6 



RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



shotgun is brought out for his suppression. 

 He is soon deeply impressed with the range 

 and effect of this weapon, and, though 

 many of his brothers may have perished 

 before the warning was heeded, he now be- 

 comes, in this particular locality, the most 

 circumspect of brutes. He scorns the 

 thought of running away, but grows so vig- 

 ilant, sly, and crafty, that the farmer is put 

 to his wit's end to devise means for his rid- 

 dance 



He is not always to be found in equal 

 numbers, but is influenced in a marked de- 

 gree by the beechnut crop. In seasons 

 when mast is plentiful there seems to be a 

 squirrel for every tree, bush, stump, and 

 log in the entire wilderness, besides a num- 

 ber left over to fill possible vacancies. 

 When, on the other hand, the nut crop has 

 been a failure, a corresponding dimunition 

 in the numbers of squirrels is obserA'able, 

 and they are sometimes actually scarce. 

 Hence it is clear that while the diet of the 

 Red Squirrel is varied, his staple comraodit}' 

 is the beechnut, the yield of which in any 

 year determines his abundance in the suc- 

 ceeding winter and spring. That he mi- 

 grates, on a small scale at least, is a fact 

 concerning which there can be no reasona- 

 ble doubt : on an}' other hypothesis we are 

 at a loss to account for the suddenness of 

 his increase and decrease over certain areas 

 of large extent, and find it difficult to ex- 

 plain why he is sometimes met with in num- 

 bers swimming our lakes and rivers, always 

 in one direction. .... 



Plant Collection. 



Every season we are asked innumerable 

 questions as to the methods of collecting 

 and preserving plants. 



The primal requisite for success is the 

 selection of good specimens, representing, 

 if possible, both flower and fruit, and hav- 

 ing attached their roots or other under- 

 ground parts. In many plants, for instance 

 ferns, these subterranean portions are as 

 important as the upper parts. Fruit in 

 many families is absolutely necessary for 

 the identification of genera or species. 

 Thus, in the parsley family, the mustard 

 famil}', and in sedges one cannot do without 

 it. Any botanist is justified in declining to 

 name one of these without the proper parts. 

 Here, too, we are led to speak of the care- 



less or ignorant way in which plants, often 

 of interest, are sent to a botanist to name. 

 A bit of the aflorescence, or a single flower, 

 without stem and leaves or roots, is given 

 him to puzzle over. He may determine it, 

 but usually his time is too valuable to be 

 spent in unraveling riddles. We are all 

 ready to answer legitimate questions, but 

 can hardly be expected to occupy ourselves 

 with enigmas. A specimen should be selec- 

 ted also for its symmetry and neatness of 

 appearance. Among a lot of plants grow- 

 ing together, some will be better than others. 



If one is collecting by means of the vas- 

 culum or tin box, he can put his specimens 

 in this as gathered, occasionally moistening 

 with a few drops of water. If, on the other 

 hand, he uses a portfolio, he can put each 

 plant in a folio of bibulous paper, with a 

 drier or so between, and apply pressure by 

 the straps. Much more care is required in 

 the ultimate pressing. When overlying, 

 parts should be straightened out, dead 

 leaves removed, thick portions pared down, 

 etc. A plant should never be removed from 

 the original folio until perfectly dr^-, but 

 the papers on either side of this folio should 

 be repeatedly changed, new and dr}' ones 

 being substituted for those which are damp. 

 The wet papers can be exposed to dry 

 either hung up on lines or laid on the attic 

 floor, or exposed to sunlight on a roof. 

 They soon part with their moisture and are 

 again read}' for use. Plants var}' much as 

 to the time they require in drying. Judg- 

 ment and experience must here be the 

 guides. Many hints as to processes, too 

 extended to be here mentioned, can be ob- 

 tained from the writer's '' Hand-Book." * A 

 plant is known to be dry by its feeling. It 

 should no longer be cool to the touch. 

 There is also a peculiar dr}- rattle when it 

 is cured that old hands learn to know. 



All plants destined for long preservation 

 must be in some way poisoned to prevent 

 the ravages of insects. Botanists prefer to 

 use a strong alcoholic solution of corrosive 

 sublimate, applied by a brush. After again 

 drying, the specimens are ready to mount. 

 They are then attached to paper of standard 

 size, by means of glue, and are placed in 

 proper cases, labeled and classified for ref- 

 erence. 



W. Whitman Bailey. 



* Botanical Callcctar's Hand-Baok. 



