2 12 THE ^ATURE-STUDY REVIEW [i, 5, sept. 1905 



to be obtained by watching birds feed their young, as Professor 

 Kennel did. What children will volunteer to watch a bluebird's 

 nest or a sparrow's for a week, and note every butterfly brought 

 there by the old birds ? 



For myself, I believe that the selection theories are correct. 

 But whether they are or not, we want the facts, and plenty of 

 them. What we need so much in biology is an adequate series of 

 little observations, accurately made. Those little things which 

 are " hardly worth noting " become the very basis of broad gen- 

 eralizations. We may not all devise new theories, but everyone 

 who has a good mind and is honest may make new observations. 



What is worth noting? What is of interest? That depends 

 so much on the way we look at it. Perhaps you have read Ham- 

 merton's directions for conversing about a rat, in " The Intel- 

 lectual Life " ? We may borrow the thought, but change the in- 

 stance. Here is a piece of information, which I promise you is 

 new : — When in Roswell, New Mexico, a few years ago, I bred 

 a fly, Frontina frenchii, from Anosia plexippus. A trifling and 

 uninteresting piece of information, you say ; everyone knows 

 about the parasites of Lepidoptera. But let me try again : — The 

 milkweed butterfly (Anosia plexippus) is one of the protected 

 forms, generally understood to be inedible. Scudder at first be- 

 lieved that it was also protected from parasites in the larva and 

 pupa state, and Wallace cited this opinion in his " Darwinism." 

 Since then, however, it has been found that it has some parasites, 

 and four species have been recorded. One of them was named 

 Frontina archippivora, from archippus, a name by which the 

 butterfly used to be known. When at Roswell, New Mexico, a 

 few years ago, I was so fortunate as to breed from A. plexippus 

 an additional parasite, closely allied to the one just mentioned. 

 It was Frontina frenchii, of Williston, and was kindly determined 

 for me by Mr. Coquillett of the National Museum. 



SCHOOL-GARDENS IN PHILADELPHIA^ 



Extracts from 24th Annual Report of Public Education Association of Philadelphia 



No subject ever taken up by the Association has met with such 

 popular interest and support as has the school-garden movement, 



^ Attention of those interested is called to the story of the Gardens by 

 their Supervisor, in the April Booklover's Magazine. 



