90 
Arbutus was in bloom, and fairly frequent in occurrence. Poison 
poke, Veratrum viride, was plentiful and well advanced. The 
deep red pistillate flowers of the beaked hazel, C orylus rostrata, 
were admired under the hand lens. The mosses found on April 
5 were plentiful and farther advanced, and in addition was found 
the quaintly beautiful apple moss, Bartramia pomiformis, with its 
globular capsules. Some attention was paid to the lichens of the 
genus Cladonia, the species pyxidata, cristatella, and fimbriata be- 
ing common. Fresh beaver workings were observed in a swamp 
south of the Timp. They obviously prefer the aspen, Populus tre- 
muloides, for food and building material where they can get it, but 
in one case had felled a blue beech, C arpinus caroliniana, four 
inches in diameter, which must have been tough going even for 
their strong teeth. The purple early leaves of the wood betony, 
Pedicularis canadensis, were striking in hue. It was noted that 
some of the capsules of mosses which fruit in autumn and which 
persisted through the winter, were still holding spores, which were 
discharged by brushing them lightly ; this was true of Catharinea, 
and Dicranella, Another pretty moss was Polytrichum piliferum, 
with its narrow capsules, distinctly lance-like at this season. 
Raymonp H. Torrey 
Fietp Trip or Sunpay, APRIL 19 
On April 19 a joint excursion of the Torrey Club and the 
Metropolitan Council of Geography Teachers was led by the writer 
and R. C. Geist, members of the respective associations. Thirty- 
two members and guests were present. 
The day was ideal, and the route lay along Pelham Road until 
just beyond the City Island cross road, where a by-path was fol- 
lowed, detouring around the very considerable auto traffic on the 
main road. Here were found the yellow adder’s tongue or fawn 
lily, the grape hyacinth, which Gray says is a garden escape, and 
the crinkle-root or toothwort, Dentaria diphylla. 
ZAIDA NICHOLSON 
