Riverbend School for Girls - Vox Fluminis Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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Page Fifteen VOX FLUMINIS NATURE STUDY OUR BIRDS When spring comes, with it arrives many of our feathered friends who have spent the long winter in various countries. Among the first arrivals that are attracted to Riverbend's beautiful grounds are the robin, the flicker and the junco. Then a little later we find the oriole, a blaze of color, and sometimes if ,we are fortunate, we might catch a glimpse of the scarlet tanager. Around the latter part of May, we may distinguish during the day, the songs of the brown thrasher, cat bird, rose-breasted grosbeak, and all the numerous summer warblers. Very often, the tiny humming bird is attracted to our bushes of lilacs and other flowers. The road towards the Lower Fort Garry which follows the Red River, gives glimpses of numbers of water birds such as the cormorants. many varieties of ducks, gulls and flocks of geese which are all on their journey north. Beside swamps, which are also passed on the road, we often see the red-winged blackbird and its lively relation, the yellow headed black- bird. Gn reaching the Lower Fort, many more opportunities to find birds nesting in several places reveal themselves. Une time, my friend and I found a phoebe's nest on a rafter of an old buildingg in it were four eggs which hatched later on in the summer. She nests there every year. Our summer is short in Manitoba, and this year, spring is very late, which means also that the birds are two weeks later in arriving. But in spite of the weather, it is said that we have a much larger show of bird life than many places. -Ruth Wood. Grade IX. LIFE HISTORY OF A BEAR There is a big black bear out at the park who has a brown muzzleg this year she has two young cubs who are both black like herself. If these cubs were wild, they would go around with their mother and she would teach them how to live. After that she would chase them away to live as best they could by themselves. They would make their home in rocks and would hunt for ants and other such insects found in rotten trees. They like berries very much and fishing is a delightful way in which they spend many hours. Bears look very clumsy but there is nothing swifter than their big paws and when the bears get angry they become very unpleasant.

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VOX FL U MAI N I S Page Fourteen At our first meeting, held May 4th, we voted for officers. Those elected were Morna Kenny, President, Iris Norman, Secretary, Mary Harris, Vice-President and VVinnifred Ruth Maclntyre, Treasurer. , The aim of the Society is to teach the girls appreciation for animals. A Poster Competition is being held, the winners of which will receive marks for their houses, but owing to the fact that the club has started so 1'ecently,,there has not been much time for other activities. We know that after its enthusiastic beginning, the club will be a success. A -Agnes Richardson, Grade VIII. A 'fe' , 1 - L, fi' I C 4. Q .lj 3 1: . .K f.-2 11.1 - - , 2' - , , , KINDERGARTEN Puff! Pulfl Up the grade of learning comes the merry, clattering Kindergarten train, carefully piloted by the engineer, Mrs. Campbell. ' Now for the passengers-fair haired, bonny Bill Guy, blue eyed John and his wee sister, curly haired Danny and Marilyn, roguish but loving Giovana and Donald and then the old reliables, Marianne, Mary Elizabeth, Sherry, Eleanor and Elspeth and lastly, Molly, who is the late comer. What is in the baggage car-rosy cheeked harvest apples, Hallowe'en cats, Christmas cards, valentines, shamrocks, etc.-a whole year's work. Now our journey is nearly ended and we can all look back on the many happy hours we have spent together. a

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VOX FLUMINIS Page Sixteen In the fall the cubs which would be full grown, would grow very fat. As winter sets in the female would find a cave for herself. In this she would sleep all winter. feeding on the fat stored in her body. Very early in the spring when she wakes up, her cubs would be born. These cubs, until flve weeks old, would be blind and would have no hair. -Morna Kenny, Grade VIII. THE FLOWERS OF THE YEAR Daffodils are the flrst plants of the year that are started in the house. The little bulbs are peeled and planted in large flower pots and put into a dark room where they are left until the little green sprouts appear. They are then taken to the light where the buds form and bloom. In the early spring, as soon as the snow leaves the ground, crocuses and scilla appear. The scilla when planted. are tiny bulbs, whose roots reach down into the earthg they are cultivated flowers. but the crocus grows wild in the country. Both the scilla and crocuses have their leaves growing right from the bulb. The crocus is mauve and the scilla is blue. I In May. the annuals are planted in long flats and put in the green house. In about a week the boxes are green with tiny plants like weeds. They are then transplanted into other boxes much farther apart and they grow up very well. At the end of May, they are again transplanted into the garden beds and by the middle of July, stocks, petunias, antirrhinum, salvias, and many others are blooming. Gladiola bulbs are planted in the middle of May and two or three weeks later, they are all up and some are ready to bloom. They are often put into flower shows and they make a very beautiful show. Delphinium is another very lovely flower which starts to sprout in the early spring. It is of several colors with black and yellow and white centres. It is a very tall plant. It is found in whiteg pale, medium and dark blue and also light and dark purple. Chrysanthemums are the most important winter flowers and the show of them at the City Park is one of VVinnipeg's sights. They take a long time to grow and are planted very early in the year. The range of color goes from yellow and white to pale mauve. The yellow and white spray 'mums are very beautiful and grow to quite a height. There are bronze and red ones and many lovely shades. The flowers start to b-loom about Christmas and continue for two or three weeks. i -Pat Murray, Grade VII.