THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTION OP ANIMALS. 55 



another — so that my friend is only following legitimately in the foot- 

 steps and tastes of his ancestors when he welcomes the many men now 

 famous in science to his hospitable farm. 



From Trenton down, the Delaware River is bordered by very wide 

 flats, known as " The Meadows." At one place, fully a mile from the 

 river, a long, steep bank rises to the level of the farming-lands behind, 

 and shows the ancient limit of the river freshets. In a beautiful grove 

 on the summit of this bluff stands the picturesque old home of my friend, 

 with its group of barns and sunny gardens about it, and the broad grain- 

 fields behind. Thus pleasantly placed for hearing and seeing what goes 

 on out-of-doors, this gentleman has taught himself to be one of the best 

 field-naturalists inr the world. By "field-naturalist" I mean one who finds 

 out the appearance and habits of plants and animals as they are when 

 alive and in their own homes, and who does not content himself merely 

 with reading what others write about them. 



It is very delightful to talk with this gentleman, and to see how well 

 he is acquainted with the birds and the four-footed animals of his district, 

 all of which are under his jealous protection. He has half a dozen little 

 " tracts " within a mile of his house, each of which is tenanted by a partly 

 different class of plants and animals, so that there is never any lack of 

 variety in his studies. The truth. of this will not seem clear to you at 

 first, perhaps, because 3'on are accustomed to think that, in order to find 

 any great diversity in out-door life, yon must search through great spaces 

 of country. But my friend's farm would show us that a great many 

 little differences are ordinarily overlooked, which, when we come to know 

 them, are seen to be real and important. And this can be proven in one 

 place about as well as in another. 



For instance, it is easy to divide the estate I am speaking of into four 

 districts, so far as natural history is concerned. First, there are the up- 

 land fields and house- gardens; second, the steep hill-side, grown dense 

 with trees and tangled shrubbery; next, the broad, treeless, lowland mead- 

 ows ; and lastly, the creek, with its still, shaded waters, marshy nooks, and 

 flowery banks. 



Now, while there are many trees, bushes, and weeds that are common 

 to all these four districts, it is also true that each of the districts has a 

 number of plants and animals not to be found in the others. You would 

 not expect to get water-snakes, musk-rats, or any wading birds on the 

 v high fields behind the house, nor do the woodchucks, quails, and vesper- 

 sparrows of the hill -top go down among the sycamores by the creek. 

 One quickly gets a hint here of the great fact that any species of animal 



