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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  hood, 
  through 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  the 
  earlj 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  summer, 
  and 
  

   often 
  well 
  through 
  the 
  year, 
  this 
  bird 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  It 
  destroyed 
  

   caterpillars 
  innumerable, 
  and 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  familiarized 
  and 
  made 
  

   quite 
  a 
  domestic 
  bird. 
  A 
  pair 
  built 
  in 
  his 
  garden 
  some 
  years 
  ago, 
  

   and 
  reared 
  a 
  brood 
  of 
  four. 
  He 
  kept 
  the 
  brood 
  in 
  his 
  study 
  for 
  

   some 
  time, 
  and 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  fed 
  them 
  with 
  caterpillars. 
  During 
  the 
  

   whole 
  time, 
  the 
  garden 
  was 
  free 
  from 
  noxious 
  insects 
  and 
  worms. 
  

   Afterwards 
  the 
  cats 
  killed 
  the 
  birds, 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  season 
  the 
  

   garden 
  suffered 
  greatly 
  from 
  insects. 
  Subsequently 
  another 
  brood 
  

   located 
  in 
  the 
  garden, 
  and 
  for 
  two 
  years 
  he 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  troubled 
  

   with 
  insects. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  said 
  he 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  reason 
  why 
  the 
  English 
  

   sparrow 
  was 
  preferred 
  in 
  the 
  East, 
  was 
  that 
  it 
  destroys 
  certain 
  cat- 
  

   erpillars, 
  and 
  especially 
  the 
  canker-worm, 
  which 
  some 
  native 
  birds 
  

   will 
  not 
  touch. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Henry 
  Gibbons, 
  Sr., 
  made 
  some 
  remarks 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  

   aerial 
  currents, 
  and 
  explained 
  by 
  illustrations 
  on 
  the 
  blackboard 
  his 
  

   reasons 
  for 
  beUeving 
  in 
  a 
  permanent 
  upper 
  current 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  

   towards 
  the 
  east 
  ; 
  this 
  is 
  demonstrated 
  by 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  high 
  cir- 
  

   rus 
  clouds 
  ; 
  without 
  discussing 
  the 
  proposed 
  balloon 
  voyage 
  across 
  

   the 
  Atlantic, 
  he 
  thought 
  the 
  experiment 
  of 
  a 
  voyage 
  across 
  the 
  con- 
  

   tinent 
  from 
  the 
  Pacific 
  to 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  should 
  first 
  be 
  tried. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  remarked 
  that 
  a 
  similar 
  suggestion 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  

   by 
  Professor 
  Henry 
  to 
  the 
  aeronaut 
  Mr. 
  Wise 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  latter 
  had 
  

   replied 
  to 
  the 
  effect, 
  that 
  if 
  an 
  accident 
  should 
  occur, 
  he 
  preferred 
  

   to 
  fall 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  rather 
  than 
  upon 
  the 
  land. 
  

  

  Regular 
  Meeting, 
  October 
  6th, 
  1873. 
  

   President 
  in 
  the 
  Chair. 
  

  

  Forty-three 
  members 
  present. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  J. 
  D. 
  B. 
  Stillman 
  and 
  George 
  S. 
  Ladd 
  were 
  elected 
  resident 
  

   members, 
  and 
  William 
  Kohl 
  a 
  life 
  member. 
  

  

  