The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-07-02

ted that he Judged ie niefCtinl " XII y
This owl L euyigss and inqutsiuVo bird
hare had uuE follow me ioE mlies
through the vooiN Aliehting on the
ahead q me II looked at me I'LL | passed
and then dew % bes1Fe 20 perch itseli foE
another long stare. The GFUlses habit
Of taking 10 a tree O1 the hrSi alarm
makes ii an easy prey 70 the sportsman, q
4 dog n the least training VIII secure
shots at ten birds out Of do0en. Every
bird OF brOod can be picked OF alone U
carefully followed. The brood generally
remain with the mother TIL fully grown,
and oI(en during the winter, unless press
Cd foe van. q feed.
| Within \ few years ule small broTl
nbbit, common n Virginia, has appeared
In the interior u the STATE, and y gradu'
ally working is way into the northern
tier Of cUuntea II b better eating thAn
the common rabbit, bRg takes to the earth
too rapidly TO afford much sport
OF the birds, which have nearly diSap.
peared before cultivation, the croPblLl
and snow. hunting are common instances
The INST settlers found tie crop'bill
wherever the magnificent white pine
grew. remember Il IS very common,
while the moW.bunting was easily killed
In great numbers. II had a habit Of gath
ering in clusters In sunny hOllOWS; and q
man once told that, when boy, he had
Killed dozens by lying beside q log and
striking among them with q large bush,
1t brecds at The far north and winters In
our dense forests, whence It's sudden and
somewhat mysterious appearance Is
about all that we sec Of II nowadays.
Ployer arc beginning to frequent low
meadows and river banks In the northern
part Of the State where they have not
been observed before
OF rApacious birds "ButeO OOrealis,"
or the red.talled hawk, Is one Of the finest.
The young have beautiful long, loose
plumage, making them seem larger than
the old birds, and they have not the sly
habits Of the older hawks have seen
one keep his perch on stump in spite Of
men and dogs, and even sticks and stones.
If one came too near he dOged laZily, and
looked lnquisitiTGly at the missile where
il fell: OF moved 10 another stump not q
dozen feet away Several large hawks
perch In open fields and watch for mice
and small birds. Sometimes they sweep
slowly over field Of ripe grain, back and
forth, until q mouse or mole Is cSpIcd, but
oflen the small sparrow Is the prey. Rid.
ing once near Saratoga, sparrow was
discovered running EWittly along the
wheel.track, IN front Of one Of the horses,
Il kent lust ahead Of tho horse where we
could sec It plainly for several rods,
When we came 10 a rOugh taDglC Of hazel
bushes and sweet fern 1t d1Tted among
them, and was out Of sight In q moment.
Curious 10 know the cause Of such unu-
Slal conduct we looked right and lett
over the long level Of roads and fields,
and discovered hawk not far away, SIT
ting quietly on stake In the fence.
The cry Of the young hSwkwhen flying
about the nest Is excessively hArsh and
disagreeable, but the long Shrtll scream Of
the parent Is Ccrie and Wild. Sitting still
on the dead limb Of some tall tree II ut
ters its long, low, piercing cry. The
small birds fy softly to coveFts, and every
chirp Is hllBhed, Only the clRmorouS notes
Of tho jay or the Cawtng Of crows, mellow
cd by distance, reach tho car.
1t is mistake to suppose that robins do
not breed in forests Wherever deciduous
trees abound their nests are built and their
young reared.
Rocking idly in the transparent waters
Of a mountain lake, miles away from any
settlement, on one sunny day in July, |
listened in disbursement TO the songs OF
the robins among the hills, Not many
songs, but one great iubilant thrill Of music
filed the air. The effect was indGscriba.
bic, The hills had been thoroughly
burned over and were now covered with
RdCnse growth Ofpoplar, birch, andmaple
and the insect tribes haunting them fur
nishOd food for this army Of song birds.
A hawk swung In largo circles overhead,
and bear had disturbed my sleep the
night before with his gruft "halloo' US he
passed near my camp, but no orchard or
meadow ever rang with bird-musiC US did
that lonely mountain lake. On the top Of
one Of tho Adirohdacls ] looked down
one Of It's prccipitouS sides to where, far
below us lay great hollow full Of
heavy growth of maple, beech and birch,
out Of which rose q chorus Of blended
bird songs that flled tho air with low,
continuous musioal murmur
The whipporwill is not by any means a
shv bird. Ono Of his AvOrile nesting
places l found 10 DO limestone quarry,
where some acres Of Clipped lime rock Is
crossed here and there with roads In daily
use. found the hen setting within SIX feet OF
the road on three mottled eggs, laid among
tho loose bits Of limestone. There Is never
any attempt at nestmaking, but the bare
earth Is preferred 70 moss or grass. Tho
sudden descent Of the whIpporwill Is &C. |
companiGtl by a sound 50 very peculiar
that 1t needs to be heard to be appre- |
ciated. BOtanizlng once near the twi
light Of q summer day In lonely noun.
tain pasture, one came down 80 near me
that | confess 10 a terrible panic and pre-.
cipitate retreat. Tho fern owl, an Eng.
llsh relative Of the whIpporwll, has no
song, but makes the same booming sound
in Us flight lu.
To one listening at night there comes
often faint murInur Of song from the
dark Leaf. canOpled trees. The birds sing
in their slecp, or waking chirp In the
darkness, some Of the ecStRcy OF which
their little lives are full. To these dear
tenants Of fields and forests, summer Is
one long festival. No wonder that they
come carly, and greet our snow.spotted
fields with burst Of song. The changeful
spring with its glimpses ofsunshine, Is the
delicious prelude to jubilee that Is to last
for glorious months, and for which Ma
ture makes haste 10 array with summer
beauty the fields and forests Of the cont.
nent.
rIou - HaoD CooI.