Evening Star Newspaper, January 20, 1894, Page 15

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 1894—-TWENTY PAGES. GOOD MUSICIANS ’ Those Who Compose the Georgetown Amateur Orchestra. FOURTEEN YEARS SUCCESSFUL WORK Renewed Interest Manifested Under Its New Leader. AN INTERESTING SKETCH HE GEORGETOWN Amateur Orchestra, which is conducting weekly rehearsals for the concerts that it will give this season, is one of the institu- tions which always arouses the local pride of Washington people when they talk about thelrown capital city. This is the fourteenth sea- son im which the or- chestra has «py. .red in a.public way. It is said that it is the only one in the United States which has maintained its rehearsals and given concerts during each one of the past fourteea years. When one lives in the country he has little chance: to hear good music. If he is @ resident of a bustling commercial center he may occasionally attend a good profes- sional concert and enjoy it in an uncertain kind of way, but it is only In a great cul- tured capital like Washington that an au- dience can be fathered together, a large Proportion of whom could take part per- sonally in a performance of the pieces play- ed by the professional musicians. The thing which, above all others, makes European study interesting, is the oppor- tunity there afforded students, as soon as they are sufficiently advanced for or- chestral practice. This opportunity is af- forde1 to Washington music students by the Georgetown Orchestra. Already it has seventy-five members and anyone suffi- ciently proficient is always welcomed as a member. Mr. Rakemann, the new conduc- tor, insists that every person on the plat- form at a concert shall be able to play his part, and anyone who can do this has only to apply to the secretary for member- ship. Mr. Herman Rakemann was one of the original members of the orchestra’ As long ago as 1882, when only a boy, he ap- peared in its first concert as solo violinist; now, after an absence from its ranks for more than ten years, he has consented to assume its conductorship. Mr. Rakemann is a native of Washington, and ts the first director of the orche: of whom this can be sald. His musical training has been remarkably broad and thorough. During the years of his musical studies abroad he Was a member of the orchestra of the Roy- al High School, Berlin (which had for its directors such men as Rudorff, Hausmann and Joachim), and of the famous Philhar- monic Orchestra of that city, which was led by Klindworth, Wueltner, Rubinstein and Johannes Brahms. On one occasion Mr. Rakemann’s performance of the well known viola cbiigato in “Der Freischuetz” won for him the public expression of the appro- bation of Joachim. Since Mr. Rakemann's return to Wash- ington his position as the leading violinist of this city has never been questioned and @ number of songs notable for their beauty and depth of feeling are among his musi- cal compositions. The thoroughness of his training, togeth- er with the added qualities of youth, en- ergy, brilliarcy and determination, inspires oth. to do their best work. The executive part of the orchestra is in the best of hands. The president, Mr. B. H. Warner, has been a patron of the or- Ganization since its second season. In many ways he has aidei the cause, and in the winter of isvi-v2 he gave a reception to the members, which was one of the no- table events of the season. Mr. Warner thoroughly uppreciates the value of such an educations! and pleasure-giving institu- tion, and his interest is an assurance of its continued advancement. The list of mem- bers of the executive committee includes, president, 4H. Warner; vice president, F. &. Met treasurer, C. W. Curtis: seeygtary. ©. W. Stone; John R.” Hil, . r. F. S. 2L Barbar! S. Barbarin, F. Weiler, J. D. Patten, Dr. W. Long, H. D. Cooke and T. H. Gibbs. The hardest work, except that done by the conductor, falls on the indefatigable secretary, Mr. E. W. Stone. He is a born promoter of such enterprises, and many re the charitable organizations and have reason to remember, the ss with which he has Managed thelr entertainments. He has played one of the flutes at the society's concerts fer fourteen years, and, beyond all question, the orchestra has been kept alive largely by Mr. Stone’s energetic and anagement. He knows the best people, and their patronage of the orches- tra_ makes concerts brilliant affairs, the character of the performances sticaily, most satisfactory. aces of any organization are usu- it to manage satisfactorily, but y is this the case with the finances which is kept alive solely by the sincerity of its members in the direc- tion of x certain Ime of art. Thus the