Clinton's introductory discourse. 61 



(called by the farmers the canker worm bird) never seen before nor 

 since, and which devoured that destructive vermin with great voracity. 

 There are birds that sometimes stay with us the whole year, and at 

 other times depart : this depends upon the mildness of the weather, and 

 the quantity of food. With the ancients, husbandry was regulated by 

 the appearance of particular birds, and calendars of Flora have been 

 kept in different parts of Europe, embracing this and other objects 

 which are calculated to be highly useful. I do not know that any 

 calendar of this kind has been made in this state; but any person pos- 

 sessed of any talent for observation might easily compile one, which, in 

 order to be complete, ought to contain an account of the leafing and 

 flowering of plants and trees, the progress of vegetation, the departure 



and return of birds, and corroot moloor/ilckgioa.1 observations. 



When on this subject it may not be amiss to draw your attention to 

 a very striking difference between the country east and west of the 

 Alleghany Mountains in this state, which is to be observed very distinctly 

 in relation to birds, plants, and quadrupeds, and which formerly applied 

 to the Aborigines. At the first settlement by Europeans, the Indian 

 population was greater on the west than on the east side of the moun- 

 tains. I have seen that beautiful bird the loxia cardinalis in our western 

 country, and I believe it never appears here : there are other birds that 

 follow the cultivation of the country from the east : this is the case with 

 the crow ;* in some of the western parts of our country he is not to be 

 observed ; the raven supplies his place ; and it is conjectured that 

 several of the migrating birds come up on our side of the mountains 

 and return on the west. There are several trees and plants in that part 



• 

 * See Note T. 



