The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1903-06-18
COUNTRY IN THE CITY.
nusy uirds and Insects of
Various kinds.

In London the tame pigeons are wild
and 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
sponts 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.. Pielwick on skates.
Civilization has completely spoiled
them. In the country II Is fine sight
70 sec the wood pigeons eleaying the
blue air at q speed of 40 or even 60
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 approxi-
mating to the proportion and lassitude
Of the late dodo.
II was recently announced that .
pair Of robins had been seen In Foun-
tain Court Temple. Though ! often
perambalate that locality, have not
yet seen these birds. Upon inquiring
Of the gardener found that he had
been equally unfortunate, He had not
seen a robin in the temple for the last
four or fye years. The robin, indeed,
seems to be very scarce in central
London.
OF starlings there are a fair number.
They build sometimes on the roofs
and in water spputs with the pigeons,
and more generally in the deeayed
branch Of some church yard tree. The
city does not produce flock, only here
and there a band Of from half dozen
10 half score. which go foraging 20
gether wherever a fair stretch Of grass
can be found. Thrushes and blackbirds
are rare, II not extinct, but last winter
saw solitary redwiug shiyeriug in
the Embankment Gardens. Thegreat
city bird is the sparrow, and he does
his best to fill all other deficiencies In
our bird life.
The variation Of pumage among.
London sparrows is even more remariS
able than their requirement Of new
habits. II you have a hundred accept
anees to your picnic you will scarcely
see two birds alike Some are Of a
smoky blackness, others a severe gray,
others bright xith orange brown
feathers, others Of a delicate green,
others have the wing bars 80 pro-
----ed rs 70 make you think sou soc
ehatiinch, others are streaked Ike
maliards, and Others are spotted like
thmshes. Quite one per cent. II the
central London sparrows are blessed
with white feathers on parts Of the
body where they are not expected 10
appear on sparrows.
Insects aud creatures of the con-
tiguous order are not unrepresented in
the city Blue bottles aud black
beetles occur and IN Shoe lane & a
house where rare species u the latter
genus Is sought by naturaiifts from OH
over the world The little yaporer
moth. which was 20 he seen week ago.
is still iloufishing among our plane
trees. lie is bright chestnut red.
with just one white spot about the lie
Of pins head on each forewing.
There is one very good reason Wis he
Yaporer should not fall victim 70
what ] am convinced is the worst enemy
Of moths in Loudon-the street lamp.
Mrs. Naporer Is q wingless grub and
therefore cannot fiy 10 the allurng
light. -Four little stumps, that look
Ike only two. are 10 more than eyi-
denee that the great great grandmoth-
er Of Mrs. Naporer had wings, and =
glance at Mr. Naporer will tell US what
they probably were Ike. The yaporsr
flies by day. and II later he chooses to
70 and get his wings Finged OF a street
lamp what does Il matter7 The cocoon
case. where Mrs. Naporer deehrysal-
lied and lived, Il beaded over with
eggs, which VIII next year yield their
~rubs. The larvae of few other
a.oths I have seen mnnching their
green stuff in the gardens Of central
London. and IN a flop up three flights
of stairs ! came across the ehrysalids
of a few garden white butterflies. How
they got there Il not quite q mystery.
The caterpiilars probably crawled out
of the cabbage sent upstairs "a he
cooked.
He tsed = Tack.
As The story goes an Irish under
iaker was laying out the deceased bils-