WILD PIGEONS. THEY ARE FAST DISAPPEARING FROM THE EAST. The Last Wild Pigeon Roost in Xew York and Pennsylvania— Geeat Destruction by Hunters, “A solitary flock of wild pigeons, fly- ing westward, passed over the Beaver- kill country, in Sullivan County, last week,” said a New Yorker who in that country trying ‘and it started the Sullivan County woodsmen to talking about the great passing of wild pigeons in 1876, which was the last one ever seen so far East. first came from the village of Barnum's the last week in March, 1876. The air suddenly became thick with an appar- ently endless flock of wild pigeons, which was passing over that part of the coun- try, going northward. hour the Hight contioucd in an incessant procession, obstructing all view of the rky, and giving to the surroundings the sombre appearance caused by the gath- ering and pissing of thunder clouds. It was not known at the time how flock extended to the eastward, but it was subsequently learned that it reached over twelve miles in a continuous line. I'he birds were flying too high to be shot at with any degree of success, although daring the flight numbers of them weve killed by unusually fortunate gunners. Old huut- ers said that the pigeons were seeking nesting places, but from the altitude of their flight i: *as not probable that they would rest shot of the Canadian forests Two days afterward, however, lumber men from the headwaters of the Beaver kill and the beach woods of the adjacent wilderness of Sullivan, Delaware and Ulster counties brought in the news that those regions hod been tuken in posses. sion by wild pi eons in untold numbers, nd that they were preparing for the esting season. “This led to sportsmen from the surroundi combining to take protect the birds from lawless destruction. ‘The woods were found to be literally swarm ing with pigeons. Deputy game consta bles were stationed in cousiderauvle force in the wilderness, with orders to doal as summarily with gunners and trappers as the law rant. i sport was anticipated for the seasonafter the nesting was over, but unfortanately severe weather came on after the birds had begun their nesting. fell to the depth of a foot all through that region. After the storm had ceased the game constables and ticed an unusual ani peculiar stir among tte birds throughout the length aud breadth of the great roost, rod no on the fifth day of their cowing into the Wild .rnoss pigeons began ris ing and taking Hight, asd in a few hours not a pigeon was to be found in the entire They flew almost due west. day before 1 o'clock in the Clint Water: and Isaac Bennett, choppers and bark peclers, were in the depths of the Pocono beach woods, then a vast forest covering large areas in Pike, Wayne, Luzerne and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania. The = brightly when sudd as if by a dark clon that produced by a gal roll of distant thunder on ears. Simultaneously woods began filling with wild pigeons. ‘Tree after tree was filled, and still the air was black with an apparently interminable m ss of birds. The pigeons settled down in the trees in that great branches broke their weight, anl this ‘1 © band through a wicdfall in the fore t The two men did not know whee the pigeons had come from so suddenly, but when, in the course of time, the news of their presence in the Pennsylvania wilder. ness reached Sullivan County, people there knew that the pigeons were the ones that had driven from the Beavetkill county by the great snow storm. The n arest point in the Penn syvlvania wools where the birds rested after their flight from New York State is forty five miles from the Beaverkill, almost dud west, showing tha: the pigeons must have flown nearly a mile a miaute in changing their resting place “After the first excitement attending the appearance of the vast colony of wild vigeons around them had passed off, Walter: and Bennett, true to the instinct of the human race, began to slaughter the birds They had no guns with them, but with long poles they slew the swarming pigeons by tho hundred. Every sweep sweep of a elub laid scores of the birds dead or wounded on the ground, bu! news measures {o would war Unparalleled sOOn Snow woodsmen no a ier territory That same afternoon, wood. wns shinng 1 it was hidden iI, and a noise like of wind or the broke their the numbers beuerath occurri Jd such ri ery the like woods was been places. ; *tvo men kept up this ruthless and wan. left hundreds of dead and wounded on the ground, and they