Richland beacon., 1888-02-18
4 TOY NSHIP'S HARD LUCK.
Ovcrrun by Mice, then by HAWKS
Moles. Wcascls Skunks, ana Ra's'


Milford township, Pennsylvania, IS
the champion township OF the state iop
farm and household pests. Since 1888
each wear has been made remark;bie III
Milford by the presence OF Il different
pest, each in great force. In 1853 IL was
field mice. From all parts OF the Town
the farmers reported this little farm nui-
sance SO numerous and destructive that
in some eases entire meadows were de-
stroyed. The mice appeared suddenly,
and mysteriously, as if by preconccrted
arrangement, simultaneously all over
the township, aud Disappeared IN the
same way. The next year, led thitier
no doubt by hope that the field nice
would he there again, hawks came III
formidable numbers, and lowered daiiy
over the town, inspecting every NOOK
and corner of it in search of prey. Inc
field mice. which naturalists say are the
first object of a hawks visit to farms,
not having located themselves IN MIL
ford in 1884, the hawks, not t" he en-
tirelv left in seeking that locality, began
a promiscuous and persistent sami,lin"
of farm poultry yards, and continued III,
practice until there was So little LETT 10
sample that the maraudlng bros ahih-
doned the neighborhood as no longer
worthy of their presence. That INVASION
of hawks in Milford township was the
chief incident in the internal economy
of the Commonwealth that led to the
law in 1885 placing a bounty OF fifty
cents on every hawk killed III the State
As the great number of field nice IN
Milford township H. 1888 was Endoubt-
cdlv the cause of the coming OF the
hawks in 1884. and the consequent p!ac-
in of those birds under the ban rs out
laws of the air, SO did tie unwonteo
presence of the field mice III another
county in 1856 lead directly to the re-
peal of the law placing u bounty on
hawks and the restoring to them OF free
dom to prey where they chose without a
price on their heads. Inc field nice Oh
1886 attracted hawks in great numbers
in time for them to inaugurate whole
sale and united raid upon the little nlea
dow killers, and while the hawks were
, engaged in this laudab!c work of eXter
= mination not single chicken was lost tt
, n farmer or any other person IN that
community. Consequently the cry went
out that it was field mice that hawks
wanted, not chickens; and so the WISE
, and philanthropic Legislators removed
the bounty from that greatly misllnder
!, stood and previously much-lnlured bird
: In 1885, rs the growing season de
yeloped. every farmer who went out t.
1 plough and SOW discovered his field
corrugated by network of sinuous up
d heavals of the earth from end to enc
and side to side of each enclosure. Thes
were announcements that the blind bu
e busy ground mole had prcempted tin
township. and had staked out his claims
n The moles occupancy of the land wa
not for long, however, for on its tral
:. came the deadly and snakelike weasel
e The weasel came in hOrles and worme'
itself into the tunnels of the mole wit
r, such promptness and vim that it was nc
d long before the serpentine mounds
o the turnover were deserted ruins. Bu
Ir the weasel, for the good work he ha
d done for the farmer in the meadow, co
20 lected pay from the poultry yard.
l. the township, and in 1886 he was follow
TT ed by the Mepaitis eha9a. The mel
Is name for Mcphitis chinga is skunk
r came early Ill the season and stayed lat'
d When the skunk at last relieved Milfor
e. of its companionship the poultry yards .
d the town were for a third time poorl
o populated for the coming winter.
Last year rats bore down upon the d
voted town, and it has been rats thel
ever since. These rats are large, gra
and savage. They prefer quarters abol
pigsties, outhouses and barns, but do nj
neglect cellars and garrets. Traps, Pc
y son, dogs and ferrets have been busy f'
months with this myriad of bold, aggre
,, sive rodents. but they are still so hume
u GUS that one day last week a farmer wei
OF to his pig pen aud found his porkers
~ social cOnfab with no less than fit
10 eight immense rats, which were eviden
70 ly but small contingent of an arm
n, which had gone into winter quartz
III there and thereabouts. The farmer h
co three rat terriers, and he put them
4. work in the pig pen. The dogs we
Us gamely to work, and made short wo
a. of the fifty-eight rats, which were calm
IS devoured 10y the pigs as the terriers ki
ne ell them. But the places of the fit
eight were taken by other rats duril
10 the day, and at last accounts the posse
4, sion of the farmers premises was st
Ell a question of warm dispute between hi
and the rats.