davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17

some soft material and Tcars its brood.
There is nothing a wren fears more than
a snake, and supposing it's enemies nave
The same dread of these reptiles, 1t fire.
quently gets a cast-or snake skin and
displays IL ostentatiously around the top
of its nest TO frighten away intruders.
The mourning or turtle dove Is re-
markable for it's gentleness and confiding
habits. 1t builds a rude platform of twigs
for its eggs In the most exposed situations.
often over a well worn pathway. If its
home is molested it pretends to be wounded
and futters along the ground in apparent
distress, trying to lead the disturber away
from its precious eggs or young.
Our blue kingfsher digs a hole In a high
bank along some creek, some times going
straight in for fifteen feet. At the end of
this burrow the eggs are deposited. The
kingfisher will sit on a branch over a
stream by the hour, perfectly motionless.
IL a small fish happens to swim along near
the surface he dashes in and catches the
fish in his swordlike beak. Then he flies
away TO some stump. takes his victim by
the tail and whacks its head on the wood
or pecks it until it is dead. Then. IL it is
not too large. he swallows IL whole, going
through many cOmieaI quirks and contor-
tiOns in getting it down. The ~kingfsher is
not a good hOusekeeper and it's hole al
ways smells foul from the litter of crawfish
and pieces of fish he leaves lying about.
Our little yellow warbler or summer yell
low bird builds a beautiful tiny c~up-shaped
nest in a fork of some sapling. where the
foliage is thickest He is a gentle and in
offensive little fellow and forms an easy
prey to that lazy vagabond. the cowbird.
The COW, or, as boys call him, the lazy
bird, builds no nest of its own, but lays its
eggs in some other birds nest and depends
on the foster parents to rear the young,
which hatch in a shorter time than is
necessary for other species. AS soon as the
young cowbird comes from the egg Il opens
its mouth for something to eat, and from
that time until IT is able TO shift for itself
the adopted parents are kept hustling to
keep II filled. The eggs or young Of the
birds who rightfully belong in the nest are
pushed out by the interloper and left to
perish miserably on the ground.
Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17
The Story of the First Lung

came a windpipe and the swimming blaA-
der a lung.
Now let us think further. In the course
of centuries. perhaps many centuries, some
of the water holes became entirely dry.
Then everything died that had not ad-
vanced beyond the stage of Ceratodus. thu
creature of one lung, needing at least some
water.
To picture any survivors. we must pic
ture a creature that had gone beyond the
old Ceratodi-a creature that had reached
a still higher state of conformity to con-
ditions, like the African two-lunged fish
that can live in sun-baked mud.
And then another step. The water dlsap-
pears entirely and forever at last from
some of tho holes. The lizard fish that
had learned to breathe with their lungs
exclusively began to wriggle across coun-
try to seek wet places elsewhere.
Now geology tells us that at this time,
in the Devonian epoch. most areas OF the
world held shallow waters that became
smaller and smaller steadily partly from
evaporation and partly from draining away
in the sands that now form our ''old red
sandstone"
The lizard-fish had to wander oftener and
%oftener. farther and farther. The swim
ming bladder lungs became strengthened
more ana more, inc gtllS degenerated
more and more. At last they appeared only
In the unripe forms during incubation-'an-
cestral portraits shown today in the UNI
born birds, and more plainly in the frog,
while it is still a 'pollywog,' only to dlsap-
pear entirely with growth.
The lizard-fsh had become a lizard, an
amphibian!
They surely are not particularly agree
able or attractive animals, these lizard
fish.
In the museum the layman would prob
ably overlook them in his interest in the
mass of fishes that seem far more curious
and bizarre. And yet. how much hides be-
hind these oldest lung-breathers in the
world!
Millions of years ago those Iizard-hsh OF
the Devonian or the Carboniferous age
played their role-the great advancement of
life. Then they became almost lost. They
disappeared from the lands where Culture.
the ideal sun-blossom Of Nature. unfolded
itself. No tie seemed to remain between
their last survivors In the swamps of Africa
or South America and in two lost streams
of Australia, and the line OF light that
began to arise in the life of earth far I'M
ward for the animal.
And vet from this line OF light. from Gull
ture. there grows one day the great desire
for knowledge. And after the measurelesa
procession of time IL turns back TO the
lizard-fish: 1t seeks him in his lonely
Queensland wastes and helps him to a won
derful resurrection.
1t is the true resurrection Of Not,r.
through the Spirit.
WILHELM BoELsCHE.
Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17