had not stir ed out of their tracks in doing their slaughiter- ing. For the purpose of seving how fur the woods were occupied by the pigeous Whalers an! Bennett walked five miles northward through the forest. As far as they could see on either side the tirds crowded every tree full, and when they left the woods after going that far through the pigeon colony they could discos er no evidence that they were any. where near its ending It was after. wards learned that the area covered by the roost was cight miles in length and four miles wide. “The excitement following the settling tense, not only amongst the woodsmen, bat among the dwellers in the towns for 6 hundred miles around. The woods but women and children, killing the nesting birds with guns and clubs. Lins mense nets wore sof, in which thousands and thousands of the birds were oaptured, The pigeons were not even allowed an rest at night. Carrying torches, bandy of destructive hunters swarmed in the woods after dark, and s’eaghtered with. out mercy. In spite of all this the pigeons held their roost and their young, re. mained until the squabs were old enough their Hight, still moving westward. ‘I hat was the lust visitation of wild pigeons in { where roosting was formerly a frequent occurrence. The furthest East the wild northwestern Pennsylvania in 1881, Since | then the birds have entirely disappeared i from the East, and will never be sven here again. They have been driven to { the wilds of Michigan, the Indian Terri | tory and other isolated haunts, and ina fow vears will be numbered among the {New York Sun. NOTES. VALUE OF THE MICROPHONE.—A re- is reported from SL Petersburg, A ical attendant, when she was seen by Dr. Loukhmanow, who, knowing she lepsy, made a thorough examination, atlast applying the microphone. With this the heart was heard to beat, and then made with success, THE NEEDLE AND THREAL TREE. — That there are more wonders on the eurth in the sea ** beneath the earth,” and it the sky above it than ever Horacio imagined, is a well-known fact which that worthy's most ardent admirers will not attempt to deny. Take for an instance the famous needle-and- thread tree, Imagine such a luxury and the delights of going out to y ur tree and plucking a needle threaded all ready for usel Odd as it may seein us, there is, on the Mexican plains, just sucha forestgrowth. The “ties” may not exnctly be 4 tree in the true sen=e of the word, partaking as it does more of the nature and characterist- ies of a glgaytic species of asparagus t has large, thick, fleshy leaves, such as would remind of the especially of the one popularly Knowu us *‘ prickly pear.” Tue : of the needle-and-thread tree are he + iv cue cactus, need es HEC edoes of these ck. fleshy In order to obiain ped for 12, it is only ne ush “needle *’ into the fleshy sheatl to loosen it from the tough ‘ zr of the leafy, aud then pull gently from she socket, If this og ation be } roperly i more fine fil along t SWI the HES if iIKe 80 mauy de ing the i operation, the th 1 Ril 1 fibres Le ingly, a thread from itn cominon No. spi “* needle, a nn weight EARTHQUAKE quake theory wi ly, aud the one which the supe) scientists Gel data con in the shalt The last statement f learned men 1 said that thie shaft was t inily increase emem depti 45 degrees ¢ 20 degre: perature the point reach JRE) metres ing the snaft could have been sunk to that enormous depth), which is equal to about two English miles. Still cal- culating on a uniform rate of increas in temperature, we find that at depth of forty-five miles we would reach the point where platinum would melt, According to the above figures the earth's erust cannot be mor: than one nisetieth of its radius, Professor Newcomb, who has years been connected with the Naval Observatory at Washington, says: * The only common sense explana tion of an earthquake, to my mind, is that down in the bowels of the earth, say from 20 to 100 miles, beneath the surface, there is fluid maetter, boiling at white heat, which, as gradually cools, contracts, leaving a space or spaces between it and the solid parts, and the heavy weight of the earth abon® the vacant places causes the surface to sink ; then you { he ve an earthquake,” tres in us the for Notes about Colors, A dog belonging to Hercules Tyrins was one day walking along the sea.shore, when be found and ate a murer, a species of shellfish. Returning to his ! were tinged with color, and in this mun- ner Vyrisn purple was discovered. The color was used in