Telegram-herald., 1890-01-31

Eooa sssaG
To al Inhabitants q great cizies. and
o. ulZnY 9 sellers eve1 "a tLs rural lls-
GrlcLs. the Elscr zlgals su1 soun1s D.
riser WOOD 4nd Geld are quite un known
For during the LolEs " bsu tie slid
lhlnzs - hidden D day are a. lzrse,
snd the birds " boss notes are n0l dis
UBgulshed in the ful chorus OF tle daF
srs a. their sEeeJesr. the majority Il
people are asleep, or az any rate ID bed
Yes the summer uighLs. brief as they
are. are RAJ of life when the darkness II
most complete, win q fUilneas which i
VIVID IA our memory % many of the
sLnal hour passed Ia the meadow 0r
By lonely wood uDder the starliI skv.
Ald hTsE Of al - Ds mentioned h the
amount or bird music 10 be heard al
night by those who are present ~ hear
A. Nor naed one go aheid for all
though some Of the raresJ will only hs
found in tae sohEudes-for some Of the
songsters in the stlIly night pour forth
their music no the garden that one
compensation, however duh or common
place the locality. 70 IA who really -live
in the country.
NIGHTS SWIFT Singles.
The nightingale, as every one knows.
- q night singer, whose exquisite gush
of melody in the ivory moonlight,
while the air Is fragrant with the dewy
flowers. is subJlv soft enough to touch
the dullest hearts with some echoes Of
romance.
beginning nearest home. IN the quaint
garden, the shrin vet soft and vivacious
trilling OF the whiterhroat meets the ear
"A bird not very generally known, but
haunter IL the same spot year after
y.ear. loving well an evergreen on lawn
as a home. az whose base its we'll feath-
cred nest Is built IL Is a bird Of lively
song, contrasting in the moonlight with
the most musical, most melancholy fut-
ing OF the nightingale.
Step forth from the garden. and ira
verse the more remote ground by seques-
tered coppice or double hedgerow. where
ancient trees entwine, and the rich music
Of that shy sonCster the woodlark, which
Is as little popularity known as its rcla-
tive tho skylark Is, generally floats out
on the night Cross the meadows, over
which echoes in every direction the
harsh CITY of the landrail, toward the
winding river, ripping through Its rushy
margin on either side. and shining like
silver in the moonlight. Pause, and you
will hear the humble but pretty lay Of
Of the reed sparrow seldom recognized
by day; and what is far rarer. and can
indeed be said 70 have been heard but
by few, the merry carol Of the water
ousel. that snowy breasted little bird
which has such quaint ways, posing mo-
tionless in the day on some rock or stone,
and then darting under water, where. on
the shallow gravel. for brief moment it
can be seen running.
MIDNIGHT PROwLERs.
He who wandcrs in a summer night
ere dawn has shown its earliest sign by
meadow, grove, and stream viii see
strange things, not to be seen, save by
rarest chance, in the hours of day. This
is the time when the otter-littla known
Of fera nature. yet far more plentiful
than supposed, indeed, one high author
ity saws hardly a stream exists now with
out its otter. albeit he be rarely seen
makes his journey for foraging purposes.
Far and away from his "holt" up stream
comes the swift, shadOwy, stealthy am
phibiOus creature. nearly always going
down stream, vet leaving that strong
scent behind wherever he touches shore,
which the hounds hours afterwards dis
cover. He makes his journey, feeds,
and retires again always before dawn.
At certain points no leaves the stream,
and traversing the bank re-enters it fur
ther on. and usually shows a curious
preference-just as the hare viii in the
runs IN . hedge-for tho same precise
spot Of exit and re-entrance. Here and
there be may leave fine FISH with his
pct piece bitt9n out Of the shOulder-the
''otters mark.
Much rarer, bat still, especially in the
wilder and moro solitary parts, to be
met with is the badger. fine young
specimen oe WHICH was found among the
timber loads dcposited some time ago on
"A timber wharf bv the canal at the City
road London. Tho badger burrows i'm
the most lonely and isolated recesses or
woods and hills. and those who have cx-
pl0red one Of tho burrows can say what
q fine specimen of engineering and sani-
tation this cleanly and calum1iatcd
beast-f0r "dirty as badger" Is simply
another complication of popular fall
lacies- presents 10 his superior. man.
The badger is very little seen. being.
perhaps. the most retiring and conserve
tive ~ British beasts, pursuing the even
tenor - bis way much as when CwSar
landed 10 Kent
BJt it IS of his appearance ~ one of
the night wanderers va would speak.
If-ol ara lucky enough - be i0 his lo-
caa-- IN tIa small hours. vou may see a
gra7ish creature cur-us'~ like a littls
bsar w7d3iDE and r-uDtin- IN the
moonlight. very uneasy if o. vour lee
ward. rs i-- scent Is Keen II goes long
distances ~ g. .1at. when humanity and
most ~ f-e animal population with
whrh man is fsmi ssv arc. as CARLYLE
puts BE- Ivir- lr horizontal swstr~s"
Oftra fox asa q -ht traveller IS were
trite to speak. every 1oflT. and especially 2
in che case ~ fowl keepers o~ farm
yards. Knows soo1t him. Wease.s ara
f7ui - gliding across roads. and aiorz
di-chrs -ro. during the witchlcE time.
.-s.