Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-22
NATURES MURDERERs.
Birds of the Air and Beasts of the
Field which are Constantly at
War with Each Ofher.
ST. .Lnmes Gazette.


In Prof. Newman's letters to the news.
papers he saws that eff we give up the
cruelty of mangling birds with the gun
and leave the little hawks to kill them.
selves with divine dexterity, they will
remain as numerous as now" Surely
imagination is at work here more ten
derby than keenly. Any one who has
spent quiet days on the lonely moors
must have seen sparrow-hawk chasing
a lark. We cannot tell what the lark's
private opinion may be, but to all out
ward appearances it never appreciates
''divine dexterity." Sometimes the lark
gets clean away; sometimes 1t takes
refuge at the feet of a man or in
some friendly cottage; but more often
the poor creatures flight grows
feeble, and the savage enemy stoops and
brings it down. When the captive and
captor reach the ground the divine dtx-
terity makes itself manifest n most
butcherly process of tearing and rending.
Partridges and grouse. which are pursued
by the larger hawks. seem also to suffer
terrible agony during their flight. In
fact, from all observation, incline to
believe that if the birds could be got to
deliver an impartial opinion, they would
declare in favor of swift oblivion given
by the gun rather than in favor of the
long terror of flight and the cruel rend-
ing Of beak and talons. Prof. Newman
may have means of accurately gauging
pathological opinion, but we, the
most part of us, can only form
judgment from common observation.
Those who favor the professors views
of INJURIES operations should try to
spend one long day in some wild place.
They would find that day cycle of
murder Surprising that the place is by
the sea, lie down, first of all, by the side
of some deep break in the rocks, and
watch what goes on as the tide flows in.
The goby turks behind the waving weeds
and daslIes out now and again on his
prey; the dog-crab sidles along and
watches his chances; the black
eel winds sinuously about, with
his villainous eye and his
snaky coils making HIM look like the
very genius of murder. By the time
the gap is completely filled the observer
sees one great battle of species against
species; and he knows that the same
fight is going on in every bay down the
coast.
Inland the same kind of wild work
may be seen by deXterous watching. A
rabbit stumbles hopelessly among the
tussOcks. 1t seems daZed and foredone
A few yards behind comes a tiny brown
creature with white breast and vicious
little teeth; aud the poor rabbit knows
, that there is no escape from this deadly
pursuer. Unless you care to deliver the
rabbit from divine dexterity, you will
see how natures butchers work. The
chased beast begins to run in hating
circles; then it stops and screams, then
there is brown flash, and the weasel is
fixed like an ugly parasite behind the
poor victims ears; then there is
silence. Half an hour after you
will see the rabbit abandoned with a
gaping wound in its neck. If your ter
rier accompanies you, then the rabbit is
saved and the would-be murderer is muir
dered The weasel turns on the dog and
squeaks with thin sound that sets the
teeth on edge; ne also emits an abomi-
nable stencil, which stays long in the
air. The terrier knows that divine dex-
terity must be exercised (not so much
for the purpose of sparing the weasel
pain as for preventing that lively crea-
tnre from getting hold on his jugular),
so he poises a second before striking.
Then he catches the soft little brute by
the middle; there is a swift flpping
sound as the dog shakes his head, and the
weasel flies four feet into the air.
Evolution and training have made this
butcher efficient Watch among the
sloe bushes of some deep ravine. Down
in the hollow there is a red CLEAN as
Reynard works his way among the
sedges He comes into the open, and
you actually see him curl his lip into
queer kind of Mephistophelian smile
He glances over his shoulder, and ad.
vances with wary gait. The innocent
water hen goes on nodding her head and
making little noises, without being in
the least aware of the greedy eyes and
the bare teeth that are flashing so close
behind her. The fox makes his dart;
there is a gurgling scream, and divine
deXterity is once more made manifest
How many more sights and sounds of
| death meet eye and ear in the course of
day and night there isno need to say.
Prof. Newman should go and see; and
he might learn that man is not, after all,
the cruelest of animals.