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IB V n^TDirW PA ATP UUllllViX VXlJ.ii.il Ink OF SOUTH AFRICA'S LITI TLE-KNOWN INDUSTRIES. caring the Ungainly Birds For r Their Beautiful Feathers?Tney Are (julte Savage at Times ?Clipping an Ostrich. Y ! T HE rearing of ostriches for | the sake of their beautiful jH I feathers is an industry of 'which little is known. An attempt has lately been made to imCT port the birds into the United States SB for breading purposes, but it has not BB yet j^Husly interfered with the mdu^^^B {South Africa, where the oshome. give you some sort of an the country m which the livee. It is a country unlike EKK|^fther on the globe. The general ^^ffiflacter is Hat and sandy, relieved by long, low, rocky sierras. EHBaese mountain ranges are the salvaffiBKon of the landscape. Their craggy Rj^Kitlines are carved into a thousand g^Kbrupt and striking forms, their heads are constantly haunted by low lying clouds of vapor, which the contendH ing eun and wind draw together and disperse. Their sides are hollowed SB into ravines, or "kloofs," and painted M" tiv tho clear distance into a perfect I argosy of changing .hues. The apparently parched and sandy Hats are oovered by different varieties of dwarf bush, which are nibbled at by the sheep. 11 A dry and arid prospect, and it is ftard to conceive every inch of it is doaded below with vegetable life ready to shoot after the rains of spring into, a wealth of verdant grasses. Here and there dotted about on these flats can be seen the white farm-buildings nestling among the trees--an oasis in the desert, in fact. These green spots can bo seen for miles away, with the whitewashed buildings glittering in the suu. Foliage is only to be seen around the homesteads and occasionally at an isolated fountain. The veldt all round is cheerless and naked, without so much as a rag of vegetntion to cover it, and the eye hungers for a tree ; the bones or stones stiok painfully out, a sight for the geologist, not the artist. You arrive at the homestead, a DAii aka V\iiiL1inry o i P^UCIiCi XCU'VAlWXk VUliUiu^i "IVU w Bigh of relief, and glad to be out of the blinding glare und sandy plain. On every homestead the same familiar sights meet the eye. On the one side of the house stand the kraah; on the other, the shed and wagon-house. In front stands the dam, adjoining the vegetable garden and lands, with farther away the camp. Behind the house are the chaff-house, tramp-floor, and butoher's shop, where the natives are rationed. In the camp run the large stock, oattle, ostriches, and horses; and on the flats and mountains the sheep and goats. A well fenced and secure inclosure is a luxury in the colony, and is only to .VkA mnf mifVi nn f.Ko voalfVtior form a \the owners of whioh can afford to keep /them in repair, and to place them in ystock of the more expensive kinds. Every ostrich farmer has his camp, p tfhioh varies in size considerably, r from 3000 to 8000 acres, and in it lie keeps his 300 or 500 birds, as well ns a few cattle and horses. A camp is OSTRICH OX NEST. always selected asbeingrthe best piece of grazing ground on the farm, and oapable of holding more stock in proportion than any other part of the farm. Here the bird remain year in and year out, and are only collected and brought together, on the average, once every four months. I These occasions are, let us say, in lune, to pluck prime feathers. By Khose we mean the long whites, numbering from eighteen to twenty in. each keing, eight or nine fancy feathers, find a few long blacks, all taken at the same time. Four months later the stnmps of these feathers are drawn out, and two months later again?that M is, six months after the primes?the short blacks and tail feathers are V taken. Of these it is impossible to K give any accurate number. As a role, you pluok as many as possible withf out inflicting pain on the bird, and at I" ' the same time leaving enough to keep r out the cold. AN OSTRICH FAR51 An ostrioh, lifce most other animals, in its wild state is terribly afraid of man or of any unfamiliar sight, and flees at the appearance of anything new to its ken. When domesticated it becomes docile, and after a time assumes a position of authority and become* master of the situation. From June up to September, or, in fact, till Christmas, thousands or chicks are reared every year, and thousands meet with death every year from some form of accident. Chicks up to twelve months old die from various maladies, but seldom alter they are full grown are they the victims of any sickness, death usually resulting from a broken leg, killed fighting, or from scarcity of food in times ot drought. \ The nest of the ostrich is a very g crude affair, consisting -imply of a xound hollow carved jut :n the sauuy ground. Sometimes :ht female bird may be seen scratching in the ground preparatory to laying htr first egg; but this is not ofttn the case, the hollow generally being made by the continuous sitting of the birds on the one spot. One pair of birds wiil lay from ten to twenty eggs ; but, as is often the case, three or four birds will lay in the one nest, thus making the number of eggs up to seventy or eighty. These, of course, have to be weede out, as a bird cannot comfortably cove more than sixteen eggs, the remainde being thrown on one aide and left t decay. Forty-fonr days is the recognize time to allow for hatching. When nest is hatched oat the family ar taken out of the camp, and brought t the homestead to be tamed, where the A TftQOP OF OSTKI come in continual contact with th farm hands, and are housed at nigh out of the reach of wild animals. Dur ing the winter they will do well, bu in winter, when food become: scarcer, must be fed morning anc pvfininor on barlev or rane. " ' ??o_ j ~~ ?rIt is during the breeding season tha the male becomes so savage, and hit note of defiance?"brooming," aa th< Dutch call it?is heard night and day The bird inflates his neck in a cobra like fashion and gives utterance tc three deep roare. The first two an abort, but the third very prolonged, Lion-hunters all agree in asserting that the roar of the king of beasts anc the most foolish of birds resemble om CLIPPING 'WITH BAG ON HEAD OK OSTRICH, another almost exactly. When th< birds are properly savage they becorm a great eodrce of amusement?or, af some think, of danger. Certainly, tc be overtaken all on a sudden withoul time for preparation by a cheeky birc is one of the greatest ills flesh is heii to, and might result disastrously tc the uninitiated; but old hands are al ways all there on an emergency. Undoubtedly the best weapon?bar ring a wire fence?is a good stoul stick or blunt pitchfork. As t rule, if a bird means to have your life or die in the attempt, he charges from about thirty yards, when you reoeive him at the bayonet's point. He rushee at you with flashing eye, looking the very embodiment of fury. Drawing himself up to a height of tun feet 01 more, with wings outstretched and hissing like a cobra, he makes four 01 five strikes. You retreat a pace 01 two, so as to avoid the fork piercing through his neck, and hold him off al nrm'c lpnorfch till he learns that hie efforts are useless. Drawing the fork sharply away, you strike him a blow on the neck, rendering him insensible and taking away his breath. This quiets him for a while, till he recovers from his bewilderment and makes a lresh charge, when the fork is again presented. I have seen a bird so savage as to charge seven times in fifteen minutes, twice receiving the prongs of the fork through his neck. On horseback one is even more obnoxious to an ostrich than on foot, but, so long as the horse is not afraid and will stand up to the bird, there is no fear of an accident. As he charges take care to have vour horse well in hand, and as the bird makes his first strike, catch him bj the neck and hold on for all you're worth, till the bird becomes exhausted from want of breath and falls. The female bird is seldom vicious, When she has a nest or brood oi [ IN (JAPE COLONY. young chicks one must be prepared, but her manner of charging and wholt demeanor is a very mild affair com pared to the male's Collecting birds for plucking is al ways a great day on the farm. Orderi are given overnight to the Kaffirs anc Hottentots to catch every available riding horse and have them saddled u[ and ready next morning at sunrise This is done, and every "boy" on th< farm who can find a horse is mounted, and a regular cavaloade enters tht ' camp, under the superintendence of j ''De Boss van de Plants"?the master of the farm. They split up into par. ties of two each, and start off in different directions to drive up the birds I from the remote spots to which the} | have wandered. Warfare, of course, is freely indulged in. It is immateri J al to au ostrich if there be one or fiftj | against him, he fights just as merrily, There exists a traveler's tale at hom< that, as soon as an ostrich catchei sight of a human being, he turns tai and bolts in an opposite direction tc bide his head in the sand. Anothei fallacy, equally devoid of foundation, is the belief that the female leaves hei eggs in the sand to be hatohed out 11 the sun. This is not so. The mal< and female Bit alternately for forty four days: the male at night, thi d female daring the daytime. Aa an ir