The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-08-30
THE SANO-HILL CRANE.
An Old Sportsman Tells What He Knows
About Tho Er.Iicsome Bird.

About the FrsIicsome Bird
One of the most delightful hunting
sports that was indulgcd in to large
extent twenty-five and thirty years
ago on the wide, level prairies of Illi-
nois has been forever suppressed by
the encroachmeuts of civilization; /
allude to sand-hiu crane hunting.
There was more delicate skill required
in this sport than in any other kind OF
hunting, perhaps. for the sand-hin
crane is one OF those birds that is
noted for its extreme shyness, and for
acuteness of sight and hearing; and,
therefore, the hunter had to employ
the most skillful artifces to attain any
success whatever in the sport. The
crane is wading bird, nspicuOus in
its makeup for legs and neck as ex-
ceedingly slim and long As those of
the obnoxious animal, genus dude 1t
has long, sharp-pointed bill. long
wings, short tail and short, strong
claws They are very large birds,
some measuring from tip OF bill to the
end of the claws sixty-five inches; ex-
tent f wings niuety-two. and bill
six They are generally OF
pure white color, but some
have n blush gray tint The
sand-hiu cranes frequent marshes,
muddy flats and open plains. migrat-
ing to warm climates in winter and re-
turning TO the North in the summer to
breed They fly usually at night in
large flocks, following a leader in two
diverging lines. at n great elevation,
and ut times uttering loud cries. Their
food consists principally of small
snakes, fish, mice, insects, seeds, roots
and grain. The old sand-hill cranes
used 10 come in immense floclIs in the
middle of October and remain until the
middle of April IL Illinois. and their
familiar cries were heard along the
large slOughs and low, swampy de-
pressions in the vast prairie regions
of the State They fed upon the worms
and fish and ground mice in these
marshes Some very peculiar habits
were exhibited by these sand-hills,
and il seemed that they were divided
into colonies, each OF which had a
leader, whose cry was the supreme
law. In the airy mornings of the
early autumn days large numbers OF
slough and all join in regular quad
rille, forming in couples in due form,
and going through all the intricate
mazes OF this particular style Of
Terpsichorean pleasure as faultIessIy
~ the beaux and bellies in
West End dance. True, some of
the young cranes were awkward. but
the old ones presented all the long
imbed grace of n Mary Anderson in
her dance of Perdita- But while the
flock INDUCED in dancing, the leader
stood alone and still, some distance
away, with head erect, as if n sentinel
To give the cry of alarm on any ap-
proach OF danger. Ana il was only
the most expert hunters that ever. sur
prised the cranes, for their leader was
never unwary. but as watchfuI with
sensitive ear and keen eye as any SOL
der on picket duty. But the ingenious
mind of the hunter finally hit upon a
plan that, coupled with his own pa
tence and practice, was moderately
successful. Horses were trained to
steal softly with light steps over the
long waving prairie grJBs, up to the
spot where the cranes were either
holding dancing carnival or were as
siduously engaged in searching for
food By this means tho horses car
ried their riders within shooting dis
tance OF the cranes, and before the
birds could poise themselves in
preparation for fight the horses
would suddenly spring in their
midst, and the hunters were
thus given excellent opportunity
for fnG shots Hunters had learned
that IL took a moment for the birds TO
poise before flying. But it was an i'm
possibility for hunter to walk within
shooting distance of a flock without
the leader givingh cry Of alarm. Hunt
ers have crawled for n quarter of a
mile through the long prairie grass.
over the wet marsh, mud and black
loan Of Illinois, and when almost
within shooting distance and on the
very tiptoe of expectancy, the leader
OF the cranes would give the alarm
and away the flock would fly to some
adjoining slough. The poor hunter
was left TO dry his clothes, scrape the
mud of and use language not at all
conducive to n devotional frame OF
mind Finally horses were trained to
walk quietly up TO where the cranes
were congregated and rush suddenly
upon Them 1t was a well-known fact
that hunter could ride horseback
almost up to the slough where the
cranes were and they would not detect
him, or at least take him and the ami
NAL TO be one and tho same being. 1t
required long patience tn tram the
horses, but the animals finally came
to enjoy the sport with as much zest,
apparently, as the hunters themselves.
st Louis Globe-D.mocrat-