HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1924-05-29, Page 3:he
omes that Birds Ma:
By •Laura H. Durand.
apparently auceeeded and the Cow-
bird's egg has p'erlsiled. 'But, alas, the
lives of more precious birds have been
sacrificed with it.
The Cowbird is the only purely para'
s tical speeles among th,e perching
birds of Canada, There are numerous
families of birds included in the
Perchers, and many, species,. iu these
families.
The vast majority of Perchers build
hosts. And those which do not, such
as the Nut -hatches and the Chickadees'
those whose young are helpless and and the Bluebirds, contrive snug
unfeathered when born and require homes in natural cavities in trees,
a e:one e stumps or posts. '
The Flycatchers (Ty-rannidae) have
in their: family both very. indifferent
nest -builders and skilled, almost sit-
preme artists in this line. Because of
the good builders, they average up
well. All aro devoted mates and sale -
His home is a characteristic product
of man, In itis
'• features we would ex-
;pect tp see evidences'' of his mental
qualities and his tastes. We expect,
to see. also whether its purpose is of
e temporary nature or for Iong, resi-
dence. Andwe admit that hie oppor-
•titnity for"materials end location is a
factors, in carrying out` his will and
wishes in assembling a home.
In fro email 'degree the situation of
birds in this respect is similar to that
sof man. Species of the altricial orders,
feeding and attention for id r
able time, build substantial nests°with'
few exceptions. While species of the.
preeecial order's, those whose young
-:.are born feathered and are able to.
leave thesnest and follow their mother
almost immediately after being hatch-
ed', make . very little 'preparation for- itous parents. All are dusky brown
depositing their eggs, and •some noth; I or ,ashy -black and gray in coloring,
ing.•more than a depressionhollowed and all are more or less crested, The
by their breasts in the earth. Flycatchers have slightly ;rooked bills
Within the limits of these generaali= and tufts of bristles at the base of the
zations there are, however, wide varie- bill,
tiesin the practise and achievements The best known and most conspicu-
•ef birds in nesting and in the same or- ons of this famil„ is. the Kingbird. It
ders entiredifferences in this respect. 'builds an excellent nest, open and
In the interesting order of the Ma-
orochires, a division of birds including
the, Swifts and Hummingbirds (the
:name .of the order deriving from the
Greek `makros," meaning long, and
"cheir," the hand, terms referring to
the length of the .distal . part oe' the
wings) this extreme ;diversity occurs.
'The species of the great family of the
Hummingbirds build the most ex-
•quisite structures for their homes.
deep, in trees aid >carelessly disposed,
as•if. concealment of his treasured
home was incompatible with hos splen-
did ability to defend it. ' The feature
is worthy of study. The weak and
tiny Brown Creeper builds its cun-
ning nest cunningly behind a bit of
loose: bark, high on a tree. It is al-
most impossible . to locate it. His
royal highness, the Kingbird, requires
no secret measures. He is alert to
They are masterpieces of art. The drive away even the Crows and Hawks
•foundation is firmly glued to • a hors- . from his home domain. Yet he is
xontal. branch, usually- he an oak tree,
or an apple •tree, or other rugged kind
and above this the superstructure is
woven of fine materials and softly
dined. Then, the whole exterior .is
beautifully decorated with lichens and
spider -webs and fibres of moss. The
length of the Ruby -throated Humming-
bird, the common summer resident of
Canada, is onlythree and one-half
only eight inches in length, smaller
than the Robin.
