452 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



and incidentally picture a child assist- 

 ing a parent, when, in fact, we publish 

 almost anything pertaining to plant 

 or animal life, put it in a good readable 

 shape, and do not pile up a list of long 

 words and trouble our printer by a 

 series of intricate bracketing, we should 

 like to know wdiat there is about it all 

 that should be regarded only as so 

 much matter for children. 



Why is it that a teacher should write 

 to us that she has no further use foi 

 The Guide to Nature because she is 



no longer teaching, having left the 

 profession to enter another or to get 

 married ; wdiy is it that occasionally 

 a person subscribes "for the children," 



why is it . But it is not necessary 



to give further illustrations of the sub- 

 ject. Will some one please look at a 

 tree, a dog, a rabbit, a book, a bird and 

 tell us what there is in the subject that 

 must restrict it to the sphere of child- 

 hood and what there is in it that does 

 not or should not interest and instruct 

 the adult? Please answer. 



(pRRESPO^DENCE 



AND 



Information 



£ 



THE HERMIT THRESH. 



Brooklyn, X. V. 

 To The Editor: — 



You may like to hear again from 

 Brooklyn's winter hermit thrush. On 

 January 20th, I was rejoiced to see my 

 old friend again in Prospect Park. 

 Just at dusk he alighted on a bubbling 

 drinking fountain, drank freely, and 

 after a lew shy glances to reassure 

 himself, he plunged into the basin and 

 look a thorough bath. After leisurely 

 preening his feathers on a nearby 

 shrub he Hew to some pine trees and 

 was lost to sight. 



Caroline M .] [artweel. 



VERT FRIENDLI CHIPMUNKS. 



Auburn, California. 

 Ti < T11 k Editor : — 



In Tut; Guide to Nature for January 

 appeared a very interesting article on 

 chipmunks. While camping this last 

 summer in the Sierra Nevada Moun- 

 tains I became very well acquainted 

 with the beautiful little creatures, and 

 although the) were a very great nui- 

 sance we would not have them driven 

 away. They became very bold after 

 a while, would even come up on the 

 table while we were eating and run 



oil with anything they could carry. 

 One morning we had let the fire in 

 our cam]) stove die almost out. so that 

 the stove was only warm and while 

 we were eating breakfast they came on 

 to the stove, took potatoes out of the 

 frying-pan, and scampered off with 

 them. 



1 would sometimes tie a string 

 around a piece of bacon and place the 

 bacon at my feet, and the)- would 

 catch hold of it. and T would lift them 

 up into ni)- la]), when they would let 

 go and scamper off in a great burr}-. 



They got into our macaroni one day. 

 and w r e afterwards let them have it. 

 and it was amusing to see them take 

 a piece in their paws, and sit up on 

 their haunches, stow it away in their 

 cheeks, then hurry home, put it away 

 and hurry back for another load. 



E. I!. BEECHER. 



SARCODES SANGCTNEA. 



Auburn, California. 

 To Tn t; Editor : — ■ 



I wonder how many of your readers 

 know the meaning of the above words, 

 and how many of those who do know 

 what it means have ever found it grow- 



111! 



in 



its native home. 



