146 NATURE STUDY. 



and west, the cedar is held sacred above all other trees. 

 The reasons for this reverence are easily found in its ever- 

 living green, its balsamic fragrance and the beautiful color 

 of its fine-grained wood, unwarping and practically unde- 

 caying. The small green twigs are thrown upon the fire 

 as incense in certain ceremonies, to counteract the effect of 

 what are called " asgina " dreams, as it is believed that 

 the anisgina, or wicked spirits, cannot endure the smell ; 

 but the wood itself is considered too sacred to be used as 

 fuel. In the war dance, the scalp trophies, stretched on 

 small hoops, were hung upon a cedar sapling trimmed and 

 decorated for the occasion. 



According to a myth, the red color came originall}' from 

 the blood of a wicked magician, whose severed head was 

 hung at the top of a red cedar. It happened, once upon a 

 time, that this magician disturl^ed the course of the sun, 

 until at last two brave warriors sought him out and killed 

 him in his cave. They cut off his head and brought it 

 home with them to show the people, but it continued still 

 alive. To make it die they were advised to tie it in the 

 topmost branches of a tree. This they did, trying one tree 

 after another, but each morning the head was found at the 

 foot of the tree and still alive. At last the}- tied it in a 

 cedar, and there the head remained until it was dead, 

 while the blood slowly trickling down along the trunk gave 

 the wood its red color, and henceforth the cedar was a 

 " medicine tree." 



Curious Effects of Cold. 



Experiments with liquid air show queer effects of intense 

 cold. A rubber ball immersed in it becomes very brittle, 

 while a ball of lead becomes elastic and will rebound like 

 rubber. 



i 



