Evening Star Newspaper, May 5, 1900, Page 23

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, MAY 5, 1900-24 PAGES. == ———————— —= THE AMERICAN HORSE LEADS EUROPEAN MILITARY MEN FAST REALIZING HIS MERITS. Scarcity of Goed Animals in This Country on Account of Large South African Shipments. From the New York Herald. Since the begjnning of the Transvaal war tens of thousands of horses have been pur- chased in this country by British agents and shipped to South Africa for use in the contest against the two republics. Thirty thousand were purchased soon after the outbreak of hostilities, and some fifteen thousand have been bought more recently, while three cari per week of American mules have been shipped from New Orleans since the commencing of the war. The re- sult of this unusual drain upon the horse markets of the country has been to put up prices and to bring about a scarcity of first-class animals. At the same time the popularity of the American horse has brought millions of dollars into this coun- try and has resulted in the British troops being better mounted than they ever have Pothes renee why the American horse has been called on to help fight the battles of the British in South Africa is the reason that has led to the introduction of the same animal to a gr extent in almost ry army of and continental armie: reful investigation ani in the points of enduranc the American mount is adaptability superior to any other that they can obtain. So far as work in a rough and barren coun- and th Africa is concerned scarcely : eae officer can found to dispute macy of the range horse of the n that American vor abroad ores exported e the Amer- jor in point that he equence has ave come Into high hat there has been emand for our we: ropean br s of caref@lly tri sight this statement seems a p: on more careful examination tt that no contradiction ts in- s of the west have Th themse! to th wolv other enemie: ed country » and weather. training has with him for fie I have yet t fterward © and ridden sir strong in: n good stead. » west long successful nd them ers of t and the ago of ecustomed to rely upon their over Indians or game at a dis- which they themselves could de- e of either. horse Buckskin Joe, which I owned . Was a good example of the ef- ning combined with instinct. He the most skilled buffalo horse that ever He knew just how to go after a buf- ust how to avoid a victous charge. rdly necessary to guide him in a . and it was largely due to his ability ble on one occasion to kill six- + hunt. Many of i trained horses the blood of the or plains horses which formerly did the reel in the “Wild West’ were all of nd. nm we come to the matter of endur- . top> Much cannot be said in praise of American horses descended from the plains animals. They are particularly valu- able for use in a rou, wild country, be- cau completely self-reliant ries for the ked their living ck that it has m. If there is know how the suste s that are We find it necessary ais. Th seem t it is true. Usually it is yut them on short rations for they learn to like the in, id a few horses that abso- oats under any con- these do not food, and for tuable for are able to ations that would kill Moreover, they will is said Col. Cody, “that n horse a good’ cam- shness. He will endure runt of work. His capa- ion were abundantly e nd mile ride’ at the » of the world’s fair in Chicago, when horse made the journey from’ Chad- eb., to Chicago without difficulty and ed in good condition. In contrast to Vienna race, in which one, gnd T vanting. “We all intelligence, beauty and affection of the high-bred American horse. Add to this the od, endurance and adapta- bility « animal, and we have a produ at the rest of the world cannot © I believe that the time is rapidly ing when all the cavalry of d on American containing an d. horses, admix- Man and Bird in Collision. journal, it flight over the tracks near Juliet, in @ passenger ection a r afternoon. ‘The bird's bod, hrough the glass window of beak, sharp as a needle’s point, the right eye of E vce and the sur- KE engineer's sight t ibly permanently, Jlace was at the lever of the passenger train for Macon when it pulled out of the Union depot yesterday. The run to Jullet was made without inct- Gent. After the train left the station the engin pened the throttle to run the train faster than usual in order to make up a few minutes’ lost time. The train was bow!ing along at a sixty-mile-an-hour gait. ‘The engineer’s seat in the cab faces the track ahead. A window of glass an eighth of an i thick protects him from the draughts, smoke and cinders. He was look- ing through this window, when suddenly the body of the dove burst through the trae of glass and struck him in the face. fe was blinded for an instant, and the pain In his eye made him realize at once that he was seriously hurt. The fireman on the cab with Engineer Wallace saw the accident and relieved him of his post. The pain increased in Wal- lace’s eye until it was almost unbearab‘e, and he finally went back into the baggage coach to get such assistance as was pos- te on the train. The dove was killed by the sudden con- tact with the cab window. Its quivering body fell on the fron floor of the engine cab after striking the engineer, and was picked up by the fireman. So great was the momentum of the train and the dove’s body that the glass window was not smashed by the blow of the collision. The ho'e through which the bird was hurled was clean-cut, ke that made by a bullet fired through glass. ——+o+____. THE OX IN SOUTH AFRICA. Tt in the Mainstay of the British Transport Syste: From the Pall Mall Gazette. The trek or transport oxenare the mainstay of the British South African transport system. These anfmals are slow but sure, never doing more than three miles an hour, or twenty miles a day, which ts considered Sood trek. The Zulu ox is the best bred animal, but small and unserviceable when compared to the bastard Zulu or Natal ox, whieh thrives on both the “sour” veldt, or coast grass, and the “sweet,” or up-country veldt. Oxen, however, require very careful handling, and must on no account be over- driven; they must have at least six hours a day for grazing purposes. In