The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-04-14
BREAKS THE sPARRows' HEARTS.
Novel Way in Which a Boy and a Dog
EARNED the Chicooo Rountx

Novel Way in Which Boy and a Dog
Earned the Chicago Bounty.
Across the street from where Dick and
his owner live is large vacant lot which
has lately been cleared of trees, many OF
the branches of which were allowed to re-
main on the ground. In the tall grass
which grew up under these branches thou
sands of English sparrows daily congre-
gate to feed on the grass seed and then
perch in the fallen tree tops. About the
time that the law putting price ON the
heads of these winged offenders went into
effect the attention Of Dicks owner was
attracted to this rendezvous of the birds
as first class place to secure sparrow
scalps.
Being without gun he went over to see
what he could do in the way of stoning a
few of them to death. Dick accompanied
him on the hunt, and to his masters dis.
gust made sudden bound in among the
sparrows before he had chance to throw
a stone. If dynamite bomb had been ex-
ploded among the birds their consterna.
ton could not have been greater. They
flew in every direction, as if shot out of q
gun, striking their wings and heads against
the branches of the trees in their wild
haste to get away Dick sneaked off, with
the sheepish look of dog who knows he
has done wrong.
His master turned away in disgust. In
minute or two he noticed that the spar
rows had returned and started to make an
other attack. Dick, who was watching
| the campaign with much eagerness, made
a detour, and coming up stealthily from
| the other side repeated his previous exploit
| before his master could get close enough tt
hit them. The lad then turned his bat
teries on Dick, who prudently kept out Of
range and awaited developments.
The boy walked away, but Dick remained
He had discovered a new diversion. HI
would walk off a little distance and liz
down and wait until the sparrows had
gathered in the branches again, when hi
would creep up slowly and with a sudder
bound pounce down on the sparrows again
This soon began to interest the boy too
He sat and watched Dicks maneuvers fol
several hours, thinking it great fun. Aftel
awhile he noticed that as the sparrow'
flew away some of them dropped to thu
ground suddenly as if hurt and picking III
one which had fallen near him, found i
dead. Before night he had collected near
ly 100 sparrows.
After disposing of his collection at thu
sparrow office next morning and opening
up negotiations for small rifle he re
turned to his hunting ground. Dick hac
preceded him, and he found quite batcl
of dead sparrows as the result of Dick
morning efforts. In fact, the number o
dead sparrows increased daily, and FINAL,
the boys curiosity was arous&1. "What
it what kills 'em?" he asked of sympa
thetic old Irishwoman who keeps a cand
and fruit store in the block, and who's
sales had been largely increased by tn
boys success in sparrow catching. "Shur
it's of broken harrut the puir crathur
die, we murtherin spalpeen, ye. Can't y
say they kape thryin to go to the brush a
the tonne to get boite to ate, an yere ra'
cally haste av a dog kapes huntin Zen
away till the puir things die Of vixashu
and disappointment so they do"
A physician of the neighborhood VIII
has made study of ornithology had hi
curiosity aroused by the strange way i
which the birds died and dissected severs
of them to discover the cause of death. I
his surprise he found the old Irishwon
ans hasty conclusion was correct. In ever
case he found the birds heart was rul
tured Whether this resulted from til
sudden fright which the birds got whe
Dick sprang among them or whether
was from "vixashun and disappointment
; the doctor declines to say.-Chicago Time