article of food an ostrich egg is, to my >r taate, the most nauseous of dishes, and o far more suitable as an effective weapon in Chinese aad political warfare than d to grace a breakfast table. a From all one had heard previous to e becoming oneself an owner of ostriches, o the actual plucking of the birds is very j uninteresting and disappointing. The ? s r. CHES IN THE "CAMP." e birds are all huddled together iu a t kraal?when every bird becomes as - meek as a lamb?and are caught one t by one; a bag or stocking is placed ? over the head and neck, while two ex1 perienced natives clip the feathers. taring winter tne Diras must oe ait tended to and carefully watched, as 3 sometimes the weather is -very ini clement for weeks together?the ther. mometer often registering ten degrees of frost?and birds are apt to fall off > in condition. If a bird onco begins J to sink in condition, the greatest difficulty is experienced in getting him f right again, and often no amount of 1 extra feeding will pull him through.? 3 Strand Magazine. Projects of a Queer Genius. Colonel D. W. Hughes is a queer genius who lives in Audrain County, Missouri. He has invented many contrivances of one sort or another in the course of his wandering career, the most important of which is a cornplanting machine. Out of this he made considerable money, but his hopes of a fortune are now founded on an instrument which, by means of X raye, perhaps, will not only reveal the culinary value of egg, but also the gender of their embryonic occupants. Both these things, the colonel says, his invention will do with speed and certainty, and he expects to s?ll one i of the new machines to every raiser of j poultry and every dealer iu eggs in \ the country. j A Freak That Fights With Iilself. i A two-headed snake, hog-nosed? 1 Heterodon Simus?has come from ( Central America into the possession of 1 " E. 0. Fischer. It is four months old, j of a brownish green oolor, and not yet 1 ) a foot long. 1 1 TWO-HEADED SN'AKE. Each head has apparently a separate ] ^ will. The heads fight each other. , They must be fed with milk, raw meat , and blood at one time, or there is war. ( ' Often the two heads are friendly :ind , ' play with each other. The little . ' monstrosity has much strength for its j -J-_ l,? ? ? ttgtt ttiiU D16U. JLia uwuci aco^o iv m a glass case. It likes the warmth of the ; 1 sun, but holds the light in horrojr.? ( 1 New York World. \ k ~ ] The gross debts of Boston at the end < of November, 1896, footed up to $39,- i 549,074.64. I A NEW IRAIL1 i The Wealthiest American Woman's i . Sout' r " E. H. R. I E. H. R. Green, President of the s one of the most important railway mage i wealthy mother, Mrs. Hetty Green, < I which will add to her son's power. Tb > is President, runs from Ennis to Paris : has under way suoceed a consolidation , a new trunk lino between St. Louis a : Qreen become a most important faotor it i Green is the wealthiest woman in the U: ) interests in the South and other parts oi - mated at anywhere from $25,000,000 to a only son, ..... .1. BIR^S ROOST ON ITS BACK. The Gigantic Sunllah of the Pacific Ocean. Around the southern islands of the Santa Barbara group, whero the tides come up and down in fitful measure, is a famous feeding ground for the sunfish of the Pacifio, Mola rnola. This extraordinary member of the family, though standing high in the list of fishes, ia very uufishlike in appearance, resembling some Japanese monstrosity. The fish is more or less oval, covered with a hard skin that is enveloped with a thick mucus. The dorsal fin is large and high, and directly below it extends the anal fin, which resembles it in size and shape. Tail the mola has none, the body apparently being chopped off, a mere ridgf1, controlled by powerful muscles, taking its pla^e and being entirely useless in the sense of a'fai!. Thus equipped the sunfish woul \ naturally be a Blow swimmer, and so lethargic is it that the writer has often approached it in a boat. On one occasion a ooai hook was aooiieu iuu the Kills of a large eunfish, which was caught with little or no resistance. One of the largest specimeas ob* served by the writer grounded on the bar of the St. John's River and attracted so much attention that it was caught and carried ashore where it was provided with red eyes and exhibited as a "sea monster." The tit-a was ten feet high, or that measurement between the tips of the upper and lower fins. A muoh iarger specimen, elsven feet high, was observed in California waters. SUNFISH OF TffH PACIFIO. Off the islands of the Santa Barbnra Channel theise fishes are very common in midsummer, lying at the surface in the choppy