Now. the yellow warbler is not able to
push the cowbird's egg from its nest and
it apparently has scruples against eating
IL, as a bluejay would do, so IL takes a
very original method to get rid of the un-
desirable gift which the cowbird leaves for
it. When the little yellow bird finds the
lazy birds egg in its nest II straightway
goes to work and builds another nest on
top of the old one, burying the cowbird's
egg and sometimes two or three of its own
eggs with 1t. A new setting is then layed
in this new nest and the brood reared.
Two-storied nests of the yellow warbler are
not uncommon and In one Instance a nest
was found with two additions to the orig
inal one.
Birds eggs present striking variations in
shape and color. We suppose that these
are not altogether due TO accident and
that, as a rule, there is a reason for every
variation. Birds which nest in cavities in
trees and dark places lay white eggs. while
those which nest in exposed places have
them colored to initiate the surroundings.
For example, the robin has dark BLUSH
green eggs which blend with the surround
ing leaves and they are not easily distin-
guished by any proving enemy who might
wish TO modest them.
The quail's eggs are white and conspicu-
Gus, hence a great number are layed' ana
even if some are destroyed there will still
be enough left to make a respectable brood.
Birds that nest in places where there is no
danger of the eggs rolling out of the nest
are usually nearly spherical in form, for
that shape exposes the least surface in
proportion to the amount OF material used.
Eggs deposited on the ground or in a situa-
ton where they might easily roll away are
long and pointed. Hence II they should
start to roll they would not go far, but
come back i'm a circle. Eggs OF the quail.
snipes and sea birds, which nest on the
bare rock, have this long and pointed shape.
If we take up the study of the food
habits of birds we are apt to meet many
surprises. Most of us think Of the wood
peckers as living on the grubs and insects
which they secure from pecking holes I'm
trees. Yet they all have a fondness for n
variety OF other things. and almost half
Of the diet OF he common y~elIowhammer
Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17
Habits of Some of Our Common Birds

consists of ants which IL picks up from
the hills. on the ground or in dead trees.
The author watched an English sparrow
feeding her brood for four hours and during
part of this time IL was raining. The
mother visited the nest with food every
two minutes (average). The male came to
the nest with food for the brood but once
during the whole time. When we consider
that a bird works from daylight to sunset
we can see what an enormous amount OF
labor Is required and what an army of in
sects will be destroyed during tho year.
Birds usually vary the food with the sea-
sons. Some sea birds live on fish during
the winter months and changing To seeds
in the summer. The English sparrow pre-
fers a seed diet itself, but rears its young
almost entirely on insects. The owls are
very rude in their table manners and do
not stop to pick out the edible portions.
When eating a mouse ~ gopher they
simply swallow chunks of it-bones. hair
and all. or course part of this mass cam
not be digested and II IS rolled into a little
ball and cast up in the same way that a
COW brings up her cud. These pellets will
usually be found on the ground around an
owl tree.
TIL hawks and owls are preylng birds,
but on the whole do a great deal of good
by destroying great numbers of nOXiOus
animals. The prince of robbers and muir
derers in the bird world Is the shrike or
butcher bird. This william will sneak up
behind a mother bird, setting on the nest.
and peck her brains out. then fly away
APPARENTLY satisfied with the killing and not
even stopping to eat. One of his favorite
amusements Is to catch beetles and stick
them on thorns along me hedges. We
suppose his idea in these actions Is to lay
up food for a rainy day or when his hunt
is unsuccessful.
Birds not only prey but are proved upOa
and their cOlOration helps them in escaping
their enemies. Usually we find the upper
side dark and the under side white or
lighter in color than the back. If a hawk
scars above the bird the dark back blends
with the ground. If the condition is
reversed and the hawk looks up at the bird
from below the light colored belly blends
Continued on Page Eleyen.l
Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17

