One day in July, in company with a friend, I crossed a lake near my home in search of interesting specimens. By chance we came upon the nesting-place of a colony of water turkeys. These birds are abundant here, but this is the first time I ever found their nests. The latter appeared to be several years old and were large structures, nearly flat on top. It was late for eggs, and young birds were everywhere. They were covered with white down, and presented a great contrast to the dark colors of the old birds.
When the boat approached a tree containing young birds they would tumble into the water, a distance of ten or more feet, where they would dive long distances to escape us. The nests were in cypress-trees growing in two or three feet of water. Sometimes as many as a dozen nests were in one small tree. Under these trees we shot two small alligators. Perhaps the alligators knew the birds' habit of falling into the water. We also found nests of the purple and Florida gallinule. I would like to belong to a press association or corresponding Chapter.
Ed. H. Clute.
Lake City, Florida.
Puzzle to Draw.
Two angles acute;
A triangle on rails;
Two little serpents
With twists in their tails;
Two spikes with a bar;
A tall headless tack;
Two angles acute
Which are placed back to back;
A part of a circle
Two straight lines to meet;
Two thirds of a cross;
A circle complete;
And lastly two angles. And do you not find
A character loyal, brave, noble, and kind?
Washington.
Knights in a Far-away Land.
The Table has two devoted members in distant South Africa. Their names are George Uhlig and Ernest A. Chaplin. Writing under date of the middle of February, they say the fruit season is just ended, and that apples are being barrelled for winter, now coming on. Both attend Gill College, to which students come from all parts of the colony, and their favorite games are cricket and football; the former in summer and the latter in winter.
One of them remarks that from a perusal of the Round Table he thinks baseball must be a good game, and that he would like to see a game—the "New York's," for example. Both are fond of farm life, of hunting and fishing. The principal birds are the dove, sparrow, fink, day-breaker, laughing, and mouse birds. Both young men are stamp-collectors. Their address is Somerset East, Cape Colony, South Africa.