The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1880-06-05

The birds are hardly settled at a roosi
before the trappers are after them with
supply Of nets. Their flight is swift.
] have known them to leave Wisconsin
in the morning and roost here The same
night. The nesting in Michigan is fully
rs large as this one. That in Missouri
is much smaller. In the former they
live on beech nuts, and in the latter on
acorns. From my cxpcaience should
say that there are only two large focks
in the country. II would be rs difficult
to estimate their number rs il was to
estimate the number Of buffalo in herd
on the plains fifty years ago. There are
at least 2,ooo, ,ooo, 900 in this flock, and
probably many more. Those trapped
and killed are like pinch Of grain taken
from an elevator. When one Of the two
great focks comes from the northwest il
hugs the shores Of the lakes, and then
drives in straight line for the roost.-
have seen solid sheets Of birds, five
miles wide and two hundred and seventy
miles long, skirting the shoes of Lakes
Huron and Michigan. They were three
hours in passing given point. They
will not cross the lakes il they can avoid
il, because they are apt to either lose
their way in the fog or get bewildered
in storm. At such times thousands
upon thousands drop in the lake and are
drowned. have seen the beach for
more than mile below Traverse City
covered three feet deep with dead birds
AZ times the flock hugs the southern
shore Of Lake Superior, crossing the
straits OF Mackinaw, and following the
trend OF Huran and Erie until they are
able to strike out for the east. They
stream over the straits sometimes for
days"
CRUEL TREATMENT OF THE STOOL PIGEON.
The stool pigeons eyclids are sewcd
together with thread, 50 tha, il cannot
see. The needle is inserted in the lower
lid and the upper lid drawn down to it.
The birds present apitiable appearance,
and look like dead children whose eyes
are covered with silver coins. At the
close of the season the threads are cut
and the stool expert regains its sight,
Many old stool birds are almost lidless
The blinded bird is trained for active
duty. Its captor places it on his index
finger, and raises and lowers it by the
hour. The bird is taught TO preserve its
equipOise when the finger is raised with
out dropping wing or showing alarm,
and TO fiuttcr gently and naturally when
the finger is lowered. Thoroughly
trained, its value is greatly enhanced
A good stool pigeon can readily be sold
for twenty-five dollars. The bird is an
honest bird, and, unless il were blinded,
it would give its mates the alarm.
Two pigeons are used in trapping be-
fore the mating season. One is called
the stool bird and the other the riyer.
When the net is set and the air is filed
with birds on the wing. the fowler tosses
a decor or flyer from the opening of his
covert. \ long string is tied to leg
Of the flyer. IL mounts the sky until the
string is frightened, and then flu,tcrs
helpless to the ground. Its strange ac-
iions are seen by the flock, who lower
their flight and sweep around it in cir
cles. Meantime the fowler assiduously
works his stool pigeon, and the flock,
still further interested, settle in bunch
near the trap. On discovering the buck
wheat. they throw of all fear and feed
ravenously. At times they are group
ed 81 close that only their tails are visi-
bic.
II the fowler is pot hunting-hunting
for market-he cracks the nccks OF his
prisoners between his teeth. and throws
their bodies in apilc. II he is trapping
for the sale Of live birds to fancy sports
men, he puts them in long, flat crates,
made Of lath. and ships them on the first
opportunity
Man Is not the only agent in destroy
ing these immense focks Of pigeons
Crows break their eggs and beat out the
brains Of their young; IN army OF hawks
hangs around the nesting like wolves,
and snaichcs the unwary birds, owls
prowl among them At night and destroy
untold numbers {; twelve wears ago 4 snap
OF cold weather froze millions of squads
in their nests; vast numbers are drown
ell in the lakes; and gales and snow
storms break ihcy nests and kill thou
Sandsa; their roosts. SO far as isknown,
they escape the ravages of pestilcne.-
They are clean and trim birds, and are
rarely troubled with vermin. They are
strict vcgctarians, and never dcvour 4
worm nor an insect. They are the sheep
Of the air. More innocent birds never
fiuttered a wing; but, like all innocent
breathing things. they are prey to the
cruel and the rapacious- or all their
enemies man IS the worst, for the hawk,
crow and owl raid upon them for susie
nance while man too often kills them
in wanton sport.
How MIRRoRs ARE SILvERED.-T'he
following description Of "silvering"
plate glass for mirrors IS mainly found
ed upon the method of Sc. Goblin and
Ravenhead. After polishing. each glass
table intended to make lOoking-glass
IS silvered, OF, more correctly, coated
on one side with an amalgam Of tin
In the preparation Of this amalgam tin
foil is u>ed, but IL must be beaten from
the finest tin, and possess surface sim
liar to that Of polished silver. The art
Of silvering IS simple. and merely re-
quires dcxierity. The glass plate hav-
ing been thoroughly cleansed from all
grease and dirt with putty, powder and
wood ash. the workman proceeds to lay
4 sheet Of tinfoil upon the table. care
fully pressing out with cloth bladder
all wrinkles and places likely to form air
bubbles He spreads over il quantity
OF mercury, taking care that all parts are
equally covered, and then the glass plate
Is pushed gently on the surface, COM
mcncing at one edge. The grass is al
lonn--d 80 remain for twentv-four hours