New Jerfey, Raccoon. 157 



THE Oaks here have fimilar qualities 

 with the European ones. They keep their 

 dead leaves almoft during the whole win- 

 ter, and are very backward in getting 

 frefh ones j they had no leaves as yet, and 

 were but juft beginning to (hew a few. 



THE Humming-bird, which the Swedes 

 call Kings-bird*, and which I have men- 

 tioned in a former volume, appeared here- 

 abouts to-day, for the firft time this fpring. 



NUMBERS of Oil beetles, (Meloe Profca- 

 rabceus) fat on the leaves of white Helle- 

 bore, (Veratrum album) and feafted on them. 

 I confidered them a great while, and they 

 devoured a leaf in a few minutes. Some 

 of them had already eaten fo much that 

 they could hardly creep. Thus this plant, 

 which is almoft certain death to other ani- 

 mals, is their dainty food. 



THE F ire-flies appeared at night, for the 

 firft time this year, and flew about between 

 the trees, in the woods. It feemed, in the 

 dark, as if fparks of fire flew up and down. 

 I will give a more particular account of 

 them in another place. 



TOWARDS night I went to Raccoon. 



May the ift. THE laft night was fo 

 cold that the ground at fun-rifing was as 



white 



* Kungsfogel. 



