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spurgeons Specialty Poses Spec ia l ty Poses This Week's Migrant APRIL 27 - 29 • Limit -- On* Par subject -- Two per family 8x10 SL 'I99 4400 W. SECTION 2 - PAGE 2 - PLAINDEALER -WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26.1978 used hollow trees. Swifts are able to cling to such walls by using their long, sharp claws and stiff, spiny tail feathers. Since hollow trees have become scarce and since chimneys offer an excellent and more numerous substitute, Chimney Swifts are probably more abundant now than they ever were. These swifts use the same inner walls of chimneys for attaching their stick nests. This is accomplished by the use of a special glue-like saliva secreted by the birds. The small twigs for the nest are snapped off of dead branches with the feet as the bird is flying past. Four or five white eggs are laid in the nest and both parents share the ap­ proximate three weeks of in­ cubation duty and nearly three more weeks of feeding the young. You can usually tell when Chimney Swifts are around by their energetic chatterings which are not unpleasing to hear. The birds seem so carefree and ignore almost everything except high-flying insects-their entire diet. Swifts have no enemies as they can either fly faster or out- maneuver anything that would catch them. Since the birds neither perch nor sit on the ground, the only problem they might encounter is starvation which happens occasionally after heavy, prolonged rain storms that clear the air of all insects; however, that is an exceedingly rare event. Like the Purple Martin, the Chimney Swift is another of the handful of species that has benefitted by the presence of man; the main difference, though, is that the Chimney Swift has been able to take advantage of what mankind has done for himself, not what he has done for the birds. Next week; Wood Thrush Make Your Own For maximum enjoyment, eat homemade ice cream, sherbets or ices the same day they are made The ice crystals in homemade frozen desserts are larger than those in commercial ones. The crystals increase in size during storage so that homemade frozen desserts become unsatisfactory during prolonged storage McHENRY Higher Ceiling Legislation supported by ;; Gov. James R. Thompson that £ would expand circuit breaker ° * property tax relief for up to . 35,000 new elderly and disabled "^ taxpayers next year was in- roduced in the Illinois Senate ring April. The bill proposes it the earnings ceiling on qualifying for circuit breaker tax relief be raised from $10,000 to $12,000 per household. "This bill " would at least partly restore the balance between income and costs under the circuit breaker program," Gov. Thompson said. Avoid costly mistakes with some free advice. You've spent a l i fetime building your estate and Country Life's cost-free estate planning service can help you keep it in the family. Our full-t ime estate planning staff can work with your attorney to help you unravel complicated tax laws and distribute your estate--all with no cost or obligation to buy l ife insurance. Wise planning can make sure that more of your estate goes to your children and less to Uncle Sam. So call your Country Companies agent today. The Country Companies. We're a little . different than most insurance people. ® Your [̂Country Companies, Agent COw«T*¥ iiff . COu*TO» MUTU*1 • COO*T«T CA$U*l»* • MIO**FOLCA ANO MAFTIFTC • IMSW«*«C( CHIMNEY SWIFT By Vernon Kleen Drawing by Aura Duke (This Week's Migrant" Series prepared and sponsored by the Illinois Audubon society) The Chimney Swift, often referred to as a cigar with wings, has been appropriately named because it is one of the fastest fliers known. Its normal cruising speed while feeding ranges from 50 to 70 miles per hour; however, over a two-mile course, some individuals have been clocked with a stopwatch at speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour. Chimney Swifts always seem to be in a hurry and are apparently tireless as they remain airborne prac tically all daylight hours. Unlike most birds, they migrate during the day and arrive in Illinois from their south American winter homes during mid and late April; they appear in flocks and are often first detected flying low over open bodies of water. As days warm they spread out to their more expected haunts flying high and low over rooftops capturing all flying insects that venture into their air-space. Although there are many types of swifts throughout the world, and at least four in the United States, the Chimney Swift is the only representative of the family that occurs in Illinois and the eastern United States. It is easily distinguished from the swallows, with which it often associates, by such characteristics as its all dark (sooty) appearance, cigar- shaped body with ill-defined tail, long and narrow wings, and quickness of movement. Each wing is actually longer than the length of the bird's entire body. While flying, it appears that the Chimney Swift is flapping each wing alter­ nately ; however, that is just an illusion. When these birds do rest, they find the vertical inner walls of unused chimneys to their liking. They formerly Lovable® Up-to-Dotes with higher priced looks! • Small group portralta $1.00 each add'l. subject • Adulta or children over 12 yre. $1.00 additional Photgr. Hrs. 10AM to 1PM and 2PM to 5PM No Appointment Necessary • Choose additional portralta from finished photographs at reeeonable prices. Special offer portrait pose our selection but parent muat be preaent for minora on appointed date for portrait delivery at store Homegrown Pearls #4869 "All of You Body Briefer sleeks and controls with "Likesatin" stretch fabric Seam-free bra light­ ly fiberfilled. In white or beige B34-38, C34-38 $8 FREE LAY AWAY I #884 Lace Edged to Plunge Prettily! Fiberfilled cups; stretch all 'round. White. B34-38, C36-38 . $3.59 #874 Lace Parfait is seamless! Fiberfilled; stretch frame. Beige. A34-36, B34-38, C34-38.4.50 Specialty Poses Speclel poses are taken et the aame time as the speciel offer portrait when practical and are available et raeeoneble pricea subject to your approval. 