibition  of 
local  nature,  history  and  art.  To  carry 
out  his  wishes,  he  selected  the  eminent 
lawyer,  the  late  and  lamented  Honor- 
able Edwin  L.  Scofield,  and  four  other 
of  his  best  and  most  intimate  friends. 

Among  these  Trustees  there  have 
been  a  series  of  changes,  owing  to  two 
deaths  and  three  resignations.  But  there 
is  now  a  new  Board  full  of  interest  in 
the  subject,  with  an  Advisory  Commit- 
tee of  five.  The  Town  of  Greenwich 
owns  the  land  and  the  home,  and  will 
eventually  own  the  museum.  The  edi- 
tor of  this  magazine  has  philanthropi- 
cally  given  his  services  for  almost 
three  years  to  the  Board  of  Trustees 
and  especially  to  the  Chairman  as  ad- 
viser in  carrying  out  Mr.  Bruce's  wish- 
es in  the  establishing  of  a  working 
museum  for  this  part  of  the  state. 
Within  the  last  twelve  months  thirty- 
five  thousand  dollars  have  been  ex- 
pended in  refitting  the  building  under 
the  skilled  direction  of  Mr.  Frank 
Rooke,  one  of  our  most  accomplished 
architects.  The  Library  Bureau, 
famed  the  world  over  for  the  superior 
quality  of  its  cases,  has  been  setting 
up  cabinets  as  fine  as  may  be  found  in 


any  similar  place  in  the  world. 

The  museum  will  not  be  a  junk  shop. 
Ancient  things  are  desired,  but  the 
building  will  not  be  a  place  for  any 
old  thing  dragged  out  of  the  garret. 
Your  contributions  will  be  exhibited, 
and  will  be  placed  in  the  best  possible 
position  to  depict  the  old  days  in 
Greenwich  and  in  Connecticut.  From 
the  nature  point  of  view,  large  and 
commodious  is  the  equipment.  There 
will  be  no  competition  with  the  Ameri- 
can Museum  of  Natural  History  in 
New  York  City.  The  Museum  shall 
stand  first  for  Greenwich ;  second  for 
Connecticut,  third,  for  Long  Island 
Sound  and  the  wild  country  of  Con- 
necticut. The  building  is  located  be- 
tween the  seashore  and  the  country. 
In  accessibility  it  could  not  be  better. 
It  is  in  a  commanding  position,  and 
only  two  or  three  minutes'  walk  from 
the  Greenwich  station  and  the  main 
line  of  the  trolley  cars.  Every  resident 
of  Greenwich,  Stamford,  Fairfield 
County,  Connecticut,  every  quarry- 
man,  every  naturalist,  every  fisherman, 
every  clam  digger,  every  collector, 
everybody  is  cordially  invited  to  con- 
tribute, not  something  that  he  wants 
to  get  out  of  the  house,  but  something 
that  he  regards  as  the  best,  the  nearest 
and  dearest  to  his  heart,  the  most  ex- 
pressive, the  most  valuable  or  the  most 
inspirational ;  give  it  and  give  gladly. 

Agassiz  said  that  a  museum  or  labor- 
atory is  a  sacred  place.  It  is  true. 
Sacred,  indeed,  for  the  great  Creator's 
handiwork,  sacred  as  the  place  where 
His  Work  is  pronounced.  With  this 
in  view,  it  is  not  out  of  place  to  quote, 
"The  Lord  loveth  a  cheerful  giver." 
The  Bruce  Museum  wants  what  you 
want,  not  what  you  do  not  want.  If 
you  do  not  want  it,  the  chances  are  that 
nobody  else  wants  it.  If  you  have  a 
fine  collection  of  minerals,  gems,  birds, 
curios,  antiques,  something  choice  and 
dear  to  your  heart,  something  that  you 
would  take  as  much  pride  in  showing 
as  an  exhibitor  takes  at  a  fair,  then 
that  is  your  best,  and  you  should  give 
it  for  the  good  of  the  Cause  and  for 
the  good  of  all.  The  greater  your 
pride  in  your  beautiful  collection,  the 
greater  your  appreciation,  the  greater 
should  be  your  pleasure  in  placing  it 
where  it  will  do  the  greatest  good  to 
the  greatest  number. 


THE  BRUCE  MUSEUM 


357 


Perhaps  you  have  not  a  single  rela- 
tive that  would  appreciate  that  collec- 
tion. The  Trustees  of  this  museum 
will  do  that.  The  general  public  will 
do  that  for  years  to  come.  Your  own 
appreciation  will  draw  compound  in- 
terest. The  Bruce  Museum  is  where 
you  may  earn  a  noble  interest.  It  is  a 
savings  institution  of  the  most  com- 
mendable and  trustworthy  kind.  If 
you  have  traveled  over  all  the  world 
and  have  picked  up  a  bronze  in  one 
place,  a  rare  coin  in  another,  a  choice 
bit  of  china  somewhere  else  and  natu- 
ral history  specimens  from  everywhere, 
do  not  hesitate  to  display  them  in  these 
Library  Bureau  cases,  in  a  stone,  fire- 
proof building  with  specially  fitted 
cement  floors  and  good  attendance. 
Here  they  will  be  safe  from  thieves, 
neglect  and  improper  treatment.  The 
museum  authorities  will  care  for  them 
for  all  time. 

Information  in  detail,  advice  as  to 
gifts,  etc.,  will  be  given  by  the  editor 
of  this  magazine. 


the  field  of  blue.     The  pole  and  ball 
took  950  men. 


A  Flag  Composed  of  Sailors. 

(see     frontispiece.) 

Aside  from  its  human  interest,  the 
flag  is  an  exceptional  example  of  math- 
ematical photography.  It  took  nearly 
10,000  men  to  form  it,  and  it  was  plan- 
ned in  strict  accordance  with  the  law 
of  perspective.  To  guide  the  men 
while  they  maneuvered  to  get  the 
proper  formation  strips  of  white  tape 
were  laid  on  the  parade  ground,  form- 
ing a  pattern  that  bore  no  resemblance 
to  a  flag  but  had  the  mathematical  di- 
mensions needed  to  produce  the  re- 
quired effect.  Viewed  from  the  cam- 
era, placed  at  a  distance  of  175  feet 
from  the  bottom  edge  of  the  flag  and 
at  an  elevation  of  60  feet,  the  flag  was 
perfect  in  contour.  In  reality,  how- 
ever, the  line  of  men  forming  the  right 
end  was  128  feet  long  while  that  form- 
ing the  left  end,  next  to  the  staff,  was 
428  feet  in  length ;  the  line  forming 
the  top  margin  was  293  feet  long, 
while  that  forming  the  lower  edge  was 
only  J2>  feet  long ;  the  staff  was  550 
feet  long,  35^2  feet  wide  at  the  base,  and 
6  feet  wide  at  the  upper  end  ;  the  ball 
at  the  end  was  formed  by  an  oval,  com- 
posed of  250  men,  that  was  237  feet 
long  and  only  20  feet  wide.  It  took 
1,600  men  to  form  the  white  stripes, 
1,900  the  red,  1,800  the  stars,  and  3.400 


"Potatriotism   is   Potato   Patriotism." 

"The  War  and  You"  is  an  interest- 
ing announcement  of  The  Woodcraft 
League  of  America  Incorporation  to 
the  Woodcraft  Potato  Clubs.  The 
Woodcrafters  this  coming  summer  are 
to  devote  their  energies  to  raising  po- 
tatoes under  the  skilled  direction  of 
the  chief,  Mr.  Ernest  Thompson  Se- 
ton,  whose  home  is  in  Greenwich, 
Connecticut.  Every  one  should  be  in- 
terested in  these  potato  clubs  and  we 
advise  all  our  readers  to  send  to  The 
Woodcraft  League  of  America  at  13 
West  Twentv-ninth  Street,  New  York 

SomcC&irem  mur/ihits;  SOmecilL  cm  dooc/s 
Some,  czLL'trn  txtits ; sopzt  Ci.ll  'em  spuds' 

Some,  O.U  cm  tubers ,or  hot-fruit c/e^n. 

Bi/t  our  jolly  littlt   Hot- boys  cz/Z/m. 


Copyright — Ernest    Thompson   Seton,    Chief 

of  the  Woodcraft  League  of  America. 

Permission     to     use     granted     when     proper 

credit  is  given. 


City,  for  full  particulars.  There  is  a 
catchy  bit  of  inspiration  in  the  appeal 
of  this  league  to  be  a  potato  patriot 
and  their  slogan,  "Let's  hoe  our  way 
to  victory." 


The  American  Museum's  expedition 
to  China  secured,  among  other  novel- 
ties, a  black  flying  squirrel  four  feet 
long,  several  species  of  chipmunk  new 
to  science  and  two  strange  creatures 
that  are  ,  intermediate  between  sheep 
and  goats. 


OUTDOOR  WORLD 


ir- 


rt*& 


??** 


"^•.T^mv 


'**&&**.. 


V*^ 


ir 


An  Experiment  and  a  Suggestion. 

BY     ROBERT    CUNNINGHAM     MILLER,    BUT- 
LER,   PENNSYLVANIA. 

It  is  considered  quite  the  thing  nowa- 
days to  read  and  discuss  a  certain  little 
volume    published    under    the    title    of 

"Walden."  When  Henry  David  Thor- 
eau,  pioneer  of  philosophical  natural- 
ists, wrote  the  book,  no  one  would  read 
it,  but  scarcely  had  its  misunderstood 
and  unappreciated  author  been  hauled 
away  to  the  graveyard,  when  every 
one  began  to  read  and  praise  the  work 
and  pay  tardy  homage  to  the  genius 
who  had  lived  and  died  in  the  midst  of 
them.  An  eminent  authority  has  gone 
so  far  as  to  say  that  we  should  read 
"Walden"  at  least  twice  every  year,  in 
order  to  maintain  a  healthful  philoso- 
phy of  living,  and  keep  our  intellectual 
vigor  up  to  par. 

However,  though  we  delve  in  Thor- 
eau  and  read  of  his  life,  and  study  his 
works  and  admire  his  philosophy,  we 
never  do  what  he  himself  would  have 
wished.  We  fail  to  remember  that  he 
was  not  writing  merely  to  be  read 
and  known  of  men,  or  to  create  for  us 
a  momentary  aesthetic  enjoyment.  He 
conducted  an  experiment  which  to  his 
mind  was  successful  and  in  "Walden" 
he  has  left  us  a  record  of  it,  so  that  we 
may  go  and  do  likewise. 

Two  years  ago  in  May,  I  concluded 
to  depart  somewhat  from  my  ordinary 
habits  of  life,  and  to  make  an  experi- 
ment. I  was  at  the  time  living  in  the 
city,  and  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  be 
there  at  least  a  part  of  nearly  every  day 
yet  in  the  face  of  these  difficulties,  I 
set  out  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of 
Thoreau ! 

After  due  search,  I  found  a  location 


which  suited  my  purpose,  an  old  or- 
chard, uncared  for  and  uncultivated, 
long  since  given  over  to  the  possession 
of  birds  and  rabbits.  Though  an  ideal 
spot,  it  was  only  a  few  minutes'  walk 
from  the  car  line,  and  indeed  not  so 
far  from  the  city  but  that  I  could  walk 
there  readily  when  occasion  required. 

It  was  only  a  few  days  until,  with 
the  help  of  a  small  boy  who  furnished 
me  with  some  old  tools  and  still  more 
ancient  lumber,  I  had  a  shanty  erected 
in  the  shade  of  an  apple  tree  and  ready 
for  occupancy.  At  least  I  considered 
it  ready  for  occupancy,  although  there 
was  some  room  for  improvement. 
There  were  cracks  an  inch  wide  here 
and  there,  the  roof  was  far  from  water- 
tight and  there  was  no  door.  These 
defects  I  intended  to  remedy  one  by 
one,  but  one  by  one  I  concluded  to 
leave  them  so.  I  was  not  long  in  dis- 
covering that  the  cracks  served  an  im- 
portant purpose,  for  through  them  I 
could  readily  observe  the  birds  which 
frequented  the  bushes  in  the  rear  of  the 
shanty  where  I  had  no  window.  Thus 
they  became  almost  indispensable,  and 
I  could  not  think  of  plastering  them 
up.  I  had  a  door  which  I  intended  to 
put  on  hinges  but,  owing  to  circum- 
stances which  I  will  mention  presently, 
this  intention  was  never  fulfilled,  and 
my  establishment  was  open  to  all  com- 
ers day  and  night.  As  the  rain  beat 
in  through  the  cracks  and  through  the 
open  door,  it  was  of  little  use  to  make 
repairs  on  the  roof;  so  when  it  rained, 
I  pulled  an  oilcloth  blanket  over  my 
bed  and  gave  scant  heed  to  the  weath- 
er. Thus,  through  shiftlessness  or  de- 
sign, my  life  became  even  more  primi- 
tive than  I  had  anticipated. 

The  first  night   I   slept  upon   a  pair 


THE  OUTDOOR  WORLD 


359 


of  springs,  this  being  the  only  relic  of 
civilization  I  allowed  myself.  Every 
time  I  turned  over  during  the  night, 
the  springs  creaked  mournfully  and 
aroused  all  the  dogs  in  the  neighbor- 
hood to  an  equally  mournful  response. 
Xext  morning  the  springs  were  to^-ol 
unceremoniously  over  the  hill,  and  in 
their  place  I  dragged  my  intended  door, 
propped  it  up  and  thereafter  accus- 
tomed my  bones  to  its  unyielding  sur- 
face. 

I   had  no  other  furniture.      1    kept  a 


bathing  place  for  the  birds,  which  visit- 
ed it  in  great  numbers,  while  the 
swamp  beyond  was  frequented  by  sev- 
eral species  of  water  and  game  birds. 
Both  pond  and  swamp  gave  shelter  to 
a  variety  of  frogs,  which  serenaded  me 
not  unpleasantly  each  evening. 

Thus  I  had  at  my  very  elbow,  as  it 
were,  hillside,  meadow,  orchard,  thick- 
et, pond  and  marsh,  and  from  each  one 
I  reaped  a  rich  harvest.  In  the  branch- 
es above  my  doorway  a  pair  of  brown 
thrashers  had  their  nest.     In  a  hollow 


A  COMPLETED   SHANTY. 


few  books  and  papers  under  the  bed 
that,  when  the  spirit  so  moved  me,  I  used 
as  a  table  on  which  to  write.  The  door 
that  had  missed  its  calling  served  as 
bed,  chair,  table,  desk  and  bookcase. 

I  have  seldom  seen  a  situation  so 
ideal  for  general  study  of  the  outdoors. 
To  the  right  and  left  of  my  shanty  was 
a  thicket ;  above  me  an  open  field ; 
while  below  the  hill  sloped  gently  from 
my  door  for  possibly  a  hundred  yards 
then  went  down  almost  perpendicu- 
larly to  the  edge  of  a  small  pond.  This 
steep  bank  was  covered  with  foliage, 
which  provided  nesting  sites  for  a  great 
variety  of  birds.  The  pond  was  not  a 
promising  rival  of  "YYalden,"  for  it 
was  shallow  and  turbid,  and  on  the  fur- 
ther side  merged  gradually  into  an  ex- 
tensive swamp  of  cat-tails  and  sedge 
grass.     However,  its  waters  formed  a 


tree  a  few  steps  from  my  shanty  a 
flicker  family  had  their  home.  I  used 
to  hear  the  fledglings  chattering  to- 
gether or  calling  noisily  for  food.  I 
found  the  nest  of  the  meadow  lark  and 
the  bluebird  and  the  dove.  I  waded 
for  hours  in  the  swamp,  seeking  the 
nests  of  the  redwing  and  the  marsh 
wren.  In  mud  and  water  knee-deep,  I 
patiently  sought  the  elusive,  musical 
Hyla  pickeringii,  until  I  actually  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  him  sing,  his  little 
throat  swelling  aud  pulsing,  as  though 
he  were  trying  to  swallow  a  marble 
and  could  get  no  farther  with  it.  I 
wandered  by  night  under  the  stars, 
when  all  was  silence,  save  for  the  dis- 
tant crooning  of  a  frog  or  the  sleepy 
murmur  of  a  bird  which  I  had  disturbed 
by  passing  too  near  its  perch.  In  such 
pursuits  as  these  I  forgot  the  business 


360 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


of  being  human,  forgot  that  next  day 
I  must  become  a  part  of  the  busy  city 
on  the  other  side  of  the  hill,  and  in 
studying  the  creatures  around  me  I  felt 
as  though  I  too  were  a  part  of  the  out- 
doors, as  wild  and  free  as  they. 