the winter, Wh is coming on now, they can find a picking on the parched veldt where a mule horse would fail. They are, naturaity, poor condition till the green grass of spring appears In September. They are very Hable to lung sickness and red water, and whole spans sometimes perish from these fell diseases. In the winter time they t terribly from the cold, and on no account should be worked in the rain dur- ing that season, for, among other things, the yoke, when wet, gives them sore necks, thus rendering them useless. The ox's best work is done at night time, and moonlight treks are the usual things with the “trans- port riders” after their teams have been grazing all day. They are never kept under yoke for more than eight hours during the day, two stretches of four hours eaci »m 4 to 8 in the morning and from 6 19 at night are the favorite hours for As to their hauling capacity, or team of eighteen oxen will draw a buck wagon (weighing a litule er a ton). loaded to ”) pounds, over the cuth African roads, many of which are ttle better than tracks across the veldt. Twenty miles a day for a heavy baggage column in such a country as South Africa is really good going. ——— of England. ‘The Great Seal From Chambers’s Journal. The seal cor of a large mass of ster- six and a half y and a quarter depth or thickness. It fs in two both smooth on the outer side, but tely engraved within. These two impressed upon a lump of wax an Inger us Way to any du h her maje as sovereign nt. The weight of the one metal about teh seal is engraved during the reign of vereizn wh > it bears, and the fon pr and accuraic All lord ch he great and hi are of the omitrive for thi in the reign of seal loving pre 3 who one ni und carried off house of the lords and Laurel Crowns. From the London Gardener's Magazine. ‘The laurel crown used to decorate the brow of the victor in the old O| mplan or the head of some triumphant neral, composed of bay leaves. The y is laurus nobilis, and thus the wreath s been called laurel or bay, vriter. The S considered by the ancients to be ntidofe a: on and a security e a pleasing incense, and a spray of bay was carried in the garments of all Superstitious persons as a guard against all dangers. It 4: interesting to note how the laurel or bay has passed down to these more prosaic times; the heads on medals, coins, etc., are almost always crowned with laurel. Then we have a poet laureate,or the Poet crowned with laurel—that is to say,the chief poet of the times. Again, the title of bachelor, won by exceptional skill In con- nection with art or science, takes us back to the middle ages, when young doctors were crowned with laurel, and received the ttle of bacca laurel. - eee Down the Trail. William Luctas Graves tn East and West. Will all the trees be ti When I am laid 2: cross the meadows ‘The spring brea! ding ding like a wave? Will ercharda green and whiten And turn to red the same, And daylight pale and brighten When I am but « name? Will all the maids I've chertshe@ And all the lads I've known, Forget that I have perished, A leaf to darkness blown? Whr, yes; an henr 0” weeping An’ quick with grief we're dove? lad that’s sleeping kes a Detter one! re's ny mouth for kisses, for lover's mirth! hearted love who misses, "3 ever uuder earth! And here's my band that’s aching Tn eomrudie's to be set: Ab, you whose band I'm taking, Dear lad, will you forge! ——see When the Birds Go North Again, Ella Higginson in the New York Tribune. Ob, every year hath Sts winter, And every year hath Its rain— Bote day is always coming Wren the birds go north again: When new leaves swell In the forest, And grass springs green on the plain, And the alder’s veins turn erimson— And the birds go north again. Ob. every heart hat And every heart its paln— But a day fs always coming When the birds go north again, Its sorrow, “Tis the sweetest thing to remember If courage be on the wane, When the cold dark days are over— Why, the birds go uerth again. coo Wind on the Sea. Arthur Symons in the Saturday Review. ‘The loneliness of the sea Is in my heart, Aud the wind is not mors louely than this gray mind. Ihave thought far thoughts, I have loved, I have loved, and 1 find Love gone, thought weary, and T, alas, left behind. elineas of my heart {s in the sea, heart 19 not more lonely than this gray Who sball stay the feet of the sea, or bind ‘The wings of the wird? only the feet of mankind wold In the place of their sorrow, und bitter is the heart ‘That may not wander as the wind or return as the sea. ————_+e-—___ Rebirth, re are we cry. as wintry cold “a sullen rain resolve to eart! est smiles that greet the summers know that from the sodden mold shall spring, a tlower unfold, 1 another. Can we then the thing that lives again? snder pool. once dark and bare, behold, mi fetid depths updrawn to sunlit alr, ‘The trembling lotus, rising lke a prayer O, soul, be brave. for death Is but a name! From withered hopes all sodden deep in tears, A purer Joy, a fairer hope appears Perchauce a lotus, white with heart of flame. ~MARY McNEIL FENOLLOSA. ——_—ee Marringe. Arthur Munby In the London Spectator. ‘Thou art my own, my darling and my wife; And when we pass into another Life, Still thou art mine. All this which now we see Is but the childhood of Eternity; And thou and I, through trials and through tears, The joys and sorrows of our earthly years, Are growing up tnto le soul, God's workmanship; « clear completed whole Made out of twain’ Our love is but begun; Forever and forever, we are one. Bat still we nother bi and SOME ANCIENT BEQUESTS INTERESTING WILLS OF LONG AGO, WITH QUEER LEGACIES. Sheets, Blankets, Pillows and Other Articles of Household Use Mention- ed in Old Legal Instruments. From the Law Times. Sheets, blankets, pillows and coverlets or counterpanes were frequent subjects of be- quest in the midle ages; and one lady of quality, Katherine, Lady Hastings, having borrowed money of another, Cecilia, Mar- chioness of Dorset, wills (1503) ‘that the said Cecilia, in full contention of such sums of money that I owe unto her, have my bed of arras, litter, tester and counterpane, which she late borrowed of me.” The cost- Iness of the materials may be