The Sunday Oregonian., June 29, 1902, PART FOUR, Page 29, Image 29

THE SUNDAY 0KEG0NIA2, PORTLAND, JUNE 29, 1902.
Z9
This scries of articles Is intended to
suggest a few of the ways in which
a boy's suroundlngs In the country
may furnish him with healthy exercise
and amusement Contrary to the general
belief, city boys are often at a los3 to
know how to amuse themselves in the
country. They do not understand how to
make the most of the splendid opportuni
ties that are at hand. They are accus
tomed to rows of brick houses and miles
of hard, paved streets, and show but
small appreciation of the great stretches
of open country, the mammals, the insects,
the flowers and the woods.
There is a particular class of amute
ments to which boys are much given that
Is but little understood by the older peo
ple. I mean the amusements which have
to do with imagining oneself some
thing quite different from what one really
is. It is usually a vers reckless, blood
thirsty individual whom boys chocse to
represent. Perhaps they form themselves
into a band of outlaws, possibly the fam
ous crew under the lead of Robin Hood;
It may chance that they will turn pirates,
and the leading spirits will be known
as KIdd or Morgan, or else the boys sud
denly become Indians with a chief named
Bitting Bull or Rain-in-the-Face. In
whatever game of this sort the boy may
adopt, a great deal must be imagined.
It was largely to escape rklicule, which
every boy dreads, but partly, aleo, be
cause they liked the Idea of writing in
such a fashion that it could not be read
except by ;thelr own fellows, that a crowd
of boys in the upper part of New York
State was led to evolve a form of cipher
by means of which they could leave mes
GETTXXG READY TO SIGXAI.
---
HUGE NEST OF
THE
YEAR
OT long ago I had the good for
tune to discover from a car win
dow an eagle's nest. In September,
18S9, -while passing North Springfield. O.,
not far from Girard, I noticed in the top
of a dead tree aliuge dark object which
at once aroused my curiosity. This proved
to be a well-known landmark, an aery of
the -white-headed eagle, which had been
occupied for years and was known to
every workman on tho road.
Possibly no one now living in Girard can
remember when there were no eagles nest
ing In their neighborhood. For many
years this pair or their predecessors are
said to have occupied an old shell of a
sycamore in the midst of woods at Miles
grove, Pa., not far from the station. When
this aged tree finally succumbed to the
storm, the second and more famous nest
was begun at North Springfield, in 1SS5.
This lasted 15 years, until January, 1900.
"With the aid of the photographs of this
nest, made in May, 1S99, and actual meas
urements upon the prostrate tree, I was
able to determine the exact dimensions of
the nest itself. It was nine feet tall and
six feet in diameter, and contained enough
wood, earth and stubble to fill a good
sized hay-rack. Until its overthrow it
rested in tho skeleton' arms of a huge
sycamore, which had become reduced to
a shell of bark and rotten wood for many
yards from its base. The top of the nest
was exactly 77 feet from the ground, and
the tree trunk measured 3 feet in its
greatest diameter. The tree suffered a
general collapse in Its fall, but the simple
construction of the nest could easily be
made out. Its foundations and outer walls
were composed of dead sticks of any length
from six inches to four feet, laid cross
STORY OF CLEVER MR. FOX
THE fox about which I am going to
tell you and his mate had two young
ones. And as they were always hun
gry, like most healthy children, he was
out hunting from morning till night, and
often through the night, too, trying to
get them enough to eat. But sometimes
luck was against him, and now and then
Mrs. Fox complained that he was letting
tho children starve.
One day off he started, after telling the
little ones to be good and not worry their
poor mother. As he trotted along he re
flected, "Now it won't pay to go near the
barnyard again today. They will surely
be on tho lookout for me. And I'm not
ashamed to say that I'm. afraid of the
gun, for I can't dodge shot, no matter how
fast I scamper."
Just here he came to the river, and
stopped to look at his own reflection In
the water. "I'm quite a good-looking
fellow," he thought Then his attention
was attracted by some crawfish swimming
along the bottom. A bright idea struck
him.
"I wonder if I can't catch some," he
thought. He tried hard to reach them
with his paw, but they always dodged the
stroke. 6
Still ho wouldn't give u-p. "I've seen
boys fishing with lines," he meditated.
"Why can't I try to fish with my tail?