- whistle with the changing SEA-
sons and knows something of it's habits.
Its nest is a poorly built affair, at first
glance, but the bird has spent great care
both in selecting q secluded spot and in
concealing the eggs. Sometimes the nest
is completely rooted over. Nevertheless,
being built on the ground in the open
fields 1t is exposed to every prowling
coyote or bullsnake. We suppose this is
one reason why the quail lays so many
eggs. Settings of eighteen or twenty or
even mere are not uncommon. With this
large number a few can be destroyed and
stir nave a respectable brood of young.
The young, which are born feathered. are
able to shift for themselves in a few
hours. Although the mother bird looks
after them in about the same way that
an ordinary hen cares for her brood. They
are very active little fellows. being able
to run with great speed. When they are
tired they will crouch down and remain
perfectly quiet. depending ON their re-
semblance to a clod or pebble for pro-
lection.
The quaiPs nest may be rudely con-
structed. but Ii Is a palace compared to
the accommodations the n~ighthawk fur
nishes for it's eggs. 1t does not even
scratch a hollow. but deposits them on the
bare ground. They are apparently ex-
posed. but are colOred so like the sur
rOundings mat IL is almost impossible to
find them. The author once spent fifteen
minutes looking for a nishthawk's esgs
where they had been found previously and
It was known that they were not more
than twenty feet distant.
Most Of US are familiar with the nesting
habits of the house wren. Sometimes they
choose very odd situations, such as an
old hat hung under a porch or the pocket
OF n coat hanging on the side of a house.
We know of one little jenny wren who in
sisted on nesting in a stocking hanging
on a clothes line. They build in a cavity
of some kind and always fill it full to the
brim with sticks. On this mass Of twigs ii
lines a little hollow with horse hair or
Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17

brates. Now this step is not to
- be sought between man and the
lung-breathing amphibian. 1t lies between
the amphibian and the fish. There must
nave been an animal once that passed from
one form TO the other-the bridge between
gill and lung.
The frog is a. higher %amphibian. We
must look to a lower form. Such a one is
the salamander. We must hunt for a
lizard-hsh.
Now our study of evolution leads us to
believe chat from the world of the an
cient amphibians there sprang two great
branches-one became a land-walking form,
and. finally, man. The other became the
bridge.
We know the link-form between am
phibians and birds. 1t is the archaeopteryx,
the lizard Its remains are fairly
plentiful. We know that it had feathers
and wings. a crocodile jaw with teeth, a
long lizard tail and lizards claws on it's
wing bones.
So the imagination must picture the liz
ard-fish as a half-and-half creature-a
thing with two lungs in its breast and gills
on its throat.
In 1896 Johann Natterer discovered a
living creature in the Amazonian swamps
that approached these requirements. 1t
had scales and was formed like an eel. 1t
had fully developed gills. and it had, also.
a fully developed pair of lungs and all the
other apparatus for lung breathing, in
Guiding nostrils
Scientists were still in bitter battle about
this paradox Uepidosiren Paradoxus they
called it at LAST. when a similar fish was
found in Africa.
For thirty years the two creatures were
Nightmares to science. Some declared that
they were fish, and the lungs belied the
finest theories. Some tried to relegate them
TO the ~amphibians. and they upset the
whole world of amphibia.
Then came Darwin. And in ten years
the world began to accept the two crea-
lures as link-forms.
Through the fossils found then, we
learned that in a very remote period of the
worlds story, very near to the very Oldest,
the only existing representatives of YER
tebrates were fish, Then, in the carboni-
ferrous age, millions of years ago and yet
long after that remote fish age, the am
phibians appeared. Somewhere between
those two periods. then, there must have
occurred the change of one or more of the
fishes to lung-breathing, land-dwelllng ami
mails. That must have been the great time
of the lizard-fsh, IL the lizard-fish were
the links.
1t would have been fine, then. had it been
possible to discover fossil remains of lizard
fish. If one could have laid the bones of
the ancient creature alongside the bones of
the living one, and proved their resem-
Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17

