
          849.

385
Feb. 7, 1903.  Repeated a portion of last Saturday's trip and then went to
Furnace Branch.  I left home about 7 a.m.  To-day, I went through [illegible]
place and took the path along he river.  I stopped a few moments at
McC's to learn something about the evergreens near the house.  Mr. McC.
said he had only the Norway Spruce.  Right in front of the home, he
has a fine specimen of the Purple Beech.  I think it the largest and
prettiest specimen I have yet seen.  Another <s>specimen</s> plant which he
has that interested me, is the Euonymus variegata, a climber. It is
evergreen, and its leaves are beautifully white-margined.  Leaving Mr. Mel.
I continued my trip to the Skunk Cabbage swamp.  On my way passed
many crows that were feeding on the shore.  At another place were
a number of smaller birds, almost black on the back but lighter beneath.
They were about the size of the English sparrow.  They were continually twittering.
Near-by, high up in a tall tree was quite a large bird, perhaps a
hawk.  At another place, I observed a large Sumach, Rhus glabra,
the tallest specimen I think I have ever seen.  It was more than 30 ft. 
high and had a trunk nearly 6 inches in diameter.  I entered the swampy grounds
and began my observations on the Symplocarpus.  In one place, I found, coiled
up nicely, a torpid snake (hog nose).  I thought I would try an experiment with him
to see if heat would bring him to life.  I therefore made a small fire with leaves
        