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®II~LfO v +ý 4. f~ jý t n. 'hfw!y~ý:y+;. Yi' * 4l f ii fii{ 5;"rýf ý e~" l ";y'<,''e.';,..:".x{ .is :i r.-~}' z.. a}. 'c"'4,:ý'' # .v....:.,: :i'i'' .`~ %ýg';s*', ; /LL4. R 7.AVCO::h:jJ J;:"VffR 4';?' f22 Oi T A d J fA /'Jr'iý:ý;. : a group of long-legged, slender T HE term shorebird is applied to billed, and usually plainly col ored birds belonging to the or der Limicolae, writes W. L. Mc Atee in a bulletin issued by the bureau of biological survey, United States de partment of agriculture. More than sixty species of them occur in North America. True to their name they frequent the shores of all bodies of water, large and small, but many of them are equally at home on plains and prairies. Throughout the eastern United States shorebirds are fast vanshing. While formerly numerous species swarmed along the Atlantic coast and in the prairie regions, many of them have been so reduced that extermina tion seems imminent. The black-bel lied plover or beetlehead, which oc curred along the Atlantic seaboard in great numbers years ago, is now seen only as a straggler. The golden plover, once exceedingly abundant east of the great plains, is now rare. Vast hordes of long-billed dowitchers formerly win tered in Louisiana; now they occur only in infrequent flocks of a half dozen or less. The Eskimo curlew within the last decade has probably been exterminated and the other cur lews greatly reduced. In fact, all the larger species of shorebirds have suf fered severely. So adverse to shorebirds are present conditions that the wonder is that any escape. In both fall and spring they are shot along the whole route of their migration, north and south. Their habit of decoying readily and per sistently, coming back in flocks to the decoys again and again, in spite of murderous volleys, greatly lessens their chances of escape. The breeding grounds of some of the species in the United States and Canada have become greatly restrict ed by the extension of agriculture, and their winter ranges in South America have probably been restricted in the dame way. Unfortunately, shorebirds lay fewer ieggs than any of the other species generally termed game birds. They deposit only three or four eggs, and hatch only one brood yearly. Nor are they in any wise immune from the great mortality known to prevail among the smaller birds. Their eggs and young are constantly preyed upon during the breeding season by crows, gulls and jaegers, and the far north ern country to which so many of them resort to nest is subject to sudden cold storms, which kill many of the young. in the more temperate climate of the United States small birds, in general. do not bring up more than one young bird for every two eggs laid. Some times the proportion of loss is much greater, actual count revealing a de struction of seventy to eighty per cent, of nests and eggs. Shorebirds, with sets of three or four eggs, prob ably do not on the average rear more than two young for each breeding pair. It is not surprising, therefore, that birds of this family, with their limited powers of reproduction, melt away under the relentless warfare waged upon them. Until recent years shore birds have had almost no protection. Thus, the species most in need of stringent protection have really had the least, No useful birds which lay only three or four eggs should be re tained on the list of game birds. The shorebirds should be relieved from persecution, and if we desire to save from extermination a majority of the species, action must be prompt. The protection of shorebirds need not be based solely on esthetic or sen. timental grounds, for few groups of birds more thoroughly deserve protec tion from an economic standpoint. Shorebirds perform an important serv ice by their inroads upon mosquitoes, some of which play so conspicuous a part in the dissemination of disease. Thus, nine species are known to feed upon mosquitoes, and hundreds of the larvae or "wigglers" were found in several stomachs. Fifty-three per cent. of the food of 28 northern phala ropes from one locality consisted of mosquito larvae. The insects eaten Include the salt-marsh mosquito, for the suppression of which the state of New Jersey has gone to great expense. The nine species of shorebirds known to eat mosquitoes are: Northern phal arope, Wilson phalarope, Stilt sand piper, Pectoral sandpiper, Baird sand piper, Least sandpiper, Semipalmated sandpiper, Kildeer and Semipalmated plover. Cattle and other live stock also are seriously molested by mosquitoes as well as by another set of pests, the