Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1905-06-01
More About Birds.
WASHINGTON, ID. c.,


May 30, 1905.
DEAR REGISTER Our bird class Of
the Audubon Society went to Mount
Vernon Saturday, May 10th, and saw
sixty different kinds of birds on this
5000 acre estate of George Washington,
and with two experts from the Smith
sonian got much material.
George Washington was the largest
landholder and farmer OF all the Presi-
dents. The ERIK of the court Of Fair
fax county, Va, has printed book
called "The Will of George Washington
and Others" which shows 40, 900 acres,
worth $40 an acre. He raised 1000
bushels of potatoes in one year. The
land looks poor, too. He came over in
to our valley in l11S to better soil and
country.
The object of our society is to protect
birds. 1t petitioned the land office to
reserve the low mud islands around the
Florida coast, and many have been
withdrawn from settlement, so the pei
leans. swarm on Indian river, nest and
raise their young also the tiamingo
and white heron. The latter have be-
come so scarce that the wing feathers
are worth $50 an ounce, as aigretteS for
ladies bonnets are made from them,
ond they are only valuable when taken
during the nesting season, when befriz'
Zled. The mother bird taken leaves
the young nestlings to per sh. Let ev-
cry lady who wears an aigrette remem-
Der this and resolve to wear no more.
There are two kinds of crows here,
the common and the fish crow. Prof.
Wood at the Smithsonian has crow
that can talk. He told me his crow
could say Hello, Jack ~ and | went
down TO prove and he did-bobbed his
head up and down aud said it plainly.
He caught it up by being spoken to so
often. He also says Hello, Wood !" TO
his master. The fish crow is smaller
than the common crow-corviS ameri-
cana. The crows have nests in the
trees around the Smithsonian building
and are not disturbed, but | heard an
official say he would like to shoot them,
as they destroy so many young and
nests of other birds. He has few friends.
a hawk has taken up his abode in the
postotlice tower and lives on the pig
cons that build their nests around the
caves and awnings.
The expert bird men ofthe biological
survey have located half dozen eagles
nests within ten miles of Washington
and photographed them. The eagles
add to their nests yearly until some are
as big as a cart bed. Eagles are also
found in far-away Alaska. A friend in
the office tells of climbing to an eagles
nest and getting the eggs while coming
down the Yukon, and camping for
night on its banks. The country there
fairly swarms with ravens
Did any boy on the Potomac ever
find kingisher's nest He bores into
the river bank five or six feet in hidden
places. Let us all study the habits of
the birds and protect them. 1t is a
pleasant pastime Mr.. Olds Of our Of
fee resigned an 1880 position to accept
81, 400 place in the bird department
of the biological survey to study them,
and has written several valuable PAM
phlets on birds for the Agricultural De-
partment, showing their value TO the
farmers of our country.
Bird Lover gave fine list of birds
seen near Shepherdstown. May 9th the
Audubon Society and the Columbian
College ladies took an outing TO Great
Falls on the steamer Louise-60 in all,
including Mrs James Garfield and her
boys and Archie Roosevelt, and saw
many birds, adding TO our knowledge
of them. This closed the class work
for the season.
JAMES NJ. ENGLE.