El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-12-12

I the $4,000 or more known species. Inc
fact that approximately one-third Of
I the known species are missing does not
argue against the completeness Of the
collection. since only TWO families Of
birds are missing. These are the kagu
| family OF New kaledOnias and the Me
sOenas of Madagascar Every other
family In the bird world has repre-
sentative in lthe magnificent new oulld-
ing in Washington which contains the
/ natural history collection of the gov
s eminent. The total number Of birds IN
the museums collection approximate
zoo. 900.
Preparing the Specimens.
F,xcept for the comparatively few
which are put on exhibition, the speci-
mems are kept in dark cases. arranged
on the general principle OF modern
card index system In preparing a
sDecimen for preservation. the skin Is
carefully removed and treated with
arsenic and alum. 1t is then stuI4eo
with cotton. The flesh is removed from
the skeleton and Ii IS put away IN IKE
manner The specimens are then re-
ferred 10 by ornithOlogists for the pur-
pose of Identifying species or gathering
other information concerning the Dlrus.
1t is impossible TO say now many
new specimens OF birds are 1dentlIled
each year. Many of the descriptions
are found later to be repeuuons- tor
Instance. one man may describe bird
whose plumage is fresh, and another
one whose plumage is rusty from mucn
exposure to the weather AnoIher may
describe a bird whose plumage IS inn
mature and another one whose plumage
has reached its maturity. This often
results in Implications which are not
checked up until some other naturalist
comes along and discovers the dup1ca-
Avoiding Implications.
The case of the ordinary orchard
oriole is one in point. The plumage OF
the male Of this species does not reach
Ffr Ri until the hfTH about
three years old. 1t was many years
before all Implications in the descrlp-
ton OF this bird were eliminated W nile
new species Of birds are being found on
every one of the continents, the major
portion OF them come from south
America. Africa and the East indies
There are between 5000 and 1000 spe-
cies Of the birds in North America and
the West indies.
One OF the problems confronting the
scientist who deaIs with bird life IS to
ford conclusive proof that the birds are
descendants Of reptiles In the persist
ent effort OF the scientific world 10
learn the secrets Of creation. much
study has been given TO the questions
Of comparative anatomy and related
species Just now science is hoping
that somewhere in the world stone
may be turned which VIII complete the
story of the descent Of the bird from
the reptile creation. That story has
already been partly told in many ways
The most striking confirmation Of the
theory was found in 1851 in Bavaria,
I when there was discovered the impress
, sion Of q single feather In some red
sandstone The existence Of a bird so
early in the history Of creation, going
back millions Of years. was doubted at
first. But a year or two later q second
specimen, showing much Of the skeleton
was obtained. ana Is now in the British
museum In 1877 another was found
and Is in the Berlin museum
These two gDecImenS are different
species Of the same family Of birds, and
they have been very miuutely studied
by many eminent ANTAGONISTS as afford
ing confirmation OF the theory OF anil
mai evolution. The technical name Of
this bird is archaeopteryX. but 1t is
commonly known as uhe lizard tailed
bird. 1t was about the size Of a crow
and has numerous teeth In its upper
Jaw. 1t had a long tail and four toes
on each foot. 1T is so closely related
to the reptile that psychologists have
ditIered somewhat as TO whether il be-
longed to the repUilian class or to the
blrd class The doubt has been resolved
In favor of the later opinion. 1t is the
beliet OF W. p RyCraII, the eminent
avain anatOmist OF the British museum,
that the ancestors OF this bird were
reptiles which first substituted Jumping
from branch &c branch for climbing,
and then again jumping again from tree
70 tree using their fOrelimbs Tor grasp
ing at the end of each leap. Nearly all
other scientific men take it as a def
nitely settled theory that the bird de-
veloped its organs of flight in its mill
lions Of years Of climbing up out of the
reptile class. 1t is not, Of course. be-
neVed that they are the descendants Of
any reptile like those on the earth to-
day. Out that they came down from
Such ancient reptiles as the dinOsaur.
American aToothed7 Birds.
The next most ancient birds that are
known to have existed were the Ameri-
can "toothed' birds, fossil remains. Of
in Hrars-n
some 30 years ago. While the arch
aeopteryX seems to be, in the language
OF one naturalist three-fOurths bird and
One-fOurth reptile, the American
toothed bird of Kansas was entitled
10 be called nine-tenths bird and one
tenth reptile The National museum
possesses the fossil remains of some of
the American tOothed birds. There
were different species Of these birds
one, known as the hesperornis. was a
Ilghuess bird nearly four feet long and
a great swimmer and diver. its legs be-
ing set almost at lght angles to its body
instead of downward as in other birds
The second kind of toOthed bird is
known as the ichthyOrnis. It was about
the size o ia common pigeon and was a
very poWerIul flyer. whereas the hes
perornis could not fly at all. The ex-
lstence OF these birds was discovered by Z
Marsh, whose fossil collections are Z
among the most valuable possessed by |
the National museum.
The 'KiEls" a Peculiar Bird.
There are a great many interesting
species Of birds in the National mu-
scum collections. One Of these is the Z
kiwis, Of Stuart Island, in the Pacific
1t is said that although they are ap-
parently insensible to pain when at
tackled, they are naturally very timid. /
If the moon is bright their own shad- !
oW viii sometimes cause them uneasi- {
ness. The smaller bird will run as long I
as his legs viii carry him from the 1
least show Of anger in a larger and I
stronger one. The female kiWis seem I
to be the worlds original suffragets, ;
as the relationship existing between /
the sexes appear to be reversed. The !
female is the defender OF the home, and I
after the young ones are able to follow I
their parents il is the male who takes I
care of them instead of their mother
Another interesting bird. specimens Of /
which We're sent to the museum by the /
Roosevelt African expedition, is the /
secretary bird. It has a series of long 4
black or gray plumes which hang loose [
" and in pairs from the back of its I
head, resembling a bunch Of quilts 1
stuck behind a clerks ear. The secre- ]
tary bird is a great snake eater. It I
incites the snake 10 strike. and before 3
the reptile has an opportunity to re- 4
cover itself, springs uDon it. At the /
appropriate moment it grasps the snake /