Georgetown Orchestra is deeply indebted to the skill of its treasurer, Mr. C. W. Curtis. Mr. Curtis sue born in Georgetown and is 2 son ef th e W. W. Curtis, who, in the earlier days of the orchestra, was a most enthusiastic supporter, with sound advice and an ever-ready purse. Mr. Cur- tis played quartets at Mr. Hunter's in Georgetown in ISi7-78 and the next year joined with other players and formed the hucieus of what is now the Georgetown Orchestra, holding weekly meetings at Gov. Ceck’s home in Georgetown until larger quarters were needed. He played frequent- ly at High Se »| entertainments from ISS) to 18 and while a student at Cornell University was active in musical circles, being one of the founders of the Euterpe Club. He also organized a students’ or- chestra of twenty Instruments, while as a violin soloist he was quite popular in Ith- ace and neighboring towns. The first conluctor of the orchestra was R. C. Bernays, and his successors to the present t have been,in the order named, Messrs. A. \. Hayes, Szemelenyi, Ernest Lent. Josef Kaspar, Wm. E. Morgan and the present incumbent, Herman Rakemann. Composition Composed. “By their works shall ye know them.” No better method fs available for an accu- Fate and comprehensive presentation of the ni; Massanello, Auber; Don Giovanni, Mo- zart; Semiramide, Rossini; William Tell, Rossini; Jean D’Paris, Boieldieu; Fra Dia- volo, Auber; Water Carrier, Cherubini; Zampa, Herold; Der Freischutz, Weber; Son and Stranger, Mendelssohn; Stradella, Flotow; Scotch Overture, Gade; Raymond, A. Thomas; Rosamunde, Schubert; Ossian, Gade; Phaedra, Massanet; Fest, Lassen ;Eg- mont, Beethoven, and the foll piano concertos, with orchestra: Capri Bril- Hante, op. 22, Mendelssohn; D minor and G minor Concertos, Mendelssohn; Hi Fantasie, Liszt; F minor Concerto, Weber; Imperial (E fiat) Concerto, Beethoven; Con- certos, Nos. 1 and 8, Beethoven; Concerto, op. 185, Raff; Concerto, op. 16, F minor (two movements), Henselt; A minor concerto, Solo Assistants. That the work of the orchestra in its study of the library above noted has neces- sarily been earnest and effective is evi- Cenced by the fact that they have been as- sisted by the following soloists: Pianists—Miss Mamie Simons (now Mrs. Lent), Mrs. Q. A. Pearson, George Iseman, E. T. Markee, Miss Flora Freyhold, Henry Xander, Anton Strelezki, Anton Gloetzner, Merris Baer, Dr. J. W. Bischoff, Miss Lotta Mills, Miss Alice Stier, J. P. Lawrence, Arthur D. Mayo, Tonzo Sauvage, William Thaule, Harry W. Howard end B. Szeme- Violinists—H. C. Rakemann. nays, Miss Roberta Allen, Miss Lucas, Anton K: E. Szemeienyi and R. FEATHERED BEAUTIES Collections of Rare Birds at the Smithsonian. BROUGHT BACK FROM CHICAGO Peculiar and Interesting Traits of Bird Character. SAGACITY, VANITY, RAPACITY HE DISPERSION of the various exhib- its at the world’s fair will add little to Washington's stock of curios. In 1876 the Philadelphia expos!i- tion suggested and practically founded Miss Leonora von Stosch. Paul "Cello soloists—Geo: Miersch and Ernest Lent. Flute soloists—W. H. Burr and Henry jaeger. Vocaltsts—Mrs. J. D. Parsolow, Harvey . Kohr, Mrs. Charles McCartee. Mrs. A. R. Kaspar, Frank H. Noyes, Warren 8. Young, Mrs. T. S. Chappell, E. J. Whipple, Miss Kate N. Scott, Miss Erna Rodenstein, Miss Fielding Roselle, Mrs. J. Esputa Daly, Miss Mollie Byrne, Miss Kittie Slosson, Emil E. Mori, Herndon Morsell, Dr. Mer- rill Hopkinson, Miss Bertha Lincoln, Miss Margaret Nolan, Mary Howe, James Sau- vage, Miss Elizabeth Hamlin, Clementina De Vere, Emma Juch, Carlotta Nicolai and Ruth Thompson. From the foregoing exhibit any person sufficiently fond of music to know as to its various forms and exponents, will readily appreciate, and with comparative exactness, the really conscientious and admirable character of the fourteen years’ work of the Georgetown Orchestra. Knowing this they will understand why it is that that organization enjoys an exceptionally en- viable and widespread reputation all over the country. It is extremely doubtful if any amateur orchestral organization in- the United States is able to show a list of com- Positions, studied and performed, equal either in number or character to the one above presented. The Present Membersh The present membership of the George- town Orchestra is arranged as follows: Cc. W. Curtis. Violins-W. Paris, F. Weiler, J. R. Hill, C. W. Curtis, T. E. Rogers, J. Finckel, L. F. Von Wimpffer, C. L. Fratley, Lee Crandall, Wm. E. Green, Miss Maud Bigelow, C. B. Keferstein, T. Durant, G. D. Mitchell, E. P. Upham, F. H. Seely, H. Bredekamp, T. B. Amiss, jr., G. M. Miller, Cc. H. Heaton, J. H. McCann, Miss Flor- ence