32 The Ottawa Naturalist. [April 



THE SPRING OF 1908. 



One of the best means of fixing a date for the "Opening of 

 Spring" is the flowering of trees and shrubs. The arrival of 

 birds and the blooming of the Hepatica and the trailing arbutus 

 are often used for this purpose, but the birds come and go and 

 the depth of snow in the woods has a material effect on the date 

 at which flowers bloom. Trees, however, bloom as soon as there 

 is sufficient heat to cause the buds to open. Mr. W. J. Wilson 

 has recorded the date of the flowering of Acer das year pum since 

 1895, and his records show that in only one year — 1904 — was 

 this at a later date than in 1908. His records are: 1895, April 

 18th, 1896. April 16th; 1897, April 8th; 1898, April 2nd; 1899, 

 April 20th; 1900, April 15th; 1901. April 15th; 1902, March 

 27th, 1903, March 31st; 1904, April 24th; 1905. April 12th; 

 1906, April 15th; 1907, April 22nd; 1908, April 20th. 



J. M. M. 



DESTRUCTION OF WOLVES. 



Circular No. 63, issued by the Bureau of the Biological 

 Survey, Washington, D.C., gives the results obtained during 

 1907, in the way of wolf destruction. The methods of cap- 

 turing wolves in common use are three: (1) Trapping, (2) use of 

 scents and (3) poisoning. For trapping, the best No. 4 double- 

 spring trap should be used with a heavy stone as a drag. When 

 possible the trap should be placed between two tufts of grass or 

 weeds so that it can be readily approached from one side only. 

 The trap, stone and chain should be buried on a runway. Scent 

 is used to attract wolves to the vicinity of the trap. Fetid bait 

 is made by placing half a pound of raw beef or venison in a 

 wide-mouthed bottle, and letting it stand in a warm place for 

 from two to six weeks. When completely decomposed, add a 

 quart of any animal oil, an ounce of pulverized asafetida and 

 an ounce of Siberian or Tonquin musk. The mixture should be 

 sprinkled over the grass, weeds and ground near the tiap, but 

 never on the trap. No poison is so effective as sulphate of 

 strychnine ; 4 grains should be place in a capsule and inserted 

 in a piece of beef suet the size of a walnut. 



