Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-05
HOUSEMEN5 NEST
IN HN1AN SKULL
'ljII1lage

never to adorn her hat with the plumage
Of these birds. $1,000.
With the child's arrival at tho next
case all her pity is swalowe, UP in won-
der Here arc two exhibits of the same
birds one with white feathers, tho other
with mixed plumage. IL ~ quite hewil-
dcrinG. until the cards are read. when
the child discovers that the DtarmIgans.
for that is what they arc have plumase
In the summer TO match the grass AMI
lichens in which they live. and whit"
feathers during the long winter months.
In this Way they are not often killed
by foxes and owls The kite Will prove
interesting. The Kite bird is shown f1-inE,
and eating d snake At the same time
This is very interesting. and tho child
reads that tho kite is quite nj homo i'm
the air. ana feeds on snake. lizards and
locusts as il flies. The bower birds are
sure to prove entertaining. They are
shown several OF them in their PLAY
ground. which they always build near
their nest. and filled with bright colorc,i
feathers. glass and shells
The next case is one Of tho most inter
cStins III tile room. Here the child IS
Shown How Creatures Hide" The
preitiesi specimen shows branch efSsl
tree, with three butterflies. one is ffv-
ing. and the beautiful red and blue af its
wings attracts the child He reads the
ard and is told there are two others rest
Ing on the twig BY careful search he
finds them but they look 80 very r7uch
like leaves that he is quite sure noa"dr
could find them to hurt. He becomes in
terested al once and spends considerdn ~"
time ia finding the hiding places Of tn
other creatures shown. He discover.
how the Walking Leaves stay on the
underside of green leaves, and arc hard
" discernihle. and Of how Tia" Walking
Sticks liv" on tNigS and look so much
like tho twiG as tn he very difficult &"
discover. Then there are nests. which
arc SO carefully hid that they seem part
Of tho hmb that holds them. \ small
box containing the eggs and Young Of tn
terms arc quite bcNilderine. The oc-S
so resemble the pebbles. and the 20 IN p
are 50 like tho eggs that the child is not
sure that he is seeing core .tly. but must
get down very near and peer in at II
several times.
A case containing Pretty Shells" and
"Strange Insects is next in the tour ~
inspection. The bright and wonderful
colorng of the sea has found its way
into the shells. and the child almost
imacines he can hear the roar OF the
giant waves on the beach The shells
are most interesting. brt attention strays
to the collection of butterflies. TheSc
are more beautiful than any he has ever
seen. let alone chased and captured. In
the other collection in this case are to he
seen what the child probably terms
bugs" Here he sees a centipede and
tarantula with the poor little bird II has
poisoned. and he wishes such creatures
did not live.
In the coral and sponge case arc some
specimens which incite the wonder and
admiration of the child He sees the
huge brain coral and wonders II anNhody
could have a head big enough TO hold IL
Then he notices Neptune's cup. There
are other specimens In this case but
they are less familiar 70 the child and
he passes on. coming to the last case In
the room. This is filled with minerals
and fossils. Here is to be seen a replica
of the largest lump of gold ever found
in the world. and of the largest diamond
ever cut. He figures it all out and comes
to the conclusion that their value mus.
be very much" perhaps "a hundred DOL
lars" although this last is dispe'ed by
the statement that the diamond alone
was valued at S1.6SO.G0 The figures
mean nothing, but he is willing to con-
cede that 1t is very great deai. men
specimens Of asbestos attracted nm. Cora
made of this Is shown, besides the spun
material If the visitor is boy he may
wish he had a suit. and so be able To
be a fireman and save people Win ,ls
thought in his head. the specimens or
fossil fish, landscape marble. salt stone
and other things fail to impress.
The tourney through the land OF won
ders has been completed. Unwilling to
come 10 the end, the child looks over
the cases and sees beautiful peacocks'
with their tails spread. on the walls
Then there IL a case containing seVerai
varieties of the humming bird. He Is sur
prised TO find that there Is more than
one kind and IS pleased with their bright
plumage Directly opposite this Is an
other case in which are placed con-
siderable number of butterflies OF I'M
usually brilliant colors. On one of the
cases is a beaver. his teeth showing. and
a piece OF wood In front OF him. rms
perhaps makes the child think OF Hia-
watha and how he was taught how the
beavers build the'r lodges. on another
case is a Tyre bird. with his pretty tail
i'm the shape Of the musical instrument OF
that name With the addition of sew
eral pictures showing the birds al homo.
the child has completed his trip. ard
after darling from one case TO the other
lust to have lone more peep he departs
InwiIlingly after having spent ono of
the happiest times of his life, and de-
termined to- come and see the things all
over again.