OUR NATIVE SALAMANDEBS

1119.99 grc the little lizard-like “mug, which constitute _ the ~ sec- ond (and last) group 0! 0111' I111- phlbienst the Salienta (lately das- cribsdin this column) being‘ the first. The popular name for these crest in P. E. Island. ls the "lisazlilfiabut their habits are ver different from those of that anima . whiclv is never aquatic. Many quaint beliefs formerly centred round the salamanders: they were supposed to be immune to fire, and to enjoy a nap among the glowing coals; This startling proclivity led to the name salamander being given to a large-headed poker, which, be- ing made red-hot, was used to light another fire. (My grand arents had one, and it would set t a ‘coal alight, with next to no ‘kindling’.)

Like that of the frogs, the. larval

ls assed

(or tadpole? stage p in fresh water: but while the frog changes its shape‘ very consider-

ably before assuming its adult form. the salamandrine larva from the very first is spindle-shaped, with the head more and more dis- tinct. The four legs are fully de- veloped in the larval stage. again differing from the frog, which for long time has only the two hind- gs as a tadpole.

The smaller salamanders are sometimes known as "Newts" and this name serves to distinguish them from other Canadian am- phibians which are oi larger size.

The following is a key to our IDQClCSZ-v r

Order Urodela: ordinary Salamande

Lizard-like animals. Larvae usu- ally a uatic. 5111s afterwards dis- appear g. an the animal more or less terrestrial.

Fl-mily qalamandrldao

(I) Plethodcn cinerens Green. var. erythronotus Green: — Red- backed Salamander. Rarely 4 inches long. tail and body about the same length, legs very slender. Coloration leer-gray to liver-brown. a broad red band along the spine: sides iight-gra , speckled; belly maxbled. Neit er larva nor adult aquatic. Frequents rotten logts), damp moss, and sometimes gets in

cellars. (2) Diemyctyim vlrldesceul Ihf- iinesque: C m Newt. About

B 1-2 inches long. Brownian-olive- green above, straw-colored or dirty white below. black-s kied. A row oi 8 to 6 scarlet spo , out- lined dark. along each side. In autumn the male develops horny ridges on its hind legs. and its tail fin also develops. The eggs are laid in the water. and the larvae are aquatic and carnivorous, feed-

, lng on mosquito. ‘wrigglers". crus-

taceans, etc. In color they are greenv then as young, brown and terrestrial until they are three years old, when they ~ change to thcii- adult color. and e ua- tlr for the rest of their lves. Synonym, Notophalmus viridescens -. (authority not stated).

(3) Arnblystoma pnnctatum lLinn.) Baird: Spflted Salamander. Our commonest species? About 6 1-2 inches long, of which the tall is 2 1-2 inches. Body broad, de- pressed (flattened) swollen, black- ish above, with a row of round yel- low spots along the sides. Its skin is nctate with small Dflres from wh ch it can exude a milky fluid. The eggs are deposited in water. and the larvae are aquatic for three or four years till sexually mature. when they lose their gills and be- come terrestrial. only returning to the water to d osit their eggs and so commence t e cycle anew. Iii their wanderings they may blund- er into wells. open postholas, etc.

It is probable that these are the

only Salamanders found in P. B. island, but it is advisable to Oiled! uni 11m atnhy that come t6‘ hand, re- aring s" ey" or e urpose. What is known of their fe-hls- tory is interesting, though many details remain to be discovered.

BU TLEIPS “l-IUDIBRAS"

"Samuel Bulter. (1612-1680). poet, the author oi Hudibras”. runs the brief notice in the "King's English Dictionary". To supplement this I can recall only two anecdotes which have a bearing on the subject. King Charles II thought so much of Butler's work that he slept with the book under his pillow: ap- parently the Merry Monarch was addicted to readin in bed, and made sure that no ody would take his book on him! Again. after a wood deal of trouble. a. courtier friend of Butler's persuaded Charles lo grant the aut or an interview, the object being to settle upon a suitable pension. Butler waited in the audience chamber at the ap- pointed time, but at the critical mo- ment. some ladies of the Court came along and took the fickle monarch off to some amusement, leaving the poor poet to cool his heels in the chamber. The pen- sion fell through. to the King's re- lief probably, since he was always short of moneyl

"Hudibras" is a kind 0i sl tick parody oi Cervantes’ "Don t1 xote" in both, the principal charac ers are the knight and the squire, who go in search of adventures. Don Quixote, however, was directed Bzainst the institution of mediaevai rhlvalry which never recovered from the ridicule showered upon it: while Hidlbros la-ys about him at the Puritans and other religious bodies that dominated England during the time that Charles was in exle

The plot is simple: Sir Hudibras and his Squire Ralpho. mount and ride forth. srgz-Rg sr. they do so. l<>r Ralpho is a Presbyler an, and his mast-er believes that all dis- icnters are hvprocrltes. The two are attacked by a crowd with a dancing bear, and after a long and dubious struggle. take the leader 0i their enemies prisoner. and put him

In the stacks. The episode is des-

cribed in serious. mock-heroic lan-

guage that reminds one oi Homer-

But the mob rallies, overpovflrs the

Knight and squire. and after re- leasing t eir chief. leave Hudlbrtu and Rain o in his place. The tab- les thus turned.,f"ame carries the new; of the battle abroad:- "There is a tall long-sided dame

(But wondrous light) yclsped Fame.

