Two Useful Winter Birds
By Julie Adams Powell
7
Years ago when Mr. Eugene Setaief- ]
felin introduced the English starling j
into Central park. New York city, I do |
not believe that he thought that it
would breed so fast as to spread over j
a good part of the I'nited States, in so
short a time, nor that it would be
come such a nuisanoe, that the Audu- i
bon societies a~e thinking of having it I
put on the list of game birds. This is
because this new comer is driving out
many of our own more beautiful song
birds, such as the blue bird, the flick- j
er, the wren, and whatevei bird nests
in holes in trees.
I have called this bird useful, in my
headline. So he is, because in the
summer time he kills thousands of
qfubs, spiders and ineects in order to
satisfy the hungry hiood of young
sters, that is always clamoring for
more and more. If tlieir number could
V be kept down, and if the}' would not
perch around our dwellings, we would
be very glad to welcome them to our
orchards during the grub and insect
period. I
Some sunny morning, you boys will !
hear a long drawn whistle outside
your window, and then a sound very
like a chuckle. Open the w indow care
fully. and wrapped up warmly, you can
stand there and view the songster, and
you will find that between the chuckle
and whistle, there are some very sweet
notes which you did not hear before.
And on the elm tree just outside the
house you will see two, four and some
times six birds which from that dis
tance look as if they were all attired
in black suits, which in the sun shine
with a metallic purple and green color.
You will find a compactly built bird,
between eight and nine inches long,
with a strong brown bill and a rather
short tail. Instead of being all of an
iridesceht black, the feathers of the
upper parts and sides are tipped with
deep yellow, the wings and tail are
dark brownish gray, tipped with buff,
and the under parts are heavily spot- |
ted with white.
The starlings do not hop. They are
walkers like the crows. During the
winter they can be studied more care
fully than in the summer, when there
are so many more attractive birds
about.
They are great chatterers, and often
the listener will be rewarded by a
series of warbles and notes of joy,
which are like the laughter of little !
children. If this wise old bird sees
you looking at him. he will shut up
his mouth right in the middle of his ,
prettiest notes, and not open it again
until you walk around the corner of
the house out of his sight.
A story was told me the other day
of a pair of starlings which built their
nest in a hole in the side of a house
in our city of Stamford, right under
the eaves. There must have been a
beam projection for the roughly put to
gether nest of sticks to be fastened to,
but even so, when the birdlings grew
large enough to move about, they fre
quently tumbled out of the nest, with
great scramblings and flutterings of
wings and shrill cries of alarm.
Inside the wall of the house was the
room of a little boy, and as it hap
Silver Pheasants—One of the Most Common -Species of the Family—The
Upper Part of the Body is White Delicately Marked With Black.
pened, the head of his bed was
against the very spot where the feath
ered youngsters took their naps, and
oftentimes in the middle of the night
the little boy was rudely awakened by
the cries of the babies who tumbled
out of their bed. When the little boy
learned what the noise was, he
watched the parents going in and out
of the hole, until one day they all flew
away and a piece of tin was placed
over the entrance to keep them out.
Last summer during a gale of wind
an old apple tree in our orchard was
blown directly in two. 1 found that a j
starling nest was laid bare, and in
the nest were four youngsters almost
ready to fly.. The nest was securely !
fastened to the side of the tree which 1
was left standing, fortunately, and so <
these birdlings remained a week long
er, until they flew out into the world
One of our very interesting little
winter birds, and one of the least con
spicuous, is the nuthatch—the white
breasted nuthatch. He is remarkable
for his stout and sturdy buijfl and
strong pointed cylindrical bill and very
short tail.
The nuthatch is one of our common
est winter birds, and easily identified.
To see him run down the trunks of
trees, is enough to make one dizzy,
and his hoarse cry of "yank, yank" is
Bath Tub for Birds on an Eight-Foot
Pole. 1—Cat Guard. 2—Cross
Pieces for the Birds to Rest on and
Dry Their Feathers After Their
Bath.
different from any other bird call. In
some districts the nuthatch is extreme
ly shy, while at other times and places
this little bird becomes as friendly as
the chickadee, or the winter sparrows.