King, A. B. Gawler. Violas—G. K. Finckel, W. H. Burr, W. D. Hadger, C. Donch, N. Dudley, L. Kruger, A. Fischer, *Cellos—A. Rodrigue R. Green, R. Wilson, C. Thierbach, J. W. Dudley, D. Wolfsteiner. Basses—C. Feige, W. Donch, N. Stein, 8. Lawton. Flutes—E. W. Stone, H. Jaegar, H. Lockwood. Piccolo—H. G. Seitz. Clarion- ets—J. Olivera, T. J. Taylor. Oboes—F. Patzche, Wm. Stange. Bassoons—J. Dieu- donne, J. Ulke. Cornets—Dr. Wm. Long, J. R. Gibson, G. W. Mankey. Horns—L. Tilleux, N. Petrola, J. Schulz, J. A. Jaegle. ‘Trombones—F. H. Barbarin, H. Stone, R. Goepeke. Bass Tuba—G. Licarione. Tym- pania—C. Naecker. Small drum and tri- angle—W. Giacchett. Bass drum and cym- bals—J. Arth. Librarian—J. Finckel. ‘The fourteenth year of the orchestra will be publicly observed by the giving of the forty-sixth concert, at Metzerott Music Hali, Friday evening, February 2. Miss Sopha Church Hall, contralto; Miss Anita Cluss, harpist; John Porter Lawrence, pian- ist, and Harry Howard, accompanist, will assist. As the Georgetown Orchestra fs not a! mercenary affair, and as ail of its receipts are devoted to the pleasure and education of its patrons, the officers and members feel that there is good cause for the sup- port that has been bestowed upon it in the past and good reason to expect that equal- ly liberal patronage will be the record of the present year. Season tickets have this year been reduced to the nominal sum of $1.25, and seats may be secured for both concerts at Metzerott’s music store. a A Disrespectful Maus From the Frankfort (Ky.) Capital. ‘There'll soon begin the gabble of the Gen'l Ass at : And they'll keep the gable going till we're all talked deat— Before they sing doxology in a mournful minor let, And all home. While the Solons dribble out their platitudinous fatuities, Or mingle with the third house and pocket its gratuities, ‘The radiant uebulosity of their cranial vacuities Will shine, shine, shine. | | For though education's represented by a dozen | pedagogues, | Yet there are tem times as many that are merely pettifogs, And they'll make us break commandments of ‘fif- teem decalogs, By their blamed fool talk. | But maybe after all we can get some consolation In the thought that occasionally Ly inward percola- tion There may be some hint of needed legislation In thelr bilix, bills, Dills. see Im the Hotel Corridor. From Life. loyalty, industry, energy and skill of the Members of the Georgetown Orchestra than to offer a schedule of the compositions stu- died and pe:formed by them, which is as foliows: Symphonies by Haydn, Beethoven, Schu- — Mozart, Mendelssohn, E. Lent and Orchestral compositions by Reinecke, Boeckelmann, K-etschmer, Meyerbeer, 5. Lent, Massanet, Grieg, Handel, Bizet, Men- delssohn. Mascagini, Schubert,Guriand,Saint Saen, Moszkowski, Gounod, Chopin, Dvo- rak, Berlioz, Brahms, Hoffman, R. Wuerst, Bvendson, Jensen, the following overtures: Le Rot D'Yvetot, Aube?: Tan- ¢zede, Rossini; Die Felsenmuhie, Reissiger; Marriage of Figaro, Mozart: Iphigenia in Aulis, Gluck; Les Deux Journees, Cherubi- the National Museum with the favoring im- pulse given by certain public-spirited citi- zens. No such thing will happen as a con- sequence of the Chicago exposition. Indzed, it was the practice of the representatives of the government at Chicago to discourage gifts to the museum, because the present building ts greatly overcrowded, and there is no immediate prospect of funds being ap- propriated for new buildings, or an enlarge- ment of the present structure. Only such rare collections in natural history as were absolutely necessary to the museum could be accepted, and these in due time will be forwarded and placed on exhibition. The Smithsonian this week received sev- eral cases of the general exhibit illustrat- ing North American birds, which was pre- pared under the direction of Prof. Ridgway. This exhibit was a synoptical collection of American families of birds and individual specimens of rare and peculiar birds from all parts of the world. The synoptical collection was illustrated by individual specimens mounted on pedes- tals and showing every one of the 104 fam- ilies of birds found in the western hemi: phere. Most of these were shown by sev- eral specimens, giving all variations of size, age, form and color due to habitat, migration, feed or other local conditions. There was also a collection of birds of paradise, another of humming birds, an- other of game birds from all parts of the world grouped geographically, while a most interesting collection was one devoted to an illustration and explanation of the conf sion of popular names. The most inter- esting part of the exhibit and one that will be added as a permanent part of the collections on exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution were fifteen groups showing birds remarkable for some peculiarity of habits. These groups were prepared by the best experts in ornithology and taxidermy in this country and are thoroughly artistic and popular as well as scientific. The ac- cessories are highly realistic. It would be hard to believe that some of the stories told by these groups are true if they were not vouched for by the descriptive labels that the Smithsonian authorities have a’ tached. Many spectators at the fair had misgivings of their strict scientific acc racy and nothing short of a properly at tested affidavit by Prof. Langley under oath and with the notary’s seal on each label would have convinced them. The Wild Pigeon. One of the most beautiful of this group consists of several “wild pigeons,” or pas- senger pigeons,as they are commonly known. This bird was a few years ago abundant in many parts of the country. The flights of pigeons in spring and fall were among the great events of the year. In Michigan and Wisconsin they had “roosts,” where they nested and hatched their young. Their numbers were so great that large forests were sometimes denuded of limbs by the crushing weight of the millions of birds. They fed usually on beech nuts and acorns, those of the pin oak and water oak being their favorites. The birds shown in the Smithsonian group are feeding on pin oak acorns. The long, slender, iridescent neck and plump, bronze blue body will recall to those who once knew these birds in their haunts the delight the pigeon trapper felt when he had sprung his net on the baiting ground and saw the thousands of heads and necks thrust up through the meshes. Strong as the pigeon was in flight it was delicate bird, and a single pinch in the head between the balls of the trapper’s two thumbs was enough to end his career. Some- times two quick-motioned men would be busy for an hour or two Killing a single catch. Then began the counting Into dozens, and barrels upon barrels of the birds were packed fn salt and shipped to market. Af- ter the season the hogs were turned in to feed on refuse birds. Pigeon men used to migrate from one haunt to another and their bough houses and baiting grounds were common in any region where the birds stopped to rest and feed. The pigeon is gone—like the buffalo. Man's greed quired but a few years to accomplish his complete extermination. A few small flocks are now and then seen swiftly cleaving the air, but they are so few and so uncommon that no one knows whither they go or whence they come. The Sheep Eaters. A startling piece of realism is a group showirg the pecullarily intelligent and de- structive habits of the kea or sheep-eat- ing parrot of New Zealand. This bird, like any other parrot, once fed on a purely vegetable diet and was a harmless, if not a charming denizen of the woods. Flowers, fruits, berries, nuts, were its usual menu. Before white people appeared cn the island there were no land animals there, conse- quently these parrots could hardly have in- the taste for flesh. The set- tlers, of course, brought farm animals and among them sheep, from which they bred large flocks. In the summer the pasturage on the highlands afforded large range. In the winter the grasses that cured and dried on the stalk in the valleys gave sufficient subsistence for their numer: flocks. The parrots, too, spent the sum- mers on the uplands and often stayed there during the open and milder winters. But one winter, not long after the white set- tlers went to New Zealand, the cold was very severe and snow fell to a great depth on the elevations, as it does on the best high summer ranges in the Rocky moun- tains. The bcd et came down along with the other half-starved denizens of the heights and began to forage for dear life’s sake. The settlers were in the habit of killing sheep, dressing their carcasses and hanging them out doors, where in the dry air they would keep all winter, da large supply was usually to be seen swung up in a row on a pole laid across two crotches. At every mountain cabin in Colorado or Montana nowadays the trav- eler will see the same custom shown in a line of deer carcasses thus hung up for the winter. The hungry parrots soon dis- covered that the fat around the kidneys of these sheep was good to eat and they took that as their share. The next winter was not so severe and many flocks of be +4 remained on the uplands. @ parrots were soon observed clin: with their strong talons to the woolly rode of the sheep and picking with their sharp bills at open wounds in the flesh of the ani. mal just above the kidneys. The sagacious birds had remembered the good meals of the winter before and their memory