6 4 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



and skylarks, bulfinches, and English 

 robins were brought out and liberated. 

 The robins and goldfinches soon dis- 

 appeared, but the larks lived and are 

 increasing at a good rate. They may 

 now be heard any morning in the fields 

 surrounding the city, as they soar al- 

 most to the clouds. Recently they 

 have been found to be scattering 

 somewhat and it is hoped that they will 

 eventually spread over the whole of 

 Vancouver Island. 



It would certainly be of interest to 

 the readers of The Guide to Nature 

 to know what other importations of 

 skylarks have been made to this con- 

 tinent. There is no other place in 

 Canada where they have been imported. 

 The birds in the neighborhood of Vic- 

 toria do not migrate, but may be heard 

 singing all through the winter months. 



Henry F. Pullen. 



Quick Growth of Rodent's Teeth. 



Portland, Me. 

 To the Editor: 



Regarding the interesting facts told 

 of the teeth of woodchucks in the 



March number : it may not be gen- 

 erally known that the teeth of rodents 

 when accidentally broken off grow very 

 quickly again. I noticed one day that 

 the chipmunk whose photograph ap- 

 peared in the February number made 

 very awkward work of taking things 

 into his mouth and pouches. Ex- 

 amination revealed that one of his 

 lower teeth was broken off over half 

 of it being gone and so care was taken 

 that soft food was furnished him. But 

 in a very short time — less than a month 

 — the tooth was grown to the original 

 length. It is quite necessary that cap- 

 tive members of this family be given 

 nuts uncracked in order that their teeth 

 be kept worn down by use. The il- 

 lustration shown by Miss Knowles 

 gives a fine idea of what happens when 

 a rodent is not able to keep his teeth 

 in practice. 



F. S. Morton. 



I have read the first ten numbers with 

 interest. They appeal to me as "just right" 

 and contain a whole lot of the information 

 we are all looking for. — Raymond L. Dit- 

 mars. 



ORNITHOLOGY 



The Varied Repertoire of the 

 Mockingbird. 



BY HARRIET WILLIAMS MYERS, 306 

 AVENUE 66, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. 



It was a glorious winter's morning. 

 A perfect day, it seemed to me, as I 

 sat in my yard and revelled in nature's 

 beauties. A recent rain had cleared 

 the atmosphere, washed the dust off 

 the vegetation, and made the air pure 

 and sweet. The warm sun proclaimed 

 it a spring day albeit the calendar said 

 it was still winter. 



No wonder that the hens were cack- 

 ling noisily, proclaiming eggs to their 

 credit, or squawking in a satisfied, if 



unmusical, way; the bees hummed 

 drosily as they gathered honey from 

 the pepper blossoms above my hta 1, 

 and the mockingbirds sang. 



The season had been a dry one, — 

 too dry the wiseacres said — for the 

 country's good, and it seemed as if 

 the mockers, feeling this lack of mois- 

 ture, had withheld their songs for a 

 more propitious time. And so this 

 medley going on above my head was 

 doubly welcome. California, with all 

 its wonders, would lose half its charm 

 should the mockingbirds cease to sing. 



As I listened to this wondrous song 

 floating down upon me, I marvelled at 

 the varied repertoire, and smiled as I 



