The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-06-03
Curious Occupations
CONTINUED from page III

In the same department are three
scientists engaged in the interesting
occupation Of examining the con-
tents of the stomachs of birds. They
have done nothing else for the past
two years. and are trying to find out
whether certain birds are the friends
or enemies of farmers. Special ag-
ents in the field STAY the birds by
the hundreds and ship their stom-
achs to Washington in alcohol. Then
they are microscopically examined
by the three scientists, who tabu-
late their findings
In the Treasury Department is y
chemist who tolls all day long amid
samples of near-butter and fake
WHISTLES. The samples are sent him
by suspicious government agents
who think certain butter manufac-
turers and distillers are evading the
law against adulteration.
At the Washington navy yard
naval constructor has a huge model
tank in which he plays with toy bat
tleships, cruisers and submarines.
But he isn't exactly playing; he Is
making scientific demonstrations Of
the effect on a vessels speed, coal
consumption, etc, of changes in the
outward formation of the hull.
! There are expert tea and coffee
tasters in the Treasury Department
who tell the value and grades of these
commodities by placing few grains
on the tongue. And in the Depart
ment of Agriculture there is a squad
of young men who eat drugged foods
! to determine just how poisonous
they are.
Secretary MacVeagh of the Treas
ury employs a man to sign his sig
nature to various routine papers
Mrs. Mabel P Leroy, Of the Interior
Department does the same thing for
President Taft, receiving $1,000 a
year for doing so. 1t is estimated
that she signs his name to patents
issued by the land office 5000 times
in a single month.
i A man with deft hand and an
accurate eye receives the same an
nual salary in the Treasury Depart
ment for cutting up paper money.
All day long he places under NUT
Hating knife large stacks of worn
and soiled paper money that comes
to the Treasury for redemption. He
destroys on an average Of $1,500,000
day, and over four hundred million
in year.
Every September a Newton, N. j..
man ships fifty pounds of rattle
snakes to the New York Geological
i. Garden. After catching them OF
their native heath, he packs them il
4 a box with a small screen wire net
ting nailed on tightly all around
then turns the kissing, buzzing load
over to the express company.
Another man-from Seattle, Wash
ington-finds it profitable business
to secure the mustaches from walrus
killed in Boring straits and sell then
to the Chinese for tooth picks. These
: stout bristles are plucked from the
, nose of the walrus by Indians, tiet
into small bundles and sold by hin
: on the Pacific coast to agents VIII
y ship them to China, where they arr
in great demand. In an aged bull
walrus he bristles are about a foo
long and as thick as the lead in
pencil. Besides being eXtremel,
: tough, they can be pushed between
\ the teeth without injuring the enam
ell. Last year the man in question
sold twenty bushels of them at {
profit of nearly $500.
New York boasts the only repaire
of cigar store Indians in the coun
try; an artist who spends the en-
= tire year in drawing caricatures use
in the so-called comic valentines;
man who, day in and day out, take
several dime novels and pieces ther
together so as to form one contlT
uous story for publication as book
I two women wireless operators, on
- on the top of a 5th avenue hotel an
the other on an ocean liner sailin
from New York, and two cooper
who have a monopoly on packin
money into casks for shipment b
New York bankers to foreign coul
tries.
Sod for a lawn, of vivid gree
color, and with a tuft as thick an
close as velvet will yield profit
from $500 to $4OO per acre, accor
ing to a woman near a large midd
west city, who has twelve acres
land under cultivation for that pu
pose Each acre can be harvestt