142 NATUKlv STUDV. 



If one is interested in archaeological studies, he can fol- 

 low the footsteps directing to a high promontory on the 

 south side of the lake, and here is where man in his native 

 and barbarous capacity established his village. 



At last if you are a botanist you above all admire the 

 flora. In the thickets, we find the wild plum; the thorn, 

 with its sharp spines, and the crab-apple, with its fra- 

 grant blossoms. Here, too, are climbing plants, such as the 

 woodbine, the bittersweet, the ivy, the frost grape, and the 

 honeysuckle. And in the shady places among the ferns we 

 may gather the golden mandrakes; and dig the ginseng, 

 the spikenard and sarsaparilla, for the sick and the wound- 

 ed. In Jttne the air is fragrant with the perfume of wild 

 roses, which form a thick growth in places among the 

 gravel. 



Shotild your interest lead you in the direction of ento- 

 mology you might stop to watch the tumble bug {Cajifhon 

 IcBvis Drury) as the two sexes work together rolling the 

 ball of dung which now is rounded and compressed by roll- 

 ing in dusty places and now they finally bury it in the 

 ground. The male now leaves, and the female eats out a 

 cavity in the ball, in which she deposits an enormously 

 large and soft q.%% ; this done, she again closes the cavity 

 by plastering the removed portion of the dung over it. 

 Meanwhile we pick from the ground an adult snapping 

 beetle and try him for his acrobatic performance. We 

 touch him very lightly ; the beetle drops to the ground, 

 landing on his back ; after remaining perfectly quiet for a 

 time, as if dead, we hear a sudden click, the beetle pops 

 into the air, and falling upon its short legs, runs. away. 



However fascinating the vicinity of Clear Lake is, nev- 

 ertheless other places are inviting as well, and notable 

 among these is the calcareous tufa locality situated two 

 miles from the village of Jackson on the bluffs of the Des 

 Moines river. Here in a deep ravine a little on the hill- 



