The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-03-28
April Magazines.
Harper's.


Each number of Harper's seems TO be an
improvement on its predecessor In the matter
of illustrations. Seventy.eight epgravings
embelllsh the April number, which opens
with a finely illustrated paper by Charles
Nor lhof on the Farallon Islands, those six
lonely, rugged peaks rising out of the Pacific
few hours sail from San Francisco, notable
as the home of multitude of sea lions and
innumerable birds and rabbits. In tAe eggs
of these birds quite trade is driven.
| The birds are gulls, INJURIES, shags and sea-
parrots, the last kind of penguin The
eggs OF the shags and parrots are not used,
! but the cggers destroy them to make more
room for the other birds The gull begins to
| lay about the middle of May, and usually ten
days before the murre. The gull makes a rude
nest Of brush and seawecd upon the rocks
the murrc does not take even this much trou-
bic, but lays its eggs in any convenient place
on the bare rocks
The gull soon gets done, but the murre con-
tnues to lay for about two months. The egg
ing season lasts, therefore from the 10th or
20th of May until the last Of July. In this
period the egg company which has for eight
cen years worked this field gathered in 1872
1852 dozen eggs and in 1873 l5,203 dozen
These brought last year in the market an
average of twenty.siX cents per dozen. There
has been, was assured by the manager, no
sensible decrease in the number of the birds
or the eggs for twenty years
/ From fifteen 10 twenty men are employed
during the cgglng season in collecting and
/ shipping the eggs. They live on the island
during that time in rude shanties near the
ing, for the birds seek out the least accessible
places, and Tie men must follow, climbing
often where a goat would almost hesitate
But this is not the worst The gull sits on
HER nest, and rcssts the robber who comes
for her eggs, and he must take care not to get
bitten The murre remains until her enemy
Is close upon her; then she rises with IA
i scream which often startlCs thousand OF
two birds, who whrl up into the air in a
dense mass, scattering filth and guano over
the eggers.
Olive Logan contributes a proiuscly illus.
Tatcd paper on the Secret Regions of the
, Stage in which the uninitiated will be sur.
prised to learn the amount of machinery that
r is required to produce spectacular effects.
= Mr.. George Towlc contributes very reada.
ole paper on Oliver Goldsmith, which Is nc.
companied by numerous characteristic illus
trations. Moncure Conway continues his il.
Illustrations of labor lif" in England bv a fine
paper on Ilkley, a great manufacturing dis
lrict in the middle Of England. One of the
most remarkable features of the number is
the first of a series of papers on Army Or
ganizaiIon," by General Geo. B. Mcclellan
Chas. Dcshlcr contributes an important IA
per on the Defective Glasses James Gran,
Wilson talks pleasantly of Carlyle, and the
Old Stagcr gives some more of his Rccollcc
lions of political life in Washington. From
this last We transfer the following anccdo,,
iof the famous Tom Marshall:
4 case IN which duel was prevented b,
: one OF the seconds, much 20 the disgust o
the other, who happened TO be military man
may be related here. Ii occurred during III
extra session Of Congress in 1871. Thoma
+. Marshall invited three gentlemen to din
with him one stormy, dismal Sunday. On
Of the guests was an officer of the army, Iron
the South, who aiierward made something q
n name during the rebellion. The other Nv,
were connected with the press. An entertain
ment given by Tom Marshall before he joinC,
the Cold-water association was sure 10 b.
abundantly furnished with wine. Marshal
and one OF the newspaper men, who was IRON
: New Orleans, drank deeply. They had beer
class-maic in college, and were on terms %
familiar intimacy. 4 slight misunderstand
ing arose between them, and both being con
siderably elevated, harsh remark was mad,
by the editor Mar.hall inquired If h. wa,