told them just how to go to work to get the same thing again. Their knowledge of anatomy 1s not more wonderful than that of the weasel, which buries its fangs in the jugular vein of its prey, or of the dog that ‘always takes a sheep by the throat. Still it Is re- markable that these parrots should attack no other part of the sheep but the loins Thelr work was so thoroughly done that they killed a good many sheep before the shepherds discovered them and began to re. tallate with shotguns and poison. The Jatlor Husband. The conjugal habits of birds have always been an interesting study for ornithologists. The gallantry of the male in feeding the partner of his winged joys and sorrows dur- | ing her period of incubation, the patient de- votion of the Mrs. bird and the parental pride and industry of the Mr. bird, when they are once blessed with a nestful of darlings, are trials that warm and vibrate the cockles of the heart of even a cold- blooded man of science. He may shoot the papa bird and stuff his pretty hide with cot- ton in the interests of science, or pinch the breath of life out of the poor little birdlings before they have enjoyed this terrestrial sphere twenty-four hours, in order to grati- less and diaphanous skins, but, neverthe- less, he takes note of the domestic rela- tions of his victims, and the books are ‘ull of pretty stories of sweetness and light in bi character. None, however, can be more remarkable than the habit of the rhinoceros bird during the period when an addition to the family ts expected. It is the custom of these birds when the first symptoms of bi ess come stealing over the mother bird to repair to the nest in a hollow tree and by mutual agree- ment begin a period of imprisonment for the female and of jailorship for the male. The rhinoceros bird is about as big as a brown leghorn chicken, black for the most part, and upon his nose is a white hump three or four inches long and an inch thick that really takes him out of the category of the beautiful creations of an all-wise creator. What on earth the poor bird and his hump in the face were made for are mysteries that we shall have to take to heaven with us along with the mosquito and red ants. The nest of the rhinoceros bird is a good-sized one, into the construction of which a good deal of mud enters,and it is usually located close to the knot hole or other opening in the tree through which the female enters to begin her patient ordeal. As soon as enough eggs have been laid to make up the desired quota of immediate Posterity and the time comes to turn on the heat the male begins to scoop up more mud with his big, awkward bill and plaster it into the opening to the nest. This task he keeps up until he finally closes it en- tirely, with the exception of a small, ob- long aperture sufficient to admit air and light and permit the female to hold her bill out for the food her spouse may bring her. This he supplies faithfully, making no fuss about the marketing, bringing her the choicest morsels he can find until he hears new and strange voices within the family prison, when he quickly tears out the wall he has made and feasts his eyes upon his mate and her young. This wall is not as solid as that Balzac builds in his story of the infuriated husband and the discovered paramour, and the imprisoned bird could herself doubtless dig her way out. But it keeps off marauders of all sorts, including predatory and annoying insects, and prob- ably has much to do with the safe and reg- ular reproduction of the rhinoceros bird. The specimens at the Smithsonian were se- cured in Borneo by Mr. Charles F. Adams, who modeled the group. The Prairie Chicken. Gentle reader, were you ever a boy out west? And do you remember the delicious early mornings of spring, when the snow had almost melted from the north side of the barn and the hollows in the cornfield were big ponds, alive with wild ducks, and the heavens were pricked and spotted with end- less flights of wild birds; and in the balmy early morning you heard the far-off-and- very-near booming of the prairie chickens? If you were, and you do, don’t fail now and then, as a renewal of youth, to go down to the Smithsonian: and look at the group of prairie chickens in their courting scene. This group represents an occurrence that few people ever saw unless they were curi- ous enough to steal noiselessly and cautious- ly toward the “booming.” Whoever has tried it has really learned something he will never forget. The booming in the still, clear morning seems very near, yet it is as de- ceptive as Pike's Peak if you undertake to reach it in a short walk. On and on you go, and th 'boo-boo-boom” is still far away. There are prairie chickens