horse flies. Adults and larvae of these flies have been found in the stomachs of the dowitcher, the pec toral sandpiper, the hudsonian godwit and, the killdeer. Two species of shorebirds, the killdeer and upland plover, still further befriend cattle by devouring the North American fever tick. Among other fly larvae con sumed are those of the crane flies (leatherjackets). Another group of insects of which the shorebirds are very fond is grass hoppers. Severe local infestations of grasshoppers, frequently involving the destruction of many acres of corn, cot ton and other crops, are by no means exceptional. Aughey found 23 species of shorebirds feeding on Rocky Moun tain locusts in Nebraska, some of them consuming large numbers. Even under ordinary conditions grasshop. pers are a staple food of many mem bers of the shorebird family. Shorebirds are fond of other insect pests of forage and grain crops, in cluding the army worm, which is known to be eaten by the killdeer and spotted sandpiper; also cutworms, among whose enemies are the avocet, woodcock, pectoral and Baird sand pipers, upland plover and killdeer. Two caterpillar enemies of cotton, the cotton worm and the cotton cutworm, are eaten by the upland plover and killdeer. The latter bird feeds also on caterpillars of the genus Phlege thontius, which includes the tobacco and tomato worms. The principal farm crops have many destructive beetle enemies also, and some of these are eagerly eaten by shorebirds. The boll weevil and clover leaf weevil are eaten by the upland plover and killdeer, the rice weevil by the killdeer, the cowpea weevil by the upland plover, and the clover root curculio by several species of shorebirds. Bill bugs, which often do considera ble damage to corn, seem to be favor ite food of some of the shorebirds. They are eaten by the Wilson phala rope, avocet, black-necked stilt, pec toral sandpiper, killdeer and upland plover. They are an important ele ment of the latter bird's diet, and no fewer than eight species of them have been found in its food. Wireworms and their adult forms, click beetles, are devoured by the northern phalarope, woodoock, Jack snipe, pectoral sandipper, killdeer and upland plover. The last three feed also on the southern corn leaf-beetle, and the last two upon the grapevine colapsis. Other shorebirds that eat leaf-beetles are the Wilson phalarope and dowitcher. Crayfishes, which are a pest in rice and corn fields in the south and which injure levees, are favorite food of the black-necked stilt, and several other shorebirds feed upon them, notably the jacksnipe, robin snipe, spotted sandpiper, upland plover and killdeer. Thus it is evident that shorebirds render important aid by devouring the enemies of farm crops and in other ways, and their services are appreci ated by those who have observed the birds in the field. Thus, W. A. Clark of Corpus Christi, Tex., reports that upland plovers are industrious in fol lowing the plow and in eating the grubs that destroy garden stuff, corn, and cotton crops. H. W. Tinkham of Fall River, Mass., says of the spotted sandpiper: "Three pairs nested in a young orchard behind my house and adjacent to my garden. I did not see them once go to the shore for food (shore about 1,500 feet away), but I did see them many times make faith ful search of my garden for cutworms, spotted squash bugs, and green flies. Cutworms and cabbage worms were their especial prey. After the young could fly, they still kept at work in my garden, and showed no inclination to go to the shore until about August 15. They and a flock o: quails just over the wall helped me wonderfully." To summarize: Shorebirds have been hunted until only a remnant of their once vast numbers is left. Their limited powers of reproduction, coupled with the natural vicissitudes of the breeding period, make their increase slow, and peculiarly expose them to danger of extermination. In the way of protection a begin ning has been made, and a continuous close season until 1915 has been es tablished for the following birds: The killdeer, in Massachusetts and Louisiana; the upland plover, in Mas sachusetts and Vermont; and the pi ping plover, in Massachusetts. But considering the needs and value of these birds, this modicum of proteo tion is small indeed. BI[[LLAA Dicker sea (Qopyright, 1911. by Asscilated Literary Srua, The railroad station at Sunrise, Aris., was a low wooden building, sun blistered and weather-warped. The shining tracks skirted the battered platform and darted out into the des ert again, throwing back glittering sparks of light from their polished