blance, the world would nave had a valu-
able, living, demonstrable proof of the
truth of evolution.
But II seemed as IL no such proof would
ever be found. None OF the ancient fossil
beds showed a lisard-fish.
Then. in 1869. the land of the living link
forms, Australia, produced it. And the
proof was a tooth.
One day Gerhart KreTt. curator Of the
museum Of Sydney, Queensland. received
a big four-foOt long carp-like fish. And
this fish had gills and scales but also a
~ung-One single lung.
Now as DR.. Krent examined the mouth
of the strange monster. he found. not the
ordinary fishes teeth but only four big
teeth. with their crowns indented like the
comb of a rooster.
And such teeth had been found long be-
fOre-fossil teeth belonging to the dim past.
The creature TO which they had belonged
was still unknown, but il had always been
classcd with the fishes. Agassiz had chris
tened the unknown beings Ceratodus-
meaning horn breathers.''
Now DIR. Krefft held in his hand a freshly
captured thing that was not only a lizard
fish. but actually had the teeth of the lost
Ceratodus.
Krefft did not hesitate to name his find
OeTdlOuuS FOTSleTH. lStef, "nen the eN-
preston of the caudal end of an extinct
Ceratodus was found and finally. when a
well-preserved skull of one was unearthed.
il was proved that the most unexpected of
unexpected things had happened-a crea-
ture that had been accounted as extinct
millions of years ago, was living in the
world of today.
Yet for twenty years the knowledge OF
the living CeratOdus remained meagre
We learned that the creature used his
gills to live like a fish in water during the
rainy season, while in droughts he used
his lungs to help him live amphibian-like
in the shallow pools. But no one knew
about his growth from the egg. And that
was of immense importance for the study
of evolution.
The early stages of development of living
things in the egg are cnlightening. because
many creatures in this undevelOped cOndi-
ton are, so to speak, portraits of their
ancestors of past epochs. Take a chicken
or a canary bird out of an egg that has
only just begun to incubate, and we find
an object that has fin-like appendices and
gills.
So for years Prof. HaeclSel urged on the
world of science the Importance of study
ing the egg of the Ceratodus. At last
Prof. Richard Semon of Jena undertook
the task. 1t kept him away two years. It
was a long fight. Floods and accidents
robbed him of the fruits of his labor time
and again.
But in the end he succeeded in studying
the Ceratodus step by step. And it was
proved at last that the creature developed,
not as a fish, but as an amphibian, pass
Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17

ing through the same stages that charac-
terize frogs.
So in the Ceratodus we now recognize a
true survivor of the lizard-fshes. and thus
an ancestor of man-the particular an
cestor that we have to thank for our
lungs.
And the Ceratodus furnishes an iIlustra-
ton of how hat Jung developed from the
gills.
The African relative of the Ceratodus
swims merrily in the water and breathes
honestly through his gills as long as the
water lasts. When the droughts come he
buries himself in the mud and breathes
cheerfully through his two lungs.
But the Ceratodus can live only in
streams that nevery go entirely dry. His
one lung Is not so able as the two lungs
OF the African fish.
Now where the Ceratodus lives. the ex-
treme of drought goes only so far as to
dry the main stream, leaving waterholes
here and there. Into these holes crowds
everything that needs water to live. Soon
the densely-packed creatures exhaust the
oxygen in the waterholes. The water be-
comes foul. and the creatures that have
only gilIs are in dire trouble. Hordes OF
the true fishes die.
But the Ceratodus remains well and
happy. He keeps his nostrils above the
surface and breathes the upper air with
his lungs.
Now let us imagine that gray, dim time
when there stood mighty forests of fern
and other long-past growths that we burn
today as anthracite. Picture waters that
experienced periodical drouths like those
Australian waters of today. Now think of
those ancient water holes crowded with
struggling forms, and you see what an ad-
vantage the existence of a lung meant for
the survival of the Ceratodus.
OF course you will object that the mere
fact that the lung was an advantage could
not produce one. Where did the lung come
FRONT CeratOdus shows us. The lung did
not fall on him from the blue sky.
The true fish owns a well known organ
the swimming bladder. This air-infiated
bladder regulates his weight for him., CIV
ing him the same specific weight as is that
OF the water where he ives. Automatically
this swimming bladder belongs to the ALI
mentary canal. In many fish there is an
air connection with this canal. The infer
ence is simple that such an air-flled sac
might have served on occasion for taking
air into the blood; hat is, for breathing.
In certain existing forms of true fishes
we have found the little beginnings of such
a development.
In the Ceratodus the development became
complete.
Along the wall Of the swimming bladder
there began to form air-sucking blood YES
SOS; the mouth of the bladder began to
lengthen from the depths of the canal to-
ward the mouth, as it was used more and
more to suck in air. The air passage be-
Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17

, BIRD is better known than our
common quail. Not only the
sportsman, but every farmers
boy, has heard it change its
whistle with the changing sea-
Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17

wright, 1903, by T. G. McClure.)
HE great step from gill -breathing
to lung breathing is the one that
opened a new world for the verte-
brates. Now this step is not to
be sought between man and the
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26
Wedding aid engagement rings.
CO. CREAMS. Seattle.
CurI- s,,ayiaCr.

