Walter Deane papers

115

Elms, Wells, Me. 1901 Sept. 4 (4)

In the morning on the beach I saw a Tern (Sterna sp.) fishing followed by its full grown young. Having caught a fish, the old bird followed by the young landed on the beach when the fish was rapidly transferred to the bill of the offspring who quickly swallowed it and shot out over the water again after its parent. It was a charming bit home bird life.

The Planets This evening was very brilliant and we all were interested in the planets. Venus set rather early. Through the telescope which we set up in the driveway we observed Jupiter and saw the belt and three moons [drawing:] ● ⊘ ● We also saw Saturn and its marvelous rings. About 10 o'clock the waning moon rose and the deep craters were wonderfully clear on the broken edge where the sunset light was falling.

Robert returned this evening having gone to Boston yesterday morning early on business.

I saw thirty one species of birds to-day to twenty-eight yesterday. The number of species during the two days amounts to forty-three. This afternoon we saw several Righfish that flew rattling by.

116

Elms, Wells, Me. 1901 Sept. 5

A bright, clear, sunny, warm day.

It has been very warm and we have taken things quietly. This morning Margaret & Miss C. went in bathing and I accompanied them. I saw another idalia and captured two polyxenes, skipper, and two or three common species. On the beach I saw the flock of Gulls (smithsonianus & marinus) at the river mouth and a number of Terns (Sterna sp.) probably. Smaller beach birds were running on the sand. Sanderlings & Semi-palmated Sandpipers, and by standing still one flock approached within about ten feet of me as they running along thrusting their bills into the wet sand.

Winged ants in winnows on the beach. One remarkable sight I must record. The tide was low and stretched along the beach far from half to three-quarters of a mile rolled up by the waves was a winnow of myriads of winged ants. The black waving line ran in both directions as far as I could see. While the bulk of them were dead, thousands were alive enough to crawl about, disentangling themselves from the wet masses, which shifted as the swash of the waves crept up the beach, and in diminishing numbers I saw them creeping on the sand at the very head of the beach. I have taken some specimens and shall ask Mr. Sam Henshaw what it means. It seems to be a heavy migration, perhaps driven out over and into the water. Margaret saw this same thing in Aug. last. I walked round the woods this P.M. but saw nothing special. Gentiana linearis abundant.

117

Elms, Wells, Me. 1901 Sept. 5 (2)

Winged Ants explained. This evening Sept. 11, I called on Mr. Sam Henshaw and told him about the winged ants we found on the beach at The Elms. He said that it was not an uncommon event. The ants found, as it were, a swarm or colony for the parent stock nesting in some hollow tree or similar situation. Much as in the case of bees, a colony starts off and flies to some new locality to start another colony. This colony, that we saw, were flying either over or close to the water and were beaten into it perhaps by the wind, for winged ants are not strong fliers. Then the mass is washed up by the tide, just as we saw them.

Mr. Henshaw said that but little is known in this country of the different species of ants. He was very glad of my specimens especially as representing an ant that was so very abundant.

I captured a few insects on the 5th Sept. and showed them to Mr. Henshaw this evening, the 11th. Pedicia albivitta. Crane Fly. Chrysomela scalaris. A kind of Elm Leaf Beetle. Geotrupes splendidus Dung Beetle. handsome. Stenobothrus maculipennis. Locust, common in pastures. In crossing a large dry pasture, you may stir up 9 or 10 species of Locusts.

118

Elms, Wells, Me. 1901 Sept. 6

A bright, clear, warm day.

Speyeria idalia This morning M. & I walked down to the marshes at the foot of the river. I captured one idalia amd one bellona adn archippus (Viceroy). I saw two other idalias this morning. All that I have seen have been on the broad open grassy field & pasture opposite the house. I have seen eight in all and captured four. This is the Regal Fritillary. The Clouded Sulphur is very abundant every where spangling the fields with golden yellow spots. I have seen comparatively few Cabbage Butterflies (rapae).

Beetles on Juncus [Anisostica seriata, fide S. Henshaw Apr. 10, 1902]

On the marsh by the river was a patch of Juncus balticus littoralis, a rush of the salt marshes. I noticed that where the inflorescence should be, there was a round ball half or three quarters of a inch across. This peculiarity occurred over a space some ten feet square. On examination I found it to consist of a dense mass of a small beetles from five to ten in a brunch. Some were on the stem near the inflorescence. There were evidences of the fruit being eaten, but whether or not by this insect I do not know. I took a number of the beetles home and shall find out later about them from Mr. Henshaw.

Late in the morning I drove to the beach and we drove up to the mouth of the river and got within one hundred yards at least of the Gulls that we sitting and standing

4 Belmont, Mass 1901 Mar. 24 (2)

— Birds — Nine species observed at one spot.

An interesting bird episode on School St. Belmont, north of Washington St. on the slope of the hill where we paused to see & hear what we could. Across the field on our right, perched in the top of a large apple tree, sat a Meadow Lark singing most exquisitely. As I looked at him through my glass. I could plainly see him open wide his mandibles as he sang. He did not move his body. A hundred yards or less to the left, sat a Northern Shrike in the top of a large elm. After remaining there motionless several minutes he swooped off on a downward curve, passed close in front of us and alighted in a small apple tree in which were about a dozen Bronzed Grackles & Redwings. The Shrike was but two or three feet from a Grackle & a Redwing. Some the birds flew off and left him alone. The field about this apple-tree was occupied by a flock of forty Robins and a dozen or more Grackles & Redwings hopping about, feeding. We heard a Flicker [sh??ting], a Bluebird singing and saw two or three Crows. That made nine species that we observed while sitting in the buggy for about ten minutes. I omitted from the list a Song Sparrow —

5 Cambridge, Mass. 1901 April 14

Since my last entry of March 24, spring has been very slowly asserting itself. Most all the time the weather has been cold and chilly. For nearly two weeks past the sun has been invisible, heavy rains following cloudy days and it was a joy to wake up on April 12 and find a cloudless sky. Since then the weather has been glorious. The buds are swelling, and the elms look as if they soon would open out their leaves. Yesterday, the 13th, the Hepaticas were in bloom in the garden (Will Brewster's garden) and this morning I counted twenty little clusters of them, varying in color from white to purple. The Crocuses, Quills and Snow Drops by the Museum door have been in flower for some time, but it is only during the past three days, that under the influence of the bright sun, they have made a really beautifully display.

