A NATURALIST'S CALENDAR. By Geo. M. Thomson, F.L S.

Otago Witness, Issue 2571, 24 June 1903, Page 45

A NATURALIST'S CALENDAR. By Geo. M. Thomson, F.L S.

JUNE. During the past year or two I have frequently been asked to resume the publication of those " Notes by the Wayside," which appeared from time to time in the columns of this journal through the courtesy of the editor. But the value of euch papers is just proportional to tho amount of original observation which they contain ; nnd consequently they cannot readily be written to order, but must dcpenel more or less on the opportunities which the writer has of using Ins eytw, and on the time at his leisure. Both cf thc&o ha\e been lacking to mo of late, hence the "Notes" have not been forthcoming. But quite recently, in connection with a course of lectures w hich I have been delivering to teachers, tho requoi.t has been made that I should write a sort of calendar — not a record of the things which havo been observed in the past months, but of thoso v. Inch aie to bo seen in the weeks to come. This is a icry much more difficult thing to do. Anyone with a facile pen and a little knowledge of Nature could, in the Old Country, write suoh a calondar from boote, just as gardeners can do for each month of the year, because there 13 to much available literature on the subject. But here I know of almost nothing that has been written, except in the way of newspaper articles, and thci-c aro not easily referred to ; while my own note-books are often mctst scant in their references just whero one would like them to have been full. There is another difficulty which will be readily recognistd, and that is tho difference in time between cintercint parts of the same district or neighbourhood. Elevation and exposure have the same effect in retarding or promoting vegetation that distance fiom the equator has. Thus tho average vegetation on the top of the ridge at Roslyn or Morning! on is very much later in developing flowers or fruit then at is down on the Flat, while in a valley or hollow running in a more or less east and west direction, the slope facing to the south, may be weeks behind that looking to tho sun. Bearing these facts in mind, I w.Il endeavour to direct tho attention of those who are interested in such subjects to some aspects of Nature in the coming month. June is not the ideal month of the year in which to commence natural history studies. The year has mot yet touched its deadest stage, because, though the sun reaches its furthcrest north point towards the £cd of the month, the mean temperature is not so low as that of July, and the ground has not become so cold and wet as it is in August. Tlio naturalist who has been at all bu>y during tho pa.=t sea?on is more likely to find congenial occupation in the study of his collections- by the fireside and by lamplight than in the field or roadside. And yet there is much to be seen, if one only knows whero to look for it. Nature i.s not dead, but only in part ttilcep, and in the leaflu?s branches and tader th» ground there is the constant stirring of the life whioh is preparing to break forth in fresh vigour with the advent of Bpiing. Tho thrushos also eing on the tree tojjs, tho na-tive birds, which come in towards" cultivations and human habitations at the beginning of winter— korimaVre, tomtila, wax-eyes, and fantails,— ire still to be ,onn and heard about the bush and gardens ; and the skylarks begin to foar heavenwards, —all in anticipation of the nashng season which is soon to begin. Butterflicfl (especially Vanessa gonenlla. tho so-called Red Admirals) aro occasionally to be mot with on bright days and in sunny nooks, and tho firet example whioh I met with tho pretty Vanessa itra was sent me from Sadd'.o Hill one t-lear, frosty June. Occasionally humble bees rashly venture out 111 search of food; of course the?o aro only large queens, founders of th" noxt season v co'onies, and they have probably made their nests on sunny bank., facing tho north. But under bark md dead l.^e«. nmoncj the decayed and decaying rubbish of tho btuu, and buried in the. ground aro numberk.,B forira of insect Jif<\ much of it in the chmalia sta<je preparing for the transformation which is to bo ernsummated later, it is •• tjm' of transition. Most plants have entered on tlw-ir period of%npare«t r,-fc in this month; the fruits havo" mo<tlv disappeared, and tho s^<vis aro now commit tod t-o the soil to soft™, swell, and get ready for their iisiblo germination in Dip coming summer. But many of the succulent-fruited plants still carry their fruits, and this ia the time to «>o thfin Tho object of thr^ siirouUit fruits (berriM, as they aro usua'ly oa-11-d) 13 to bo attractive to fruit-eat.nt? bird-, v.hion swallow them and thu-? distribute tr-o "«*>d«. Thus I find that out of 103 kinds of natiyr tre.w and shrubs whioh jrrow in the n«uenboiirhood of Dunedin. 59. or more than oi.e-hVf bear «"eh Micculent fruits, while nine fPanax, and others like it) aro eerui-M.r-euVerk..