estimated from the tradition that the bed, with the furniture, prepared for James I at Knowle, cost £7,000, the curtains being cloth of gold. Bequests for masses and pilgrimages abound, and it is curious to observe to what extent the belief in the efficacy of vicarious performances prevailed. Thus, in Sir Roger Beauchamp's will (1379), we find: “Whereas I am bound to doe service on the infidels, by devise of my grandsire, Sir Walter Beauchamp, to the expense of 200 marks, I will that Roger, son to Roger, my son, shall perform the same when he comes of age."" The Earl of Hereford (1361) di- tects: “A chaplain of good condition be sent to Jerusalem principally for my lady my mother, my lord my father, and for us; and that the chaplain be charged to say masses, by the way, at all times that he can conveniently for the souls; and that a good and loyal man be sent to Canterbury, and to offer there xls. silver for us; and an- other such man to Pomfret to offer at the tomb of Thomas, late Earl of Lancaster, oe When Le Balafre, Quentin Durward's uncle, hears of the mishap that has be- fallen his family, he bites off a few inches of his gold chain, and sends them to a monk with this message: “Tell my gossip that my brother and sister, and some oth- ers of my house, are all dead and gone; and I pray him to have masses for their souls as far as the value of these links will car- ty him, and to do on trust what else may be necessary to free them from purgatory. And, hark ye! as they were just-living peo- pie, and tree from all heresy, it may be that they are well nigh out of Imbo already, so that a little matter may have them free of the fetlocks; and in that case, look ye, ye will say I desire to take out the balance of the gold in curses upon a generation called the Ogilvies of Angusshire in what Way soever the church may best come at them. This is the spirit in which masses were commonly ordered. The testator's main ob- ject was to get what he thought money's worth for e oney. Thus Sir Thomas Littleton (tn® author of the “Treatise on Tenures,” rendered famous by Coke's com- mentary) leaves a sum of money for masses “for the souls of my feder and mo- der, and for the soul of William Burley, my father-in-law; and for the soul of Sir Philip Chaturn, and for all souls that | am most bounden to pray for.” The average cost of miy be collected from a clause in will of Joan, Lady Cobham, in 1 “I will that vil thousand masses be satd for my soul by the canons of Tunbrugge and nfugge, and the four orders of friars in London, viz., the friar preachers, minc Augustines and Carmelites, wh for so doing shall have £xxix Mi s. iv This is rather less than three halfpence per mas he Earl of Salisbury, the son of Henry 1 by the fair Rosamond, bequeaths for the building of a monastery (inter alia) “a thousand she three hundred muttons, and fifte " ‘The of Warwick, in 136) “To every h within each of my manors the bi t which should there be fou ction of my tithes forgott and I desire t satisfac g any sort wronged.” The obj to the church, or for pious exclusively dom et hood had them. Bequests for the erection of statues and monuments are of frequent occurrence, and the directions are sometimes both curious the will of Isabel, of Warwick, In 1 “Also I will that my statue be made all naked, with my hair cast backward, according to the design and model which Thomas Porchabon has for that purpose, with Mary Magdalen laying her hand across, and St. John the 2vangelist on the right side and St. Antho- ny on the left; at my feet a scutcheon, im- paling my arms with those of the earl, my husband, supported by two griffins, but on the sides thereof the statues of poor men and women in thelr poor array with their beads in thelr hands.”” Guichard, Earl of Huntingdon, wills that his heart be taken out of his body and pre- served with spices, to be deposited in the Church of Engle. The preservation of the nobler members, especially the heart, was frequently enjoined. + e+—____ Digestive Powers of the Ostrich. From Good Words. The digestive powers of the ostrich have long ago passed into a proverb: the birds will swallow almost anything that they can get into their beaks. They are amus- ingly greedy, and will gulp down whole oranges more rapidly than they can take them into their stomachs, so that half a dozen may be seen passing down their long necks at the same time, each orange pro- ducing a queer-looking protuberance. When visitors stand near the fence of one of the inclosure the birds will peck in a most persistent manner at any bright object, such as the head of an umbrella or a walk. ing cane, a watch chain, locket, brooch or button. It does not surprise us to be told ct of bequests uses, Was not uperstitious, for wills were sel- uside or evaded when the pries @ direct interest in upholding by the attendant that indigestion is the prevalent malady among ostriches, and usually is responsible for their death. It is said that an attempt is sometimes made to relieve their systems of an accumulation of indigestible matter by administering half a gallon of castor oil in one dose, ee An Incident in the Philippines. From the KansasCity Journal. An incident of campaigning In the Phil- ippines as related by James Douglas, a Phillipsburg soldier boy: “During my first watch I wanted a chew of tobacco, I had to loosen my belt to get it, and so T set my rifle down. I had just taken a chew and fastened my belt, and was in the act of reaching for my rifle when I heard the report of a rifle and feit a stinging sen- sation along my right side. I dropped to the ground, and as I did so I saw a rebel in the act of taking another bead at me. He fired and missed, and then started to run, but I caught him on the go. The bul- let hit him just at the nape of the neck and passed through his brain. His first shot took my ‘first ald package’ out of my right shirt pocket, and just burned my side. I was scared, too, I can tell you." Ses Wanted the Correct Change. From the Cincinnati Boquirer. Another “meanest man” has been found. He lives tn this city and conducts a thriv- ing business, The other day a seedy indl- vidual approached him and said: “Say, mister, I'm hungry and would like to