44 
THE NATURALISTS’ COMPANION. 
species is also known by the name 
of “Lettuce Bird.’’ In his “Reports 
on the Birds of Ohio,” Dr. Wheaton 
has the following on its nesting 
habits: “The Yellow-bird breeds 
late, with us, usually in July. The 
nest is built in trees. Often the 
shade trees or fruit trees in cities 
are chosen, and they appear to be 
the only birds breeding with us 
whose nest is ever placed in a peach 
tree. It is usually from filteen to 
twenty feet from the ground, and 
built of moss, grass and small vege¬ 
table fibers, thickly lined with vege¬ 
table down. The eggs are five,light 
bluish-white,unmarked. .65 by.52.” 
Will some of our readers give him 
a description of the summer yellow- 
bird through this column. 
YOLCAMOS and EARTH¬ 
QUAKES. 
Many have been the theories put 
forth in • regard to these two great 
phenomina. Here on the Pacific 
coast, seems to be the paradise of 
both, particularly the later. In Lo- 
noma county, not many miles north 
of San Francisco, is a mountain that 
has but recently begun to smoke 
and rumble, and earthquakes are 
abundant. “Is an earthquake caused 
by gases?” Such is the question 
that has been propounded by many 
great naturalists. Proctor says that 
they are not; but that water alone 
is responsible. This seems a very 
reasonable idea of the matter, if we 
look at it in the right light. Sup¬ 
pose an immense quantity of water 
is suddenly precipitated into the 
bowels of the earth. The Water is 
converted into steam ; the steam is 
heated until it expands so there is 
not enough room for it; it then 
either forces rocks, etc., up or in 
forcing a passage along under the 
earth’s crust causes an earthquake. 
If the steam is heated so that it ex¬ 
pands suddenly, and it finds too 
much resistance on each side, and 
cannot face the rocks etc., which 
obstruct its way out, it will open a 
large fissure in the earth, so as to 
allow itself to escape. Steam is one 
of the greatest agents in the world 
—greatest next to electricity, which 
is not yet fully understood. 
Timothy Hayseed. 
TAXIDERMY. 
A serial on preparing and preserving 
animals, birds, reptiles, insects, etc. 
PART 3—BIPEDS. 
SKINNING. 
The best time in the year tor pro¬ 
curing birds, or in fact any animals, 
for stufiBing, is in the spring, for at 
that season their plumage is in the 
best condition. Birds should always 
be shot from behind, if possible, as 
it is less liable to destroy the plum¬ 
age. Immediately after the bird is 
killed the feathers’should be care¬ 
fully raised and some plaster-of~ 
paris put on the wounds to prevent 
the blood from flowing, and a quan¬ 
tity ot cotton inserted in the throat 
and nostrils. The bird is now laid 
on its back on a perfectly smooth 
board, the head toward the left arm. 
Part the feathers from the top to 
the bottom of the breast bone, when 
a broad interval will be discovered. 
A sharp scalpel is inserted at the top 
of the bone and an incision made 
down to the bottom of it, 