That l.ke thin Ghunclion boards

NEWSY -

r s: sosiooas "

I

v e a Ind g widow. to Hu rats .3151 {as-r an argurgiez‘. he lg mic M‘ 59111111 -. Man adventures With Ilants and m clans follow. but the witty dialogue is m; ‘t- traction; not the adventures. There are number-less sayings in- which have come down to us after thelapse oi three centuries. I-Iudi- bras was as. sophisticated as any modern, ‘or "He knglwhwhath what and that's

as As mote-physio wit can fly." He-girds at those sectaries who undo for sins they are in- cl It'd to, By damning those they have no mind t0.”

.R'i"i“i§.‘ 2"“ .3“

- a . one won ers ii he took into considers IUII Hudi- bras’s statement that neither of uur first parents were possessed o; an umbilicus. seeing that they were created and not born?

Butler gave us the most perfect example of Bathos when he wmta

"And, llkea. lobster boll'd, the

morn a . From black to red began to turm" ‘And here is an old saying- ‘Quoth Hudibras. I smell a rat: Rflllillo. thou dost pfflfltléifiiie." sus

A fortune-teller our Kllllht islan informer who seeks

“It”? aled by

to entr hi i to b ki law agsigst dltirlna ion ‘fill n‘ the “If it be. ‘t ne'er e near,

the e v “hook over your Christmas Cards "Tell me but what's the natural cause

Wh or’: a sign no painter draws The ull moon ever, but the half?"

Th" i! l0 My the crescent: a sea-scape pointer, however, gets his bestef cctfrom the full moon shining on the water.

‘rhere is a description of bag- pipc music rather worse than that in one of Shakespeare's lays, but iis humor-like much of e epic- is ten broad for wproduction here!

‘NEWS FROM NEWCASTLE

"WelL-ihe inevitable has hap. 1161} . and we are at war." begins a etter ‘dated Sept 10th from a relative in Newcastle-on-‘ryne. "We For. s scare when an air-raid warn was sounded, just as the Prime inister was telling us we had entered the conflict. Luckily it was a friendly‘ plane. but believe ml. we were understruck, and for the moment seemed not to know what in do. My hubby and I lost no time 1n making our way to the residence of a niece at Inb- le 11111. near Gdteshoad. She has what is an "And "

08 011011 . AR. shelter which is splinter-pros?

You have a Wmng sow by

MABSIIFIELD.

J I CONSERVATION 1

A WEEKLY COLUMN OI’ PRACTICAL OPINIONS 0|’ T!!! VITAL ISSUES AFFECTING THE USES AND ABUSE! 0F NATURAL RESOURCES BY ML LUDIDW JENKINS.

IIUMANE TRAPPING AS PRAC- TICED lN A LARGE CITY

W. A. YOUNG, Managing The Anti-Cruelty Society. hicago

The National Humane Review

Many years ago when I was a school boy tramping through the woods a mile or more to the coun- try school house I carried on a trapping program that today is re- ferred to as "The Farmer Boy and His Traps." 1n other words. I had a string of steel traps which I set for gophers, skunks, muskrnr, mink and some few other animals. Surprising as it seems, I made most of my spending money that way.

Little did I realize at that time that later on in life I would learn that I had been perpetrating a great cruelty upon nature's wild creatures.

For the past dozenpr so years I have been intensely interested iii working closely with Mr. W. E. Sanderson. Wild Life Director oi The American Humane Associa- tion. in his humane trapping ei- forts. During my time with The Animal Rescue League in Boston we started a plan of giv-ng state prizes in addition to national prizes. Upon coming to Chicago I inaugur- ated that program here. The re- sult is that W6 always have a bunch of traps all sizes and dimensions around; many of them are not practical at all, but out of the great mass oi traps representing tre- mendous effort on the part of seri- ous minded people comes an occas- ional trap that has real merit. It is of these few meritorious traps that I wish to speak.