This,  then,  was  my  experiment,  I 
spent  the  summer  in  a  novel,  inexpen- 
sive, profitable  and  thoroughly  enjoy- 
able way.  No  doubt  the  idea  of  sleep- 
ing on  an  old  door  in  a  leaky  cabin  will 
fail  to  appeal  to  most  people.  Possibly 
if  I  repeat  the  experiment  I  shall  do  so 
on  a  more  elaborate  and  less  primitive 
scale  myself.  However,  the  idea  might 
be  elaborated  at  little  expense,  and  I 
would  suggest  that,  in  lieu  of  an  ex- 
pensive trip  to  a  summer  resort,  we 
thus  take  advantage  of  the  opportuni- 
ties at  home. 


Camping  in   Nearness  to   Nature. 

On  my  reading  table  are  a  number  of 
catalogues  of  summer  camps  for  boys 
and  girls.  That  the  camping  interest 
is  growing  speaks  well  for  our  Ameri- 
can civilization.  It  is  a  good  thing  for 
people  of  all  ages  to  leave  their  homes 
and  crowded  cities  to  go  to  the  wild 
open  by  seashore,  in  the  mountains  or 
at  a  camp  by  some  lakeside  in  the  hean 
of  untamed  nature.  Even  if  all  that  is 
done  is  to  eat,  sleep,  run,  make  fancy- 
work,  play  tennis  and  ride  horses,  a 
benefit  accrues,  and  there  is  probably 
not  a  camp  in  the  land  that  is  not  do- 
ing some  great  good. 

But  to  one  who  loves  wild  nature 
in  all  her  interesting  details,  as  well  as 
in  her  health  giving  aspects,  there  has 
really  been,  as  we  look  over  the  vast 
extent  of  nature  interests,  a  conspic- 
uous omission  from  some  of  these  cat- 
alogues, evidence  that  the  proprietors 
are  taking  the  young  people  not  to  na- 
ture but  into  nature,  that  the  shell  of 
city  life  is  carried  along  and  that  the 
crust  of  artificiality  and  of  city  pur- 
suits is  in  no  sense  broken.  But  things 
are  not  so  bad  as  they  were.  One  camp 
after  another  is  falling  into  the  line  of 
not  the  sham  going  to  nature  but  the 
real  going. 

THE  ALOHA    CAMPS. 

Conspicuous  among  those  who  are 
gradually  developing  a  real  interest  in 
nature  are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  L.  Gulick 
of  the  Aloha  Camps,  of  which  they 
have  three,  one  at  Pike,  New  Hamp- 


shire, for  girls  over  seventeen ;  one  at 
Fairlee,  Vermont,  for  girls  from  four- 
teen to  seventeen ;  and  at  The  Hive, 
Ely,  Vermont,  for  the  younger  girls. 
The  nature  study  in  these  camps  while 
moderate  is  genuine.  The  editor  of 
this  magazine  has  personal  knowledge 
of  the  fact  that  some  of  the  councillors 
enthusiastic    naturalists    and 


are 


are 


A   CHIPMUNK.    SO   WILD   IT   IS   TAME,   COMES 
INTO     A     TENT     AT     ALOHA     EVERY     NOON 

REST    PERIOD. 

Photographed   by    Edward   F.    Bigelow. 


skillful  in  inspiring  others  with  some 
of  their  own  interest.  Specialists  of 
unquestioned  proficiency  have  been 
engaged  from  time  to  time,  and  a 
really  wholesome  interest  in  nature  is 
manifested  throughout  all  these  camps. 
Address  Mrs.  E.  L.  Gulick,  */j  Adding- 
ton   Road,   Brookline,   Massachusetts. 

A    SEASHORE,   CAMP. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  school 
it  is  evident  that  William  Gould  Vinal, 
Instructor  of  Nature  Study  of  the 
Rhode  Island  Normal  School,  Provi- 
dence, is  putting  his  camp  on  the  right 
basis  as  one  would  naturally  infer  from 
his  position  as  nature  study  instructor. 


THE  OUTDOOR  WORLD 


361 


He  is  the  director  of  Chequesset,  a 
seashore  camp  in  the  heart  of  the  Cape 
Cod  region.  One  can  trust  Professor 
Vinal  to  put  in  and  to  keep  in  a  liberal 
proportion  of  nature  study,  and  judg- 
ing from  the  bright-eyed  college  grad- 
uates who  are  councillors,  these 
"strong,  sympathetic  leaders,  full  of 
fun,  cultured  and  refined,"  have  a  lib- 
eral amount  of  enthusiasm  for  outdoor 
life  in  general  and  for  natural  objects 
in  particular.  Address  Mr.  William 
G.  Vinal,  Rhode  Island  Normal  School, 
Providence,  Rhode  Island. 

CAMP  ARCADIA   IN    MAINE. 

The  camp  that  seems  to  the  editor 
of  this  magazine  to  be  permeated  with 
a  desire  to  be  beneficial  rather  than  to 
make  money,  and  to  intend  actually  to 
live   with    Mother   Nature   and   to   be- 
come acquainted  with  her  rather  than 
merely  to  have  the  name  of  going  to 
visit  her,  is  our  namesake,  Camp  Ar- 
cadia at  Casco,  Maine.     This  camp  in 
equipment  and  in  spirit  is  in  a  class  by 
itself,  since  it  seems  to  be  not  a  busi- 
ness but  a  true  living  in  nearness  to 
nature    with    all    the    equipments    that 
civilization  can  supply  and  all  the  nat- 
ural   interests    and    charm    obtainable 
from  a  picturesque  lake,  a  stately  for- 
est and  rambling  countrv  roads.     Mrs. 
Cleveland     has     placed     the     property 
valued   at   some   twenty-five    thousand 
dollars,   in   the   ownership   of  her   two 
young  daughters,  Dorothy  and  Phyllis, 
and  she  has  been  fortunate  in  securing 
as  Camp  Mother,  Mrs.  Cora  L.   Glea- 
son  of  the  Perkins  Institution,  Water- 
town,    Massachusetts,    whom    the    in- 
mates of  the  camp  know  and  affection- 
ately call  Mother  B.     On  the  staff  are 
several  councillors  who  really  love  na- 
ture and  have  a  fair  knowledge  of  her 
attractions.      With    these    councillors 
alone  there  would  be  a  good  deal  "do- 
ing" in  the  way  of  nature  study,  but 
Mrs.  Cleveland  is  herself  so  personally 
interested  in  her  girls  and  is  so  great 
a  lover  of  outdoor  life  that  she  secures 
the  services  of  those  that  have  made 
nature  study  a  life  work.     She  is  to  be 
congratulated   upon   securing   the   ser- 
vices of  Dallas   Lore   Sharp,   the   emi- 
nent   writer,    biologist    and    naturalist. 
There  is  perhaps  no  other  person  in  all 
this    country,    except    Mr.    John    Bur- 
roughs, the   Dean   of  us   all,   who   could 
more  thoroughly  stamp  genuineness  upon 


that  special  nature  study  than  can  Mr. 
Sharp.  We  are  happy  to  congratulate 
the  members  of  Arcadia  Camp  in  the 
bright  outlook  for  the  season  of  1918. 
Address  Mrs.  Eleanor  Cleveland,  29 
India  Street,  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

TEEA-WAUKET    CAMPS. 

In  our  April  number  we  noticed  the 
Tela-Wauket  Camp  at  Roxbury,  Ver- 
mont, one  of  the  more  recent  comers 
into  the  field  of  true  nature  study.     In 
general  athleticism  and  in  outdoor  liv- 
ing this  camp  has  for  many  years  ranked 
among  the  highest  and  best  in  the  coun- 
try.    It  is  in  a  marvelously  beautiful  lo- 
cation and  is  well  equipped.     The  editor 
of  this  magazine  will  give  his  personal 
attention    to    the    nature    study    there, 
and   he   hopes  to   develop   it  not   only 
educationally  and  inspirationally     but 
so  that  the  campers  shall  see  things  in 
accord  with  the  infinite  beauty  of  na- 
ture.   It  is  believed  after  careful  inves- 
tigation of  an  extensive  field  and  the 
comparing   of    many    catalogues,    that 
here  is  a  camp  where  real  nature  study 
wall  accomplish  good  results.    Address 
Mr.  and   Mrs.   C.  A.   Roys,   Directors, 
10   Bowdoin   Street,   Cambridge,   Mas- 
sachusetts. 

A    NATURE    STUDY    CAMP   FOR  BOYS- 

In  our  number  for  April  we  noticed 
the  Nonowantuc  Camp  established  by 
Mr.  Edward  A.   C.  Murphy.     We  are 
confident  that  Mr.  Murphy  is  not  only 
a  good  camp  manager  but  a  good  nat- 
uralist.   We  are  sure  that  nature  study 
in  his  camp  will  not  be  neglected  nor 
will  it  be  relegated  to  the  one-hundred- 
th place  ;  it  will  not  be  "the  x  in  the 
problem."     In  the  summer  of  1917  Mr. 
Murphy  had  charge  of  the  bird  study 
and  the  nature  councils  in  the  woods 
and  several  nature  walks,  including  a 
genuine  investigation  of  the  beautiful 
lake,  at  the  Aloha  Camp.     We  include 
this  camp  in  the  list  of  those  in  which 
nature   study   is   genuine   and   earnest. 
For    further    particulars    address    Mr. 
Edward     A.     C.     Murphy,     Wabanaki 
School,  Greenwich,  Connecticut. 

OTHER   CAMPS. 

It  is  the  spirit  of  this  magazine, 
voicing  the  teachings  of  The  Agassiz 
Association,  to  give  every  aid  and  en- 
couragement to  the  propaganda  of  na- 
ture study.  If  any  other  camp  will 
show  that  it  is  entitled  even  in  the 
feeblest   efforts — if   really   genuine — to 


362 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


add,  to  continue  or  to  enlarge  its  scope 
of  nature  interest,  this  magazine  will 
gladly  help  in  any  way  in  its  power. 
Some  camps  must  sooner  or  later  at 
least  approach  a  little  nearer  to  nature 
study  or  they  will  fall  under  the  con- 
demnation of  public  sentiment ;  they 
cannot  take  young  people  into  the 
realms  of  nature  in  name  only.  These 
are  days  of  efficiency,  of  antagonism 
to  the  merely  artificial ;  they  demand 
genuine  honesty  of  purpose.  If  a  camp 
in  wild  nature  is  not  to  do  something: 
with  nature,  then  in  the  opinion  of  the 
editor  of  this  magazine  and  of  all  other 
nature  lovers  it  has  small  excuse  for 
its  location ;  it  is  not  rising  to  the 
height  of  its  full  privileges  ;  it  may  as 
well  be  situated  in  the  heart  of  any 
city. 


"Sugar"  Bound  Boat. 

Indian    Harbor,    Greenwich    Connec- 
ticut. 

March  22,  1918. 
To  the  Editor: 

While  there  may  have  been  a  scar- 
city of  cane  and  beet  sugar  of  late,  you 
will  notice  from  the  enclosed  snapshot 


Br£~   .                                                      "^B 

n^AS****           J 

™ 

spij"*4^*''      tJt—JL 

• 

that  there  has  been  no  scarcity  of 
"Jack  Frost  Sugar"  at  Indian  Harbor 
this  winter.  In  fact,  so  abundant  was 
the  supply  that  you  can  see  the  old 
Oneida  in   the  background  completely 


sugar"  bound. 


TosEpii  D.  Curj.ev. 


The  Advent  of  Spring. 

BY    ROBERT    SPARKS     WALKER,    CHATTANOOGA, 
TENNESSEE. 

"J"  is  gone,  't  is  gone,— old  Winter  now  has 

passed   away, 
No    more    the    snowflakes    fall    when    silent 

skies  are  gray; 
And  like  a  little  child  from  country  school 

set  free, 


The  earth  conies  laughing  forth  in  gushing 
jubilee. 

The  air  is  ringing  with  the  bluebird's  mer- 
ry note, 

The  sunbeams  flicker  on  the  dandelion's 
throat; 


THE       DARING      WATERCRESS      GOES      WADING      DOWN       THE 
BROOK." 


And    buttercups    and    bluets    deftly    dot    the 

ground, — 
A    thousand    fairy    spirits    welcome    Spring 

has  found! 

The    daring   watercress    goes   wading   down 

the  brook, 
Where    silver   minnows    swim    and    stare    in 

questful  look; 
The    tender    grass-blades    bend    to    kiss    the 

waves   below, 
And  buttonballs   record  the  bonny  breeze's 

blow. 

The  rippling  stream  awakes  the  slumber- 
land  with   song, 

And  joyful  creatures  pass  the  tuneful  peals 
along, 

To    birds    and    bees    by    pasture-path    and 
and  lilied-lane, 

And  mellow  notes  echo  from  distant  hills 
again! 

Upon   the   horizon   the   vernal    tints   appear, 

Elysian  scents  are  they  that  balmy  breezes 
bear; 

And  in  the  midst  of  gladness  that  the  sea- 
son  brings, 

The  soul  takes  up  the  songs  that  Nature 
softly    sings! 


The  Heavens  in  May. 

By  Professor  Eric   Doolittle   o  f  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 


ALREADY      the      faint      summer  above    the    horizon    in    the    southeast, 

groups   of   stars    are   taking   pos-  though    more    than    half    of    its    stars, 

session    of    the    eastern    heavens,  among  which  is  the  fiery  red  Antares, 

while  the  first  of  the  winter  constella-  have  not  yet  entered  the  evening  hea- 

tions    have    disappeared    in    the    west.  vens. 

The    advancing    border    of    the    very  Similarly,  the  great  summer  groups 

large    constellation    Virgo    has    passed  or    Serpens    and    Ophiuchus    are    but 


South 


Figure   1.     The-   Constellations    at   9  P.    M.,   May    1.      (If  facing   south,    hold  the   map   upright.      If  facing 
west,    hold   \\\st    below.      If   facing   east,    hold    East   below.      If    facing    north,    In >ld    the    map    inverted. 


the  meridian  in  the  south,  closely  fol-  partly    risen,    while,    on    the    contrary, 

lowed    by    the    stars    of    Libra,    while  the    very    long    and    winding    Water 

Scorpio,     the     most  striking  of  all  the  Snake     is     now     entirely     above     the 

summer    constellations,     is     mounting  ground,    extending    across    the    whole 


364 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


southern  heavens  from  Scorpio  to  the 
Lesser  Dog.  Above  the  Zodiac  and 
bordering  it  on  the  north  is  the  train 
of  beautiful  constellations  from  Lyra 
to  Auriga  which  will  well  repay 
study,  especially  the  western  part  of 
it,  in  which  there  are  several  fainter 
and  less  generally  known  star  groups. 

Jp  5|£  *J*  *|>  ^T* 

The   May   Stars. 

The  constellation  of  the  Balance, 
which  closely  follows  Virgo,  is  at 
once  recognized  by  the  two  bright 
stars  at  E  and  D,  although  there  are 
fifty-three  stars  visible  without  tele- 
scopic aid  which  are  included  within 
the  borders  of  this  constellation.  The 
four  stars  D,  E,  F  and  H,  which  form 
a  quadrilateral  in  Libra,  are  all  of  in- 
terest. The  stars  at  D  and  E  are  seen 
to  be  double  even  in  a  pair  of  opera 
glasses,  while  that  at  H  also  is  a 
double,  showing  a  fine  contrast  of  col- 
or, but  as  the  companion  is  of  the 
ninth  magnitude  this  can  only  be  seen 
with  a  small  telescope. 

The  star  at  E  is  the  only  naked  eye 
star  in  the  heavens  which  has  a  decid- 
edly greenish  color.  It  is  thought  that 
this  star  has  varied  in  brightness, 
since  two  thousand  years  ago  it  was 
described  as  the  brightest  star  of  all 
in  the  combined  constellation  of  the 
Scorpion  and  the  Balance  (the  Bal- 
ance was  formerly  a  part  of  the  con- 
stellation of  the  Scorpion)  while  now 
Antares,  the  brightest  star  of  Scorpio, 
is  nearly  five  times  as  bright  as  the 
star  at  E.  Later  the  two  stars  were 
described  as  being  of  equal  brightness. 
No  change  in  brightness  has  been  ob- 
served, however,  since  accurate  mea- 
sures have  become  possible. 