sea and apparently exposing their sides to the hot semitropio 3un. When lying in this position, the sea washing ovnr them, they resemble a piece of wreckage, and are, without doubt, so considered by numbers of birds, espeoially the shags, which, when weary from long flight and preferring a diry roost, alight on them and retain their position without alarming the fish. Several birds have been observed resting on a single 3unhsh, ani some of the fishermen assume that ihe fish, being infested with parasites, take this position sither f;o allow the sun to destroy them or thinking that the birds will devour them. In all probability the matter of parasites does not enter into the question as an explanation. The fish enjoys floating at the surface where th e water is warm and the birds ali&ht upon it simply as a rest, just as they would upjn aqy floating object. Sunfish could be caught in numbers oif the islands mentioned, but no use having been discovered for them, LL ? ? mnwlrnf vrnlnn TKni* bUUJ LIU V C UU JLLiailVOU Vuiu^, JLUOII muscles are so hard and elastic that when cot into small pieces and thrown apon the ground they rebound. In one small seaport the writer found that the elastic tissue wan used by the Bshermen's boys in the manufacture of baseballs. The young of snnfish is a singular I looking little creature, hatching from sggs deposited on the high seas, float- | ing at the surface. They were sup- | poBed for many years to be a differ- | ant species, so unlike were they in j general appearance to the adult sun- | fish. .? i ROAD TOG. i i Son to Becomo a Magnate in the j hwest. I GREEN. < i Texaii Midland Railway, will soon be i lates in tho Southwest. Mr. Green's i sf New York, is engineering the deal i lo Midland Road, of which Mr. Green i , and if the plans which Mrs. Green of in terests will be effected by which i nd Galveston will be formed and Mr. i a Southwestern railroad affairs. Mrt nited Status. She has large railroad E the country, and her fortune is esti- i $40,000,000. E. H. R. Green is her (Special New York letter.) WHEN the clear, beautifu winter days have fairly set in and the snow-fillec air is bright with gleami and sparkles, the possession of a good, wurm outer garment becomes an abso lute necessity. So, I shall take thii occasion to correct a general impres sion that silk plush is necessarily ai: imitation of sealskin ; on the contrary it is a fabric from which is fashionci some of the most stylish mid-wintei rtrtumAnfo aF fko voor rtri + V* nn nrafan ^IlililDUVliS Wi VUO J *j?i niuu uw j/a wiuu sions to be fur or anything else but silk napped plush, a material of whicl leading tailors are making some o their smartest jackets. A fair idea of such a productioi can be obtained from one of the ao companyinff sketches. This natti little jacket is just twenty-four inchei long, made with the fashionable Ioos< front and lined throughout' with heavj satin. The fastenings are, of course in the shape of a fly, for nothing weari out a plush or a fur garment mor< quickly than to have the button holei out through the material. An Alasst sable head nestles softly among the fui of the long bushy tail that forma the trimmings on each side of the loose front. There never were so many tails used on garments of every description a? are seen this season, and I have come to the conclusion that the foxes have been seriously exhorting the sables tc lose their tails. Literally two dozen of these is no unuaual number with which to decorate the latest models ic boas, while on hats and dresses the BRAIDED TAILC^MAD^ COSTUME. lavorite garniture is a bunch of bushy tails from which peers a bright-eyed bead whose expression implies total indifference to the sacrifice of itself or fellow beasts. Another popular style t)f the moment is to wear a boa or iihort fur collarette over a neat cloth jacket. Both garments are worn in axtreme weather, either one or the ather being left oflf on warmer days, rhe favorite model for such a coat is on the order of the one pictured on tbis page and is called a doublebreasted box-coat. To be in strictly ?ood stvle it must be innocent of trimming save for several rich buttons Mid neatly stitched edges. A charm* ing bit of head gear to wear with this pIjOsu coaj Tiusmisn with fuu his ad? AND TAILS. coat is made of black silk bearer and is trimmed with three bands of velvet encircling the brim and three large black feathers drooping over the left side. Doubtless the best view of the furs can be obtained on the Avenue where all the fine sleighs have been whisking merrily along up to Central Park and flying up Riverside Drive where the sleighing is finer than it has been in