The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
725 
wort. It differs ijrom the other only in 
that the lobes of the leaves are pointed— 
not oval. 
The family to which the Ilepatiea and 
the other plants named belong is the 
crowfoot or buttercup family ( Ranun - 
culaceae). The common Ilepatiea is lie- 
patica triloba, and the pointed leaf Ile- 
patica is Ilepatiea aeutiloba. Those of 
you who study Latin will see the con¬ 
nection of these scientific names. The 
botanies say that the Ilepatiea has "six 
to 12 sepals, blue, purplish or nearly 
white.” There are no true petals. 
Those who answered this puzzle cor¬ 
rectly in time to print the names were: 
New York State: Katharine French. 
Isabelle Doremus, Ruth Truesdale and 
Margareta Carlson. 
New Jersey: Eva Goldblatt. 
Pennsylvania: Martha Hanley. 
Connecticut: E. E. W. 
Speaking of wild flowers, there are 
several questions that have come up re¬ 
cently. One boy asks for the name of 
some book that will help him to identify 
the flowers. There are a number of good 
books, and choice between them is largely 
a personal matter. Your editor likes the 
“Fioldbook of American Wild Flowers,” 
by Matthews, published by G. P. Put¬ 
nam’s Sons. New York City. Then there 
is the little pocket “Flower Guide,” by 
Reed, published by Doubleday, Page & 
Co., Garden City, N. Y. Among others 
are “How to Know the Wild Flowers,” 
by Dana, published by Charles Scribner’s 
Sons, New York City, and "Guide to the 
Wild Flowers,” by l.oun.sborry, published 
by Frederick S. Stokes & Co.. New York 
City. Perhaps this is list enough. 
A reader asks about the Spring beauty 
or Claytonia. Who will send a good de- 
l/UPRtA>P'?L 
°K 
Hepnt i ci\. 
“Liverwort or Jlcputica ” 
Drawn by Isabelle Doremus, New York 
description or drawing of this flower? A 
girl writes that her school is conducting 
a contest in collecting different kinds of 
wild flowers. Your editor feels that while 
such a contest will be helpful in learning 
the flowers, it should he conducted very 
carefully in order that rare species may 
not be destroyed. Some of our most, 
beautiful wild flowers, like the trailing 
arbutus and the pink lady’s-slipper, have 
almost disappeared because of thought¬ 
less picking. 
What Is It? 
The new Nature Puzzle comes from 
Sylvia Randall, a 10-year-old New York 
reader: 
In our garden there is n beautifully 
made little creature which can do things 
no human being can do. It makes out of 
its own body a rope strong enough for 
it to walk on, yet so fine and straight that 
it is used in making the most delicate 
optical instruments. So thin is it that 
100 of its strands make only the thick¬ 
ness of a hair; so strong that it serves 
as a net to entrap prey and can with¬ 
stand rain, wind, frost and heat. See, 
here is one of our little friends up in the 
attic! It has four pairs of legs, a body 
in two pieces and eight little eyes, so no 
wonder it can see all about it. It is very 
helpful to men. What do you think it is 
mimed? 
• What to Read 
These are busy days in school, and out 
of school our interest centers in the 
world of growing, living things. We have 
not as much time for reading as in the 
long, dark evenings of Winter. Still, I 
am sure that we are not neglecting books 
al ogether. Stormy days come now and 
then, and the week-end holidays, and 
soon the long vacation will be here. It is 
well always to have a few good books 
close at hand. Then we can turn to 
them when we feel like it. 
Out for a Good Time 
Picture sent by Mr. Henry Vanderloon, 
New York 
You now have the names of 12 books 
and four poems that we have spoken 
about on Our Page since the first of the 
year. Here are four more titles: 
“Hollow Tree Nights and Days,” by 
Albert Bigelow Paine. 
“Emmy l.ou,” by George Madden Mar¬ 
tin. 
“Theodore Roosevelt's Letters to His 
Children,” edited by .1. B. Bishop. 
