A DAY’S OUTING IN SEARCH OF THE ARBUTUS. 
If in any year I let April and May go by without 
taking a day’s outing, in search of the trailing arbutus 
(EZpigea repens), it is ever after a cause of regret. This 
characteristic New England plant, known better by the 
name the pilgrims gave it, Mayflower, is found in abund- 
ance at Olean, Portville and Salamanca, and sparingly 
at North Collins and Portage. To enjoy the flower 
most, one need not get it in large quantities. A few 
sprigs, gathered in its natural habitat are better than 
bushels bought at the market. It seems as much out 
of place in a flower store or greenhouse as a wood- 
thrush in an aviary or in the den of a bird fancier. 
Both need the accessories of their wild surroundings. 
By selecting Portage as the field to be explored, one 
was sure to renew the acquaintance of many of the rarer 
and more interesting birds. The day chosen was a per- 
fect one. A warm shower the night before had laid the 
dust and freshened the grass, which seemed a brighter 
green by being dotted by so many golden dandelions 
wide open to the sun. The buds on the earlier trees 
were just bursting into leaf, and were of such various 
shades that the different kinds of trees could easily be 
distinguished. Cherry and shad trees were already 