Some writers say that the nuthatch
feeds mostly on nut meat6, while oth
ers declare that the bird breaks the
shell to get at the insects and grubs
which inhabit the nut. It is surely an
_s.
insectivorous bird, as one will learn by
watching the hird industriously
searching the barks of trees for larvae
and insects.
Their bill is very strong and the nut
batch will push "a nut into a crevice
and hammer away at it until the shell
breaks.
One day in November I saw a nut
hatch on the roof outside my win
dow. He had something in his mouth
and without noticing my near pres
ence. he hunted about for a place to
hide his treasure. Under a loose
shingle he pushed it, and then I saw
that it wae a cherry stone. He cocked
his head on one side and then on the
other, for the place did not seem quite
secure enough. He made a dive for a
leaf, and poked that in after his cherry
I ■ 1
pit. I thought that it showed wonder
ful intelligence.
The nuthatch is a gray and black
bird, about six inches in length. The
top of his head and the front of his
back is a shining black, while the rest
ol his upper parts are of a bluish gray.
There is white on his wings, and the
sides of his head and under parts are
white. Just under his tail will be
noticed a dull rufous color.
We do not often see the nuthatch
about cur hemes in summer unless we
are fortunate enough to live off in the
country districts. They build their
pests in the hollows of trees, where
the entrance is particularly small. If
it is too large, they build it up with
mud or clay until it is of the desired
size. They are great fighters for a
bird of their size, and it is a brave
bird that tries to molest the nest of
the little white breasted nuthatch.
ARE OF THE EARTH’S BEST
Deserved Tribute to the Women of
Whom It Is Said They Are
“Agreeable to Live With.”
“I feel of so little use in these pro
gressive days,” said a woman of ma
ture years. "The woman of today is
full of stimulating ideas. She is iden
tified with important movements. She
makes the most of her talents, but I—
I—can do nothing. It seems as if I
have so much to take up my time and
yet I never do accomplish anything
that will ever count in the vast scheme
of things.”
“You have the rarest talent that the
world boasts and you make the most
of it every day.” replied the visitor.
"You are agreeable to live with.”
Agreeable to live with! Unassum
ing phrase, with what a powerful
reach! With domestic squalls so flag
rant, divorce rampant, “incompatibil
ity" a household word, the woman who
is agreeable to live with is a mighty
factor in the press of progress. She
brightens the atmosphere about her at
a time when there seems much effort
expended to make people good, but lit
tle to make them happy. Such a wom
an has the gift of divinity. She glori
fies the commonplace. She nourishes
the nation.
It is splendid to uplift, to be artistic,
to head world movements, but there is
little that so becomes a woman as to
be agreeable to live with. It is a way
in which those who tarry at home may
keep step with their more conspicu
ously progressive sisters.—Mother’s
Magazine.
Australia’s Mallee Hen.
The builder of the biggest nest in
the world is the Australian mallee hen.
a bird considerably smaller than a
domestic turkey. The nest is used
year after year, and as many as twen
ty or thirty pairs of birds use the same
nest at one yjne. It is not uncommon
to find a hundred eggs in a nest, and
these are very good for cooking pur
poses. A large mound of earth is
scratched together by the birds, the
center being filled with leaves, and on
these the eggs are laid. They are then
covered with more leaves and earth,
and the cares of the parent bird are
ended. They do not sit on the eggs
at all, as the spontaneous combustion
of the rotting leaves generates the
required heat for incubation, says the
Strand. The chickens are able to
run about and find food for themselves
from the time they are hatched. The
small hen is a very shy bird, and is
seldom seen near any habitation.
Peerless Geneva.