The  star  at  K  is  a  well-known  vari- 
able. Two-thirds  of  its  light  is  cut 
off  every  thirty-two  hours  by  the  pas- 
sage of  a  dark  companion  between  us 
and  it,  the  companion  revolving  about 
the  principal  star  in  this  time.  It  is 
thus  exactly  similar  to  the  more  strik- 
ing eclipsing  variable,  Algol,  at  L.  Fig- 
ure I.  If  a  straight  line  be  imagined 
drawn  from  the  star  at  H  to  that  at 
E  and  extended  a  distance  about  equal 
to  its  own  length  it  will  end  in  a  strik- 
ing, compact  cluster  of  faint  stars, 
very  much  condensed  toward  the  cen- 
ter. About  sixty  of  these  faint  stars 
are  variables  of  a   certain  kind,   from 


which  we  may  obtain  the  approximate 
distance  away  of  this  and  similar  clus- 
ters. A  short  distance  above  and  to 
the  east  of  this  cluster  there  is  an  in- 
teresting double  star,  but  neither  of 
these  objects  is  well  seen  except  in  a 
telescope  of  at  least  three  inches  aper- 
ture. 

The  reader  should  not  fail  to  ex- 
amine the  beautiful  little  group  of 
Coma  Berenices,  now  exactly  on  the 
meridian,  high  in  the  south.  On  moon- 
less nights,  such  as  we  shall  have  dur- 
ing the  first  twelve  days  of  the  month, 
the  sky  may  here  be  seen  with  an  opera 
glass  to  be  covered  with  a  most  deli- 
cate, filmy  network  of  stars  which,  as 
has  been  pointed  out,  if  removed  a  few 
thousand  light  years  farther  away 
would  appear  to  us  as  a  faint  star  clus- 
ter or  even  as  a  nebula.  Though  so 
faint  many  of  the  separate  stars  of  this 
constellation  were  given  names  two 
thousand  years  ago.  It  was  then  call- 
ed Ariadne's  Hair  (Ariadne's  Crown 
being  our  Corona),  but  from  234  B.  C. 
it  was  known  as  Berenice's  Hair,  Ber- 
enice being  the  sister  of  one  of  the 
rulers  of  Egypt. 

There  are  many  interesting  double 
stars  here  and  several  star  clusters  and 
nebulas  which  can  be  found  by  the 
help  of  a  star  atlas.  This  small  but 
densely  filled  region  of  the  sky  will 
well  repay  exploration  with  a  small 
telescope.  Having  become  somewhat 
familiar  with  the  larger  constellations 
and  the  brighter  objects  of  the  sky, 
the  reader  will  find  it  much  better  to 
thoroughly  explore  a  small  region, 
such  as  this,  than  to  turn  over  the 
heavens  from  one  object  to  another. 
He  thus  makes  the  small  part  of  the 
heavens,  as  it  were,  his  own,  and  he 
becomes  familiar  with  the  use  and  lim- 
itations of  his  instrument.  Many  most 
beautiful  objects  may  not  be  seen  until 
after  many  evenings'  trial,  for  he  will 
soon  learn  that  the  transparency  of 
the  air  and  the  "seeing"  varies  remark- 
ably from  night  to  night.  Of  course, 
having  minutely  examined  one,  region, 
he  may  turn  to  another  and  thus  grad- 
ually acquire  a  detailed  knowledge  of 
the  face  of  the  heavens  as  it  is  revealed 
in  his  instrument. 

The  Pole  of  the  Milky  Way  is  in  al- 
most the  exact  center  of  Coma  Bere- 
nices.    As  this  is  nearly  overhead,  the 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


365 


Milky  Way  is  now  seen  stretching 
along  the  horizon  from  the  southeast 
through  the  north  to  the  southwest. 
The  winter  branch  is  disappearing 
and  the  summer  branch  is  entering  our 
evening  sky. 

^         :ji         ^.         ^c         ifc 

The  New  Asteroid. 

A  remarkable  object  was  discovered 
last    February,    which    was    described 


]f  an  asteroid,  its  path  was  certainly 
very  unlike  that  of  the  other  asteroids. 
Accordingly,  it  .was  sometimes  refer- 
red to  as  a  comet,  but  it  was  generally 
called  simply  an  "object"  until  its  true 
nature  should  be  discovered. 

When  a  sufficient  number  of  obser- 
vations had  been  secured  to  enable  its 
path  to  be  well  determined  it  was 
found  to  be  indeed  an  asteroid,  but  one 


Figure  2.     The  path  of  the  newly  discovered  asteroid  above  the  sun. 


as  an  asteroid  having  a  little  asteroid, 
or  "moonlet,"  revolving  around  it.  The 
little  companion  was  moving  so  rapid- 
ly that  it  would  pass  completely 
around  the  parent  asteroid  in  a  little 
more  than  one  day.  The  new  asteroid 
was  of  only  the  eleventh  magnitude, 
while  its  even  fainter  companion  was 
described  as  of  the  fourteenth  magni- 
tude. 

The  new  object  was  discovered  in 
the  northern  borders  of  the  constella- 
tion Gemini,  but  it  was  moving  very 
rapidly  eastward ;  in  fact,  its  motion 
was  so  rapid  that  it  was  doubtful 
whether  it  was  a  true  asteroid  at  all. 


moving  in  a  very  unusual  orbit.  The 
form  of  this  path  is  shown  in  Figure 
2.  It  is  the  least  circular  of  all  the 
asteroid  orbits,  so  that  when  nearest 
the  sun  it  is  far  within  the  orbit  of 
Mars,  and  when  farthest  away  it  is 
not  very  far  from  the  orbit  of  Jupiter. 
It  may  approach  within  nineteen  mil- 
lion miles  of  the  earth.  The  only 
other  heavenly  body  which  comes  so 
near  us  as  this  is  another  little  aster- 
oid named  Eros,  the  moon  alone  ex- 
cepted. Thus  the  new  body  comes 
much  nearer  the  earth  than  Venus  or 
any  of  the  other  planets  of  the  solar 
svstem.     When   it  is  at  the   most   re- 


366 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


mote  part  of  its  orbit,  however,  it  will 
be  quite  invisible  both  phothgraphic- 
ally  and  in  all  existing  telescopes. 

The  great  importance  of  the  new 
asteroid  lies  in  the  fact  that  at  times 
it  approaches  so  near  us  that  its  ab- 
solute distance  away  in  miles  can  be 
determined,  for  it  draws  so  near  that 
when  we  change  our  position  on  the 
earth  it  is  seen  to  very  appreciably 
change  its  apparent  place  in  the  sky. 
From  this  the  distance  in  miles  from 
the  earth  to  the  sun  (which  is  the  unit 
of  distance  throughout  all  astronomy) 
can  be  determined. 

When  the  new  asteroid  was  discov- 
ered it  was  at  the  point  B  of  its  path  ; 
it  was  thus  well  past  its  closest  ap- 
proach to  the  earth,  which  occurred 
just  one  month  earlier.  The  asteroid 
passes  about  its  orbit  in  4.33  years,  so 
that  every  four  years  it  reaches  the 
part  of  its  orbit  which  is  nearest  the 
sun.  It  is  not,  however,  very  near  the 
earth  except  when  the  earth  is  near 
the  portion  of  its  path  marked  A.  The 
next  close  approach  will  occur  near 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1931,  and  it 
is  at  this  time  also  that  the  little  planet 
Eros,  our  nearest  visitor  of  all,  will 
approach  us  most  closely.  Soon  after 
this  time  the  distance  from  the  earth 
to  the  sun  will  become  known  with  a 
far  higher  accuracy  than  ever  before. 

It  should  be  added  that  though  the 
new  asteroid  has  been  many  times 
photographed  during  the  last  few 
weeks  and  though  it  has  been  ex- 
amined with  the  largest  telescopes,  no 
trace  of  the  faint  companion  has  been 
detected.  It  is  as  yet  impossible  to 
account  for  the  announcement  of  the 
discovery.  The  companion  may  have 
a  real  existence  (the  distance  apart 
of  the  earth  and  the  object  is  rapidly 
increasing)  or  it  may  have  been  an  il- 
lusion. 

The  new  asteroid  has  now  become 
excessively  faint — of  only  about  the 
fourteenth  magnitude.  When  discov- 
ered it  was  in  the  position  A,  Figure 
1,  but  its  rapid  eastward  motion  has 
now  carried  it  well  into  Leo  to  the 
position  B.  It  is  seen  so  high  above 
the  ecliptic  because  the  inclination  of 
the  orbit  plane  to  the  plane  of  the 
ecliptic  is  nearly  nine  degrees.  It  is 
now  moving  southward  among  the 
stars,  however,  and  will  soon  pass  be- 
low the  Celestial  equator. 


The  Planets  in  May. 

Mercury  is  a  morning  star  through- 
out the  month.  It  will  reach  its  great- 
est distance  west  of  the  sun  on  May 
24,  when  it  may  be  seen  shining  in  the 
northeast  for  somewhat  more  than  one 
hour  before  sunrise.  It  will  again  en- 
ter the  evening  sky  on  June  26. 

Venus  remains  in  the  morning  sky 
until  next  November.  It  is  steadily 
drawing  nearer  the  sun,  but  it  is  still 
a  very  conspicuous  object  in  the 
morning  heavens.  It  rises  almost  due 
east  about  three  and  one-half  hours 
before  sunrise  on  May  1,  and  this  time 
is  decreased  to  two  and  three-quarter 
hours  by  May  31. 

Mars  is  on  the  meridian  in  the  south 
in  the  extreme  western  border  of  the 
constellation  Virgo.  Its  westward 
motion  ceased  on  April  26,  and  it  is 
now  moving  eastward  among  the 
stars.  Its  distance  from  the  earth  in- 
creases from  seventy-six  million  miles 
to  ninety-six  million  miles  during  the 
present  month,  and  it  is  but  sixth- 
tenths  as  bright  at  the  end  as  at  the 
beginning.  Even  when  faintest,  how- 
ever, it  is  1.7  times  as  bright  as  a  first 
magnitude  star. 

Jupiter  is  moving  slowly  eastward 
and  northward  between  the  Hyades 
and  the  Pleiades.  It  may  still  be  seen 
in  the  early  evening,  though  it  is  be- 
yond the  borders  of  our  evening  map. 
It  enters  the  morning  sky  on  June  15, 

Saturn  is  moving  quite  rapidly 
eastward  and  southward  through  the 
constellation  Cancer.  By  December 
12  its  motion  will  carry  it  within 
thirty  seconds  of  the  star  Regulus  (at 
C,  Fig.  1)  though  it  will  be  about  a  de- 
gree north  of  this  star.  The  two  ob- 
jects will  then  form  a  beautiful  fig- 
ure in  the  south,  but  after  this  date 
Saturn  will  begin  to  move  westward 
again.  The  reader  may  remember  that 
some  months  ago  Saturn  was  nearly 
in  a  line  with  the  Twin  Stars,  while 
now  it  is  far  to  the  east  of  this  line. 
Uranus  is  in  the  morning  heavens  in 
the  constellation  Aquarius. 

Neptune  is  in  Gemini,  sixteen  min- 
utes west  of  Saturn,  and  six  minutes 
south  on  May  1,  and  twenty-two  min- 
utes west  and  seventeen  minutes  north 
on  May  31.  On  May  12  it  is  of  the 
same  declination  as  Saturn,  and  eigh- 
teen minutes  west  of  it. 


TO  KNOW  THE  STARRY  HEAVENS 


367 


How  to  Reduce  One's  Weight. 

BY  CHARLES  XKVERS  HOLMES,  NEWTON, 
MASSACHUSETTS. 
There  are  two  ways  by  which  the 
weight  of  even  the  most  ponderous 
person  upon  Earth  might  be  reduced 
without  dieting  and  without  delay. 
Such  a  ponderous  person,  any  fat  or 
stout    individual,   might    under   certain 


conditions  lose  as  much  weight  as  he 
or  she  chose,  indeed  all  of  his  or  her 
weight.  And  he  or  she  might  weigh 
exactly  whatever  amount  desired — 150 
pounds  or  25  pounds — without  having 
to  get  rid  of  even  an  ounce  of  flesh.  All 
that  would  be  necessary  is  a  journey. 
long  or  short,  according  to  how  much 
weight  a  person  wished  to  lose.  There 
are  two  ways  by  which  this  reduction 
might  be  accomplished,  but — alas  ! — 
both  of  these  means  are  at  present  not 
available.  Nevertheless  ,they  may  be- 
come available  in  the  future,  so  perhaps 
it  will  be  worth  while  to  describe  them. 
Briefly,  in  order  to  reduce  one's 
weight  all  that  one  needs  to  do  is  to 
rise  to  a  sufficient  distance  above  our 
Earth  or  to  descend  a  sufficient  dis- 
tance beneath  its  surface.     One  begins 


to  lose  weight  just  as  soon  as  he  leaves 
the  terrestrial  surface,  going  up  or  go- 
ing down.     Of  course  it  is  easy  to  un- 
derstand that  the  farther  away  we  get 
from    our   Earth    the   weaker   becomes 
the   attraction    of  gravity  between    us 
and    our    Planet,    therefore,    since    our 
weight     is     simply    a     record     of    the 
amount    of    that    gravity,    we    should 
weigh   less  and   less   according  to   our 
distance  from  the  World.     At  a  height 
of  4000  miles  above  the  terrestrial  sur- 
face we  should  weigh  only  J4th  of  what 
we  do  on  the  surface.     y\nd  were  we 
able  to  descend  3000  miles  below  the 
terrestrial     surface,     we     should    then 
weigh  only  a  quarter  of  what  we   do 
on  the  surface,  because  the  distance  to 
our    Earth's    center   being   about   4000 
miles,  there  would  remain  but  a  quar- 
ter of  the  distance  to  that  center  to  at- 
tract   us.      That    is,    instead    of    being 
pulled  towards  the  terrestrial  center  by 
the    gravitational     attraction    of    4000 
miles  of  our  World's  bulk,  we  should, 
after  descending  3000  miles,  be  pulled 
downward  by  only  1000  miles,  or  14th 
of  4000  miles.     And  if  we  were  able  to 
descend  to  the  very  center  of  our  Earth, 
we  should  lose  all  of  our  weight,  since 
at   that  point   there  would  be   nothing 
further    to    pull    us    downward,    every 
atom  of  the  4000  miles  now  lying  be- 
hind  and   above   us.      In   other  words, 
we  should  be  in  a  condition  of  gravita- 
tional equilibrum  at  our  Earth's  center. 
Thus,  it  is  evident  that  one's  weight 
or  the  pull  of  terrestrial  gravity  upon 
one's  body  would  become  less  and  less 
were  we  to  leave  our  World  behind  us 
or  to  descend  to  our   World's   center. 
In  either  case,  our  weight  would  cease 
entirely  at  the  Earth's  center  and  prac- 
tically after  we  had  reached  a  vast  dis- 
tance from  that  center. 


There  are  some  so  ignorant  that  they 
do  not  so  much  as  know  they  are  igno- 
rant— that  blissful  state  of  ignorance 
where  to  be  wise  would  be  rank  folly. 
It  is  so  very  easy  to  be  ignorant  that 
it  would  seem  hardly  worth  while  to 
study  and  work,  toil  and  scheme,  in 
order  to  be  reckoned  wise.  The  igno- 
rant man  who  thinks  he  knows  is 
usually  better  satisfied  with  himself 
than  he  who  is  wise  enough  to  know 
that  he  doesn't  know  much. — Erasmus 
Wilson. 


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  this  Department  Editor. 


A   Suggestion   to   Bird-Photographers. 

EDITORIAL    BY     WILFRED    A.     FRENCH,     IN 
PHOTO-ERA. 

