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towards the "innocents," humoring all their fancies and often appearing to carry out the realization of some of their wild ideas.

There is the ludicrous side to it all, but there is also the pitiful; while the tenderness, the tact and good will shown to these simple-minded folk, who are free from all restraint, astonish all who visit the town to inspect its system on behalf of other asylums of Europe.

start on their way south, hugging the Pacific Coast the entire journey. Still others, like the brant, will start northward, but alight at the great chain of lakes and seek food. After spending some weeks there they will take wing again for other regions, and, without any leader or any well-conceived ideas where they are going, will wander around and finally spend the winter between the temperate and arctic

zones.

There are economic questions connected with the migrations of birds that ornithol

Migration of the Wild Goose and Other ogists, as yet, cannot answer. Why do

Birds.

Away up

"Honk! Honk! Honk!" among the clouds, feet pointing toward the north; head and bill pointing toward the south; wings flapping to the music of the heart, swish, swish, day and night; no sleep, no rest, no food.

What is that V-shaped figure of birds that we see in the skies these days, with a leader just a little in advance of the others? It is a flock of the Branta Canadensis, or Canada goose. They are leaving their feeding grounds. The snow and frost have driven them away, and now they have undertaken a journey of several thousand miles for fresh fields in the everglades of Florida, and the warmer climates of Mexico and the South.

These migrations have been going on from time immemorial. Our fathers saw them when the country was a wilderness, when our fathers were settling along the borders of the great lakes, and no recollections of our boyhood days are keener than those of the sight of wild geese flying south. We used to marshal our artillery of bows and arrows, and when a flock made its appearance shoot into their midst, fully expecting to bring down a goose, but they all passed right on, disdainful of our little popguns.

Spring and autumn always find these birds on the wing. In the spring they go north; in the fall they go south. Who taught them where to find subsistence? Who gave them instinct to select a proper time, choose a leader, and then dart into the heavens so far up that they look like specks? The same God that never "lets a sparrow fall without his notice, who is good to all, and who giveth all their meat in due season. ""

Ornithologists have grouped together many birds that migrate, but no other birds are so remarkable or interesting as those of the Branta Canadensis. Some, like Hutchins' goose, go down the Mississippi Valley and find their way into Texas and Mexico. Others, again, like the cackling goose, are seen in the valley of the Yukon River, and when fall approaches

birds leave habitations where comparatively plenty of food awaits them and go thousands of miles to another country? Why do birds follow straight lines of latitude from north to south, instead of turning eastward or westward and settling in

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Son of Bro. Ed. L. Parlett, member of Div. 273, Baltimore, Md.

very desirable locations, where they would be free from the hunter's gun and find plenty to eat? We cannot tell. Here is a broad and open field for students of birds. Man will migrate with his family to other countries, settle among the people, adapt himself to their habits and customs, and in time become mobilized into the body politic. Not so with the birds. They are clannish, and remain so. They are loyal to the instincts of their nature wherever they are. A Canada goose never "cackles," and a Hutchins goose never "honks." Neither will fraternize with the other, or with the

goose kind anywhere outside of their own tribe. And what is true of them is equally true of the black bird, the bluejay, the oriole and the greenlets. All are fulfilling a distinct mission of their own, and unconsciously working out the will of Him who created them. And they should be protected; every ordinance enacted in their favor should be enforced, and violators of these game laws should be made to understand that the states and nation are their masters, and every one of them punished.

Upon general principles, there are two exciting forces for bird migration. One is a desire to nest and rear their young, and the other is a desire for food adapted to their strong and predatory natures. They love the regions of the north, they love to dive through the blinding storms of snow and frost, and if their food were not covered would doubtless remain much longer. The climate seems to give them strength and vigor, and their capacious and rapacious natures can be better satisfied. All through these regions, extending from the coast of Labrador on the east to the coast of the Pacific on the west, hovering over the sounds and bays of the British possessions, large flocks of these birds may be seen feeding, nesting, flying, sailing-the natural scavengers of the great water marshes, and the natural food of untutored inhabitants who live and die in those uncivilized countries.

But birds have their enemies. Those that are swift on the wing, like the swallows, can keep out of the way. All timid birds, weak in nature and weak in flight, select the night for their migrations, and under cover of darkness manage to elude their enemies, and finally appear among the leaves and forests of the south to which their instinct leads them.

