June 22, 1912 
FOREST AND STREAM 
791 
Nature Study on Long Island 
By W. G. BOWDOIN 
M ISS LOUISA BRUCKMAN, B.S., was the 
leader at the Brooklyn Institute Field 
Meeting at Cold Spring Harbor, L. I., 
June I. 
When Cold Spring Harbor was reached, the 
first find was celandine, a common weed natural¬ 
ized from Europe, of the poppy family, and its 
saffron juice stains whatever it touches. It is 
John McCallum. 
called ‘‘the swallow” because its flowers appear 
with the swallows. Its fresh juice was used by 
the fathers of medicine as an application for 
corns and warts. It should be used cautiously, 
however, as it is extremely irritating. It now 
enters into no official preparations. The plants 
found had progressed so far as to have de¬ 
veloped the seed pods. 
The sweet cicely found nearby had seeds 
that were very similar to those of the beggar- 
ticks, which stick closer than a brother. The 
cicely seeds were in the making and the prongs 
were soft and unable to take the strangle hold 
they will take later on. 
By the winding road along which the party 
wandered care free, was growing a young ash. 
It was covered with many galls, because of 
which the leaves were curling and covered with 
gall of a purple tint. Cutting one of these galls 
open, a wiggling mass of maggots was revealed. 
Other galls were observed later on an old ash 
tree; some on maple leaves gave a polka dot 
effect to these leaves; some that grew on a wild 
cherry were fully half an inch in height and had 
curious growths that resembled moss growths, 
while others grew on various oaks. On cutting 
open one of the oak galls but a single larva was 
found, which exemplified something of the 
variety in the life history of gall insects. From 
one of the oak galls we have the nut gall of 
commerce which enters so largely into the manu¬ 
facture of inks and writing fluids. 
A number of nettles grew by the roadside. 
MISS JACOBS. 
MISS BRAINERD. 
These had stinging hairs, containing pure formic 
acid that is similar to the poison secreted by cer¬ 
tain of the ants. 
Thistles with barbarous spines that might 
easily have caused the barefooted soldier to cry 
out with pain, and thus brought about the salva¬ 
tion of Scotland and her admiration for the 
thistle, grew about. Bouncing bet, called by John 
Burroughs a ‘‘vegetable tramp,” was next found. 
It has a backyardish appearance, though culti¬ 
vated to some extent. 
The leader was interested in milkweeds, look¬ 
ing them carefully over to find out if the mon¬ 
arch butterfly had laid her eggs upon any of 
the plants. As it was early for the butterfly, no 
eggs were found. 
Along the wayside ran a little brook, and 
on its banks grew the veronica, otherwise the 
water speedwell. It belongs to the figworts. 
This flower was a favorite with Rousseau. In 
England it is also called ‘‘eye-bright” fluellin and 
Paul’s betony. On the specimen found was a 
small green bug with brown trimmings all 
around him. He presented a fine example of 
protective coloration, for when he was at rest 
the eye of the observer could with great diffi¬ 
culty distinguish between it and the plant. 
Entering the preserve of Mary E. Jones, 
trailing bindweeds were recognized. Then sweet 
bay bushes from whence we have the bayberry 
candles of ye olden time that frequently figure 
in the art craft shops. The legend is that if 
you burn these candles on Hallowe’en, all 
witches, pixeys and little devils will be discom¬ 
forted and put to flight. Wood sorrels grow at 
Cold Spring Harbor as elsewhere, and when they 
gain a foothold they are hard to eradicate. 
Some blue toadflax was next found. The 
country folk call it 
‘‘butter-and-eggs.” The 
juice of the toadflax is 
expressed, and when 
mixed with milk is 
sometimes used as a 
cosmetic. It is also 
used to attract flies in 
these days when young 
and old are campaign¬ 
ing to “swat the fly.” 
The old monks culti¬ 
vated it as a garden 
flower. Wild ipecac, 
red in color instead of 
the usual green, fell 
to our search. From 
this plant and its Bra¬ 
zilian relatives we have 
ipecacuanha, of the 
materia medica. It is 
useful as an emetic. 
Wild ipecac is related 
to snow-on-mountain. 
Many of the mosses are everywhere at Cold 
Spring Flarbor. Some of these forms of plant 
life met with in the Jones’ reservation were the 
coral tipped mosses, the tops of which are bril¬ 
liant red, the pigeon wheat moss, with capsules, 
and the so-called cup mosses. Suddenly along 
the narrow wood road came a horseman wear¬ 
ing a soft hat and sitting easily upon his mount. 
It was Theodore Roosevelt. He raised his hat 
in passing, and the botanists forgot their wild 
nature study until he was out of sight. 
Resuming the study of botanical life, next 
in order came pitch pine trees upon some of 
which were embryo cones. On other similar trees 
in the same locality were the same cones, but of 
the second year of life. Some arbutus still lin¬ 
gered, the blooms long since passed. 
Passing bj'’ sundry monuments marked “J” 
and the pumping station on the left, the nature 
students came upon a young tulip tree. The 
blooms emanated a sweet perfume. The petals 
began with a study in green that went off into 
soft and patternated orange that merged again 
into green, making a color combination that no 
painter can excel in charm. The leader gave a 
little lesson on the tulip tree leaf development 
that was illustrated by living examples derived 
from the tree under which the lesson was given. 
The tulip woods make a beautiful trim, much 
used in interior decoration. 
Many magnificent wild azaleas were growing 
in luxuriant abundance all along the line. 
In a shallow pool by the wayside grew 
masses of duckweed. This is free floating and 
resembles green scum upon the water’s surface. 
-Darting here and there beneath the duckwed 
were many of the smaller polywogs. Duckweed 
is sometimes used to make a balanced aquarium. 
Passing quickly by pepper grass, shepherd’s 
purse, a giant sycamore tree, with peeling bark 
that makes it look scarred, a linden tree with 
winged seeds that fairly fly in seed dispersal, hop 
clover and several mushrooms including the 
Collybia plafypJiylla, the explorers came to the 
New York Fishery Commission Building (1887) 
where trout hatching is extensively conducted. 
Nearby is the Biological Laboratory of the 
Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, whose 
session for the current year begins on June 26, 
(Conliuued on page 804.) 