One  of  the  reasons  that  excellently 
illustrated  articles  on  bird-photography 
are  so  scarce  is  because  most  camerists 
lack  the  necessary  discrimination,  skill 
and  patience.    They  argue  that  because 
the    act    of    photographing    individual 
birds,    either    free    or    surrounded    by 
tree-branches,   twigs   and   foliage,   pre- 
sents certain  and  obvious  physical  dif- 
ficulties, the  results  must  be  accepted 
as     technically     satisfactory     achieve- 
ments.     Because    many    of    these    not 
particularly      creditable      photographs 
have  been   accepted  and   published   in 
periodicals   devoted  to  outdoor  sports 
and  activities,  is  no  proof  of  their  ex- 
cellence.     It   is   not   even   certain   that 
they  have   met  the   approval  of  those 
whom  they  were  designed  to  interest. 
Merely  because  it  was  difficult  to  make, 
the    reader    of    a    sports-magazine    is 
asked   to  admire  an   intricate  mass   of 
reeds    and    grasses    in    which    is    con- 
cealed, somewhere,  a  mother-bird  sit- 
ting on  its  nest.    It  impresses  us  rather 
as    a    puzzle    with    the    accompanying 
query,  "Find  the  bird."     Or  it  will  be 
some  other  bird  or  creature  so  photo- 
graphed with  its  natural  surroundings 
or  camouflage,  that  it  will  be  extremely 
difficult   for   the   ordinary    eye    to   dis- 
tinguish  and   study.     That   it   is   quite 
possible  to  procure  direct  photographs 
of    song-birds,    water-fowl    and    other 
creatures  in  a  semi-wild  state,  that  are 
distinct    and    sharply    defined,    can    be 
shown  by  the  perusal  of  past  numbers 
of  this  magazine     Of  course,  the  cam- 
erist  eager  to  make  successful  pictures 
of  song-birds  must  possess  the  neces- 
sary temperament  for  such  work  and, 
particularly,    the    adequate    apparatus 


and  accessories  A  photographic  pub- 
lication is  hardly  the  medium  for'  pho- 
tographs of  subjects  in  natural  history, 
or  any  other  activity,  for  which  apol- 
ogies should  be  made  because  of  tech- 
nical deficiencies.  Moreover,  the  ser- 
ious-minded photographer  will  not 
rest  content  until  he  has  achieved  that 
which  is  within  the  scope  of  photo- 
graphic possibility. 


A  Song  Sparrow  Takes  a  Cold  Bath. 

PA'    F.    II.    VAN    HISE,    SUMMERLAND,    BRIT- 
ISH COLUMBIA,  CANADA. 

One  evening,  during  the  last  week  of 
January,  about  a  half  hour  after  sunset, 
I  saw  a  song  sparrow  take  a  bath.  It 
flew  to  the  edge  of  the  lake,  and  stood  on 
a  stone  so  that  the  spray  might  splash 
over  it.  After  standing  for  a  few 
minutes  and  not  getting  wet  enough,  it 
flew  to  another  stone  near  the  shore,  so 
that  nearly  every  wave  submerged  it. 

Three  times  a  wave  larger  than  usual 
nearly  washed  the  bird  from  the  stone ; 
considerable  fluttering-  and  struggling- 
were  needed  to  help  it  keep  its  footing. 
It  then  returned  to  the  shore,  and  again 
exposed  itself  to  the  spray.  To  that  bath 
the  bird  devoted  fifteen  minutes.  The 
temperature  of  the  air  was  thirty-seven 
degrees  ;  that  of  the  lake  was  thirty  six 
degrees. 

(The  Okanagan  Lake  has  been  frozen 
over  only  once  in  twenty-three  years.) 


Nature's  work  is  all  of  it  good,  all 
of  it  purposeful,  all  of  it  wonderful,  all 
of  it  beautiful.  We  like  or  dislike  cer- 
tain things  which  may  be  a  way  of  ex- 
pressing our  prejudice  or  our  limita- 
tion ;  but  the  work  is  always  perfect  of 
its  kind  irrespective  of  human  appreci- 
ation.—John  C.  Van  Dyke  in  "The 
Desert." 


ORNITHOLOGY 


369 


The  Only  Mountain  Plover  in  New 

England. 
We  are  indebted  to  the  Boston  So- 
ciety of  Natural  History  for  the  use  of 
the   accompanying   cut   of  a   mounted 
plover  recently  acquired   by  that     so- 


"ONLY    MOUNTAIN    PLOVER    KNOWN    TO    HAVE    BEEN 
TAKEN  IN  NEW  ENGLAND." 


Enormous  Number  of  Robins 
The  immense  concourses  of  passen- 
ger pigeons,  remembered  by  many  now 
living  and  so  graphically  described  by 
Wilson,  Audubon,  and  other  early  or- 
nithologists, are  common  knowledge. 
But  that  the  robins  of 
America  are  today  far 
more  numerous  than  the 
passenger  pigeons  ever 
were,  and  that  many  other 
species  outnumber  them 
also — perhaps  three  to 
one — is  not  generally  ap- 
preciated. The  gregar- 
tousness  of  the  pigeons, 
causing  them  to  unite  in 
a  few  great  flocks,  made 
the  number  much  more 
manifest  than  do  the  scat- 
tered small  bands  and  in- 
dividuals of  other  birds. 
Yet  when  we  reflect  that 
robins  nest  over  an  area 
extending  at  its  farthest 
limits  from  Mexico  to  the 
Arctic  ocean  and  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific, 
and  that  in  much  of  this 
vast  territory  they  are 
fairly  crowded,  it  is  easy 
to  conjecture  what  an 
immeasurable  army  they 
would  make  if  gathered 
into  one  flock.- — Henry 
Oldys  in  "Bird-Lore." 


ciety.     Mr.  Glover  M.  Allen,  the  Sec- 
retary, writes  as  follows  : 

"The  cut  of  the  plover  represents 
the  mountain  plover  (Podasocys  mon- 
tanus)  lately  acquired  by  this  society  for 
its  mounted  collection  of  the  birds  of 
New  England.  It  was  killed  at  North 
Beach,  Chatham,  Massachusetts,  in 
October,  1916,  and  fortunately  came 
into  the  possesion  of  one  that  recog- 
nized it  as  something  unusual.  It  is 
the  only  mountain  plover  known  to 
have  been  taken  in  New  England.  Its 
normal  breeding  range  is  in  the  far 
West,  from  Montana  to  northern  New 
Mexico.  It  Avinters  from  northern 
California  to  central  Mexico." 


The  expenses  of  the  New  York  Zoo- 
logical Park  and  the  Aquarium  amount 
to  about  seven  cents  for  each  visitor. 


Truth. 

BY    C.     R.    PIETY,    SCOTTSBURG,    INDIANA. 

Iconoclast  am   I: 

The   icons   I   delight  to  kill; 

The  ichor  I  rejoice  to  spill; 

With  pride  I  view  the  mangled  mess, 

And  scorn  the  utter  helplessness 

Of  spurious  gods  that  lie, 

And  die. 

Mankind   I  liberate; 

Wizards  and  witches  I  enthrall; 

The  ghosts  and  goblins,  elves  and  all 

The  apparitions,  good  or  bad, 

I   strip  of  every  charm  they  had, 

And   slay  at   Reason's   gate — 

Just    fate, 

Heaven  and  earth  are  mine; 

And  Nature  knows  no  Zodiac 

With  spell  o'er  garden,  flock,  or  pack; 

No  lucky  or  unlucky  day; 

But  only  an  eternal  sway 

Of  wholesome  laws — divine, 

And   mine. 


3JO 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


Hatch  Ostrich  Eggs  in  Incubator. 

What  no  less  an  authority  than  Cy 
De  Vry  of  the  Lincoln  Park  Zoo,  Chi- 
cago, calls  the  first  successful  attempt 
to  incubate  the  eggs  of  captive  ostrich- 
es is  recorded  at  the  poultry  division 
of  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  where 
five    of    the    long-legged    desert    birds 


for  plumes  shattered,  it  is  likely  that 
the  young  ostriches  will  be  sent  back 
to  their  place  in  the  zoo. — Courtesy  of 
"Our  Dumb  Animals." 


The  volume  of  nature  is  the  book  of 
knowledge,  and  he  becomes  most  wise 
who  makes  the  most  judicious  selec- 
tion.— Goldsmith. 


>»^v..      '^  -w* 


-. 

;      - 1 


IlKALTIIV    YOUNG    OSTRICHES    HATCHED    IN    INCUBATOR. 


were  hatched  in  an  ordinary  hot  air 
incubator. 

After  forty-two  days'  incubation, 
these  five  husky  birds  kicked  out  of 
their  pewter-like  shells  and  began  to 
hunt  something  to  eat.  The  eggs  were 
given  to  the  university  by  managers  of 
the  Madison  City  Zoo,  and  that  they 
developed  into  sturdy  young  ostriches 
was  fully  as  big  a  surprise  to  the  poul- 
try men  as  to  the  natural  history  author- 
ities. The  parents  of  the  young  os- 
triches are  kept  closely  confined  in  a 
small  enclosure,  a  fact  which  made  un- 
likely the  artificial  incubation  of  their 
eggs. 

The  university  poultrymen  have  not 
decided  what  to  do  with  their  feathered 
prodigies,  which  on  being  hatched  were 
nearly  as  large  as  a  Plymouth  Rock  hen. 
With  chicken  feed  high  and  the  market 


An   Invitation. 

JY   DON    C.    SKIT/,   COS    COB,   CONNECTICUT. 

O   come  with  me 
To  the   depths  of  the  sea 
Where  the  oysters  stew 
And  the  loud  sea-mew 
Waileth   so   piteously! 

Where  the  Lobsters  green 

In  their  armour  preen 

And   polish    their   shapely   claws 

While  the   cod-fish  pause 

To  stare  at  their  emerald  sheen. 

Here  the   slim  eel  swims 
And  divides  with  the  whims 
The  honors  down  below; 
Where  the  shark's  teeth  show 
And  the   cuttle  his   shadow  dims. 

Meet  here  the  whale 
With   his   threshing  tail 
WThere  the   star-fish  twinkles 
And  rounds  up  the  wrinkles 
Deep  down  in  the  ocean  vale! 


&.&&$&$&$&&&&*&&$&&&* 


Studying  by  the  Light  of  the  Glow- 
worm. 

In  propaganda  for  Chinese  farmers 
as  teachers,  Mr.  Warner  M.  Van  Nor- 
den,  62  South  Street,  New  York  City, 
as  an  argument  in  behalf  of  diligent 
study  by  farmer  boys  at  home,  made 
this  astonishing  statement : 

"The  story  of  a  young  Chinese  has 
become  almost  classic.  This  young 
man,  working  on  his  father's  farm  all 
day  and  not  wishing  to  put  his  father 
to  the  expense  of  buying  oil  that  he 
might  study  in  the  evening,  would 
stop  on  his  way  home  from  the  fields 
each  evening  and  collect  a  bag  full  of 
glowworms  by  the  light  of  which  he 
would  study  late  into  the  night." 

We  have  heard  of  great  men  who 
studied  in  their  boyhood  under  dif- 
ficulties, using  the  glowing  pine  knot 
by  the  fireplace  and  other  simple  and 
primitive  methods,  but  this  statement 
of  the  Chinese  young  man  studying 
by  such  dull  light  relegates  other  cited 
examples  into  the  shade.  The  question 
naturally  arises,  "Why  put  the  glow- 
worms in  a  bag?  Would  it  not  have 
been  better  to  put  them  in  a  bottle?" 
The  light  might  then  have  passed  out 
to  illumine  the  studies  of  that  econom- 
ical and  industrious  young  man  that 
at  first  seemed  to  me  must  be  a  Chinese 
myth,  because  I  have  occasionally 
tried  to  ascertain  the  truth  or  falsity 
of  similar  stories  about  reading  with 
our  American  lightning  bugs,  as  it  is 
really  possible  to  do,  if  strained  gazing 
to  see  the  print  indistinctly  or  occas- 
ionally to  catch  a  plainer  view  may  be 
called  reading.  The  light  of  lightning 
bugs  is  stronger  than  that  of  the  lar- 
vae or  glowworms.  Several  years  ago 
while  editing  a  reply  to  a  child  in  re- 
gard to  the  light  of  the  firefly,  I 
thought  it  would  be  interesting  to  say 
that  I  had  actually  read  the  proof  by 


the  light  of  fireflies.  So  I  collected  a 
number,  put  them  in  a  bottle  and  held 
them  close  to  the  paper.  I  did  see  the 
proof  when  several  of  the  flies  to- 
gether occasionally  flashed  their  light 
and,  with  a  little  touch  of  fancy  added, 
I  could  claim  that  I  read  the  proof,  be- 
cause I  could  now  and  then  catch  a 
glimpse  of  a  word,  but  nothing  more. 
If  it  is  impossible  to  read  by  the  aid 
of  fireflies  in  a  bottle,  what  could  be 
seen  with  glowworms  in  a  bag ! 

Strange,  however,  as  the  Chinese 
story  is,  it  seems  well  vouched  for  by 
those  versed  in  Chinese  lore  and  cus- 
toms. After  considerable  and  extend- 
ed correspondence,  we  find  that  the 
story  of  the  industrious  Chinese  youth 
who  studied  by  the  light  of  the  glow^ 
worms,  though  a  very  old  one,  has  an 
element  of  probability.  It  has  been 
handed  down  from  father  to  son  and  is 
still  told  when  the  family  gathers 
around  the  glowing  brazier,  as  a  sort 
of  equivalent  to  our  stories  of  a  youth 
studying  at  the  fireplace.  It  seems, 
however,  that  the  bag  was  made  of 
rice  paper  and  was  probably  very  thin. 
Being  pure  white  it  would  transmit  a 
fair  light.  It  is  not  probable  that  the 
Chinese  had  bottles  in  the  days  when 
this  energetic  boy  was  living. 

The  Bureau  of  Entomology  at 
Washington  agrees  with  most  of  us  in 
thinking  that  this  glowworm  story  is 
improbable  and  yet  should  not  be  ridi- 
culed. There  are  a  few  facts  that  take 
the  story  out  of  the  realm  of  fable  or 
myth  and  put  it  within  the  scope  of 
definite   scientific   knowledge. 

This  brings  up  the  question  of  the 
brightness  of  other  glowworms.  Mr. 
H.  S.  Barber  of  the  Bureau  at  Wash- 
ington says  that  one  night,  while  in 
Guatemala,  he  read  nearly  a  column 
of  ordinary  newspaper  print,  without 
eyestrain,  by  the  light  of  a  single  fire- 


37-t 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


fly  of  the  species  which  is  there  called 
"Cucuyo."  This  has  a  steady  light, 
which  he  held  two  inches  from  the 
paper.  He  says  further  that  in  the 
Orient  there  are  undetermined  glow- 
worms of  considerable  brilliancy  that 
may  be  wingless  females,  and  have  a 
much  brighter  light  than  the  flying 
males.  In  such  case  the,  female  is  us- 
ually constantly  and  brilliantly  lumi- 
nous while  the  male  shows  only  a  dim 
ligrht  or  none.  "As  the  habitat  of  such 
species  is  usually  very  circumscribed 
it  would  not  be  at  all  strange  that  their 
luminosity  should  be  known  only  to 
the  peasant  or  farmer  class  whose  na- 
tural history  lore,  true  or  false,  is  too 
seldom  recorded." 

In  a  somewhat  extended  correspon- 
dence Mr.  Van  Norden  writes  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Again  referring  to  your  inquiry  re- 
garding the  glowworm  story,  I  have 
found  it  repeated  in  'Social  Life  of  the 
Chinese'  by  Justice  Doolittle,  page  359, 
published  in  London  by  Sampson,  Low 
Sons  &  Marston,  1868. 

"It  seems  the  young  man's  name  was 
Che  yin.  He  lived  in  the  Dynasty  of 
Tsyn,  265—4918  A.  D.  Dr.  Doolittle's 
story  states  that  the  worms  were  in  a 
gauze  bag.  He  adds  that  Che  yin  be- 
came President  of  one  of  the  six 
boards." 

In  another  letter  he  says :  "I  have 
just  heard  of  another  book  which  con- 
tains the  story  of  the  glowworms.  I 
have  put  in  application  for  it  to  a  lib- 
rary and  as  soon  as  I  receive  it,  I  shall 
write  you  again,  quoting  you  the  page 
on  which  the  story  appears." 

