Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-04-21

ing but woodpecker and bluebird'
| The vice-president of the 1tea
States apparently thinks such men are
hopeless
For a week past the telephone OF
newspaper correspondent in Washing
ton who has made an almost lifelong
study of birds has been ringing as
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 fiocks 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 Waxwine Visits Capital.
The speakers secretary. Wallace
Bassford, is an observing man. He
had watched flock of visiting birds
II 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 It is the Beau Brummel of its
type, dressed as 1t 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 capi-
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 senators to whom
the information concerning the quails
presence was impaired were skeptical
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
hundred and fifty names by which 1t
is known locally.
The flicker is one of the most abund-
ant of our woodpeckers. and yet a
country-bred senator of the United
States, standing within twenty feet Of
the bird. thought 1t 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
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 1t 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 a
day really are working many addi-
tional hours and it is said that they
ar doing 1t willingly. Perhaps the
most exacting duties of the war de-
partment today are those of General
Crozier. chief of ordinances; 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-
ter's 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. M. 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 a huge task in
itself, is looking into the m Line gun