In ripening, the rows of seeds with their birdlike coverings have loosened from the stem of the cone, and are now held together by the The brook foamed madly over the stones along by the old road, and farther down spread out now and then into broad pools in the flat WHITE BIRCH. places. On both sides were touches of bright green in the grasses, clovers, and fivefingers. All around were chestnut-trees, whose bark, we saw, was very rough and deeply furrowed; we learned that the reason was, the interior of trees grew faster each year than the bark, and so the bark was cracked open instead of being smooth like birches and others. When we found a stump we counted the rings to see how old it was; we noticed how wide the rings were, and did not wonder that their growth had split the bark. hard scale at the end unlocks the The sturdy black birch scatters its seeds in a similar manner. One winter day I saw a hungry little brown bird opening this small THE YELLOW Storehouse of seeds with its bill. W. C. K. SEEDS OF THE "WE WILL WRITE TO ST. NICHOLAS ABOUT IT." KEEPING THE EYES OPEN IN WINTER WOODS. PARK HILL, YONKERS, N. Y. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I have been interested in Nature and Science since it was first issued, and now I look for the department one of the first things when I open a new number. My mother also is greatly pleased with it, as she is a great lover of nature, and she wants me to tell you of the walk we took this morning through the winter woods. The wood road was badly cut up by the rains, and we had a good opportunity to study the formation and growth of river systems. We noticed that the tiny streams carried grains of sand, and that when they curved and twisted they cut away the little banks on the outer curve and deposited the sand, or earth, on the inner curve, making one side sloping and the other steep. This was because the current was slower on the inner side and could not carry such a heavy load. There were many little streams that finally united in one. In one place I noted that two little streams left a point of earth where they united, and because one was swifter than the other it cut its channel deeper and captured all the water, and By the brook and in the woods were tall, graceful, dry flowers, of all shades of brown, that looked so pretty against the dark trunks of the trees. It is very pleasant to discover for myself the curious things I read about in your department. I find that our walks are much more interesting since I have begun to keep my eyes open. Sincerely yours, MABEL M. JOHNS. The outer bark is dead, and is thus merely a protecting overcoat. A ring of wood is formed each year under the bark, and there is also a similar new growth in the bark. The part next to the wood grows woody. Botanists call Hello, hello, you down there! I'm the nuthatch. Who are you?" I got very wet, but I enjoyed the morning very much. On my way home I found some Christmas ferns, as green as in the summer. And when I went to pick them I found the new fronds all ready to uncurl. They looked very warm and nice, with a fuzzy blanket of whitish brown over them. So good-by, ST. NICHOLAS. It will soon be time for the next number. And I shall be glad. I like the Nature and Science part One of your readers, ASA STOWE (age 14). The white-breasted nuthatch hammers and pecks away at the bark much like a woodpecker, but is not considered a member of the woodpecker family, but of the somewhat similar nuthatch family. It is very amusing to watch its acrobatic antics, and one can't help laughing to see it stretch out from the tree, head downward, and peer inquisitively, as if to say, "Don't you think I am a funny bird? What are you here for, anyway?" It can run along on the under side of the limb as easily as on the upper side, and down the tree as well as up. Indeed, it seems even to prefer the under-side and head-downward methods of searching for insects in the bark. The woodpecker well may despair of this feat— So much is clear; but I fain would know Audubon and some later ornithologists tell us that the nuthatch sleeps head downward. It surely spends much of the day in that position or hanging to the under side of a branch, like a fly to the ceiling. Our young folks, in their visits to the woods in early spring, will please notice that the last year's fronds of the Christmas fern are still fresh and green, and that "low down among them, curled up like young caterpillars, are the young fronds." THE CHRISTMAS FERNS IN THE WOODS IN EARLY SPRING. In the summer the fronds are nearly erect; in the winter they "hug" closely to the ground, forming green rosettes that are all the more beautiful from their sharp contrast with the bare trees and shrubs, and the brown Idead leaves covering the ground. THE YOUNG FRONDS. 'My Narrow Escape," but the narrow escape of some other person. Others were excluded because they were too long, or on both sides of the paper, or were not properly indorsed, or failed to bear the author's age; and some good stories dealt directly with Christmas or Fourth of July, and these would not do for March at all. As for poems, there were oversights in these too, and one very pretty stanza went all awry at the end by trying to rhyme "leaves" with "wreaths,' which won't do at all unless you pronounce it "reaves," and only very little folks would do that. The new competition for chapters has already attracted much attention, and bids fair to be one of the most important League features yet undertaken. It closes March 31, and there is still a month in which to organize a chapter and get up a "prize entertainment," and those who have been procrastinating will find that a great deal may be done in a month if they will begin immediately and move swiftly during the coming weeks. For the benefit of those who did not see the February number, this Chapter Prize Offer is repeated in full on the last League page. BY PERCY JAMIESON, AGE 17. (GOLD BADGE.) Silver badges, Theodora Maud North (age 11), Edgerton, Wis., and Harold R. Norris (age 9), Ivoryton, Conn. PROSE. Gold badges, Helen L.. Collins (age 17), 320 Classon Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y., and Katharine L. Whitin (age 14), Whitinsville, Mass. Silver badges, Mary M. B. Arbuckle (age 16), Cranch St., Quincy, Mass., Madeleine Fuller McDowell (age 8), care of H. B. McDowell, Lawrence Park, Bronxville, N. Y., and Ernest H. Wood (age 14), 5601 Madison Ave., Chicago, Ill. DRAWING. Cash prize, Yvonne Jequier (age 16), Faubourg du Crêt 5, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Gold badges, Hazel May Matthews (age 12), 260 Canfield Ave. West, Detroit, Mich., and Percy Jamieson (age 17), Morgan Park, Ill. Silver badges, Arthur D. Fuller (age 12), 80 Court WILD-ANIMAL AND BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY. First prize, "Adirondack Deer," by John Schiess (age 14), 20 Ellery St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Second prize, "Wild Ducks," by Clarence Hauthaway (age 15), 1043 Beacon St., Brookline, Mass. Third prize, "Wild Duck," by Dean M. Kennedy (age 14), Madison, S. D. PUZZLE-MAKING. Gold badge, Sara Lawrence Kellogg (age 15), Ridley Park, Pa. Silver badges, Richard Ellis (age 11), 8 Audubon Place, New Orleans, La., and Kendall Morse (age 12), 49 Spring St., Carbondale, Pa. HOPES FULFILLED. BY TERESA COHEN (AGE 9). (Gold Badge.) THE trees once more are clothed in leaves and buds, The snow has melted from the meadow drear; The sparrow on the branches to his mate Chirps forth his hope that spring will soon be here. The ice chains of the glistening brook are gone, The earth again is clothed in grass so green; Above the verdure, sparkling with the dew, Bright butterflies and humming bees are seen. Now shine like stars amid the grass the flowers; The woods with sweetest melodies now ring, For all the birds have, with the sweetest songs, Come back to hail the coming of the spring. |