A  letter  to  the  Chinese  embassy  in 
Washington  has  not  been  answered, 
but  request  has  been  made  that  cor- 
respondence be  taken  up  with  some 
Chinese  entomologist.  We  shall  be 
glad  if  any  of  our  readers  can  throw 
further  light  on  the  subject,  which  at 
present  seems  rather  dim  in  the  distant 
past  and  in  the  somewhat  indefinite 
form  of  the  information. 


Five  Years  of  Starvation  of  Larvae. 

BY    J.    E.    WODSEDAEEK,    UNIVERSITY    OF 
IDAHO,    MOSCOW,   IDAHO- 

The  specimens  concerned  are  the  larvae 
of  Trogoderma  tarsale,  a  small  beetle 
well  known  as  a  museum  pe-t.  The 
last  of  a  large  number  of  specimens 
lived,  without  a  particle  to  eat,  for  the 
surprisingly  long  period  of  five  years, 


The  Welch  National  Museum  has 
just  acquired  a  natural  history  collec- 
tion in  which  the  swallow-tail  butter- 
flies alone  number  over  three  thousand 
specimens  and  the  beetles  more  than 
forty  thousand. 


LARVAE    IN    VARIOUS    STAGES    OF    GROWTH. 

one  month  and  twenty-nine  days  or,  to 
be  more  specific,  from  October  28,  191 1, 
to  December  25,  1916,  a  period  of  1,884 
days.  The  case  is  decidedly  outstand- 
ing, as  to  my  knowledge,  nothing  simi- 
lar has  ever  been  recorded  as  a  result  of 
starvation  experiments  with  other  ani- 
mals. It  is  very  probable  that  under 
otherwise  non-disturbing  conditions 
the  starving  larvae  would  have  lived 
for  even  a  longer  period.  The  speci- 
mens concerned  in  this  article  had  un- 
dergone considerable  disturbance  after 
the  first  two  years  of  starvation,  since 
many  of  the  larvae  made  the  trip  be- 
tween Idaho  and  Wisconsin  with  me 
three  or  four  times,  and  several  of  them 
covered  the  distance  five  times.  The 
trips  one  way  varied  in  duration  from 
four  to  seven  days.  There  is  no  doubt 
but  that  the  jarring  of  the  train  had 
accelerated  the  metabolism  of  the 
larvae.  This  fact  was  evinced  by  the 
moulting  of  practically  every  individual 
toward  the  end  of  the  trip  or  within  a 
few  days  after  it,  and  by  the  decided 
decrease  in  the  dimensions  of  the 
larvae  immediately  following  such  a 
moult.  Larvae  placed  under  starvation 
shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Idaho  in  the 
summer  of  1913,  which  have  not  been 
so  disturbed,  show  indications  of  even 


THE  INTEREST  IN  INSECTS 


373 


greater  tenacity  than  is  here  recorded. 

It  will  not  be  ont  of  place  here  to 
mention  how  the  starvation  experi- 
ments with  this  particular  species 
which  proved  to  be  of  such  unusual  in- 
terest came  about.  While  a  graduate 
student  at  the  University  of  Wiscon- 
sin the  writer  got  into  a  dispute  con- 
cerning the  classification  of  the  larvae. 
To  prove  his  point  he  decided  to  grow- 
some  of  the  specimens  to  maturity  and 
thus  obliterate  the  uncertainty  of  iden- 
tification. A  number  of  the  largest 
larvae  available  were  placed  in  glass 
dishes  together  with  some  food  mater- 
ial. Not  having  plenty  of  the  favorite 
food  material  at  hand  at  the  time,  sev- 
eral specimens  were  placed  in  other 
dishes  without  food  and  set  aside  in  a 
separate  drawer  with  the  intention  of 
providing  for  them  later.  However, 
these  were  neglected  until  the  opening 
of  school  the  following  September 
when  the  writer  accidently  discovered 
them  in  their  secluded  place.  Much  to 
his  surprise  all  of  the  specimens  were 
alive,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  had 
remained  there  for  five  months  without 
a  thing  to  eat.  It  was  also  noticed  that 
the  larvae  had  decreased  in  size.  This 
observation  was  further  substantiated 
by  the  gradual  decrease  in  size  of  the 
various  cast-off  skins,  which  this 
species  is  not  known  to  attack.  This 
interesting  information  later  led  to  ex- 
perimental work  on  the  longevity  of 
the  larvae,  without  food,  on  a  large 
scale. 

A  number  of  specimens  varying  in 
size  from  newly  hatched  to  practically 
full-grown  larvae  were  placed  in  in- 
dividual sterilized  vials  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  the  period  of  time  that 
they  could  live  without  food.  Even  the 
newly  hatched  specimens  showed  an 
amazing  tenacity  by  living  over  four 
months  without  ever  having  eaten  at 
all.  Some  of  the  one-fourth  grown 
specimens  lived  for  fourteen  months  ; 
those  about  one-half  grown  lived  al- 
most three  years ;  those  three-fourths 
grown  lived  four  years;  and  most  of 
the  largest  specimens  lived  over  four 
years,  several  of  them  over  four  and  a 
half  years,  and  one  five  years  and 
seven  days  ;  while  the  last  one  died  after 
five  years,  one  month  and  twenty-nine 
days  of  starvation. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  phases 


of  these  experiments  is  the  gradual  de- 
crease in  size  of  the  individual  speci- 
mens. Many  of  the  largest  larvae 
which  were  about  8  mm.  in  length 
dwindled  down  to  practically  the  hatch- 
ing length  of  I  mm.  before  dying,  and 
practically  all  of  the  specimens  which 
were  below  7  mm.  at  the  beginning  of 
the  experiment  dwindled  down  to  the 


CAST  SKINS  OF  FASTING  LARVAE. 

same  dimensions.  Many  of  the  larvae 
of  2  and  3  mm.  were  reduced  to  some- 
what below  the  hatching  length,  and 
practically  all  of  the  newly  hatched 
specimens  fell  down  to  about  three- 
fourths  of  their  original  length.  Speak- 
ing in  terms  of  reduction  in  size,  it  is 
astonishing  to  note  that  some  of  the 
largest  larvae  have  been  reduced  to 
about  1/600  of  their  maximum  larval 
mass. 

Another,  and  even  more  interesting 
phenomenon,  is  the  fact  that  when  the 
starved  specimens  almost  reach  the 
smallest  size  possible  and  are  then 
given  plenty  of  food,  they  will  again 
begin  growing  in  size.  A  number  of 
the  larvae  which  were  half  grown 
when  placed  under  starvation  for  the 
first  time,  have  through  alternating 
periods  of  "feasting  and  fasting"  at- 
tained that  size  three  times  and  are 
now  on  the  way  to  their  fourth  "child- 
hood" ;  and  even  some  of  the  large 
specimens  have  started  dwindling  down 
to  their  third  "childhood"  after  having 
twice  attained  the  practically  maxi- 
mum larval  size. 

Occasionally  these  larvae  are  found 
in  large  numbers  in  insect,  seed  and 
drug  collections,  and  naturally  destroy- 
ed as  soon  as  discovered.     The  writer 


374 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


would  appreciate  any  amount  of  this 
living  material  that  the  reader  may 
happen  to  find  if  he  has  no  use  for  it 
himself.  The  larvae,  pupae  or  living 
adults  of  other  dermestids  are  equally 
desirable  for  the  purpose  of  compara- 
tive studies.  In  response  to  a  recent 
circular  letter  many  men  have  already 
sent  me  some  valuable  material.  The 
names  of  the  donators  will  appear  in 
the  forthcoming  detailed  publication  of 
this  extensive  and  of  necessity  pro- 
longed investigation. 

The  problem  has  now  attained  enor- 
mous proportions  and  involves  the  use 
of  thousands  of  specimens.  Many  nor- 
mal larvae  of  different  sizes,  as  well  as 
many  specimens  in  the  different  per- 
iods of  starvation  have  been  sectioned 
during  the  past  few  years,  and  com- 
parative cytological  studies  of  the  var- 
ious structures  of  the  organisms  are 
being  made.  Physiological  studies 
with  special  reference  to  metabolic 
water  and  excretion  science  have  also 
been  started. 


A   Spring   Song. 

BY    EDNA    L.    BOGUE,    MONTCLAIR,    NEW    JERSEY. 

Lightly   tiptoes    Springtime 
Breathing,    gently   o'er   the    hillsides    green- 
in  o* 
Song   birds   in   sweet   notes   are    singing, 
With    their   leaders   northward    winging 
In  plumage  fair  and  gay. 
Each  a  joyous  message  bringing, 
This    rapturous    day. 
Tremble,    waterfalls    with    laughter, — 
Woodland   sprites — 'tis   Spring  you're   after, 
Such    romping   play! 


The  Hornets'  Nest  with  Curious 
Extension. 

On  page  26  of  The  Guide  to  Nature 
for  June,  1917,  we  published  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Earl  A.  Newhall,  Shelburne, 
Massachusetts,  accompanied  by  an  illus- 
tration of  a  beaked  nest  of  a  hornet. 
We  also  published  a  statement  from  the 
Bureau  of  Entomology,  Washington, 
D.  C.,  to  the  effect  that  this  kind  of 
hornets'  nest  is  new.  We  have  received 
another  specimen  from  Mrs.  Hattie 
Hull  of  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania. 
She  writes : 

"In  the  June  number  is  a  photograph 
of  a  hornets'  nest  similar  to  the  one 
that  I  cut  from  our  sweet  cherrv  tree 
about  three  years  ago.  If  you  have  any 
place   for    such    curiosities    and    desir" 


this  one  I  will  gladly  send  it  to  you. 
1  do  not  know  the  kind  of  hornets  that 
built  it,  but  I  saw  several  similar  nests 
started  that  summer.  The  latter  were 
in  the  woods,  while  the  one  I  have  was 
in  town.' 

We  hope  our  readers  in  the  vicinity 


WANTED:    HORNET'S    NEST    OE    THIS    SHAPE. 

of  WiJiiaim^port  and  elsewhere  will 
make  careful  search  for  specimens  of 
the  hornets  that  build  this  peculiar 
kind  of  nest.  We  also  want  to  know 
whether  this  ne<t  is  full  sized  or  con- 
tinues to  be  made  larger. 


The  study  of  entomology  is  one  of 
the  most  fascinating  of  pursuits.  It 
takes  its  votaries  into  the  treasure- 
houses  of  Nature,  and  explains  some 
of  the  wonderful  series  of  links  which 
form  the  great  chain  of  creation.  It 
lays  open  before  us  another  world,  of 
which  we  have  been  hitherto  uncon- 
scious, and  shows  us  that  the  tiniest 
insect,  so  small  perhaps  that  the  unaid- 
ed eye  can  scarcely  see  it,  has  its  work 
to  do  in  the  world,  and  does  it.— Rev. 
T.  G.  Wood. 


How  Garden  Plants   Come   Up. 

BY   HERBERT   W.  FAULKNER,   WASHINGTON, 

CONNECTICUT. 

For  the  benefit  of  boys  and  girls  that 
are  planting-  war  gardens,  let  me  note 
a  few  of  my  observations  and  some  of 
the  details  that  I  had  to  master  in 
learning  the  art  of  gardening. 

To  keep  my  garden  clean,  I  needed 
to  know  the  difference  between  sprout- 
ing plants  and  young  weeds  and.  since 
the  first  leaves  appearing  above  ground 


which  emerges  a  single  green  leaf,  at 
first  tightly  twisted  but  rapidly  unfold- 
ing into  a  grass-like  blade,  but  readily 
distinguishable  from  grass  by  its  width 
and  roundish  tip. 

The  following  plants  send  up  hooked 
stems  and  afterward  spread  out  two 
cotvledons:  beets  and  chard,  lone-  and 
narrow,  colored  red  on  the  under  sur- 
face ;  leeks  and  onions,  slender,  round 
stem,  splitting  into  two  very  narrow 
cotyledons;  carrots,  tomatoes,  parsnips, 
all  having  two  narrow  cotyledons,  but 


CABBAGE  Ler*       BEFT   TQMATO  ;  Fg^SWfP   ;     CORN 


BEAN 


-■-•-*  ■"  ^ 


(the  cotyledons)  usually  differ  from 
the  leaves  of  the  older  plant,  I  had  to 
learn  what  to  look  for,  so  as  to  uproot 
the  intruders  and  leave  the  welcome 
guests. 

Seedlings  of  different  families  "come 
up"  in  different  ways.  Cabbages,  caul- 
iflowers, turnips  and  radishes  send  up 
two  leaves  closely  pressed  together. 
These  open  into  winged  or  notched 
leaves  as  shown  in  the  sketch. 

Beans  and  peas  first  appear  as  a 
green  hook  or  loop ;  then  the  entire 
seed  rises  from  the  ground  and  spiffing 
open  forms  two  thick  wings  on  the 
stem,  conveying  the  impression  that 
the  plant  is  upside  down.  Above  these 
seeds  appear  two  leaves  shaped  like 
pointed  shields,  and  later  the  true 
leaves,  three-parted  and   spear-shaped. 

Corn  pricks  through  the  ground  as  a 
sharp,    white    tooth    or    horn,    out    of 


increasing  in  width  in  the  order  named. 
Parsnips  usually  push  the  seed  cover 
up  with  the  plant  and  cast  it  off  whilst 
unfolding. 

Potatoes,  which  sprout  from  sliced 
tubers,  send  up  succulent,  green  leaves 
of  the  usual  type. 

Since  weed  seeds  usually  sprout 
more  quickly  than  desirable  seeds,  by 
waiting  for  the  latter  to  appear  we  are 
in  danger  of  letting  the  former  "get 
ahead"  of  us.  Gardeners  avoid  this 
difficulty  by  planting  a  few  quickly 
growing  seeds,  such  as  radishes  or  let- 
tuce, sparsely  in  the  rows  of  other 
vegetables.  These,  germinating  quick- 
ly, sketch  out  the  planted  rows  in  lines 
of  green,  and  thus  the  spaces  between 
may  be  cultivated  with  safety.  We 
know  that  "worry  kills,"  so  only  by 
constantly  worrying  the  weeds  can  we 
hope  to  kill  them. 


r& 


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REGREATIONS^MICROSCOPE 


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xxxxxxxxxxxctxxx 


The  Animal  World  in  a  Handful  of  Algae. 

By  Frank  Collins  Baker  Curator,  Museum  of  Natural  History,  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois,  Urbana,  Illinois. 


WHEN  the  warm  spring  days 
come  and  the  ice  leaves  the 
ponds  and  streams  and  the 
air  becomes  vibrant  with  the  vernal 
resurrection  of  life,  our  thoughts  turn 
to  the  great  world  which  has  lain  bur- 


THE   GAMMARUS    IS   VERY    INTERESTING. 

ied  beneath  ice  and  snow  for  so  many 
months.  We  long  to  sally  forth  with 
collecting  apparatus  and  gather  the 
familiar  forms  of  life  that  captivated  us 
ere  winter  set  his  seal  upon  the  earth 
and  turned  it  brown  and  desolate. 

Of  the  great  out  of  doors  no  part 
quite  equals  the  ponds,  streams,  and 
ditches  for  interest.     It  has  been  said 


THE  HYALELLA  MAKES  ONE  LAUGH. 

by  an  eminent  American  biologist  that 
a  body  of  water,  as  a  pond  or  lake,  is 
a  microcosm  which  is  isolated  in  great 
part  from  the  rest  of  the  world  and  in 
which  the  great  forces  of  Nature  are 
working1  out  the  evolution  of  the  crea- 


tures that  inhabit  it.  The  life  of  the 
terrestrial  world  might  be  suddenly 
brought  to  an  end  without  greatly  af- 
fecting the  life  of  this  small  world. 
Such  a  microcosm  is  inhabited  by  a 
host  of  animals  of  various  sizes  and 
variety,  though  mostly  minute,  which  in 
the  aggregate  represent  all  of  the  high- 
er groups  of  the  animal  kingdom.  Here 
are  the  hunters  and  the  hunted,  the 
former  practising  every  art  and  trick 
known  to  predaceous  animals  for  ob- 
taining their  prey.  The  great  majority 
of  the  inhabitants  of  this  small  world, 
however,  are  vegetarians  feeding  upon 


THE     ASSELLUS     MAKES    A    COMMOTION. 

the  plants  which  thrive  abundantly  in 
such  a  habitat. 