many years. But while the snow is falling in the 9 ~ REALM OF STYLE. A MIRKOR OK FASHION FOR DRESSY WOMEN. Smart Gowns Seen on Fifth Avenue ?Novelties in Jewelry Adopted by Fashionable New York Womankind.J North, the orange blossoms and almond shrubs are blossoming in the South. And while we are nestling rkATTDT.i? .n-nw icrrxrn -Rvrrr.TQir nnr paat half frozen ears and nose down into I cosey fur collare, our sisters in Dixie i land are sending North for lighti weight tailor-made gowns suoh as we i wear during May. One exquisitely i dainty frook was ordered by mail last i week by a New York French i woman who is wintering in i Florida. She wanted just such i a gown as can be worn when she p* Ipri? fit^ ml ? ' i \' rn^Uj j*U "* M??. fu i L -rMir, fBdT? 7-^-;J i , |3t CLOTH GOWN TRIMMED WITH VELVET, comes North in April. , So a pretty Scotch mixed material was seleoted, made like the one depicted on this page. The collar and front were made of one of the new brocaded velvets and the tiny buttons that completed the trimming were of jet. Her hat was also made of the flowered velvet and trimmed with a rather stiff Paradise aigrette. The soft Tam O'Shanter-like crown was banded by a fold of glittering passmenterie of jets, mook emeralds and gilt. A chic model in a plain tailor made suit is depicted in one of the accompanying illustrations. I saw this gown worn by a stylish young miss on Fifth Avenue last Sunday morning. It was made of the new shade of green broadcloth and the soft swish of the skirt denoted at once the silk lining. The tight fitting bodice was neatly trimmed with military ornaments made of silk tubular braid. The skirt which was in the latest Paris cut hung beautifully, and altogether it was one of the prettiest costumes I have seen this season. Every article of physioal adornment that we moderns employ is a bequest from ancient Borne. Dame Fashion, however, assumes to regulate their popularity. Necklaces are "oomme il fnut" during one deoade and then bracelets have their turn; sometime enoircling just the wri9t and again, as now, in Oleo patra fashion, entwining the whole upper arm but happily no longer as a symbol of subjection. The up-todatest miss or matron wears from six to twelve circlets of gold and inset gems nestled in the folds of her mousquetaire gloves which are buttoned with jewelled studs in lieu of ordinary J fastenings. This style was noticeably j frequent at the first Patriarch ball of the season, given in the new ball room J of the Waldorf. The debutants took ' most kindly to this pretty conceit, while among the matrons Mrs. William (J. Whitney seemed ablaze with gems, not only on her left arm and on the corsage of her black brocade gown but her beautiiul hair was crowned with a coronet fully six inches tall formed of smfill diamonds and of emeralds, some of which were as large as almonds. Fan chains fashioned of diamonds set in ulatinuui are also a dainty, yet useful fa?l. The settings are so delicate and the gems so close together that even at a short dittance the effect is that of a continuous string of diamonds fastened together in some mysterious manner. , The costumes illustrated herewith were designed by the National Cloak Co., of New York. J What a (<Hiled Dome Costs. A good many persona have been t growling lately aboat the appearance of Boston's chief pride, the gilded State Hoase dome, which used to crown the city before so maDy high buildings were put up, and which still reigns in ? somewhat diminished ma* jesty on the summit of Beacon Hill. The r}r?m? ia l-mlrinc nnitn dincv. and has been so for some time, but there is no likelihood that it will be regilded before the work on the interior has y been finished. This probably'will be / in less than a year, although it has not been definitely deoided. Sergeaat-atArms Adams is of the opiuion that the dome will be regilded as soon as tl^is work is finished. According to precedent-, the dome is not due for & regilding for a number of years to come. The last regilding was done in 1888, eight years ago, and from that time back io the renovation before it was a much longer period, as the lutter took place in 1874, fourteen years before. The average time between regildinga is about twelve years, add has never been less than tGn, under ordinary circumstances, so that in the natural course of things nothing would be done to the dome for at least four years. The work going on, however, and the fire whioh occurred under the dome awhile aga have made it look so bad that it pro- 4 bablv will be recilded as soon as this can bo done safely. The work is one of a good deal of expense, costing usually about $5000. Of this