Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-02-15
WHERE THE ROBINS RO9ST.
The Birds So Thick That They Furn.
ish a Staple In the Market.

Charlotte IN C) Observer
For several weeks past large bunch
es of robins have been seen in the
market, and inquiry revealed the
fact that they all came from the
robin roast near Mack Stafford's s
house at Harrisburg, where, for over
three weeks past, large parties have
been making Nightly war ON the
birds with stick and torch. We
heard a great deal of talk about the
roost and the sport the people were
having in killing the birds, and as
the s o'clock train slowed up at Har-
risburg the other night an Observer
reporter stepped off and struck out
for the roost. Getting down into a
long stretch of bottom land, some
thing over q mile from the depot. the
dull, flaming lights ahead piloted us
to the roost. As we neared the scene
of action we found that the roost was
in an immense canebrake. A party
of perhaps forty darkies, besides lot
of white people, were just emerging
with their sticks and torches and
birds, the sport being over for the
night.
The next afternoon, about o'clock,
Mr.. Stafford called us to come out
into the yard and see what was going
on, and it was sight to astonish.
From all directions great nests of
robins were flying across the heavens.
all wlnging their way to the roost,
which was almost in plain view of
the house. For fully an hour one
flock after another went by, until the
whole canebrake was fairly alive
with the feathered tribe. and before
it was good dark large party set out
to make the war upon them. There
were siXty-eight men and boys in the
crowd, each carrying stick and a
torch or a lantern. The eroost having
been reached and action commenced,
the reporter witnessed scene that he
will never forget The canebrake is
about a mile long, and extends con-
siderable distance on either side of
the creek. 1t seemed that each in
dividaal cane was bent down with its
load of birds. The reporter, getting
just inside the edge of the break,
struck at a cluster of birds, and the
futter of wings that ensued was
deafening. From all sides hundreds
of blinded and bewildered birds flew
about, striking against each other and
against canes, making noise that
resemb.ed a mighty wind. All
through the brakes torches cleaned,
men shouted, and the deadly stick
was going right and left. The birds
never left the break, bat flew about
dino confusion h1n fn
the weapons IN the hands of the men,
who Piled them for about an hour
with terrible effect. In the excite
ment of the battle hardly anybody
stopped long enough to pick up all
the slain birds, but went over their
routes when the sport was ended to
gather their game. Our party went
into the brake at Z o'clock, and at s
all were counting over their birds
that lay in piles at each ones feet. A
young man named Query was the
most successful, having killed 156
The lowest number killed by any one
person was forty-seven. The tot4i
number of robins killed by the party
in one hour footed up 2,110 The
nightly battles on these birds have
been constantly going on for fully
three weeks, and yet the number of
robins that swarm the roost does not
seem to abate. The birds flock there
from the adjoining counties, and it
is, on the whole, the most remarkable
robin roost ever known in this sec
ton of the country, affording such
sport as is not INDUCED in more than
once in a lifetime.