• The Great -Crested Flycatcher, who
boasts of yellow or rusty brown in his
ooat, is larger than the Kingbird and
quite as autocratic. He nests in a
hole in a tree • which he sometimes
steals from a Woodpecker. And then
he lines the nest with cast snake
skins, often leaving an end hanging
tY,
This -is what they All salmon cans- with in British Columbia. The Japan-
ese fishermen pictured have been. culling over the day's catch for "the big
ones." The scene is on the Fraser River.
pendent branch, prefecably that of an Lifting Tulip Bulbs,
elm, and at its extremity weaves 'a having regard for the best welfare
pouch, hanging it front the branch to, of the tulip bulbs, should it be neces-
which it is atttaebed so firmly that not . sary to lift them to make room for
even the following wild winds of summer -flowering plants, thes has to
be done before they have finished the
ripening process which is so essen-
tial for the production of blo:ens the
following spring. However, if the
rowing the entrance at the top where .operation is gone about carefully so
the site is far from the protection of that their stents and leaves remain un-
man and exposed to the attacks of injured and their fine roots are kept
Crows, Jays and Blackbirds. so far as possible intact, they suffer
The great family to 'which the
Finches, Sparrows, Grosbeaks, Bunt•
Ings, Linnets, and others belong, di-
verse as they are as species in their
features of plumage and song, ' com-
monly are clever nest makers.
The little Vesper Sparroy, however,;
selects, or hollows a slight depres-
sion, unlined, in the earth, sheltered
by some plant or shrub, in, a grassy
field, to rear its family. I watched one.
of• these nests •last summer, at •Lamb
ton, and noted that the parents made
quite circuitous visits and departures
to it. The three partly -feathered the ripening process is completed.
young Vespers looked as unoo`mfort- I After the leaves and stems have died
able as they could be.. The ground. down they must be lifted, cleaned and
seems to be suitable to the prolonged:
nesting of altricial birds.
Noneof hte sea -birds . ,is a nest
builder. The great families: of cliff-
dwellers, like the . Cormorants, and;
Genets and Kittiwakes, make some
preparation for their eggs by piling
seaweeds and sticks together on the them, for the drying should be done
narrow ledges over the water. Butt slowly. When the bulbs are quite dry
they are stored in bags or boxes until
they are again planted in ,October..
His Afternoon Job.
Since the death of her father, three months ago, Miss Ella Farnsworth,
18 years old, St. Paul, Minn., has been successfully carrying -on his black-
s.
smith shop. She says women; can be the equal of pian in this line of work.
inches, and the nest when completed
is about two inches in diameter. The
eggs match in size this elfin bird efiem`e.
Two are laid in June -of about the di-
mensions of a natty bean. These
"winged, jewels" are the smallest of
all birds, and yet build a nest as strong
asit is lovely. Their relatives, the
Whip -poor -will and the Nighthawk,
have entirely opposite nesting habits:
• Neither species makes any' nest. Their
eggs are deposited on the bare ground.
h have found the eggs of the Night-
hawk on the bare rocks in Muskoka,
and have frequently seen ,them en the
bare gravel of city roofs.
The family of Swifts, in the same
order, both in Europe and America,
\. nest in chimneys or hollow trees, quar-
ries, or upright walls, and show in-
genuity, skill and determination in at-
taching a half -basket of twigs, like a
bas-relief, to a perpendicular surface,
as a nest. The Swift uses its saliva as
a, glue andshapes the seam -circular
autumn can break it from its moor-;
Ings:
The Orioles display much discretion
too, in deepening the spouch and 'rear -
out—to snare away intruders. This is
prpobably the most extraordinary of all
nesting birds, - • • -
nesting habits.
The whole nature and habits of the
little flycatehing Wood Pewee, present
a marked .contrast to those of the
domineering collector of snakeskins!
It haunts tall shady trees in the wood-
lands, and saddles its flat, mossy nest
on a horizontal limb, harmonizing it
with its background quite as effect-
ually as the Ruby -throated Humming
bird. It is a beautiful nest, but not
so beautiful as the nest of the Phoebe,
so often called the "Bridge Bird," be-
cause of its practice of building its
compact and exquisitely -finished nest
in the sub -structures of bridges. There
it scours the air of gnats and mosqui-
toes. The Phoebe has` become denies -
Gloated and loves to make its home
under the porches of house doors and
in the cosy corners formed by the
mouldings of verandahs. It should be
nest very cleverly, Its little eggs are welcome, for it is a tireless flycatcher.
