Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-07-28
A Good Model.


have lately been visiting gentle
man whom l 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 is
acquainted with the birds and the four.
footed animals of his district, all o.
which are under his 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 animals, so that
there is never any lack of variety in his
studies. The truth of this will not
seem clear to you at first, perhaps, be-
cause you are accustomed to think that,
in order to find any great diversity in
outdoor life, you must search through
great spaces of country. But my
friends farm would show you that a
great many little differences are or
dinarily overlooked, which, when you
come to know them, are seen to be real
and important. And this can be proven
in one place about as well as in an
other.
For instance, it is easy to divide the
estate l am speaking of into four dis
tricts, so far as natural history is con-
cerned. First, there are the upland
fields and house-gardens; second, the
steep hillside, grown dense with trees
and tangled shrubbery; next, the broad,
treeless, lowland meadows; and lastly,
the creek; with its still, shaded waters,
marshy hooks, and tlowery banks.
Now, while there are many trees,
bushes and weeds that are common to
all these four districts, it is also true
that each of the districts has a 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 wood
chucks, quails and vesper-sparrows of
the hilltop go down among the syca-
mores by the creek. One quickly gets
a hint here of the great fact that any
species of animal or plant may be
spread over a whole State, or half the
continent, yet, nevertheless, be found
only on that kind of ground which is
best suited to it. One of the first things
naturalist has to learn, therefore, in
respect to an animal whose habits he
wishes TO study, is what sort of sur
roundings it loves, and he will be sur
prised, particularly in the case of the
smaller creatures, to learn how careful
animals are in this matter, since upon
it, as 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 Bewick's wrens have
lived in his wagon-house for some
years, but they are the only pair in the
whole county. 1t would be no use for
him to look anywhere than on his BUSH
grown hillside for the worm-eating
warbler, the .morningF warbler, or the
chat, though his gardens up above en-
tice 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 a marshy part of his
meadows. / might mention large
number 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, / be-
lieve, than any other square mile is
known in the United States. He can
tell you, and has written down, hun
dred things about our common animals
which are real news; yet he thinks that
he has only begun, and is finding out
something more every few days.
Ernest IngerS0H, IN 81. Nicholas.