steel. It was a scorching day, with a deep mauve tint close to the broken ranges in the distance, and Bill Ranslow argued that it denoted a storm., "Maybe wind-maybe sand-maybe rain," he said didactically to the sta tion agent, who was sweeping the platform in anticipation of the pos sible stopping of the daily train from the east. Lan Dowd whacked his broom against a post and then leaned heav ily on it. "Rain!" he sneered. "Tell me when we've had any rain! Not more'n once or twice since I came to Sunrise." "When was that?" Bill asked the question, not from idleness, but be cause he really wanted to know. There were many things he had for gotten since he had drifted into Sun rise one morning three years ago, and, overcome by the somnolence of the desert town, had succumbed to its influence, and now had become one of her shiftless, idle population. "I've been here seven months," said Lan in an injured tone, "and in all that time not a drop of rain." "What do you expect in this god forsaken hole?" demanded Bill ag gressively. "I don't know," said the other slow ly. "What do you expect, Bill Rans low?" "Don't ask me," returned the other with a reckless laugh. "I don't want to remember, and so I try to forget. Nothing the matter with Sunrise!" The agent resumed his sweeping. "Nothing the matter with Sunrise ex cept there's eight saloons and only one church!" he said bitterly. "Here she comes," remarked Bill Ranslow, and he slouched off to lean against the wall of the building, his broad-brimmed hat pulled well over his eyes. A whistle sounded from the high way crossing a mile away, and in a few minutes there was a drift of black smoke in the air, the thunder of the approaching train, the thump of a slender mail bag as it struck the platform, and then, wonder of wonders, the express snorted to a standstill at Sunrise. The station agent ran excitedly looking for his seldom used baggage truck, for a trunk had been hurtled from the baggage car and a passenger had alighted from the train. There was a creaking of wheels, the con ductor flapped a hand and the express thundered away into the west, leaving a small, slender little woman on the platform. She was dressed all in gray, a soft, dusty-looking gray, with a little gray hat with a perky pink wing stuck on one side of the crown. A soft gray veil was half draped over the hat and partly concealed a pale, delicate face, which would have been pretty if it had not worn a scared, sorrowful look. The newcomer was about thirty-five years old, though under happier con ditions she might have appeared younger. She looked helplessly from the station master to Bill Ranslow, and to his sudden terror-a terror that glued his feet to the platform and prevented his fleeing from her gentle presence as his heart prompted him to do-she came forward and paused in front of him. "Excuse me," she said timidly, "I am a stranger here-I came expect ing to see a-a-friend of mine. Per haps you know Mr. William Poole Ranslow?" She waited for Bill's an swer. The station master, who had drawn near, darted a quick glance at Bill and made as if to speak, but the movement of Bill's hand toward his hip pocket frustrated his intention. "Who did you say, ma'am?" asked Bill hoarsely. "Mr. William Poole Ranslow doesn't he live in Sunrise? You see, his friends have been anxious to hear from him and-so I've come out to look for him." Her voice faltered. Bill shook himself vigorously and shot a defiant glance at the gaping station master. "Mr. Ranslow's all right," he reassured her, "only he's been pretty busy lately-ain't he, Lan?" Lan Dowd glanced apprehensively at Bill Ranslow's untidy figure, at his unkempt beard, his bloodshot eyes peering from under his hat brim, and he answered hastily: "Oh, yes, ma'am. Bill-I mean Mr. Ranslow's real well-only as Bill here says, he's been awfully busy!" "Thank you-I'm so glad," breathed the little woman. "Now if you'll di.. reot me to the best hotel I will be more grateful." There was an instant's hesitation before Bill Ranslow answered her. "Now, ma'am, there's not much choice of hotels," he said earnestly, "and I'm thinking if you was to sit here with Lan for awhile I'd go on down street and send Mr. Ranslow up after you and let him judge what you'd better do." "You are more than kind," smiled the little woman, gratefully. -I sup pose you're a friend of Nr. Rans low's?" she added graciously. "No, ma'am," he said sharply. "I'm his worst enemy!" and he went away. Bill Ranslow dashed into the bar. room of the Mesa hotel and confront. ed a dozen men-leading citizens of Sunrise-his