get a nickel to get a cup of coffee and a roll. I have four pennies and only need one more. Please give me a penn The mean man, after searching himself, said: “I haven't got a penny. All I have {s a nickel. Give me your four cents in change and I will give you the nickel.” The beg- gar requests that his name be not mention- ed in connection with the item, ~ eee Embittered. From the Chicago Record. _ ‘Pa, what is commercial rivalry?” “Well, commercial rivalry is the way your mother tries to spend what I make faster than Mrs. Dash, next door, spends what her husband makes." See Lasting Ware. From the Indianapolis Journal. “My cook broke three two-dollar teapots in one month.” “How dreadful.” “Yes; then I bought a 10-cent one, and it has lasted a whole year. A recent compilation of statisties shows that in 1899 American dealers bought more than $500,000 worth of foreign cosmetics and perfumes, LOCUST HARVEST IN ARGENTINA. Western Farme a: From South From the Chicago Chrogicle. Down in the Argéntind! Republic, where the merry locust sirf@s hidsongs, a harvest- er has been contrived togather in the in- sects. There are at Hast three reasons why the device is excellent. Yt does the work, it is cheap and the déAd ldcusts are convert- ed into fertilizing fhaterlal which has a commercial value. ‘' os A large oblong, covérea:frooden box, upon supports ten or twelve feet high, presents a wide aperture in front through. which the Insects are to enter!’ Leading to thie is an inclined plane (terméd trdmpolin), wide at the end resting upon the ground and gradu- ally narrowing toward the upper end, pro- tected on each side by zine sheets about twelve inches high, over which it ts im- possible for the young locusts to escape. From these side pleces extend other bar- riers of the same height and about 160 feet long, each of which Is set up edgewise and when in use so secured at such distances apart at the outer extremities as to afford a wide entrance to the locusts. The swarms of insects are driven toward this inclosure and readily ascend the trampolin, which 1s painted green (the color of the foliage), into the box, which is then closed until another swarm is collected and driven in, two men being required for this work. The apparatus for destroying the locusts is a roller sustaining a cylinder of iron sim- ilar in form to a coffee mill or roaster. The cylinder 1s covered with knives extended obliquely and revolves between high side pieces which almost touch it at their lower extremities and is revolved by a crank. This machine is attached to the back of the box containing the tmprisoned locusts, which are allowed to drop into it, when they are cut to pieces. After this the re- mains of the insects are dried and sold for fertilizing purposes, there being a constant demand in Europe for this material, rich in nitrogen. An easier method of destroying locusts has been discovered, according to reports which come from Cape Colony, South Africa, In 1895 the locusts in that part of the world appear to have been almost de- stroyed by an epidemic, and investigations carried on by M. S. Evans seemed to prove conclusively that the disease was the re- suit of feeding upon a fungus growth now known as “locust fungus,"” and that a few insects affected with the malady might communicate it to millfons of others. After repeated experiments in the Bacteriological Institute at Grahamstown, Cape Colony, a pure culture is said to have been obtained from the locust fungus and the insects died that were brought in contact with it at the Insitute. In 187 experiments were carried on on a large scale. Immense swarms of locusts perished after the infection of several indi- viduals In each group. It was also found that the best results were obtained during the periods of rain, when the locusts re- main longer in one place, and the spread of the infection was thus facilitated. In dry weather the flight of the insects is more rapid, and, the sick ones being left behind, there is less chance for the spread of the disease, The Bacteriological Institute now sends out the culture from the locust fun- gus with directions for its use in tubes, which may be conveyed 1,000 miles or more. A national commission of the Argentine Republic se years ago Investigated all vans and me arresting the plague of ts and finally hif upon a bounty plan for locusts And thtir eggs destroyed. In six months is pall out in paper cur- reney for 27,000,000 pounds of Insects and eggs. Though this quantity seems enor- mous, yet it is nothing when compared with ‘the immense swarms and prodigious quantities of eggs that still were to be seen. And it appeared that the ‘amount of money pald out im bounties would foot up more than all the damage done. by the pests. Changing the Russian ¢ From t New York Herald. lt is no easy matter to change a calendar. Russia is experiencing this fact. The com- mittee of the St. Petersburg Astronomical Society is having no end of trouble in its efforts to have dropped the excess of eleven days in the Julian method of reckoning, so that Russia may come in with the rest of the civilized world under the Gregorian cal- endar. The people do net want it. ‘They feel as the people didin Jingland when the change Was made there a hundred and fifty years ago... They say that the goyern- ment is trying to cheat them out of eleven days of life; that to cail the first of the month the twelfth fs robbing them of just that much time. Then they object to the upsetting of their religious and secalar festivals, and say that the days will all be wrong under the proposed change, and that they will lose their effectiveness. But the change is to be made, and the plan is to use both dates until the people become familiar with the new style. ‘The law will make compulsory the use of both dates on all private and public documents. lendar, ———_ +e. —— A Dinner of Male and Axle Grease. From the London Lancet. The following !s an incident of the stege of Ladysmith narrated by Sir William MacCormac: “An officer related an incl- dent which will serve to illustrate tho lengths to which things had gone as regards food. A shel! fell into the mule lines one afternoon, killing one mule. In spite of