Washington sentinel., 1898-11-26
= ~ SENTINEL
Larcenous Birds.
LongntanIs Mararlne.

safe to leave a Japanese fan or a
bit OF blue china within reach OF a
bower bird. He uses a certain
amount Of judgment, too, in the
selection and arrangement Of his
spoIls, thus proving an exception
to the rule that the larceny OF the
lower orders of creation, except
where food is concerned, is an aim
less crime, a mere vicious habit.
Who. for instance, could feel any
sympathy with tom-tit that stole
a check2 Yet a country gentle
man of Cheshire was once sent
galloping twenty miles to fetch the
police to catch the thief who had
stolen check from inside an en-
Velope which was insId his own
letter-boX in his own b hall- gate
all through tomtit The envel-
oPe ami the covering letter were
there; but the Whereabouts OF the
check might have remained as
great a mystery as any Thames
Embankment robbery in open day
light, but that when the gentleman
and the police arrived and pro.
eeded to solemnly inspect the
letter box, two tomhts were dis
covered inside. This led to a
search, and twenty yards of, lying
on the ground, with beak marks
upon it, was the check Whether
the tomtits had returned to find
out IN whose name they should
forge an endorsement to the check
IS not clear; but this new develop
ment OF the criminal tendency
which has always been latent in the
whole race OF tits cannot be too
strongly reprobated. Even the
jackdaw OF Rhines, the "horrid
example" OF larcenous biTddOm,
would never have stolen a check.
When he purloined the cardina S
signet ring, and suffered terribly
from the pip when excommunI
Gated tor his crime, he had suhicI-
ent good feeling to repent heartily
and bring back the st len level
Its glitter had appealed, too, more
to his sense OF beauty than to any
sordid love of filthy lucre, He
stole the ring to he a thing of
beauty and a sparkling 10y in his
dark niche under the belfry, rather
than with a view to pawning or
selling it and spendi g the pro-
ceeds in riOtous living So with
that other famous thief in feathers
the magpie who stole the spoon
while the milkmaid was flirting,
and got that daughter OF Eve into
a deal OF tTouble-is is altogether
unlikely that the bird cared one
grub whether the spoon was silver
or eIect-0Dlate. He knew that il
would have very fine appearance
among the ragged sticks Of his
domed nest; and so. as no one
was looking, he drew it out from
among the others Just as gently
as 1t he were playing spellcans,
gave three hops and a flap Of his
wings, anil IN spoon and the girls
reputation for honesty went awav
over the fields together.
Other damning instances there
are OF jackdaw and magpie, the red
legged enough, and even, sad to
say, the Clerical gated raven, being
decoyed from the straight path OF |
rectltude by the empty glitter of a
gem. Unlike Hsop's moralizing |
cock, who, having scratched up a |
nee kiace, apostrophized Heaven
OF the uselessness of such a stroke
OF fortune to him, these sable, sol
emn fowl seem to have a burglari. |
ious twist IN their nature over
which they have no control. In |
proport on TO their reverend ASPECT |
and grave demeanor in their seri
Gus suits Of blacks is their eager
ness to purloin, at all costs, any
bit OF taWdry metalware to give a
dash Of meretricious hnery to their
bare nests. There may be the
germ OF civilization in this. The
South Sea Islander, OF whose des-
tiny hereafter missionaries appear
TO entertain no doubt whatever,
would IN the early days OF their
acquaintance barter his best wife
for piece OF tiniOIl and shed a
missiOnarY's blood for the sake Of
The blue glass in his spectacl les.
lnasmuch, therefore, as the con
Yerted FIiian, dressed in broad
cloth and square toed boots, makes
a very respectable member OF a
Christian community, though his
grandfather may have worn moth
ing more than "a shaggy head Of
hair, two brass rings, and a neck
lace OF dogs teeth, there is vet
hope Tor the iackdaW when civil
zation has permeated his system
and broken down that brazen sane. Z
lty that lmpudent assumption Of s
-eveTend virtue, which at present /
orms an Impenetrable barrier TO {
III attempts at conversion. Speak q
o a Jackdaw mildly but firmly, and /
le listens to you with a sideiong /
lir Of respectful interest. Turn Z
way your head tor a moment, and /
tug at your boot lace tells YOU I
hat the hypocritlcal scamp has {
ried to steal the metal tag at the {
nd OF it. JUS in the same way S
he missionaries have found that.
IOweVer pious and attentive their
avage congregation may be, they
ave all one eye apiece on the
ook out for perquIsites. The very {
nalogy teaches US that a jack i
laws case is not hopel IS. {
-~~ T
The FRENCH QUICK -FIRER. 1t T
S known that the French quick. a
rer has more reliable mechan- I