friends. "Boys," he said, abruptly, "I got something to say; I came here three years ago to look into the old Sun. rise mine with a view to buying it. I had plenty of money in my pocket, and I've got a good lot of it yet-but I got Into your slouching, lazy, easy. going ways and I've fallen step by step until I am what I am! What am I?" he suddenly demanded of the big* gest and roughest of his interested listeners. "You're a loafer, Bill-you're the only one that ain't in business of some kind here in Sunrise." "That's right. I'm a loafer, and more, too! I was engaged to a pretty little schoolma'am back In the east there, and I just stopped writing and let everything go so's I could loaf and drink and gamble out here. Boys," his voice dropped earnestly, "she just came in on the express and she didn't know me, and she asked me where Mr. William Poole Ranslow was-you wouldn't hardly believe it, but that used to be me! "I told her I'd go after him and bring him to her-boys. She's wear ing a dove gray dress and a hat with a pink wing in that she picked out for a wedding dress before I came west." His voice broke for an in stant, and then he recovered himself by a strong effort, and he threw out 1 his hands appealingly. "Boys, she's waiting up there for Mr. William i1 --t "Excuse Me," She Said. Poole Ranslow and he's going up there as fast as the barber and the clothesman can fix him up. He's got the price boys; all you got to do is 1 hustle. He's got to be dressed like a bridegroom, and when he goes up to I that there station after his bride 1 you'll all remember that a shiftless, drunken fellow named Bill Ranslow 1 died this afternoon?" "That's right!" "We will!" "I'll go rout out the sky pilot!" Willing hands and feet volunteered in his service, and presently there emerged from the Mesa hotel a fine looking middle-aged man of manly bearing, garbed in cool gray gar ments, with proper accessories so far as the Sunrise emporium could con tribute, his face clean-shaven and hopefully turned toward the little figure at the station, which was to him the good angel who would lead him back to his eastern home and the old familiar, quiet ways. "Hurray for Mr. William Poole Ranslow!" yelled the barber, excited ly waving his hat after the departing bridegroom. Mr. Ranslow turned and saluted them joyously. "Them as wants to mourn for old Bill Ranslow can do so," remarked Big Stephen as he led the way back to the hotel, "As for me, I ain't got no time-I've got to slick up for this here wedding." Boss of the House. "But, madam," says the surgeon, after the woman has recovered con sciousness in the hospital, "why didn't you stop when the crossing police man held up his hand? Then you wouldn't have been struck by the au tomobile." "What! Me stop when Jim Megin nis holds up his hand? I'd let you know I'm his wife, an' he never saw the day when he could boss mel"-' Judge. Usually. Friend-What became of that mag sine that you organized to warn peo ple against worthless stocks on the market? Promoter-Well, we sold the pub lic nearly half a million worth of its stock before we failed.-Puck. Didn't Have to Be. New Suburbanite-I suppose this is pasteurized milk, my friend? village Milkman (witheringly-Not so's ye kin taste it, I reckon, mister. In fact. I'll band ye a $5 note if ye kin prove any uv my cows wus ever bit by a mad dog!-Puck. Wanted It All. Owner (feebly)-What happened to us? Chauffeur-A telegram pole ran in to us, sir. I never see such road hogal -Puck. Sure Sign. Mistress-Has Master Willie come in yet? Servant-I think so, 'm. I haven't seen him, but the cat is hidln'I-Lon don Opinion. IN NEW BISMARCK OF GERMANY Germany has another Bismaret. He ai Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter, wih. is secretary of foreign affairs nad who is the big man in Germany's for eign relations. It is he who set Xu rope by the ears over the Moseeco situation. Kiderlen.Waechter has been seere Al tary of embassy at St. Petersburg and Paris and counsellor of embassy .at Constantinople. He is a lingalst, speaking the leading languages of the continent and being as proficient in English as in his own native Geratan. Two years ago Herr Alfred was a comparatively -little known meutber of Germany's diplomatic corps, bild ing the post of minister to Roumahia. He was rated as a man of ability end force with a more salient and shaly defined personality than that of the average government official, but the public heard little of him. Recently he has been the man of the hoer in Germany and probably the meost talked of statesman in Europe. For the events that precipitated