Without  plant  life,  animal  life  would 
be  impossible.  As  we  observe  a  body 
of  fresh  water  filled  with  weeds,  pond 
scums,  filamentous  algae,  and  higher 
plants  we  are  led  to  wonder  if  this  mass 
of  living  substance  is  of  any  value.  If 
we  examine  some  of  this  material  we 
will  find  it  filled  with  many  small  ani- 
mals whose  bodies  are  the  same  color 
as  the  plant ;  and  it  is  at  once  realized 
that  these  small  animals  are  eating  the 
algae  and  by  so  doing  are  converting- 
it   into   animal    food    which   the   carni- 


RECREATIONS  WITH  THE  MICROSCOPE 


377 


vorous  animals  may  utilize.  In  this 
manner  food  material  is  being  prepared 
that  the  larger  animals,  fish,  turtles, 
amphibians,  etc.,  may  feed  upon. 

In  no  way  can  this  fact  of  the  pond 
being  a  minature  world  be  better  dem- 
onstrated than  by  collecting  a  handful 
of    filamentous    algae,    of    the    genera 


the  algae  or  run  clumsily  about  on  the 
bottom. 

As  we  look  closer  into  the  basin  hold- 
ing our  handful  of  algae  we  may  observe 
many  small  dots  or  specks  rapidly  mov- 
ing through  the  water.  Under  the  mi- 
croscope these  are  seen  to  be  minute 
crustaceans  known  as  water  fleas   (Cla- 


I  MM. 


THE    SIDA   WATER   FLEA. 


Cladophora,  CEdogonium,  or  Spirogyra, 
and  placing  it  in  a  basin  of  water.  It 
is  soon  seen  to  be  filled  with  an  abun- 
dance of  animal  life  consisting  of 
snails,  leeches,  crustaceans,  worms,  in- 
sects, and  other  forms. 

The  first  objects  to  attract  our  at- 
tention are  the  scuds  or  Amphipods 
which  dart  about  in  an  effort  to  find 
concealment.  These  little  crustaceans 
are  usually  represented  by  Gammarus 
and  Hyalclla,  the  latter  being  the  most 
abundant  of  these  crustaceans.  Related 
to   the   scuds,   and   almost   as   abundant, 


docera).  These  creatures  may  be  known 
by  the  large  compound  eye  and  by  the 
peculiar  branched  swimming  organ,  the 
antennas.  The  antennae  vary  much  in 
form  and  size  and  are  largely  used  in 
classifying  the  different  species.  The 
shell  which  encases  these  tiny  creatures 
is  usually  so  transparent  that  the  internal 
organs  of  the  body  may  be  plainly  seen 
and  studied.  Thus  the  digestive  and  re- 
productive systems  may  be  seen  to  occupy 
the  greater  portion  of  the  internal  cavity 
and  the  eggs  may  frequently  be  seen  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  body  which  is  modi- 


I  MM.    i_ 


-i 


THE  LATONA  WATER  FLEA. 


are  the  sowbugs  or  Isopods,  of  which 
Asellus  communis  is  the  most  common 
species.  These  animals  resemble  and 
are  related  to  the  pillbugs  or  sowbugs 
that  are  often  so  abundant  under 
boards  in  damp  places.  Unlike  the 
scuds,  the  sowbugs  crawl  slowly  over 


fied  to  form  a  brood  chamber.  A  com- 
mon species  of  water  flea,  about  3  mm. 
in  length  is  known  as  Sida  crystallina. 
Another,  smaller,  is  Latoua  setifera.  In 
these  animals  the  antennae  are  much 
branched  and  are  extended  directly 
ahead   of  the   animal.      In  Daphnia   the 


3/8 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


posterior  part  of  the  body  is  drawn  out 
into  a  long  spine.  In  Bosmina  the  bod)' 
is  peculiarly  humped,  the  antennae  arc 
reduced  in  size  and  the  head  is  prolonged 
into  a  long  rostrum  which  resembles  an 
elephant's  trunk.  This  rostrum  varies 
in  the  different  species  and  forms,  being 


mm&mz 


Together  with  the  nymphs  of  dragon- 
flies  and  certain  of  the  Hemiptera  or 
bugs  they  form  the  great  body  of  preda- 
tory animals  that  are  ever  on  the  watch 
for  unwary  creatures  of  herbivorous 
habits.  These  water-mites  are  attractive 
little    animals,    both    as    objects    for    the 


COMMON     HAPIIXIA     WATER     FLEA. 


THE  CHYDORUS  WATER  FLEA. 


almost  straight  to  considerably  curved. 
In  Chydorus  sphccricue  the  body  is  al- 
most round  and  there  is  a  long  rostrum. 
These  are  but  a  few  examples  of  the 
large  number  of  species  and  varieties  of 
these  little  water  fleas.  Only  a  compar- 
atively few  species  live  on  the  bottom 
among  algae  and  other  plant  life.  The 
great  majority  swim  about  in  the  open 
water  forming  a  considerable  part  of  the 
plankton.  These  animals  are  economi- 
cal! v  of  "reat  value  furnishing:  food  for     chaete   worms  and  the  larvae  of   certain 


microscope  and  as  inhabitants  of  the 
aquarium.  Many  species  occur  in  fresh 
water,  usually  associated  with  bottom 
vegetation  in  shallow  water.  One  group 
in  particular  (Unionicola)  is  parasitic  in 
fresh  water  mussels,  and  many  species 
of  other  groups  in  the  larval  and  pupal 
state  attach  themselves  to  aquatic  ani- 
mals. 

In  point  of  numbers  the  most  abundant 
animals  in  our  algal  world  are  the  oligo- 


O.I  MM.    i 


O.I  MM 


BOSMINA   WATER    FLEA   WITH    MAGNIFICATION   OF  REAR   AND   TWO   STYLES   OF  HEADS. 


nearly  all  small  and  young  fish  and  for 
several  adult  fish  of  high  economic  value. 
Among  the  most  conspicuous  animals 
in  our  algal  mass  are  the  little  water- 
mites  or  Hydrachnids.  These  conspic- 
uously colored  creatures — red,  brown, 
blue — actively  wander  over  the  plant  life 
hunting  for  their  prey  which  may  be 
larval    insects,    crustaceans,    or    worms. 


flies,  of  the  genus  Chironomus.  These 
animals  are  rendered  quite  inconspicuous 
by  their  color  which  is  of  the  same  deli- 
cate pea-green  as  the  filamentous  algae, 
and  is  caused  by  the  immense  amount  of 
alga?  they  have  eaten.  So  rapidly  do 
some  of  these  oligochaete  worms  multiply 
by  budding  (every  two  or  three  days) 
that  in  a  short  time  thev  are  so  numerous 


RECREATIONS  WITH   THE  MICROSCOPE 


379 


that  the  algae  becomes  a  mass  of  wi  rms. 
It  is  thought  that  these  worms  are  in 
part  responsible  for  the  disappearance  of 
the  large  masses  of  algae  and  other  low- 
plants  in  the  fall.    <  hie  of  the  commonest 


(  OMMON    WATER-MITE. 
With    palpus    (at    right). 

of  these  worms  is  Stylaria  which  is  easily 
known  by  its  peculiar  proboscis  at  the 
front  end  of  the  body. 

<  >f  all  the  species  of  aquatic  animals 
that  are  found  in  algae  rone  are  more 
numerous  or  of  greater  value  economi- 
cally   than    the    minute   larvae   of   certain 


curious  trunk- 
like  extensions 
of  ol1gochaete 
aquatic  earth- 
worms (stylaria) 


flies  called  midges  (Chironomus  ) .  These 
are  jointed,  worm-like  creatures,  with 
tube-like  gills  attached  to  the  posterior 
part  of  the  body.  They  are  herbivorous 
animals  eating  great  quantities  of  the 
algae  and  furnishing  in  turn  food  mater- 
ial  for  a  number  of  fish.     These  larvae 


mass  of  vegetation.  These  are  Planaria 
or  Turbellarian  worms.  They  are  up- 
wards of  half  an  inch  in  length,  spotted 
with  purplish  or  brownish,  and  the  head 
is  provided  with  an  ear-like  expansion  on 
each]  side.  These  animals  are  predatory 
and  feed  usually  at  night.  Looking  much 
like  the  planarians  hut  much  larger  an  1 
made  up  of  many  segments  or  rings  are 
the  leeches  (Hirudinea)  a  few  small 
species  of  which  are  usually  found  in 
algae.  These  are  also  predatory  animals, 
hunting  and  consuming  the  smaller 
herbiborous  creatures  living  in  the  algal 
mass.  Some  leeches,  as  Glossiphonia, 
eat  such  a  large  number  of  snails  that 
they  are  known  as  snail  leeches. 

Mollusca  or  snails  also  inhabit  our 
handful  of  algae,  often  in  as  great  abun- 
dance as  the  worms  and  fly  larvae.  Most 
conspicuous  among  these  are  the  little 
spiral  snails  called  Amnico'la,  specimens 
of  which  vary  from  to  to  five  mm.  in 
length.  The  small  whell-snail's,  PJanor- 
bis,  also  abound,  and  may  he  represented 
by  several  species,  one  of  which.  Plan- 
orbis  hirsutus,  may  be  known  by  the 
hairy  epidermis  covering  the  shell.  Other 
soecies  of  snails  may  be  present,  Lynuura, 
Physa,  Ancylus,  Valvata,  and  perhaps,  a 
few  of  the  small  finger-nail  shells.  Pisi- 
diuiu.  Many  of  the  snails  in  algae  are 
young  or  immature  and  later  in  life  mi- 
grate to  the  rocky  chores  and  live  dur- 
ing maturity.  Such  an  example  is  found 
in  Lymihca  catascopmm  which  abounds 
in  algae  when  from  two  to  six  mm.  long 
but  is  found  onlv  on  rocky  or  sandy 
shores  in  some  lakes  when  adult. 

And  so.  in  our  examination  of  a  hand- 
ful of  algae,  we  find  indeed  a  miniature 
world  of  animal  life,  the  careful  studv 
of  which  might  occupy  our  time  for  many 
weeks.     Onlv   a   verv   few  of  the  many 


A    BLOOD-WORM. 

Chironomous     larva;     of     astonishing 
antics. 


construct  a  case  of  the  fine  material  at 
the  bottom  of  the  water  by  cementing 
together  "'fains  of  silt  or  sand  with  the 
silk-like  secretion  of  their  salivary 
glands.  Some  of  these  larvae  are  red  in 
color  and  are  known  as  "blood  worms." 
As  we  carefully  examine  the  algae  in 
our  study  we  may  chance  to  observe  cer- 
tain flat  objects  slowly  crawling  over  the 


forms  of  animals  living  in  an  algal  com- 
munity have  been  mentioned.  In  addi- 
tion we  would  find  the  curious  little 
ostracods  in  their  bivalve  shell  looking 
quite  like  a  small  mussel ;  many  insect 
larvae,  such  as  May-flies,  the  caddis- 
flies,  the  bugs,  hunters  in  search  of  their 
prey  competing  with  the  larvae  of  beet- 
les ;  and  also  the  infinite  number  of  fla- 


38o 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


gellate  and  other  Protozoa  and  the  inter- 
esting wheel  animalcules   (Rotatoria). 

To    intelligently    study    these    lowly 
creatures  of  pond,  river,  and  brook  it  is 


wttiich  were  made  especially  for  this 
volume,  render  this  book  an  indispen- 
sable addition  to  the  shelves  of  all  biolo- 
gists and  also  of  those  who  use  the  mi- 
croscope for  the  less  serious  but  none  the 
less  interesting  recreation  of  studying 
these  small  creatures  of  the  water. 


THE      PLANARIA,      AN      INTERESTING      FLAT 
WORM    AMONG    THE    WATER    PLANTS. 

necessary  to  have  at  hand  a  manual  that 
will   describe   and  figure   the   commoner 
and  more  abundant  species  that  we  are 
likely  to  find  in  our  rambles  about  the 
country.     For  this  purpose  no  work  has 
been   better  prepared   than   the   recently 
published  volume  by  Ward  and  Whippel 
entitled    "Fresh-water    Biology."*      Un- 
like   most   manuals   of   this    subject   the 
present  volume  is  the  result  of  the  la- 
bors of  a  goodly   number  of   America's 
leading  biologists  and  specialists,  no  less 
than  twenty-five  individuals  having  con- 
tributed  to    its    pages.      In    this    day    of 
specialization  it  is  manifestly  impossible 
for  a  single  biologist  to  cover  in  a  satis- 
factory   or    reliable    manner    the    Whole 
field  of  biological  science,  and  realizing 
this  limitation  the  authors  of  this  admir- 
able volume  have   enlisted  the   foremost 
students  of  the  various  groups  of  animals 
and  we  thus  have  in  one  book  an  authori- 
tative treatise  on  each  of  the  great  divis- 
ions of  the  subject.     The  manv  descrip- 
tions of  habitat  relations   (Ecology),  of 
the  best  means  for  collecting  and  preserv- 


SOME    OF   THE    COMMON    FORMS    OF    WATER 
SNAILS. 

ing  the  animals  for  temporary  or  per- 
manent examination,  and  the  vast  num- 
ber of  good  illustrations,  the  majority  of 

*Fresh-water  Biology.  By  Henry  Bald- 
win Ward  and  George  Chandler  Whippel. 
John  Wiley  and  Sons,  1918.  1111  pages 
and    1547   illustrations. 


An  Efficient  Laboratory. 

The  Biological  Laboratory  at  Cold 
Spring  Harbor,  Long  Island,  has  is- 
sued its  announcement  for  the  summer 
of  1918,  its  twenty-ninth  season.  The 
laboratory  offers  commendable  courses 
of  instruction  in  the  study  of  four-foot- 
ed animals,  birds,  microscopic  life,  in- 
sects, etc.  While  the  work  in  the  main 
contemplates  serious  technical  results, 
it  is  equally  well  adapted  to  the  teacher 
of  biology  and  to  the  high  school  stu- 
dent. We  cordially  recommend  the 
laboratory.  If  our  readers  will  write, 
mentioning  this  magazine,  a  pamphlet 
giving  particulars  will  be  sent.  Ad- 
dress Dr.  Charles  B.  Davenport,  Cold 
Spring  Harbor.  Long  Island,  Newr 
York. 


Some  workers  with  the  microscope 
have  for  a  long  time  been  marking  their 
slides  by  writing  directly  on  the  glass 
with  a  waterproof  ink  or  with  a  dia- 
mond. The  latest  wrinkle  is  to  use  a 
sharp  crystal  or  carborundum  laid  be- 
tween the  two  halves  of  a  piece  of  elder 
pith,  the  whole  wound  tightly  with  a 
rubber  band. 


Grasses,  trees,  shrubs,  growing 
grain,  they,  too,  may  need  good  air  as 
well  as  human  lungs.  The  deserts  are 
not  worthless  wastes.  You  cannot 
crop  all  creation  with  wheat  and  al- 
falfa. Some  sections  must  lie  fallow 
that  other  sections  may  produce.  Who 
shall  say  that  the  preternatural  produc- 
tiveness of  California  is  not  due  to  the 
warm  air  of  its  surrounding  deserts? 
Does  anyone  doubt  that  the  healthful- 
ness  of  the  countries  lying  west  of  the 
Mississippi  may  be  traced  directly  to 
the  dry  air  and  heat  of  the  deserts. 
They  furnish  health  to  the  human ; 
why  not  strength  to  the  plant?  The 
deserts  should  never  be  reclaimed. 
They  are  the  breathing-spaces  of  the 
west  and  should  be  preserved  forever. 
-John  C.  VanDyke  in  "The  Desert." 


EDITORIAL 


TEN  YEARS. 

With  the  publication  of  our  May 
number,  The  Guide  to  Nature  com- 
pletes its  Tenth  Volume. 

We  are  here  at  the  end  of  a  decade — 
the  longest  life  that  any  general  popu- 
lar natural  history  magazine  has  ever 
lived  in  this  country.  The  next  long- 
est, and  perhaps  in  many  respects  the 
next  best  in  quality,  were  "The  Ob- 
server," some  seven  years  of  age,  and 
"Popular  Science  News,"  both  of  bles- 
sed memory. 