'ftl Style Studio Here, Gans displays the technique used to remove the grown pearl from the clam. The covered pearl is visible just above his left thumb. The sharp knife cuts the inner lining of the shell and the pearl is removed. After approximately four years, the clam produces a perfect attached pearl. The clam pictured above produced two small pearls which are visible in the upper right portion of the inside of the clam shell. If the nucleus had been properly located, the result would be perfect attached pearls which would come white or in colors. The colored pearls were used especially for making jewelry. Keith Sonnichsen McHENRY, ILLINOIS PH. 344-2772 Loren Miller RICHMOND, ILLINOIS PH. 678-6691 #869 Qiana® Nylon Soft Cross is fiberfill lined; all stretch. White. A34-36, B34-38, C34-38 $3 #882 Seam-free Strapless stays put! With underwire, stretch sides; gently fiberfilled. White, beige. A34-36, B34-38, C34-38 3.59 #883 Lace Seam-free Strapless contoured with fiberfill. Underwire, side boning, stretch sides. White. B34-38, C34-38, $4 D34-38, 4.50 SHE) mmm IS* 1*96 * ilii IS* 1*96 * mmmm 4400 W. RTE. 120 - McHENRY 365-4100 DAILY 9-9, SAT. 9-6, SUN. 10-5 Frank Gans, McHenry, was one of four men who operated a pearl- growing laboratory in the area in the HMO's. Above, he demon­ strates the method used to insert a nucleus into a clam, the first step in the pearl-growing process. Pictured above is the Pearl Fisheries laboratory which was located at 823 River road in McHenry. It was the only fresh water pearl-growing operation in the United States at the time and was in existence for 2^-years before the laboratory was moved to Florida. The structure no longer exists; there are now five homes standing on the land once used to grow and harvest pearls. STAFF PHOTOS BY WAYNE GAYLORI) & STORY BY JOE DEHN The most common wild pearls produced by pearl oysters were silver white in color, while fresh water pearls would run the gamut of of every color and shade. "Another difference between 'wild' pearls and purposely grown ones is the fact that the wild pearls would have a foreign substance as a nucleus, such as sand or stone," explained Gans, "while the home-grown pearls would be solid pearl throughout." Unfortunately, there was a great expense involved in operating the laboratory and it was moved to Sanford, Fla., after being in McHenry for only 2^-years. "The fresh-water pearls would take four years to become fully grown," explained Gans, "so it was an expensive process because you had to wait so long for dividends." According to Gans, at Sea World in Florida, a group of Japanese operate a pearl-growing operation very similar to the operation that was in existence in McHenry during the 1930's. "They use the same technique and tools that we used over forty years ago," said the former pearl grower. The fresh water pearls would be of two types. "If the nucleus would be embedded in the meat of the clam, the resulting pearl would be a free sphere," explained Gans, "while if the nucleus touched the shell it would be an attached pearl." Both types of pearls would come in a variety of colors although the sphere pearls would be more valuable. "Although the attached pearls were worth less money they were especially good for making jewelry," stated Gans. Gans has remained very interested in clams and pearls and is now planning a visit to to a Wisconsin home where a man and his wife apparently grow pearls. "I talked to the man and he uses the same method we used in the '30's," announced the McHenry pearl grower, "but he says his method is a secret." Very few residents of McHenry are aware of the fact that pearls were once grown in the area and a pearl-growing laboratory existed on the banks of the Fox river. Pearl Fisheries laboratory was located at 823 River road. It encompassed land now occupied by five homes. Frank Gans, 1502 N. Riverside drive, was one of four men who operated the pearl-growing laboratory and according to him, the experimental operation was unique. "It was the only fresh water laboratory in existence at the time," said Gans, "and was located in McHenry for 2Mryears before moving to Florida." The laboratory was operated by La Place Bostwick, who was later recognized and written about in national magazines as the founder of the fresh water pearl-growing technique. The fresh water technique would begin when divers went into the river in a search for clams. "We would dive into the river and find clams and place them in the pond at the laboratory," said Gans. After the clams were placed in the pond, the water would be taken off the top of the clams. Without water, the clams would begin to open up, enabling the laboratory technicians to operate on them. * "We would place a plug between the shells to keep the clam open," explained the clam diver, "and then use a hat pin to place a mother-of-pearl nucleus under the skin of the mollusk." Gans explained that the mother-of-pearl was a small piece of actual pearl which would be the base for the pearls. "The clam would try to reject the embedded nucleus and would continuously roll it around in an effort to dismiss it from his shell," he explained. After approximately four years, the nucleus would be covered with many layers of a protective secretion which would harden and become a semi-transparent layer of pearl material.