EDITORIAL AND GENERAL. 



63 



and the warm stream is not recognis- 

 able. Therefore the west winds of the 

 Pacific bring to the American coast 

 the general temperature and moisture 

 of that immense body of water, but not 

 an}- special influence from the Japan 

 Current. These matters are so plain 

 that every reasonable man should give 

 up the old errows regarding the in- 

 fluences of these warm currents .on 

 disant coasts.-— C. A. 



In Springtime. 



BY FRANK M. VAX SCHAACK, II ARRISBL'RG, 

 PENNSYLVANIA. 



The bluff March winds have whispered to 

 each tree 

 And sleeping plant their words of timely 

 cheer; 

 They said, "The land from winter's power is 

 free, 

 Awake! the time to rise is surely here." 



The pussy-willows burst their prison cells, 

 And thrust themselves into the light of 

 day; 



Hepatica upturns its purple bells, 



And bids the April sunshine longer stay. 



The dainty blooms of maples hastening out, 



Imparting nectar to the hungry bees, 

 The flower-lined twigs of cherries tossed 

 about, 

 All lend their fragrance to the western 

 breeze. 



The bloodroot rears its snow-white, cup- 

 like flowers 

 Along the southern slopes of wooded hills, 

 To catch the crystal drops that April 

 showers 

 To quench their thirst and feed the moun- 

 tain rills. 



Above the leaves of many a woodside dell 

 The windflowers lift their gentle, smiling 

 faces 

 With nodding heads the trilliums to tell 

 That March's storms are won by April's 

 graces. 



The pulpit Jack stands up beside the way, 

 As if us to instruct in wood-folk lore; 



But, not one word of wisdom can he say 

 About the secrets wood-folk have in store. 



Gay dandelion dons his gorgeous coat 

 Of fine spun gold all trimmed in laurel 

 green, 

 He stifly bows to passing winds ; to dote, 

 He seems, on dress and strives to have 

 his seen. 



And now the daisies knit the waving fields 

 In tapestries of green and white and gold. 



Pair eglantine the call of summer feels, 

 And wafts its perfume o'er the wayside 

 wold. 



While swiftly fly the happy days of May, 

 The meadow lands with buttercups are 

 strewn. 

 The flowers of spring begin to fade away, 

 To yield their place to those of sunny 

 June. 



^RRESPONDENCE 



x 



AND 



INFORMATION^ 



Aquariist not Aquarist. 



Philadelphia, Pa. 

 To the; Editor: 



You will notice that in the manu- 

 script I use the word aquariist, which 

 in two issues you changed to a aquar- 

 ist. 



The word aquarist has been taken 

 by artists to designate a water-coior 

 painter; the fancier of an aquarium is 

 an aquariist, the difference being that 

 one word is made from aqua, water, 

 the other from aquarium, a container 

 of fluvial life. 



I merely mention this that your 

 readers may not think a deliberate 

 substitution has been made. 

 Very truly yours, 



H. T. Wolf. 



Importation of Skylarks. 



Victoria, B. C, Canada. 

 To the Editor : 



Five or six years ago the Natural 

 History Society of Victoria, British 

 Columbia, decided to import a number 

 of song birds from England. Quite 

 a large sum of money was subscribed 