A  list  of  all  the  nature  magazines 
that  are  no  more  would  be  pathetic. 
I  recall  at  least  twenty-five  that  I  have 
known  and  loved  and  whose  monthly 
arrival  upon  the  exchange  table  I  have 
hailed  with  delight.  Each  one  repre- 
sented the  honest,  genuine,  individual 
effort  of  some  devoted  naturalist. 

A  few  were  edited  because  some  one 
wanted  to  see  his  name  in  print  as  edi- 
tor, and  was  inspired  more  by  the 
spirit  of  amateur  journalism  than  by  a 
regard  for  the  great  Cause  of  Nature 
Study.  But  in  the  greater  number  the 
honesty  of  purpose  made  the  pathos  of 
the  failure  more  poignant.  I  sorrow- 
fully admit  that  in  the  beginning  the 
same  mistake  was  mine  in  "The  Ob- 
server," my  first  attempt  at  nature 
journalism  made  twenty-eight  years 
ago.  The  magazine  existed  for  seven 
years  and  died  a  painful  death,  mourn- 
ed by  many.  It  nearly  broke  my  jour- 
nalistic heart  as  well  as  my  bank  ac- 
count. But  "The  Observer"  spirit 
never  died.  I  continued  my  observa- 
tion not  only  of  nature  but  of  nature 
journalism.  Some  experiences  have 
been  severe,  but  they  have  taught  valu- 
able lessons.  I  would  save  others  from 
the  sorrow  of  similar  experience. 

This  is  the  great  lesson  that  I  have 
learned. 

Individual  effort  in  publishing  a  na- 
ture magazine  sooner  or  later  results 
in  failure.  That  is  true  even  if  the  ed- 
itor and  publisher  is  rich  enough  to 
carry    it    as    an    expensive    pleasure. 


Sooner  or  later  that  enjoyment  palls. 
Successful  nature  journalism,  indeed 
success  in  promoting  any  great  ideal, 
must  be  backed  by  an  association  or 
a  society.  Observe  the  great  success 
of  the  "National  Geographic  Maga- 
zine," "American  Forestry,"  "Bird- 
Lore,"  "The  Nature-Study  Review," 
"Our  Dumb  Animals,"  "The  American 
Museum  Journal"  and  several  minor 
yet  good  and  successful  magazines  sup- 
ported by  an  association  or  a  society. 

Just  here  is  the  reason  why  The 
Guide  to  Nature  still  persists  with 
three  thousand  circulation  and  good 
advertising  patronage:  it  is  published 
by  The  Agassiz  Association,  whose 
very  name  is  an  inspiration  and  an  em- 
blem of  all  that  is  good,  earnest,  true  in 
the  realm  of  "study  nature." 

The  Agassiz  Association  in  its  ex- 
istence of  forty-three  years  has  had 
several  periodicals  as  its  "official  or- 
gan." The  Guide  to  Nature,  the  only 
magazine  ever  owned  by  The  Agassiz 
Association,  has  proved'  its  worth  by 
its  continuance.  The  lesson  is  evident, 
especially  in  these  days  of  discarded 
duplicated  or  needless'  effort.  Every 
student  and  lover  of  nature  will  act  for 
efficiency  and  give  the  best  service  by 
concentrating  his  efforts  within  the 
widespread  range  of  Association  effort 
that  has  been  proved  worth  while. 
The  Agassiz  Association  includes  all 
ages  and  all  grades  of  attainment,  the 
ignorant  and  the  wise,  the  humble, 
those  of  prominence  and  influence,  the 
poor  and  the  rich.  All  that  desire  to 
learn  meet  on  common  ground  "to  cre- 
ate and  increase  a  knowledge  and  love 
of  nature"  or,  as  our  Charter  says,  for 
"the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge." 


Nature  and  her  gift  of  buoyant  life 
are  overpowering.  The  joy  of  mere 
animal  existence,  the  feeling  that  it  is 
good  to  be  alive  and  face  to  face  with 
Nature's  self,  drives  everything  else 
into  the  background. — John  C.  Van 
Dyke  in  "The  Desert." 


382 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


"More  Spiritual  and  Less   Formal." 

These  are  not  the  words  of  a  minis- 
ter nor  a  poet  nor  a  sentimentalist  but 
of  a  capitalist,  John  D.  Rockefeller, 
Jr.  In  the  "Saturday  Evening  Post" 
of  February  9,  Mr.  Rockefeller  pub- 
lished a  remarkable  article  that  goes  to 
the  gist  of  things.  This  article  has 
been  reprinted  in  a  convenient  little 
booklet  entitled  "The  Christian 
Church.  What  of  Its  Future?"  He 
makes  the  following  appeal  from  which 
we  have  quoted  the  heading  of  this 
article : 

"What  the  world  craves  today  is  a 
more  spiritual  and  less  formal  religion. 
To  the  man  or  woman  facing  death, 
great  conflict,  the  big  problems  of  hu- 
man life,  the  forms  of  religion  are  a 
hollow  mockery,  the  spirit  an  impreg- 
nable fortress. 

"I  plead  not  for  a  modification  of 
form  but  for  its  subordination  to  the 
spirit ;  not  for  the  abolishing  of  ordi- 
nances, but  for  their  voluntary  rather 
than  obligatory  observance ;  not  that 
these  solemn  rites  should  be  set  aside, 
but  that  they  should  be  entered  into 
as  a  sacred  privilege,  an  act  of  loving 
cousecration,  rather  than  submitted 
to  as  an  enforcible  law.  So  and  so 
only  will  their  real  beauty  and  mean- 
ing be  understood  and  their  true  pur- 
pose realized." 

With  this  thesis  every  sincere, 
thoughtful  person  will  heartily  agree, 
and  many  of  us  will  realize  the  truth, 
of  a  variety  of  suggested  corollaries. 
What  the  world  craves  now  is  more 
reality  and  less  artificiality,  not  only 
in  religion  but  in  all  the  acts  of  daily 
life.  The  war  is  bringing  us  down  to 
a  fundamental  basis.  We  are  cutting 
off  extraneous  growths  and  some  of 
the  follies  of  civilization  as  never  be- 
fore. 

From  our  point  of  view  the  greatest 
of  these  advantages  is  the  directing  of 
the  thoughts  from  foolish,  frivolous, 
worthless  things  to  good  old  Mother 
Nature.  Superficial  and  pernicious 
amusements  are  giving  way  to  work  in 
the  garden.  The  motto  of  The  Agassiz 
Association  "Through  Nature  to  Gnd  ' 
is  being  realized  as  never  before.  Earth 
must  become  less  a  place  "to  devil  in" 
and  more  of  a  place  to  delve  in.  This 
is  true  on  the  part  of  all  serious  mind- 
ed people.  Mr.  Rockefeller  is  right. 
What    he    says    of    the    forms    of    the 


Christian  Church  applies  with  even 
greater  force  to  the  forms  of  nature 
around  us.  "So  and  so  only  will  their 
real  beaut}-  and  meaning  be  understood 
and  their  true  purpose  realized." 


A  Wish. 


BY    HAROLD    GORDON    HAWKINS,    WESTF1ELL),    MAS- 
SACHUSETTS. 

There  is  a  little  hollow  in  the  mighty  hills 
Where   flowers   bloom   and   a   tiny   brooklet 

spills 
Its  foaming  cataract  in  an  azure  lake. 
— Here   have   I   seen   the   glorious   dawnings 

break 
In   golden   splendor  on  the  mountain  walls, 
And  heard  the  robin  as  he  sweetly  calls 
In  softest  warblings  to  his  nesting  mate. 
Ah  wondrously  fair  the  spot,  early  and  late. 
The  mellow  sunlight  tinges  all  with  gold 
And   in   the   dim  twilight  from   the   wood   is 

told 
The  sweet  and  lovelorn  lyric  of  the  thrush. 

Here  in  this  glen,  secluded  from  the  rush 
And  endless  turmoil  of  the  beaten  ways, 
It  is  my  fondest  wish  to  spend  my  days, 
Living  with  ears  attuned  to  Nature's  mighty 

psalm 
And    leaving    at    last    the    world    with    that 

sweet  calm 
In  face  of  Death,  that  she  alone  can  give, 
So  is  my  wish,  simply  a  wish  to  L  I  V  E  . 


We  believe  that  just  as  France,  the 
great  flower-loving  nation,  has  saved 
the  soul  of  Europe,  so  the  love  of  na- 
ture and  all  that  is  good  and  beautiful 
in  the  world  and  the  love  of  right  and 
justice  will  save  the  American  people 
from  hysteria  and  from  themselves. — 
Wallace  N.  Pierson,  Cromwell,  Con- 
necticut, in  the  Hartford  Courant. 


The  Unseeing. 


BY    MKLICEXT    ENO    HUMASON,     NEW    BRI- 
TAIN,   CONNECTICUT. 

Uncomprehending  eyes   that   vaguely 

stare 
At  lake,  at  wold,  at  creatures  in  the  air 
And  witness  not,  nor  wonder  what  is 

there. 

Uncomprehending  eyes  that  never  find 
A  lofty  solace  for  the  care-bound  mind. 
Not  noblv   sightless  they,  but   spirit- 
blind.   ' 

Uncomprehending  eves  !     Mv  plea  that 

I 
May  read   some  message  in   the   earth 

and  sky, 
Unfold    some    mystery,    and    question 

why. 


.;    J?'Y •  I  TIC  ;-... .-: 

'AGASSIZ  ASSOCIATION 


Established     1875  Incorporated.     Massachuse  its,    1S92  Incorporated,    Connecticut,    1910 


A  Model  Association  Chapter. 

In  Chapter  No.  1015  of  The  Agassiz 
Association,  Glenbrook,  Connecticut. 
we  have  one  of  our  best  Chapters,  an 
ideal,  really  active  company  of  boys 
The  greatest  shortcomings  of  nature 
study  in  general  are  just  two:  first, 
sham ;  second,  reliance  upon  others. 
There  are  many  who,  as  related  in  an 
editorial  some  time  ago,  take  their1  na- 
ture study  in  portions  so  small  that 
they  never  come  to  realize  just  how 
actual  nature  study  tastes.  It  is  like 
Joe  Gargery  in  Dickens'  "Great  Expec- 
tations" when  he  says  to  Pip,  "I  tell 
yon,  it  is  mighty  interesting  to  sit  down 
by  the  fire  and  read  J-o,  Joe."  It  is 
within  this  class  that  I  sometimes  hear 
of  a  boy,  or  of  a  girl  for  that  matter, 
who  has  learned  one  or  two  constella- 
tions, or  the  names  of  one  or  two  plants 
or  trees,  only  to  fulfill  a  requirement. 
But  there  is  even  a  larger  class  that 
want  to  get  their  nature  study  as  they 


would  buy  goods  at  a  store. 

Many  visitors  at  ArcAdiA,  some  of 
them  including,  I  am  sorry  to  say, 
Chapters  of  The  Agassiz  Association 
come  for  what  we  can  give  them  in  the 
wav  of  entertainment  or  in  the  satisfy- 
ing of  their  curiosity.  That  is  good  so 
far  as  it  goes.  "We  should  do  our  part, 
we  are  glad  to  do  our  part,  but  we 
should  not  do  everything.  There  is  no 
reason  why  any  Member  of  The  Agas- 
siz Association  should  depend  upon  the 
President  of  The  AA  nor  upon  any  of 
his  assistants.  The  Member  should 
see  things  in  nature  for  himself.  Our 
eves  are  no  better  than  those  of  our 
voungest  Member.  We  should  do  our 
part  and  others  should  do  theirs.  This 
is  what  makes  the  Association.  An- 
other class  comes  to  ArcAdiA,  some- 
times young  folks  and  sometimes  older. 
that  from  the  time  they  enter  the  door 
till  they  leave  are  frequent  and  pro- 
fuse   in    their    exclamations    of    "How 


yon  must  enjoy  all  this  wonderful 
work."  "I  envy  yon  this  most  delight- 
ful of  all  pursuits."  We  have  heard 
these  words  so  often  that  we  accept 
them  at  their  full  value  and  realize  just 
what  they  mean,  which  is  nothing. 

But  these  errors  of  omission  or  of 
commission  have  been  avoided,  per- 
haps unconsciously,  by  the  boys  of  our 
Glenbrook  Chapter,  and  for  that  rea- 
son we  are  pointing  to  them  as  the 
ideal.  They  can  bear  a  little  praise, 
but  we  are  not  praising  them  for  the 
pleasure  of  praising  but  to  relate  some 
of  the  good  things  they  have  done  to 
guide  and  stimulate  others. 

The  Chapter  arrived  at  Arc  Am  A  in 
the  early  evening  with  packages  con- 
taining a  supply  of  edibles.  AVe  served 
cocoa  and  enjoyed  a  really  social  time 
around  the  big  table  and  several  small- 
er ones  in  the  Welcome  Reception 
Room.  When  the  edibles  and  dishes 
had  been  cleared  away,  the  boys  pre- 
pared for  real  Association  work.  Each 
told  what  he  had  seen  and  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  even  more  sys- 
tematic seeing  by  appointing  commit- 
tees for  the  various  departments  of 
nature.  There  was  hardly  a  Member 
present  who  had  not  made  good  origi- 
nal observations,  and  evidently  knew 
how  to  relate  those  observations  in  an 
inspiring  and  convincing  manner.  Not 
a  boy  boasted  of  the  number  of  miles 
that  he  had  walked  but  in  a  charming- 
ly unconscious  manner,  and  all  the 
more  charming  because  it  was  uncon- 
scious, showed  that  he  did  not  care 
whether  he  had  been  ten  rods  or 
twenty  miles  provided  he  had  seen 
something  to  tell.  Not  one  showed  a 
disposition  to  sit  back  in  his  chair  and 
be  entertained.  He  was  willing  to  do 
his  bit  for  the  good  of  all. 

Let  it  be  said  incidentally  that  this 
Chanter  has  one  of  the  best  leader^ 
that  I  have  ever  known,  Mr.  Halbert 


3§4 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE 


C.  Phillips  of  the  Stamford  High 
School,  who  is  not  only  a  skillful 
teacher  but  a  genial  and  royal  good 
fellow.  He  inspires  each  boy  to  do  his 
part  on  the  strictly  university  method, 
which  is  that  of  original  research.  The 
test  of  good  leadership  is  that  it  leads 
each  member  of  the  organization  to  do 
his  own  part.  It  is  here  that  Mr.  Phil- 
lips has  achieved  remarkable  success. 
When  one  is  with  this  Chapter,  he  feels 
that  Mr.  Phillips  is  no  more  and  no 
less  than  any  one  else.  That  is  the 
spirit  of  The  AA.  Every  one  should 
be  a,  chief,  leader  and  teacher. 

Let  me  mention  one  incident  in  con- 
nection with  this  Chapter.  Late  in  the 
evening  I  referred  to  the  fact  that  for 
two  or  three  years  I  had  advertised  in 
"The  Stamford  Advocate"  and  else- 
where for  fairy  shrimps  (Branchipus) . 
These  are  found  only  in  the  icy  water 
of  early  spring.  For  three  years  I  had 
failed  to  find  them.  One  boy,  Peter 
Zwart,  immediately  "sat  up  and  took 
notice."  His  eyes  glowed  with  en- 
thusiasm. "You  want  fairy  shrimps, 
do  you?  You  shall  have  them."  It 
made  me  think  of  the  man  that  carried 
the  turtle  eggs  to  Agassiz  and  was  out 
before  sunrise  to  get  them  and  traveled 
forty  miles,  arriving  at  Agassiz's  home 
to  see  the  grand  old  Professor  hurry 
down  the  stairs  in  his  night  clothes 
and  hear  him  say,  "Let  him  in,  let  that 
man  in  ;  he  has  my  turtle  eggs."  The 
next  morning  the  telephone  bell  rang, 
and  I  heard  a  voice  say,  "I  have  the 
fairy  shrimps  and  will  deliver  them  on 
the  next  trolley  car."  That  is  what  I 
call  doing  things,  that  is  what  I  call 
being  an  ideal  Member  of  The  Agassiz 
Association. 


Our  Glenbrook  Chapter. 

[FROM   THE   STAMFORD   ADVOCATE.] 

