The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-07-28
Some Queer Uses Of Birds.


bird? / suppose not, unless you have
been in the Farce Islands, and very few
people visit their lovely shores. The
inhabitants of those islands live in .
very simple and old-fashioned way, and
nearly everything they use is home
made article. Thousands of sea-birds
build their nests on the rocks there, and
the young birds are las fat as butter"
The islanders take these young birds.
run wicks through their bodies until
they are soaked with grease, light one
endof the wick, and there's your home.
made candle.
Another kind of bird is used in Aus
tralia as a substitute for confectionery.
1t is species of parrot called loray,
which feeds on fruit and grain, and has
o place in its throat where all the sweet
parts of the things it eats collect and
form kind of honey. As soon as an
Australian savage shoots one of these
birds, he puts its bill into his mouth.
squeezes its throat and sucks away Just
as boys do with oranges. Then ne pulls
the feathers out and sticks them in his
hair, and after that he takes the bird
home to Mrs. Savage 70 be cooked.
Perhaps, when Mr.. S. is in particular
ly good humor. he brings loray or two
home to his woolly-headed family with
out first extracting all the "nice part. )"
In a great many cities of tropical
America black vultures (or turkey buzz
yards, as they are commonly called in
this country do the most important
part of the street cleaning. They de-
YOUR everything they find which would
be liable to decay, and so they keep of
coming from that cause. 1t is against
the law to modest the buzzards in any
way, and, as they march around the
streets or sit at their ease in the sum
shine, they seem to be well aware that
they are city officials, and of quite as
much importance as the Mayor himself.
In China, tame cormOraEts are used
to supply the markets and the tables of
their owners with fish. Rings are
placed on their necKs, loose enough to
allow them to breathe, but too tight to
admit of their swallowing. Then they
are taken to a fsh-pond or stream.
strings are fastened on their legs, and
they are allowed to ego a-fshing."
They dive and bring up the fish, and.
while they are struggling violently to
swallow what they have captured, they
are drawn to the shore by the string,
their prey is taken away from them,
and they are sent in to try again.
When the baskets are full, the rings are
taken of, and the cormorants are ai-
lowed to do little extra work on their
own account. If human laborers were
treated in this way, there would GER
tainly be trouble, but, as far as known,
these feathered employees have never
organized a strike.
1t is no longer the fashion to use
hawks and falcons as bird-killerS, but
pigeons are made TO do duty as letter.
carriers, and at the siege OF Paris they
formed the best means of communities
ton with the outside world. Thirty
miles an hour is the usual rate of their
speed, and they sometimes travel even
faster. The birds object in making the
journey is to get back to its young
squads, from which it is taken away be-
fore being employed in this way; and,
as it is kept in dark place and without
food for eight or ten hours before being
let loose, it no doubt considers the
point from which it is sent good place
to get away as soon as possible.
The use of birds are ''too numerous
to mention" The most important OF
the many good things that they do for
us is to keep the worms and insects, that
destroy vegetation, from becoming too
numerous.
If all the birds should suddenly die,
meal and flour would soon become very
scarce and high, and thousands of peo-
pie would starve. Boys would find that
their fathers couldn't afford to give
them much money to spend, and every
thing would be dearer then it is now.
Leaving out such robbers as the crows,
birds are among our best friends; and
children who Kill them and rob their
nests, '.just for fun," do great deal of
harm to themselves and everybody else.
Some time ago, an association OF
"3ird Defenders was formed among
American boys and girls, and this
honorable society is one of those which
certainly ought to live long and prosper.