Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-22

From the Edinburgh Scotsman.
With the rapid multiplication Of overhead
telegraph and telephone wires there is q grow
ing opinion that 1t would be better for man and
not worse for the wires that they should lie
underground. The influence of animal life on
telegraph wires. and Of the latter on animal
life, is no doubt comparatively unimportant;
but 80 far as 1t goes it seems to favor a like
conclusion. At the instance OF the secretary of
the German post office, the question OF the in
jury done to the imperial telegraph lines by
birds was lately investigated by Herr Massmann.
who has since read paper on the subject be-
fore the Electrotechnic society of Berlin
He finds that in districts more or less
devoid OF trees, the smaller birds of prey.
such as crows and magpies. have taken kindly
to the wires as roosting places, while such birds
as sparrOws. starlngs and swallows alght on
them in immense focks. In a treeless country
this arrangement, from an avian point of view
Is doubtless admirable. and the extension of
telegraphS through those districts has probably
led to considerable increase in the numbers of
the perching birds. Beyond the unslghtiness
of the lines caused 10y the touling of the wires
the perching of those small birds does not an
pear to do any practical injury. Ii is different
however. when large birds. Such as bustards.
storks. swans and wild ducks alight on the
-. their weight being usually sufficient to
bring two OF these into contact Wires have
also occasionally been found to break under the
swinging motion impaired to them by the weight
OF these pOnderouS birds Frequently also
swallows seek to build their nests under the
caves where vi 'es runin telegraph Offices and
thus sometimes an earth contact is estab-
lished. The caves OF window form atolerably
natural site for the swallows nest. The same
however cannot be said for that chosen i'm n
case recently reported from Australia. On one
of the western lines of that continent what is
ooh "a y Ern ..i,,fa
most difficult fault to detect-had existed for
some time. The careful inspection found neces-
sary resulted in the discovery that it was due to
nest OF the Australian magpie built on one of
the telegraph poles. In the construction of
their nests the ingenious birds had made use of
all the odd pieces of tie-wire which had been
lett scattered about by the line repairers. and
these-to quote from the account of the occur
rence-"were twisted up together in the most
singular manner considering that they had no
plyers but their beaks to work with" Some of
the pieces touched the one wire and some
occasionally, the other, and hence the
'crOsS' complained of. This was said to he
only one of many attempts that had been lately
noticed on the part of those antipodcan magpes
to build their nests on the poles stretching across
the Australian plains. 1t is unfortunate that
birds cannot be intimidated into leaving the
telegraph wires alone in some such way as that
adopted by Mr.. Siemeas, with an Asatic tube,
when erecting the line of the Indo- European
betWeeN Dlu!la ana ldDreeZ. ildiny
that the ives ancied the wire for various pllr-
poses he hit upon plan of teaching them to
respect it. He found that at that time of the
year thunder storms were of almost daily occur
renee and that during their continuance the
line, being insulated, was electrically charged
by induction. This being so. he brought about
great gathering of the natives and then per-
Suaded one OF the chiefs to mount a ladder and
touch the wire. saying that the wire would defend
itself. This it did, for on touching it the chief
received such shock that he fell off the ladder.
and from that time forth the wires were regarded
as bewtched and avoided accordingly
In overhead wires the stability of the pole is
OF prime Importance. and to prevent the rotting
action of atmospheric agencies it is usual to
have them prepared with such substances as
creosote. sulEhatc of copper, and chloride OF
zinc. However well these may resist atmos-
pheric agencies, they do not seem to prevent
the attacks of woodpeckers. These birds feed
chiefly on the Larvae of insects. which they find
under the bark. or still deeper i'm the wood of
decaying trees, and in search of which they are
continually sounding" the bark with their
powerful bills. In seeking their food they are
supposed by some to be guided by the sound of
the grub at work within tho tree and it has
been surmised that the woodpecker is induced
to make the telegraph pole the scene of its cX-
cavationS by hearing the well-known resonance
produced in it 10y the vibration of the wires.
which it mistakes for the welcome hum of in
sect life. In this belief the woodpecker sets to
work. and. lurcd on by the siren sounds 1t con-
tinues its unavaiing task till its hopeless char
acter is proved 10y the appearance of daylight
from the other side. At the recent electrical
exhibition at the Crystal Palace a section was
shown of a telegraph pole the wood of which,
although mpregnated with sulphde Of copper.
showed hole 315 inches i'm diameter made
right through by those birds. 1t ought to be
stated, however, that Herr Massmann asserts
that the woodpeckers often find insects in the
telegraph posts and he is. therefore. inclined to
doubt the theory that the birds are at all de-
ceived by the sound of the wires.
From an interesting note written by NJ. Mel
sen. OF Christiania. and inserted in the above
mentioned exhibition catalogue, it would appear
that wOOdpeckers are not the only animals de-
ceived-if deceived they are-bv the 4Eoian
music of the telegraph. He had frequently OBJ
served high up on the Scandinavian hillsdes
the piles OF stones used i'm fixing the telegraph
posts to the bare rock scattered about. This he
was unable to account for until he detected the
marks of bears claws on the frequently pros
trate poles. Bruin. as is well known is exceed
ingly partial to honey. and no sound gives him
more delight than the humming of bees. 1t is
not wonderful that the sound of the vibrating
wires coming suddenly upon his ears should
suggest to him the close proximity of store of
honey. Following the delusive sound"
says NJ. Nielsen, ''he at last arrives at
the post, where it is lord than ever,
and, as he does not find the expected bee
hive. he very naturally thinks it must be
under the heap of stones, and then having set
to work to scatter these i'm all directions
in order to find the dreamed-o of treasure he fin
ishes that he may at least have the satisfaction
OF destroying all the bees he supposes hidden
inside the post. by giving the latter tremen-
dOus blow with his paw" The still more re-
markable statement is made IT, in certain
parts OF Norway, after the great telegraph sys-
tenn across the mountain pateaus and along the
principal valleys was commenced twenty years
ago, wolves entirely disappeared. and has not
since returned. 1t is possible that i'm this case
other causes may have been at work to produce
this desirable radiance; but the assertion gains
some support from the fact that in wolf-fre-
quented districts the Enclosure of farm buildings
during winter with stakes connected together
by ropes is usually sufficient to keep the wolf
from the farmers door. Nor is the wolf alone
in dread of such fimsy barriers, for the elephant
according to Emerson. will not cross such bar
rier to enter the most tempting rice-feld, while
the red deer, which will fearlessly Overleap high
stone wall, willb turned aside by trifling wire
fence. Probably in all these cases the flimsiness
of the barrier is suggestive of traps.
While birds may occasionally as has been
shown do injury both to the wires and poles of
the telegraph system. 1t is an undoubted fact
that birds are often themselves injured by the
wires. Mr.. Gray, in his "Birds of the West Of
Scotland" states that when driving i'm 1870 from
fn ho I'd IF