The most glowing tribute to Geneva
is Mr. Frederic Harrison's. “1 hold
Zurich. Basle and Geneva to be the
model cities of our age—the fine type
of what cities will one day be in a
regenerated age—the true type of civic
organization, having sites of rare beau
ty and convenience, spacious streets
and avenues, noble public walks and
gardens, perhaps everything short of
grand antique buildings.” Geneva in
particular is "the finest type of a ra
tional city that Europe posses
ses ... a true city where, as in
Athens. Florence, Venice. Antwerp or
Ghent, or old. men can live a whole
some civic life, not in huge, amor
phous caravanseries such as London,
Paris or Berlin—not in suffumigated
barracks such as Manchester, or Ly
ons, or Glasgow—but in a beautiful,
well-ordered, free, organic city.” .
This Is Funny.
An English paper says that the hat
of a certain short-sighted master at
Eton blew off one day, and as he start
ed in pursuit of it a black hen dashed
out of the gateway. The schoolmaster
saw the hen and thought it was his
hat, and so all Eton was electrified by
the spectacle of a hatless and breath
less learned man chasing a black hen
from one end of the street to the
other.
AS IN OLD SAILBOAT DAYS
American Vessel Will Take Cargo to
the West Coast of Africa
to Trade.
For about one hundred years Ameri
can sailing vessels bartered and traded
on the west coast of Africa. So again,
with the Stars and Stripes flying from
its masthead, tbe Adelia T. Carleton.
an American sailing vessel, loaded
with a cargo of American goods, will
sail for the west coast of Africa
This enterprise is due to the efforts
of Aurthur Muller, president of the
newly organized American Tropical
Trading company of New York. This
company intends to take American
goods on consignment—consisting of
tobacco, flour, pork. salt, beef, vege
tables. gin, matches, to trade for na
tive products
In the old timeE the American flag
dying from Y'ankee ships took the
place of lighthouses along this coast
so regularly were they to be found.
The shrewd Yankee trader, quite often
master of the vessel he sailed, evaded
or conquered opposition wherever he
came in contact with it and returned
borne with a profit which modern busi
ness minds find hard to believe.—New
York Sun
A Poker Devotee.
"liingburn says he reads everything
that comes into his hands."
"That oughtn't to take him long."
“Why xot?"
“It's mostly hearts, clubs, spades an<t
diamonds."
Dickens and His Madmen.
M. Anatole France, who has offered
his services to the F-rench minister of
war, has an amusing reminiscence of
Dickens—of whom he is a great ad
mirer—in his “Vie Litteraire, the
London Chronicle remarks. One'won
ders whether it is autobiographical.
“A Frenchman who made the journey
to London." he writes, “went one day
to see the great Charles Dickens. He
was admitted, and expressed his ad
miration 03 an excuse for, thus tres
passing on the precious time of such
a being. ‘Your fame,’ he added, ’and
the universal sympathy you inspire,
doubtless expose you to innumerable
intrusions. Your door is always be
sieged. You must be visited, every
day by princes, statesmen, scholars,
writers,^ artists and even madmen.
‘Yes, madmen, madmen,’ cried Dick
ens, carried away by the agitation
which, toward the end of his life,
often moved him. ’Madmen! They
alone amuse me.’ And he pushed his
aston’shed visitor out by the shoul-1
ders." |
Snakes in United States.
There are 19 varieties of rattle
snakes in the United States, one cop
perhead, and one water-moccasin.
The rattlesnake, of course, can always
be told by its rattle. The timber rat
tlesnake is the commonest. It grows
sometimes as long as five feet, but is
rarely found over two or three feet in
length. It haunts the woods in hilly
or mountainous regions, as does the
copperhead. Both live on rabbits,
squirrels, and other animals which
they generally catch at night
v
TO GET BEST OUT OF COFFEE
Method of Preparation Han Much to
Do With Success in This Im
portant Matter.
There are two points necessary in
getting the best out of coffee. One
is, of course, to get all that is good.
The other is not to get what is bad.
