The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1910-11-24

the eye tnat under tne nhInF vi |
the third eyelid makes the Mongolian |
eye such distinctive feature of his |
human representative. This setting !
of the eye in an obllque chink gives
the putin that fixed, quizslcal express
sion which has led most observers to
call II a quaint;looking bird, but which
to me irresistibly calls to mind the
Chlnaman's bland-looking face that,
like a mask. gives no sign of the work
ing of the inner mind.
Il is a disappointment, after seeing
your first putin a; close quarters at his
home in pufIin-town, to turn up his
description in any bird-book 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
I much like rabbits as puffins. Be
sides the Monaghan eye, he has the
Mongolian secretiveness as well. In
offensive and unobtrusive, he is silent
as he stands upright, or moves about
somewhat uncertainty on his dapper
little red legs among the noisy crowd
on the rocks. IL 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
the privacy of his home he now and
then 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!" a weary sigh indica
tive OF his fate. For he Is the patient
coolie of the shore, with worse than
indentured labor for his fate. All the
ruling classes look to him TO provide
them with an easy meal. Every time
the proud peregrlne's offspring In th'
eyrie whimper for food putin some
where has TO pay toll by giving up thu
ghost; and yet, although this Is almos
an hourly occurrence on summer
| day, the other pufilns continue uncom
| planning and unheeding.
r A model parent the putin must be
] for though II lays but n single egg,
manages to maintain It's numbers yea
4 after year. In spite of the heaviest tar
, alton. There Is no colony OF tn
I lesser black-backed gull, where putin
0 breed, that is not strewn with tn
{ corpses OF this humble little birt
y Were | a putin. this is the fate
should most resent. The peregrine Q
9 least wastes nothing. leaves nothin
o but the beak and legs; but the coli
:. blooded gull simply disembowels th
a poor bird and leaves the rest to rot.
j. have never seen the tragedy of II
d death, whether It is killed on land {
8 as Il swims on the sea or as 1t fiit
through the air; but, were ! hungr
Is bird of prey, | think II would tenn
10 me most as II skins through the al
+ For all the world II looks like Il
70 mackerel fitted with a pair OF wint
which hardly seem strong enough
n carry its plump little body TO its de
h tination. In fact. as 1t whirrs up fro
al the sea to its burrow. as likely as n
II It will turn head over heels as
btrlheS tne blOuh" an" 'hSh 6Nt
I'd and make a wry face as II spits q
dirt out OF its mouth; or else 1t W
IN dash headiong against a rock with
n smack that you would think wou
kill Il, and then look round as stupi
IN ly as a sheep that In its blunderii
ID course fulfls its fate as mutton.
N though each colony OF lesser blac
81 backs shows the bloody tribute OF Z
unfortunate putin. that of the great
blackjack shows no evidence of Il
IN kind.
IN. In the whole community of HI
ur dred nests OF this ruler OF the arc
of pelago-for not even the fierce pc
grine disputes his sway--there "
not a single pufin corpse TO be Sc,