the inter national crisis with its menace of impending war he more than any one else was responsible. Herr von Kiderlen's active career has been entirely in the diplomatic serv ice. Entering the foreign office in 1879, he has gone through the usual mill of slow promotions from embassy secretaryships in St. Petersburg, Paris and Constantinople to the post of minister to Copenhagen in 1895 and to Buchar eat in 1900. His career, however, has not been without its ups and downs. CHICAGO BANKER ON PAROLE John R. Walsh of Chicago, who has been paroled from the Leavenworth prison, was convicted in 1906 of a violation of the federal banking laws, the technical charge being that of making false reports with reference to the financial status of the Chicago - National Bank, of which he was pres ident. The liberated financier is now 74 - years old. He was born in Ireland in 1837, and came to Chicago when he was 10 years old, beginning life as a n a newsboy. In 1861 he established a news agency which later developed into the Western News company, sup plying railway trains and country towns with periodicals, books, maps , and current literature. In 1882, hay / ing been successful in various busi cluding a large interest in the Chi cago Herald, Mr. Walsh, together with / others, established the Chicago Na tional bank. After disposing of his interest in the Herald in 1895 he founded the Ch'cago Chronicle, which pager suspended publication following the closing of the Walsh banks. In add~n to his banks and the newspaper, Mr. Walsh was heavily interested in a large number of propositions. The Walsh interests at the time of the closingoef the three banks were estimated at something like $4,000,000. It was not until March, 1906, that Walsh was placed under arrest. and after many delays was brought to trial and convicted, being sentenced to five years' imprisonment at Fort Leavenworth prison. Soon after he had be gun to serve his sentence a movement was inaugurated to secure his pardon. NEWPORT SOCIAL INSURGENT During the past season there has been insurgency in the ranks of w port swelldom which started a r panic in the ranks of the "old " The leader of the social insurgents was Mrs. John R. Drexel, who is re pictured, and the captain of be standpatters was Mrs. Ogden s. Newport is to select society at Mecca is to the Mahommedans, or Benares to the Hindus, or Jerusatbm to the Jew and to the Christian-jhe holy of holies of the idle rich, whose 4 ~ / bible is the social register dly stamped with the dollar mark. Is. Drexel would widen the ranks of the select and admit many now barred _ from the social paradise, where no s with decayed fortunes matrim y browse. Mrs. Mills would none of '& this. She stands for a close corpora tion, so to speak, and would ltmit to 100 or even fewer those who wehid be entitled to enter the elect set of Newport. Thus these two women, who are taken seriously enough by their follownfps, entered into a battle royal for social supremacy. Supporting Mrs. D are scores of families, financially powerful, but hitherto barred from . Eden of the elect. Upholding Mrs. Mills are all those already within inner sacred precincts, who love to shine by themselves and who do not h to share the glories, privileges and prerogatives of their state with others. IDESCENDANT OF THE PROPHET Will there ever be a holy war de clared by Islam against her enemies? One often meets with references to such possibility and since the declara tion of war against' Turkey by Italy these references have been more fre quent than for many years before. But there is little probability of such a crusade by the 1Mohammedans against the Christians, unless in the event of a European coalition, having for its object the dismemberment of ' t Turkey in Europe and her expulsion from the continent. The authority for this is Mohammed All, whose por trait is shown, a descendant of the great prophet who founded the Mo hammedan religion. Mohammed All is now in this country and he says q f1 that a holy war will never be de slared unless the dismemberment of , the Ottoman empire is threatened. - Then, he says, there will be an up rising of the 175,000,000 Mohamme dans scattered throughout the world. These are dwellers in Asia and Africa, principally, many of them Ihring under the British flag in India and others under the trn-color of France in * northern Africa. He contends that the possibility of such an uprising will prevent the dismemberment of Turkey and asserts that the possibility t would become an actuality with the formation of a coalition against the r ottoman empire.