Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-07-29

Aristotle was not great success as
writer anyway, and, though MS work
on ornithology was announced as Tor
sale only by subscription and hope to
die II anybody else ever sold one, yet
inside OF 30 days 1t could be had at ID
cents on the counter OF the leading dry
goods men all over town, so we see that
b was not exactly on tho level.
Pliny followed about the beginning
OF the Christian era and Issued work
on ornithology, which was very popn-
lar during Pilates term on the bench.
Pliny's full name was Caius Plinius
Secundus. He was commonly called
Pliny the Elder, having been, l pre-
sumo. a presiding elder OF that circuit.
Plny was bright and clever man, bnt
a poor speller. He says he has divided
the bird family into those which have
"hooked tallons, as hawks, or round
long claws as hennes, or else they be
broad, Hatte and whole footed as geese
and all the sort In manner OF water
foule." A man who will spell hens
that way should have been reproached
TIL he couldn't sit down for a week.
Other authors followed Elder Pliny
for 10 centuries, but their names have
been barely rescued from oblivion, and
not until the time OF Linn8us, In 1875,
did any one begin to shed bird knowl-
edge of some value abroad over be-
nighted land. He claimed that verbo-
sity was the base OF science, as 1t I'M
doubtedly was and still Is. He there
fore made his work so terse that IL Of
ten required a cairvoyant to go into q
trance and find out what he meant
Linnaus was called the reformer be-
cause he made important changes In
the classification OF birds, dividing them
first, II / am not mistaken, into two
great classes-viZ:
First-Those which swallow the cud.
Second-Those which do no.
In 1870 Button got out an excellent
book on anthology, with over 1000
beautiful colored plates Button had
his critics, and q modern writer says:
"Strlctly orthodox though he professed
to be, there were those both among his
own countrymen aud foreigners who
could not read bis speculative indict-
ments of the workings OF nature with
out shudder, and IL 10 easy for any one
In these days to frame reply pointed
with ridicule to such chapter rs he
wrote on tho wretched fate OF tue wood
pecker."
Looking over the history OF science,
and ornithology. especially. IL would
seem that am about the only scientist
who has not written on this subject.
shall divide birds into Two great
classes-viz:
First-Thoss which ST up late 1t
night.
Second-Thoss which do not.
Each Of these classes, Of course, may
be again divided and suodiyidsd into
va1ers, scratchers. squeakers, etc.
The ORTHODOXY Of North Carolina
ranges all the way from TIE gigantic
but untidy buzzard TO the piquant but
hot headed hornet.
Professor Huxley claimed In substance
that the bird family so closely resemb led
the reptile family in all essential feat
ures Of organization that they might be
said 10 be merely az extremely modified
and aberrant reptilisn type.
This is true when we begin to LOOK
into the osseous structure especially.
and with q little batter on 10 frogs
hind leg somewhat resembles quaiPs.
Take the toad, too. he has, no doubt,
for centuries been content 10 groyel
upou the ground until his efforts TO soar
are erseted now With biting sarcasm
and coarse laughter. Yet who shall say
that the goose pimples on the back Of
the toad did not AZ one time contain
the glorious plumsge Of sweet-voieed
bird.
We should learn from this Ret to be