THE ATLANTIC SLOPE NATURALIST. 



Si 



reason that the partridge and other 

 birds feed quite extensively upon 

 them. 



It flowers in June aud July in this 

 region. Botanists have long been fa- 

 miliar with it, it having been men- 

 tioned by Ray in 1704. Plukenet de- 

 scribed the plant and gave a figure of 

 the plant in 17(H), and gave as its hab- 

 itat "the Province of Florida." In 

 William Bartram's narrative of his 

 ''Travels through the Carolinas and 

 Georgia to Florida, " published in 1791, 

 reference is made to it. 



From the earliest days in American 

 history MitcJiclla repens has been used 

 as a medicine, and like the vast ma- 

 jority of our American medicinal 

 plants, it was first used by the In- 

 dians. 



According to Rafinesque, the berries 

 were used in New England as tea to 

 cure dropsy and gout, and in North 

 Carolina as a remedy for diarrhoea 

 and dysentery. 



In "The American Dispensatory," 

 which is the authoritative work on 

 this subject in the Eclectic school of 

 medicine, Dr. John King states that 

 the Partridge berry is a parturient, 

 diuretic and astringent. It is a plant 

 which seems to have an especial action 

 on the uterus and has been, and is 

 still, used by eclectic and homoeo- 

 pathic physicians in the treatment of 

 various uterine disorders. 



Among the Indians it was used by 

 the squaws to assist parturition. A 

 decoction was made and taken several 

 times daily two or three months prior 

 to the expected time of confinement, 

 in order that the period of labor 

 might be rendered more easily accom- 

 plished. 



I have, in quite a number of in- 

 stances, used in his practice, a tinct- 

 ure made from the fresh plant for this 

 purpose, with apparently beneficial 

 results in some instances. Dr. Finley 

 Ellingwood, an eclectic authority, in 

 his work, "A Systematic Treatise on 

 Materia Medica and Therapeutics," 



endorses MitcJiclla very strongly as a 

 parturient. 



Among homoeopathic physicians 

 Mitchella does not seem to be used to 

 the extent that it is used by the 

 eclectics, although fairly satisfactory 

 proviugs are found in Allen's "The 

 Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Med- 

 ica, '' and also in Hale's "Materia 

 Medica and Special Therapeutics of 

 the New Remedies." These proviugs 

 were made some years ago 03' Dr. P. 

 H. Hale and Dr. T. C. Duncan. 



The especial field of action which 

 Mitchella repens seems to occupy, be» 

 sides its uterine action, is on the 

 mucous membranes in various ca- 

 tarrhal conditions, especially bron- 

 chitis. I have used it with apparently 

 beneficial results in such cases; and, 

 also in several cases of gastritis. The 

 provings of this plant indicate that it 

 should be of service in these cases and 

 practice bears it out. 



Bald Eagle Freed 



By Frank E. Parks, Stoneham, Mass. 



A bald eagle was liberated on Sun- 

 day afternoon, December 20, 1903, 

 from the Appalachian Mountain Club 

 observatory on the top of Bear Hill, 

 Stoneham, Mass. The eagle had been 

 in the possession of Ernest Harold 

 Baynes for several months, while he 

 has been studying it. Mr. Baynes is 

 well known as a naturalist and writer 

 illustrating his articles with photo- 

 graphs taken by himself. He writes 

 for Munsey, Outing, Woman's Home 

 Companion, Collier's Weekly, New 

 York Times, Boston Herald, Photo 

 Era and many others. 



The eagle measured seven feet one 

 and one-half inches from tip to tip of 

 its wing when spread, and weighed 

 twelve pounds. 



The eagle was taken from Mr. Bay- 

 nes' places with his talons tied to- 

 gether and his wings strapped to his 

 body. This was done so he would 

 not hurt anyone, for the minute Mr. 

 Baynes untied him he snapped and 



