The Harrison times., 1916-04-29

newspaper correspondent in Washing
ton who has made an almost lifelong
study OF birds has been ringing as a
summons to him to tell someone at
the other end of the line what the
wonderfully beautiful birds are that
have come to Washington In such
great focks this season. One OF
these telephone messages was from
the Office OF the speaker of the house
OF representatives. Champ Clark.
whose secretary wanted to know the
identity of the visiting birds and to
give the information to many interest
ed ones in the capitol.
Cedar Wsxwing Visits Capital.
The speakers secretary, Wallace
Bassford, is an observing man. He
had watched flock of visiting birds
for long time Just outside the capt.
tol, and he brought back to his office
with him a perfect description of the
visitors. The birds are not at all rare.
but seemingly fairly abundant as they
are, they are strangers to most people
in Washington. The visitor is the
cedar waxwing, frequently known In
the country districts as the cherry
bird II is the Beau Brummel Of its
type, dressed as it is with exquisite
neatness, with attractive yet not
gaudy coloring. On each wing is a lit
tie flaming red deposit like wax, from
which the bird gets its more common
name of waxwing.
One day not long ago, senator OF
the United States came into the capt.
tol in some excitement and told half
dozen of his colleagues that there
was a quail on the capitol lawn. He
said the quail had no business there,
that it ought to be out in the wilder
| places, along the hedges or the bor-
ders of the corn fields in Maryland or
| Virginia.
One or two of the senator's to whom
the information concerning the quails
pl CSCllCC W do pCll NCl ohOP PbiNNA
about the matter, and so they asked
| the superintendent of the senate press
gallery to ask the ornithologically in
clined newspaper correspondent to in
vestigate. He did so, and found that
the quail which had aroused the inter
est of the senator was no quail at all,
but a flicker. or yellow-winged wood
pecker, or high-holder. This beautiful
and common woodpecker has about a
hundred and fifty names by which 1t
is known locally.
The flicker is one of the most abund-
ant of our woodpeckers, and yet
country-bred senator Of the United
States, standing within twenty feet of
the bird, thought it was a quail.
War Department Rushed.
Elders among the correspondents in
Washington when they visit the war
department are reminded sharply to-
day of the time of the Spanish war.
The Mexican trouble has started the
machinery into renewed and quickened
motion. The heads of departments
and many Of the employees are work
ing longer hours than the soldiers in
the field
Some time ago there was an attempt
made in congress to add an hour to
the working day Of the employees of
the government. An amendment
which was proposed to a pending bill
was intended to increase the length of
the working day, but it was over
whelmingly defeated. One of the
prime reasons for the defeat of the
measure was the showing made by
the chiefs of the departments that
when the pinch came all the govern
ment's employees were willing to work
overtime and did so, although they
received no extra pay.
This is one Of the times in the war
department when men who are COM
PEELED by law to work seven hours
udy really are WOI hlllS many
tional hours and it is said that they
ar doing it willingly Perhaps the
most exacting duties of the war de-
partment today are those Of General
Crozier, chief Of ordnance; General
Aleshire, chief Of the quartermasters'
corps, and his immediate junior, Gen.
eral Sharp, who looks after commits
sary matters. Probably no outsider
has any conception of the headquar-
ters work that Is necessary when
even so small an army is in the field
as that which is now operating In
Mexico and along the border.
The chief Of ordnance has had his
troubles. A machine gun, which was
in use at Columbus, N NJ, at the
time Of the villa raid, became jammed
while the Americans were trying to
use it. This caused a good deal OF
criticism and the ordnance depart.
ment, in addition to its labors Of keep
ing the troops supplied with guns and
ammunition, which is huge task in
itself, is looking into the machine gun
trouble and doing its best to prevent
like troubles in the future
The United States Is still expert
| rnontIng with machine guns The I'M