Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1884-11-08
SINGULAR FIGHT.
A Flock of Crows Attacksa Wood
chuck.
The Hard-Fought Battle In which the
Birds Were victorious-One Ground
Hog No Match for Fifty
Cawers.
ALBANY On. u Journal
chuck.

.
A woodchuck had its burrow IN an ele-
waited piece of ground at the edge of q field
of buckwheat stubble along the public road
Sullivan County. 1t had been seen occa-
sionally playing in the stubble. A few
days ago flock of crows took up their
quarters in piece of woods near the field.
and have since passed their time feeding
on the buckwheat, which they seem to find
in abundance in the stubble. On Friday
resident of Monticello was driving along
the road when he heard great tumult
among the crows. The entire flock was
conferred about certain spot in the field,
and individual members were darling up
and down and to and fro, and always re-
turning savagely to the Same spot. The
noise of the combined cawing of the fifty
throats was deafening and of that peculiar
character which always denotes that the
crow has more serious business ON hand
than the ordinary duties Of every day life.
The man stopped his horse and looked to
see what the cause Of the tumult was, and
discovered that the woodchuck had wan
dered unsuspectingly into the stubble, and
that the crows, taking ofense at his pres
ence on their feeding ground, had attacked
him in force. The woodchuck was trying
to make his way to his burrow, but, as
sailed on every side by the sharp beaks
and strong claws of the crows, he found
his progress exceedingly slow and painful
Now and then, goaded by some especially
savage dig from a crow, he would make
show of fighting back, but this only in
creased the noise and fierceness of his as
sailants. Fortunately for the woodchuck
he had been surprised by the jealous crows
before he had gone far from his hole. If he
had been set upon in the middle of the field
he would have been killed and doubtless
eaten before he could have reached his
home. As it was, he gradually edged
along to the burrow. The air was filed
with flying fur and feathers. The wood
chuck would have had some show with
dog or two, but the sort of warfare carried
on by the crows was something that rem
dered his best tactics utterly worthless.
After struggle of nearly ten minutes the
poor animal succeeded in dragging himself
to the mouth of his hole, and it needed all
his remaining strength to pull himself
safely inside of it. The crows circled
around and around the spot where the
woodchuck had disappeared, filling the air
with the most hideous cries, but whether of
disappointment or triumph the spectator is
unable to say.
Finally, they all alighted on the ground,
few feet away from the burrow, and ap-
parently held a council of war. They
cawed and strutted about, first one and
then another flying up to the woodchuck's
lolo - lo OH -, he,
movements lasted for five minutes, and re-
suited in two old crows posting themselves
on the fence directly opposite the wood
chuck's hole, and only few feet away
from it. The remainder Of the flock re-
turned to their work in the field, and not
sound was heard from any of them. The
spectator was so interested in the proceed
ings that he waited for half an hour to see
if anything new developed. The two
crows on the fence, where they had been
placed, evidently to give notice if the
woodchack appeared again, remained at
their posts as dumb as oysters. No
change in the situation taking place, the
spectator was about to drive on, when
he heard a cav from one of the sentinel
crows. The man, supposing that the wood
chuck had been unwise enough again to
venture out, expected to see the entire
flock once more hurry to the scene. Such
was not the case. In response to the cry
two crows left the flock and few to the
fence, took the places of the two sentinels,
and the latter returned to the field. The
spectator, unwilling to remain any longer
for fear he might see something done
that would not be believed when he told
of it, drove on. He returned past the field
an hour and half later. There were still
two silent sentinel crows on the fence. Yes
terday he returned with another man to
see what the result of the difficulty between
the crows and the woodchuck had been.
There were no sentinels on the fence. The
men flushed the crows in the field and the
flock to the woods. A visit was made to
the woodchuck's hole. 1t had been "dug
out.n The man who had seen the proceed
ings on Friday at first declared his belief
| that the crows had grown weary Of watt
| ing for the woodchuck to come out and set
| to and unearthed him. There were about
the spot, however, too many evidences OF
the small boy and a dog for this theory to
| hold, and it was abandoned.
| @tltNtAhA Arc onAEC