St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-03-12
MUSEUM NOTES
Interesting Articles Brought From
Old Carrots in This Vicinity

Interesting Articles Brought rrOA
Old Carrots in This Vicinity
Rummaging in attics and shed
chambers" often reveals interesting
relics of the olden time. The col
lections in the Historical Room O.
the Fairbanks Museum have been
enriched recently by articles brough
to light at the Works Farm on the
edge of Waterford and loaned by
Mrs. H. c.. Bond and Mrs. William
L. Russell. Two of these are con-
venient, though crudes iron uten-
sis for the kitchen fireplace-a
toaster and a broiler-and another
is a wool-worker's hetchel which is
roughly made, the hand-wrought
spikes being set into lead frame
fastened to the hardwood block
The most unique article is a potato
masher which only the initiated
would recognize, for the wooden
handle is about the size OF that OF
an ordinary shovel, while tn
wrought-iron base is a disc nine
inches in diameter. This huge
masher was used not for preparin
food for the large families of those
days, but for making potato whiske
-an industry that perhaps few PEG
"dry,' locality. These articles may
be seen in the cases on the nortf
side of the Historical Room. A mod
ell of the Fairbanks Cotton Scales
loaned by Mrs. E. P. Lee, and a
pair of skates made in 1852 by Johr
L. Lanctot who presented them arc
also displayed in these cases.
On the wall of one of the North
American Bird Cases has been hung
a nest of Bullock's Oriole, the gift
| of Miss Ada Sturtevant. This oriole
is a native of the western states anC
it's nest is larger and different in
shape from that of our Baltimore
Oriole.
The special collection of Vernon
minerals has been increased by re
| markedly fine specimens of hema-
| tite, calcite, asbestos, halotrichite
! tremolite and zoisite, the gift of A
E. Ordway of Barton, VT.
A remarkable bird record has
been noted at the Museum, that o
evening grosbeaks which have been
seen recently in three localities nea
st. Johnsbury. Feb. 81, Mr.. Skin
ner of Passumpsic found a flock OF
dozen near his home where they
remained for a week feeding on tho
withered crab apples left on the
trees. March 5, Miss Howe report
ed a flock of six in East st. Johns
bury, eating buds on the ever
green trees. The same day Mr.
Brock of Wells River discovered 1!
of these rare birds dining on maple
buds. Some were seen Monday morn
ing at South Park in a flock of pine
grosbeaks. The evening grosbeak is
very noticeable bird, about the size
of a robin, with a thick, prominent
white bill which enables him to
eat seeds and buds of good size
The female is olive-brown in color
ing, with large patches of black an6
white on back and wings. The male
shows brilliant yellow on back anC
breast. Chapman says: This dis
tinguished inhabitant of the far
northwest is a common winter Wis
liant in Manitoba and the contigu-
Gus parts of the bordering states
At irregular intervals it invades the
northern Mississippi valley in num-
bers while still more rarely it eX-
tends it's wanderings to the North
Atlantic States. During the winter
and early spring of 1890 there wa
a phenomenal incursion of evening
grosbeakS into the northern states.
There are not over half dozen re-
cords of these birds in New England
and they have not visited this vici-
nifty since 1894 when the Museum
lists were begun.
L nh