Wher

The birds are our natural allies. ever they are they become useful aids to civilization, and their value to farmers and horticulturists cannot be computed in dollars and cents. It matters not what are the species, all come in for their share of good. The yellow-billed cuckoo will kill and eat hundreds of caterpillars and worms in one day. Terns and gulls scenting the cod fisheries on Matinicus Island, many miles away, will gather by the hundreds, and eat the cut and torn livers as they are thrown into the sea. Wild geese will devour rodents and lizzards, while the crow and turkey buzzard will appropriate all the carrion within the boundaries of their domains. Horace Greeley used to say "Never kill a crow." We say, further, never kill a blackbird or a yellow-billed cuckoo or a flicker. Flies and insects would ruin the world were it not for the birds. They prevent these dangerous pests from overrunning the land, and the game

laws of this country should be more strict and the people should become more inter ested in their enforcement.-D. Alden Loomis, M. D.

Politeness in Mexico.

Gentlemen in Mexico do some things which would look rather queer here. For example, they tip hats whenever they see each other; they shake hands whenever they meet and part; they do not consider it bad form to stand in line on the sidewalks and stare at the ladies; they wear their hats in a theater until the curtain rises, and, moreover, they put them on between the acts and stand up to look at the audience, and after a separation they embrace and pat each other on the back if they happen to be intimate friends.

They never chew tobacco but smoke everywhere, even in some theaters. They never carry bundles in the street, but each is attended by a servant who carries even the smallest package. They are wonderfully courteous to each other, and two friends will spend a good deal of time in deciding which shall enter a room or carriage first.

Finally, every Mexican gentleman, when strolling on a street, insists on giving the inside of the walk to his companion as a mark of politeness. This point is quickly decided if there is a difference in station or age, but if there is not and the two friends go down a street and cross often, so that the relative positions are changed, a new discussion as to which shall occupy the inside becomes necessary at every corner.

How to Relieve Choking.

Raising the left arm high as you can will relieve choking much more rapidly than by being thumped on the back. And it is well that every one should know it, for often a person gets choked while eating when there is no one near to thump him. Very frequently children get choked while eating, and the customary manner of relieving them is to slap them sharply on the back. The effect of this is to set the obstruction free so that it can be swallowed. The same thing can be brought about by raising the left hand of the child as high as possible, and the relief comes much more rapidly. In happenings of this kind there should be no alarm manifested, for if a child sees that older persons or parents get excited it is very liable to get so also. The best thing is to tell the child to raise its left arm, and immediately the difficulty is overcome.

Correspondence.

All contributions to our Correspondence and Technical columns must be in not later than the 10th of the month to insure insertion.

Articles must be written on one side of the paper only. Noms de plume may be used, but every article must be signed with full name and address of the writer to insure insertion.

We shall be glad to receive articles on any subject of general interest to the fraternity.

All communications are subject to revision or rejection, as the Editor may deem proper.

The Editor does not assume responsibility for the opinions expressed by contributors in this department. C. H. SALMONS, Editor and Manager.

An Evening Prayer.

Tonight, Oh Lord, my heart is sick,
And every sigh I upward heave,
Makes others follow fast and thick,
Until I naught can do but grieve
To think of all life's heavy grades,
And every struggle which I make,
Until my strength with toiling fades,

And weakness does my eyeballs shake.

I'm told that for the likes of me

There is a ceaseless fire below,

Which burns for all eternity,

With flames that most terrific glow,

Because I don't on bended knees
Fire pious guff both night and day,
To greet you, borne on every breeze,
And while most precious time away.

I doubt it, Lord! You wouldn't strike
A chap like me below the belt?
Indeed, it would be coward-like,
If by a pugilist 'twas dealt,
Not talk of you, the King of all!
Whose very self is boundless love;
And who poor sinners to
you call

To dwell for evermore above.

I pay the Church her legal dues,

And do not question where they go;

I seldom do a dime refuse

To soothe a fellow-creature's woe. I toil from dawn till midnight, too, To keep the wolf of want away; What more can any morfal do,

Except neglect such work and pray?

His reverence says that when I die

My weary bones will ne'er be found Where orthodox believers lie

Entombed in consecrated ground.
I don't care nor believe him, Lord;
His heart is good, he's just and true;
A shepherd's fear is in each word
That my poor soul would stray from you.

Most gracious Lord, I'm now too old
To change the tenor of my life.
I'd rather stand the chronic scold
I get each Sunday from my wife,

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their services. Brother Spofford sold his holdings for 40 per cent of their face value and returned to the East, when, on May 17, 1863, he began running an engine on the old Atlantic & Great Western Railroad, now a part of the Erie system. He has an exceedingly fine record, never having been injured, nor has he ever injured any of his train crews.

Brother Spofford became a member of Div. 43 in 1864, and a member of the Insurance Association in 1868. So you see he is one of the oldest members, and is a man that does not know the taste of liquor, therefore he is a firm believer in our motto. He will be 70 years of age on March 16 of the present year.