It's quite long." So. very quietly and cau
tiously he dropsed his tall into the water.
sages intelligible only to a few chosen
spirits.
Unices one was in the Becret. these mes
sages looked like .nothing except a few
sticks and stones scattered by the road
side; but to those who had worked out
the stick and stone alphabet the letters
were perfectly Intelligible.
In playing at being Robin Hood and
his band, which was the chief amuse
ment of the particular set of boys to
V A
5 jf
g
tj-v-jyr
'-O'lWU
p33F
THE SIGNAL
which I have alluded, this means of writ
ing was of great aesletance in gathering
the band, and in making known to late
comers the commands of their redoubt
able leader.
At certain rendezvous, details of the
plan for the day would be left, end in
this way dlfjrarcnt members of the band
could at any time learn where their fel
lows were to be found, and in "what they
AN EAGLE
AERY IS A GIGANTIC AFFAIR AND GROWS LARGER EACH
OF OCCUPANCY BY FRANCIS H. HERRICK
wise and packed closely together. Some
of the larger fagots were two inches thick
and a yard long. The sticks also supported
the center of the nest where the interstices
were filled -with straw, weeds, corn-stubble,
and much earth brought in with the
latter. In consequence of annual repairs
carried on during 15 years, this nest has
risen until it was three feet taller than
broad, while the first year's nest is sev
eral times broader than deen.
Though Its lease may ta short the eagle
chooses well in placing its aery on the
commanding summit of a dead tree which
stands boldly a'galnst the sky, for its home
is always in sight and easily guarded; but,
best of all, it can come and go with per
fect freedom, there being no foliage tr
branches to "interfere with the broad
sweep of its wings. Accordingly I was
a little surprised -to find the new nest not
only in a sycamore which had thus "been
preferred for the third time, but In a live
and healthy one, which seemed good for a
hundred years. It had a girth of 12 feet at
the ground, and a clean, straight bole
without a branch for 60 feet, at which
point it suddenly spread and bent its arms,
forming a spacious and secure support for
a nest of great size. This huge spreading
crotch had evidently attracted the birds,
although close beside it rose a stately tu
lip tree whose "branches touched those of
the sycamore and partly overshadowed
them.
On approaching this nest not a sound
was heard for fully 20 minutes, when sud
denly tho male came upon the scene, and,
circling overhead, sounded his peculiar
alarm, kak! kak! kak! kak! Then, alight
ing In the topmost branch of a dead tree,
he expressed his emotion in the character
istic manner which ho shares, in some de
gree at least, with other birds of kin as
remote as the nlghthawk. "With depressed
head and outstretched neck, with drooped
and quivering wings, his mandibles would
HOW HE FISHED AND HUNTED
FAMILY r BY E. BOYD SMITH
Just above the fish. "Bather cold work." j
he thought. But soon he got a bite. One
of the crawfish had caught his tall with
his claws. Up, with a swish he jerked it
out of water. "With a good nip he made
it let go. Then he sat down and quietly
ate it, smiling all over, The trick struck
him as such a good one that he threw
xback his head and silently laughed, till
he nearly fell Into the water.
He recovered himself, and said seriously,
"I must catch some mora for the chil
dren," and again dropped his line Into the
stream. The crawfish nipped him every
time, and every time he landed them suc
cessfully. "When he thought he had as
many as he could carry, he took them up
in his mouth and started for home. Mrs.
Fox welcomed him and the fish with
sparkling eyes. "I hope the children will
like them!" she exclaimed.
The little foxes did like them very much,
and soon the whole catch had disappeared.
Now things looked a little brighter to
the family.
"But still, you know," said Mrs. Fox,
"that won't last us till tomorrow. You
must try to bring la 'something more."
So away went Mr. Fox again. "Children
are a great care," he sighed. He trotted
along the river bank, hoping thatxsorae
thlng might happen to help him. Finally
he came to the flsh house. He didn't like
to approach too near, as the men were
working inside. But luckily he found some
stray fish heads which had been thrown
out.
"Ha, ha! here's luck!" he cried, and,
capturing several, away he scampered,
hurryinr a little as he heard a dog baric.
were engaged; making arrows, searching
for seasoned hickory out of which to
fashion new bows, or, possibly, holding a
tournament to prove the efficiency of the
band in the use of their weapons.
