89 



York City, but the stations are kept secret by those members 

 of the " Torrey Botanical Club " who know them, for fear that it 

 will be exterminated. This is the experience of a New England 

 botanist who mourns about her losses in Rhodora for March. 

 "We find the 'Walking-leaf — to use Dr. Bigelow's English 

 name for the Camptosorns — but a pretty habit that it has may be 

 the death of it. Growing amongst mosses and other low plants 

 that need but little depth of soil, and whose interlaced roots weave 

 the whole together, it frequently carpets the fiat tops of rocks — 

 a beautiful sight which draws the attention even of idle picknick- 

 ers who, not realizing that they are destroying years of growth, 

 find it amusing to peel off these mats and then, without a pitying 

 thought, throw them on the ground to die. Thus they have laid 

 bare the rocks within sight of their walks ; but away from the 

 paths the interesting fern is still common." 



In Connecticut the Hartford or Climbing fern was so nearly 

 exterminated for decorative purposes that a law was passed pro- 

 tecting it. We hope that the newly-awakened popular interest in 

 ferns will not lead to the same sad results, but rather cultivate the 

 love of these beautiful plants and help to protect them. 



The Natural Science Committee of the Associate Alumnae of 

 the Normal College has been doing a good work, among the 

 children of the East side, in distributing "Nature Material," 

 holding flower-shows in various places and making "loan-col- 

 lections" for the use of the teachers. We quote from the last 

 Annual Report which reaches 1,500 members. 



During the past year the Natural Science Committee has done 

 all in its power to arouse greater interest in Nature Study, es- 

 pecially among the teachers and children of the public schools. 

 With this object in view, the following lines of work have been 

 carried on : 



First, the distribution of "nature material" to the Alumnae 

 School Representatives. There have been five of these distri- 

 butions and the specimens have been as far as possible " accord- 

 ing to season," that the children might come into touch with 

 what was going on in the great world of nature, even though 

 obliged to spend their days amid brick and mortar. 



October 12, 1900. Fruits and seeds of all kinds, as well as 

 some of the late flowers, as witch-hazel and fringed gentian. 



