The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-03-13
BIRDS OF BEAUTY.
An Hour with an Ornithologist-Hu
ming Birds Wonderful PIumage.

!
tain a record of 100, 900 specimens which
have been received in the ornithological
department There are now on hand IN | I
the cases and chests, in which are stored
away the pathological wealth of the
museum, 90, 600 specimens. OF course,
there are many birds Of the same spe-
cies. Ia addition to the type specimens
preserved for exhibition and study,
duplicate collection is maintained, and
besides that, there is always on hand
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. Robert Ridgway, the ornithoio-
gist, is now engaged III completing du-
dictate collection of North American
birds. with the view of having always
on exhibition in the museum complete
collection. In the cases in Mr.. Ridg-
ways gallery and work-rOOm are $4,000
specimens. The collection of North
American birds, which takes most of
the space, is the finest of It's kind IN the
world. Next to it is the collection OF !
South American birds, which Is rated |
as the second best in the world. a |
private collection belonging to wealthy |
gentleman in England, who spent much !
time and money in perfectlng 1t, 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-thlrd or the known
species of birds IN the world nave thelr
habitat there The department under
Mr.. Ridgway's care comprises, also,
very full collection of birds from the
Ola World.
These birds preserved for study and
comparison are slowed away IN fiat
cases. which in turn fit securely, one
over another, in the rows of drawers.
Upon each drawer IS placed lld or top
of glass, the sash or edge OF which Is
fitted with a tongue, which drops into
groove in the edge of the drawer, max
mo a 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 lion. The bird-hunter secures the
skin of the bird, preserves its head, plu-
mage and legs complete. The proteS-
sional collector skins bird very neatly,
so that it can be mounted by the taxi
dermist with very little trouble. When
the skin is received by che 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 il is desired TO mount the specimen
taxiderm.st, Mr. MARSHALL There II IS
Hurled tor two or three days IN damp
sawdust, and when it Is resurIected
the skin liz soft and pllable. he I'M
mounted specimens however, with
proper care may be kept for Years, and
are lust as valuable TO the scientist as
when they are stuffed and postured by
the taxermidist. Some OF the specl
mems of North American birds in the
halp n
we're used bv -hIm--iIGa.r 1naG-.-E llIluSJr
ti0=as Tor his work on birds. The hun
ming-b rds form one of the most attrac
i've parts of the collection to one wi
looks at it from the asthetic stant
point. There are 400 kinds Of hun
ming-birds known. While they diff
widely in size and appearance, tn,
bear resemblance structurany, al
have similar habits, feeding upon hone
and insects.
The collection comprises nearly {
known kinds, from the giant hummin
bird of Mexico, which boasts of prOpC
tons nearly as great as those OF {
robin, to q tiny hummingbi bird Of j
maica, scarcely more than an inch Ion
There are humming birds with b
longer than their bodies, which tn
use in extracting honey from dee
cupped flowers, and hummlng-blr
with no more beak than an Ordina
wren. Many of the different varieti
of humming- birds are distinguish
only by the marking of their feather
The colors are rich and gorgeous. Z
crown, throat and breast are mark
with topaz, gold and ruby, in the mC
exquisite shades. The colors see
tridescent.
A popularity of some of the biz
which Mr.. Ridgway pointed out to t
reporter is that you can only see o
color at time. When the throat
breast is thrown back at a certain ans
the first color seen disappears and a
other comes to view. The feathers ha
q sheen or gloss like FURNISHED gold
Rems, and in some cases are so neal
luminous that the cOlOrs become me
pronounced in dark place than In t
twilight. In every variety where Il
gloss or sheen exists, except one,
gloss becomes visible only when iOOki
at the bird from its front. If the bi
was hying from one the colOrS would
dull and lusterless.
Nearly all the South and Cent?
American birds are conspicuous for
richness of their plumage The feat
cry gorgeousness reaches its climax
the ROYAL bird of the AzteCs, a magni
cent creature considered to surpass
famed bird of paradise IN grace and {
uuisitenesS of color.
The markings of birds differ We
strangely sometimes, and form the oil
distinction between two varieties.
Ecuador, for instance, one variety
humming bird, marked in a pecul
way is found only at a certain ele'
ton OF the side of ChimboraLo. Up
neighbOring mountain, at a cert:
elevation, is found another hummil
bird the exact counterpart Of his Chi
horazo cousin except in color.
pattern upon which the cOlOrs are L
are the same, but the colOrs themsel
are different In some valleys
miles in extent are found birds
culiarly marked, which have never %
found elsewhere.
F.sl e3 of the Deep Sea.
e hi ago Hera d.l