The method of leaving messages by
means of sticks and stones Is quite sim
ple! One afternoon of practice should
perfect any boy in its use.
The alphabet Is given in the diagram
accompanying this article. The black lln
directly under the printed alphabet can be
drawn In dirt or scratched on a bowlder.
Each of the crosses about this line rep
resents a stone. One 6tone placed across
the line as shown in the diagram, see
the first cross at the left of the line,
represents the letter A. A jtone placed so
that its lower edge Just touches the
line, represents the letter B. A stone
placed so that its upper edge Just touches
the line represents the letter C A stone
placed Just above the line, not touching
It. represents the letter D. A stone placed
Just below the line, not touching it, rep
resents the letter E. Two atones placed
vertically across the line, represents the
letter F. Two stones placed horizontally
across the line, represent the letter P.
Two stones placed obliquely across the
line, slanting upward from left to right.
oS
HaJ A.
-i
3
03 ' afr
8--J53 --
CODE.
-J
represent the letter K. Two stones placed
obliquely across the llrfo slanting up
wards from right to left, represent the
letter IT. Three stones placed with their
lower edge touching the line, -represent
the letter Z. Two stones with a slight
space "between them, placed so that theiV
lower edges Just touch the line, repre
sent the character. This is usually con
tracted in stone-written messages to
one stone. A, answering in place of
"and." The context will always make
this abbreviation intelligible. The re
maining letters of the alphabet explain
themselves. Considerable space must be
left between each word; or an improve
ment on this is to lay a small piece of
twig between each of your words. If
you find that strangers arc attempting to
read your messages, place numerous
twigs arranged in regular forms, as are
the stones, between each word. This will
hopelessly confuse any one who is not 4n
the secret. No attention need be paid
to capitalization.
"When a boy has familiarized himself
with the alphabet, the sticks dnd stones
in the diagram will be found to read:
"Making arrows at the Big Spring."
"When the messages indicated to a mem
ber "of the outlaw band of which I have
spoken that his fellows were engaged in
some sort of work which would keep them
moving about, as, for instance, searching
for new camping grounds, new springs,
or the proper kinds of wood from which
to make bows and arrows, he would find
his companions through his knowledge of
the part of the woods -where they-were
most likely to And what they wanted,
and by bracking them. Some of these
boys grew very proficient in following
a trail and, as It is an extremely amusing
sport, in the next article will be described
their general methods and the ways by
which they trained themselves in this
branch of woodcraft.
JAY CARTER BEARD.
open and close as if moved by springs as
he uttered his prolonged monosyllabic cry
of distress. To my surprise, the female
was sitting quietly at the nest all the
time, as became evident when she sudden
ly left it, and, with protesting screams,
began to circle over the treetops.. Both
birds had evidently become shy and sus
picious of visitors since their former -nest
had been destroyed, and neither would
now go to their young while a human be
ing was In sight. My camera chanced to
catch an eaglet as it rose to the edge of
its wicker platform, but ordinarily the
young were invisible from below. At this
time (June S) this bird appeared as large
as a good-sized domestic fowl.
"When I paid a second visit to the aery,
on the following day, neither bird was at
home; but both soon appeared under full
sail, and in a moment the place resounded
with their cries. At times the voice of the
male degenerated into a low grunt as with
giant strides he moved from place to
place. I noticed that when the t eagle
wheeled in midair he suddenly dropped
his legs, but on recovering himself drew
them up out of sight.
Tho eagles were constantly assailed by
a pair of kingbirds, who seemed to tako
a special delight in tormenting their big
neighbors. They would be quite helpless
in returning the kingbirds' quick assaults,
whether perched or on the wing, and ap
parently did not care to waste their ener
gies in fruitless attempts. They also
found trouble in another quarter wbero
some cro-ns possibly had a nest of their
own; for whenever an eagle approached a
certain cluster of evergreens it was forced
to beat a speedy retreat which often
brought it again into the sphere of the
doughty kingbirds.
According to Audubon and other obser
vers, theyyoung eagles cling to the nest
until they are finally driven off by their
elders. Francis H. Herrlck.
TO PROVIDE FOOD FOR HIS
But wlille running aleng he thought, "If
I take these things home, the wife may
complain. People can't live on flsh all the
time, and I've Just given them one- fish
course."
He was troubled, and sat down to re
flect. "While wondering whether he had
better take the fish heads home or not, he
was disturbed by a party of crows flying
above him. They had been attracted by
the appetizing odor.