The best preparation of co e ex
tracts the aromatic oils and eliminates
coffee-tannin _o practically nothing.
In the first place the housewife
must see to it that her coffee is finely
ground. But, having had it practical
ly pulverized, she must be careful
that it is quickly used or confined in
air-proof, moisture-proof jars, other
wise the oil will escape into the air
and will absorb moisture.
In the actual preparation of the
beverage, however, the important
thing is to brew' the coffee. “Brewed”
coffee is not "cooked " In the process
of brewing the oils are extracted
from the fibrous tissue, whereas when
coffee is boiled or "cooked" the fiber
is stewed in and the flavor and purity
of the liquid is damaged. The water
must be boiled; the coffee must not.
Water at the boiling point should be
poured on the coffee, but it should
not stand too long, and it sh uld not
get chilled.
The elimination of the coffee-tannin
is best brought about in the filtration
or drip method of preparing coffee.
When brewed in this way the coffee
contains only .29 of a grain of coffee
tannin per cup, fs against 2.90 grains
by five minutes steeping in the perco
lator method.
Household
TQyESTIONS
To clean a polished table that has
been marred by having had a hot dish
placed upon It rub It with camphorat
ed oil.
To clean tinware dampen a cloth,
dip it In common soda and rub the
ware briskly, after which wipe dry.
To overcome the annoyance of the
hands perspiring when doing fine
sewing bathe them with strong aiutn
water.
To lengthen the life of a comb wash
it in soapy water before using it, and
when it is dry rub it with a little
olive oil.
To restore their natural color to
ivory knife handles that turned yel
low rub them with turpentine.
To preserve clothespins and clothes
lines and keep them flexible and dura?
ble boil them a few minutes and then
dry them quickly. This should be
done twice a month.
White Fruit Cake.
To make an especially dellcloua
cake of the lasting variety cream
together one cupful of butter and
two cupfuls of sugar and add
one cupful of milk. Sift three
cupfuls of flour and one tea
spoonful of baking powder three
times and add to the mixture and stir
well. Slice very thin one pound of
citron, blanch one pound of almonds
and chop fine and grate one medium
sized fresh cocoanut and add to the
mixture with one wineglassful of
white wine, stirring enough to mix
only. Last fold In the beaten whites
of eight eggs. Bake In two loaves and
cook in a moderate oven.
Dishwashing Wisdom.
While spending the day with a
friend on a farm last summer, I no
ticed a clever little arrangement of
hers in washing dishes. The water
was piping hot, as it should be, and
in the middle of the dishpan she set
a small deep pitcher full of hot suds
for the silver. This obviated the
need of plunging her hand down to
the bottom of the dishpan, as I have
always done, and also kept the silver
from collecting grease—McCall's
Magazine.
Apple Slump.
Pare and slice your apples, sweeten
to taste, add cinnamou and a little
salt. Prepare a crust as follows;
Two cupfuls flour, two level teaspooti
fuls baking powder, one teaspoonfnl
salt, sifted together. Mix thoroughly
with this two tablespoonfuls shorten
ing, wet with milk or water until a
soft dough. Place over apples. Make
three or four cuts In top, to allow
steam to escape, and bake. Serve
with molasses sauce or with sugar
and cream.
Stuffed Celery.
Thoroughly clean perfect stalks or
celery and cover with ice until crisp.
-Mix to a cream one-qu;irter pound of
roquefort cheese, one-half pound of
cream cheese, one tablespoonful of
butter, one teaspoon fal of Worcester
shire dressing, one-eigh‘h teaspeonful
of paprika and one teaspoonful of
finely chopped olives. Stuff celery
with this mixture and serve ice cold
on lettuce leaves. After the cele.-y Is
stuffed cut it into two-inch lengths.
Sausagettes snd Tomato.
Take three small pork sausages and
dip in cold water for a few minutes.
Now slip off the skin and form the
meat into flat cakes. Fry in a small
pan until nicely browned. Pour off
the surplus fat and add one-half cap
ful of left-over tomatoes, a little
chopped peppers and. if mixture is too
thin, a little rolled cracker meal may
be added. As soon as hot serve on a
heated plate and press small toast
points around edge.
For Your Bean Pot.
To clean the bean pot thoroughly
put .two large handfuls of washing
soda in it and place in a large covered
kettle. Now completely cover It with
cold water and allow to boil for almost
half an hour. Then wash in the usual
way.
Nulle Fruits.
Take one pound of mixed fresh
fruits; cut into dice; soak for 15
minutes in sherry; add them to a
quart of lemon ice; mix well and
freeze.
OLD AND THE NEW IN AMERICAN NAVY
America's first battleship, the Constitution, and the navy's latest acquisitions, the submarines K-5 and K-6.
lying side by side in the Charlestown navy yard.
KHAKI-CLAD TURKS MARCHING AGAINST RUSSIANS
Regiment of Turkish regular infantry, drilled by the Germans and wearing their new khaki uniforms, march
ing Across the desert to meet the Russian troops on the Caucasus border.
TARGET FOR TURKS’ “FRIENDLY” SHOT
This is the launch of the U. S S. Tennessee at which ^ Turkish fort in
the harbor of Smyrna fired a shot, which afterward was declared to be only
a •'friendly" warning that the harbor was mined and closed to alien vessels.
FRENCH SOCIETY WOMEN AS NURSES
Parisian women, well known in society, attending wounded soldiers at
the Gare du Nord as they arrive from the battlefields.
TERROR OF NAVIGATORS
This big steel ball is one of the
deadly mines that are feared by all
navigators. It was washed ashore at
Sizewell, Suffolk, and its explosives
were removed by a torpedo instructor
Many of these mines have been
beached along the coast of England.
WARNS KING OF ENGLAND
Astrologist Tells George to Beware
of Evil Days in March of
Next Year.
Boston.—That King George of Eng
land must beware of evil days next
March is the prediction of Catharina
H. Thompson, astrologist. Miss
Thompson bases her prediction on the
fact that Jupiter enters1 Pisces, a
watery, unstable sign, next March, and
afflicts the king's radical sun, and sick
ness and trouble should increase
rather than diminish. While Jupiter
was passing through Aquarius this
year, she says, trouble for the king was
allayed. Something extraordinary wi J
happen, she predicts, such as the siege
of London, the fall of Westminster ab
bey, St. Paul's cathedral or Bucking
ham palace.
A Thorough Soaking.
"Some of those soldlerB fighting
along the Aisne must lead a dog s
life.”
“1 should think that lying in a
trench half full of water day after
day would be more like a frogs
life.”
“WHITE GENERAL” DOOMS FOE
Russian Soldiers Have Legend of
Mounted Man Whose Averted
Looks Mean Death.
liondon.—The Petrograd correspond
ent of the Daily Mail, in announcing
that Petrograd has been made a dry
city for the duration of the war and
that no wine, beers, or spirits will be
allowed to be sold anywhere, gives a
legend permeating the Russian army
of a "White General," who rides
through the ranks on a white horse.
“If he looks a man full in the face"
the legend runs, “that man bears a
charmed life. Those whom he passes
with eyes averted are marked for
death.
“During the last two weeks the
‘White General- has not been seen
in the Russian ranks. The soldiers
say he is busy in the German and
Austrian armies, walking with his
eyes to the ground."
-r
The girl question: "Is he married?"
Ruse of a French Captain.
A French captain caused a number
of his horses to be loaded with hay
effigies and then all bunched together
■'and covered with hay to resemble a
giant haystack. As the monster em
erged from the haze the Germans were
bewildered, but charged, which caused
the horses to separate. While the
Germans were slashing at the hay
effigies on the horses the real French
troops got a position in the rear and
defeated them. The captain was highly
praised for his successful rugfc
