The evening times., 1896-11-24
SKINS OF THE RARE, BIRDS
Fine Collection Has Just Been Given to
the Smithsonian.
SENT HERE FROM BURMAH
The "Adjutant Crane" Made Fa-
miliar by Kipling-The Little Cop
persmith With Chin Whiskers.
Hawk Not Bigger Than n Barn
SwalIow-The Serpent Eagle.

For almost ten years past scientist
Interested in the Smithsonian Institution
has been securing almost every corner of
the world in search OF bird skins Tor the
great collection which is one of the inost
treasured scientific possessions of the gov
ernment and which has in recent years
gone past the point of numbers and is .low
measured almost by the cord, as it is
stored IN packing cases ia the bdseme mt OF
the big building in the Mall.
Indeed the Institution is living eX-
ample of the declaration that 1t is better
10 ht lucky than rich. The Smithsonians 5
income is small, out of all proportion to
the demands that are eannualiy made omit,
and the aid that II receives from the gov
ernincnt is triflng.
IL has as an offset, a number of good
friends in rich individuals, and one Of The
best of these is the ornithologist, DIV.
L. Abbot. He is a naturalist OF interna-
tional reputc, and one who loves Held
work rather than book study.
Since SSI the Smithsonian n has seen Lin
but once, and during nearly all that time
he has been hunting and travelling in tie
most inaccessible quarters OF the glole
at his own expense, and turning over the
fruits OF his expeditions To the great gov
ernment museum.
FINEST IN THE WORLD.
Ii is largely through MS tllOTts b..it 'Ht
archaeological collection OF the Ins'itu-
tion takes rank as one OF the finest in the
world.
Dust now Dr. Ridgeway and his assistant,
Mr. Richmond, are engaged in the congtniai
task OF unpacking and classifying pr.
Abhot's latest contribution, collection
OF 3sb skins. that arrived only "A day or
two ago from the Straits of Malacca,
British BurInah and the Peninsula OF
Siam which has been for some time past
the scene of Dr. Abbot's wanderings.
From this little-bunted region ne has
sent what is probably the most unique
single consignment of bird-skins that the
Smithsonian has ever received.
The skins that are now spread nut in
trays and cases in the south gallery rr the
Smithsonian represent months OF patient
hunting the traversinC Of tropical JunSles
and fever-ladcn morasscs. the d!mDing
OF unexplored mountains from trop'c sea
level to the eternal snow belt and all sorts
of hardship and exposure. Of which the
library naturalist never DIR canned, ana
which. like the inside of TIL. circus tent,
has to be seen to be appreciated"
Burmah is rich in rare tirds. AMI II runs
to extremes aud contradictions. 1t has
probably the largest woodpeCkcr III the
world, as well as the smallest. variety
of hawk So small that ii would ain st ind
its match III n good muscular buHhlchee:
tiny mites of flower hunting birds, smaller
than humung birds and more Drilli INT.
and great. ungainiy hornbiIls, with ttdCk,
somber bodies ard red devil faces that
would send a drinking man into lit Of the
horrors at first sight.
THEIR BRILLIANT PLUMAGE.
Between these wide extremes rsere
are birds Of all sorts and conditions. but
mostly Of brilliant plumage, some Of them
Interesting only from sci"niisic stand
point. aud others with more Than OT'iiihry
popular interest.
along the edges of the lakes and marshes
there is found the adiutant crane. who has
been rendered familiar by hipiing IN his
Indian stories But the Burmese. known as
THE lesser atIutant," is peculiar in the
possession ~ an absolutely bald head,
without even covering of skin, merely
a skull cap VI bony plate that would almost
turn buckshot He is not handsome
bir,i. aud his headpece is his chief advtr-
tisement.
Another bird that is the especial prop
erty of Kipnng in the realm OF story is the
Coppersmith, the little garden song>ter In
the story of "Ricky-1icky,' who was so
deadly afraid of snakes and so loud in his
praises of the mopgouse who drove the
cobras out OF the garden.
He is a little green-cdatcd fellow, not
unlike a paroquet, except rs To bill, and
with just suggestion OF brilliant Ied,
p:rple and yellow trimmings. He takes his
name from his voice, which is clear and
metallic. and sounds much like the tapping
of copper Fettle.
There are half dozen other members
of the coppersmith family in the coll ,ction
One big fellow has a hairy mustache around
the base of his bill that makes him look
sadly in need of shave. He calls night
and day, that the forest in his neigh
borhood sounds like boiler factory work
ing over time
A LITTLE HAWK.
The tiny hawk in question is the black
falconette. scarcely bigger than harm
swallow, but perfectly formed falcon lev
erthelesS 1t reminds one or the vest pocket
editions OF Webster's unabridged or the
tiny models of a man of war.
Along the edges of the marshes and Ia
goons of the peninsula, in the damp jungles
and the isolated parts OF the forest, the
traveller heard lonely, melancholy whistle
and occasionally sees a great, dusky bird
sailing through the gaunt tree trunks or
over the low tbickets.
He is the serpent eagle, of which Or. Alb
bot has sent several specimens. He makes
a specially of eating snakes and is accord
inely regarded with esteem in country
where snake stock is far below par
Beside owning the smallest of the hawk
family, the Siam peninsula boasts the
smallest or the parrots, the lOreuuHSt.
tiny green fellow, smaller than the love
BIRDS that grow on the Japanese ginger
gurs. These beautiful little fellows of
whom the collection contains several travel
in noisy flocks and are greatly in demand
among the natives for cage birds.
But the prize cage bird of the peninsula Is
the talking minah, a black, glossy iellow
with purplesheen to his pluma Seand great
orange wattles behind his neck. These
with his red beak make him a gorgeous
citizen, and when trained to talk at all his
enunciation and vocabulary exceed that of
the best parrots. In fact, well.eGucated
minah is almost beyond purchase among
either natives or Europeans.
Dr. Abbot has sent the greatest collection
of horn bills that the Smithsonian has yet
received. These startline.ooking birds are
nearly always black, but in the present col
lection there is one mottled with white, the
great pied horn bill with his immense beak
fluted and carved in circles as though it had
been through an artists ha nds.
SHUT UP THEIR FEMALES
These interesting birds have a habit,
common TO the whole family, of shutting
their females up in solitary confinement
in hollow tree when they are ready to
incubate. The entrance to the nest Is
pla stored up with mud till only small
hole is left for the tip of the females
beak to protrude. While the eggs are
Matching. the head of the family works
over time feeding his wife through the
break in her prison wall.