"If I could only catch a crow, that would
be worth while!" he thought. "But how?"
That was the problem. "I have It," he
gleefully cried, as he suddenly spied a
hollow tree.
At once he set to work and placed tho
flsh heads temptingly In a row (before It.
Then he hid himself in the hollow and
waited.
"Now we shall see fun," he said to him
self, and chuckled over his clever plan..
The crows kept circling about tho spot,
attracted yet fearful. As the fox had dis
appeared, they became bolder. The flrst
bird dropped upon the prise. Quick as a
Hash, out sprang Mr. Fox and seized him
by the neck. There was a short, sharp
struggle, and then the fox was again in
his hiding place, his prey still and silent
beside him. Back came the other birds.
Another descended warily, and was In- a
like manner captured by the nimble fox.
And yet others were his victims, so that
before the afternoon was over he had
caught four. Off he started for home
dragging his crows after him.
"Won't the good wife rejoice?" fee
thought.
And she really did. For now the whole
family dined well, and still something was
left for the morrow's breakfast.
The two foxes laughed loudly over the
trick.
"You really aro the wisest fox I ever
knew," said Mrs. Fox, admiringly.
"I think perhaps I am up with-1 the
times," answered Mr. Fox, in a very self
satisfled tone, E. Boyd Smith in the July
St. Nicholas.
THE WISH THAT DID
NOT KEEP
A Fairy Story Told in
Modern Language
T5ERE was once a Princess of sur
passing beauty, who gave the glad
smile and the cheery word to a fairy who
had got her dates mixed, and had forgot
ten the way back to Fairyland. In re
turn for this unexpected kindness the
good fairy gave the Princess a wish.
After she had gone 'the Princess eat
wondering how she could spend her wish.
"I might wish for a new castle," said
the Princess. "Our castle nsed to be all
right, but the shingle stain "has washed off
and the roof on tho east end has fallen
in, and altogether it looks like the opry
house at Waycross Center. Pa would be
glad if he had a new castle, and I could
spend mi wish for one that would be a
double-decked beaut and handsome. I
could have its walls of marble and onyx,
with golden stairs. But there, if the cas
tle had .golden stairs, I suppose my royal
pa would spend the steps for drink, and
that would not do at all. No, there will
be no new palace for the present.
"Now, a coach of the finest wood and
leather, with the royal, coat of arms set In
diamonds on the door, and the entire outfit
drawn by eight milk-white palfreys, would
not be so frightfully worse if anybody
should wake up real suddenly and ask you
about it. But then I need some new robes
very, very bad. There is .going to be a
t?a fight over" at the Earoncss Ncwley
nche's next week, and I suppose that
I will have to go in that old Samcassilk
dress that was cut down front ma's coro
nation robe."
At this point the Princess decided that
there was no hurryr and that the wish
would keep for a while, and had the royal.
keeper of the Imperial refrigerator put the
wish away on thence.
The Princess sat around for a week do
ing heavy thinking stunis, but still she
could not bring herself to squandering her
wish on any one of them.
A month or two later she decided that
ehe would wish for a Prince with golden
hair and a palace beside the sea and
money to toss to the English tparrows
for a husband. But she quarreled with
herself for a week as to whether his eyes
should be a deep hazel or sky blue. She
finally decided that sky blue would be
about the right thing, and then she had
two more real bad weeks trying to form
an opinion as to whether hjs name should
be Clarence or Percy. This detail set
tled, she put in three months framing
her plans bo that she could work in a
wedding breakfast and a reception on the
wish without straining it.
Finally ehe decided that everything was
set, so she ordered the royal keeper of the
Imperial refrigerator to break away from
his ping pong game long enough to go to
tho pie chest, and get her wish and bring
It to her. The royal keeper came back
In an hour or two with tho wish on a plate.
"My,,rsaid the Princess, noldlng up her
nose. "I told you to bring mo- the fairy's
wish, and you have brought me a large
section of superannuated cheese instead."
"My lady," said the royal keeper, "we
haven't had any ice in the house for a
month, because the iceman has refused Jo
leave any until we pay last year's bilL I
am afraid that the wish did not keep."
"Whereupon the Princess fainted dead
away which, under the circumstances,
was the only thing left for her -to do.