other shells following the first one in rapid succession, so as to make occupation of the spot very dangerous, the men in the vicinity made a rush at the mule like so many ravenous creatures, cutting off the flesh with their clasp knives in great chunks. They then in safer quarters built fires, toasted the meat and swallowed {t at once. To make them more palatable the men fried their biscuits in the axle grease provided for the carts. The want of fatty foods and vegetables was greatly felt. In spite of all thelr hardships, no- body ever thought of giving in. The gen- eral inquired as to how many horses in the camp could carry their riders six miles, in view of a sortie being made, and the answer came back that only twelve horses in the who's camp could do it.” ae Hindoo English, From the Golden Penny. “ The following advertisement of @ hotel is taken from a Calcutta newspaper, and ts an amusing sample of Higdoo English: “Gentlemen who come in hotel not say anything about their meals they will be charged for, and if they should say before- hand that they are going out to breakfast or dinner, ete., and if they say they not have anything to eat they will be charged, and {f not so they will not be charged, or unless they bring it to the notice of the manager of the place, and should they want to say anything, they must order the man- ager for one, not any one else, and unless they bring not it to the notice of the man- ager they will be charged for the least thing according to the hotel rate, and no fuss will be allowed afterward about it.” ++ Spectacles for the Blind. From the London Family Doétor. From Russia comes thé news that Prof. Norsheweski has invented an instrument the principle of which ig the sensitiveness to light of selenium’ andiitellurium, both of which change their quality as conductors of electricity with @ variation in the light to which they are exposed. In stating that the blind can see by: this Instrument a rela- tive meaning only is Indicated. While their actual vision will be unaffected, they will feel the varlous cffeats oféchanging light by its action. It is laimed that a totally blind man has been enabled to find the windows in a room, and after some prac- Uce to distinguish approaching objects. The inventor hoves to make the Instrument so efficient that the blind will be able to tell almost certainly when they are approach- ing an opaque or transparent substance. ——+ e-—__. Driest Spot on Earth. From the Golden Penny, The reputation of being the driest spot on earth is clalmed by Payta, in Peru, a place about five degrees south of the equa- tor on the coast that has risen forty feet in historic times. In February there was a fall of rain’ of more than twenty-four hours, the first for eight years. The average interval between two showers in seven years. Sea fogs are common. Of about nine species of plants noticed by @ recent visitor seven were annuals, and their seeds must have remained dormant in the ground for elght.years. In. spite of the THE VALUE OF SEA BIRDS ALL MOST USEFUL AS SCAVENGERS ON THE COAST. Some Pertinent Figures Showing the Frightful Destruction of Feather- ed Life in Past Years. From the Scientific American. Remarkable as it may seem, It appears to be a more or less prevalent belief among certain people that sea birds possess abso- lutely no value as economic factors In the realm of nature. Certain individuals con- sider it sport to shoot gulls and similar birds as practice; others assume that gulls are a nuisance and should be killed off without mercy. An interesting filustration of this was recently developed in southern California, where a few citizens had the temerity to take a stand for the birds. The defense took the ground that the gulls were scavengers and of prime value to the state; of greater value, in fact, to the citizens along shore than to the deal- ers in feathers in Chicago and other cen- ers where feathers are in demand. The writer prepared as elaborate a statement as possible bearing on this point, present- ing facts which were Intended to show that the gulls on the Atlantic coast, on the G of Mexico and on the Pacific, in fact, wher- ever observed, were of great benefit. An appeal was made for the birds as a natural ornament to the localities in which they were found. Many people, ornithologists and laymen, testified along these lines. Rest- dents of the towns of Redondo, Santa Mon- ica, San Pedro and Ava'on testified to the fact that the birds are the natural beach scavengers, and that some of these places would be unhealthy !f birds were removed. Hundreds of gulls are seen riding the waves on the beach after a storm feeding on dead fish that have washed in. The ma- jority are on the water, rising over the heavy breakers in scores as they come in, to alight again and feed upon the fishes that are rolled over and over by the waves. Others are patrolling the beach, picking up the objects cast ashore, and so perfectly is this work done that in a short time no remains of the dead fish, that might be- come a nuisance, are found there. The birds at this time present a most attractive spec- tacle, and many people collect to watch their movements. In Avalon bay a number of professional fishermen follow their calling, and when the fish are cleaned every morning it ts an interesting sight to observe these scaven- rs perform their duties. With them in winter are many brown pelicans, and all are so tame that they gather about the head fisherman, a Venetian. d take the rejectamenta from his hand, some of the old gulls even allowing him to take them up. It fg not necessary to carry the refuse out Into the channel: these birds remove it all; In fact, fight for it. This is true of the gulls all along the shore, and this place is mentioned especially as the birds are per- haps tamer here than elsewhere; but ¢ erywhere they are the natural health guar- dlans of the coast, performing their duty so well from San Francisco to San Pedro, in the observation of the writer, there is not a spot that becomes offensive by the accumulation of fetid matter. It would seem that the gulls In this respect was b nding of the Pedro demonstrated t who affect to Telieve t scavengers and should