ROBERT, A. C. F., AND OTHERS.--The common white pigeon is the offspring
of the common pigeon, which is of various colors and markings. By
selecting only the pure white birds for breeding, and rejecting those of
other colors, a strain of blood is established in course of time, so
that the birds will breed true to color.
All taxidermists make use of white pigeons, and the demand is often
greater than the supply. They are used, when set up in various
positions, as emblems of purity and hope at church fairs, Sunday-school
festivals, and by florists. For a large handler of white pigeons,
address Taxidermist, No. 199 William Street, New York city. White
pigeons are obtainable of all dealers in fancy poultry throughout the
country.
Dealers complain about careless packing, and state that much higher
prices might be obtained if the game, fish, animals, and birds were
taken better care of after being caught, and not over-crowded in the
boxes, so that when exposed for sale they would look clean, fresh, and
smooth, as if just caught. Some of the largest dealers in dead game are
at Washington Market, New York city. A very excellent book on breeding
and taking care of pet stock is published by Cassell, Petter, & Galpin,
No. 596 Broadway, New York city. Much interesting and valuable
information can be found in Gibson's _Camp Life in the Woods; and the
Tricks of Trapping and Trap Making_. By W. HAMILTON GIBSON, Author of
_Pastoral Days_. Illustrated by the Author. 12mo, cloth, $1. Published
by Harper & Brothers. This is a perfect manual for youthful hunters, and
contains hints on life out-doors in all its aspects. Shelter, food,
trapping, boat-building, bait, and, in fact, everything a boy needs to
know about the woods and their inhabitants, are considered in this book.
For information about purchasing and disposing of live rabbits,
squirrels, and all cage birds, etc., etc., address Aquarium Stock, 76
Fulton Street, New York city.
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The topaz occupies some distinction among gems. The finest varieties are
found in the Brazils, Ceylon, and the Ural Mountains, either
crystallized or in small rolled masses in the alluvium of granitic
rocks, about the size of a large nut. In color they are commonly white,
bluish or yellowish white, much water-worn, and perfect crystals are
rare. The common kinds are found in many parts of the world. A crystal
nineteen ounces in weight was discovered in the Cairngorm Mountains, in
Aberdeenshire, and some have been obtained in Cornwall and Ireland. The
topaz is rendered very electric by heat and friction; and by this
property it may be readily distinguished from a diamond or ruby, for
which otherwise, when cut and set, it might easily be mistaken.
The topaz of the ancients had a green color, and is supposed to have
been our chrysolite. It was found in the island of Topazios, in the Red
Sea. "This place," says Diodorus Siculus, "was ten miles long, and
called the Island of Serpents, from the number of reptiles formerly
infesting it. The topazion here found was a transparent gem, agreeable
in aspect, resembling glass. No one was allowed to land there under pain
of death, and no boat was allowed to be kept on the island. Provisions
for the few soldiers on guard there were brought at intervals from the
continent. The gem was not discernible by day, its lustre being then
overpowered by the sun's rays, but at night it was conspicuous by its
brightness. The guards who divided the island among their patrols then
ran up, and covered the luminous spot with a vase of equal size. Next
day they would go their rounds, cut out the patch of rock thus
indicated, and deliver it to the proper person to be polished."
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We have five articles in this number to recommend to the attention of
the C. Y. P. R. U. Every little pair of hands that opens YOUNG PEOPLE,
the Postmistress hopes and fancies, has two corresponding little feet
nicely incased in woven stockings without the suspicion of a hole in
them. How did the world ever come to have woven stockings? Look at the
article on our fourth page and see. Three centuries ago William Lee's
observation of the labor performed by four knitting-needles in the hands
of his patient, hard-working wife resulted in the invention of the
stocking-loom. There is no use in telling the boys to read the rest of
Mr. Payn's story. We know they have been waiting breathlessly for a week
to find out what became of Philip Ashton. They are going to take a great
interest, too, in the boy hero of the great floods, "Dad" Little. After
these good things have been read and digested, we want them to pay
particular attention to "Something about Sonatas," by Mrs. John Lillie,
and see how much it will help them in the study and appreciation of
music.
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