58 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
could tell Teddy from Willie, or Dolphine 
from Tedd} r , until shown that in each the 
under shell covering, of a shrimp pink 
color, had distinctly different black 
markings. 
When in due time cold winter sent out 
his forerunner,—autumn,—the three tur¬ 
tles disappeared under the sod for their 
long nap. It was feared the light of their 
young lives would burn out before spring, 
as not a morsel of food were they known 
to have touched. They proved to be 
little barometers, for the approach of a 
warm wave brought one and all out for a 
little paddle in the water and a sun bath. 
On Good Friday there was great joy in 
one anxious heart when her three charges 
appeared and began to search, supposedly 
for food. A small bit of fresh beef put 
On a pin and offered the largest was 
eagerly seized. Then the other two were 
offered some, and in a short time all were 
ravenously eating. After that they made 
.. 
rapid progress in growth; and, as is said 
in early summer one can see the corn 
grow, so one could almost see these three 
mites of turtles grow. Instead of‘‘Good¬ 
morning!” the salutation became often, 
“How much have Teddy, Willie and Dol¬ 
phine grown during the night?” Not 
knowing how such bits of flesh and blood 
should be taken care of and fed, their 
faithful friend visited the Natural History 
Rooms to learn the proper treatment. 
Fresh beef and flies was the food given, 
and it was curious to see their way of 
eating. The meat held in the mouth 
would be quickly torn or shredded by 
fast movements of the little claws, until 
small enough to be easily swallowed. As 
our own sweet babies are weighed often 
to tell how fast they grow, so these baby 
turtles were measured as they increased 
in size. 
Their young keeper grew very fond of 
her pets, and lost all repugnance about 
handling them. They even exhibited 
some intelligence, especially Dolphine, 
who seemed to love to be taken in the 
hand, allowing head, feet and tail to re¬ 
main out of her shell, winking and blink¬ 
ing her little black beads of eves, and, 
when talked to and petted, would stretch 
up her long, slender, striped neck, and 
small snake-shaped head. They were 
like all of their kind, great travelers, but 
had a novel way of going, different from 
turtles generally, being carried in a 
candy-box, well perforated to insure 
plenty of air for the three captives. Also 
they sat in state to have their photographs 
taken for a devoted admirer in far-off 
Egypt; and it was thought they puffed 
themselves up as large as possible, so 
great was their delight in feeling that 
not many of the turtle family could boast 
of sitting for a picture. 
—Helen P. Haskell . 
Bird Paradise. 
There is a place in Germany that one 
might truly call Bird Paradise. This is 
Seebach in the Thuringia Forests, the es¬ 
tate of Baron von Berlepsch. This man 
from the time he was a boy of fifteen, 
has loved and studied birds. He realized 
early that in a country where all old 
trees in forests and orchards are cleared 
away, the birds have no opportunities 
for breeding, and that this is one cause * 
why they are diminishing. For many 
years he faithfully studied nesting places 
and nests of birds that breed in hollows, 
such as Woodpeckers, Titmice, Creepers. 
Nuthatches, Flycatchers, Wrens and 
other European birds until he was able 
to make a nest as well as anv bird could. 
He now found that all woodpecker holes 
for instance, are made on the same prin¬ 
ciple and that the sizes differ with the 
