PITCHER PLANTS WHAT ARE THEY? 



351 



trees and shrubs that grew in it, were to be seen, in all 

 their glory, more than a hundred pitcher-plants, as they 

 arose from among the masses of swampy vegetation, 

 where they flourished as their ancestors did for ages 

 before them. It was a most entrancing sight one that 

 I enjoyed to the fullest extent. Several hours later we 

 landed home, after some interesting experiences, with an 

 elegant bunch of the objects of a long summer day's ex- 

 pedition. 



Students of flowers in the northwestern sections of 

 our country, as far south as the Virginias, will note, 

 while out on trips for specimens during the month of 

 June, that practically all the small, ordinary land birds 

 are entirely through with the rearing of their young 

 the latter being, in many species, nearly as large as their 



THE WHORLED OR GREEN FLOWERED MILKWEED 



Fig. 8 The daintiest species of the entire group. This exquisite milk- 

 weed is found growing in the uplands; it is here associated with half 

 a dozen specimens of the milk pea (Galactia regularis). 



parents by then. Some species, however, which raise two 

 sometimes three broods to the season, may be incu- 

 bating the clutches laid during this month. This is a 

 different matter from the bird that presents the regular 

 and very rare habit of not even beginning to think about 

 building its nest until the first week in June comes around. 

 Few American passerine birds have this rare habit, and 

 one of them is the well-known Cedar Bird or Cedar 

 Wax wing (Bomby cilia cedrorum), a pair of which 



species is here shown in Figure 6. Space will not admit 

 of giving even a brief sketch of this elegant bird here 

 one of the most beautiful in the United States; but the 

 temptation to do so cannot be altogether resisted, and 

 the following lines from the charming and very full life- 

 history of this species by our most cultured ornithologist, 

 Alexander Wilson, will not come amiss. He points out 

 that "During the whole winter and spring they are occa- 



WHERE THE LEAVES ARE MUCH THICKER ON THE STEM OF 

 THE GREEN MILKWEED 



Fig. 9 This is the middle third of the stem of the Green Milkweed shown 

 in Figure 8, with two more flower-heads of others that grew near it. 



sionally seen; and, about the 25th of May, appear in 

 numerous parties, making great havoc among the cherries, 

 selecting the best and ripest of the fruit. Nor are they 

 easily intimidated by the presence of Mr. Scarecrow; 

 for I have seen a flock deliberately feasting on the fruit 

 of a loaded cherry-tree, while on the same tree one of 

 these guardian angels, and a very formidable one too, 

 stretched his stiffened arms, and displayed his dangling 

 legs, with all the pomposity of authority. At this time 

 of the season most of our resident birds, and many of 

 our summer visitants, are sitting, or have young; while, 



