The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-02-12
A CATTLE FUNERAL.
HOW THE WILD HERDS OF THE
PRAlRlES MOURN A DEATH.

A Leader Shifts Decaying Carcass from
Altar and Bolts for the Grave, Followed
by the wingHerd-creaturesC Como
from All Directions.
A cattle funeral may seem an odd
thing to write about, but it is ten times
more sad to witness. If the observer
happens to be on foot in the vicinity Of
the scene of the ceremony, however, he
is apt to find it anything but odd, unless
there be tree or some other place Of
refuge convenient, or the curious onlook-
er be unusually fleet of foot.
But doubtless the average reader does
not know what cattle funeral is like,
and perhaps is not inclined to give credit
to the possible existence of such thing.
If he has never lived in locality where
cattle Of a more or less untamed DISPOSE
.tion are won't to range, he will certainly
never have had an opportunity to learn
by observation any of the peculiar and
notable facts connected with this re-
markable phenomenon of the range.
A cattle funeral, then, is nothing more
or less than exactly what the words seem
to indicate-a ceremony of morning over
the untimely fate of IA departed herd
mate, in which every individual member
of the band that's within long range ear
or nose shot is bound to participate. In
detail this ceremony consists of a sort of
walk around, accompanied with the
most doleful, ear piercing and heart
rending means, shrieks and bellowings
and varied by ponderous pawings in the
ground and the most singularly dexter
GUS fingmgs of the resultant dust upon
the backs of the four footed morners.
To observe or participate in cattle
funeral let the curious minded go out
upon the range, select some spot which
is open and affords no obstruction to the
view, and from which no 'critter" is in
sight.
Having selected such a spot, let one of
the CRITTERS" be brought quietly and Sc
cretly from distance, and without I'M
due ostentation, as becomes poachers
upon another mans range, let him be
done to death Let the offal be secreted
where even the coyotes cannot find it,
and let the hide and flesh be carried
carefully away. Then let earth be
thrown on the blood stains to hide all
traces of disturbance, and let this all be
done so well that even the human eye
can detect nothing that would reveal
what had been done.
THE LEADER SHIFTS THE WIND.
Then let the twenty-four hours, or
even less, pass, unless indeed there be
cattle within mile or less at the time
of the slaughter. But for the purpose
Of illustration suppose that twenty-four
hours have elapsed.
Then suppose lot of one or two hun
dred head of cattle come drifting down
over the range to the leeward of the
spot where the slaughter of the day,
previous occurred. The leader of theI
herd may be two or three miles, perhaps
farther, from the scene Of blood. Sud-
denly he commences to show signs of
uneasiness. Though the grass be deep
and luxuriant he only feeds few mo-
ments continuously, lifting his head and
tossing his horns as if an enemy was
near.
Suddenly there is a strong puff of
wind, and as the nostrils of the leader
1I411O LuO ttl1 q OSSu1o
like a flash of lightning. He halts,
throws his muzzle into the air and then
emits a most unearthly, prolonged,
weird, moaning shrek or below. 1t is
like none of the various noises made
upon other occasions, but has tone
that is all its own and which is evidently
well understood by the entire herd.
With another shrek, which can be
heard for mile and even further, the
leader breaks into run, with his tail in
the air and with his head shaking an
grily from side to side, followed by all
the members of the herd, each adding to
the volume of sound that now fills the
air. As other animals feeding quietly
at a distance hear the peculiar sounds
they, too, prick up their ears, then with
answering shrieks they gallop wildly
toward the excited band and JOIN it in
pursuit of the leader.