all around you, but the booming is always a long dis- tance ahead. All of a sudden, just over the fence, before you know it, and while the “‘boo-boo-booming” is just as loud as ever— there they are! And it is a sight you will never forget. The males are strutting up and down, their brilliant red and blue and white neck sacs distended, their brown neck tufts jutting out and their tail plumage spread fan-shaped. The congregation of hens stand about looking on in wide-eyed admiration, while the cocks bow and scrape the ground with their expanded wings, and the resounding ‘“‘boo-boo-booming” is heard A Foolish Little Bird. Two groups that will be kept at the Smithsonian represent Carolina paroquets feeding and sleeping. This beautiful bird, now a rarity, was once common as far north as Maryland and has been known to winter in Indiana and the Ohio valley. The dense flocks of them were an annoyance to the pioneer farmers, because of their fond- ness for green corn and small fruits. No account was taken of their virtues, among which was their habit of getting an honest living by eating great quantities of cockle- burs and occasionally by devouring grubs and insects that probably would have made @ more insidious and destructive campaign against the farmer's corn and apples. The paroquet was practically exterminated, and his own folly lent a powerful advantage to the farmer in the unequal contest. When- ever a paroquet is shot or otherwise maimed all his brethren within hearing stand by him to the bitter end. They fly about screeching and screaming until the farmer, sitting on the top rail, can fire and load his old gun times enough to bring the whole flock low. They also have another habit that often gives them dead away. It shown in one of the stuffed groups at the Smithsonian, where several birds are seen asleep inside a hollow tree, hanging by their bills. The paroquet’s bill is provided with the tp, and ne @ stout hook on simply inserts it in a crack or sliver in the tree, braces his tail against the wood below and there goes to sleep as peacefully as a mew babe in a new cradle. Hundreds of them would often line the inside of a hol- low tree, and all the farmer had to do in his merciless warfare on the pretty things was to take his ax and chop down a hun- dred or two every night by the cold light of the unpitying moon. One of the prettiest groups shows a little pond filled with water lilfes a other aquatic piants, done in wax, upon the pads of which are walking a little family of Mex- ican jacanas, a male and female and one young bird, which were obtained by Mr. P. L. Jouy on Lake Patzcuaro, in Michoacan. The jacana has long slender legs and toes, and his claws are like fine curved needles. Nature has thus equipped him so he can get his living on the water, where he spends all his daytime, flitting about from one lily pad to another, all the time seeming to be walking on the water. The jacana is some- times seen in Texas. The sagacity of squirrels in laying up a supply of food for winter is matched by the forehandedness of the California wood- pecker. A group is shown with the trunk of a tree, which they have used as a store- house for their acorns. Boring a hole in a dead tree they put in one after another a | dozen acorns, driving them in so tightly that they plug the hole up perfectly. Wood- pecker trees thus “driven” full of acorns sometimes look as if studded with bronze- headed nails, the heads only being tn sight. Some say the smart bird only uses acorns i that contain the erg of a worm, and that his purpose is to let the grub grow and fatten on the meat of the acorn until it reaches the proper age and tenderness to make a good rheal. Building a Theater. ‘The bower-bird or satin-bird of Australia and New Guinea must be a queer member of the winged race. It is rich in color, the male being a blackish-blue,the female olive- green above, the tail feathers reddish- brown, the under parts greenish barred with black, and the front of the neck mark- ed with white horizontal spots bordered with black. It is a shy bird, the adults be- {ng seldom seen. Its peculiarity is the habit of building a bower in which to play. They construct this of cedar twigs in two short parallel hedges interlaced as to make a smooth lane or run in which they play tag. The outside is rough, the floor is strewn with bones and shells, and the sides of the bowers decorated with brilliant feathers of paroquets, bleached bones, shells, bits of yarn or rags, metal buttons and sundry other bright and pretty things. Whenever the natives of New Guinea miss anything in the way of trinkets they at once search the runs of the satin-bird for them. The nest of this bird is never