the goldleaf is the principal item, as this usually oosts more than $2000. In the last regilding 392 paokages of the finest leaf were used. Twenty gallons of gold sizing were ' ised in putting it on, and there were 375 days' labor in the regilding alone. Another considerable item is the putting up ani taking down again of tbe staging which the men mast have to work upon. This costs nearly $900, and in the last regilding . there were used 7bl2 feet of spruoe and 295 pounds of nails, while ninety-eight days' skilled carpentry and sixty-three days' ordinary labor were used on the staging alone. The work has to be done with the greatest care, and the workmen ali have to be surrounded with a canvas 6creen to keep the wind I fmm Wnirinff t.ha ornMlaa! ftWftf Tina o o J - ton Transcript. Tree Top Fishery. "John! John!'' shouted tbte rosy little wife of my host in central Florida, from the honeysuokle poroh. "John, if you're going to have fish for suppe? it's time to go op the tree," relates the Philadelphia Inquirer. Well, now, I've fished for all sorts of fish and in some odd places, but thus far I never climbed into a tree to get them, but I didn't ask any foolish questions. John simply replied over his shoulder, "AH]right!" and we continued our walk among the frosfcblackened orange trees, which were just beginning to recover, those that were alive at all, from the havoc of' the preceding winter. .We passed beyond the plantation and through the aool shadows of a "hammock," where cypress and pal- ' metto trees were matted together and a winding creek was bridged with a single log. Somewhere alonsj the path John picked np his rod and a oan of bait. Then we oame out upon the edge of the bayou. Lazy alligators floated at a little distance or stuck their noses oat from their mad beds in the rashes, and naming satisfied themselves that neither John nor the stranger had a gun they went on dozing serenely. * A heron flapped away and rested himself in a convenient tree. A mocoasin snake rolled from a dry log into the water. None of these incidents disturbed my friend, who led the way serenely to the foot of a big tree overhanging the still waters of the bayou. Up this tree we walked by a regular series of broad steps, and at the top we crept upon a well-fastened platform, thoroughly shaded by the thick drapery of moss ' pendent from the network branches; and, thus ensoonoed, John prooeeded to businoss, and in half an hour we had the finny where-withal for a delicious supper. John enjoyed, and I suppose still enjoys, a practical monopoly of fish ing in that lake, tor no one taeroaboats owns a boat, and, anyhow, the alligators don't approve of boats, the shores are too sedgy and water too shallow for oasting, and "fishing trees" are not found in any considerable number thereabouts. So I borrowed John'q primitive tackle, and thus earned the right *to boast that I had fished, among other methods piscatorial, from a treetop. A uoy nnn a uraw. "Do I know anything out of the ordinary?" replied P. D. Johnston, of Omaha, at the Regent, to the Star reporter's query. "I think I do. I inow a cousin of mine who is certainly out of the ordinary. When he was a baby there did not seem to be any thing about him to distinguish him from other babies, but as the months passed no signs of teeth appeared. He grew to be a good-sized boy of six years, and still no teeth. He lived entirely on liquids, and was taken to a dentist, who attempted to fit artificial teeth in his mouth, but it was impossible. He grew in stature, but not in strength, and an eminent surgeon was called in to make a thorough examination of the boy. He reported that there was no way to fit teeth into him or induce any to grow, and that he must have solid food. After studying tho case thoroughly and finding no parallel, he adjusted a sort of artificial craw into the boy, and ever since that tims he has partaken of solid food, cutting it into small pieces nud digcstiug it upon precisely the same principle that a chicken does."? "Washington Star. Henry IV. as a l'i:rise Slater. Honsf IV., the idol of the French people, was also a king of phrase makers. During one of his tours through Frunce he arrived at a small village oral ordorcd that the most intelligent villager be sent to converse witn him while he dined. When the rustic appeared the king ordered him to take a seat opposite to him at the table. "What is your name?" asked the rnounrch. '\Sire, I am called Gail? lard," replied the peasant. "What ie the difference," said the king, between gaiilard (i. e., a jolly tellow) and paiilard (i. e., a rake)?" "Sire," was the reply, "there is but a tabl? between the two."