The Washington herald., 1913-08-17

cient eggs, prototypes Of those which the
Chinese are still eating.
As the trip was primarily intended for
study, the camera was more important
| than the shotgun, although Mr. Beebt
did shoot hundreds Of specimens whose
skins are now in his office in the bird
house of the New York Geological Gar
dens, and which will ultimately be pre-
sented to the New York Natural His
tory Museum. Some of these skins have
| plumage that exceeds the widest dreams
| of any milliner and that is as glorious
4 as a sunrise.
In the Steaming Jungle.
| Mr. Beebe pursued the pheasants with
his camera into the heart Of the steam
ing jungle, where on one occasion, when
he went out to photograph wild peacocks
in Central India, he endured a tempera-
ture of 1f7 degrees Fahrenheit. and where
night temperature of ITO degrees was
not considered as due to a recent hot
| wave. He lay concealed for hours in the
| rank and torrid vegetation with his fin
ger on the trigger of his camera shutter
On a trip into the wild regions of
Borneo he did what no white man has
ever done before him-he secured a pho
! tograph Of the dancing ground'' of the
Argus pheasant. that keeps a portion
of the jungle clear for f1irtatious and
amative purposes and that cut Off the
outsrowing vegetation with the single
object that its gorgeous feathers may
not be damaged when strutting impress
sively before the female of its choice
Mr.. Beebe gained much information
concerning these pheasant dances" The
male birds are among the most beautiful
of all the varieties of pheasants and sum-
mon the females to behold them in their
glory by a series of loud cries. They
gather in their dancing place" and send
their love call into the jungle. Soon the
females appear.
Then the males hold up their heads,
throw chest" in the manner of the
peacock and engage in a strutting con-
test for the proper impression Of all the
old maids and sweet young things who
have gathered from the neighboring
jungle.
The red jungle fowl was another species
that claimed the naturalists attention.
the jungle fowl that was the great
grandfather of all the chandeliers in the
world. The jungle fowl is smaller and
its eye is less insane than that of its
corn fed descendant.
Wife a Great Help.
In all his travels in out Of the way
p'eNNS. -"i- Dccoc icS, CDltI
trouble came from being compelled to
Tive down. the reputation that had often
been bequeathed to all coming white
travellers by the doubtful characters who
passed before him. Fortune seekers, ad-
venturers. and fugitives from justice are
not always considerate of the native
tribes among whom they journey. and the |!
natives are prone to measure all white |
men by the worst that have been among |
them. 1
In this connection and in many others |
MIR. Beebe mentioned the value Of having |
a white woman in his party, especially |
If she were possessed of great edurance
and ability like his wife.
II could not have done cne fraction of |
my work il my wife. had not been with |
me-" said the naturalist, land I could |
not have won the confidence Of the tribes 1
hat we encountered in double the time |
hat 1t actually took US. The fact that /
my wife was with me was in many
places a good deal more than a certificate
If good character"
1t was dinicult to get Mr. Beebe to
.alk of the dangers of his expedition.
'or he says that life in the tropics Is |
-eally safer than that of the average
nar in the great city.
Il can't understand what some of /
he authors OF books concerning travel
n the tropics can be thinking about
lie said. "Ona would bate to think