126 
The Naturalists’ Companion. 
BIRD ARRIVALS. 
The following is a list of the arrivals 
of biids in this vicinity, taken from 
personal observations. We do not 
claim, however, that these are the dates 
on which the birds first arrived, but are 
the dates on which they were first seen by 
us. Would it not be a good idea for oui 
readers to take similar observations and 
send the same to us for publication in 
our Correspondence column ? 
March 17th—Robins and Bluebirds 
made their first appearance to-day. 
March 20th—Meadow Lark heard in 
the fields to-day. 
March 21st—Song Sparrows plentiful; 
seen a flock of Brewer’s Blackbirds; one 
Red-shouldered Hawk ; Shore Larks 
plentiful; one Killdeer Plover, 
Crows, Woodpeckers and Creepers 
were very plentiful during the entire 
winter. 
PUBLISHERS JYOTICE. 
Necessity compelled that we issue the 
February and March numbers combined, 
in order to catch up. Now that we 
have accomplished this end, we intend 
hereafter to be on time, come what may. 
We know that we have very ungratelully 
neglected our paper and our subscribers 
in the past, but we now sincerely prom¬ 
ise to amend our ways, and in the future 
to issue a paper second to none. We 
will probably enlarge with the next issue, 
and shall, as heretofore,use illustrations. 
We have also secured a number of first- 
class writers, who will endeavor to in¬ 
struct and entertain all who cast their 
lot with us. Our subscription price is 
low and within the reach of all, and we 
now ask for the co-operation of all per¬ 
sons interested in this king of science 
—Natural History—to aid us in placing 
the Naturalists’ Companion in the 
front rank of scientific journalism. 
FOSSIL FERJVS. 
'Fhinking an article on the fossil ferns 
of this section might be of interest to 
your many readers, I will begin by stat¬ 
ing that this famous fossil bed is in 
Grundy County, Illinois. The bed is 
about three-fourths of a mile long, and 
situated in the bed of a creek. The 
fossils are about twenty feet from the 
surface, imbeded in steatite, inside an 
iron-stone nodule, shaped like a kidney. 
On being broken open the fern, plant 
or animal remains are beautifully traced, 
nearly equal to life. I believe there has 
been between three and four hundred 
species classified from this locality. 
The more common are neurop'i iris hir- 
SUTA, PECOPTIRIS MIXTA and PECOPTIRIS 
viLLOSA. Owing to constant collecting 
for many years, fossils are becoming 
quite difficult to obtain. Another draw¬ 
back is that a few individuals are trying 
to control the entire ground for money¬ 
making purposes, and asking outrageous 
prices for the fossils ; and having bought 
the sole right to collect, keep many 
enthusiastic collectors at bay. 
O. D. Walbridge, 
Marseilles, Ills, 
Mr. Kraus’s '‘Biography of Darwin” 
contains a number of the naturalist’s 
letters. 
Professor Oscar Schmidt, the great 
zoologist, is dead at Strasburg, age 
sixty-four years. He was the first to dis¬ 
cover in Goethe’s writings that poet’s 
affinity with the later teachings of Dar¬ 
win. 
