Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 298, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 December 1913 — Page 3

BIRD THAT FIGHTS BURROWING PESTS

HIS splendid bird Is undoubtedly the most powerful hawk met with In Montana, where it is usually x-— ||l called eagle, and Its carrying /y power Is remarkable, as the sequel wlll show. It does no harm, >3 - bat » on tbe contrar y> wa S es un ‘ f. 7 jijwV) ceasing warfare against such pests as prairie dogs, gophers and meadow mice, and should, therefore, be universally protect- - . ed; nevertheless it has unfortu4 nately become very scarce, excepting in one or two favored localities, where it is strictly preserved. Although a good deal has been written about the ferruginous rough-leg (Archibuteo ferruginous), I am not aware that it has, hitherto, been studied or photographed at the nest. Last summer Mr. W.. R. Felton kept four nests of this hawk under observation for me, and visited them whenever his work allowed him time, writes E. S. Cameron in Country Life. These four nests were within a radius of four miles from Mr. Felton’s headquarters at the Square Butte ranch in Chouteau county, and others were reported seven miles away. Besides the above, Mr. Felton found four disused, but well preserved, eyries—two of them within a quarter of a mile of an occupied nest. All eight nests were placed upon rocky j ledges or points. They were constructed of the same materials, which iconslsted of sage brush and greasewood sticks, with some soapweed intermixed, and lined with dry cow dung. As will be seen from the measurements, the loose pile of sticks made the new nests remarkably high, but they settled considerably before the young had flown. A brief history gs one of these nests condensed from Mr. Felton’s notes is as follows: The nest was only two miles north of the Square Butte ranch, easily visible from there through powerful binoculars, and was visited almost every day. This parficu-

tar nest was picturesquely situated on a rocky point of the “Chalk Cliffs” northeast of the geologically famous “Square Butte,” which, despite its modest name, is an immense rock constituting an isolated spur of the Highwood mountains, 2,600 feet above the prairie. In reality the socalled “Chalk Clifts” consist of an outcrop of white sandstone, chiefly in the center of a range of grass-covered hills whose green summits rise in strong contrast above the white corrugated rocks. This sandstone strdlum has been worn into a series of perpendicular cliffs, pure white above, but stained light brown below by lignitic matter, and projecting spurs are carved into fantastic pinnacles and mounds. One promontory in particular is a regular saw-tooth ridge. The nest here shown is poised upon the apex of a pillar which terminates a. knife-blade Iprojection 8,575 feet high, and suggests in some phoiographs the prow of a ship. As there is a sheer vertical descent on three sides, and the surface of the connecting ridge suddenly breaks off, leaving a wide fissure in the rock between it and the nest, It is a task of no small difficulty to reach the latter and one best suited to a sailor or a cat. It can only be accomplished by approaching the eyrie from above, and then crawling along the ledge, when, by dropping into and crossing the gap (which is well shown in the photograph), the nest can be attained. Mr. Felton, making light of the danger, to the nest, and inade numerous exposures with a small camera at the range of a few feet. The nest was four feet in height and three and a half feet in. diameter, and was higher than any Montana eyries of the golden eagle known to me, which species has also nested in the "Chalk Cliffs.” (In his recently published “History of the Birds of Colorado,” Mr. W. L. Sclater mentions a golden eagle’s nest which measured “six feet in diameter and nine feet high.”) The hawks carried green alfalfa to the nest for decorative purposes, And Mr. Felton noticed a fresh supply there on three separate occasions. When found on May 18 the eyrie contained three newly hatched young, but only two, reached maturity, as one of the nestlings disappeared on July 9 when fifty-two days old. Mr. Felton conjectured that it had been blown out of the nest by a violent thunderstorm, but the two stronger birds might have ejected their weaker brother. In any event, the outcast would soon have been picked up by some four-footed or winged marauder. The two remaining fledglings permanently left their nest on July 25, when about nine weeks old. While watching at this nest, at two o'clock one afternoon, Mr. Felton observed a great horned owl flying along the cliff face in an easterly direction. The owl passed close to the nestlings, when one of the soaring hawks, presumably the femaleAwas seen to swoop at and strike the interloper, which thereupon dived obliquely to the ground. The hawk made (wo more dashes at the sitting owl, and a short squabble ensued each time between the birds; but when Mr. Felton reached the place, the owl was nowhere to be seen, and the hawk had returned to her nestlings. As the great horned owl la a powerful and ferocious bird, which even attacks and eats large hawks (see

