Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-10-21
kiInng An rsrIe-owA

|
who wait on her. One Of the greatest
she ever favored me with was the sight
of wounded Magellanic eagle-owl l
shot on the Rio Negro, in Patagonia.
The haunt OF this bird was an island in
the river overgrown with giant grasses
and tall willows, leafiess now, for il
Was in the middle of the winter. Here
/ sought for and found HIM waiting Oh
his perch for the sun to set. He eyed
me so calmly when | aimed my gun
scarcely had the heart TO pull the trig.
ger. He had reigned there so long,
the feudal tyrant of that remote Will
derness! Many water rat, stealing like
shadow along themargiD between the
deep stream and the giant rushes, he
had snatched away to death; many a
spotted wild pigeon he woke on it:
perch at night with his cruel crooked
talons piercing Its flesh; and beyond the
valley on the bushy uplands many a
crested tinamon had been slain on heI
nest and beautiful, glossp, dark-greer
| eggs left to grow pale in the sun and
wind, the little lives that were in then
dead because of their mothers death.
But / wanted that bird badly, and
hardened my heart; the "demOniacal
laughter" with which he had so often
answered the rushing sound of the
black swift river at even-tide would be
heard no more. / fired: he swerved Oh
his porch, remained suspended for few
moments, then slowly fiuttered down.
Behind the spot where he had fallen
was great mass of tangled dark-green
grass, out of which rose the tall, slen-
Der boles of the trees; overhead through
the fretwork of leafless twigs the sky
was flushed with tender roseate tints,
for the sun had now gone down and the
surface of the earth was IN shadow.
There, in such a scene, and with the
wintry quiet OF the desert over 1t all,
found my victim, stung by his wounds
| To fury and prepared for the last SUI
preme effort. Even in repose he is a
big, eagle-like bind; now his appearance
was quite altered, and in the dim, un-
certain light he looked gigantic in size
a monster of strange form and terri
BILE aspect. Each particular feather
stood out on end, the tawny barred tall
spread out like fan, the immense
tiger-colored wings wide open and rigid,
50 that as the bird, that had clutched
the grass with his great feathered claws,
swayed his body slowly from side TO
side-just as q snake about TO strike
sways his head, or as an angry, watch
| full cat moves its tail-tirst the tip OF
one and then OF the other wing touched
| the ground.
The black horns stood erect, while in
the center of the wheel-shaped head the
beak snapped necessarily, producing a
sound resembling the clicking af sew
! ing machine. This was q suitable set
ting for the pair of magnificent furious
eyes, on which gazed with kind Of
| fascination not unmiXed with fear when
| remembered the agony Of panied suf-
fered on former occasions from sharp,
crooked talons driven into me to the
bone. The irides were of a bright
orange color, but every time / attemp-
Ted To approach the bird they kindled
into great globes Of quIvering yellow
flame, the black pupils being surround
ed by Scintillating crimson light which
threw out minute yellow sparks into
the air. When | retired from the bird
this preternatural fiery aspect would
instantly vanish.
English Language and People.
The rapid spread of the English lang
uage and of English-speaking peoples
has been one of the marvels OF the past
fifty years. The following is the most
complete and comprehensive statement
Of the facts in the case which we remem-
Der to have seen in so small a compass:
''The language In which Shakespeare
and Milton wrote was the language of
but five or six millions of people in
their day. and as late as 100 years ago
English was spoken by not more than
l5, 5,0O0, 900 people. At the same period
French was the mother tongue of at
least 30, eco, 900, and German, in one or
other of its forms, was the language Of
from 35, 200, 600 to 40,0O0, 900 people.
This state of affairs is now CON-
pletely reversed. Between forty and
tifty years ago the English language
equaled the German in the number of
those who spoke it, and now the latter
is eft far behind i'll the race. German
is spoken by 10000, 600 persons in the
IN the German empire, 10000 III Bel
GUM, 1900 600 in Switzerland, and is
the native tongue of some 1900, 900 in
the United States and Canada. This
gives a total of about 60, 900, 600 per-
sons who may speak German
"With the French the case is much
the same, but the gain during the past
century has been smaller than that of
German. French Is now spoken bv the
s., ,000, 600 people of France, by 1885,
900 in Belgium, 200, 900 In Alsace-
Lorraine, 6O0,OO0 in Switzerland, l.
500, ,0C0 in Canada and the United
States, 800, 900 in Hsyti, and 1900 900
in Algiers, India, the West Indies,
and Africa; in all about 100000.
English is now spoken by all but
some 500.0O0 of the $1,000, 900 persons
in the British Islands, 50, 900, 900 out of
the SO 100000 inhabitants of the Uni
ted States, 4 600, 900 persons in Canada,
1900, 900 In Australasia. loo, 900 per-
sons In the West Indies, and perhaps
1000, 900 in India and other British
colonies. This brings up the total to
l00, 900, eco. which cannot be very Tar
from the truth.