FIELD AND FOREST. 



17 



lover of flowers, to the somewhat secluded 

 corner in which it grows. Taken singly 

 the blossom is perhaps hardly equal in 

 beauty to the large white water lily, 

 which it resembles in size and fragrance. 

 The color is a delicate straw-yellow and 

 the petals are curved like a tulip instead 

 of flat as in the Nymphaa. Added to 

 this they are raised high out of the water 

 by a rigid stem and the effect of a number 

 growing together is, we think, more strik- 

 ing than that of any aquatic plant of 

 this latitude. Tl e round leaves are very 

 similar in manner of growth to those of 

 the famed Victoria regia of Brazil except 

 that the edges are not turned up. 



They are a beautiful pale green on 

 the upper surface, and are full of sphe- 

 raphides that keep well in micro-slides. 

 Here the leaves lay flat on the water, but 

 later in the season the writer has seen 

 them in Kansas raised high above the 

 surface. The curious seed vessel is top- 

 shaped with the seeds, which resemble 

 little chestnuts, on the upper surface. Be- 

 side this plant is another stranger to this 

 country, viz : the Trappa bicornis of 

 China. This has proved perfectly hardy 

 here and covers the surface of the pond 

 with a series of rosettes composed of tri- 

 angular serrate leaves expanding from a 

 central stem. The flowers are inconspic- 

 uous and the seed grows close to the 

 stem under water, resembling in shape 

 very much the skull of a short horn ox 

 with horns attached. Another species 

 of Trappa is said to be cultivated in 

 ■Hungary or at least collected as an arti- 

 cle of food. 



The pond of the Department is also the 

 only place in the District where the 

 white water lily is now growing and 

 blooming in full beauty. The variety 

 minor which differs only in size, also 



flourishes here, and a considerable num- 

 ber of other aquatic plants including the 

 Calla palusiris adorns this, at present, 

 unique feature of landscape gardening in 

 Washington.— W. H. S. 



Ravages of White Ants. — The Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture recently received 

 from the Consul General at Monrovia, Li- 

 beria, a box of twelve books, principally 

 United States public documents, that had 

 been badly damaged by white ants, in sev- 

 eral cases more than a third of the book 

 having been destroyed entirely. The 

 damage was done in the space of a few 

 months while the Consul was absent. It 

 is stated in the letter accompanying, that 

 to preserve books and papers from the rav- 

 ages of this insect, they must be kept free 

 from dust and well exposed to the air. 



Arrivals of Birds. — The robin arrived 

 February 2d, red- winged black bird Feb- 

 ruary 24, killdeer plover March 2d, white- 

 throated sparrow March 5th, Wilson's 

 snipe March 7th, golden plover March 

 18th, buzzard March 18th, crow black- bird 

 March 21st, king-fisher March 22d, Phcebe 

 bird, or pewee March 23d, rusty black 

 birds, March 24th, purple martins March 

 30th, wild pigeons March 30th, bittern, 

 first seen, March 31st, jack snipe arrived 

 March 31st, solitary sand pipers March 

 31st, brown thrush April 4th, bartrims or 

 field plover April 4th. The yellow rail 

 first observed April 5th. Wood-pewee April 

 5th, kingbird April 6th, olive-backed thrush 

 April 7th, golden-crowned wren April 7th. 

 White bellied swallow arrived April 7th. 

 Chimney swallows April 13th, whip-poor- 

 will April 14th, bank swallows April 16th, 

 purple finch and yellow-rumped warbler 

 April 1 8th, Carolina April 19th, house- 

 wren April 22cl. Baltimore oriole and 

 orchard oriole arrived April 23d and 



