The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1903-07-09
COUNTRY IN THE CITY.
The streets OF LoRdor Teen with
busy nIrds 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
spouts and ON roofs behind parapets,
and live flne, 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 a cor
respondent Of the Washington Star.
The wood pigeons, on the other hand.
are In London fat, podgy, immensely
greedy birds, not disdaining 10 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 II is a fine sight
to see the wood pigeons cleaving the
blue air at speed Of 30 or even 90
miles an hour, soaring like hawks, OF
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,
IL was recently announced that a
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 a tlock, only here
and there q band Of from half dozer
TO half a score, which go foragfng to
gether wherever fair stretch Of grasI
can be found. Thrushes and blackbirdi
are rare, II not extinct, but last winter
I saw solitary redwing shivering II
the Embankmeut Gardens. The greai
city bird is the sparrow, and he doeI
his best TO I'LL all other deficiencies II
our bird life.
The variation Of plumage among
London sparrows Is even more remark
able than their requirement Of new
habits. II you have hundred accept
anceS TO your picnic you will searcel,
see two birds alike. Some are Of I
smoky blackness. others a severe gray
+ others bright with orange browr
/ feathers, others Of q delicate green
others have the wing bars so pro
nounced as TO make you think you se'
q chatiinch, others are streRked liki
mallards, and others are spotted liz
+ thrushes. Quite one per cent. Of thu
central London sparrows are blesse,
with white feathers on parts of th'
body where they are not expected u
appear on spaFrows.
4 Insects and creatures of the con
tiguous order are not unrepresented II
the city. Blue bottles and blacl
beetles occur and in Shoe lane Is
house where a rare species Of the latte
genus Is sought by naturalists from al
over the world. The little yaporei
moth. which was 20 be seen a week ago
Is still houriehing among our plan'
trees. He Is a bright chestnut red
with just one white spot about the siz'
Of pins head. on each forewlng
There Is one very good reason why thu
yaporer should not fall . victim q
what am convinced Is the worst enem,
| Of moths In Loudon~-the street lamp
Mrs. Yaporer Is q wingless grub. ans
therefore cannot fly to the allurlnl
light. -Four little stumps. that lool
like only two, are no more than eyi
denee that the great-great-grandmoth
er Of Mrs. Vaporer had wings, and I
glance at Mr.. vaporer viii tell US wha
they probably we're like. The yaporei
fiies by day. and II later he chooses 4
20 and get his wings singed az street
lamp what doesft matter? The eoeooi
case. where Mrs Vaporer dechrysal
lied and lived is beaded over Will
eggs, which viii next year yield theii
grubs. The larvae of few othei
moths have seen munching theii
green stuff In the gardens Of eentra
London, and IN a hap up three flight
Of stairs I came across the ehfysalid
oe a few garden white butterflies. How
they got there Is not quite a mystery
The eaterpillars probably crawled ou
Of the cabbage sent upstairs to b
cooked.
he psed a Tack.
As the story goes an Irish under
E. -. ~. 4. ! +