Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-04-13
STRANGE FELLow-PAsssNGERs.
! Flock Of Migrating Birds Aiight ON
Ship I'm the !oninn sea.
fYhlIadcIphia Tirnos.l
lYhlladolphla Tlmos.l

One of the most enjoyable lttle trips
which has been taken for many "a DAY was
made by the Scientific club OF vienna,
last autumn. They sailed from lriet c 10
Tunis and hloicrs then took IN the Baienuc
isles and Sardinia and Sicily on their re-
turn trip 30 Europe.
one az the club tolls a singular and
nloasing incident which occurred Oh board
the steamer Mars 10 tho iOnldn sea.
" We were riding upon high sea h3
relates. with no land IN view, only SKY
and wateras far rs the eye could reach,
having lett Corfu the evening before.
What was our AS enlistment on comug up
on deck the following morning to ina
numerous company of lttle gue-l5 or
bird passenger" who had atrlY Il some
time IN the night and We're going To maHe
the Journey gratis.
" About one hundred lttle birds OF the
Heterogeneous species and sizes were cyl
IDENTIFY making their way from africa TO
Furoue. Becoming weak and exhausted
iron thor lon. Fight, they had found
resting-placcs on the lnosta ot Oli snip.
The early morning hours were, however,
too cold FOR thcm--it was a sombre. chilly
day-so The weak. suffering httie creatures
leW down upon the deck. aId. GROWING
close together. stood in the vicinity OF the
chimney or crowded near tuc warm NapoE
which ladiatod from the engine.
1T was there We found them, and .
moro molly Compauy OF the Ieathcre d
tribe could scarcely have been found in nll
Europe Spanish WO0d-chats beam birds,
black martins. mountain hncnrf. edatarts.
common snlpc, yellow water agtills' ana
many other varieties sat sadly SIDE oy sih1
md warmed theTnselycs. while their tiny
heads hung de-poudenty Oh their breasts.
"Some Of thom when revived bv the
heat came oCross the deck % the passen-
gers aud ste he crumbs which were green
.hem from tho table. Considering Their
wratchodurss and detection they grew
Quit. bold after a. time. even venturlng az
last into the ladies' cabin. But we soon
discovered the reasons Tor Ems growing
familiarity.
"Circline high above the steamers
masts were q Aork OK birds Of prey; spar
row-hawks. horned owls. and hoopers, who
came closer and closer each time they cir
cle1 until finally some OF the most ven
/ trlresome actually swoOped down upon the
deck. The liilo birds hew mall directions
fOr protection some of them getting al
most beneath our very feet.
/ "Amarksman of or company shot clever
{ OF these sparrow-hawks. notwithstanding
/ the uneven motion " our ship and the con-
/ slant whirl of the birds overhead. WheT
onportunity offered they caught mp these
+ listle creatures from the deck, carried then
I away in their claws and killed them al
once, either bg sticking their balls into tl'
slender nccks or by striking their head
/ against the edge OF mast. but ON
sportsman appeared Oh the scene eyeri
time. ike q very Nemesis. and shot the
harpies down. During that entire day tn,
4 featheTed invalids were passengers ON the
| Mars.
Perhaps in that time they Undiscovered
I their strength, perhaps the disappearance
Oh the birds OF prey encouraged them, per
I haps they noticed that our snip was TAKING
them every moment from their course
/ due south. aud that they had made q mis-
/ take--enough. ut evening they Left u, II
order, doubtless, 10 seek the Italian coas
T or some Grccian isle. But w0 Will not sOOI
/ forget that days novel episode"