h. Its nest becomes infested with vermin
long and narrow to matcthe narrow
Cradle, while Ito young are still unfledged, and
Of al living beings, of all the creat its human friends are urged to- remove
diviialons of animal life, the birds most the young, dust the nest with insect
hear y.r•approach mankind in their
powder as well as each young bird be -
home habits and solicitude for their i •fore returning it, taking Cara not to
'nates and offspring. They appear to I get the,powder in the bird's eyes.
be -endowed with aimed human emo- I The Thrush family are fairly good
snorts. They display the uglier traits i nest Mindere, but we all know that
ofhu Sanity also utter.,'eallausness, ! the Robin is extremely careless of the
greed dd ' indolence lead the Crows I exiternai appearance of i; bonne. The
Bluebird prefers a: Woodpo' kers' hole,
and rayso, rob the nests and devour •
the cling o, other birder Tittet de ora man-made bird box to building a
pray, ty. and"ntaannes,s dictate the ten -
nest et medium elevations in the
• *IS the bushes, watching her op- i woods, .Perming ilia nest, of dried.
portileity , in tbe';absenco of st#aall grasses.
birds like° the Chipping Sparrow, the .Tt may be taken as a general rale
lovely Yellow Warbler, or • the Vireos,that birds nest en or about the plane
to.slip
their flight. Crows a
upon their pretty, snug »nests odand .1.rawks
and lay among their little eggs its carry their sticks and build high in
ugly larger one of, white spaded with tali treed. Sparrows chpcse tho
brown or grey and nearly an facts crotches of niedivaii sized trees or tall
ground -
long: It sometimes throws out the shrubs for a location Purely ground-
rigltt til cogs to make room i'or;-lis feeders and runners, like the Plovers
rubber egg. It never raids the nests and Sandld iers, nest Capon ih; ground,
sof birds of its own C.ize. LiIk ..the • The low .reputation of the Blackbird.
coward among :nen, it victiiitizes the faintly as nest -builders is redeeit'iod
and glorified by the amazing achieve=
weaker of its kind, Soiree Of its vie relent of one ct its members, the Balti-
an effort to outwit the Cety
make
more Oriole, which 1w acknowledged
bird IV building a, new floor to the r
raided nest and laying a secaou,tl lot of to be one of the cleverest bird -areal.
eggs. ',Mese double -floored Heats have
toct.s in the world, The female of the ,Thc�y
bassi edgeoted where thtz,ciAvlce lefts species is the Wider, She.seiects a suitable
To a Child,
The nests are in the hedi erOWO,
The lainbs'are on the grass; '
With laughter swept as music
Thy hours lightfooted pass,
My darling..ohild of fanc'y,
My winsome prating lass.
Blue eyes, with long brown lashes,
Thickets of golden curl,
Red little lips. disclosing
Twin rows of fairy pearl,
Cheeks. like the apple blossom,
Voice' lightsome as the Merle,
A whole spring's fickle changes
In every short-lived day,
A passing cloud of April,
A flowery smile of May,
A thousand quick mutations•
From graver moods to gay,
I know now what of fortune
The future holds for thee,
Nor if skies fair or clouded
Wait thee in days to be,
But neither joy nor sorrow
Shall sever thee from me,
very little.
They should be allowed to remain in
the bed as long as possible. If the
soil has become hard and dry, give it
a thorough soaking and after allowing
it to: dry off somewhat on the surface
the plants can be lifted with a digging
fork which allows one to get well un-
der the roots.
Keep as mach soil as possible on
the roots and, as they are lifted, re-
plant'theea quite close together `in a
four -inch -deep trench . in some spare
corner where they can remain until
dried off. Spread them out thinly un-
der cover for a few days until they are
quite dry, then cut off the roots and
old. stems.
Next spread them in shallow trays
or on paper in a dry, airy room or
shed but where the sun does not reach
Dear child, whatever changes
Across our lives may pass,.
I shall see thee still forever,
Clearly as in a glass,
The same sweet child of fancy,
The same dear winsome lass.
