John B. Henderson, R.T.K.
New York.
A Rare Bittern.
"In our reading lesson to-day occurred a reference to a tiger-bittern. Our natural history does not mention it. Can you tell me if there is such a bird? Ella F. Loomis, Steubenville, O." The tiger-bittern is found in the West Indies and in South America, but is rare. It is a trifle smaller than the United States blue heron, and has a bill much shorter. The coloring is most beautiful. From the top of the head to the last row of feathers on the legs it is barred precisely like the Bengal tiger, the stripes of bright yellow showing up in striking contrast to the black. The bars are most regular.
If the skin of this bittern were spread out on the floor at some distance from you, you would assert it to be a portion of a tiger-skin. Like many other varieties of crane, heron, and bittern, this bird is sought for its plumes, and is becoming rarer every year.
The Law She Intended to Practise.
In our day women enter occupations which earlier times thought belonged exclusively to men. The wife of one of the men now before the people as a candidate for President of the United States is a lawyer. At the time of her admission to the bar she was the head of a household and mother of two children. Asked her specialty in law practice, she replied, "Home-rule."