48 
BY THE WAYSIDE. 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
Published on the fifteenth of each month. 
The official organ of the Wisconsin and Illinois Audu¬ 
bon Societies. 
Twenty=five cents per year. Single copies, three cents. 
All communications should be sent to Mrs. G. W. 
Peckham, 646 Marshall St., Milwaukee, Wis. 
In the Plymouth Review, Mrs. Gaffron tells 
of a find of giant puff-balls, one of which 
measured 46 inches in circumference. Her story 
recalls an incident that happened at the resi¬ 
dence of Mrs. C. A. Leuthstion, of Hartland, 
Wis. The members of the household were aston¬ 
ished one afternoon to see the boy of the family 
drive up with a carriage load of these beauti¬ 
ful mushrooms. He looked as though he were 
sitting in the midst of an enormous, snow-white 
featherbed, that came billowing out all around 
him. The largest specimen was a true giant, 
measuring nine feet in circumference, and 
weighing ten pounds. When cut open it pre¬ 
sented a delicious ice-creamy appearance. 
Slices fried in batter tasted like egg-plant, 
and were eaten with enthusiastic delight by 
some members of the family. 
A Sad Tale. 
In 1901 a pair of phoebes built their nest 
above the side door of our cottage in the coun¬ 
try. The little family came into the world 
and went off into the world in apparently 
excellent condition. 
In 1902 probably the same couple started 
housekeeping in the old nest. Four eggs were 
laid, four little birds came out, but by and 
by cne fell or jumped out of the nest on to the 
veranda. We took it up and found it covered 
with thousands of little lice. We looked into 
the nest and found the others in the same sad 
condition. I brought insect powder from the 
city in the evening to sprinkle over them, but 
on looking into the nest the young birds were 
all dead! Did the lice kill the birds or did the. 
lice come because they were sickly and going 
to die at any rate? Was it the result of the 
old birds being too lazy to build a new and 
clean nest? I am told that nearly all wild 
birds have lice on them; it is true? 
J. Overton. 
Mr. Frank M. Chapman, editor of Bird-Lore, 
says : 
“I fear I cannot answer these questions 
definitely. However, it is a common thing for 
the nest of the Phoebe to be infested with 
parasites which sometimes become so abundant 
that they apparently kill the young. Why 
parasites should be more abundant in Phoebes’ 
nests than in the nests of other birds I can¬ 
not say. Possibly the nature of the nesting 
material may make a favorable home for them. 
At any rate they inhabit the nest after the 
young have left it. It is true that nearly 
all wild birds have external parasites of one 
kind or another and there are some very in- 
teresting cases of relationship in widely sep¬ 
arately (geographically) nearly allied birds. 
You will find this subject discussed in Ver¬ 
non Kellogg’s ‘Mallophaga,’ published, I think, 
by the California Academy of Sciences.” 
The First Rose of Summer. 
‘‘Oh, dear! is Summer over?” 
I heard a rosebud moan, 
When first her eyes she opened, 
And found she was alone. 
“Oh, why did Summer leave me, 
Little me, belated ? 
Where are the other roses? 
I think they might have waited!” 
Soon the little rosebud 
Saw to her surprise 
Other roses opening. 
So she dried her eyes. 
Then I heard her laughing 
Gayly in the sun, 
1 thought the Summer over; 
Why, it’s only just begun!” 
—From St. Nicholas. 
God’s poet hid in foliage green 
Sings endless songs himself unseen; 
Right seldom come his silent times. 
Linger, ve summer hours serene! 
Sing on, dear thrush, amid the lines! 
Thou mellow angel of the air! 
('loser to God art thou than I; 
His minstrel thou, whose brown wings flv 
Through silent {ether’s sunnier climes. 
Ah, never may thy music die! 
Sing on, dear thrush, amid the limes! 
—From Mortimer Collins. 
