THE ATLANTIC SLOPE NATURALIST. 



i? 



The Salsetters are all Roman Catholics 

 who observe all fast days, and the major- 

 ity of them are actually engaged fn the 

 fishing trade. 



A Book About Ferns 

 One of the most delightful of books on 

 natural history which it has been my good 

 fortune to become acquainted with is 

 "Our Ferns in Their Haunts," by Wil- 

 lard N. Clute, and published by the Fred- 

 erick A. Stokes Co., of New York City. 

 The author is well and favorably known 

 by his many ornithological and botanical 

 writings, including his " Flora of the 

 Upper Susquehanna," and his editorship 

 of The American Botanist. In "Our 

 Ferns " is described and illustrated every 

 species of fern that has been found in 

 North America north of the Gulf of Mex- 

 ico and east of the Rocky Mountains. 

 This book in a manner better than any 

 work we have ever seen very happily com- 

 bines the popular and technical aspects of 

 the subject without a sacrifice of either. 

 To him who has never studied ferns the 

 matter of the identification of species 

 becomes comparatively easy with this 

 volume in hand. To the student of Folk 

 lore this book must also appeal on 

 account of the many curious virtues and 

 properties which have been associated 

 with ferns in the past. One of many 

 quotations will serve to illustrate, refer- 

 ring to the moon wort {Botrychiwn Luna- 

 ria) the author quotes the famous old 

 botanist Culpepper who back about 1650 

 wrote " Moon wort is an herb which they 

 say will open locks and unshoe such 

 horses as tread upon it ; these some laugh 

 to scorn, and these no small fools neither, 

 but country people that I know, cal it 

 Unshoe the Horse ; besides I have heard 

 commanders say that on Whitedown in 

 Devonshire near Tiverton there were 

 found thirty hors-shoes pulled from the 

 feet of the Earl of Essex, his horses 

 being there drawn up in a body, many of 

 them being but newly shod and no reason 

 known which caused much admiration, 

 and the herb described usually grows 

 upon heaths." ■ W. E. R. 



The Effect of the April Storm on the 

 Distribution of Birds 



By W. E. Rotzell, H. D., INar berth, Pa. 



Large portions of the north temperate 

 region, in both the old world and the new, 

 were during the middle of April past 

 visited by severe storms, in some sections 

 it being snow and in other sections rain. 



In the region of the Eastern United 

 States the rain storm with northerly winds 

 which began on April 12th and continued 

 for the next three days had a very marked 

 effect on the distribution of probably all of 

 our birds. 



The weather for some days prior to this 

 storm had been delightful with many 

 pleasant Spring days. The maximum 

 temperature for the 24 hours averaging 

 6o° F. and above. On April 12th the 

 maximum temperature was 48 , with a 

 rain precipitation of .06 inches for the 24 

 hours ; on April 13th the maximum tem- 

 perature was 52 , and the precipitation 

 ,.56; on April 14th the maximum tempera- 

 ture was 46 , and the precipitation .62; 

 and on April 15th, the last day of the 

 storm, the maximum temperature was 48 

 and the precipitation . 10. 



This particular section of Pennsylvania, 

 just a few miles west of Philadelphia, 

 topographically consists of small hills in- 

 terspersed with a number of small streams. 

 There is comparatively little woodland, 

 and the region is rather thickly populated 

 as would be expected in being in such 

 close proximity to a large city. Some 

 years ago I recorded 108 species of birds 

 in this region and the surrounding coun- 

 try, and since then others have been 

 added to the list. 



Prior to the storm a large number of 

 our summer residents had arrived from 

 their southerly winter homes and had 

 assumed that spirit of apparent content- 

 ment which it has always seemed to me 

 the birds do not show until a short time 

 after their arrival in the Spring time. 



During these rainy days it was difficult 

 to find any birds, even the English spar- 

 rows being perceptibly scarcer. 



The day following this storm, April 



