57 
of Cecropia moths and many large egg masses of the praying 
mantis. The latter spells its first name with an “a” or an “e” 
according to whether it is in a religious or a voracious mood. One 
enterprising member of the club hopes to transplant it to Inwood 
Park, where it may prey upon any unwary Japanese bettles dwell- 
ing therein. 
A halt was made for lunch on a hillside near a swamp which 
was frozen tight. Here, besides the customary high bush blue- 
berry, Vaccinium corymbosum, buttonbush, Cephalanthus occi- 
dentalis, and swamp azalea, Rhododendron viscosum, members of 
the party found the dead fruiting stalks of what appeared to be 
Hypericum virginicum, the marsh St. John’s-wort, an herb with 
opposite branching and fruit pods dehiscent into three parts. 
About twenty-five trees of the Virginia pine, Pinus virginiana, 
were counted near Kreischerville—the largest apparently about 
sixty years of age. One tree of pitch pine, P. rigida, of about the 
same age, was found among them. No young trees or seedlings 
of the Virginia or of the pitch pine were found, perhaps on ac- 
count of the repeated forest fires here. The fire of last year had 
charred the outer bark of many of the trees upwards for many 
feet, but the inner bark in most cases seemed sound. One tree 
Was seen which had been entirely killed by the fire. This seems to 
be the last stand and generation of this species on Staten Island, 
unless the fires can be prevented for a sufficiently long period to 
nsure the development of a new generation. 
Part of the sandy plain to the north of this little grove was 
traversed, and several fairly large stumps, one showing eighty 
annual rings, testified to a former well-forested condition. Sev- 
eral Promising young chestnut trees were found, one about two 
inches in diameter at the base and apparently free from the blight. 
ARTHUR H. GRAVES 
p ‘For a valuable article on the praying mantis, see Engelhardt, George 
B; Japanese praying mantis reported from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. 
Tooklyn Bot. Gard. Record 15: 149-153. 1926. 
