The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-06-28

Often hear California canaries in th
trees singing the sans tunes l have S,
often heard rendered by Gagged canarles
familiar is the song and sweet. Tit
linnets also are excellent musicians; anC
they and the larks fill the air as full oi
music as the blossoms load 1t with fra
grance. An unlovely bird called the
shuke or butcher bird, has the habit
of catching small animals and impaIing
them on orange thorns, Often when
trimming my trees find horned tOads,
lizards, nice, young squirrels and small
birds thus lransfixed, hanging ON thorns
where bu,cher-biris had placed them
for fu ure use, as dog buri>s bone,
| There is "a bird That builds its nest in the
broad leaves of the banana, gathering
up the leaf itself into kind Of bag and
SeCiRg it securely, then using it for
nest. But the most curious thing |
ever saw in the bird liae, is a humming
bird nest close by my door with two
young ones in il, Humming-brds are
extremely plenty, and one of them has
built its nest on a PROJECTING cypress
bough where passers"by can hardly
avoid looking into it, We were inter,
ested to observe in it two tiny eggs just
the SIZE of pea-beans; two, as we are
told, making litter. Now they have
II al ~ inf 81 a ora1asg hlurly nl,rAnio
about as large as bees; and can see the
mother bid go foraging among the
.hJwers for their benefit and return
again with her long bill dripping with
honey; the young birds opening their
bills forIthe luscious drops as young
robins do when their mothers arrive
with an angleworm. Strange that a
bird can live on sweets, and stranger
that having sucked it from flowers it
can carry the nectar to its unhedged off.
spring,
l must close this instructive letter
with three stories, wonderful but
true.
A friend of mine lately showed me
magnificent rose in bloom, which but
year ago was a tiny slip, yet it had
climbed to the top of the porch and was
running along the roof. 1 remarked
that 1t grew rapidly and she tod me it
had grown in single month by actual
measurement six feet and six inches! |
told her that as had all confidence in
her word, should mention that the
rose (named it Maria Henrietta) grew
in thirty days six feet "dnd sir in,hes,'
she exclaimed, "be sure and don't leave
that out :! The rose is red, and Maria,
evidently is a climber.
Lumbermen were working, some
years ago. on the crest OF the lofty
mountains which form our north hori-
z)n, They needed water, which had to
be carried to that great elevation, 1000
feet. but it was not likely that any could
be discovered on barren basaltic rock
moe than a mile high. One OF the
men, however, was fool enough to go to
digging for it, and at the depth Of
t,celre feet an artesian well of pure cold
water spouted out, and has continued
ever since to send an unfailing crystal
brook down the mountain side.
Some men were strolling up the canon
OF the Santa Ana river,six or eight miles
from here, with guns on their shoulders,
said one of them: do you see that
moist spot on the side of the cliff oppo-
site? l am going to try to hit it with q
bullet As lie spoke he fired, hit the
mark, and Immediately there gushed
forth a stream Of hot Wdter, which has
ever since continued to flow. 1t is not
every country where you can dig a
spring with fie ball, and hot spring
at that A. l.. 2.