80 THE NEW METHOD 



New York State, the Blue Ridge, running through 

 the western part of North Carolina, the Ural Moun- 

 tains, that form a part of the boundary line between 

 Europe and Asia, the Altai Mountains, near the 

 central part of Asia, and Adam's Peak, one of the 

 Ceylon Mountains in Ceylon. The market-places for 

 zircon are at Albany, the capital of New York State, 

 Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, St. Peters- 

 burg, the capital of Russia, and Colombo, the capital 

 of Ceylon." 



Birds. 



"It is very warm and pleasant today, and every- 

 thing seems fresher for the recent rain. The sky is 

 of a very delicate shade of blue, and there are a num- 

 ber of stratus and cumulus clouds which look very 

 beautiful mixed with the blue. The air near us 

 seems clear, but if we look off for some distance it 

 seems hazy. There is a gentle south-west wind 

 blowing at the rate of about five or six miles an hour. 

 The trees are beginning to have large buds, and I 

 think they will soon show blossom. 



"We have had our first lesson on birds for this 

 year, and the subject today was the Night Heron. 

 It is a very interesting as well as beautiful bird, and 

 is called by that name because it travels only in the 

 night. It is about sixteen inches high, and eighteen 

 inches long. The back is of a rich black color with 



