SCARE-CROWS. 
103 
tures find out where maize has been planted. For two or three 
weeks, at this season, they are very troublesome until the grain 
has outgrown its seed character, and taken root. They do not 
seem to attack other grains much ; — at least, scare-crows are never 
seen in other fields. 
The chipmucks, or ground-squirrels, are also veiy miscliievous 
hi the maize-fields ; and the blue-jay follows thei same bad ex- 
ample occasionally. In autumn, the king-birds, in addition to 
the others, attack the ripe grain also, so that the maize has many 
enemies. 
A thunder-shower passed over the village in the afternoon, and 
in the course of an hour the thermometer fell 20 degrees. 
Tuesday, 5th. — Charming, cloudless day; fresh air from the 
west rusthng among the new leaves. Stroll in the woods ; flow- 
ers blooming abundantly. The wood betony, with its yellow 
heads, makes quite a show this season ; there is more of it than 
usual, and it is quite ornamental on that account. 
The different varieties of Solomon's seal — all elegant plants — 
are now in bloom. The wise King of Israel must have set his 
stamp upon many roots in these western forests ; for the flowers 
of the tribe are very numerous here, especially the false spike- 
nard, the delicate two-leaved Solomon's seal, or bead-ruby, and 
the Clintonia, with yellow lily-like flowers and large blue berries. 
The tufted convallaria bifolia, or bead-ruby, is one of our most 
common wood plants, very much like that of Europe, although 
the flowerets are larger. It is singularly slow in the progress of 
its fruit. The cluster of berries forms early in June, but requires 
all summer to ripen ; at first they are green and opaque, like wax ; 
then, in July, they become speckled with red; in August the 
