Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-19


70 tell the tale and give the alarm. This
was important because sparrows are of all
Ieathered creatures the most intelligent.
possibly excepting the crow. The outlay
required for the plant was stated to be very
small Such a farm will quickly stock it
self, tnasmuch as the sparrows are more
numerous now in every state of the Union
east OF the Tooth meridian than all the
native birds put together.
The Grunting OK.
1t has been suggested that the yak. or
"grunting OK" of Asia might be introduced
and bred advantageously in Alaska. sup
plementing the newly imported reindeer.
This animal is to the natives Of Thibet what
the reindeer is to the Laplander. 1t requires
no care worth mentioning and gets its own
food, the herders only bringing 1t down in
winter from the mountains to levels where
the snow melts and pasturage is accessible
Left to Its own devices, II propagates its
species rapidly. 1t seems to love the cold
and to thrive in rough weather 1t likes to
battle in frozen rivers and to lie in the snow
Its milk makes excellent butter-a merit
which reindeer milk has not 1t Is an odd
fact that many ancient Scandinavian gold
medals, which have been come across by
digging, hear the unmistakabie representa-
ton of the yak. This would seem to indi-
cate that the ancestors of the people who
now fnhabit that region must have come
from part of Asia where the yak was If
so. why did they not bring the yak with
them?
Propngatin@ Frogs.
There are farms for the propagation OF
frogs in the Chesapeake region. To hatch
and rear these batrachians is cry SIM
pie matter. The spawn may BE- secured
form any bit of water whore bullfrogs
dwell by searching with q Upper for the
glutinous punches of eggs that can be read
lily found in the shadows. Care must he
taken not to break the substance which
holds the eggs together. Put them urto a
pail and convey them to the Matching box.
whlch should be two feet long, twelve
inches deep and eighteen mchas wide. COW
cred on the bottom with tarred wire sieving
twelve wires to the inch. Anchor the box
IN the gentle current of 4 stream ana with
in week or two the little str;,n yars VIII
make their appearance. After the polly
wogs are thus Matched they must he uJr.Ied
loose In a pond that has been prepared for
their reception. They have % be protected
against fishes, snakes, lizards and birds.
Around the pond tight board fence ought
or crawl There should be plenty Of soft
muck on the bottom for the frogs to lie in
during the winter
Their increase when :hus projected is
enormous To raise them ought u be pro-
ftable considering what a great market
demand there is for frogs. New York city
annually. which retail for 30 cents a pound
The legs are now sold canned. In Vienna
i've frogs. fetched in patches of $4,000 10
4ooCe from the country, are kept by dealers
IN big holes in the ground Eve feet deep.
the mouths of which are covered with
boards. In these pits the creatures never
est frosts They get together in heaps and
thus keep themselves vet by preventing
evaporation, no water being ever -at with
them.
The TOOthsOme Terrapin.
In two or three places along The Chcsa-
peake terrapin of the IRE .ious diamond
back variety are Matched and reared In
'crawls." Such crawl Is simply an
enclosure through which the rides ebb and
flow. The bottom is Of mud and grass
boz l.
the mother turtles to lay their eggs IN.
AT breeding time the mamma turtle scratch
es shallow hole in the s.lnd and de-
posits from eight to twenty eggs whtcn she
covers up, and then goes hack u the water
Lest gulls and crows should scratch the
eggs up and eat them, nets are sometimes
Matched about September l. hut oft n re-
main buried until spring. Sometimes they
are packed in boxes with straw antil they
get to be few weeks old AMI IRE really 10
go into the water. They grow about one
inch year, and at the eri ~ six wears
are big enough to be called counts and
are ted twice a week with craos and FISH.
to fatten them.
1t is only very recently that the ella mon
ster of Arizona has been recognized as
useful animal Its skin is utilized for MAX
ing fancy leather. which is very pretty
and costly. Why. should not the barren
iand or that torrid territory be male serv-
lceabe i'm the Production of creatures of
this eccentric species. with a view to the
eventual employment or their hides for card
cases and reticules. The notion that their
breath Is poisonous has been exploded DR.
iarrow of Washington has Injected their
alleged venom into rabbits and guinea pigs
without any Injurious effect upon the pro-
posed victims DIR. Stejneger says that the
monsters grow very slowly, which would be
a drawback. As to assisting their prolaga-
ton by artifice. 1t is not even known As Yet
whether they lay eggs or bring forth their
young alive. Capt. Bendre of the Smith
sonian Institution dissected one female and
found eight eggs inside of her. each one
covered with a soft white skin. Bnt may
be they would have been Matched before
being laid, as happens with many reptiles
Not long ago batch OF young aihgators
incubator in window on 18th street, this
city.
1t Is commonly supposed that nothing in
the way of animal life exists in the great
Salt Lake, Utah, because the water con-
tains nearly 20 per cent of solids. with a
t-ihe less than 16 per cent of actual salt
Nevertheless, certain little crustaceans
called brine shrimps" are found there In
such numbers as often to tint the water
over wide areas. They are met with only
on the surface; most of them are females
and they are very prolific. They feed on
the chrysaltds of small fly, the ephyd-a
gracilis. These chrysalids sometimes collect
on the shores i'm such quantities that their
renders the air offensive for
miles. The larvae of the insects live in the
water. The brine shrimps may be captured
in great quantities by means Of a tow net
with a fine mesh. Washed with fresh water
and cooked they are said to be ve-y pal |
atable. The last report of the governor of
Utah suggests that 1t might be profitable
make up In numbers for what they lack
in size.