hawks during the nesting season, and discovered the fact, new to science, that they prey Upon birds as well as on mammals. Over the whole course of his observations until the young birds had flown, prairie dogs were found largely to ex-1 ceed all other diet; but until the nestlings were about two weeks old, their food consisted partly of meadowlarks (Sturnellg tieglecta). While very little food was found in the nest, taking into consideration the frequent visits paid to it, there were seen altogether nine prairie dogs, one cot-ton-tail rabbit, two bull snakes (one 31 inches long) and some remains of sharp-tailed grouse and meadowlarks. On two separate occasions, while Mr. Felton kept watch near the eyrie, the wary female frequently passed and repassed overhead with a meadowlark in her talons, as subsequently identified. The bill of fare at all four eyries was similar, and meadowlarks, as demonstrated by their down and feathers, were provided for the nestlings. ■ The following interesting collection of remnants was seen at one nest: Four prairie dog skulls, the skeletons of two bull snakes (one of them being very large), the leg of a sharp-tailed grouse, the wing aiyl scapulars of a magpie and the primaries of a meadowlark. Groupe and magpie remains were not found until July 17 and 21, and were proved by the feathers to belong to young birds. To the best of my knowledge, this species never attempts to take poultry of any kfAd, and my own observations are strongly confirmed by Mr. W. P. Sullivan, for 16 years manager of Mr. Milner’s beautiful Square Butte ranch, where these hawks have always been protected on account of the numerous gophers (Thomomys) which they destroy. As above narrated, several pair breed annually upon the ranch, and are constantly flying around the buildings, yet no chickens have ever been molested. Mr. Sullivan, who is a close observer of nature, considers that, after the young can fly in the fall, these hawks subsist chiefly upon gophers, and he has described to me their methods of capturing them as follows: "I have watched the hawks often through glasses in our alfalfa field after the first crop has been taken off. The pocket gophers get pretty busy tunneling, and pushing all the loose damp earth up in piles on the surface. The hawks fly slowly over the field until they discover a fresh pile of damp earth. Here they will alight softly, and wait for the gopher to push close to the surface. They will then spread their wings and, rising a few feet in the air, come down stiff-legged into the loose earth, when the gopher is transfixed and brought out. I have seen them eat the gopher where caught, and at other tlnMs carry it away.” In the summer of 1903 about an acre of ground at the Square Butte ranch was covered with piles of building material, such as lumber, posts Knd heavy shed timbers, which had been collected there the previous year. Numbers of cotton-tail rabbits lived under these piles, and provided an occasional meal, both for the hawks and for the ranch cat, which was a female tabby. On a certain day Mr. Milner (owner of the ranch) happened to be engaged In conversation with Mr. Sullivan near a pile of posts, upon which the cat was basking in the sun with one eye open for a chance rabbit, as usual. A ferruginous

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

Fisher, “Hawks and Owls of the United States,” page 175), it undoubtedly beat off its assailant without difficulty. So {ar as I have observed in eastern Montana, the ferruginous roughleg feeds chiefly upon prairie dogs and meadow mice, though not averse to snakes. In my opinion it never takes frogs. Like V golden eagles, these hawks often hunt amicably in pairs, and then appear to be more courageous, attacking mammals as large as jackrabbits. Mr. Felton made many valuable observations on the food habits of these

rough-leg, with nestlings in the whit* j j cliffs, was gyrating low over the build- / / ings, but neither the gentlemen nor tho dat took particular notice of this familiar sight Both men were, however, suddenly Startled by a loud whirring noise, when to their intense surprise they saw ttiat the hawk had lifted the now bewildered and struggling cat from her couch on the posts and was slowly bearing her aloft. It seemed at first to the astonished spectators as though the hawk would actually succeed in disposing of this troublesome quarry, since it continued to rise easily with .its burden to a height of about 25 feet. By this time, however, the fullyaroused victim was stirred to a desperate effort, and it became clear that the audacious hawk had “bitten off more than it could chew.” In Mr. Sullivan’s words, the tabby “twisted round, gave a terrible splutter and scream, and clawed the hawk with a vengeance.” The latter, flapping wildly, at once relaxed its grip, while pussy, nothing loth, withdrew her claws, fell to the ground and dashed under the posts. Numerous downy feathers floating gently to the ground convinced the onlookers that the chagrined hawk had none the best of the encounter. Temporarily tired of cats, it now soared to a great height, and returned with empty talons to the “chalk cliffs.” The cat in question was a very small one, and Montana cats are notably thin in summer; but, allowing for these facts," the victim must have weighed six pounds at least. Nevertheless, Mr. Sullivan feels sure that had the cat behaved like

