12 Bulletin 1, Biological Society of Washington, 1918. 



docile horse, which concealed him from the view, approached 

 slowly, until he brought them within the reach of his gun. 



"By an act of 1730, the shooting of deer was prohibited 

 from the first of January to the first of August. The pen- 

 alty was four hundred pounds of tobacco. By other acts of 

 1728, any master, mistress, owner of a family, or single tax- 

 able person, was obliged to produce yearly, to the justice of 

 the county, three squirrel-scalps, or crows' heads. The pen- 

 alty in this case was three pounds of tobacco. A premium 

 of two pounds was given for every scalp more than three. 

 The reward for a wolf's head was two hundred pounds. 



"Annalostan Island abounds with birds of various kinds. 

 The catbird (Musicapa vertice nigra — Catesby) is almost 

 tame. When its nest is in danger, it makes a loud noise, 

 and seems as if it would tear the face of the person who 

 approached it. We saw in the garden a partridge nest, 

 containing nineteen eggs. The humming-bird (Trochilus 

 colubris) frequents (p. 149) this place. When caught, it 

 feigns death, like the opossum (Didelphis opossum), and, 

 by this means, escapes from the hand. We saw one thus 

 escape from the pretty hand of Mrs. B— e. 



"The mocking-bird (Turdus polyglottus) does not frequent 

 this island, though it is seen on the adjacent borders of the 

 river. Perhaps it has been expelled by the crow black-bird 

 (Qracula quiscula), its natural enemy, which swarms in this 

 place. It is a pity that so enchanting a spot is deprived of 

 the notes of this inimitable songster." (p. 150.) 



Mr. Warden's observations on the method used by the 

 terrapin to soften the earth before digging, and on the hum- 

 ming bird feigning death are highly original and his mention 

 of food found in the stomach of the painted terrapin 

 undoubtedly is the first record of the food of this reptile 

 based on scientific investigation. Besides the scattering 

 natural history notes in Mr. Warden's book, the volume 

 contains also the first formal lists of plants (142 species) 

 of the District of Columbia, of birds (32 species), and of a 

 group of insects (5 species of butterflies) that ever were 

 published. Mr. Warden's book thus marks the beginning of 

 scientific description of our natural history. 



