Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-08-26
EVENING CHAT

What are probably the largest fiocks
of blackbirds seen in years have been
observed in the vicinity of the city the
last week or ten days. and as though
they knew that they were protected by
law. and indeed by public opinion,
they come right into the city, some
having been seen settling in clouds in
fields in the lower end of the city, out
on the Hill and in the Tenth ward.
Reservoir Park is a common chatter
ing ground for the blackbirds and
some of the squads have been seen
ioraging in Capitol and Riverside
Parks One of the reasons advanced
for the size of the flocks is that they
nave increased through the operation
OF the law protecting them because of
their bug-destroying proclivities, shoot
ing OF the grackels, purple wings and
cowbirds, as they are variously known,
having been stopped last fall. Orni-
| biologists says that there is nothing
unusual in the gathering of the birds
at this time of the year in and about
Harrisburg. In some years gone by
they have been noticed fiocking about
August l. The birds commence to get
together about the time of the wheat.
harvest, dozens having been noted in
the Cumberland Valley on July and
In Lebanon Valley about July 10. For
weeks farmers in the lower end of
Dauphln county have been reporting
many blackbirds in pasture fields and
| they have been numerous in the vicin-
lty OF Middletown. The farms about
camp Hill also appear to be favorite
places for the assembling of the birds
and men who have been observing say
that there are couple of huge flocks
| forming, one over around Shiremans-
town and another on the hills back of
Steelton. There are probably other
mobilization points for the birds and
shortly before they head for the south
| in the middle of October there will be
1urther uniting of fiocks which will be
Wen worth watching. For years the
| blrds have gone south right through
! the Cumberland Valley, the passage
OF the fiers being in regular clouds.
| Theodore Forshey the first assistant
foreman OF the Reilly Hose Company
got IN on the Millersburg fire although
his company did not go to the blaze.
| When he heard about it his zeal for
| service caused him to hustle to the
place on the first train and he worked
throughout the fire and then in getting
thlngs straightened out afterward. He
was complimented for his work.
Dauphin countians especially those
| VINO attended the great reunion of the
| Blue and the Gray at Gettysburg last
year, VIII regret to hear of the illness
OF Brlgadier-General Hunter Ligget,
| OF the United States Army. He was
commander of the great encampment
ana was one of the big figures, win
ming the friendship of thousands. Last
! year he was ordered to the Mexican
border, commanding the Fourth Bri-
gade, at Texas City, after having
served at the army war college in
| Washington. He was taken i'll a short
time ago and ordered to Hot Springs
for treatment.
The lions exhibited at PaXtang Park
furnished their own advertisement on
Monday morning as they were taken
through the streets. The beasts had
gone through the trip from Johnstown
ana were not inclined to he very quiet.
Ihey had been in their cars all night
and wanted air. So when they were
taken along the streets they roared
ana growled beautifully. The result
| was that people went to doors to see
What all the noise was about and the
PaNtang Park lions were immediately
talked about The lions roared all the
way out Derry street.
Men who have been observing the
cohuitlon OF the corn crop in Dauphin,
Cumberland and Lebanon counties saw
that except for some fields on hillsides
ana some located so that they get the
| whole sweep of the wind the damage
done TO crops by the wind has not
been as great as feared OF course
on some farms the damage has been
heaNy, but the storms appear to have
caused condition in regard to the
corn crop very much like that which
| periodically aftliCts the peach CROP
before it is gathered.
Those Harrisburgers who have been
in Germany are telling of the kaiser's
army and the famous goose step"
causes much discussion. The step is
one OF the oddest things about the
troops, said one man. 1T was de-
Vlsed by the kaiser and consists of men
stepping out with the leg rigid Then
they bring the foot down with a slam
You can imagine the unearthly racket
1t would make if a brigade would
march through Market Square. 1t
would be crash, crash, crash No
wonder they sang between steps in
BRUSSELS Another man tells an in
teresting story about the kaiser. You
nave all heard how he rides about
Berlin on line horses" said he "WeI.
when he starts from Potsdam he goes
In an auto. So does his horse until
he gets to Berlin environs. Then the
morse is taken out of his auto and
the kaiser gets out of his The animal
is fresh and spirited and the kaiser
goes in with a whirl."
The Rev. DR.. NJ. ID. Lichleiter chief
clerk of the Department of Agricul-
ture, has been unusually honored at
the parent Chautauqua in New York
State this year. The doctor has been
one of the regular attendants at the
great educational gathering for years
and was reelected president of the
lalumni of 1893 for the siXtaeptb ti,,,a
He was the marshal of the First divi-
sion on Recognition Day and led 200
persons through the Golden Gate, one
|, of the traditional ceremonies at the
lChautauqua.
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE
H. P. Taylor. prominent in Pitts
burgh affairs, has been elected to the