Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-01
BY ETHEL COLSON

"song" so often and sadly noticed by suffer
ing humans being the love chant by means
of which the tiny anorOuS creature pub
fishes her willingness to be welded. Lately
studious scientists have noticed a new and
amazing mosquito phenomenon. Mos
quitoS sting as much and sharply as ever;
but, whether because vocal love has gone
out of fashion in mosquitodom, or because
the mosquito suffragists have decided to
marry no more until allowed a more active
share in mosquito government, they have al
most ceased to sing
Feathered Mnitants
A MONG feathered folk may be found
\ various interesting examples of femi-
nine recognition and equality of the sexes.
Father and Mother Ostrich take turns in the
nest and with the subsequent parental du-
ties. Herr Stork, as is fitting for gentle
man so intimately associated with babies,
performs certain share of nursery and
home-making work. But it has remained
for the trim and diminutive phalarope to
carry the note of feminine independence to
the highest known pitch. Agnes Deans
Cameron, clever and courageous Canadian
woman who not long since penetrated into
far arctic regions, discovered in distant
Alaska an attractive "long-legged wader,
not peculiar to the Fond du Lac shores, whom
she justly describes as "the militant suffra-
gette of all birddom.
MADAME Phalarope," says Miss Came
eron, "lays her own eggs (this depositary act
scarcely could be done by proxy; but in
this eliminates and terminates all her re-
sponSibilitieS. matrimonial and maternal
this, no more Father Phalarope builds
the house, the one henpecked husband OF
all the feathered families who does. He
alone incubates the eggs, and when the little
Phalaropes are uShered into the vale it is
Papa who tucks their bibs under their chins
and teaches them to peep their morning
grace and to eat nicely. Mama, meanwhile
and contrary to all laws of the game, wears
the brilliant plumage. When evening shad-
ows fall where rolls the Athabasca, she struts
long leggedly with other female Phalaropes
and together they discuss the upward strug-
giles toward freedom of their unfeathered
prototypes"
Chippewyan Women Are Bosses
ONE of these "unfeathered" creatures
~ oddly enough, is the Chippewyan In
dian wife and mother, whom the amused
Miss Cameron regards as the "New Red
Woman"
1--WE see in her the essential head of the
household. No fur is sold to the trader, nc
yard or pound of goods bought, without her
expressed consent. Indeed, the traders re-
fuse to make bargain of any kind with a
Chippewyan man without the active ap-
probation of the wife. When Chippewyan
family moves camp, it is Mrs. Chippewyan
who directs the line of march"
Unhappy marriages are said to be rare
among the Chippewyans; but when they do
occur the children are by unwritten law con-
coded to belong wholly to the wife, while
in case of separation the husband is expected
to @play the game" manfully, and to the bit
ter end. Should Mrs. Chippewyan decide
to return to the home of her girlhood, Mr..
Chippewyan, according to the etiquette of
the tribe, must not only refrain from at
tempting to restrain her. but must in all
ways possible render smooth and easy her
returning path.
In a comparatively recent instance a
Chippewyan brave had a narrow escape
from death at the hands of his indignant
peers because, when his wife left him, he
babe her walk north with her children while
he drove the sledge in an opposite direction.
Tribal feeling was strongly to the effect that
the discarded marital partner really should
have seen his former sweetheart safely to her
fathers keeping; failing such perfection of