the rabbit for which she was mistaken, the hawk would successfully have conveyed the quarry to its eyrie in the rocks. As the nest was two miles distant this would seem an extraordinary feat, and presumably transcend any hitherto published records of the kind. I quite admit that under favorable conditions of wind the female hawk might transport a five or six-pound jackrabbit to the eyrie; but that any cat-lifting hawk should ever surpass what this one achieved seems to me improbable. The* dexterous application of the cat’s raking claws would not fail to prevent it as in the above remarkable instance. Where a rabbit succumbs to the shock and the hawk’s constricting grip, the agile and wiry feline, on the other hand, is stimulated to offer a desperate resistance, and, like Mr. Sullivan’s protege, is little the worse for the encounter. It cannot be, told whether the hawk was mistrustful of rabbits after this event, but the cat became so suspicious of a flying object that she would race for the wood pile if Mr. Sullivan threw his hat into the air.

A Thoughtful Wife

“Where’s my new meerschaum pipe?” asked Mr. Cumso, after dinner. “I thought I left it on the mantel, back of the clock, when I quit smoking last night.” “Didn’t I hear you say that it would take a long time to color that pipe, asked Mrs. Cumso. “It is quite likely you did. The operation can not be all at once. But where is the pipe?” 1 “You know how anxious I am to save you all the work I can, dear?” “Yes, just like the precious little woman you are; but what has that to do with the pipe?” “Just this, love. I got to worrying over the long time it would take you to get it colored, and 1 won-, dered if I couldn’t help you a bit.” “What! You don’t mean to say you have been smoking the pipe yourself?” “Oh, no! But a poor tramp came to the house this mordlng. He was smoking the forlornest little bit of a pipe, and ” “Go on!” commanded Mr. Cumso in a constrained voice, trying to keep calm. “You have made him a present of my meerschaum, I suppose?" “Oh, no! Your little wife isn’t quite so foolish as all that.” “Then what has the tramp to do with the piper "Don’t be impatient, dear, and 111 tell you. Ire membered what you said about the long time it would take you to color it, and so 1 asked the man if he would smoke it all day for a dollar. He said no; that a dollar and a quarter was the Io we | he could do It for. So I told him I’d pay him that. He’s out in the back yard now, working hard; and he really seems to enjoy it. Yet some people say that tramps can’t be induced 4o work. But where are you going, love? Not downtown so early, are you? Now I wonder what’s made that man so crossr she added, as imr tusband slammed the door;—Puck. * >

TO HAVE SUCCESS WITH CAKE

Little Things That tAe Cook Must Remember While In Course of Preparation.

L When preparing your cake tin, always grease it first, and then line it with paper. Some people grease the paper, but this is a mistake. Others grease the tin and put no paper, but this is equally bad, for it nearly always causes the cake to burn. 2. Beginners sometimes slip into the error of thinking that a cake will not rise unless it is put into a very fierce oven. This is quite wrong, for the fierce heat only hardens the outside, and makes it impossible for the inside to swell properly. . 3. In order to test the heat of the oven, put in a piece of white kitchen paper and let it stay for a couple of minutes. If the paper is only warmed, and not colored at all, the oven is too cool for the average of cakes; there should be just heat enough to make the paper curl up a little and go slightly brown at the edges, but not enough to scorch it or make it smoke.

CODFISH AND RICE TOGETHER

New Method of Preparing Meal That Is Such a Universal , Favorite. Prepare the rice by covering a quarter cupful with two cups cold water. Put over the fire, stirring occasionally while heating to prevent sticking. Boil five minutes, drain on a sieve and rinse with cold water. This makes the rice beautifully white and clear, with the grains separate. Return to the fire in a double boiler, add one and a quarter cups milk, and one cup salt codfish, previously soaked over night. Cook until the rice is -nearly done and the nillk absorbed. Put in a baking dishing, adding one-half cup white sau.ce. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, add bits of butter, and bake about 20 twenty minutes, or until brown on top and well heated through. Make the white sauce thus: Melt in a saucepan one tablespoon butter, add one tablespoon flour; mix to smooth paste, add gradually half cup milk.

TIDY BUREAU DRAWER

A tidy top drawer is not an impossibility, in spite of the fact that all the little odds and ends of one’s toilette are kept there to be easily got at. But they are generally in a rather stirred-up condition. To achieve neatness, one woman took some very thin boards and concerted her top drawers, by their use, into compartments to suit the various -articles she keeps in them, thus doing away with many covered boxes and holders for gloves and handkerchiefs. The illustration shows a drawer divided thus into compartments. If nice smooth wood is not to be had for the purpose, cardboard boxes, without covers, and fastened into place by thumb-tacks, or even pins, will insure the wished for tidiness and convenience in selecting the articles wanted.

