Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-06-05
A Queer Play
a house

| y,
had built under the trees. The big
boy next door had helped them in the
making Of the house, which was snap
ed like a cone or an Indians wigwam,
round at the base and coming to
point at the top. 1t was built or long,
dry, slender branches, the little twigs
meeting and interlocking to form
support for autumn leaves and care
fully cut strips of moss. Have you
children ever made such a house! IL
! is great fun, and l would advise you 70
try 1t If you never have and you will
enjoy it as much as Bess and Judy did.
| "Aren't these clam-sheils pretty?"
Judy asked We'll play they're our
best set of dishes, our blue-banded set,
and this is our common, everyday set,
and she pointed to collection OF
cracked and nicked china which had
been the cooks contribution to their
housekeeping.
"Yes, it's all so NICE" Bess said with
big sigh of happiness.
"Where'll we put the peacock feather
Judy inquired. "Over the doorway"
yes that'll be a nice place for it,"
"Well! Well! Well" There was
Uncle Jack STOPPING his tall form to
peer in at the doorway. Il didn't ex-
pect to find two little bower birds on
, this side of the water; no, didn't"
what do you mean, Uncle Jack?"
Judy and Bess both wriggled through
the low doorway, to come out into the
open where they could talk comfort
ably to this nice uncle who had come
home only the week before from long
stay in Australia.
what do you mean by bower-birds?
! Judy asked with happy little smile,
for it sounded as if story was COM
ing.
WELL" Uncle Jack said, and settled
himself comfortably on the grass, out
in Australia there are some very queer
birds that make playhouses and mt
them up with bright colored things
for ornaments, just as you children are
doing, They are called bower birds
because they build in this way, and
they belong to the bird of Paradise
family. though their feathers are dark
and plain. and not beautiful like the
bird of Paradise we know from pic
,, lures and out at the Zoo. Perhaps If
they wore bright feathers themselves
they would not take such trouble to
collect pretty things for their play
houses"
But Uncle Jack, what do you mean
by playhouses - their nests.
"No, they build different kind Of
nest to bring up the young birds In.
These bowers seem to be built Just for
pleasure. First the bower birds clear
space in the forest till the ground
is clear and clean as your lawn Is az
ter John goes over It with his rake.
When they have made this nice and
clean they begin on the playhouse. 1t
| is really a little hut made OF slender
/! twigs. very much like this playhouse
of yours. 1t looks like wee wigwam.
| After the birds finish their bower they
set to work to decorate 1t. They hunt
everywhere for bright feathers, and
shells, and broken bits Of glass, or any
thing else that is bright and shiny.
Sometimes they fly long way to get
such objects, and once back at their
bower they spend a great deal of time
arranging and rearranging their brio
a-brac- When their pretty things grow
worn or faded they put new ones In
| their places. Thew have even been
known to pick nip pieces of jewelry be.
longing to people who live near, and It
lis not at all uncommon for women who
have lost some OF their treasures to
60 out into the woods and hunt
through the bowers to see if they can
find them
my. How FUNNY" said Judy And
how big are these bowers"
| II have seen different Sizes replied
Uncle Jack. Some species build them
! five or six feet high-others are small
err. About the queerest kind Of bower
bird is one found in New Guinea, and
called the gardener He makes a
cone about foot and a half high out
Of moss, and then a few inches outside
of this he goes to work to plant tall.
! straight twigs, to make hut surround
| ing this moss cone. He leaves door
way on each side Of this outer hut.
These birds always choose twigs from
an orchid which stays alive and goes on
! blooming for a long time, so 1t Is a
real bower The bird also scatters
| flowers Of different kinds over the floor
outside Of IT."
1T sounds like a fairy story doesn't
| it. Uncle Jack?" Bess said. Il wish we
could go to Australia and see them"
'Ill tell you what you can do, with
out taking such long Journey" Uncle
Jack answered Some day I'll take you
to the Smithsonian institute at WASH
ington, and you shall see some stuffed
bower birds in one Of the glass cases,
and their bower filled with shells and
bright feathers, just such as l have
seen many times in Australia"