the robes of emperors | and nobles, and the expression “bom to ! the purple” meant that the person wns tof high birth. It is strange to think that the favorite color of royalty 611 be | traced to the curiosity or hunger of the dog of Tyre. | In the seventeenth century the favorite colors of the Scotch Covenanters was | blue, and blue and orange or sellow be. | enme the Whig colors after the revolu. | tion of JGBS, Green ix the color of the | Irish Roman Catholics, while opposed to it is the orange of the Orangemen or Protestants of the north of Ireland. Feclesiastical colors include all the primary colors aud black and white, | which are usd at various church offices. The carlinals of the Homan Church have adopted scarlet as their color, which was originally red. In ancient Rome the occupation and rank of many fackle wore made known by the eolois of the garments which they wore, Black is in common use amdng us for mourn. ing, but the Chinese wear white, the Turks wear violet, and in fopin brown is the proper hue. White was i i | originally the mourning color in some { Europeun countries, but black is gener {ally necopted now. Different colors have frequently been ndopted by oppes. ing parties, and the colors of various nations are incorporated in their flags, for instance, the “red, white and blue” of the United States.—| Harper's Young | People. CHOROKEE TAILSMANS, Carefully Grinded stones Endowed With Magic Power. Stones endowed with magic powers {have held an important place in the { world's belief from the days of the ora- { cular stone in the breastplate of the | ancient Jewish high priest down to the Lee penay and the murrain stone of modern times, The Cherokee medicine { men make use of several stone talismans, commonly crystals found among their { native mountains, One is a translucent purple stone about nn inch long, with sharp point. With this the conjurer claimed to be ableto find lost or stolen articles, or to tell the whereabouts of game in the mountains, To test the mutter, a coin was thrown {into the grass at rundom while he was not looking, und he was told the money was his if he could find it. Procuring a string about a vard long, he tied one end it around the middle of the of stone. to swing freely, he set it whirling ina cirele with ao stroke of his finger, at the same time reciting in an undertone some secret The stone revolved rapidly, then more snd more slowly, and stopped with the point toward the north. He that dire twirl, and again repea explain. formula, a few fect in ¢ the stone another valked further gn ted the formula ing that it must be done seven times, and thut on the seventh trial i to the exact spot where the wus Is ing Hu LOT the stone wo non 1ier ings noe, r nothiog of magic in the han's o utamn od, the ver failed I'o events, t put it 12 to the.r test mony obtain hes into a bow! JRC at urer Ww is his secret formula. that ceremony or the Western ( heros ITO Fhe ta as as he ifman w very dry bread. as herokee 1alismans bottom § 5 q cimen of rutile usriz. x rare that th can obtain one cutranks all I'he ne be § with the blood of smal et seven davs : th bloo ar wh his rivais the Indians ers wile must sav, i of the animal as soon as killed Twice i year it demnnds the blood of a det ror It is wrapped in a whole deerskin and kept in somo secret e in the mountains Were the tribute of blood to be withheld or neglected the Ulasalti would issue from its hiding place at night as a great bina. ing bali of fire, ani tly through the air to satisfy its appetite by drinking the life blood of the conjurer The original owner was afraid of it, and he changed its hiding place fre. quently, so that the stone might not be able to find it« way out. When he died it was buried with him, as otheraise it would issue from its cave by night, like a fiery meteor, to search for his tomb night after night for seven years. Bat, if unable to find its owner, it would go back to sleep forever where he had placed {it | As far back as 1762 Timberlake heard | of the stone with the wonderful story of its origin. He sald that it was kept | hidden in some place known anly to two | women, who refused to betray the secret. | Adair, the celebrated trader, also speaks lof it a few years later. The oconjurer refused to let him sce it for fear of pro. | funation. When consulting it as to any unkoown or future happening the conjurer gazes | futo the Ulasutti, and ther: sees mirrored all that he wishes to know, and by the l action of the spectre, or its