QUEEREST PETS IN
THE WORLD
Are Seen in the New York
Aquarium -
IF you were asked what the very queer
est Dets in tho world were you would
no doubt guess and guess and never be
able to guess right unless it happened that
you had been in New York and seen
them.
The queerest pets that ever were are
in New York. They are the particular
pride and pets of Professor Spencer, the
fine old scientist in the New York
aquarium, which Is in the building that
once was the Castle Garden on the
famous old Batter.
In a beautiful row of clear, flashing
round glass tanks on the upper floor of
the aquarium are these especial pets.
As you approach the tanks you behold
glowing little groups of color and artis
tic blending and mingling of fantastic
weeds and shining stones. Then, when
you peer Into the tanks, you see what
at flrst will Beem to you Just like par
ticularly handsome and gorgeous flowers
growing all over tho little rockeries.
8ome of the flowers look like dainty
pink and whits and yellow and purple
and crimson dahlias. Others look almost
like daisies with lace-lilce petals. Others
look like little star flowers, all pure white
and perfect. These flowers axe of all sizes,
from tiny one3 barely large enough to 6ee
to great ones almost largo enough to fill
a saucer. "
But if you watch these "flowers" for
a few minutes you will Jump suddenly,
for all at once you will see one movo
its petals. Then you will see another
and another do it. Slowly the petals un
fold or contract, with little Jerking move
ments, sometimes twining in the water
like little snakes.
, Tap smartly on tho table on which the
tanks stand, and like lightning all the
petals will have disappeared. These sea
flowers are not really flowers at all. They
are living creatures, known as sea anem
ones. For many years Professor Spencer has
tended and fed them, and the little ani
mated flowers actually have come to
'know him. When he feeds them he
puts a little bit of clam on the end of
a long, pointed stick, and puts It care
fully down into the water until It is near
the anemone. It did not take long for the
beautiful things to understand It, and
where at first they used to withdraw their
petals and shut up tightly when the stick
approached, now they twine -gracefully
and stretch their dainty arms out as far
as they can go In order to reach the Ud
bit. It Is a wonderful lerson in the won
derful ways of nature to see these signs
of reasoning Intelligence In creatures so
low in the order of development that
they seem to be far more nearly a veg
etable than an animal.
Teddy rhrasked Him.
"Woman's Home Companion.
Teddy Roosevelt fa not a brilliant pupil,
but he studies hard In arithmetic and
some other branches he is most proficient.
Llfie his fnther, he wears glasses. That
the boy has that same dislike for being
imposed upon which Is characteristic of
his father was proven .by an incident
which occurred during Mr. Roosevelt's
term of office as Governor of New York.
On his way to school in Albany one day
Teddy was accosted by a "boy somewhat
larger than himself, who sang out: "Hey,
Goggles, how's your pa?"
Young Roosevelt crossed the street in a
hurry. "If you are talking to me," he
replied, "you may as well know that I am
as good as you, coggles or no goggles."
The larger boy had no other alternative
than to fight, and the fierce but brief
encounter ended in a very decisive victory
for young-Teddy. When the victor arrived
at home, with his clothing sadly torn and
soiled, bis father's only comment was,
"Well, I'm glad you thrashed him."
NIGNI, THE DWARF
.HE LIFTED ME IIP
1HAVE now come to my last chapter
as I am oorry to say, for I like to
write for the boys and girls and hope I
have interested a large number of them.
We wont .from New York to Boston, and
thence to Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincin
nati, St. Loula and other cities. Our tour
lasted two full years, and none of us were
ill for a day or had any unpleasant ad
ventures. I had come to like the Ameri
cans better than any other people, except
ray own, and now and then. I had almost
decided to settle down among them for
the rest of my days when I was through
with travel. As I siy, two years had gone
swiftly by when Mr. Ycddo came Into my
room one day with a letter in his hand.
It "was for me, and at once I recognized
my father's handwriting. He had written
to me thus:
"My Dear Son NIgnl I have grown to
be such an old man that I have only a few
years of life left me. I am all alone in
the world, and I sigh for you, who are so
far away. Come home to your father and
cheer his last days. I am almost blind
with old age, and this is the last letter I
shall ever wrjte."