Poem: "June” (in "The Vision of Sir 
Larnfol”), by James Russell Lowell. 
Make note of these with the others and 
if you have not read all of them, resolve 
to do so at the first opportunity. Also 
send in a 1.50-word write-up of one of 
them that yon have read and enjoyed. 
Write-ups on the April titles were re¬ 
ceived ns follows: 
THE I.ITTLE COLONEL 
By Annie Fellows Johnston 
The Little Colonel is a very interesting 
story about a little Southern girl. Her 
name is Lloyd, but she is called “Little 
Colonel” because her temper is like her 
grandfather’s temper. He is always called 
the Colonel by his friends. Lloyd’s moth¬ 
er married a Northern man against the 
old Colonel’s wishes. He said. “1 will 
not speak to you again. Nor will I let 
yon inside of my gates.” The Little Col¬ 
onel steals strawberries from her grand¬ 
father’s garden, and steals a place in liis 
heart, at last bringing peace and happi¬ 
ness to them all. Vesta mason, 
Massachusetts. 10 years. 
THE SECRET GARDEN 
By Frances Hodgson Burnett 
I wish every girl and boy could read 
“The Secret Garden." I received this 
book for first prize for sewing when I 
was nine years old. That was four years 
ago. It was the first book I ever read 
through and I liked it very much. It is 
a beautiful story of a garden in Spring¬ 
time in England. IIow it helped to make 
ft weak, lame boy well and strong again, 
an,, a very yellow and sickly Mary, full 
ot life anil health. The story has some 
mystery while Mary is in the house with 
more than 100 rooms and the lame boy 
hidden in one of them. The story gives 
full descriptions of an English village, 
moor, and gardens which are described 
wonderfully. I have also read "The 
Lost Prince." “The Shuttle" and some 
others by the same author. These books 
I have enjoyed greatly, evagoldblatt. 
New Jersey. 
TANGLEWOOD TALES 
By Nathaniel Hawthorne 
"The Minotaur.” which is the first of 
these stories, tells how Theseus journeyed 
to his father's palace at Athens. He 
overcame the many terrors of the way 
and later killed the miuotaur. 
"The Pygmies" were very small people 
who were the children of Mother Earth. 
Their giant brother Antmus was killed in 
a fight with Hercules. 
In “The Dragon's Teeth.” Princess Eu- 
ropa was carried away by a white bull. 
Her mother and brothers searched but 
never found her. 
“Circe’s Palace" tells of the adventures 
of Ulysses and his companions on the 
enchanted island where Circe lived. 
‘“The Pomegranate Seeds” tells how 
Prosperina was stolen by King Pluto, 
and of the sad wanderings of her mother 
searching for her. She returned to live 
one-half of each year with her mother. 
"The Golden Fleece" tells of the many 
perils which Jason overcame in order to 
get the golden fleece. GLADYS feldberg. 
New York. 
THE SANDPIPER 
By Celia Thaxtor 
The home of Celia Thnxter was on an 
island off the coast of New Hampshire. 
In the poem “The Sandpiper” she pic¬ 
tures herself and the sandpiper flitting 
along the beach gathering driftwood bo 
fore a storm. She tells ns some of her 
thoughts as she watches the sandpiper. 
She tells how the waves reach up for the 
driftwood, and also how the wind raves 
for it. She describes the clouds as sul¬ 
len and ghostly. Way out on the horizon 
she strains her eyes and gees the close- 
reefed vessels flying in the tempest. The 
sandpiper sings a sweet yet mournful 
soDg as he skims along with her. She 
wonders where it will stay during the 
night, but knows that it will be as safe as 
she, for they are both God’s children, and 
He will take care of them. 
Helen ellwanger, 11 years. 
Delaware. 
Write-ups on this poem were also re¬ 
ceived from Dorothy Vincent and Mar¬ 
tha Hanley, Pennsylvania readers, and 
from Gladys Feldberg, New York. 