near the bower, but so well concealed that not even the keen-eyed natives have ever found them. The bower is strictly a play place, a sort of bird theater or promegade, continuajly used in their amusements, to which they resort month after month if unmolested, and to which they return if driven away. The crocodile bird, an Egyptian plover, is shown in his world-renowned act of picking up a living and doing kindness at the same time. As long ago as the times of Herodo- tus, who lived 400 years before Christ, this little zoological performance was observed, and the historian made note of it, while de- scribing what he saw in Egypt. The croco- dile is so constantly in the water that he becomes the prey of a parasitic leech. For relief he comes out of the water and lies down with his mouth wide open and whole dental apparatus turned up to the west wind. The crocodile bird sees in this a chance.for something to eat, and proceeds to pick the saurian’s teeth for him. Herodo- tus told the story like a navy officer, and added some details that Professor Langley and his assistants, on subsequent investiga- tion, find wholly fictitious. For instance, Herodotus says the crocodile enjoys having the leeches extracted by the plover, and permits the bird to enter his mouth and walk all over him. The gentlemen at the Smithsonian state that the bird is too smart for that, and does not trust himself in the 4 Narrow Escape. fy a scientific curiosity as to what makes | the “wheels go wound” inside their feather- crocodile’s power the least bit, being per- fectly able to stay outside and get a good, square meal by cautiously snatching the leeches from the crocodile’s ja of gnat also makes its home at times in and among the crocodile’s tongue and teeth, and the plover finds this insect a good arti- cle of diet. Going Like the Dodo. Few Americans ever saw the ivory-billed weodpecker alive. Fewer will see it, ac- cording to all accounts. Like the dodo, that disappeared all of a sudden in the fifteenth century, this splendid specimen of his class is likely soon to become extinct. In Audu- bon’s time it was common in Virginia along the coast and was observed as far north as Cincinnati and as far west as Kansas. Now it is sometimes seen in the southern part of North Carolina near the coast, at Vicks- burg and along the gulf coast to the Brazos river in Texas. The progress of civiliza- tion seems to create conditions wholly in- compatible with his existence. The swamps of the south afford the best home he has yet found, but it will not be long before he these haunts. long stripe of white. The bill er intel tint Sodas and Set chi and made neci them. Now they are scarcer than buffalo robes. Two cases of birds that were at the world’s fair will always be sought out by lovers of beauty in color. These are thi groups of humming birds and birds of para- dise. The former are shown in every con- ceivable color and in great ft shapes and sizes. They are all natives of the west- ern hemisphere. Thus it was eminently propriate to make a display at Columbian fair. Before the bus no European It is the most brilliant of all age, and its habits are more those sects than birds. No bird of its existence on the wing. shows that all its muscles are d for flight, while no human eye has age a humming bird walking. Indeed, it to have no use whatever for its tiny legs and claws but to cling for an instant to the petals of some flower. In captivity they will poise for hours in the same spot, their wings all the time moving at a velocity in- visible, but sufficient to sustain them midair. In filght they resemble the dragon fly. Their tongue consists of two tubes with which, like some insects, to draw in honey. Insects form the greater B nz of their food. The young, it is said, fly swift as the mother bird, without practice, at the first effort. In their flight from flower to flower, humming birds, like bees, serve to transfer pollen from one plant to another. These stuffed specimens at the Smithsonian cannot convey an adequate idea of the bril- liancy of the plumage, although they are perfect examples of the taxidermist’s art. The fact is that motion is indispensable to show the brilllancy of their splendid coloring. The iridescent, ble qual- ity is simply indescribable. Every motion of the living juces @ new change of color. Artists and decorators are fond of hum- ming birds and buy them in large collec- tions in order to study their coloration and adapt from It new shades and combinations in their handicraft. Nothing can be more beautiful than the velvet black, emerald green and ruby red to be seen on these birds. Some have two brilliant spots of color in close juxtaposition, but one of