Monday  night,  March  25,  about 
twenty  boys  of  the  Glenbrook  Chapter 
of  The  Agassiz  Association  went  to 
ArcAdiA,  Sound  Beach,  where  they 
entertained  and  were  entertained  by 
Dr.  Bigelow.  The  boys  left  Glenbrook 
about  4:45,  and  stayed  in  Sound  Beach 
until  9:45.  Halbert  C.  Phillips,  who  is 
the  head  of  the  Glenbrook  Chapter, 
joined  the  boys  at  ArcAdiA  just  in 
time  for  supper.  Miss  Bigelow  had 
made  cocoa  enough  to  go  the  rounds 
three  times,  and  this,  with  the  lunches 


the  fellows  had  taken  with  them,  made 
a  pretty  substantial  supper. 

Dr.  Bigelow  expressed  his  satisfac- 
tion at  the  work  the  boys  had  been 
doing,  but  said  that  they  weren't  doing 
all  they  could,  because  they  weren't 
organized  fully  enough.  He  said  that 
the  chapter  ought  to  be  working  in 
union  with  the  people  of  Glenbrook — 
that  the  people  should  co-operate  so 
well  with  the  boys  that  every  little  un- 
usual thing  that  turned  up  in  the  line 
of  nature  study  would  be  reported  to 
some  member  of  the  Association  who 
in  turn  would  report  to  headquarters — 
ArcAdiA  and  Dr.  Bigelow. 

It  was  with  the  end  in  view  of  sys- 
tematizing all  the  nature-study  work 
that  he  suggested  that  the  President 
of  the  Association  appoint  committees 
to  take  up  and  investigate  definite  lines 
of  study.  The  committee  to  study 
birds  _  are  Erastus  Phillips,  Stewart 
Hoskins,  Donald  Evers,  James  Dan- 
ver ;  committee  on  flowers  and  miner- 
als, Geer  Morton,  Laddie  King,  Robert 
Bowes;  committee  for  the  observation 
of  shrubs  and  trees,  Alan  Hoskins, 
Richard  Walz,  John  Morton ;  for  the 
study  of  salamanders  and  all  pond  life, 
Howard  Lee,  Lawrence  Griswold, 
Henry  Zwart,  Peter  Zwart;  committee 
on  stars,  Harry  Hoskins,  Abbott  An- 
drews, Harold  Austin  and  George 
Smock.  The  last  named  committee  has 
a  special  line  of  work  set  out  for  it,  and 
cannot  benefit  greatly  by  outside  in- 
formation, but  as  to  all  the  others — 
well,  the  best  thing  you  can  do  would 
be  to  cut  this  out  and  paste  it  in  some 
convenient  spot  as  reference  when  you 
want  to  find  out  whom  to  telephone  to 
if  you  discover  a  new  specimen  of  bird, 
or  a  flower  that  has  never  been  seen  be- 
fore in  Glenbrook. 

The  boys  on  the  committees  are  out 
to  work,  and  work  they  will,  with  the 
object  in  view  of  having  something 
good  to  report  at  the  next  meeting  at 
Dr.  Bigelow's  in  June,  but  they  cannot 
work  alone.  It  is  up  to  the  citizens  of 
Glenbrook  to  help  put  the  town  on  the 
map,  as  all  unusual  results  will  be 
printed  in  Tm<  Guide  to  Nature  and 
other  magazines  which  will  be  read  by 
people  all  over  the  United  States.  Be- 
fore coming  home,  the  boys  heard  an 
interesting  talk  on  botany  from  Mrs. 
Blakely,  who  is  studying  that  special 
line  of  nature  at  ArcAdiA. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  XATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


IX 


Additions   to   Our   Membership. 
Corresponding: 

Mr.  Nels  Grill,  Caribou,  Maine. 
Mrs.    Florence    Earle    Payne,    Gou- 
verneur,  New  York. 

Mrs.  Marvin  Clarke  Quillian,  Ma- 
con, Georgia. 

Master  Thomas  McClary,  New  York 
City. 

Sustaining: 

Mr.  Nathan  M.  Clark,  Riverside, 
Connecticut. 

Mr.  George  E.  Vincent,  Greenwich, 
Connecticut. 

Mr.  Charles  H.  Lounsbury,  Stam- 
ford,  Connecticut. 

Mr.  Richard  H.  Cunningham,  Stam- 
ford, Connecticut. 

Mr.  Max  Kattwinkel,  Stamford, 
Connecticut. 

Mr.  Frank  S.  Fay,  Meriden,  Con- 
necticut. 

Mr.  Charles  Edward  Spicer,  Adams, 
New  York. 

Mr.  Francis  A.  Bartlett,  Stamford, 
Connecticut. 

Mr.  Oakes  Ames,  North  Easton, 
Massachusetts. 

Mr.  John  Wanamaker,  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania. 


School   and    College    Pennants    in   our 
Welcome  Reception   Room. 

The  Agassiz  Association  is  repre- 
sented directly  or  indirectly  in  every 
school,  college  and  university  in  the 
United  States.  In  some  of  these  we 
have  Members,  in  others  we  have  Chap- 
ters, in  still  others  we  have  friends  who 
are  cooperating  in  our  advisory  coun- 
cil or  are  otherwise  carrying  on  the 
work,  while  still  others,  if  not  directly 
active  along  these  lines,  are  indirectly 
interested  in  creating  and  increasing  a 
knowledge  and  love  of  nature  in  the 
name  of  that  great  master  scientist. 
Louis  Agassiz. 

Here,  at  ArcAdiA,  the  Home  of  The 
Agassiz  Association,  we  have  a  beauti- 
ful Welsome  Reception  Room  where 
Chapters,  Members,  students  and  vis- 
itors are  entertained.  It  is  well  fur- 
nished with  a  fine  optical  projection 
equipment,  a  piano,  a  present  from 
friends,  and  a  magnificent  five  hundred 
dollar    Diamond    Disc    phonograph,    a 


present  from  Thomas  A.  Edison.  The 
room  also  contains  a  fireplace  made  of 
minerals,  the  gift  of  other  loving  and 
appreciative  friends. 

We  have  been  favored  with  several 
school  and  college  pennants  that  now 
are  pretty  well  distributed  as  a  frieze 
around  the  room.  These  pennants  came 
from  the  following  institutions : 

Harvard  University:  Harvard  Natu- 
ral History  Society,  Cambridge,  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

Yale  University:  Professor  Wesley 
R.  Coe,  Osborn  Zoological  Laboratory, 
New  Haven,  Connecticut. 

Columbia  University:  Frank  D. 
Fackenthal,  Secretary  of  the  Univer- 
sity, New  York  City. 

Cornell  University :  Agassiz  Club  of 
Cornell,  Ithaca,  New  York. 

Leland  Stanford  Junior  University: 
Dr.  David  Starr  Jordan,  Chancellor, 
Stanford  University,  California. 

Purdue  University:  Dean  Stanley 
Coulter,  Lafayette,  Indiana. 

Wesleyan  University :  Professor 
William  North  Rice,  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut. 

Syracuse  University :  E.  A.  Eichstadt, 
Syracuse,   New  York. 

Wellesley  College :  Miss  Dorothy 
A.  Baldwin,  Cambridge,  Massachusetts. 

Boy  Scout  Troop  Banner :  James  E. 
West,  Chief  Scout  Executive,  New 
York  City. 

Georgia  Normal  and  Industrial  Col- 
lege :  Professor  Edwin  Hobart  Scott, 
Milledgeville,    Georgia. 

International  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  College :  Agassiz  As- 
sociation Chapter,  International  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  College,  Springfield,  Massachu- 
setts. 

FJniversity  of  Wisconsin,  University 
of  Virginia  and  Lawrence  (Kansas) 
High  School :  Ellis  B.  Noyes,  Ports- 
mouth, Virginia. 

Chaminade  College :  President  Bro- 
ther Francis,  Clayton.  Missouri. 

St.  Mary's  College  and  Academy : 
Mother    Superior,    Monroe.    Michigan. 

Academy  of  the  Sacred  Heart : 
Sacred  Heart  Convent,  Detroit,  Michi- 


gan. 


Chatham  Episcopal  Institute:  Miss 
Elsie  A.  Fox,  Chatham,  Virginia. 

Massee  School :  Mr.  Massee,  Bronx- 
ville.  New  York. 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


Stamford  High  School :  Halbert  C. 
Phillips,  Science  Teacher,  Glenbrook, 
Connecticut. 

Greenwich  High  School :  Miss  Pearl 
A.  Bigelow,  ArcAdiA:  Sound  Beach, 
Connecticut. 

Greenwich  Academy :  Agassiz  As- 
sociation Chapters,,  Greenwich,  Con- 
necticut. 

Brunswick  School :  Brunswick 
School,    Greenwich,   Connecticut. 

Rosemary  Hall,  Rosemary  Hall, 
Greenwich,  Connecticut. 

Johnstown  High  School :  Miss  Ma- 
tilda Krebs,  Johnstown,  Pennsylvania. 

Meriden  High  School :  Agassiz  As- 
sociation Chapter,  Meriden,  Connecti- 
cut. 

Wabanaki  School :  Mrs.  Charles 
Tarbell  Dudley,  Greenwich,  Connecti- 
cut. 

Larchmont  Manor  School :  Miss 
Josephine  H.  Davis,  Larchmont  Man- 
or, New  York. 


"The    Momentum    of    Worthy    Activi- 
ties." 

Among  the  most  patriotic  bits  of 
sentiment  that  have  come  to  our  desk 
is  this  part  of  an  advertisement  by 
The  Bausch  &  Lomb  Optical  Com- 
pany. 

"May  we  all  work  together,  then, 
for  the  best  interests  of  humanity — 
first,  to  win  the  Avar ;  second,  to  main- 
tain the  momentum  of  all  worthy  acti- 
vities in  the  nation,  looking  steadily 
to  the  day  when  the  war  shall  cease." 

That  is  squarely  to  the  point.  There 
are  just  two  things  to  be  done.  Not 
only  must  the  country  itself  be  saved, 
but  we  must  save  the  good  things  that 
go  with  the  country.  It  takes  a  broad- 
minded,  self-sacrificing  patriot  to  get 
the  full  meaning,  the  adequate  point 
of  view  into  his  head  and  his  heart. 
Many  things  may  be  eliminated  from 
this  country.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
enumerate  the  evil  things.    To  do  that 


would  be  to  wound  somebody's  sensi- 
bilities and  would  accomplish  no  good,. 
but  connected  with  the  elimination  of 
the  nonessentials,  there  is  another 
equally  important  side  to  the  question 
so  well  put  by  this  enterprising  and 
patriotic  house.  "Maintain  the  mo- 
mentum of  all  worthy  activities  in  the 
nation."  The  Bausch  &  Lomb  Opti- 
cal Company  wrote  to  The;  Guide  to 
Nature;  fairly  and  frankly  that  they 
were  disposed  to  discontinue  their  ad- 
vertisement in  our  magazine  because 
practically  the  entire  plant  was  turned 
over  to  government  work.  They 
write  as  follows : 

"We  have  decided  to  continue  the 
advertisement  on  the  old  basis  largely 
for  sentimental  reasons  and  the  en- 
couragement we  may  thus  lend  to  your 
operations.  Such  advertising  as  we 
are  still  doing  in  any  of  our  mediums 
is  intended  to  maintain  the  good  will 
of  our  trade  and  not  to  secure  orders. 
We  have  greatly  increased  our  facili- 
ties and  are  working  all  night  in  some 
Departments  in  the  desperate  effort 
to  supply  some  of  the  government's 
most  important  needs  in  this  crisis, 
and  are  only  embarrassed  by  most  of 

the  outside  orders  we  receive We 

trust  you  appreciate  our  position  and 
wish  you  and  your  activities  every 
continued  success." 

Here  is  a  concern  that  recognizes 
that  we  have  something  to  do  besides 
winning  the  war.  There  is  a  secondary 
point  that  should  not  be  lost  sight  of. 
It  is  the  spirit  manifested  by  George 
Washington  when,  in  recounting  the 
terrible  problems  before  the  country, 
he  said, 

"Promote,  then,  as  an  object  of  pri- 
mary importance,  institutions  for  the 
general  diffusion  of  knowledge." 

It  is  practically  this  advice  amplified 
that  is  the  keystone  to  the  position  of 
this  great  optical  house  "to  maintain 
the  momentum  of  all  worthy  activities 
of  the  nation." 


Please  remember  this  educational  uplifting  work  in  making  your  wfll. 

Jflontt  of  Hpqttp0t  to  \\\t  Aaaoriation 

/  hereby  give  and  bequeath  to  The  Agasdz  Association,  an  incorporated 
association,  having  its  principal  executive  office  at  A"rcAdiA,  in  Sound  Beach, 
in  the  town  of  Greemvich,  Connecticut,  the  sum  of dollars 


THE  GUIDE  TO  XATERE—ADJ'ERTISEMEXTS 


XIII 


Encourage  Our  Boys  at  the   Front. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  and  attrac- 
tive Liberty  Bond  placards  that  have 
come  to  the  attention  of  this  office  is 
that  issued  by  Hammacher,  Schlem- 
mer  &  Company,  New  York  City.  It 
is  eleven  by  twenty-one  inches  on 
cardboard  and  has  an  attractive  set- 
ting of  the  advice  : 

"Back  up  our  Boys  at  the  Front. 

Buy  Liberty  Bonds  To-day. 

The  more  you  own 

The   sooner  thev'll   come   home." 


Spratt's  trophy  for  the  best  dog  in 
the  1918  Westminster  Kennel  Club 
Show  was  won  by  Mr.  R.  H.  Elliott's 
"Hay market  Faultless." 

Mr.  M.  S.  Baldwin,  Marbald  Ken- 
nels, is  the  winner  of  Spratt's  $50  Bow! 
for  the  best  brace  of  any  one  breed  en- 
tered and  owned  by  one  Kennel  at  any 
Show  bench  or  fed  by  that  firm  during 
the  year  1917. 


I  love  the  little  magazine  and  would 
not  be  without  it. — Mrs.  A.  S.  Browne, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


Just  The  Equipment 

In  the  GOERZ  TENAX  CAMERA 
10x15  CM  (3  1-4x5  1-2)  you  have  just  the 
equipment  that  you  need  for  the  most 
accurate  work.  It  is  fitted  with  the  fa- 
mous GOERZ  DAGOR  F:6.8  or  GO- 
ERZ SYNTOR  F:6.8  in  Compound  or 
Ilex  high-speed  shutter,  has  double-ex- 
tension bellows,  uses  standard  (3  1-4X- 
5  1-2)  film  pack  and,  best  of  all,  has  an 
accurately  adjusted  ground-glass  foeus- 
ing-screen.  Our  interesting  catalogs 
and  folders  describe  this  and  other 
equipments,  also,  several  well-known 
American-made  cameras  completely 
equipped  with  GOERZ  LENSES.  Ask 
your  dealer  to  show  these  real  GOERZ 
QUALITY  outfits.  This  is  the  time  to 
act — avoid   delay   in   delivery. 

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XIV 


THE  GUIDE  TO  NATURE— ADVERTISEMENTS 


B 


L«  B.  Museum  cases 


Part  of  an  installation  of 
twenty-eight  L.  B.  bronze 
frame  and  plate  glass  mu- 
seum cases  in  the  Boston 
Society  of  Natural  History. 
The  six  cases  shown  in  the 
illustration  house  part  of 
the  bird  collection  of  the 
museum. 

Literature  upon  request. 


Library  Bureau 

Designers   and   makers  of 

Technical    library  furniture   and    supplies 
Steel    bookstack  Museum    cases 


Boston 
43  Federal  st 


Chicago 

h  Michig; 
rom  A.  L 

Salesrooms  in  leading  cities  in  the  United  States,  Great  Britain  and  France. 


6  North  Michigan  av. 
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New  York 
316  Broadway 


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Abendroth  Ranges  


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So  general  has  been  the  sale  of  ABEN- 
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their  operation  that  high  quality  for  the 
purpose  specified  and  superior  merit  in 
them   are   unquestionably   evidenced. 

ABENDROTH     BROTHERS, 

(Established  1840) 
PORT  CHESTER,  NEW  YORK. 


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vegetables,  as  well  as  the  best  of  the 

season's    novelties. 

The    newest    Roses,    the   best    Dahlias, 
and  Preer's  Improved  Hardy  Perennials 
are  given   special  prominence. 
Mailed  free    to   any    one   mentioning   this 
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