p wition near the top or bottom of the talisman, he lenrns not only the event but also its proximity in time or place. —| New York I Bun, some other large animal Can AAA RE INO SA ———-"—— It is sald that the biggest thiog on hoofs is probably a bull belonging to William MM. Siugerly, of Norristown, Penn, The animal weighs 8,600 pounds, about double the size of an erdinarly large bull, Although short logged, he i» seven foot in height and his bust measure is twenty two feet. He is of pure Hel stein-Frisian breed, and was purchased iby Mr. Singerly in Michigan. He is [still growing at Mr, Singeriy’s farm, in Gwynedd, and his keaper expects him to weigh 4.000 pounds by the time ho is shipped to Chicago. ~ (New Urleans Hoa: yuane. me are u of There pwards sand in habitants on the slopes " thou Eh of Ves FOR THE LADIES. NOW TO MAKE A CHINA SILK, To make a plain black Chian ollk in dressy style, have a yoke and bertha of the new black guipure luce on a round waist with jet belt, Have large sleeves with lace cuffs, and a bell skirt rather full, hanging over a foundation skirt, and finished with narrow frills of the lace.~—| Atlanta Journal. IR BRING SHORT BAIR, Hairdrossers say they are put to their hair of short-haired women. Short hair n woman will have her hair drawn back and tied to a switch, even though her eyes start from their sockets and her ears grow purple from the strain. York Commercial Advertiser, FLOWERS FOR THE HAIR, For head garniture in full dress we see visible indications of a return to narrow flower wreaths, sometimes two and three rows of tiny blos oms going round the head, nfter the fashion of the coif worn by ancient Greeks. This, how- ever, is u special mode adapted to women classic of certain style and carriage. But more general, and mueh more pretty f delicate blossoms, simple, is the ¢ i ay ol ashion of wearing a spr or those mounted on invisible wire and shaped much as are jewel tiaras. Lastly, there is the popu. lar method of wearing one large damask rose with “Jenny Lind, this revi the cl placed on the left side of the head, below the bump of cauation.~— Lhic Post. folinge a la ed stvie showing ister just gO L.ouis the heels «ix court of with WUrse, un- The ladi fxt Sixteenth w slippers inches h hey were able to walk upon thor hoels: are familiar with } jetures of the das Empress Jos slender foot her foot she had recourse to heels, which were » ped tow I'h parently » that the empre ave the reputation | f remarkal wore of the foot. SAD of Aa small she marked a shoe that large No sh wisi 8 ALBATIAY Alsati iB they have as they ’ formal, flew had be rather rather than hats, gnimporiant ace yen i Hey 00K Bs are ong, ofter hey nsinuating, square Bross ive I'l adorn when in vears past als were merely ssories to the bow wey Milan braid charming | one o : 5 Hu " ana There ace 15,000 women Worth street two thirds in number tod * Hoe office of ivpewr: ors the Batt f the and of betwe army, of ti ployment COMpRICS moth, and through its for 10. 00K) pe i Sates one ol th irda places for 200 4 : various on women a Year. r Typewnrite at least have no fault to find with the i of linery No singh cause has opened such valuable as of employment for women. It not only a matter of work and wages, but work of a sort peculiarly adapted to They are well housed, and the of their surroundings demands i lad, and preserve troduction ag “Nnuess HE women nature that they be tidy. well « their womanly habits, as well as © vate business methods, The test been a one. They left their homes and went to work directly among men. in o previously been illed upon to do. The position of a ty pewriter is one pecaliarly confidential. That women have justified their ability to fill it creditably and suc. cessfully the battalions of women down. town, and the incrdasivg demand for them gives evidence New York Sun. mit severe FARIIOS XOTRS, An imtation upright piano is the latest design for the very popular folding bed. Embossed leather umbrella lined with tin, are the newest. stands, tinel to have as great a ran as John Gilpin. There must be rome ancestral pride in of arms has been woven, Colonial co'ors are blue and blaff, The pretty combination is secon in some of the newest out-door costumes. Egyptian hoop earrings, that were the fashion several years ago, are said by the jewelers to be coming iuto vogue again. Threc-cornered Continental hats are among the new shapes in straw. On the head of a pretty girl they are very “fetching.” In full dress the girl of the