Morning journal and courier., 1881-09-02
Price Four Cents

distant scenes of feasting to the deep shadow of his WOO dland retreat in the gray dawn Still, the harborer may not trust these men overmuch. Beyond learning from them the cus- tomary haunts of the heaviest parts-for with them only has he any concern-he must rely on his own keen observation. Having given all the deer time to return into the wood lands, he betakes himself straightway to the part where a field of standing corn lies near the covert boundaries It is here that the fattest stag, with noble breadth of beamed frontlet," has been seen browsing on the wheat for nights past and there, in the laziness of his we'll fed ease, he will prob- ably have been daintily nibbling the choic- est morsels within the last hour or two. Luckily there was rain before nightfall, and on ground that but 0 day before would have been too h6rd toShear the faintest trace of hoof print a well-defned ''slot' will be left now. There it is too indistinct for the clos est scrutiny of untrained. eyes to make any thing of, but clear enough to him who reads all these signs if from book. Yet he scarcely pauses to look at it. for he has seen, with swift glance, that it is the imprint of hinds foot A little further on and he stoops to examine an ear of corn that is only half eaten-clear sign that a stag has been there, nibbled at it after his fastidious fash ion, and passed on to another. He can be followed into turnip field, where the roots, simply bitten by him, then tossed disdainful- ly over his head, are strewed in wasteful pro- fusion. Again he comes on clear slot, this time male deer without shadow of doubt, but too narrow at the heel to proclaim good ly stag of 10. and, therefore, proving only of passing interest for the harborer who is in search of noble quarry.
 Mile after mile he walks, now pluneing in. to a deep valley, where brook comes tumb- ling down and foaming over huge brown boulders now toiling slowly up precipitous steeps, whence he looks on the broad chan nel flooded with moonlight and on the dim outline of distant Welsh hills, until the long signing of the Severn can be heard far below, where the surf breaks on huge round ed rocks. Then, by wide detour, he comes back on the further side of wide valley. Daylight is falling full on the ridge as he crests it. and still no signs of the looked for stag have been found. At last his footstep quickens as he catches sight of a rack in the boundary fence, with twigs freshly broken by the passage of heavy deer. There is the slot now three fingers broad at the heel, and the marks of the dew claws where he has ta- ken off for his leap into the covert. Going back a little the harborer finds another slot well defined, and the toes spreading only so much as they do when stag is travelling at a slow trot. Evidently, therefore, he did not mean going on, and will probably be found in the covert below. Still to make sure, the harborer covers all the ground around by slowly narrowing circles, and finding no
 
 in gunshot where the grand old fellow is lying. Then he hastens away joyfully to meet the huntsman and hounds at their try sting-place on CIoutsham Ball, and though many will crowd round him eager to know the whereabouts of the quarry, he will keep his secret from all but master and huntsmen until the tufters have been thrown 1p, found their game, and the chase has begun.
 A Funny Bird.
 From Chambers Journal
 Birds as general rule do not seem to be endowed with great sense of humor; but the hooded crow is an exception. He is brim- full of fun of certain description, delighting in nothing so much as practical jokes; and withal, he is good-tempered, merry and cheerful. The sly cock of his head and twinkle of his keen little eye it is impossible to interpret he is continually meditating trick or mischief of some sort. No bird is easier to tame and he speedily becomes con- fident, but pretty familiar and impudent. We had one in particular for many years. We called him Crabbie, because of his sidelong mode of progression when not on wing. His liberty was seldom restricted, unless he had been guilty of some prank more than usually audacious, and then his punishment would be day or two's confinement, which he greatly hated but he soon managed to coax us into giving him his freedom, and mani Tested the utmost gratitude to his iberator. His moral sense was at least as obtuse as cats. He delighted in stealing, simply, as it seemed for it's own sake, not because he could make any of his plumber. Spoons, needles wire pins of thread, balls of worst ed, little ones shoes and socks, anything and everything that was portable to which he could get access, he would carry off and carefully hide, covering them over with bits of turf and then wiping his bill in the most dissatisfied manner hop away as though he had performed highly meritorious action Alas for the half-knitted stocking which might be left on a chair or table, if Crabbie was about. The wires would quickly be pull ed out and removed and the stocking torn to tatters I caught him once-and an intense ly droll figure he cut-hopping about with pipe in his bill On another occasion he made of with piece of tobacco. We never could make out whether he had any intention of himself trying the soothing effects of the weed. He had, or affected to have, great dislike to bare feet, as the little boys who often came to the house with baskets of sill locks or with messages had but too good req son to know. On the whole, he was on very good terms with the cats and dogs but It always afforded hlm exquisite delight to tease them, particularly to pinch the point Of an outstretched tail, if the owner thereof hap pened to be asleep and pinch of his sharp and powerful bill, whatever pleasure it might afford him to infiict, was no joke to his vic tim.
 What am about to relate will appear to many incredible but having frequently wit messed it I can vouch for it's accuracy 1n every particular Our old cook was most expert dresser of the fine Shetland shawls so well known and so much prized. It IS quite an accomplishment to be able to dress these del icate fabrics, and none but Shetlander can do it properly. The shawl, having been washed and slightly starched, is stretched over the bleaching green, few inches from if,11o Of 1ar1f like pencils, and allowed to dry in the sun. Crabb1e would sit on some wall at 8 little dis tance, intently watching the proceedings of the old cook, who particularly detested him, and with whom he had standing feud. Then he would fly off, and presently return with the very filthiest and wettest clod he could find, and of set purpose drop it upon the shawl, thereby rousing the righteous indigna- tion of poor Meggy, who gave expression to her wrathful and outraged feelings in Ian guage much more forcible than choice; all ot which did not in the least affect Crabb1e or disturb his eduanimity