The most remarkable duced. Men test riment to the harbor He beaith ni not be prote E imony was intro- were a ace to pub- d that the killing of gulls was ne to enable him to ob- tain a living, and evidence showed the ex- traordinary fact that he had been killing the use, not the plumage, but the bodies a to his lobster and fish traps, and as bait for certain fish. Some of the testimony even at this time is past bellef and well illustrates that a deep ignorance st‘ll holds in the ¢ of the country. ‘The sea birds of tho Pacifie coast are not alone scavengers, but they constitute one of the charms of the cou An apprecia- tion of this is termed sentiment 1 The long lines of slags flying by the outer islands, the flocks of brown pelicans which swim Into the little bays, the scores of grebes and divers which lurk about the wharves, the long-winged albatross and frigate bird which occasionally reach these shores, and many more, have been the de- light of many a voyager and traveler, who haye made the trips to the California isl- ands to view them. At present the sea birds, including the brown pelican, are pro- tected, though doubtless there are poach- ers, and in a few years the increase of birds will be readily noticed, as the killing has been going on for ten or more years on the Pacific. a Some dealers in feathers and their friends claim that birds are not decreasing, but the writer knows localities in Florida, where in 1860 birds were seen in thousands, that are now deserted. The great marsh by the sea, in southern California, which twelve years ago was the winter home of innumer- able white herons knows them no more. England alone uses 30,000,000 birds for dec- orative purposes, and to provide all Europe 150,000,000 are annually destroyed, and when we add America it brings the sum total up to 300,000,000. London also takes 400,000 humming birds every year from this continent, and 300,000 would, in all proba- bility, not meet the demands for America. England imports 6,000 birds of paradise yearly, and these birds are doomed, while 400,000 miscellaneous birds are used. Some bird lover had the curiosity to watch the auction rooms of a London house four months, and it was found that during that time 800,000 East and West Indian bird skins were sold here. One Chicago dealer received 32,000 humreing birds in one con- signment; the same number of aquatic birds (gulls) and 300,000 wings. These figures are significant, but the secretary of the Audubon Society of Massachusetts, to whom the writer is indebted for the figures given, could doubtless give a darker page, and if an accurate statement of the birds destroyed in a single year to provide the women of the world with feathers could be made. it would astonish those who affect that the question is one of mere sentiment. Unless something is done many birds, valuable as scavengers, as insect eaters and as objects of beauty, will be wiped out of existence. Za ies The Mafia, From the Spectator. it is in Sicily that both poverty and crime have reached their most portentous -de- velopment. Here, again, we find diverse strains of blood, language and tradition, and an unfortunate historic development. We cannot, indeed, explain the social facts of Sicily in our time without reference to the past. Centuries of turbulence and mis- government produced a condition of af- fairs in which every man's hand was against every other man’s, and in which, the idea of just and impartial law becom- ing weak, the inevitable alternative of the rude justice of revenge became widespread. In our day, with the possible exception of some of the outlying districts of European Russia, Sictly is the poorest part of Europe. The wages earned in the sulphur mines and the horrible condition of the people employed therein have been so completely exposed that it Is not necessary to dwell thereon. Suffice it to say that with the factors of wretched poverty and a long historical training in crime, superadded to a quick-blooded, violent people, we may understand the growth and power in Sicily of that murderous society, the Mafia, which the Italian government is now at- tacking in earnest at Messina. The Mafia is to all intents and purposes a murderous organization, which sticks at nothing to secure Its ends. But formally, and on one side, it is a kind of mutual benefit society. its members are bound to protect and bene- fit one another under given conditions, or pay the dread penalty for failure or neg- lect. ——_-+e+_____ Brick Tea. Prom Good Words. Our endurance would be tested to the breaking point were our only resource the brick tea of Tibet, made and flavored after the true Tartar recipe. This tea, for the convenience of porterage on camels, is made up in the form of hard, solid, brick- like lumps which are supposed to consist of the stems and leaves of our ordinary tea plant. But, in the majority of cases, brick tea is merely the off-scourings of the tea plantation, together with dust and adul- teration of endless other plants. There is Uttle of the crisp, curty tea leaves to be When tea Is to be made pieces are chipped off the bricks and ‘The result ts a dark, strong-flavored liquid with harsh, un- pleasant taste. One merit alone it possesses —it is undoubtedly stimulating. The flavor of the tea is not improved, either, to our taste by the additions to it which the Tar- tar favors. \ Instead of cream and sugar. mutton fat and salt are usually considered the correct things to add, and it can read- ily be !magined that the beverage thus pro- duced does not present any particular at- traction to Englishmen. The Tartars them- selves are as devoted to their tea drinking as is any old Welshwoman, so ft is to be presumed that here, as elsewhere, habit is everything, even in the matter of the flavor found in these lumps. immersed in boiling water. of a tea. —_—___+ee__— ___ DECLINE OF BUCKWHEAT. * A Crop Once Large in This Country, but Steadily Decreasing. From the New York Sua. What is the matter with buckwheat? Cakes made of it and eaten warm are re- garded as very nutritious and “are still a favorite article of food with many thou- sands, but for all that the cultivation of the It must be that a great many have