REPORTS OF LOCAL SOCIETIES. 357 



rose, the mignonette, the pansy and the verbena nod tlieir heads and 

 cast their perfume at the guest who enters the gateway. 



Her presence is indicated by the well-kept lawn, by the climbing 

 rose and honeysuckle and the beautiful beds of geraniums with their 

 endless display of summer bloom. 



Not that she does all this with her own hands, but because she is 

 there, by some irresistible inHueuce, call it what you may, the work is 

 accomplished. With few excei)tion8 men uninfluenced by woman 

 would fail to supply their families with an abundance of the delicate 

 fruits of the garden. 



Most men plead they have not time to plant a strawberry bed or 

 prepare a supply of small fruits for their families, but by woman's in- 

 iluence these health-giving fruits have become so abundant that nearly 

 every household in the land revels in them all summer long. Out of 

 their season they become a good reserve for winter use. 



Then at last who but she has planted those little mementoes of 

 love over the graves of the dear departed ones, with one last effort to 

 keep their memory forever green. 



OUE BIEDS. 



BY A. C. SKINNER. 



Butler, Mo., February 20, 1886. 

 Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



Since our last meeting I have been chosen as one of a committee 

 of three, appointed by the president of this society, to report on Orni- 

 thology and Entomology. 



This being the time of year when bugs and insects are taking a 

 rest and most of the birds are enjoying a southern clime, I have not 

 much to report from observation during the last month. I have seen 

 a few birds, such as the Jays, Robins, Blue Birds, English Sparrows 

 and a few others that stay here, except in severe cold weather. 



