Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-12
Stories of Birds and Fishes as They
Appear in the Elements to
Which They are Native.
NEW GUINEA BOWER BUILDERS.
The Experiment of Stocking the Inland
Lakes With TOOthsOme Beauties
is Failure,
MOTHER LOVE OF THE W0ODCOCK
A Rock Bass Lives -Four Hours g Close Prisoner IN Q
Big PiCkersls Stomach.

In an official publication referring to New
Guinea, catalogue OF the birds discovered
in that country is given. Amongst them is
a very distinct kind of bower bird, obtained
on Mount Knutsford at an elevation OF
II 900 feet, and rivalling the Regent bird IN
beauty. Nothing in the history of this re-
markable race of birds is Of greater interest
than the specific notifications developed IN
that strange instinct whence they derive
their popuIar name. From its rudimentary
indications in Scenopeus, which merely de-
posits and rearranges a few leaves and twigs
on the barred ground, to the elaborate struc-
ture of Amblyornis inorndia continuous
steps of progress in the art Of bower-oulld-
ing are recognizable.
The bower of the species discovered IN
New Guinea departs widely from the ordi-
nary plan of a more or less completely rooted
gallery or tunnel through which the birds
run to and fro Around young tree grow
iDr on the slope of bank or ridge circu-
lar mass OF sticks intermingled with moss,
and As inches in diameter, is built with per-
pendicular sides, to a height varying from
inches to feet, the moss being used SO
copiously that externally it alone is visible.
On the upper surface a circular channel,
inches in depth, is left between the tree and
the outer edge OF the pile. The outer edge
OF the channel is inches in breadth; so also
is its inner wall or the raised boss, from the
center of which the tree Protrudes.
All around the tree itself to a considerable
height above the platform are fixed short
sticks, interlaced al one end, protruding at
the other, as though to form a protection
against the appfoach of an enemy from
above. The depressed channel of the upper
surface is the playground of the bird, and
IN it several individuals Of both sexes may
be seen pursuing each other round and
round. The operation of building was
watched in several cases, and in each in
stance all the materials were selected and
conveyed by the males to the females, who
alone are the architects.
A VERY FIsHY YARN-''Yes, 1 was a
LADY AND JELLY-FIsH-The Dublin
Express states three young ladies, resident
at Sutton, were enjoying sea bath, when
the attention OF some gentlemen was
attracted by series of piercing shrieks
IRON the group. One of the ladies appeared
to be struggling with large jelly-fsh,
which the united efforts of the party could
not shake of. Fortunately. however, a
younger lady seized stick which was on
the shore, and, dashing into the water,
attacked the creature with it, beating it off
and kilIidg it. The elder lady was severely
stung, and remains in a precarious condi-
tion. The jelly-fsh measured nine feet in
length of its tentacles.
spy during the war, and, is do say it, 1
reckon l was the most successful that went
uncaptured," /" said small, inoffensive, CON-
monplace looking man in a Chicago hotel to
a Post reporter. 81 was in the Rebel service
snd so vas nv brother. When Porter was
shelling New Orleans l was with his feet as
a spy. And, thanks to a game nv brother
and 1 used TO play before the war, / was able
10 send accounts from the feet to my brother
in New Orleans of everything that was going
on.
Porter knew from the way in which he
was frequently forestalled that there was a
spy in the feet, and he tried hard to catch
him, but he never succeeded. And kept
right along until New Orleans surrendered,
and my brother was taken prisoner.
"HOw did l send my accounts across?"
by fishes
"You see when Bob and were boys-we
were both under 20 when the war broke out
we used to train fishes to carry messages
across the river. We took brook trout
they are the most intelligent-when they
were young, tanned them, and by smearing a
fly or piece OF meat with asafetida could
catch them whenever we wanted to. Other
kinds of flies smeared with a certain kind of
oil we gave them, but that made them sick,
and a. ter a while they wouldn't touch any
ching but hies,with the asaietida on.
"We taught them that by swimming
straight ahead in any direction we turned
them, they would find fine fly at the other
end of the tub; then we tried them in a pond
and then the river. They swan with the
accuracy of a bullet, never deviating hairs
breadth, and in a thin little tube, fastened
10 the under part of the fish with two copper
wire rings. we were able to send messages to
one another.
You see one of us would fx fish, set
him in the river carefully pointed to the
spot across the river where the other was,
and let him go. Of he would swim like a
fash. would signal to nv brother, and
be would drop line with favored hy or
meat on the end into the water, and in few
moments be would FEEL a bite, and up he
would pull our fnny messenger. Ny
brother would cut the string in the fsh's
mouth, read the message, answer it, and
nut the fish back in the water and steer il
for me. BY that way we had lots OF fun.
You catch the idea ? Well, when I was
with Porter that's the way did. He saw
me fishing, as did his officers. But they
saw nothing suspicious in that. Would
you?"
A DUCK IN A TREE.-A South Wey-
mouth man has displayed in his store
very curious freak of nature. 1t is the Sec
tion of the butt of tree sawed of, say two
inches thick, and which has the perfect pro-
file of a duck. Many who have seen it
were of the opinion that it was painted. and
could not be made to believe otherwise until
they closely examined it.
PLANTING FISH A FAILURE-"So far
as stocking the inland lakes with fish
as concerned, the Matching experiment
in this State is a fat failure" says II. W.
Welcher. ex-Superintendent of the hatcher
les in the Milwaukee Wisconsin, Mr..
Welcher is a practical fish hatcher, having
been connected with Seth Green's establish
ment years ago. He came to Wisconsin to
hatch fish for W. K. Fairbank, al Lake
Geneva, and was finally induced to take
charge Of the State hatcheries. He was
State Superintendent for five years.
After 10 years of experimenting. he
continued, land after putting millions of
fish in the lakes, not single specimen can
be caught, and not single specimen ever
has been caught. 1 stocked GAO lakes while
was connected with the hatcheries. and
many more have been stocked at a great
cost but the fish have meyer naturad W.