THE OOLOGIST 



11 



points. Then in March its tongue is 

 single pointed and the count is begun 

 again. 



The Wisconsin Winnebagoes remem- 

 ber the passenger pigeon as the bird 

 which was so plentiful that small boys 

 shot them off the limbs with their 

 bows and arrows. They were called 

 "rooj-kay-ra" meaning was eaten. 

 Their nesting places were called "ho- 

 ma-ray-na," meaning they nestleo 

 there. The mourning dove is called 

 "rooj-kay-wan-wan-kay," or the calling 

 pigeon. 



The Winnebagoes used the tanager 

 in witchcraft procedures which was 

 once a profitable pastime. The Paw- 

 nee explain the origin of this bird by 

 a long story, the substance of which 

 is that, at one time, all the people in 

 a' certain village were transformed in- 

 to animals and birds. Each one was 

 allowed to decide for himself just what 

 animal or bird he wished to be. Some 

 were transformed into coyotes, and 

 ohers into birds of various species. At 

 last a boy said to his sister and wife: 

 "Come, go with me to the timber, 

 where we will stay." My father is the 

 Sun, so we will be red. As soon as he 

 said Sun, the boy and the two girls 

 were turned into red birds. The boy 

 bird was very red, with two black 

 streaks down from the eyes. The two 

 girls were brown with two black 

 streaks down from the eyes. They 

 flew to the timber and that is where 

 we find the red bird. 



The curlew is said, by the Pawnee 

 Indians, to skim over the lonely 

 prairies, keeping continually in ad- 

 vance of approaching hunters, and to 

 twitter its warning to the deer and 

 antelope tha.t their human enemy Is 

 near. 



The swallow is said to be a messen- 

 ger bird, conveying messages from the 

 powers above and the Pawnee utilize 

 him in the ceremony of changing 



names; as after every victory in 

 battle, warriors' names were changed, 

 and they succeeded to the title borne 

 by father or near relative of royal 

 standing, or of high reputation. A 

 sort of ritual is sung, in which the 

 swallow is glorified by a much chanted 

 refrain. The bird is known as "kahah- 

 ree-wis." 



Among the Western tribes of In- 

 dians, the meadow-lark is probably the 

 most highly esteemed of all the small- 

 er birds. The Dakotas have a beauti- 

 ful legend which explains the origin 

 of this bird and accounts for their 

 high regard for the meadowlark. The 

 substance of this story is to the effect 

 that during a time of great famine, 

 while the Indians were camping near 

 a water stream, two spirit people or 

 holy men appeared to them and 

 showed them where to find deer and 

 buffalo. After the people had eaten 

 their fill, they wished to give some 

 meat to the two men, but when they 

 went out to find them, the two men 

 were not at the place where they had 

 been, but there were two meadowlarks 

 in the same spot singing sweetly songs 

 of faith and good cheer. 



These were the first meadowlarks, 

 and ever since that time whenever 

 the meadowlark sings telling of the 

 place where game is to be rouna, or 

 of coming weddings, or of fruitful 

 seasons, or that some in a village or 

 camp will die, whatever the meadow- 

 lark sings is always true; and that is 

 why the people reverence the meadow- 

 larks, and never harm a meadowlark, 

 or the nests or eggs of a meadowlark 

 family. 



Dr. Gilmore informs me that among 

 the western tribes the meadowlark is 

 regarded as an oracle and the Indians 

 attach words of their own to his song. 

 The Hidatsa Indians call the meadow- 

 lark a name meaning scolding woman, 

 for they say that he says such taunt- 