period now wears an arrangement of embroidered ribbon about her neck, something after the style of the Episcopal rector s stole, Kom» new photograph frames are made of birch bark, on which colored beads are embroidered in various quaint designs, It is something after the siyle of Indian bead work. Trained skirts for the streets will, no doubt, be advocated and encouraged by the me listes as long as possible, use the style requires new materials con. stantly, and, Thus, Ia money in their re. spective pocketbooks. It is on foshion, however, that will huve its day. Wool dresses are no longer, as form- | erly, used for calling und similar oceas- | fons to the exclusion of silks und other | more elaborate costumes. Women who | ure quick to see the drift of fashion now i wear from four to seven o'clock in the | afternoon, for promennde, calls, five | {o'clock teas and exhibitions, handsome | toilets of silk in light shades, with @“ | bonnet correspondingly dressy and | elegant. A beautiful and striking Felix dress is of black Russian velours with cord stripes | of green and with of threads gold and This supe of black mousseline de soie plaited to a jeweled yoke and belted by u wide | black ribbon. The bell skirt is lined with pale blue taffeta und is edged at the foot with loops of black satin ribbon falling | on similar loops of pale blue satin ribbon ! copper between. dress hes a cor- Accordion plaiting is to be used, so we told, to extent never before equaled, It Iw hispe red, but in very soft whispers, that the be of the skirt dance this fashion, and that § { Are nn witching grace its effect on the demure dames and damsels of society have been prac- tici to switch i the plaited skirts about in the most graceful way. has had ng on bit, so as K be much worn by young Sashes will i ribbon pass women, 6 carelessly twisted ed twice around the A pretty dress of gray diagonal 1 sua waist being very popular. cloth, with touches of whi a neat belted at sash of nbout it, bodice ist, has a ribbon tied i the bow Lm o the bottom of the skirt, shoulder biades sii ao Cains accordion passe mens WD fnlis of dresses thes s with bows iTERBER re dress or the tux 3 we, eng re. I hese IRoo of A Monarch Among Saws. saw walks yor plates to thirty. 11 twenty i © eo id nickel-stee] fons and an angular 8 weighing perhaps is taken off like the slab off a pine log. used also for entting plate It will be # into any de. sired dimens ons This used in this country he the first of its kind It i= an improve ment on a similar ured in the Kn 1 cannon works at It « £30. 006, and set Up varly month Philadelphia Times saw will pp about next HY Essen ol iw Heads and Brains, 3 ou Lonz heads are usually associat with the possession of great intellectual | strength and mental capacity. Herr D. | Ammon, however, who made examina. {tion of the cranial capacity of H,000 ' soldiers at Baden, the results of which he communicated to the German men of | science at Heidelberg, is of the opinion | that the size of the skull depends almost invariably on the proportions of the | bdy. Tall men he to always | have long skulle, or skulls of medium | length, whereas the short, fat men, as a rule, had round, flat heads Further in- | | vestigation and observation satisfied | { Herr Ammon that the majority of the round heads came from the Black Forest; | those with the long heads usually eame : | from the valley of the Rhine. and were | especially numerous from towns and | | from the neigh! orhoods of castles of | ancient families. From this tact it is | | oomeluded that the round headed men | | were the original inbabitants of the | | Rhino valley. and that they were driven | { from it by the long neaded invaders. Not only does the German anthropolo- | gist find a corta n relation between the | | height of the figure and the sha, of the | skull, but hix observations show that ne fewer than eighty per cent. of the men exnmined who had blue eyes uiso had fair hair. found Artxrren from Alaska contains an sooount of several projects for the dovels opment of the Alaskan coal mines, ana it also says that gold mining will be actively prosecated there this summer, The Asha fisheries are growing in im- stance, and there is an immense supply of Alaska salmon, for the conning of which a trust was recently formed. he Alasatna nave petitoned C for an appropriation of $25,000 to baild a | pack trail across ; the Chilkat Pass. - PENNSYLVANIA ITEMS ERITOME OF NEWS GLEANED PROM VARIOUS PARTS OF THE STATE. MASKED men