158 
XL 
MAY 25th. 
Spiders' Webs. — White and Red Death. — Violets. — Breeches Flower.—- 
Dandelion. — Plum Blossoms. — Hmiiming-bird — its beauty, activity, 
habits — ^interesting Anecdote — peculiar mode of flight. — Scarlet 
Tanagers. — Crows. — Raven. — Black-poll Warbler. — Song Sparrow. — 
Snow-bird. — Cat-bird. — Perfume from the Maple. — Leafing of the Ash 
— White and Brown Ash. — Native Fishes. — Shad — Maskilonge — 
Sturgeon — White Dolphin. — Seals. — ^Common Dolphin. — Capture of 
one.— Strange cetaceous Animal. — Caterpillars. — Orange Comma Butter- 
fly. — Butternut. — Moose wood. — ■ Basswood. — Red Currant. — Great 
horned Owl. — Striped Squirrel. — Red Squirrel — its playful tricks — agi- 
lity. — Anecdote. — Other Squirrels. 
Charles. — We can scarcely take a walk in the dewy 
morning without feeling our faces come in contact with 
the fine gossamer webs^ which are stretched from fence to 
fence, and from tree to tree. They are so slight as to be 
invisible, except when the light is directly reflected from 
them, but the tickling sensation when they touch the face 
detects them in a moment. How does the spider manage 
to stretch his web through the air from one point to another 
so far distant, as he has no power of flight ? 
Father. — That is a very curious inquiry, and one which 
has given rise to much research and experiment, and much 
controversy ; and yet it does not appear that the point is 
settled. Some maintain that the spider has the power of 
shooting out long filaments of silk in any direction, which 
are waved by the wind till they are entangled in some object ; 
others affirm that the wind is necessary to produce these 
