irds is found to be greatest. When
the weather is clear and fair many smaller birds, like robins,
sparrows, doves, cuckoos, rail, snipe, etc., will circle about the
light all night long, leaving only when the light is extinguished in
the morning. Large cranes show themselves to be almost dangerous
visitors. Recently one of these weighing 40 pounds struck the wrought
iron guard railing about the lantern with such force as to bend the
iron slats and to completely sever his long neck from his body.--_N.Y.
Times_.

* * * * *

[THE GARDEN.]

THE HORNBEAMS.

The genus Carpinis is widely distributed throughout the temperate
regions of the northern hemisphere. There are nine species known to
botanists, most of them being middle-sized trees. In addition to those
mentioned below, figures of which are herewith given, there are four
species from Japan and one from the Himalayan region which do not yet
seem to have found their way to this country; these five are therefore
omitted. All are deciduous trees, and every one is thoroughly
deserving of cultivation. The origin of the English name is quaintly
explained by Gerard in his "Herbal" as follows: "The wood," he says,
"in time, waxeth so hard, that the toughness and hardness of it may be
rather compared to horn than unto wood, and therefore it was called
horne-beam or hardbeam."

[Illustration: CARPINUS ORIENTALIS.]

_Carpinus Betulus_,[1] the common hornbeam, as is the case with so
many of our native or widely cultivated trees, exhibits considerable
variation in habit, and also in foliage characters. Some of the more
striking of these, those which have received names in nurseries, etc.,
and are propagated on account of their distinctive peculiarities, are
described below. In a wild state C. Betulus occurs in Europe from
Gothland southward, and extends also into West Asia. Although
apparently an undoubted native in the southern counties of England, it
appears to have no claim to be considered indigenous as far as the
northern counties are concerned; it has also been planted wherever it
occurs in Ireland.

[Footnote 1: IDENTIFICATION.--Carpinus Betulus, L., Loudon,
"Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum," vol. iii., p. 2004; Encycl.
of Trees and Shrubs, 917. Boswell Syme, "English Botany," vol.
viii., p. 176, tab. 1293; Koch, "Dendrologie," zweit. theil.
zweit. abtheil., p. 2: Hooker, "Student's Flora of the British
Islands,