The first plant to thrust its head above ground and proclaim the coming of spring is the skunk cabbage, or swamp cabbage. Even before the snow has entirely left, the plant will melt a hole and by its own warmth keep itself from freezing. In many localities at this date the leathery hoods are several inches above the ground. March Sixth In America the cowbird, like the European cuckoo, lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. All of our American cuckoos build their nests and raise their young in a manner creditable to parents. Notes March Seventh Clinging to the cliffs and rocks in the forests, the dark green leathery leaves of the polypody fern are nearly as fresh and green as when first snowed under. Hunt among the clusters until you find a fertile frond, then examine the back of it and see how closely together the spores are placed. March Eighth We will awaken some morning to find that during the night the song sparrows have arrived from the South; not all of them, to be sure, but just a few that are anxious to push North and begin nesting. All winter their merry song has been hushed, but now it gushes forth, not to stop again until the molting season in August. March Ninth A porcupine should never be called a hedgehog. The hedgehog, an insectivorous animal, inhabiting Europe, is not found in the Western Hemisphere. It rolls itself into a ball when attacked, and the spines, which _do not come out_, are shorter, duller, and less formidable than those of the porcupine. [Illustration: Photograph by E. R. Sanborn. EUROPEAN HEDGEHOG] Notes March Tenth People, knowing that the robin is an early spring arrival, are always alert to see or hear the first one. Consequently the first song that catches their ear is supposed to be that of a robin, whereas often it is the spring song of the white-breasted nuthatch, which really has no resemblance to the robin's song. March Eleventh When you see a bird with a crest (not one that simply raises its head feathers) it must be one of the following species: A blue jay, tufted titmouse, pileated woodpecker, cardinal grosbeak, (also called redbird and cardinal), Bohemian waxwing, or a cedar-bird. These are the only birds inhabiting the Eastern States that wear true crests. The belted kingfisher and many of the ducks and herons have ruffs and plumes but these can scarcely be considered crests. March Twelfth Some scientists contend that, owing to their intelligence, ants should rank next to man and before the anthropoid apes. They have soldiers that raid other ant colonies and capture eggs, and when the eggs hatch, the young are kept as slaves; they have nurses that watch and care for the eggs and helpless larvæ, and cows (_Aphids_) that are tended with almost human intelligence. Notes March Thirteenth