THE MUSEUM. 



75 



The boblink or rice bird is said to be 

 found here in small flocks during Sep- 

 tember and October. They frequent 

 the marshes, where the ripe seed from 

 the reeds and sedge offer an ample 

 abundance of their favorite food. 

 They are always found in winter plum- 

 age. 



One Baltimore oriole was shot here 

 several years ago. The bill and feet 

 of this bird were said to be a bright 

 livid blue. 



There were three crows sat on a tree, 

 And Ihey were black as crows could be; 

 Says one old crow unto his mate, 

 "What shall we do for grub to eaf' 



"Just over there, on yonder plain. 

 There's an old boss, just lately slain; 

 We'll pounce upon his sharp backbone, 

 And pick his eyes out, one by one." 



The early history of the American 

 crow, so far as the Bermudas are con- 

 cerned, is somewhat obscure. If you 

 will turn to Smith's History of Virginia, 

 to which colony Bermuda at one time 

 belonged, you will find crows mention- 

 ed as being numerous in the islands. 

 But at present only a few are seen, 

 and these are occasionally noticed 

 hovering over the rough, steel-pointed 

 cliffs on the south shore. At one time 

 a price was set on their devoted heads 

 by a colonial enactment — half a crown 

 a bird, and sixpence an egg. This 

 was considered a wise and necessary 

 measure, because they did much dam- 

 age in the breeding season, by destroy- 

 ing young poultry and the eggs and 

 young of the other resident birds. 



The night-hawk visits the Bermudas 

 in the fall and spring in its migrations 

 from North to South and return. 



Several years ago a Mr. John Uar- 

 rell saw a ruby-throated humming- 

 bird under the windows of his father's 



house, were it was busily employed 

 entering some large, white, bell-shap- 

 ed flowers, its tail only at times being 

 visible. The bird seen by Mr. Darrell 

 was described as greenish in color, 

 with its tail — the only part visible at 

 times — tipped with white. How such 

 a little bird ever got to Bermuda is a 

 marvel. They have powerful wings 

 for their size, but one would think that 

 such a long flight across the sea would 

 induce weariness in so small a frame, 

 and leave them at the mercy of the 

 wind and waves. 



There are many other birds which 

 stop here on their annual flights, but 

 the blue-bird and red- bird are the pets 

 of the islands. 



T. B. D. 



The Limestone Boulders of Cen- 

 tral Vermont. 



In the central part of Vermont is to 

 be found the largest deposit of clay 

 slate that is to be found in the state, 

 and probably in New England. 



Beginning in the town of Royalton, 

 it stretches northerly, in a slightly ser- 

 pentine course, for a distance of near- 

 ly eighty miles, and enters Canada at 

 Lake Memphremagog. It passes 

 through about twenty different towns, 

 forming a narrow strip, nowhere e.x- 

 ceeding seven miles in width, and, in 

 places, it diminishes to less than one 

 mile. It is bounded, easterly, by cal- 

 ciferous mica schist, and westerly by 

 talcose schist. Throughout its entire 

 course it is interspersed by beds of 

 blue limestone, granite and milky 

 quartz. 



These formations will be carefully 

 studied in a future article, but for the 

 present it will be sufficient to study 

 the characteristics of some of the loose 