which can be seen on the stuffed specimen, while !f it were alive and moving in the sunlight both colors and their combinations would be vis- ible. g HE By az A ¢ E ub & Parndise Birds. The ordinary observer is a good deal shocked when he looks at the paradise birds at the Smithsonian and is told they are crows. This may not be the precise truth, but the typical bird of paradise has been found to be so closely allied to the crow and oriole family that it ts difficult to es- tablish them as a distinct family. Litera- ture fs full of myths about this bird. It was said their home was the bright expanse of the sky, where they slept, nésted and had their young; that they only came to earth when they died; their food was dew drunk in midair; and having no use for legs and feet they really had none. The bird was first found on Magellan's expedition, and his bird man, Antonio Pigafetta, distinctly stat- ed that the paradise bird had legs, but the natives of New Zealand cut them off from the specimens they preserved and bartered. Nevertheless, a score of naturalists stated be the bird really had no legs, and the at Linnaeus, in naming the emerald bird of paradise, called it paradisea apoda, or footless, a name that sticks to it to this day. Whole libraries have been written about these wonderful birds, the glory of whose plumage transcends that of all oth- ers except the humming bird’s. Maroon brown, velvet black, emerald green, citron yellow, golden green, violet brown, yellowish white, purpled red, reddish yellow, pure white, reddish maroon—all these colors and shades are found in a single specimen. This is, of course, the male. The female is, as — in the bird world, less gifted in auty. ‘The emerald bird is about as large as 4 blue jay. It is a migratory bird and pos- sesses much intelligence. The natives climb the teak trees where it roosts and shoot it in the night with arrows. The beautiful long plumes are used for head decorations for the chiefs. In captivity the paradise bird is an amusing creature, full of queer habits and knowing tricks, like his cousin, the crow. These beautiful pictures of bird life repre- sent years of research and study and re- flect great credit upon Prof. Ridgway and his associates. They are a constant source of pleasure to those who visit the Smithson- fan, whether they are collectors, students or just ordinary sightseers, ——<e0—___ A Marriage a la Mode. From the Florida Hustler. ‘The deputy clerk in the marriage bureau at Jacksonville was very, very busy. With- out looking up from his work he knew there was a colored couple looking around timid- ly near the door and occasionally peering over at the desk where he sat writing. This lasted for about half an hour, when, becoming annoyed, he suddenly leaped up and demanded: “Well, well, want to get .married; why don’t you say 80?” They grinned at each other, then grinned at the clerk. Then the man faltered: “Ya-as, sir.” “Got a license?” "'Ya-as, sir.” ‘Got any money?” “Ya-as, sir.” “How much?” “Two dollars. “Hand it her He slowly, almost painfully, counted out $2 in chicken money. The clerk grabbed it. “Join right hands,” he said. Then faster than a thunder shower can resend on a tin roof he rattled off the fol- lowing: “By virchof thoritof state of Floridin me vestedinow declare you manwife. Gitowder here!” and they went, still grinning. Next day, while the bridegroom was lay- ing track for the new electric car line, he was heard to say: “Mr, Charlie Verelst is de smartest white man in Jacksouville—marry you in a min- it! Golly! I specks to git him to marry me every time.” A New Labor-Saving Device. From Puck. 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BREAKFAST--SUPPER. snowledge of the natural jaws of and pu- of the fine Mr. bas Plorided our breaktast tables with « delicately wored beverage, which Uy save us Maly beary doctors’ bills. “It is by the judicious use of suc articles of dict that a constitution may be - built up until strong enough to disease. Hundreds of Soaring around us ready to attack wherever pore & weak point. We may many & shaft by Keeping ourselves well fortified with Dood and a properly nourished frame.” —Civil - ice Gazette. Made simply with bolling water or milk. Sold half tins by grocers, labeled thus: ES & O0., L't'd, Homeopathic Trition, “and “by properties of well-selected Fears. to fold ae ni ttst.< =} on mg 1's TORY & CO, al class “s. I. Ba’ & ©O., South Howard st. Bultimore Ma a2 = pre i Me a H ve fee aur ta pF = ° CREDIT HOUSE, $10, S21, 823 TTH ST. XW, Ber. H AND I STs. —to sell S-pound Boxes of Creamery Butter for $1.60, for the profits Mterally “out of sight.” are selling as fest It Takes “Grit” Jas. oth & Pa. ave. ’Phone