A shaving of wood curls up owing
to contraction en- one side and eXpan
sion OH the other This expansion is
accelerated by what is known as the
"back iron or cap IRON which is used
Ia most planes.
The chicct Of this 'cap IRON is t.
break the sh9vings into short length
and 10 prevent the cutting IRON from
tearing or splitting the flbers of he
wood which liz always more or less
IN Il sluntip- direction.
The nearer the edge of the "5Dc'l
iron" Is placed TO the edge of the cut
ting iron" the shorter the shavings are
broken OF. These are smooth on unc
side, and the serrations on the other
correspond with the distance between
the edges Of the two irons.
All wood, too, is formed in circular
rings. such as can be seen in the sec
don of any tree trunk. 1t follows.
therefore, hat when the rings of wood
are cut across. a. they are to certain
extent in the act Of planning, they "re
relieved from tension. and curl up i'll
the endeavor to expand themselves.
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26
Inspee Ing Nursery stock

j. e. Baker, Inspector OF nursery
stock for Kityap, Cla!lam and San
Juan counties. WAS here during the
week inspecting a shipment of trees
from an Oregon nursery. He found y
few affected 10y crown and root gall
and these were rejected. Most of The
stock was pronounced excellent. Mr.
Baker also visited few nearby or
chards and he was particularly pleased
with that of County Clerk Larson.
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26
Only Makes u Bad Matter Worse

Perhars YOU haze mover thought OF il
but tho fact mast he apparent To everyone
that constipation caused by II lack of
water in the system. aid the use OF dras-
tic caLhartics like the old fashioned pills
only makes a bad matter worse. Cham
berlain'S Stomach and Liver Tablets are
mach more mia and gentle in their eff
feet, and when the proper dose is takeu
their action il so natural that one can
hardly realize it is the effect of n medi-
cine. Try a bottle of them. For sale by
all druggists and dealers in patent medi-
cines.
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26
The ises..Litiincnt

"Chanberiai,l's Pain Balm is consid-
cred the best Eminent on the market.
write Post Il Bliss, Of Georgia, VI. Ne
,ther liniment viii hea! eat or hruiSe So
promptly. No other affords such quick
relief from rheunistc pains. No other is
50 valuable for deep seated pains like
anne back aud pains in the chest. Give
his linineDt tria. and become u quaint
= with its reuar<ahle qualities aud You
will never wish to be without it. For sale
by all druggists and dealers in patent
medicines.
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26

The steamer Discovery, about the loss
of which, with AL on board, near Yak
'utat, Alaska, there now seems to be no
doubt, was on the San Juan route for
some time in 1899 in opposition to the
Lydia Thompson, The chief engineer,
Guy Wolford, was the engineer of the
revenue launch Gu srd for several years
and was we'll and favorably known
here.
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26

DR.. Lee Baker, If Port Townsend
that he intends to spend
several days here each month, prepared
to dc all kinds Of dental work.
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26

Mrs. Otto Irwin came over from
Anacortes Saturday morning for few
days visit with her Authoritarian, l.. T.
Irwin.
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26

The county treasurer desires to re-
mind taxpayers who have not paid the
second half of their taxes that Is per
cent interest penalty will be added if
payment is not made before Dec. lst
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26
Eyes fitted by specialists.
GOLDMAfPS, Seattle.

Services at the Presbyterian church
every Sabbath at 1890 a. m. and 1880
p. M; Sabbath School Immediately
after morning services; Y. p. s. G. K.
at $50 p. III. "A. q. Boyd, Pastor.
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26

A few thoroughbred buff Leghoril
cockerels for sale, or will exchange foI
pullets of any breed. Inquire at ISL
AMBER Office.
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26

Mandoins, Guitars, Banjos. Accorde
ons, Niolins and Bows and Cases, and
Harmonicas JUS; arrived for Will Fowle's
store.
The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-11-26

Rev. w. J. Dickson has accepted
call to his former pastorate at Chehalis.
His family, with Mrs. Sitter, will NOV
there from Tacoma within few days.