The Washington times., 1929-02-12

- y
| "Oh, I've never seen anything
30 cunning. But how do you
feed them? / thought owls
couldn't see in the daylight"
/ "They can't, but they can
Rmell-just watch me-"
The Bird Woman picked up a
bit of beefsteak with pair of
small tweezers, and held it in
front of one little fellows nose.
He snapped at it savagely; only
the tweezers prevented pinched
fingers.
why, the little cannibal" x.
claimed the Angel. DO let me
feed them"
So the Bird Woman went on,
leaving the Angel to give the owls
their breakfast.
The little fellow in the next
box looked very unhappy: he was
o young blackbird who had
blistered his mouth on a poison
berry. The Bird Woman lifted
him gently and pried his beak
open with her fingernail; then
she took a needle and punctured
three blisters; after that she
washed his mouth carefully with
small piece Of cotton, saturated
in boric acid solution.
Now for your bl eakfast, you
silly little bird; and next time
your supper-theN are a pretty.
color but no good for babies to
eat" and once more she nried his
beak. open, and with an eye-drop-
per put drops of warm milk far
back in his throat. He swallowed
them eagerly and when he had
ell he wanted, she put some vase
lire in the sore mouth, and set
him on his perch.
Il never heard of giving birds
milk" said the Angel, who had
finished with the owls, and was
watching the blackbird.
II never did either-it's an in
vention of my own-in despera.
tion, in cases like this when they
couldn't swallow food / tried milk,
and they not only took it, but
seemed to like it.
'Will he liVe?"
"T thirk so, but he had had
rather a bad time, and / will have
to repeat this performance three
or four days longer Next III
give him boiled potato, mashed
with the yolk of hard boiled egg,
and moisteneG with water"
They went on to the next ca ge.
Now this is my most interest
ing case; it's a mother bat, with
her two babies. Bats seem to be
half animal and half bird. The
mothers carry their young in
pouches. like kangaroos: the
babies nurse. and they are as
greedy as baby pigs, The young
sters haven't much consideration
for their mothers, either: they
crawl all over her, and cling fast
to her back with sharp little
claws"
Whats the matter with her?"
"I don't ,know-some boys got
her out of tree-she is hurt in
some way, and can't fly. She has
a vicious temper. just watch this.
The Bird Woman took an orange
wood stick, and gently poked the
bats mouth. She snapped at it,
and sunk her sharp little teeth In
1t. Then the Bird Woman took
her eye-dropper and let drops of
milk run down the stick INTO the
bats mouth, and she swallowed
them.
The Angel laughed. mo one
would have thought of that but
you"
We'll, she wouldn't eat herself,
and / had to figure out way
to feed her so that she couldn't
bite me-7they make nasty bite.
like a mouse-and she was nurs.
ing her babies, so l thought she
needed milk. Goodness knows
couldn't be sure of the proper
diet for bat mothers with nursing
children; but they will eat beef
steak, it's the nearest substitute
for worms and the Bird Woman
proceeded TO give Mrs. Bat her
allowance of meat in the same
manner as she fed the owls.
That's all for couple OF
hours-I have to gorge them
there is nothing like the capacity
04 baby bird"
Arm in arm they walked to.
ward the gate.
What delight your garden
is!' and the Angel stopped to
look. The flowers. like Topsy,
"iust grew: winding, narrow
baths of sand ran through it as
o~VeleaaAU a. streamers of ribbon