A CURIOUS BIRD. 



The Museum of Natural History, 

 New York city, has recently added to 

 its many remarkable exhibits a very fine 

 specimen of the long-tailed fowls pe- 

 culiar to Japan. This beautiful and 

 unique creature is now being mounted 

 preparatory to its appearance in "Bird 

 Hall," where, as the only one of its kind 

 in this country, it cannot fail to prove 

 a most interesting object. This particu- 

 lar bird was grown especially for the 

 Museum under the personal supervision 

 of Professor Bashford, Dean of Colum- 

 bia University, who visited Japan a year 

 or so ago. 



The introduction of this breed into 

 Japan is said to have been brought about 



by a Prince of that country, whose im- 

 perial crest was a feather. Every year, 

 so the story goes, he offered a prize to 

 the subject who would bring him the 

 longest feather. 



The breeders all exerted their skill to 

 produce the greatest length of tail feath- 

 ers possible, and from all accounts the 

 results they obtained were quite remark- 

 able. 



Few authentic details of their methods 

 can be gathered, but it is certain that 

 artificial means were not used, selection 

 apparently being alone resorted to. The 

 breed, which is now about a hundred 

 years old, is rapidly dying out, and must 

 soon become extinct. 



Louise Jamison. 



THE SEPTEMBER RAIN-STORM. 



The windy weather brings the driving rain, 



Dripping heavily over sheltering eves 

 Or battering 'gainst the roof and window-pane, 



Knocking like a host of threatening thieves. 

 Below the drops are dancing on the walk 



While the rushing rivulets in haste 

 Toss roaring torrents o'er the road, then fork — 



Speeding to the sleeping meadow waste. 

 At last the chasing clouds are blown away — 



Robins race upon the new-swept lawn — 

 While through the rift above a golden ray 



Sheds the glory of a sunset-dawn. 

 Then o'er the silent pond the swallows whirl 

 While evening skies their sable shrouds unfurl. 



— Frederic Fortune. 



