Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-08
A 'POSSUM'S BABIES
Mother Plays dead" That None
May Come to Harm.
BIRD ARCHITECTS And BUILDERS
Looks Like a Vine Thinks as Il
Grows Skyward.
D B j Z CT L ES s o n 8

Written for The Evening Star.
Did you ever see an old "'possum' ana
her babies? I had wished for a long time
for the good fortune Finally my reward
came One bright summer morning the
cows failed to come TO the milking shed at
their usual time. so / got on my horse ana
started to hunt for them IN the big woods
pasture on the back of the farm. II was
one of those exquisite golden mornings in
which all nature seems TO reveL The
whole east was aglow with long, flowing
lines of flmy gold, and high overhead the
light diffused itself until the atmospheric
seemed stepped IN the precious rays A
hooking bird saw the glory OF II, too, and
his melody melted into the subtle color
scheme.
AS rode into the woods / forgot that I
was looking for the missing cows and the
reins hung loose on my mares neck. Sud-
denly she jumped to side and almost
unseated me- As soon as had her under
control / turned back and saw big pos
sum hurrying toward hollow tree near at
hand. l rode close up to the animal.
cracked my whip and over she rolled and
'possumed" dead. L got down off my horse
and looked at the possum' as with tight
shut eyes and grinning white teeth, she
simulated death.
Just as 1 was about to remount I saw
worms on her stomach. l touched one OF
them and it curled tightly about my
myers. gave a pull, and out came a little
postum" What l had taken for fishing
worms were nothing more or less than tho
tails of the old "'possums' babies There
We're so many in her snug. warm pocket
that there was no room for their bare tails,
so they Were left outside. | pulled out
nine little fellows. each about the size Of a
small rat. They were pretty babies all a
beautiful blush gray, with flesh-colored
taus. During the whole performance the
old possum had not moved muscle but
lay on her back just as she had rolled over
at first. After | had got all of the young
out / sat and watched them crawl back
into their warm pocket.
The sun WAS coming up over the blue
eastern hills and had not found my COVE
1t may be guessed the mothers feigned
slumber quickly ended after my departure.
Pinnts Thinkt
How did the vine shown in the illustra-
ton ever know when il had firm hold
in the tree top and do away with all its
lower tendrils?
l planted wild grape vine at the foot
OF an old tree. and watched it grow from
year to year The first year il sent out a
single, long green shoot. which felt about
FOR support. Its tWo-tnEered tendriis re-
manned open and straight until they touch
ed a small twig, which grew on the trunk
OF the old tree; then they tWined about IT.
As soon as the tcndTi, naG firm hold on
the twig, its main stem curled itself up
until 1t drew the vine close against the
tree Tendril after tendril caught the limbs
ana tWigs as the vine climbed the tree and
each time they ,Iurled up and pulled the
parent stock close against the tree.
While the vine was small. ii held itself
close against the tree, lest some heavy
wind should throw it upon the ground But
after several years it had grown high into
the old tree, and its green foliage pushed
out among the limbs and branches and
made rl,, Il,
from what it had been. Then | noticed
that the vine had ceased using tendrils on
the main stem, ard all those which had
been utilized to clasp the branches and hold
it close were gone. In fact every wear
more and more of the huge vine swung out
from the side of the original support in
the summer storms and yet it was never
thrown down. Up high in the tree top the
grape vine still sent numerous tendrils out
in all directions 10 hold it firm. How did
it know?
Birds as Carpenters.
Usually when one says anything about
birds nest the mind at once pictures green
leaves, a tangle Of branches. a dainty bit
Of weaving and some speckled eggs Few
persons realize how diversified is the nest
building of our everyday birds. or course
every family has a peculiar style OF home
making which is adhered to to certain
extent, but when We examine the nests of
widely different families the change is
marked.
The common chimney swift, which is seen
dropping into the tops of unused chimneys
builds a nest of light twigs glued together
with saliva Woodpeckers are carpenters
and chisel their nests in dead or dying tim
Der, and when they are through with them
a wren or a bluebird takes possession and
rears brood or two. A dove will make a
rough platform of twigs which to lay
her two white eggs she will place them
In on open wheat field with lust enough
weeds to form a rim to hold the eggs in
place. The barn and the cave swallows
turn plastcrers and use stiff mud to con-
struct their nests, with enough hay or
straw or grass to give the structure
strength. Some of the other swallows dig
long tunnels in banks of earth along
streams or railroad cuts, and our king
fishers do the same.
The humming birds build the daintiest of
all nests. They are tiny cups, made of the
soft down of the willow catskins, Melted
into compact mass, and then covered with
lichens taken from the limb on which the
nest is placed. making the whole appear as
a knot of wood. The lichens are bound in
place by flmy bits of spider webbing. The
vireos and the little blue-gray gnatcatchers
build beautiful nests which are also covered
with lichens to make them harmonic with
their surroundings.
From these few examples of materials
used by everyday birds it is evident that
they necessarily utilize some adaptability
to At their environment. Two instances in
point the chimney swift and the purple
martin When this country was first set
tied the swifts built their nests in hollow
trees: today they use chimneys almost ex-
clusfvely. The martins originally nested
i'm natural cavities in forest trees, as do the
great-crested fycatchers; now they have
forsaken these primeval spots for boxes or
gourds which the farmers hang about their
barns. In the far west both of these birds
use their original sites for nesting.
InfaIIibIe.