The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-03-14
8 R0s or BEAUTY.
An Hour with an OrnithoIogist- Hum
ming h rIs' Wonderful PIu mage.
Washington Star.

%
The catalogue of the Smithsonian in
stitution and the National museum CON
tain record OF los, 900 specimens which
Lave been re eiyed il: the pathological
department There are now on hand in
the cases and chests, in which are stored
away the pathological wealth Of the
museum, g., 900 specimens. Of course,
there ara many birds Of the same spe-
cies. In addition to the type specimens
preserved for exhibition and study. a
duplicate collection is maintained, and
lesides that, there is always On hand a
large stock known as the reserve collec
ton, used in making exchanges, by
means of which the museum is enabled
TO get rare birds from collections in
other countries.
Mr.. Kotert Ridgway, the ornitholo
gist, is now engaged III completing a du
;,licate collection OF North American
Dirds, with the view OF having always
On exhibition in the museum a complete
collection. In the cases in Mr.. Ridg
ways gallery and work room are 30, 900
specimens. The collection of North
American birds, which takes most of
the space. is the finest of its kind in the
world. Next to it is the collection Of
Outh American birds. which is rated
as the second best in the world. A
private collection belonging to wealthy
gentleman in kngiand, who spent much
time and money IN perfecting it, and
recently presented IL to the British mu-
scum. IS considered as the finest collec-
ton OF South American birds. Central
and South America are especially rich in
birds, as about one-third of the known
species of birds in the world have their
habitat there. The department under
Mr.. Ridgways care comprises, also,
very full collection Of birds from the
Old World.
These birds preserved for study and
comparison are slowed away in fat
cases. which in turn fit securely, one
over ano her, in the rows of drawers.
Upon eac1 drawer IS placed a lid or top
Of glass, the sash or edge of which is
fitted Nth a tongue, which drops into a
cove in the edge of the drawer, max
Jog perfect protection against the in
vasion of insects. The insects love to
get at a dead bird, Just as the tabled
donkey took pleasure in kicking at the
dead licn. The bird-hunter secures the
skin 0 the bird, preserves its head, plu-
mage and legs complete. The profes-
sional collector skins bird very neatly,
so that it can be mounted by the taxi
dermst with very little trouble. When
the skin is received by the curator it is
filed out with little padding of cotton
and placed away in its proper case. a
complete record Is kept of each specimen
received.
If it is desired to mount the specimen
the dried skin is sent to the room of the
taxidermist, Mr. Marshall There it is
Hurled for two or three days in damp
sawdust, and when it is resurTected
Il = LII
mounted specimens, however, with
proper care may be kept for years, and
are just as valuable to the scientist as
when they are stuffed and pOstured by
the taxermidist. Some of the speci-
mems of North American birds in the
collection belonged to Audubon, and
we're USED by him in making illustra-
tiOns for his work on birds. The hum
ming birds form one of the most attract
i've parts of the collection to one who
looks at it from the aesthetic stand
point. There are $50 kinds of hum
ming birds known. While they differ
widely in size and appearance, they
bear a resemblance structuraily, and
have similar habits, feeding upon honey
and insects.
The collection comprises nearly all
known kinds, from the giant humming-
bird of Mexico, which boasts of proper
tons nearly as great as those of the
robin, to tiny humming- bird of ia
maica, scarcely more than an inch long.
There are humming birds with bills
longer than their bodies, which they
use in extracting honey from deep
cupped flowers, and humming- birds
with no more beak than an ordinary
wren. Many of the different varieties
of humming- birds are distinguished
only by the marking of their feathers.
The colors are rich and gorgeous. The
crown, throat and breast are marked
with topaz, gold and ruby, in the most
exquisite shades. The colors seem
Iridesc2nt.
A popularity of some of the birds
which Mr. Ridgway pointed out TO the
reporter is that you can only see one
color at a time. When the throat or
breest is thrown / ack at a certain angle
the first color seen disappears and an
other comes to view. The feathers have
a sheen or gloss like FURNISHED gold or
SeTns, and III some cases are SO nearly
luminous that the colors become more
pronounced in dark place than in the
twilight. In every variety where this
gloss or sheen lists, except one, the
gloss becomes visible only when looking
at the bird from its front. If the bird
was flying from one the colors would lie
dull and lusterless.
Nearly all the South and Central
American birds are conspicuous for tho
richness of their plumage The feath-
cry gOrgeousness reaches its climax in
the royal bird of the Aztecs, a magnifi-
cent creature considered to surpass the
famed bird of paradise in grace and ex-
QuisitenesS of color.
The markings of birds differ very
strangely sometimes, and form the only
distinction between two varieties In
Ecuador, for instance, one variety of
humming-bird, marked in a peculiar
mau il tnmnA only at q .nor.t IL, nIouo-