City trapping covers principally three animals: squirrels, cats and do s. Occasionally some other an mal is trapped, but those three are by far the most numerous. Squirrels form the unhappy ha- bit oi gnawing holes into the at- tics of ho and sometimes cause considerable damage. Own-era of these properties are inclined to des- troy them by shooting, poisoning or any way to protect their property. Steel traps might catch them but would be an extremely cruel thing. I have tried many different kinds of traps to catch these squirrels and have finally decided that the trap made by The National Live Trap Company of "To wk, Wisconsin, is the most satisfactory for catching squirrels. We use the small size-place it on a. roof —or on a fence-sometimes sim- ply stand it on the lawn-balt it with a. nut; peanuts will do walnuts are better. The walnut should be drilled and fastened with a. little wire hanging from the upper front part of the trap.

B Dr, Director.

an s to be safe f thing but a direct hit." old people are fairly well to-do: they are retired and have their own home, which they left locked up‘ in charge of the police).

If on write, send the letter to the od address; it will find us wherever we are. All the children and lots of their mothers. as well as old, blind. or crippled people. have been evacuated from N.C."

"It is marvellous how things have been organised and everythi done according to plan. The ias war tauzht us a lesson and we are prepared this time. and woman have their tasks al- lotted and all are of the one mind --I-iltler1sm must be crushed! Folk here have prepared for a four-year war. but Poland, the Germans say, willlnbeéinished inIfour vtvieelrsé‘

' e papers see a an- sda declared her loyalty to the common cause. and all the British En ire and the Mandated Terr- iio es are of the same min ."

"We are having a spell of very

fine weather-almost the best wi- have had this year." - (It must have been a task to evacuate the folk: Newcastle has a population of 273,000 and Gates- hesd. on the other side of the Tyne. has 122,000).

wnsr was wamvc wrru - cnnva

It was the disunion in China that made possible the Japanese invasion. and General Chiang Kai- shek. in rrecent s h. laid bare the callous indifference to the re- sults of their personal behavior that permeated the masses and led to the breakdown. Sa'd the General: ‘The general psychology of our Chinese people could best be described in one word—iistlessness. Our ofilciiils were dishonest and avarlcioust‘ the masses were callous and undisciplined; adults were ignorant and corrupt; youth be- come degraded an intemperate: the rich became extravagant and

luxurious. a": the r became mean and t..orderly.’ A country with such a catal e of vices was

inviting an internat onal crisis; and is an object lesson to other na- 111011.! supposedly on a higher moral p ane.

‘NOTES ON ISLAND rasurs The suifragaeeae

In the creek nearby, is growing the Naked-stalked Mitre-wort, Miteiis nods, a lowly plant with a very slender, flowering-stem which has a tendency to run along the ground. The leaves are rounded or

idney-sha . anddoubly crenate. its proper es are unknown.

That is n t the case with the Golden Bax age, Chrysolplenlnni Amerfcnnnm. for its Latin name tells us of its reputed medical ef- fectiveness against diseases of the spleen. “Ikcuury of Botany" informs us that rspecisa of Chry- sosplehium. closely related to our

lant, isleaien as a salad in the osges district oLrrance. (It is

rtaln however. that the advance c hortlcul . of these od-worid "saiads".) The Golden Saxiirage loves the cool

moist places. and becomes abun- dant where local conditions are sitifable. I

The next of our Baxlfn scene is the Grass of Parnassusu arnasaia palnltris. rut. little plant has an extensive range. North Arnerfca. Europe. North Africa and N. and

squirrels will enter this trap better than any other we have us-sd, and of course by the time

they reach the nut they will have stepped on the trip and be caught inside the cage-unhurt and con- fined so that they may be readily carried out»to the woods. or wher- ever desired.

quents damp meadows and wet rocks. The white flowers. of curi- ous structure, are borne singly on short stalks, and are about an incn across. Parnassus is a. mountain in Greece. and there may be a class- ical story connected wlth the plant.

We are well provided with wild currants and gooseberries in that we have five species of the genus Ribes. They are the Smooth Goose- berry, R. oxyacanthoides; the Wild Black Currant, B. florldum; the Swamp Black Currant, R. lacustre; the Skunk Currant, R. prosiratum; iirlidkthe Swamp Red Currant, It.

r s

Of the Wild Black Currant, Jocelyn, writing in 1672, says Pthey are reasonably pleasant in eating". In Nebraska, says Thompson in 1866. "the fruit is large, mucky, but palatable". On the contrary, Emerson (1875) says the fruit is black. watery and insipid.

A. U. S. Dept. of Agriculture Re- port (1856) says that the fruit oi the Swamp Black Currant is used in Alaska, but classes it as poor." “This fruit seems to be cat/en in Utah.”

The same Report mentions the Skunk or Fetid Currant. “The fruit is black, watery and insipid but it is eaten in Alaska."

