6 
HARTLAND NATURE CLUB 
aquarium studies in America. Elizabeth was one of the first 
persons in the United States to maintain a fresh water aquarium, 
and William, who thru his vocation was identified, as part 
owner and as credit man, with the Tiffany jewelry house of 
New York, made a career thru his avocation also, as a natural¬ 
ist. Barnum, in 1863, acquired the Boston Aquarial Gardens. A 
fishing smack was chartered, William Damon was placed in 
charge, Albert S. Bickmore was appointed collector, and they 
got over 600 fine specimens. The trip led to the publication of 
Damon's book, “Ocean Wonders”, to the popularity of Bermuda 
as a resort for Americans, to the later career of Bickmore for 
a quarter of a century as Curator of Education in the Natural 
History Museum of New York, to the establishment of the New 
York City Aquarium, now at Battery Park, and to the building 
of the present comfortable quarters of the Hartland Nature 
Club, as shall herein after be related. 
The club member, already mentioned as facetiously des¬ 
cribed by Dr. Brown in the Congregationalist, was Byron P. 
Ruggles, a self-taught natural history student to whom the 
formation of the club probably meant more than to any one 
other person. He had in earlier days shared his lore and inter¬ 
ests with two other men of genius, Mr. W. F. English, the 
veteran inventor, and Mr. E. M. Goodwin, a teacher and collector. 
These three took “days off” together from farm or shop; they 
collected and exchanged specimens of minerals, shells, plants, 
birds' eggs and insects, and thus touched hands with far lands. 
Some members of the club had delightful memories of 
occasions when they had the privilege of seeing these collections. 
Who can measure the subtle influence of such opportunities? 
The club was a wonderful outlet to Mr. Ruggles. All recall 
with pleasure the joy that shone from his face when he pulled 
from a well-filled pocket one of his “short papers that would 
take only a very few minutes to read.” It always proved to be 
full of rare humor. 
His paper on Snail Swamp is one of the club's choicest 
possessions. My pleasantest recollection of him is of his con¬ 
ducting us through this swamp and the beautiful adjoining 
woodland. He knew every step of the way. From a life-time's 
association, inanimate things were to him animate. He knew 
and addressed trees, flowers and shrubs as if they understood 
him. He pointed here, to where a giant pine had fallen, reveal¬ 
ing its age by its annular rings; there, to where some rare 
