The Colfax chronicle., 1903-07-18

ana the Wild ones tame. The descend-
ants of the rock dove, that have for
thousands of years been common OBJ
Jects OF the poultry yard, breed in
inches behind gargoyles, in water
spouts and on roofs behind parapets,
and live fine, wild life. They all tend
to revert to the blue type. with two
black bars on each wing, and they are
probably as beautiful as the wild stock
from which they sprang, writes COR
respondent of the Washington Star.
The wood pigeons, on the other hand,
are in London fat. podgy, immensely
greedy birds, not disdaining to feed
from our fingers, and transporting
their unwieldy carcass from one feed
ing place to another with difficulty.
They may be seen in Lincoln's Inn
Fields, literally sprawling about the
trees like Mr.. Pickwick on skates.
Civilization has completely spoiled
them. In the country it is fine sight
to see the wood pigeons cleaving the
blue air at a speed of 40 or even go
miles an hour, soaring like hawks, or
wheeling in hundreds over a wood that
has been invaded by the fox hounds.
In London they are rapidly approx
mating to the proportion and lassitude
of the late dodo.
1t was recently announced that =
pair of robins had been seen in Foun-
tain Court Temple. Though often
perambulate that locality, have not
yet seen these birds. Upon inquirinR
of the gardener / found that he had
been equally unfortunate. He had not
seen robin in the temple for the last
four or five years. The robin, indeed,
seems to be very scarce in central
London.
OF starlings there are fair number.
They build sometimes ON the roofs
and in water spouts with the pigeons,
and more generally in the decayed
branch of some church yard tree. The
city does not produce flock. only here
and there a band of from half dozen
to half score, which go foraging to-
gether wherever fair stretch of grass
can be found. Thrushes and blackbirds
are rare, if not extinct, but last winter
/ saw solitary redwing shivering in
the Embankment Gardens. The great
city bird is the sparrow, and he does
his best to fill all other deficiencies in
our bird life.
The variation of plumage among
London sparrows is even more remark |
able than their requirement of new
habits. IT you have hundred accept |
Ances to your picnic you will scarcely
Zee two birds alike. Some are of q |
smoky blackness, others severe gray.
others bright with orange brown
feathers, others of a delicate green,
others have the wing bars so pro-
nounced as to make you think you see
4 chaffinch, others are streaked like
and others are spotted like
Ehrushes. Quite one per cent. of the
'entral London sparrows are blessed
with white feathers on parts of the
body where they are not expected to
appear on sparrows.
Insects and creatures of the con-
'iguous order are not unrepresented in
he city. Blue bottles and black
beetles occur and in Shoe lane is a
louse where rare species of the latter
yenus Is sought by naturalists from all
'ver the world. The little vaporer
moth, which was to be seen a week ago.
still fiourishing among our plane
rees. He is bright chestnut red,
nth just one white spot about the size
Il pins head. on each fore wing.
there is one very good reason why the
aporer should not fall victim to |
THAT l am convinced is the worst enemy
Il moths in London-the street lamp.
iys. Vaporer is q wingless grub, and
therefore, cannot fly to the alluring
ight. -Four little stumps, that look
Ike only two, are no more than evi-
ence that the great-great-grandm
r of Mrs. Vaporer had wings, and a
lance at Mr.. Vaporer will tell us what
hey probably were like. The yaporer
les by day, and if later he chooses to
o and get his wings singed at street
amp what does it matter? The cocoon
ase, where Mrs. Vaporer dechrysal-
led and lived, is beaded over with
ggs, which will next year yield their
rubs. The larvae of few other
Ioths l have seen munching their
reen stuff in the gardens of central
ondon, and in flap up three fights
stairs / came across the chrysalids
few garden white butterflies. How
,ey got there is not quite mystery.
he caterpillars probably crawled out
the cabbage sent upstairs to be
,oked.