—Lewis Morris.
many others deposit their eggs on the
bare rocks, or bare sand. •The Terns
nest an the sand, making: depressions,
unlined, for their eggs. The little
Mack Tern visits the' interior in nest- "- Samuel Gompers told a story about
ing time, however, an collects trash Oe ,Gillfngovitch. Joe was busily
nicking . and watching a large build-
ing operation when the boss came up
to him and said:
Want a job?"
Leisurely removing his pipe, Joe
said:
"I can only work in the mornings.".
"Wily can't you work afternoons?"
suspiciously demanded the boss.
According to Signs.
EAn Irishman was walking along a
road beside a golf course when he was
struck between the shoulders by a
golf ball. The force of the blow al-
most knocked him down. When he
recovered he observed a golfer.run-
ning toward him.
"Are you hurt?" asked the player.
"Why didn't you get out of the way?"
"An' why should I get out of the
way?" asked Malachi. "I didn't know
there were any assassins round here."
• "But I called 'fore, " said the player,
"and .when I say 'fore' that is a sign
for you to get out of the way."
"Oh, it is, is it?" said Malachi.
"Well, thin, whin I say 'foive' it is a
sign that you are going to get hit on
the nose. 'Folve!' "
1n which to rear its young about,
edges of marshes:'
Inland . waterbirds usually make la-
borious and. clumsy nests, close be-
side the water, or floating upon its
surface. The floating, nests of the
Grebes are wet, and the eggs often.
partly submerged.
The Petrels burrow in the rubbish
on sandy coasts. Many species of
"In the afternoons," Joe unblushing -
ducks nest in hollows in trees. near. 'ly explained, "I have to carry a ban -
water. The Buffle-heads and Golden -
nee in the unemployed parade."
eyes among others, have this habit,
It is one of the marvels of nature
how the ducklings tumble out of tho
nest, often quite high in the tree, with-
out injury, and retake for their more
naturalelement.
leent.
The subject of the homes that birds
make for themselves is extensive and
absorbing. It offers many surprises.
How is the Bank Swallow able to bor-
row its nest, having so small and
weak a tool in its bill? The _King-
fisher is much better equipped for the
purpose. How is brooding possible
on nests so frail in structure as those
of the Cuckoos and the Mourning;
Dove? Why do the Kinglets and the.
Warblers choose remote evergreen
woods for their homes? Why do
Robins and Wrens love the compare-
ionship of pian?
4
So She Had Heard,
"Now, Elsie," said the Sunday
school teacher to her snail pupil,
"what is our duty to our neighbor?"
"To 'wait until they got settled and
then call on them," was Elsie's, reply.
11
Forks Over Instead.
"Tom's wife never allows him to
spoon." -
"No, makes hint fork over instead."
Prizes for Bunny Babies,
The National Baby Weeit Council ie
endeavoring to discover ate fl1mP#r+s'sl
bonniest. baby. During Imperial 1IIIly'
Week, to be held at the British Eel,
Pure Exhibition, Wen biey, in the
fourth week in July, the National Baby.
Weelt Council will announce the reg
suit of.. their competition and present
to the winner a prize of $1,000,
The competitioni0 open to the child
yea of flritis'h born subjects throughout,
the Empire, and will be divided into
three. classes -3 months to 9 months' , a.
of age; 9 months. 2 years of age;
and 2 years to 5 years of age.
From the entries for each class, the
six •bonniest and healthiest competit-
ors will be selected; and each of these
will receive a prize of $100. The
healthiest and best baby in each of
the three . classes will be selected by
the Imperial Judging Committee and
his or her prize money made up to.
$500, The prize money of the chain-
pien baby of all will be made up to
$1,000.
In the case of the winners' of $500
and $1,000, half the sum will be paid
in cash to the parents` or any other re-
sponsible guardian of the winning
competitor, and the other half will be
paid in the form of same approved in-
vestment.
The regulations governing this coin -
petition can be obtained from the Sec-
retary, National Baby Week Council,
11.7, Piccadilly, London, W.I.
No Encyclopedia Needed.
Book Salesman—"In these volumes
you have the whole sum of human
knowledge in convenient form."
