Middletown transcript., 1878-08-31

Z initiates the song of other birds, an
even human voices. A saw-mill wa
at one time situated among the Aus
tralian mountains where these bird
were known to have their haunts. o.
holidays, when the mill was stoppe'
and all was still, from out the wild
unbroken forest came sounds of hu
man laughter and singing. barking Q
dogs, even an imitation of the rough
rasping noise of the saw, mingled witt
notes of all kinds of birds, and at in
tervals the sharp, shrill Jullen-bullen
which betrayed the lyre-bird as tn
initiative singer. Efforts have beel
made to raise the young Of the Tyre
bird, but they invariably droop anc
die after few months of captivity.
HUMMING-BIRDs.-What, then ,shal
be said of the humming-bird, that tiny
dwelIer in lovely tropical forests. fut
tering and darting among wildernessel
of orchids, creepers, air-plants, as gor
geous and fairy-like as the great blue
Brazilian butterfly, its play-fellow ii
"those Amazonian plains, long-lying
as enchanted ?" Professor Orton
writing of the South American wilds
says: "Lithe lianas, starred with flow.
ers, coil up the stately trees, and then
hang down like strung jewels; they
can be counted only by myriads, yet
they are mere superfuities. The dense
dome of green overhead is supported
by crowded columns, often branchless
for eighty feet. The reckless compe-
tition among both small and great
adds to the solemnity and gloom of a
tropical forest" In these untrodden
bowers the humming-bird makes its
home. 1t is peculiar to America and
the adjacent islands, and although
bearing some relation to the sun-bird
of Asia and Africa, it is never found
across the water in all its tiny beauty.
A few varieties live in the Northern
United States, and are often seen
sporting over beds of flowers in the
summer sunshine. Their motion is
rapid and graceful. Now close at
hand, plunging into deep fower-cup,
in an instant it is off like ray of
light, and disappears no one knows
whittier. Never appearing to alight,
they hover on delicate wing, true
creatures of the air and sunshine.
bright humming-bird of gem-like plum elet-
age,
By Western Indians "Living sunbeam"
named"
There are many species of this little
creature, which is found in the great
est abundance in the West Indies and
all through South America. Its col
oring is a marvel of beauty. Now
like ruby, now topaz, or emerald,
or shining gold, it seems futtering
rainbow, the most lovely and dainty
of all the great bird family. Like the
bird of paradise, the humming-bird is
never seen on the ground. Its. tiny
nest, often no larger than a walnut
shell, is fastened in the fork Of a
branch, or suspended by fine spiders
webs to leaf or the stalk Of a creep
er. Some varieties weave a nest as
firm and durable as leather; others
those that build on a branch-coyer
with dainty lichens, SO that it ap-
pears as a portion of the original twig,
being completely concealed. There
are nests hard on the inside, others
soft and downy as the finest silk lin
ing, the fibre of certain plants, can
make them. The female, which, is
like all other bird species, is dull and
plain when compared to her gorgeous
consort, deposits one or, at the most,
two tiny white eggs. In ten days they
are hatched, and in a week after birth
the young are able to leave the nest,
some months must elapse be-
fore the male acquires the full beauty
of his plumage. Much has been. writ
ten about the food Of these tiny crea-
lures, the early naturalists believing
that they subsisted solely upon nectar
Of flowers. But it has now been proved
that they cannot long endure the diet
of sweets alone. Minute flies, spiders,
and almost invisible bugs are eagerly
sought for by the humming-bird, and
It has been seen to make fine break
fast on the gossamer spider, which it
neatly abstracts from the centre of its
yilver web.-HELLEN S. CoNANT
Harper's Magazine for august.
The young men of this country will
be pleased to know that an Ohio bar
Der has invented machine by which
le can singe off the human hair one
hirteen-one-hundredths of an inch
loser to the skull than it is now pos
ible to bring it with the clipping ma
.hine. Any young man who will go
'ut into society with great struggling
Ocks nearly three-eighths of an inch
ong strockling down his back ought
o be ashamed Of himself.
They were talking about the weight
e diNEaPept individuals in a certain