17 



SoJidago odora was very common. The anise-like odor is 

 very pleasant and I understand colonial housewives often made 

 a palatable tea from the dried leaves. I brought some of the 

 leaves home, made the experiment and found that it had a 

 delicate pleasant flavor. 



Betiila nigra, the river birch, was fairly common at the head 

 of the lake. Its pink tinted, fuzzy bark and unevenly serrate 

 leaves are sure identifications. Noticeable also was the deep 

 green of the sweet bay, Magnolia virginiana, which forms ex- 

 tensive colonies wherever the ground is sufificiently damp. 

 During a mild winter the leaves do not fall ofT. 



We noticed a few colonies of sensitive fern not yet touched 

 by the frost. Among them many fertile fronds of the chain fern 

 attracted attention. The recent spell of dry weather did not 

 allow the de\'elopment of mushrooms, only two being seen, 

 Laccaria laccata, and a species of Entoloma, also a few clumps of 

 Indian pipe. We found many specimens of willow oak, Quercus 

 phellos, and some Spanish oak, Q. falcata. Quercus ilicifolia and 

 marilandica accompanied Pinus rigida wherever the typical 

 Pine Barren stretches prevailed. A few American chesnuts were 

 making their persistent and perennial attempts, to grow to 

 their ancient glory. 



A real surprise not connected with botany was seeing a 

 woman leading on separate chains a silver fox and western 

 coyote. The glistening grayish black pelt of the fox with the tip 

 of the tail pure white formed an unusual picture. The coyote 

 was almost as large as a police dog and nearly the same color. 

 he was more amenable to our friendly demonstrations than the 

 fox who still showed some of his woodland reticence. 



The party encountered several fiocks of Myrtle warblers, 

 quite drab in appearance, except for the telltale yellow rumps. 

 Chickadees and juncos kept us company all the way. 



George F. Dillmann 



Field Trip of November 17 



The rain of the metropolitan area on November 17 consisted 

 entirely of snow and sleet in the Suffern to Ramapo country; as 

 a result the ground was completely covered with snow and ice, 

 and the study of liverworts and mosses was impossible. 



Though the weather made it seem somewhat anomalous, it 



