The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-06-28
Some Queer Uses of Birds.

Golden Days.
Did you ever see candle made out Of a
bird? 1 suppose not, unless you have been
I in the Farce Islands, and very few people
visit their lovely shores. The inhabitants
. of those islands live la very simple and
old-fashi0ned way, and nearly everything
they use is homemade article.
Thousands of sea-birds build their nests
on the rocks there, and the young birds are
Gas lat as butter" The islanders take these
young birds, run wicks through their bodies
until they are soaked with grease, light one
end of the wick, and there's your home
made candle.
Another kind of bird is used in Australia
as q substitute for confectionery. 1t is q
species of parrot, called loray, which feeds
on fruit and grain, and has 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 he
pulls the feathers out and sticks them in his
hair, and after that he takes the bird home
to Mrs. Savage to be cooked.
Perhaps, when Mr.. S. is in a particularly
good humor, he brings a lory or two home
to his woolly- headed family without first
extracting all the "nice part"
In q great many cities of tropical Ameri-
ca black vultures Tor turkey buzzards, as
they are commonly called in this country
do the most important part of the street
cleaning. They devOur everything they
find which would be liable to decay, and so
they keep off pestilences, or at least prevent
their coming from thst cause.
1t is against the law to modest the buzz
yards In any way, and, as they march
around the streets or sit at their ease in the
sunshine, they seem to be well aware that
they are city officials, and of quite as much
importance as the mayor himself.
In China, tame cormorants 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 fish-pond or stream,
strings are fastened to their legs, and they
are allowed to ego a-fshing."
They dive and bring up 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 allowed
to do little extra work on their own sc-
count.
If human laborers were treated in this
way, there would certainly be trouble, but,
as far as known, these feathered employees
have never organized 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 bsst
means Of communication with the outside
world.
Thirty miles an hour is the usual rate
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 before being
employed in this way; and, it is kept in
dark place and without food for eight
hours before being let loose, it no doubt con-
siders the point from which it is sent good
place to get away from as soon as possible.
The uses 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 vegeta-
ton, from becoming too numerous.
II all the birds should suddenly die, meal
and -four would soon become very scarce
and high, and thousands of people would
starve. Boys would find that their fathers
couldn't afford to give them much money to
spend, and everything would be dearer than
It is now.
Leaving out such robbers as the crows,
birds are among onr best friends; and chill
dren who kill them and rob their nests,
'.just for fun do q great deal of harm to
themselves and everybody else.
Some time ago, an association Of "bird-
defenders" was formed among American
boys and girls, and this honorable society is
is one of those which certainly ought to live
long and prosper.
How to Make A Magic Lantern.
THarper's Young People,