"Well, what will you do about it?" asked
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS IN BIRD WORLD
THE TEMPORARY HOMES OF BIRDS sr STUDY OF LIFE IN FEATHERS
BY OLIVE THORNE MILLER
IN our efforts toward a better acquaint
ance with our feathered neighbors
most important la a study of their
home-making, since that brings out their
Intelligence as well as their individuality.
Our pity -and our interest are roused in
the beginning by the fact that very few of
the race ever have a home, in our sense
of the word. A nest is ususally nothing
more, than a cradle for helpless Infancy,
and when that is outgrown any tree or
hush is a home, any twig a bed. Yet there
ore indications that we shall find when
we know them better that many of them
have local attachments, and make habit
ual use of a particular bush and a special
twig.
These temporary homes vary in size
from that of a walnut, to one six feet in
diameter and strong enough to bear sev
eral men, and they exhibit all styles of
architecture, from the simple open nest
of the coflg sparrow in the grass to the
elaborate three-room structures of the
umbre. Moreover, there Is hardly a known
type of dwelling fashioned by men that
ha3 not its representatives among the
structures of birds, and adequately, too
according to their needs.
The low hut of some savage races is du
plicated by our oven bird and the water
ouzel of the West. The underground res
idence of some of the human family is
closely Imitated by the kingfisher, the
puffin and others. The careless "shanty"
serving as a homo in some hot countries,
finds fitting counterpart in the rickety
platform of the cuckoo and the mourning
dove. The castles of tho old world are
well represented by the secure habitations
of woodpeckers and owls. Tenting on the
shore, so common during the Summer
months, is copied by sea-lovers among the
birds, loons who establish their nurseries
as near to the water as they can get, and
grebes, who build a flimsy nest among the
reeds, where it is water-soaked always,
and the young ore hatched in, and not
merely on the water. Our fashion t)f a
swinging or rocking cradle or crib for our
youngsters is followed in the oriole's hanf
mock and the banging nests of vireos and
others.
So we might go on with the comparison
until we should be driven to the decision
of the poet "How like are birds and
men."
We plume ourselves upon our Improve
ments over the old way of mother-hatching,
and point with pride to our incubat
ors. But a bird showed us the trick. A
whole family of birds have used this
mother-saving device for ages, arranging
heaps of earth and vegetable matter,
sometimes 15 feet "high and 20 feet in di
ameter at the base. The eggs aro burled
and left for the sun to hatch. The whole
process has heen closely watched in the
London Zoological Garden. In the same
place had been solved the mystery of the
"coming out" of tho young mound-bulid-er,
without parental assistance. This very
progressive infant would seem naturally
to belong to young America instead of to
tho Old World, for throwing himself on
his back, ho digs bis own passage, and
starts out in Ufa without aid or interfer
ence of the "old folks."
Again, our modern apartment-hoiise sys
tem, in which many families live inde
pendent Uvea under one roof, la merely a
THE ADVENTURES OF
WRITTEN BY HIMSELF
AXXJ KISSED MB.
Mr. Yeddo, when I showed him tbej letter.
"I would like to go home to my father,"
I replied.'
"Very well; you shall go. Only two or
three days ago I was telling Anak that we
had made money enough to carry U3
through the rest of our lives, and that
there was no need of giving further ex
hibitions. In a week te can wind up
everything and be off for our own loved
Japan."
It was so arranged. Tho people were
disappointed that I was going away, but
when they heard about my father they
said it was right for me to go. When we
had given a farewell exhibition, and I
had cut off tho laat toy grasshopper's head
and sng my song for the last time, we
started for San Francisco, and thence
took the steamer for Japan.
Only one incident worthy of note hap
pened on my homeward voyage. This
occurred when the steamer was three days
out of port. Of course, I was an object
of curiosity to the passengers, and most
of them desired to make my acquaintance.
There was one man among them whom I
did not like, and I soon discovered that
he did not like me. He was a very large
man, with a pompous way, and I guess
he was vexed because everybody didn't
copy of the custom of many birds, nota
bly a grosbeak of Africa, who makes a
huge umbrella-shaped roof of basket
work, under which several hundred fami
lies build individual nests; and nearer
homo the swifts crowding our chimneys,
and tho swallows making musical our
barns.
So progressive, indeed, and "up to date"
are some of the birds that the so-called.1
head of the family takes upon, himself ail
the work of home-making. The puflBn,
queer, top-heavy-looking fellow that he Is,
la a, model of gallantry, Insisting on mak
ing the excavation sometimes 10 feet
long Into the bank, without the least as
sistance of his mate. He lies on his back,
digging with his enormous beak, and
throwing out tho dirt with his webbed
feet.