Let’s Draw Some More 
Would you believe that it is a year 
since we had those interesting sets of 
drawings on Our Page? You remember 
that each month for several mouths we 
gave a little rhyme ahout which to draw 
a picture. Then the month following 
we printed the best drawings that came 
in. We all enjoyed that, and I think it 
will be good fun and good practice to have 
some more of them, if you are agreeable 
to take bold and do your best. I am 
sure you are, so here is a rhyme for next 
month’s drawings : 
Early one morning I saw Sue and Jim, 
Out in the garden, with rows neat and 
trim, 
Hoeing and weeding their vegetables 
fine— 
If you try you can give us tlie picture in 
line. 
Make your drawing in ink if possible, 
but if not do your best in pencil. At any 
rate, use smooth, heavy paper. Of course 
I need not say that we want your own 
original design—not a copied drawing. 
One other thing: Be sure to send your 
drawing promptly. It should reach me 
within a week after you receive this 
paper. Now then, let’s see what a pic¬ 
ture gallery of gardens we can have next 
month ! In addition to printing the best 
of the drawings, we will give some hon¬ 
orable mentions and the names of all 
those who send drawings. We will call 
them “Our Artists.” 
Nuts to Crack 
The answers to last month’s “nuts” 
are: 
1. A riddle—“Coal.” A number sent 
this. 
2. An enigma—"Rural New-Yorker.” 
The words that give you the key to the 
letters are “your,” "ark,” “reel” and 
"wren.” A few solved this. 
3. A problem. No one told bow to 
pipe the three houses to the three wells 
without crossing pipes. One boy sug¬ 
gested that the last pipe put in (which 
always gives the trouble) to run under 
one house. Can anyone solve this puz¬ 
zle? I am told it can be done, but will 
have to see it to believe it. Work a bit 
more on it. 
For next time here is 
1. A Problem, Buy 100 animals for 
$100. Pay $10 apiece for calves, $3 
apiece for pigs, and 50 cents apiece for 
chickens. How many will there be of 
each?—Herman Barbara, New Jersey. 
2. A Riddle. 
I went to the woods and got it, 
I sat down and looked at it; 
The more I looked at it the less I liked 
it, 
And I brought it home because I could 
n’t help it. 
—Anna Veargason, Pennsylvania. 
Notes 
The lines in the box were written by 
Eleanor Hart, an 11-year-old Massachu¬ 
setts reader. The idea she expresses is a 
very interesting one, that even though we 
are scattered in our many separate 
Tteo Families X Three Boys Each — 
Plenty of Fun 
Picture sent by Mr. Clark Williams, Neio 
York 
homes, Our Page seems to bring us all to¬ 
gether in a spirit of friendship. That is 
exactly what we want to do, isn’t it? 
The picture on the opposite page of 
the curious fish was sent by Mr. B. R. 
Mordtbrop of Connecticut. He said it 
was found dead on the beach, and wanted 
to know whether any of our readers 
Could identify it. “It was brown above 
and white below, with an enormous head 
and mouth. It had three spines which 
could be moved by means of certain mus¬ 
cles. It bad many long filaments with 
glittering tops. The fins were nearly 
white and the tail almost black. Its en¬ 
tire length was about 3 ft. What is it? 
Before the next page you will have en¬ 
tered the long vacation season. I hope it 
will be a happy time for you all, with 
play anil work combined, and with new 
knowledge gained of many interesting 
things in the world about you. Do not 
forget that Our Page goes on just the 
same. Take a few moments of your holi¬ 
day time and write to me. Follow some 
of the many suggestions we are making, 
or tell what you are doing that is worth 
while. Mail your letter to Edward M. 
Tuttle in care of The Rural New-Yorker, 
333 West 30th St., New York City. 
Good-by. Don’t get sick eating straw¬ 
berries. 
flume of Our Friends at Play in Arizona 
Picture sent by Mrs. Harry Carter, Nevada 