entered the hut near Contes. ville, of Jacob Patterson, an sged hermit, supposed 10 be weslthy, and demanded money. He protested and was brutally besten by the intruders, who afterward fled, leaving him for dead, Tur Bed Men, in session at Beading, sp. pointed a eccmmittee to devise plans for the erection of a ball in Philadelphia. Tue twenty-fourth sonuasl commencement of Crozer Theologieal Bemivary, at Upland, There were ninetecu young was held, men ju the cluns, ten of whom delivered orations, tev. Dr. Stiffier delivered the address to the clase, AT the meeting of the Ftate Medical Bo, ciety, at Harrisburg, papers were read by H. 8. Wood and HH. A. Hare, of Phils, delphin. end Dra Officers were elected the sn. nun! banquet was held. Thi of Church, in session st fo meet the A. M. E Zion Pittsburg, appointed a by the the best mesns of forming a union of the two bodies, conference comniitive one eppointed Philadelphia conference to devise Hecent Iynehings in the South were vigorously by a number of speakers OTE A, living little Mi. in a mining his Anthony viiinge near Carmel, fatally shot and wounded He for vile her companion d na the two iu his house to A SMALL son of Hobert Byers, near {Union of ily awn, dropped a J fut ighted match into a Keg powder Le explosion the lad was {nts injured AT an meeting of the Pennsylvania State tural Society, in Harrisburg, J. Jl Wilhelm, of York, was ele i secre | the unexpired term of DLW, S:lles It was decided 10 i's | Derate w th § th sir Hoard in every way cdtoh possi~ pitiless was appolr atime or the Siate Fair and Lodge of Odd Fel of Chester, wi embezzling payers Tie Keystone No 3 Wau ny riemburg tn : non i AWrenee hartered by the St ed * Passenger la 4 fim WARS te Depart. ment. A charier was also iw to the Kess- ler Street connectin way Come pany of Philadel je fortysecond annus! session of the State Medica t Harrie by iw portant Society was held =» burg Addresses of welcome were made he Governor and Mayor, Several papers vere read, A ¥TOEM if grestdestruction passed throurh anoe Valley t Huntinglon County. laying barns and fences Ww an uprooting whole nerds is pail it formed in the shape ne and was f8l B50 , secured two iaborer He a‘terward ov cen robbed ent of the theft one of them erisnken by the farmer, traced wil lia mw A SHEME is on foot in rust of the big piste glass manus he country. SEVERAL ind there is no clue Minersville siores were robbed to the thieves AX epidemic of diphtheria prevails in rie, Tue Crescent pipe line now be'ng ‘aid from he oil fields to Philadelphia is mesting with ag whose bh opposition from people through property il passes. Conny was struck by a eycione and many buildings were badly damaged ceived nt Pittsburg ludiente a serious lows in Reports re. ihe storm. of rain Bedford and the surrounding country from 4 Coatraville experienced a heavy la sad bail, Carlisle, Harrisburg other points in the Sinte were struck by the slorm, De Estes, of Bt. Luke's Hospital, Dethle, hem, and his family, while out driving, were thrown from the carriage by the borse run ning away and all injured, Tur striking earpenters of Scranton have Leen encouraged by having money sent them by the Federation of Labor, Tug new Heidelberg Reformed Church at Kehwenksville, near Potistown, was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies, Tie Delaware County Teachers’ Associa tion held ite meeting at Croverviile. mss AI Governors® Salaries. Massachusetts has recently passed a law to raise its Governor's salary from $5000 to $5000. It was at first proposed to double the salary, but on oppositi ¥ developing an compromise was effectec on $8000. Massachusetts will hence forth rank with Ohio on this peint, the latter being the oaly State whic! $5000 to its chief magistrate. States pay their Governors $10,000 annually—New York, New Jersey amt Pennsylvania, Two, California and Hl no's, consider $6000 the props: amount and nine States (ten counting Massachu. setts) the salary is $3000. In Vermont and Oregon the Governor draws only $1500 from the public treasury, The smallest salary is paid in the smalles State, Rhode Island, whose Governor re. ovives only $1000 yearly. Delaware almost its mate in size, pays its Gororam twioe as mul. «| New Orleans Picayune I. SAAN, Ax explorer desirous of eclipsing Columbus in the field of discovery ‘would accomplish that feat if he could discover a single literary per son not now engagad in writing a life
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers