Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-06-29
TIE WELCOME eulI.
= Time When He Came On provi.
DENTAL Wings.

ne came On Provi
salt Lake Herald
Tnere Is no biped for which the old
.armer or this country has more gem
ne anectlon than the utterly valueless
III marketable sense-sea-OnII
tnls rather petty bird was onite
aoundant in this valley the present
year-in fact, it is stated that onIv
once before were there so MANY. Tn
Tue neids few miles below this CITY. q
week or two ago. thousands of them
CVulo De seen. They followed the
P,o"man along the furTow, and were
almost as tame as chickens. Wherever
enere was a newly plowed field, there
you could see the gull, and as fast as a
Lurrow was turned up the birds would
ny behind the plowman and commence
oevouring the insects which were thus
exposed to sight. They seemed per-
rectly fearless. And they have good
reason to be fearless here. for the
farmer looks on them as his friend.
ana they seem to understand fully that
ne holds them in that light. They fIv
al ABOUT him, within three or four
Feet. and while, perhaps, unwilling to
submit to being caught. thew will aIIow
any other familiarity that can he nrac.
ticed, Tor they themselves take q great
many good-natured liberties. They
VIII not touch grain, or anything that
the farmer desires should remain I'M
touched; they only eat the worms and
insects which are injurious to the soil
and to crops. Years ago a law was
passed making it an offense to kill one
OF these birds. The law is probably
yet on the statute books, but it is liter
ally dead letter, because there has
been no occasion to call the law into
life. a farmer. in fact, any person
acquainted with the habits of the sea
gull, would almost think of wantonly
killing one of his own chickens as of
intentionally harming one of these
queer birds. AS before stated, a law
was passed by the legislature making
1t an offense to kill sea-gull. It was
passed for this reason:
In the second year alter the pioneers
had arrived herein 1848-the large
black crickets common to these noun
famous regions made their appearance
In this and some other valleys in clouds
-hguratively speaking. They did not
ny, but came hopping down the
mountain side in myriads. So vast
were their numbers the mountains
were black and seemed utterly alive
with the great big black ugly things
each one about the size of larg mans
thumb. 1t was at a time when the
crops were promising; everything
looked green; the future outlook
seemed bright, and the heart of the
sun-burned and toil-worn pioneer grew
lighter as the prospects of a plentiful
harvest and greater comforts grew
more and more tangible with each
days growth OF the healthy grain. But
Dlacker than the cloud of coal-black
cr1ckets which came down the moun.
tain slopes in countless numbers. leav.
ing barrenness and desOlation in their
wake, were the clouds of despair which
filed the heart of the weary husband
man as this new and unlocked FOR
curse came slowly but surely toward
the pride, the joy, and the promise of
the early settler-his fields of waving
corn aud grain. The foe was utterly
unconquerable so far as human efforts
were concerned: there was nothing the
heart-sick farmer could do but stand
idly by and see the labor of the season
destroyed. Children gazed with wonder
and terror, women looked with ewes
full OF tears, and strong men watched
with hearts of despair. It was an
awful hour. But loi wonderl The
sky Is filled with large birds; they fiy
toward the scene of the disaster, and
they alight in the fields where the
crickets hold supreme say. Then comes
a change. At once the flocks of birds
begin to eat the crickets. From morn
Till night they continue, never ceasing.
When alled until they can hold no more
they vomit up the black mass. and
again continue to eat the crickets.
This Is kept up day after day, until not
one or the devOuring host is seen. the
crops are saved, and the birds fly away
This bird was the one which could
recently be seen in the fields. and
which was then more abundant than
at any time since the event above
mentioned. 1t was not surprising that
the pioneers should return thanks to
God for his succor, and that forever
after the sea-gull should be looked upon
as a dear friend, to be protected and en-
couraged.
Royal Kindness,