THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION 



525 



low warbler, crow, barn swallow, robin, 

 chimney swift, sandpiper, red-eyed 

 vireo, partridge or ruffled grouse, black- 

 throated green warbler. 



The black-throated green warblers 

 were present in great numbers; evi- 

 dently the close evergreen growth just 

 above the cottage suited their require- 

 ments for a summer house. We 

 watched the pretty creatures feeding 

 their young, which were fully grown, 

 yet were waited upon assiduously by the 

 parent birds. The young birds were 

 much lighter in color than the old ones 

 — a pale dove-gray taking the place 

 of the black, and the black showing 

 more yellow than green. They are 

 dainty little creatures. In their mo- 

 tions and habits of perching they have 

 many of the traits of the chickadee. 



In the woods we found many beauti- 

 ful fungi, but none of us could identify 

 them. 



A "census" of the birds has been kept 

 by the President of the Chapter, fifty- 

 five species being noted, with date 

 when seen. This is the fourth year 

 that the record has been kept ; and I 

 have found it a source of pleasure and 

 inspiration. 



In addition to the work mentioned 

 above, we have each made such in- 

 dividual observations as we could, and 

 I am sure that all have felt the uplift 

 of the work. The members are ac- 

 quiring the "notebook habit," having 

 learned how much more vivid impres- 

 sions become when we put them in 

 black and white. One member began 

 a collection of water-color sketches of 

 wild flowers and fungi in their native 

 haunts, and these she intends to work 

 at during the coming season ; and all 

 are prepared to make memoranda of 

 the arrival of this year's birds. At 

 present winter holds us fast, with more 

 than five feet of snow on the level ; 

 but the wild geese have gone over, 

 and the crows have come, so spring 

 is surely on the way. 



For success for our clear AA, 

 Grace H. Sadleir, 



President. 



Commendable Instances of Original 



Observation. 

 BY HARRIET K. WILSON, C. M. NO. 2IOI, 



STORM STOW N, PENNSYLVANIA. 



My nature study, particularly min- 

 eralogy, has been interrupted for vari- 

 ous reasons, more than anything else, 

 perhaps, on account of too much home 

 keeping. 



While about my work, or resting 

 on the porch, or eating my meals as 

 I sit opposite a window, I would watch 

 the insects and the birds. 



I was greatly interested in the fer- 

 tilization of flowers by insects. This 

 is an instructive study, as it is possible 

 to find a mark on the flower which 

 guides the bee or other insect to the 

 nectar. 



While I was eating my dinner the 

 other day, a black and white wood- 

 pecker was picking at a post of the 

 grape arbor ; a wren on the top of the 

 arbor was hopping back and forth, 

 very much interested in the work. I 

 wondered if she was waiting to make 

 a nest in the hole, but the woodpecker 

 was not successful in getting a hole 

 big enough for even the small bird. 

 I have not seen either since that day. 



Last summer I was much interested 

 in the humming birds. I tried and 

 tried to prepare a description of them. 

 They seemed more numerous last sum- 

 mer than this. The back is green or 

 bronze and shows a beautiful play of 

 colors as the sun strikes it ; breast 

 and abdomen gray; wings and part of 

 the head black ; wings gauzy when in 

 rapid motion ; visits trumpet flowers, 

 lilies, scarlet sage, verbenas and glad- 

 iolus. The first humming bird of the 

 spring I observed on the twelfth day 

 of May hovering about the Dielytra 

 spectabilis. Of the four hundred vari- 

 ties or species of humming birds what 

 is the name of this one? (Probably 

 Trochilus colubris, the ruby throat. — 

 Ed.) 



The white cabbage butterflies seem 

 to prefer the radish blossoms, while 

 not ignoring the tomato blossoms, nor 

 the corn, nor the beans, nor, in the 

 absence of these, the low mallow or 

 buttonweed which is preferred to the 

 cabbage. I suppose they lay their 