The Swamp Red Currant is found in the sum-e regions as the about. in fact it is found in all North- ern countries. Same writers class the fruit as nauseous and unpala- table; from others it has received commendation for Jam-making pur- poses.

The name “Currans" was given to this fruit by Lovell, in 1665: Bacon says “The earliest fruits are strawberries, gooseberries and car- any.

The Smooth Gooseberry is men- tloned among the wild fruits of Massachusetts by Edward Winslow in 1621. "The fruit is small, smooth, purple, sweet and pleas- ant, and much sought by the In- dians of Colored-m, Arizona. Ore- gon. California and Utah." ’I‘hls is the parent of all American cul- tivated gooseberries. Houghierrs seedling was introduced as long ago as 1848.

Reliance, Scandia and Per- fect Choppers. Knives and

Plates and parts.

,F.W. Lamploiigh 8. 0o.

Limited MONTREAI.

WUAsiI. ldiith to Tibet. It ire-

Thls trap is open so that the squirrels can see through it as they enter...consequent they are will- ing to enter. aril they W17 8 traps. htecn squirrels in nine- teen days with one trap is our best record to date.

CATS

We use the same trap with a little larger size for capturing half- starved. semi-wild. abandoned and homeless cats in the alleys. These fellows live on garbage ancl are so frightened of human oeings that it Ls impossible to get 5.0m nands on them. Consequently, they go un- caugnt and uie by inches unless some one traps them. We use meat or iish as bait. A very satis- factory bait is a tablespoon oi sal- mon tied in a piece of gauze and suspended irom the upper front part. of the trap. The same pro- cedure takes place with me cat as with the squirrel. They enter the trap because they can see on all sides of them and are attracted by the food. The door falls shut be- hind them and they are securely caught, yet unharmed. This is very important with cats for many times you will catch someones favorite pet rather than a. poor old be- draggled cat desired. 1n such cases all you need do is open the door of the trap and the pet scapipers home, probably not to bother with any such contrivances again. We have caught literally hundreds of these ha -wild and half-starved clots and kittens by means of this

ap.

DOGS

Those of you working in behalf 0f animal protection who have had no experience with capturing dogs in the middle west, would of neces- sity have a very poor conception of what it takes to capture a dog out in the wide open spaces.

To begin with, dogs in these middle western cities are handled much differently than 1n the eas- tern cities. They are made to g0 0n their own mirch moie...they are outside a. great deal more time . ..they are taught to be more cross as watch dogs. The result is that when they are abandoned. as many times ha pens. or at other times lost, we ave a very wary. susplci dog roaming at large. trusting no one. We find man of these dogs around-durum. s vacant lots forest reserves. If one tries to capture hem byihand. they usually come back with a fleeting vision of a half starved dog dashing madly out of sight. Two three or four men working

together may occasionally ,c one of these unfortunate e- National Live

...m0re often the fail

I appealed to Trap Company to build one of their traps large enough to cap- ture doifs. They built us one not quite as large as my specifications called for; however. this trap has greyed its worth many. many times.

e use exactly the same plan as previously mentioned: use meat as the bait and again, because the trap is so open that the dog can see through it. he will go in after the food. The door snaps shut; there is little or no struggle since the dog 1s not being hurt. I-Ie is securely held in a cage which en- nbles the agent to pick up trap and all and trans rt it to our headquarters. If e wrong dog is caugh cones pet-he is re- leased lust like the cat. ur most spectacular capture was in Calumet City. The dog had been stray for months. The police had tr.ed to shoot it. . succeeded in breaking its leg and let it run. Officer Krueger took our trap out there-set it and within five min- utes from the time he walked away from the trap the unfortunate dog was securely held inside.

We have not succeeded in can-

turing every dog we find, but we have caught dozens of these so- called wild dogs that could not be approached to within mora than rife distance. _ At the present time we are hav- mlf a trap oi this same principle made in sections so that it may be knocked down and conveniently transported.

This trap meets the requirements cl’ humane tapping. First of all. it enables you to catch the anlmal. second. it does not hurt them. Third. 1i permits you to release the unwanted animal. Fburth. it enables you to transport the ani- mal safely.

I offer these few suggestions to animal protective workers for I know that many, many times you are called upon by interested clti-' reps to capture some unfortunate animal You are so often critic- ised because you cannot capture these semi-wild dogs and cats. un- less you have a satisfactory trap and sufficient time to wait until the animal is captured.

rfiuvnn paranoia CPl-No more master-

s s a s en from i e - algae n Flo m1 a Lo vre. Following the recent theft 10f

Watteaws Ulndlfferent. officials have instilled a comprehensive elec- tric alar system,