Mr, Meek "Thanks, it's, no use to
me:"
Book Salesman - "But your wife,
perhaps—"
Mr. Meek—"Oh, she knows it all al-
ready!"
The Terrible Pun.
Mr. Jenkins"Edith, didn't I ask
you a week ago to oil those casters?
They creak something awful."
Edith—"I know you did, but there
is not a drop of castor oil in the
house."
4
a
4
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$ > ,•y$:`�•ti`K;,�:,5 �•fttf.".x'u. fiv.S's:a>`i'� u•. afii..a �',..., M., �'M�iv... v.
41
This odd-looking creation is a working model of the first locomotive ever
built. It is a brain -child of the famous English inventor Murdock. After
trials in 1784 the idea was abandoned as impracticable.
Generous Jim.
Jim, the town loafer, walked into
the dentist's office and asked to have
an aching tooth extracted. Knowing
the man's reputation for not paying
his debts, the dentist was loath to do
the work, but he did not have the
heart to turn a sufferer away; so he
pulled the tooth. As the fellow put on
his hat and slouched toward the door
the dentist remarked:
"Jim, that will be one dollar."
Jim reached into his pocket and
said reluctantly, "Wal, there's' eleven
cents; take it out of that."
The dentist looked him straight in
the eye. "You know very well I can't
take a dollar out of eleven cents!" he
said indignantly.
"Wal, then," drawled Jim
stepped out of the door, "take
yer welcome to it."
The Ancient Optimist
"Tell me, darling," said the first wo-
man, "am I the only girl you have ever
loved?"
"tip to the present time, yes," re-
plied Adana, "but—ah!—I have hopes,"
as he
it all;
err: u•r
i i toys Itnvc' come out to Canada to win their way to Canadian citizenship.
".slices otglzt•f.r t �t, u the
ylrr d 'Co i Vegan s and will be .gradually absorbed in
were brought out I'roin ills Ul[i 'Country from one of the I a,gait home a t
employment,
The Gold -Brick Swindle.
A very old swindle—the goldbrick
trick—has been attempted on the
heirs of a wealthy London man who
died recently.
A few weeks ago the will was
proved. A letter was received, by the
executors, addressed to the dead man, •
which read as though it was part of a
long •correspondence and contained a
reference to a third party, to whom
the supposed recipient of the letter
was said to have given financial aid.
But the third party was represented
to be ill, though full of gratitude to
his benefactor, to whom he had given ,
an equal share in a newly -discovered,
yet apparently promising, gold. mine.
The wealty man was asked to conte
out himself or send a trustworthy re-
presentative to look after the property
But the executors in this case had
heard of the swindle and handed the
dotter to Scotland Yard. •
If the executors had swallowed the
bait a messenger sent to the United
States to receive the bullion would
probably have received bars er bricks
of what appeased genuine gold—in re-
turn for a conoideaable money deposit.
But the body of the bricks is lead,
with gold fillings' at points. where bor-
ings have been made to show their
"genuineness."
Sold by His Brother.
An African native living in a little a
village in Chislehurst, Kent, England,
can look back upon a life which has
been more eventful than any romance ..,
and wliicll is reminiscent. of the 'days, , ,
of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." ,
This man is Arab Malagppo, and he e
was rescued from slavery #t"y' the great ,'
African euplarer, Dr. Ligiiigstone. is
"I was sold by iffy brother sixty or f'
seventy years ago to Portuguese slave ,
traders," lvlakepixo said, "and we be-'„,
gan our journey to the coast, The
men were tied two -by -two to woodett
collars, which they wore ,even in thele,
sleep; the women chained at wrists ..,
and ankles; the girls ropped like
horses and the little ones free.”
TAvingatone antrhis then routed the
slavers and the explorer 'close Arab
Maleppo as his body servant. The ex.
slave afterwards came to idngland and
is now employed OR a gardener to it 1
private family, Makeppo to this dad -
rerfa rs to l:.ivingstrAR AS the Gee erii.'
i'or.'"