are laid, measuring three-fifths by half 

 an inch. Egg laying begins late in April 

 or early in May. 



The Brown Creeper is a common mi- 

 grant in eastern North America, where 

 it ranges from the Gulf states north- 

 ward ; it breeds from Illinois, Indiana, 

 and Pennsylvania northward. In Illi- 

 nois and Indiana its winter and breeding 



ranges somewhat overlap. It has been 

 known to winter at Chicago, Illinois, in 

 several places in northern Indiana and 

 in parts of Michigan and Wisconsin. 



Together with the chicadees, titmice, 

 and kinglets, the Brown Creeper is a 

 valuable insect destroyer and should be 

 protected by both bird lovers and agri- 

 culturists. 



Collins Thurber. 



THE OLIVE TREE 



Pallas Athene, the Grecian goddess of 

 Wisdom, wears a crown of olive leaves 

 the emblem of Peace. According to 

 mythical story, in a controversy with 

 Neptune regarding the right to bestow a 

 name upon a city, she caused an Olive 

 Tree to spring out of the ground. The 

 tree was considered more useful than the 

 horse which her competitor caused to 

 appear, and so the city, Athens, was 

 named for her. It is possible that the 

 myth has its origin in the first planting 

 of the Olive in Athens. The tree thrives 

 in calcareous soil and delights in sea- 

 breezes, and thus it finds a congenial 

 home on the limestone crags of Greece. 



It is probably a native of Syria and 

 the coast of Asia. Minor, and its cultiva- 

 tion must have begun in very early times. 

 In Homer's Iliad olive oil is mentioned, 

 but only as a luxury of the wealthy. The 

 Bible contains frequent references to 

 the Olive, its first mention being in the 

 story of the flood and the return of the 

 dove with an olive leaf. The reason for 

 its early cultivation is found in the fact 

 that it yields with little labor, the oil 

 which is essential to healthy life in the 

 hot, dry countries -v^here it grows, and 

 thus supplies a pleasing substitute for 

 the animal fats which northern races 

 consume. Naturally, it became the sym- 

 bol, not only of peace, but of prosperity 

 and plenty. A spray of wild Olive was 

 used to crown the Olympian victor and 

 the Roman conquerer, for ''War is made 

 only that peace may follow." 



In a wild state the tree is usually 

 small and straggling, with thorny 

 branches. In cultivation it loses its 

 thorns but is generally small and slender. 



Its opposite, evergreen leaves are gray- 

 ish green above and almost white be- 

 neath. In the breeze and sunshine of 

 California the foliage glistens with a sil- 

 very sheen. 



The tree is of very slow growth, and 

 though it is hardly more than a shrub in 

 this country it sometimes attains con- 

 siderable size when it is allowed to de- 

 velop naturally. The botanist, DeCan- 

 dolle, mentions an Olive Tree that was 

 more than twenty-three feet in circum- 

 ference. It was supposed to have lived 

 seven centuries. Some of the Olive Trees 

 in Italy are said to have been in their 

 youth during the early days of the 

 Roman Empire. The trees upon the 

 Mount of Olives are pictured as large, 

 and showing marks of age. 



Olive wood is yellow or of a light, 

 greenish brown, often finely marked with 

 darker veinings. Hence it is of value 

 to the cabinet maker and turner. Travel- 

 ers in Palestine often bring home as sou- 

 venirs small articles made of olive wood. 



The Olive is the typical member of the 

 family to which it belongs, and from its 

 classical name, Olea, the family name, 

 Oleacecs, is derived. The name has the 

 same root as the word oil. To the Olive 

 family belong the sweet Jessamine, the 

 Lilac, the Forsythia, or ''yellow bells," 

 one of the earliest blossoming of culti- 

 vated shrubs, and the Ligustrum or 

 Prim, which is often planted for orna- 

 ment in California and is sometimes used 

 to make hedges. The Fringe tree and the 

 Ash are also its relatives. A sister spe- 

 cies is the fragrant Olive of China and 

 Japan, the flowers of which are used to 

 perfume tea. All of these plants have 



