78 



NATURAL SCIENCE NEWS. 



shape of its peculiar flowers, and 

 also, but improperly, as sycamore. 

 Mr. Thompson gives excellent 

 reasons why this species should 

 be selected; among others, that it 

 is of a strictly American genus, and 

 belonging to the distinguished 

 magnolia family. Besides which, 

 it is beneficial in several ways, and 

 is found growing both at the north 

 and south and of quite general dis- 

 persion. The flowers of the white- 

 wood appear late in spring. They 

 are large, cup-shaped and are 

 agreeable to behold, and stately, 

 as might be supposed from their 

 parent tree. The blossoms are of 

 a yellowish color, tinged with 

 green and orange. 



Without entering into a detailed 

 account of the suggestions offered 

 as to our National flower, with a 

 full list of favorites enrolled by 

 various persons, we will nominate 

 a modest little flower. Reference 

 is made to the wind flower, or ane- 

 mone, as it is commonly called. 



Swayed by happy May-day breeze 



Within the woodland bright; 

 Beneath the grand old forest trees 



In gossamer of white; 

 Waving, nodding, fair and free; 

 Charming, sweet anemone. 

 By the brook-side growing fair 



With dew thy chalice wet. 

 Snowy cup of beauty rare 



Who can thee forget'' 

 Trembling, tossing, wild and free; 

 Unadoi-ned anemone. 

 The trillium of changing hue 



Bends over thee, above, 

 The gentle violet so true 



Exhales its fragrant love. 

 Shaking wav'ring merrily, 

 Spotless, pure anemone. 

 Not one of all the garden flowers 



Can ever claim with me 

 The mem'ry of those happy hours 



I've passed in spring with thee. 

 Blushing in thy modesty 

 Delicate anemone. 



I wish that space would permit 

 of a partial description of this 

 charming, delicate creation. But 

 then, who is there who has strolled 

 in the woods and pastures in the 

 month of May, and has not met 

 with the anemones, wake-robin, 

 spring-beauty, adders tongue and 

 a dozen others. My readers must 

 acknowledge that our choice of a 

 National flower must come from 

 the early spring blossoms, for it is 

 to these that our affections chiefly 

 tend, while we consistently ignore 

 the later, but more showy flowers 

 of summer. 



The Biggest Goose- 



I heard the other day an amusing 

 tale of a cettain well-known English 

 nobleman, who had imported two emus 

 with the hope of breeding from them, 

 and on leaving his estate for town left 

 also strict injunctions that the greatest 

 care should be taken of the lady emu, 



if she produced the desired egg or eggs. 

 The egg arrived in due course, but as 

 artists have found before now, the 

 lady declined to "sit." The steward 

 however, was an ingenious man, and 

 thought of a substitute, but his powers 

 of composition were by no means on a 

 par with his inventiveness, and he an- 

 nounced the interesting event to his 

 master in the following terms: 



"The emu has laid an egg, but we 

 were in a great difficulty, as she would 

 not sit on it. I did what I thought was 

 best, and in your lordship's absence I 

 have placed the egg under the biggest 

 goose on the estate." — Pall Mall Ga- 

 zette. 



'Substantial" Material for 

 Nest. 



A $10 bill, which had mysterious- 

 ly disappeared, was recovered by 

 Assistant Coin Teller Phil Turpin 

 of the sub-treasury in a peculiar 

 manner. He has a beautiful farm 

 out on Cliff creek, near the Little 

 Miami river. In that section birds 

 fairly abound. One evening Mr. 

 Turpin was getting ready to attend 

 a soiree at his next neighbor's in 

 Newtown, about two miles distant. 

 The weather was unusually warm, 

 and he left the windows of his 

 room open, says the Cincinnati En 

 quirer. 



Mr. Turpin had taken his money, 

 among which was a $10 bill, and 

 laid it on a center table, intending 

 to put it in a pocket of his other 

 trousers. The room is at the cor- 

 ner of the house, and has windows 

 on both sides. 



He stationed himself at one of 

 the windows and commenced to 

 shave. The birds were singing 

 outside and flying about the house 

 and through the open windows, 

 while others were busy in trees 

 building nests. It was luxury to 

 shave amid such surroundings, 

 and when Mr. Turpin finished he 

 looked sleeker than ever. After 

 washing he prepared to don his 

 Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. 

 After he arranged his necktie to 

 give the best effect he went to the 

 center table and began picking up 

 his money, but was not a little sur- 

 prised to find a $10 bill missing. 

 He thought that the wind might 

 have blown it on the floor, and he 

 began looking there for it. 



After a long time spent in vain 

 he gave up the search there. He 

 then went out into the yard and 

 began hunting among the flowers 

 and grass for it, thinking that it 

 might have been blown through 

 the open window, but had to go 

 to that soiree minus a $10 note. 



Day before yesterday the severe 

 windstorm blew a robin's nest out 



of a tree near the front porch. 

 Mr. Turpin picked the nest up and 

 was about to cast it away, when 

 he noticed what seemed to be a 

 piece of paper of peculiar color. 

 He examined it, and found it to be 

 currency of some denomination, but 

 it was not until he had carefully 

 torn the nest apart that he discov- 

 ered it to be a $10 bill. It was 

 apparently the one he had lost a 

 couple of weeks ago, a bird having 

 flown into the room and snatched 

 up the money. The bill was in 

 pretty bad condition, and he re- 

 deemed it at the treasury. 



To All Michigan Observers. 



BULLETIN. 



In a previous Bulletin sugges- 

 tions were offered to Michigan Ob- 

 servers relative to the taking of 

 notes on our birds. Present re- 

 turns indicate that good results 

 are to be the outcome of our com- 

 bined efforts, and that the final 

 compilation of these observations 

 will bring forth many new facts. 



Our State is fortunate in possess- 

 ing many observers of birds, but 

 there are other branches of scien- 

 tific interest which should also 

 command our attention and it is 

 indeed unfortunate that but slight 

 incentive has been offered to our 

 collectors toward forming collec- 

 tions and studying these interest- 

 ing branches. 



Among the various divisions of 

 animal life are the Classes Batra- 

 chia and Reptilia; and with the 

 exception of a very few collectors 

 among us, comparatively nothing 

 is known regarding these interest- 

 ing animals. 



It is within the province of 

 the Michigan Academy to study 

 all branches of science, and it is 

 hoped and expected that the ob- 

 aervers in animated Nature will so 

 divide their forces as to thorough- 

 ly cover the ground, and gain for 

 Michigan an equality with 

 Sister States. It may be said that 

 the true naturalist is not one who 

 is confined to a single branch of 

 study; for though a specialty may 

 be followed, still an observer of 

 merit will find much to interest 

 him in other departments besides 

 that of his or her selected pursuit. 



The following suggestions are 

 offered to Michigan Observers with 

 the hope that many new facts will 

 be brought to light regarding Rep- 

 tiles and Batrachians. There 

 are known to be twenty-one spe- 



