Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1889-09-19
THE sANo-HILL CRANE.


One of the most delightful hunting
sports that was INDUCED in to q large
extent twenty-five and thirty years
ago on the wide, level prairies of ILL.,
nois has been forever suppressed by
the encroachments of civilization; I
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 ssnd-hill,
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 articles to attain any
success whatever in the sport The
crane is q wading bird, conspicuous in
it's makeup for legs and neck as ex-
ceedingly slim and long as those Of
the obnoxious animal, genus dude. It
has a 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 OF wings ninety-two, and bill
six. They are generally of a
pure white color, but some
nave q blush gray tint The
sand-hill cranes frequent marshes,
muddy fats 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 locks. following a leader in two
diverging lines, at a great elevation,
and at times uttering loud cries. Their
food consists principally of small
snakes, fish, mice, insects, seeds. roots
and grain. The old sand-hill cranes
used to come in immense focks in the
middle Of October and remain until the
middle of April IL Illinois. and their
familiar cries were heard along the
largo 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 1t seemed that they were divided
into colonies, each of which had a
leader, whose c"y was the supreme
law. In the airy mornings of the
early autumn days large numbers of
the cranes would congregate around a
slough and all join in a regular quad
rifle, forming in couples in due form,
and going through all the intricate
mazes OF this particular style OF
Terpsichorean pleasure as faultlessly
as the beaux and bellies in a
West End dance. True, some OF
the young cranes were awkward, but
the old ones presented all the long
limbed grace of a 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 a sentinel
to give the cry Of alarm on any ap-
proach Of danger. And it was only
the most expert hunters that ever sur
prised the cranes, for their leader was
never unwary. but as watchful with
! sensitive ear and keen eye as any SOL
der on picket duty. But the ingenious
mind Of the hunter finally hit upon q
plan that, coupled with his own pa
| SASAASO "hA PAoNOAN0p y" GO AnOuOEtSUoly
successful. Horses were trained to
steal softly with light steps over the
long waving prairie grtGs, up to the
spot where the cranes were either
holding dancing carnival or were as
siduously engaged in searching for
food. BY this means the horses car
| ried their riders within shooting dis
lance 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 fine shots. Hunters had learned
that 1t took moment for the birds to
poise before flying. But It was an inn
possibility for hunter to walk within
shooting distance of q flock without
theleader giving a cry Of alarm. Hunt
ers have crawled for quarter of a
mile through the long prairie grass,
over the wet marsh, mud and black
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