In mild seasons following warm summers T ha\e orca-ioually found a f < w oarlv flowers of fuchsia and kowhai in the morin of June, but as a rue thore ari> Rcarc-ely any flowers to bo met with. On the ot ur ham], non-flowering plants can be rmtlily studied during the winter months. I- ems and mtv?=«s arc in fino sponng conc.ition, and many of tho liverworts throw up tlK.r capsule* "on slender white. sUlks. which opr-n at the top like miniature crosses i>" Juno is pre-eminerrtlv tho month in which to look for curious fungi, many of which t.ro beautiful and interesting. One of t'no cemmom^t is a lcr'4o IV-Miu, a l)1 B brown toadstool, which frcquc-ntly ocour3 ui.der pine trees, and i>, pMiiaps. an mtro-t'uoi-d spevir-s. It matures ihxouglKmt the autuiiiii and winter .nonths, l.ut sex-ms to be in ore abundant clurr.ij; Jn.o than at any other t'ir.e, t'> jmige by ontr>> in n>y note-books. A» it becomes fully mature

its upper skin acquires a slimy appearance, while its stalk and underside turn yellow. It is not an Agaric like a mushroom, which has its spore organs borne on plates or "" gills," but the whole underside ot its umbrella is made up of very numerous fine tubes, on the walls of which the spores are developed. Thoy are probably set free by the liquifying of the ti«ue« when they got washed away by the winter rains. This Boletu3 13 edible — as indeed many toadstools are, — and when properly cooked is not bad eating. If firm, young specimens are taken, the thin tipper skin peeled off, a.nd the lower yellowish tube-bearing portion removed, the remainder is found to be whito like a firm mushroom, having muoh the samo smell, though not so good a flavour when cooked. Another odiblo fungus to be found in Juno is named Eeodictyon eihariurn. I am not responsible for such names, so will not apologise for them, only pointing out that that if we aro to speak of these plants specifically \>o must use tho names which botanists have given them. This is a subterranean fungus, something like the famous morels and truffles which fetch suoh a high price in Europe, and, being go, it is not possj'olo to s^av bofoiehand where it may be looked for. In woods in the southwest of England whero truffles occur 1 believe pigs are u^d to find them, the animals being driven away from the spots whcie they begin to root up the ground vigorously. But in Franco trained poodles aro used for tho same purpose. I have littlo doubt tho Maoris ato this fungus, and perhaps knew how and where to look for it. At the edible stage it is like a large soft potato, tho rough brown i*h skin covering a thick jelly-like mass ; but when mature and ready to distribute its spores the inside is found to havo developed a network of tubes a3 thick as one's little finger, and forming a laxge whito basket-like frame several inch-ea in diameter. Tim expands so much that it is not only bursts open the enveloping skin, but throws up the soil, and thus bocom's exposed. If a little of the brownish slime which occurs on the whito tubes is examined under the microscope it is seen to consist of innumerable oblong fcporc'S. Among the numerous other fungi to be looked for in June, two are deserving of special mention on account of their brililiant colour. Hj'grophorus cyaneus is a bright sky-blue and rather raro species ; but Aseroe rubra, which is not uncommon, is a red and very attractive form. It stands an inch or two off tho ground, and opera otit like a fine red starfish, with several radiating arms. But handle it circumspectly, for its smell is most offensive, just like putrid carrion. Evidently it is meant to be \isited l>y carrion flies, which either themselves or by their maggots help co disseminate tho spores. But why ehou'd it develop its attractions in winter, and. indeed, why are &o many fungi brightly and often delicately eolovtred? These are questions I cannot ai^swer satisfactorily.

June corresponds roughly to December in the Old Country, but, as everyone knows, the seasons axe not marked here aa they are there. Ths reason of this is not well known, nor is it apparent at first, though the following is perhaps a correct explanation. In the Northern Hemisphere the marks of a comparatively recent glacial period are stamped on all Nature, in erratic boulders and etnatrd rocks, in lake basins and deposi.ts of clay; many plants lose their leaves on the approach of winter, many others die down to the ground, others do not survive the winter at all; many animals a\so pass through a dormant or hybe mating period In these Fouthem regions the conditions point to a somewhat milder climate in comparatively recent times: no New Zealand tree is absolutely deciduous, though several become so in the South Island and in inland regions where the winter frosts are keen, very few die down to tho ground, and only a few of the truly indigenous speoiee are annuals. This may or may not be the correct explanation ; it is the only one I can offor. Dunedin, May 28, 1903.