Page:Early Spring in Massachusetts (1881).djvu/79

Rh the fur countries." Aud. Synopsis. They have a sharp bill, black legs and claws, and a bright crimson crown or frontlet, in the male reaching to the base of the bill, with, in his case, a delicate rose or carmine on the breast and rump. Though this is described in Nuttall as an occasional visitor in the winter, it has been the prevailing bird here this winter.

Yesterday I got my grape cuttings. The day before went to the Corner spring to look at the tufts of green grass Was pleased with the sight of the yellow osiers of the golden willow and the red of the cornel, now colors are so rare. Saw the green fine-threaded conferva in a ditch, commonly called frog spittle. Brought it home in my pocket and it expanded again in a tumbler. It appeared quite a fresh growth, with what looked like filmy air-bubbles as big as large shot in its midst.

The Secretary of the Association for the Advancement of Science requested me, as he probably has thousands of others, by a printed circular letter from Washington, the other day, to fill the blanks against certain questions, among which the most important one was what branch of science I was specially interested in, using the term science in the most comprehensive sense possible. Now, though I could state to a select few that department of human inquiry