stopped eating buck- wheat cakes, for there is certainly a great deal less buckwheat to be eaten than in grain is steadily declining. former days. Thirty-five years ago the farmers of our country sowed, every year, over 1,000,000 Since then the crop sometimes smaller, but, on the whole, the acreage and yield have been almost steadily decreasing. In 1898 the acreage was 675.332, only a lttle of thirty-five years ago, and the yield was only 11,700,000 bush- which was just about one-half the acres in buckwheat. has sometimes been larger, more than half tha els, yield at the close of the civil war. No explanation of this great decline in buckwheat raising has been made. the crop, which is sometimes son for the variation, great many farmers. These preparations have probably wheat cakes. If buckwheat raising continues to decline, perhaps the bees most of all will miss the artial to the flow- crete a great deal not, however, of the first quality, as everybody knows who has eaten fields, for they are very ers of this plant, which of honey, that it. Buckwheat fs not raised widely over the world, and this fact makes its decline tn America, where ft is most largely grown, all the more interesting. Russia and Fran: are about the only countriesin Europe the produce it, and Great Britain ports very little of the grain. see Watching Digestion With the X Ray From Appleton’s Popular Science Monthly. The use of the fluorescent been greatly extended. Hams of Boston has used {t as a v instrument in medical diagnosi: in studying lung diseases. at the Harvard Medic: the processes of digestion. this, in one Instance a g salt which absorbs X r, The pv the fluorescent screen, and th: of its motion in the gullet cou A cat was also fed with stance, and the movements noted, These movements e of the heart—in other mical when the pro: were going on normally az ly. When, however, the cat w it may be by the sight of a dog, Sations instantly ceased. As wo oon frame of mind, the stomach ri rhythmical movements. The ependeni nervous under these experiments than the male. —_—_—+e+ A Weather Clock. From the London Engineer, Sir William H. Bailey of Sale Hall has presented to the new Sale Park a meteoro- logical clock, which is to be an improve- ment upon any similar apparatus of the kind in the country. This clock will indi- cate the time on a large dial, and the move- ment will also actuate a drum upon which there will be graphic diagrams of the fluc- tuations of the barometer, the direction of the wind, the rainfall and variations of temperature, the diagrams giving a weekly record. This clock Sir William Balley has designed as a modification of previous sim- ilar instruments made by his firm, and it is claimed to be the first one of its kind in the country that will record all these varia- tions on one chart. It Is to be erected in a Suitable tower, which will be named the Joule Memorial Tower, to commemorate the fact that Dr. Joule, the discoverer of the mechanical equivalent of heat, and one of the greatest investigators of the age in Was for many years a res- physical science, ident in Sale. ———_-+e+______ A Little Sermon. From the Baltimore American. What this troubled old world needs Is less of quibbling over creeds, Fewer words and better deeds. Less of ‘Thus and so shall you Think and act, aud say and do. More of “How may I be true?’ Less of Srangling over text; Less of creed and code perplexedg More of charity unveaed. Less of shoutin; alone Have the right to burl the stone.” More of heart that will condone. Less of ruling: ‘‘Hear! You must Hold this tenet, wrong or just," More of patient, helpful trust, Less of microscopic sean Of the faults of fellow-tasn. More of brave, uplifting plan, Less of dogma, less pretense. More bellef that Providence Will sanetify our common sense, More of chords of kindness blent Over the discords of dissent. Then will come the great content, “Just to be good, and to do good. Simple, plain, for him who would A creed that may be understood. —+e+—____ Fate. A figure, awful to behold, auste: Stood by my bed lust night. ind ‘The dagger at her side filled me with fear, Her eyes flashed down at me with scornful light. “I am Misfortune. Hear, “Thou shrinking child, where’er thou mayest i never tenes thee—nay, = thorns and flowers, to death I'll follow void beyond near thee to stay.” Even in the I sobbed: “Away, away!" She firmly and from me would not ga ‘She spoke "Tia thus decreed. Pale flower of the cypress, of the snow, Of crime and of the tomb, bumah weed, Above ‘tis thus ee, Trose and cried: ‘But it is hope I crave ‘To make my young days bright, In thrills of love exultingly to rave, I want the kiss of genius and of light!- Ob, go, ob, go away! “He who creates In suffering’s night glors’s day. him who bravely fights is “slowly answered: ——— a = ‘When I might How could I Sox hat Oaee In my own hour of bitterness supplied? A little f te cer a falatiog boat ttle, song a And I pani aes Sas ane it apart, > When It is| forsake the allotment, probable, however, that the unreliability of | suffic large and sometimes small, without any apparent rea- has discouraged a] Way about ft, buys a-* Another reason for] but not ur the decline may be the larger use within the past few years of cereal preparations, especially wheat, all of which come under the general designation of hygienic foods. won many persons from their allegiance to buck- has never taken kindly to buckwheat cakes and im- s Treen has Dr. Francis H. Wil- luable follow mplish was fed with food mixed with subnitrate of bismuth, a ge of the dark mass down the jong neck of the bird could be traced on as the source of vexation was removed and the purring of the animal showed a contented umed its > of the digestive apparatus on the state of the ystem was thus clearly shown. The female cat was much more tractable in that teaches thoughts their bighest @ight— Ph Actory.." THE CABMAN IN RUSSIA HE DIFFERS IN MANY WA FROM OUR OWN JEHU. How One Vehicle is Made to Answer for Two Men—Absence of Fixity of Tari From the London Field. The cab driver of Russian towns differs in many ways from our own Jehu, al- though in the matter of having a ready answer, which does not turn away