The Arizona sentinel., 1890-11-29
STORIES OF ANIMALS.
Queer Creatures of Different Species Make
 Things Lively Tn Connecticut

Queer Creatures of Different Species Make
 Things Lively In Connecticut. 1 Edwin Casswell, a veteran otter and fox nte,' of Exeter and Lebanon, gained distinction the other day by trapping an eighteen-pound black fox. It is not known that black fox was ever killed in Connecticut befo c, and Llack foxes are said to be very rare, even in the regions in which they gre inL Eenous-the northern pa t of ] Amer:.a and northern A;ie. The fox had s;.6y back hair Cas;well had to use much caro in approaching it, al- though It's leg was hrid in big steel trap. 1t lea?ed furious at the hun ter, growing and snapp!ng like dog, whiie tho iron trap clattered against the swamp tussocks. Mir. Cass- well killed the animal with a club.
 A curiosity att"acti great attention in Webster. It looks like fresh water sunfsh, but it is not that, for t is gelatinous mass that shakes like a custard. It was taken from David Wellington's ice pond in Ferryville, and is about eight inches i1 diame- ter F. P. Baker show it in his drug store window.
 h Newinton musk~ats will not allow Mr. Samuel II. Kilbourne to raise
 many pond-,ily blossoms in his private poEd Usually he has acres of the fragrant floating blossoms, but as Iast as tho cup open this year the water rats eat them. The cultivation Of good lilies br.I IS in quite revenue to Con- necticut farmers They sell the flow CTS to boys, who find lucrative mar Let for them at the raj road stations and in villages and cities. Ii some Cne will tell how muskrat may be ex- terminated, h!y<raisers will pay him well for the receipt A steel trap can't do much destruction amid th3 host of water rats. Along many brooks they make hard-beaten paths for nocturnal travel, which d.vergo from the bank interlace each other hundred differ cnt times, and usually leld under Q swect-apple tree or il a fed of rye, oats or corn. The rats burrow along the stream, undermine it's banks, and are 6 nuisance in every way.
 Rattlesnakes steadily increase in Connecticut A few years ago it wa5 rarely that one was ki,lel in the State, but no less than a score have been killed in Connecticut t. $ 5eas0n. At M.ddletown Q hunter makes money at catching the reptiles aai selling the hides, and he extracts t6o Gil and sells that. too. Not a few persons havo nar- -grly escaped bslug 0Itseu by rattlers this year.
 Mrs. Elizabeth Porter aLd daughter had q perl,ous adventu while sittirr under large oak near the Highlands. They were startled by 8 whirring sound directly behind them anu not aT5;;y, but Q moments roIlecti0.i - v.ncci them that it was only tho .-- 2iag cf an insect. Bat tho sound wa ..- pcatCd many ti1ne ;. ,t-L u sccme rr " louder. They aros5 und [ v- cred a monster rattlesnake coilc5 il the gra $ a few feet from them nat evidently was making ready for a deadly spring. Mrs. Porter was bold. She daried away, caught up dried treo bough, and, running back, hit inc rattler powersul bow. At t.e sane instant the serpent sprang at her, but the stick rope led his advances, and, with an angry rattle, he glided off into the thick grass. Both ladies screamed and ran.
 At Bristol a bird has built its nest in the top of the hood over the electric light on Main and Summer streets and is raising a brood, which is fed wi;h the flies and other insects that are lured to and that fit and tumble about the faring ila-:e Tho cd bird makes a long day of it, and both she and tho little ones are well kept. All day until [ nine or ten O cock at night she wheels | about the white light, dasAiag up and down in pu suit of the train of insects that ceasele5sly revolve beneath the iron hood. A, fast as sho catches an insect she is back in the nest, and the young birds celebrate each capture with noisy chirpings:--N. '. Sun.