North Am&rica^»'>nM^ tt^^^il^ 457 



hay and corn harvests, whicli occur dt^tW sami|S^«Wwwoli^?||^v«* 

 farmers iii the corn district are beginning to bonrplaki s<&f9tlllkil i> 

 damage done to their crops by the continued tains, "^Mffi 9 

 serious injury has been sustained from floods^ This unusuaferf 

 mokt State of the atmosphere has kept the air and the surface 

 of the earth unusually cool. We have not had but one week 

 of really hot weather, and then not more than I have felt inftA 

 England for much longer .periods, particularly for -neapJjii' J 

 three~months ifi 1826. mj/n T.;»,1:3r? *di ^onulR'isqmfy 



My stock of illustrative wdrks 6n t^atural history^, in^othiV ''■ 

 braliches besides geology, is very limited, and there are no 

 libraries in the Pennsylvania forests. But we have living 

 specimens to study in abundance. Of the birds I have collected 

 and stuffed only a few, at present. Of insects I have p^*eM> ^ 

 served a considerable number, considering the unfavourable^" 

 season. The butterflies are beautiful, and, as I have not 

 attended to them heretofore, they have all the charms of 

 nov*^ltj'. My children, too, are all collectors m their way; and 

 I encourage those habits in them. The flowering trees, 

 shrubs, and plants come out in almost endless Succession. I 

 make one remark on these, en passant, that the prdvailingOB 

 colour of American flowers is white, at least, nine out of te»l*W 

 I think ; particularly in those which make the greatest dis-")f'»^i 

 play in this region, such as the dogwood, kalmias, rhododen- ^ 

 drons, service, the thorn tribe, bird cherry, mountain cherry, 

 or cherry birch, and a host of others. Every week brings 

 forth some new beauty. The O'rchis tribe is here very" / 

 showy : our meadows are now gaudy with tiger lilies ant^'^b 

 ffinoth^rae, &c. In April and May arrive a vast variety of^o*^ 

 birds from the south. The most numerous are the orioles rnii 

 the males are distinguished by their gaudy scarlet and yellow« oj 

 wings ; while the females, which appear in the proportion oflifJ. 

 twenty to one male, are wholly black. We have a grealriw^ 

 number of woodpeckers, some kingfishers, various water-*)4 

 fowl, cat birds, king birds, robins, whip-poor-will, Ioonsp«^^ 

 crossbills, jays, kites, bluebirds, yellowbirds, blackbirds, and 

 others with equally unscientific names; The cardinal bird 

 and the bald eagle are among the rarest.j'T/TtK oib « 'trpA q^ 



The first humming-birds appeared June ^. psiriicb^vhich 

 time they are commonly to be seen fluttering about the 

 flowers in my garden. Frogs commenced their concert, 

 March 26. ; whistling, rather than croaking, with a pro- 

 digious noise at night. Bullfrogs began to croak, June 1. 

 The first bats seen. May 15. The first butterfly caught, 

 May 16. May-flies, April 20.; a small species, Feb. 26; 

 Garter snakes appeared, April 25. Flocks of wood-pigeons 



