THE ATLANTIC SLOPE NATURALIST 



77 



The third number of Cassinia Pro- 

 ceedings of the Delaware Valley Or- 

 nithological Club is issued and it 

 maintains the merit uf the two pre- 

 ceding numbers. It is edited by Mr. 

 Witmer Stone, who also contributes 

 the first article which is a sketch of 

 John K. Townsend, acompauied with 

 his portrait. Other artiles are : "The 

 Red -Headed Woodpecker as a Penns}" 1- 

 vauia and New Jersej' Bird,'' by 

 Spenser Trotter ; "Exit of Dickcissel, " 

 by Samuel N. Rhoads; Crow Roosts 

 and Flight Lines," by H. L. Coggins. 



Our supply of Volume One of this 

 journal is very limited. We have a 

 few complete files. Price $1 for the 

 set of six numbers. 



Material intended for the next issue 

 should reach us not later than May 

 the 1st to secure insertion in that 

 number. 



With the March number of The 

 Medical Visitor Dr. Harvey B. Dale 

 becomes its editor, succeeding Dr. 

 Wilson A. Smith. No reason for the 

 change is given. 



The date of the issue of this num- 

 ber is April the 7th, 1<)04. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



MR. THOMAS H. JACKSON ON THE EFFECT 

 OF HAIL STORM ON 1JIRDS. 



West Chester, Pa., October 1, P.J03. 



Editor of The Atlantic Slope Nat- 

 uralist, 



Dear Sir: The enclosed clipping 

 from yesterday's Local News, of this 

 place, I thought might be of sufficient 

 interest to be used in The Atlantic 

 Slope Naturalist. 



Doubtless a great many birds were 

 killed in the hail storm of September 

 27 last. Indeed, none of our birds 

 could withstand the blows of such 

 stones as fell on that date. After it 

 was over I saw Hundreds of them that 

 would measure from two to two and 



one- half inches in diameter the largest 

 way. Most of them seemed to have a 

 core in the centre, from which lines 

 radiated to the circumference, being 

 similar in appearance to a sliced 

 lemon; many of them were as hard 

 and solid as artificially frozen ice. 



How and at what height these im- 

 mense chunks of ice were formed in 

 so short a time would be most interes- 

 ting facts to know. 



Truly yours, 



Thomas H. Jackson. 



"In the section east of this place 

 the hail of Sunday killed a large num- 

 ber of birds of various .species. Ac- 

 cording to George Adams, the man- 

 ager of the Colonel Joseph Brinton 

 farm, a large number were destined, 

 there. When the hail began to fall 

 a large flock of blackbirds took refuge 

 in a cornfield, and they were struck 

 down by dozens. Mr. Adams says at 

 least two hundred were killed, and 

 wounded ones were found all about 

 the field the next morning. Several 

 robins were also destroyed, while at 

 one point three partridges were found 

 huddled together, all dead, they being 

 probably the dead ones of a covey 

 which had gathered together for pro- 

 tection. " 



Philadelphia, Pa., October 30, 1903. 

 Editor of The Atlantic Slope Nat- 

 uralist, 



Dear Sir: The enclosed clipping, 

 taken from the Philadelphia Inquirer, 

 I thought might be of interest to some 

 of the readers of the journal: 



Susquehanna, Pa., Oct. 2'.) — Thomas 

 Sumuer, of Red Rock, and his two 

 sons felled a tree on a timber tract at 

 Hickory Grove. The tree seemed 

 alive at the top, but dead and hollow 

 at the base. After the trunk had 

 fallen one of the boys began sawing 

 it into sections. Suddenly his saw 

 struck a hard, impenetrable substance. 