Friday, the 12th, I took a short drive with David into Belmont. At Kingsley Park I saw my first spring [First butterfly Antiopa] butterflies Antiopa, three or four specimens gaily dancing about in a bright sunny spot. This morning, in the garden I saw Milberti alight on [Milberti] a Crocus flower. It darted off on my approach. Last spring I captured one in the garden — On __ in the apple orchard through which the Parkway runs just north of Brattle Street a few [Tree Sparrows in full song.] rods. I heard a merry flock of Tree Sparrows in full song as they darted after each other from tree to tree. It was a rich melody — I saw my last Shrike on April 10 by the Cambridge [Shrike on April 10.] Hospital near Charles River. Two Fox Sparrows were in the garden in April, and I heard one of them sing several times.

8

BROWN UNIVERSITY PROVIDENCE

A Counter-blast

At the birth of E. L. Rand, There was joy in the land, 'Twas obvious to all That he received a call — By some peculiar mode To straighten out the Code. And often has he since Made even Britton wince. In much the usual way — He studied, we've heard say — But while he loved a plant, No place he had for cant. This counsellor by trade A botanist was made Him, when we found a Club, We Secretary — dub, And as he is no shirk We make him do the work.

119

Elms, Wells, Me. 1901 Sept. 6 (2)

on the sand. There were about one hundred birds in all of which I counted ten Black Beaks, the rest being Herring Gulls, adults & immature birds.

This afternoon Ella, Miss C. & I drove with Mr. Goodwin and the pair in the new carriage. We went to Wells Depot and took the Burnt Mill road round by Cole's Hill home. It was a very pretty drive indeed. The country is very sandy and farming is a difficult operation.

Spizella socialis catching insects in the tree tops.

This morning before breakfast the elms on the south side of the house were full of Chipping Sparrows darting singly and in groups through the high branches with astonishing rapidity, and launching out like a Flycatcher after insects returning again to their perch. At first I was puzzled, but soon I made them out distinctly. I saw one adult feeding a young one, and several times a bird, after his violent gyrations in the tree top would drop down on to the lawn in front of me, and the usual quiet demure way peculiar to the species, would hop about with his companions. There were in the trees and on the lawn at least fifty birds. I saw as many more this afternoon on the drive. The birds were sitting on the telegraph wires. So to-day I have seen at least one hundred Chipping Sparows.

120

1901 Sept. 6 (3)

Zenaida macroura Robert [Lord?] tells me that always during August Morning doves are seen here. This season they have been seen a number of times in the field just beyond the woods through which the road runs. Rye was cut in the filed and the doves were feeding on the grain that had dropped. I visited the spot twice lately but saw none. Howver this morning before breakfast as I was standing by the corner of the house I saw two Doves flying over the field by the flagstaff and over the apple trees by the Hill house.

Planets This evening I took out the telescope again and we examined the different planets. There was a wonderful array: — Venus. In the west clear and brilliant just after sunset, not quite full. Mars. In the west rather low down, red. [drawing:] ⬤ Jupiter. Rather high in the south, unusually clear three moons visible, band clear. [drawing:] ∅ ⬤ ⬤ Saturn. Near Jupiter. The rings were well inclined. [drawing] (⬤)

The sunset was brilliant, with golden clouds.

Beetle on Juncus. (Mr. Sam Henshaw told me this evening that the Beetles of the Juncus seen Sept. 6 were a northern insect, rare near Boston, Anisosticta seriata. He was glad of my specimens. It is 1/4 in. long and looks thus: — [drawing of beetle] yellow with black spots. Sept. 13, 1901)

121

Elms, Wells, Me. 1901 Sept. 7

A clear beautiful but very warm day.

This morning I sat on the piazza part of the morning reading and later I drove to the beach with Margaret & M. Margaret went in bathing. We drove to the mouth of the river where the Gulls were sitting on the sand close to the beaches and got very near before they started up. The surf was very fine, the wind being on shore, and we drove in the other direction to the mouth of the Webhannet River, all over the hard clean, broad beach. The rollers were tumbling in one after another and the sea all of a foam. Only yesterday morning a Mr. Bragoon was drowned while attempting to row over the bar with two boys, in a dory. The bar is very shallow at the mouth of the Webhannet River at low tide and when there is a heavy sea outside the rollers are very high & dangerous, while it is perfectly smooth just inside. The dory filled, Mr. Bragoon was drowned, but the two boys clung to the upturned boat and drifted 1 half a mile for one hour before reaching shore. I talked with one of them do-day. Bragoon leaves a widow & 5 children, poor.

Speyeria idalia This afternoon I strolled over the pasture in front of the house. Saw one tattered idalia. Philodice was abundant, nyrma & bellona & tharos were here & there and hypophleas was occasionally seen. The Gulls were at the river mouth. I counted 200. Saw Kingfisher fishing. Observed the planets tonight Jupiter was thus [drawing]: ∅ ⬤ ⬤ ⬤