Morning journal and courier., 1889-07-04
CRANES AS GAME
 BIRDS.
Their Morning Dances, and the Skil
 ztTook te Shoot Them.

Their Morning Dances, and the Skill
 ztTook te Shoot Them.
 From the St. Louis Globe Democrat
 "One of the most delightful hunting sports that was indulged in to 6 large extent twenty five and thirty years age on the wide, level prairies of Illinois," said Col. Sam Knight, "has been forever suppressed by the encroachments of civilization. allude to sand-hill crane hunting. There was more delicate skill required in this sport than in any other kind of hunting, perhaps, for the sand-hill crane is one of those birds that is noted for its extreme shyness, and for acute ness of sight and hearing; and, therefore. the hunter had to employ the most skillful arti6ces to attain any success whatever iu the sport. The crane is a wading bird, cons spicuous in it's makeup for legs and neck as noxious animal, genus dude. It 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 So inches; exsent of wings 92, and bill 6. They are generally of pure white color, but some have bluish gray tint. The sand-hill cranes frequent marshes, muddy flats, and open plains, mi- grating to warm climates In winter and re- turning to the North in the summer to breed. They fly usually ct night, in large focks, following a leader in two diverging lines, ct great elevation, and at times ut tering loud cries. Their food consists prin- cipally ot small snakes, fish, mice, insects, seeds, roots, and grain.
 ssThe' old sand-hill cranes used to come in immense focks in the middle of October nois, and their familiar cries were heard along the large sloughs and low, swampy Impressions in the vast prairie regions of the State. They fed upon the worms and fish and ground rnise in thess marshes. Some very peculiar habits were exhibited by these sand hills, and 1t seemed that they were di- vided into colonies, each of which had leader, who cry was the supreme law. In the airy mornings of the early autumn days large numbers of the cranes would congre- gate around a slough and all join in regular quadrille, forming in couples in due form. and going through all the intricate mazes of this prrticular style of terpsichorean pleasure as faultlessly as the beaux and bellies in West end dance. True, some of the young cranes were awkward, but the old ones pre- sented all the long-limed grace of Mary Anderson in her dance of Perdita. But while tho flock indulged in dancing, the lead CT stood alone and still, some distance away, with head erect, es if sentinel to give the cry of alarm on any approach of danger. And 1t was only the most expert hunters that ever surprised the cranes, for their lead CT was never unwary, but as watchful with sensitive ear and keen eye as any soldier on picket duty.
 "But the ingenious mind of the hunter
 finally hit upon a plan that, coupled with his own patience and practice, was naoder- softly with light steps over the long waving prairie grass up to the spot where the cranes were either holding a dancing carnival or were assiduously engaged in searching for food. By this means the horses carried their riders within shooting distance of the cranes, and before the birds could poise themselves in preparation for flight the horses would suddenly spring in their midst, ! and the hunters were thus given excellent l opportunity for she shots. Hunters had ! learned that it took moment for the birds to poise before flying. But it was an im- possibility for a hunter to walk within
 shooting distance of a flock without thu
 leader giving cry of alarm. Hunters hav' | crawled for quarter of a mile through tht
 long prairie grass, over the vet marsh, mud, | and black loam of Illinois, and when almost within shooting distance and on the very tiptoo 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 al l all conducive to & devotional frame oi mind.
 | Finally horses were trained to walk ! quietly up to where the cranes were congre. l gated and rush suddenly upon them. It was | a we'll 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 animal to be | one and the same being. It required long ! patience to train the horses, but the animals l finally came to enjoy the sport with al
 much jest apparently as the hunters them ' co1roe