Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 February 1910 — What Birds Are These? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

What Birds Are These?

What bird is made familiar to little folks by the tale of “Babes in the Wood?” (Robin.) What bird can imitate the notes of other birds? (Mocking bird.) What bird is the emblem of the United States? (Eagle.) What bird of the’ ocean clings to Great Salt Lake? (Sea gull.) What bird’s nest is. eaten with relish in China? (Swallow.) What bird can stand motionless for hours watching for its prey? (Heron.) What bird stands on one leg mobt of the time? (Stork.) What bird is a menace to farmers? (Crow.) What large bird of prey soars solitary to heights of perpetual snow? (Condor.) What bird awakens the day with its song? (Lark.) Whit bird sings at night? (Nightingale.) The Sitting-Room Lamp, Aunt Ethel took off the shade from the lamp on the sitting-room table, ■ .ruck a match carefully on the little iron Chinaman’s back, and in a moment there was & pleasant light in the room. “Aunt Ethel, what makes the lamp burn?” asked Constance. “Kerosene,” replied Aunt Ethel, who was busy with her knitting. “Would the lamp burn if there was water in it?” asked the little girl. Aunt Ethel shook her head smilingly. “Of course not, Constance,” she said. “The oil feeds the cotton wick in the lamp, and the wick feeds the flame.” “What does ker-o-sene mean?” questioned Mary, forgetting the shadows in the corners and coming close to the table, where she could watch the flame. “Dear me,” replied Aunt Ethel, .“I shall have to find that out. I don’t know myself,” and she laid down the knitting and brought a big book from the book shelves and began turning the leaves. “Here it is,” she said. “Well, it is a made-up name, partly Greek. It means suel —that is, something that will burn —and it means light.” Both the little girls repeated the word over as if not quite satisfied. “It is really an oil,” went on Aunt Ethel, "that is found in the ground, and it is of more value to all the people of the earth than all the minerals, such as silver, gold and copper. But its real name is petroleum. Kerosene is made of petroleum. “Does everybody have it?” aaked Mary. “Who found out. that It could be burned in lamps?” asked Constance, before Aunt Ethel could answer Mary’s question. “Well, Constance, I will answer your question first, because it says right on this very page that no one knows who first used petroleum, as a thousand the Japanese were using it, and called it ‘burning water,’ because it came from the ground. And they dug wells where the oil was found to secure a supply. And in Egypt there were wells of oil, and the people used it for light, very much as we do now.” “I guess everybody knows about It,” sald Mary, for her aunt had answered both questions. , “There are oil wells in this verj State, New York,” went on Aunt Ethel, "and in Ohio, where Aunt Mary lives, and in Texas, and in California. And

years before the Bible was written way off in Russia, on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, are many wells of oil that supply many people.” “Walt, I’ll get the big atlas, and you can show us on the maps just where the oil wells are,” said Mary, eagerly; and in a few minutes th® big book with its colored maps was spread out on the table, and Mary and Constance found the places in China, In Japan, in Burma and in Russia where petroleum is found. Then Aunt Ethel told them over again the list of States, and these they found very easily. “My! I never thought before about what-—m Ade—the—sitting-room lamp burn!” exclaimed Mary, as they put away the big atlas.—Youth’s Companion. Winter Nature Notea. The Juncoes are collecting junk. They’re always on the wing; They plan to start a junk-shop For birds who come in spring. The Cat-tails, who in meadows live, Are losing all their fur, They surely need a good shampoo. They’re too forlorn to purr. The Sparrows’ favorite resting place On each cold winter night, Is close upon a leafless branch Near an electric light. Now is the time for rabbits all, Who wear acoat of gray, To hide themselves or else the snow Will give them quite away. —Chicago News. Sunrise and the Rooster, Once there was a man who was awakened every morning by the trum pet of a rooster. This so provoked him that at last, putting his head out of the window, he shouted: “Miserable creature! Is it not enough that you crow by day? Early every morning you crow and crow until you cause the sun to rise. Then I have to get tip and work. If you do not keep quiet in the morning I shall certainly wring your neck.” And so he did, but too late he found that the sun rose from other causes than the crowing of a rooster.—Chicago News.