Brother Spofford is pulling trains 5 and 6 between Meadville, Pa., and Youngstown, O., the Erie's fast New York & Cleveland Vestibule Express, and he also looks good for many years to come; and, as will be seen, on May 17 of the present year, he will have been running here continuously

for forty years. Yours fraternally,

W. E. NICHOLS, C. E., Div. 43.

United States Military Railway.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A RETIRED ENGINEER.

Hood having been disposed of so as to be no longer considered a menace, the line of the Tennessee River was strongly guarded between Chattanooga and Decatur, and the bulk of the army which had been in pursuit of the retreating Confederates was collected with all possible dispatch and transferred to east Tennessee. If the reader will glance at a map of the States and consider the situation at that time in other parts of the great field of action, he will easily comprehend the meaning of this movement.

Grant was hammering away on the east and north of Richmond. Sherman was driving Johnson north through the Carolinas. It was evidently the intention of the enemy to die in the last ditch around their capital. It might be necessary for Thomas to cross the Blue Ridge to close the last gap and be in at the death.

Every available car and engine was put

in service for this movement. The first stage was to Knoxville, 112 miles over the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad. The magnitude of the movement will be realized in a measure when I state that in running back to Chattanooga from Knoxville, 112 miles, in a group of thirteen sections, we met forty trains carrying troops and supplies. Most of the sidings were short, and we had plenty of exercise in "sawing by."

When the movement was well under way, I was again dispatched to the front with the pioneer corps. When Longstreet left the vicinity of Knoxville and rejoined Lee, his return was urgent. He did not take time to destroy much of the track, confining the work of destruction to important bridges. We proceeded cautiously, guarded by a regiment of cavalry marching abreast of the train. The bridge over the Holston, a short distance from Knoxville, was repaired, and except an occasional missing rail or burned culvert there was little to impede our progress until we reached the extreme eastern part of the state, not many miles from Bristol, on the Virginia state line, where we found the end of the rails, on the bank of the Holton, at its headwaters. (The stream known as the "Holston" River, by a recent act of the Legislature, has been declared the main head of the Tennessee River, and may be so designated on late maps.) Our corps of mechanics made preparations to span the stream, but for some cause unknown to the rank and file the work was soon suspended.

At this juncture great events were transpiring beyond the Alleghanies-events long hoped for and prayed for by a distracted and stricken nation. I need not speak of these events; their import is known to all. Suffice it to say that these events were so shaped and timed that the grand movement of which I have written ended in its first stage.

This trip through eastern Tennessee was full of interest and novelty to both the trainmen and the inhabitants of the region. The latter had been deprived of railroad accommodation for many months, and now, for the first time, saw Northern crews

and Northern equipment. They flocked to the stations to meet us, and were doubtless greatly surprised to see a culvert built in an hour and a bridge over a considerable stream built in a day, or less.

With the exception of the Georgia "cracker" down at Marietta, who requested one of our engineers to "toot his kear horn" so his 66 wife could hear it," I never saw such verdant, unsophisticated people anywhere as I did in east Tennessee. They were outlandish in manner and in speech. A young lady with whom I

she about the same stature, with sun bonnet and a check apron; a hand of each lovingly joined and swinging, while their free hands grasped a huge piece of gingerbread, which, I suppose, was used up there by the swain in place of ice-cream as a cement to bind their affections together.

When we arrived at the second crossing of the Holston, or perhaps one of its tributaries, near Carter's Station, knowing that we were well guarded, I asked for and obtained permission from the chief of corps to let my fire die and go to bed in the

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BRO. D. J. BROWN, AT HIS CALIFORNIA HOME, SEATED IN THE REAR OF THE PICKET-LINE OF HIS

FAITHFUL GUARDS.

shared my tobacco informed me that "bread co'an was mighty sca'ce up he'a this he'a yere." The people lived mostly on squirrels and corn bread. There was no lack of meat supply, but the exigencies of war had hindered the planting and cultivating of the other staple, hence the "sca'cety" of "bread co'an." We would see standing in the groups that gazed in wonderment at our train a young man and a young woman of perhaps 20. He six feet tall and over, with attenuated body;

caboose with the conductor. We had enjoyed a good supper, and had prospects of a good night's sleep, which was a rarity those days. At 10 all were in the land of dreams except myself. Much picket duty in the presence of the enemy and much hazardous duty since had caused an alertness of the senses and a habit of not allowing all my faculties to become dormant at the same time. I was sleeping with my ears open, and I heard the sound of a locomotive whistle in the distance. Presently

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