, 1859-04-08
8Erihuttc.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 1889.


FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 1859.
scoLEooPHAGus cYANocEPHA-
LUS.
We have received q pondcrous volume, the
ninth Of the scres) Of one thousand and sixty
one elegant pages, bearing the following cxtcn-
sive title:
"Cd Cnrre4v; I'd SESSION.. Senate Eek. Doc. No. 1s)
Reports q Explorations sd uyeys % asce.talp thc
a:pr KscI tot1s r.sne o: made gsdsz 81 drs,io
v"Ine i% s'a'sh '' my d. 'S md August 1a@
The acts Of Congress referred To, as We learn
from the other side Of the title page, appropri-
ased the moderate sum Of $4,000 for tie
work Of ascertaining the most practicable and
economical routc,'' etc A few pages farther
on, and VIC find that this book is not the whole
Of Vol, II, but "Part H. Of that modest and
fascinating work. On the next page, which By
the way reflects much credit on the taste ofthe
compositor, we read: Explorations and sur.
"yey for Railroad Route from the Mississippi
"Rivcr to the Pacific Ocean. War Depart
"ment. BIRDS: Dy Spencer F. Baird, As
"sistant Secretary Of the Smithsonian Institl-
"tion: With the cooperation Of John Cassir,
"aud Geo. n Lawrence"
The relationship existing between the "most
practicable and economical routefor Railroad
to the Pacific' and Birds" whether hy Spen-
Ger F. Baird, or any other distinguished f:ln-
cior, would not be conjectured at first thought.
The reader would turn naturally to tue table Of
contents to find tue section or page devoted to
this scientific mystery. Here we are cnlight-
ened by reading "Ordcr Raptores; Order
"scansorcs; Order Inscssorcs; Order Raso-
"res; Order Grattaorcs; Order Natatorcs."--
This carries US through nine hundred ard
twenty-one pages, and we find that the bal
auce Of tile volume is devoted to " additional
n copious Latin index Of the Orders aforesaid
The work is then divided into two grand cat
esorics, TO wit: "a; Hind Toe on tie same
''level with the Anterior ones. 3; Hind Toe
raised above the level Of tile Rest" This is
all about the most practicable and eeonomicY
route for Railroad to the Pacific 0cean-
Of course. Hmdtoe OF the same level with
the rest! Class A is then subdivided intotwo
smaller cateeorics Of not more than three hun
drcd aud fifty pages eacll, 10 wit: "a; Postc-
Hrior face or the sides Of the tarsus more or
''less reticulated. etc. b.; Anterior face Of the
';tarsus in the continuous plate, or divided
transversely into large quadrate scales"
The demands Of railroad science in the
in West will bc satisfied with one extract from
the details Of the work:
pp $50. 553. ScoLEcoruAors CrASocEPuALrs,
Cab, Psaroco(ius cyanocephalus, Wagler, Isis,
l62*, 75s. Scolecophagus Cynuocephalus,
Cabanis, Mus. Helm. ls57, l9:, SeoleeopAagus
mexicanus, Swanson, Amin. in men. u cent.
Zool. Cal and Or Route; Rep. P. X. 4. Surv,
VI, iv, 1887, Sc, Quiscalus .brewcri, Aud, Birds
Amer. VII, ls4a, 345; pl. 4sa.
asp. Ch.-Bill Stout quscallnc. the commits
sure scarcely sertated; shorter than The head
aud hind toe the height nearly half the length
above. Wing nearly an inch longer than the
tail; the second quill largest! the first about
equal to the third. Tail rounded and moderate
ly graduated tue lateral feathers about 81 Of
black, with lustrous green reflections every
where except on tile head and neck, which arc
glosscd with purplsh violet. Fc1nale much
du'ler, Of light brownish anteriorly {?); very
faint superciliary stripe. Length, about III
inchcs; wing 5.3o; tail $40"
These ten inches Of bird-wc mean Sco'c-
copllagus Cvanocephalus-are then described
at considerable length as to their minute mod
lilca1ions- extract above bcing tic air
and the remainder the variations. The whole
concludes with Il list Of tllirty-two spcci-
mems Of the scolcophasas Cyanonplsa-
lus, i'll tabular form (which pays the
printer two priccs( in which are given
the sex, locality. time when collected,
the person from whom obtained, tic number,
the length of body, length Of wing, stretch Of
wing and color, Of each specimen. Who says
that the most practicable and economical route
for Railroad to the Pacific is not now fully
:scertained? As a general rule VIC should say
that the most practicable and hy far the most
economical route for Railroad, would bc
where the Scu'tspl.acus Cynnaror1alna, ton
inches louy) was most abundant.
Ono fact should not be overlooked. At the
bottom If the title page VIC find Washington.
Beverly Tucker. Printer" What enormous
Film WAS paid Mr.. Beverly Tucker, Democratic
politician for this yolumc. eau only bc conjec-
tured from the dimensions Of the work, its
utter uscleSsncss, and the tremendous scale Of
prices oil which all public printing is done at
the scat Of government.