Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-07-14
A Good Model.

have lately been visiting gentleman
whom should like to tell about He lives
on the banks of the Delaware river, not
far from Trenton, New Jersey.
1t is very delightful to talk with this
gentleman. and to see how well he ID ac'
ausinted with the birds and the four foot
ed animals of his district, all of which are
under mia Jealous protection. He has half
= dozen little tracts within mile of
his house. each of which is tenanted by
partly different class OF plants and ami
malg, 80 that there is never any lack OF
variety II ais studies. Tle truth of this
will not seem clear to you at first, perhaps,
because you are accustomed to think that,
in order TO find any great diversity in out
door life. you must search through great
spaces OF country. But my friends farm
would show you that great many
little differences are ordinarily overlooked,
which, when you come to know them, are
seen to be real and important. And this
can be proven ii one place about as well as
II another.
For instance, it is easy TO divide the es-
tate l am speaking of into four districts, go
far as natural history is concerned. First,
there are the upland fields and house-gs
dens second, the steep hillside, grown
dense with trees and tangled shrubbery !;
next, the broad, treeless, lowland mead
sws; and lastly, the creek, with its still,
shaded waters, marshy hooks and tiowery
banks.
Now, while there are many trees, bushes
and weeds that are common to all these
four districts, it is equally true that each
of the districts has number of plants and
animals that are not to be found in the
others. You would not expect to get
Water-snakes, muskrats or any wading
birds on the high fields behind the house,
nor do the woodchucks, quslls, and vesper-
sparrows of the hilltop go down among
the sycsnlores by the creek. One quickly
gets hint here of the great fact that any
species OF animal or plant may be spread
over whole State, or half the continent,
yet, nevertheless, be found only on that
kind Of gUound which is best suited to it.
One of the first things a naturalist has to
learn, therefore, in respect to an animal
whose habits ne wishes TO study, is what
sort of surroundings it loves, and he
will be surprised, particularly in the case
of the smaller creatures, to learn how care
full animals are in this matter, since upon
it, as a rule, depends their food and safety.
There are certain snails, for example,
which my friend finds in one corner of his
farm and never anywhere else, A pair OF
Bewicks wrens have lived in his wagon
house for some years, bat they are the
only pair in the whole county. 1t would
be no use for him to lock anywhere than
on his bush-grown hillside for The worm
eating warbler, the morning warbler, or
the chat, though his gardens up above
entice many other birds. Similarly, if the
bird called the rail decides to make its
home on his land, it will not settle along
the creek, but in marshy part of his
meadows. might mention large num-
Der of these examples, but these will
suffice.
For more than twenty years my friend
has been diligently studying this single
square mile around his house. One would
think he knew it pretty well by this time,
and he does-better, believe, than any
other square mile is known in the United
States. He can tell you, and has written
down, a hundred things about our common
animals which are resl news; yet he thinks
that he has only begun, and is finding out
something more every few days.-[Ss.
Nicholas.