678 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of Audubon. Yes, there it was blooming in those semi-tropical waters, 

 and, from its golden chalice, this excellent lady drank the exquisite 

 pleasure of a scientific discovery, and, sweeter still, the privilege that 

 she could bid pass away that cloud of incredulity of over a genera- 

 tion of years. In fact, it was communicated to that Nestor of Ameri- 

 can botanists, Prof. Gray, and was duly acknowledged. It was truly 

 the long-ignored Nymphma lutea Audubon's yellow water-lily. And, 

 more than this, this deported beauty, through our modern Portia's 

 zeal, is to be introduced to the best botanic circles of the world. Mrs. 

 Treat has provided a liberal stock for the botanic garden at Harvard ; 

 and the curator, Prof. Sargent, is giving them careful and skilled cult- 

 ure, and is also supplying the gardens of Europe with specimens. 

 Among the botanists, then, Audubon and his beautiful water-lily to- 

 day stand quoted above par. Whether the " bird of Washington " 

 is to reappear, and set this early ornithologist right with the modern 

 bird-men, perhaps may hardly admit of a hope. That Audubon, like 

 Wilson and the rest, did sometimes err in the diagnosis of his species, 

 was easily possible ; that he could lie, we think, was impossible. 

 Much work of these earlier students has had to be done over again, 

 and, as Dr. Coues has shown, this is emphatically true of the Falcomdoe, 

 or diurnal birds of prey. Very radical undoing has been needed of the 

 work done on the eagles. Lately, we had at our very doors not less 

 than three notable eagles the black eagle, the gray eagle, and the bald 

 eagle. But more thorough and skillful work has eliminated two out 

 of these three species by showing that the black was the young, the 

 gray the middle-aged, and the bald the mature, or adult stage, all 

 of one and the same species, namely, the Haliaetus leucocephalus the 

 bald eagle. We would like to see some condonement for the long 

 ignoring of that Southern lily. If it were scientifically orthodox to 

 rechristen that rediscovered flower, we would have its history crystal- 

 lized in a new specific name, Nymphaia Audubonii, which, after so 

 long incredulity, would be doing the bonny thing ; and thus the yel- 

 low water-lily would dot, with golden memories of the gentle enthu- 

 siast, Audubon, the w r aters of the river of time. 



-*- 



THE PLANT-EATERS OF NORTH AMERICA. 



By Professor SANBOEN TENNEY. 



THERE may, perhaps, be a question in the minds of some, or even 

 of many, as to what animals are absolutely the most useful to 

 man ; but there can be no question that those which furnish him with 

 milk and flesh for food, wool and leather for clothing, and which bear 

 his burdens and draw his loads, have very high claims to this rank. 