In our study of life in feathers wo find
also corresponding variety In domestic ar
rangements, from the hornbill, who walls
up his family and feeds and looks after
the whole himself, to the European
cuckoo and tho American cowblrd, who
make no pretense of home-making, but
abandon the whole business of incubating
and rearing the ybung to their far too
amiable neighbors.
Birds do not feel obliged always to
build, to a type; they aro not hampered by
tradition. Not all robin nests are cement
ed with mud and placed singly in a tree,
though it is true that Is a prevailing fash
ion in roblndom. Robin nests have been
found made of flowers and other material
and one robin extravaganza is reported
which is quite unique, 11 nests side by
side, all woven together by one pair of
birds, and the middle one used for tho
cradle. The object of this extraordinary
feat of building is unknown, but doubt
less there was an object, if nothing more
than to prove to a doubting world that
birds are not machines, always doing
things in exactly the same way.
A fllcher, too, of Independent thought
and open mind, has been discovered, who,
finding a haystack that had been sliced
square off, leaving a plain wall, was
quick to see the advantage and saving of
labor In excavation, and chiseled out a
typical woodpecker nursery, and reared
her family therein. It is the custom of
our common mocking bird to build an
open nest in a tree, but in Arizona, where
are fewer people and more egg-loving
enakes, the bright-wltted bird selects an
-almost Impenetrable cactus- and makes a
hanging nest, with the further protection
of an entrance several Inches long, and
it Is to be hoped that the- Arizona snakes
do not dine on mocking birds.
As an offset to the open-minded of
whom I have spoken. I must tell one in
cident of a bird who was a slave to fam
ily traditions, yet who showed originality
and resource in following them. It wa3 a
robin who wished to make her nest dur
ing a very dry time when no mud could
be found. Mudshe had set her heart on
and mud sho got In this way vouched
for by an unimpeachable observer. Sho
went repeatedly to a pan of water kept
for the uso of birds, plumped Into the
middle of it, and proceeded to dash water
over her legs. She then flew to the road
and thrashed around In tho dust till her
legs were coated with mud, which she
carefully picked off and used In her build
ing. A great deal has been said of the inge
nuity of tho tailor bird of the Old World
in sewing leaves together to hfold the nest.
That it Is ingenious is not denied, but we
have a bird of our own who does some
thing quite as remarkable. It Is an oriole
of California, who swings her hammock
from' a broad leaf of banana or palm, by
which cleverness she secures both shade
A LITTLE' MAN AS
bow down to him. At any rate, he was
jealous of tho attention shown me, and
as I was promenading the deck he came
up to mo and said:
"I have been wondering whether you
are a mouse or a bug, but I can't tell
which. I think they ought to shut you
up in a hatbox."
"Sir!" I replied, as I stood off and
looked at him, "do you mean to Insult
me?"
"How could anyone Insult a grasshop
per?" her sneered.
"I will show you. sir!" I exclaimed, and
I ran down to my stateroom for my sword.
Mr, Yeddo was there, and as I got the
sword, he asked wiat I was going to do
with It.
"I am going to make a man apologize or
fight me to the death!" I said.
I ran up on the deck, found tho man
who had sneered at me, and waving my
sword around my head, I shouted:
"Either apologize for your language or
get your sword and fight me like a man!"
He laughed at first, but when I put the
point of my swoid to his breast and let:
him seo that I was a determined boy, ha
turned pale and said that he was sorry if.
ho had hurt my feelings. The passengers
all took sides with me, and the pompous
man did not take much comfort on the
trip.
I twas a long voyage but a pleasant one,
and in due time I once more beheld my
native shores. I had been gone about
four years, and had traveled many thou
eand miles and seen a good part of the
world. I found my father very feeble
and there were tears in bis eyes as ha
lifted me up and kissed mo and said:
"So my son is at home at last? I was
afraid I should die before seeing him
again."
He lived for six months after my re
turn, and after his death Anak and I went
to a hotel to board. A few months later
I bought me a farm near my native town
and we went to live on it. I was very
rich, and was treated with great respect,
but if I had chosen to live in the town
I could have been the Mayor. Many happy
years went by. I had servants and horses
and dogs, and there was nothing I could
not buy. One day the faithful Anak camo
to me and said:
"Nlgnl, there Is only one thing lacking
to complete your happiness. Why don't
you find a wife?"
