Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1908-191?, 1910-10-28

y
the eye that under the name of
tue third eyelid makes the Mongolian
eye such distinctive feature of his
human representative. This setting
Of the eye in an oblique chink gives
the putin that fixed, quizzlcal express
sion which has led most observers TO
call II Quaint-looking bird. but which
Chlnaman's bland.looking face that.
like a mask. gives no sign OF the work
ing OF the inner mind.
II is a disappointment. after seeing
your first puffiu at close quarters at his
home In pufiin-town, TO turn up his
description in any birdbook and find.
after all the meticulous description OF
his feathers and the order of the col
ors on his rainbow-tinted beak, that
this distinctive feature of the screwed
up eye Is never mentioned. The Illus.
trations in these books are as disap.
pointing as the text. the eye being as
much like rabbits as a puhin's. Be
sides the Mongolian eye, he has the
MongUlian secretiveness as well. In.
as he stands upright. or moves about
somewhat uncertainty on his dapper
little red legs among the noisy crowd
on the rocks. II is only from the
depths Of his burrow in the spongy
red soil. or from his chink among the
lichen-covered rocks. that the sound
Of his language reaches your ear. In
tho privacy OF his home he now and
theT utters strange sounds that when
first heard resemble somewhat in their
subdued intonation the distant low.
Ing Of cattle or shouting OF men. But
when you know him better you will
fancy you can hear IN his deep.
mournful "Arrh!" weatv sigh indlca.
tive OF his fate. For he IA the patient
coolie OF the shore. with worse than
lndentured labor for his fate. All the
ruling classes look to him to provide
them with an easy meal Every time
the proud peregrine's offspring In the
eYrie whirlper for food a putin some.
where hns to pay toll by giving up the
ghost; and yet, although this Is almost
an hourly occurrence on a summers
day, the other puffins continue uncom-
planning and unheeding
A model parent the putin must be.
for though II LAYS but a single egg. Il
manages TO maintain its numbers year
after year. in spite OF the heaviest tax
alton. There is no colony OF the
lesser black-backed gull. where pufHns
breed, that is not strewn with the
corpses of this humble little bird
We're | putin, this is the fate
should most resent. The peregrine at
least wastes nothing, leaves nothing
but the beak and legs; but the cold
blooded gull simply disembowels the
poor bird and leaves the rest TO rot.
have never seen the tragedy OF its
death, whether II is killed on land or
as II swims on the sea or as II flies
through the air; but. were a hungry
bird OF prey, | think II would tempt
me most as II skins through the air.
For all the world II looks like a fat
mackerel fitted with pair OF wings
which hardly seem strong enough to
carry its plump little body to it's des-
tination. In fact, as II whrrs up from
the sea to its burrow. as likely as not
II will turn head over heels as Il
strikes the ground and then get up
and make a wry face as It splits the
| dirt out OF its mouth: or else II will
| dash headlong against a rock with a
smack that you would think would
| kill II, and then look round as stupid.
| ly as a sheep that In its laundering
course fulfls its fate 40 mutton Al.
| though each colony OF lesser black
backs shows the bloody tribute OF the
unfortunate putin, that OF the greatSr
hlack.back shows no evidence OF this
kind.
In the whole community OF u hun
dred nests OF this ruler OF the archl
pelago-for not even the fierce pere
crime disputes his sway-there wal
aot a single pufin corpse 20 hs ssan