Curried Eggs.

Fry a little sliced onion in a tablespoonful of butter. Stir into this a tablespoonful of, flour and one teaspoonful of curry powder, or the latter in quantity to taste. When well blended, pour in one cup of hot water in which a bouillon cube has been dissolved (these cost five cents for two) and stir until the sauce is smooth and thick. Next lay in four hard boiled eggs cut into quarters or slices. Season with pepper and salt. When the eggs are heated through, the dish is ready to strve. incidentally, any of the above dishes are nice as an after-theater lunch. Delicatessen stores are open very late, you know.

Cornmeal Gems.

Two cups cornmeal, one wup flour, one cup cold milk, three eggs, two teaspoons melted butter, one teaspoon salt, two teaspoons baking powder. Put the cornmeal into bowl, add boiling milk, in which the butter has been melted, and beat well; add the cold milk and well-beaten eggs and salt; mix well together. Sift the baking powder and flour, add slowly and mix lightly. Have gem pans very hot and well greased. This amount makes two dozen.

Cocoanut Cake.

Here is a cocoanut cake sent to the column some time ago by “October,” which we like very much, and I hope some one will try it and report: .One cup sugar, two cups flour, onehalf cup milk, one cup cocoa soaked in a little milk, two eggs, two teaspoons melted butter, one teaspoon cream tartar, one-half teaspoon soda, one teaspoon vanilla extract. Bake in a moderate oven.

Sour Milk Pie.

One cup of th|ck sour milk, one cup of raisins chopped fine, one cup of sugar, one-half cup of butter, one egg, one cracker rolled fine, one teaspooq cinnamon, one-half clove. Put on stove to thicken. Makes two pies.

Buttered Beets.

801 l beets the same as usual. Wbdn done, peel and chop up with d knife, put on lots of butter, pepper and salt and a little sugar. Serve hot. Hope some one will try this. They are fine and a change from sliced beets.

Practical Fashions

BOYS’ RUSSIAN SUIT. \■l . .

No garment has yet been found to replace the Russian suit and this example is one of the most practical. It fastens at one side and along tfie shoulder. The high neck has either a standing collar or a low turndown one. The sleeves have just a trifle of fullness at the shoulder and are laid Il tucks at the wrist or gathered into a band cuff. Bloomer trousers are worn with the blouse and are given in the pattern. suit pattern (6451) Is cut in sizes 2, 4 and 6 years. Medium size requires 2% yards of 36 inch material. To procure this pattern send 10 cent* to 'Pattern Department," of thir paper, write name and address plainly, and be sure to give size and number of pattern.

NO. 6451 BXZB—NAME —.... TOWNSTREET AND NO.—— STATf®-—a.— —aaa.. .... ....*.—«.... ....

GIRLS’ COAT

This model is unusually smart It has a three gore skirt attached to the blouse, and in front there is a deep vest effect The opening can be filled in with a chemisette. An ornamental collar trims the neck and the plain sleeves are finished with a cuff. A girdle or belt completes the coat. Imported cloakings, velveteen, and reversible cloth are used for these coats. The coat pattern (6425) is cut in sizes 4,6, 8, 10 and 12 years. Medium size requires 1% yards of 44 inch plaid and 1 yard of 36 inch plain goods; or 2% yards of 44 inch.

To procure this pattern send 10 cents to Pattern Department," es this paper. Write name and address plainly, and be sure to give size and number of pattern.

Na 6425 SZB - NAME TOWN ~ . STREET AND NO. .m,..,. ST ATE-.-- — M*« --—•— .... MM MM «M» *— ..

Knowing His Neighbors.

“Do you know all your neighbors io your flat?” “Not by name; only by their characteristics.” “1 don’t understand you.” “I’ve got to know by sight the man who runs up the stairway at 2 o’clock in the morning; I can spot the woman who grinds the phonograph until midnight; I've recognized the woman who lets her children use the corridor for a plyaground, and I’ve decided just which one of the tenants it is that owns a cornet”

Manlike.

Mrt. Justwed—Robert, just think What the neighbors will say when they hear that I do my own work. Mr. Justwed —Whose work do you want to do? —Successful Fanning.

Headquarters.

“Do you have as much trouble finding your cuff and collar buttons as you used to?” “No; 1 always find 'em in one place now." "Indeed!” t "Yes; I go to the vacuum cleaner.** —Judge.

What Constitutes Happiness.

Something to reverence, something to love, something to work for; there is the outline of a happy human life. —Christian Register.