"Do you think anyone would marry
me?" I asked.
"Plenty of girls would be glad to."
"But I love no one."
Nothing more was said at that time, hut
-one day two months later the carriage of
a very rich and respected man broke down
as it was passing my farm, and when I
went out to Invite the family to enter and
feel at home, behold, I saw and at once
fell in love with one of the handsomest
girls in ail Japan. She was not a dwarf,
but she was small, and when I saw that
she liked me. I determined to win her for
my wife. A. year from the day I met her
we were married, and ever since she has
been to me all that a man could desire. It
was 10 years ago that wo were married,
but it was only a few weeks ago that sho
said to me:
"Nigni, why don't you write up your life
for tho children of America? You aro
always telling how you like them."
"Why, of course he should do so," added
my old friends, Mr. Yeddo, who was vis
iting us.
"But what can I say to interest them?"
I asked.
"You can say a great deal, and I want
you to set about it at once."
I took two or three days to think it
over, and then sat down with my pen, and
if I have not succeeded in interesting
you you must say that my wife should
not have coaxed me into it. Do not scold
tnn hnrd. however, for she is one of tho
I best women and thinks there is no one like
Nigni the Dwarf.
and protection from many enemies. She
actually sews the nest to the underside of
the leaf, using thread-like fibers from tho
edges of leaves for tho purpose, and passing-
them back and forth with her bill.
The giant cactus of the West offers wel
come opportunity for a departure from
the ways of ancestors, several birds find
ing its enormous stalks easy of excava
tion, and Its spine-covered ribs good pro
tection. Woodpeckers seem to lead tho
way and make tho cavities which are aft
erward appropriated by the tiny owls of
that region, and by a wren who Is so fond
of the situation that it has been named
the cactus wren.
Some of our birds' retreats aro ap
proached by a long entrance or hall, la
boriously constructed of grass woven to
gether, as in the case of the meadow
lark and sometimes of' bob-white. Other9
are built with a roof. More remarkable
than that of our own oven bird is ona
mado by a South American bird of the
same name, which is of mud, sometimes
18 Inches in diameter and consisting of
two rooms, tho inner one for the nursery
and the outer one for general family use.
This provision for comfort Is exceeded
only by tho hammerhead or umbro of
tho Old World, a bird not far from the
slzo of a thrush, who makes three rooms
a nursery, a larder and what may be
called a reception-room, since it is here
tho householder'recelves his enemies.
"In these days," says an observing Ger
man naturalist, "It is scarcely too much to
say that ha who refuses to credit tho
lower animals with intelligence raises anx
iety on the score of his own."
A. "Wonderful Boy. jv
W met in the midst of a dream; '
But I'm waiting for him to come truet
The stylo of bis nose I've completely forgo
But hla eyes, I remember, were blue.
s
It was Just 8 P. M. by the clock
Which stood, I recall, on its head
When his mother spoke up and said: "Kiss mSj
my son.
And run away quickly to bed."
X thought that the next thins would ho
Loud wrath and perhaps even tears;
But Instead well. I really give you my word
That I've not heen so staggered for years!
For he- mumbled, this wonderful boy
(I can feel my astonishment jet!):
"I t'a a pity I can't go at seven when you kjctf
How tired and sleepy I gett"
I felt myself falling- away
(la dreams chairs collapse without squeak
ing). And when I ca.m to, the first thing that I
heard
Was the voice of the fond mother speaking.
She was kind, be was patient, but firm;
And her calm words decided his fate:
"It is settled, my son, that a boy of your elzs
Must learn to sit up until eight."
I sat on the floor, and I stared
In a dazed Way from one to the other;
Then I laid: "You are truly a wonderful boji
And the son of a wonderful mother!"
Frances Wilson, in the July St. Nicholas.
Iioolsln? for Excitement.
"You can't tell me," said young Mrs.
Torklns. "that poker is as good a game aa
progressive euchre."
"Why not?" asked her husband.
"There isn't enough excitement. I've
known men who have played poker for
years without getting angry and not
speaking to each other. Such a thing
doesn't often happen In progressiva
euchre." Washington Star.