SECOND WEEK] May in 



awkward and querulous night heron exhibits a long curl- 

 ing plume or two. And what a strange criterion of beauty 

 a female white pelican must have ! To be sure, the graceful 

 crest which Sir Pelican erects is beautiful, but that huge, 

 horny " keel " or " sight " on his bill! What use can it 

 subserve, aesthetic or otherwise? One would think that 

 such a structure growing so near his eyes, and day by 

 day becoming taller, must occupy much of his attention. 



The sheldrake ducks also have a fleshy growth on the 

 bill. A turkey gobbler, when his vernal wedding dress is 

 complete, is indeed a remarkable sight. The mass of 

 wattles, usually so gray and shrunken, is now of most 

 vivid hues scarlet, blue, vermilion, green, the fleshy 

 tassels and swollen knobs making him a most extraordinary 

 creature. 



Birds are noted for taking exquisite care of their plu- 

 mage, and if the feathers become at all dingy or unkempt, 

 we know the bird is in bad health. 



What a time the deer and the bears, the squirrels and 

 the mice, have when changing their dress! Rags and 

 tatters; tatters and rags! One can grasp a handful of 

 hair on the flank of a caribou or elk in a zoological park, 

 and the whole will come out like thistledown; while under- 

 neath is seen the sleek, short summer coat. A bear will 

 sometimes carry a few locks of the long, brown winter fur 

 for months after the clean black hairs of the summer's 

 coat are grown. What a boon to human tailors such an 

 opportunity would be to ordain that Mr. X. must wear 

 the faded collar or vest of his old suit until bills are paid! 



It is a poor substance, indeed, which, when cast aside, 