wrath, for both friend and foe, he seems to be closely related. There are no large cab owners, and, if those of the tram compa- nies be excepted. no large stables in elther Moscow or St. Petersburg, and almost every driver owns or has at least a share in the lot he drives. Although at first sight cab driving in the capitals of the empire can hardly be considered as a village in- dustry, yet in Russia it is considered as such. The “isvoshtchiks,” as the flymen are called, are nearly always membera of far distant village communes, who spent the whole or Part of the y at town work, but who remit the greater portion of thelt earnings to their native place, and them= selves return to it when agricultural work or fishing is at a premium, and when city work or health gives out. “This connecti between farmer and factory hand, town man and tiller of soll, is character’ all Russian industry; i fs no uncomm slzht to see a cotton or linen factory «m} during harvest. The coachman of the ey is generally a member of a peasant fam- ily, whose males outnumber the females, so that some of the former are forced to which proves in- Provide support or labor for turn to the town for a living. the busy center, learns his roshky,” a sm: mfortable vehicle on runne! nd a four-wheeled chaise of about the same size for summer usr. takes out @ license from the police, and makes a start. His horse (for. unlike the London brother, he seldom has more than one) he brings pith him from the farm, or perhaps, to be t pos- on of the nt to them all, and He comes to al, it brings him: and ofte ton of the animal ts th driver's change of ort) This fsvoshtchik ts a strange object he sits on the narrow board which s« him as a seat at the front of his di clothed in a long blue gown which the ground, is heavily quilted with and ted in at th with a st amental and a heavy ver his He Uv an dom having any tixed re. in the town, and fs thus of ep in his Grushky, while public troughs, S put up in alm may see him, wh ssenger and ¢ rest corn mercha ¥ and corn fur or nd place it the m fodder for himself fr de of Dlack bread, i and weak, miik: to t his horse f at the mbulent ve sa (odorifer: other € “Box play with and return of every Mujik's lent example which is so a, for in the mat~ shtchik is an e¢ of that absence of fix prevalent ter of char, 2 is When you show signs of w all the drivers within hail assemble and bid one against the other for thecustom; this one will take you for so much, that one for less, and so on. One takes one's choice, a good, fast horse and smart sleigh at a guod price, or a bad one for a fraction of it. Should one, however, select a poor-looking beast, the drivers left behind will make encourage ing remarks as one drives away. “He is lame,” “He stumbles,” “The driver tg drunk,” they will shout in chorus, until is out of earshot. One natural’ result this elastic system is that the old law of supply and demand makes Itself felt; for while fares are low during slack hours, they are apt, at close of play or commencement of storm, to at once “rise several points.” The isvoshtchik ts not a bad coachman, generally driving with a very tight rein, and somewhat furiously. He shouts at every- thing in his way, and constantly encour- ages his not unwilling Uttle steed with such. remarks as “Now, Vanka (little Jobn), earn inner, t is not fer,” “The day is the end are food and rest, ——__+e-+____ He Improved the Opportanity, From Pearson's Weekly. “There, there, there!” exclaimed the wife of the realistic novelist, as she rushed into her husband’s study and picked up her howling offspring. “Did muzzie's precious Ntt!e lamb think she had deserted him?” After she had gutted him she turned to her husband and asked: “Did you have a terrible time with Willie while I was out?” “Oh, no,” replied the author with a glad smile. “I was very much interested. I had never before made a study of how a baby cries, and I have secured some very interesting notes. I have discovered just hw a baby cries when lonely. A few min- utes after you went out he began to whine softly to himself and to wander about ag if searching for some one. Then he let out a yel!. When I spoke to him and asked him What was the matter he drew down the corners of his mouth and began to cry in earnest. The sounds he made were all varia- tions of the vowels, altogether*devoid of consonants. “His method of crying is to utter from four to seven sharp, barking sounds, then draw a quick, deep breath and yell at the top of his voice with his mouth almost per- fectly round. From time to time he varied this performance by holding his breath, as if choking, and when he did not on'y his face but even his scalp got red. “And you sat there and took notes, you brute. I'll never leave our darling with such a cold-blooded man again.”* As she said this she gathered up the pet of the household and flounced from the room in a huff. The realistic novelist took a couple of turns about the room, smiling softly to himself in the meantime, and then stopped before a mirror and winked at himself in a way that suggested that perhaps, after all, he had simply been doing a clever little romancing that would save him from being left in charge of the baby in future. ——_—ree have some very curious criminal laws Io Mexico. For instance, it is twice as much of an offense to mutilate the face of a woman as that of a man. The law seems to be based on the idea that a wo- man’s best possession is her beauty, and that to mar it does her a great injury. There is another curious law. If a person should be wounded in an encounter the punishment to the offender is fixed by the number of days his victim has to stay ip the hospital or under a doctor's care. A Mine is fixed at forty days in the way of a general division. If the injured man occu- anting a droshky your cold,’ is good. A marked peculiarity of the Indiana coal fields is the slight depth at which coal is found. An area of 6.500 square miles, of nearly one-fifth of the total area of the state, is Known to be undermined with coal at an average of eighty feet below the sur- face. ‘We wear away two tnches of shoe leath ina your A pair of boote that would “last a lifetime” would, consequently,