Connecticut western news., 1892-03-03
CATTLE FUNERAL.
HOW THE WILD HERDS OF THE
 PRAlRlES MOURN A DEATH.

is apt to find it anything hut odd, nnlesse there be tree or some other place oi refuge convenient. UT the curious onlook- CT he unusually fleet of foot
 But doubtless the average reader does and perhaps is not inclined to give credit to the psssible existence of such a thing If he has never lived in ! locality where cattle of a more or le~s untaiHrsi disrsi ton are wont 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 w.'rsis seem to indicat~-s ceremony Df nrprning over the nntiinely fate of n departed herd mate. in which every in,iividnsi member Of the band that is within long range ear or noae shot is bound to participate la detail this ceremony consists M sort of walk around accompanied with the most dolefui ear pier-lng and heart rendiny inoans. shrieks and bellowinKs and varied by ponderous paw1ngs in the ground and the most sinyulariy dexter ous tiingings of the resultant dust upon the hacks nf the four footed mnrn~rs
 To observe or participate m x cattle funeral let the curIons mindesi 70 out upon the range. seles.t Smfe sIs,t which is open and affords no obstruction to the view. and frurn which no 'crltter" Is in syht ,
 Having selected snch . spot. let ono Of the "critters" be brought quietly and se cretiy from a distance and without m due ustpntation as bex.oines p,A<.hers upon another mans range, let niin be done to death Let the offal be secreted who're even the coyotes cannot find 1t, and let the ni.ie and flesh oe rxrTled carefully away Then let earth be thrown on the biopi stains to hide ali traces of disturbance nnd lef this all be done so we'll that even the human eye can detect nothing that would reveal what had been done
 rHR LKApER sSiFFs THK WIND.
 Then let the twenty -four nours or even less Ialss unless inde~si there be cattle within mile ar ies,s af the time Of the slaughter But for the purrxAe of illnstratnn sipp,se that twenty four hours, have elapsed. -
 Then snplsrs- \ lat of one or two hun- dresi hes.i of cartle come drifting down over the range to The lr~wxrt of the sput where the slaughter of the day prevlous 0rurred The leaaier of the her,i may be two or three niles. perhaps farther. from the a.eue of bisssi Sud- denly he coninIences to show signs of nneannesa Though the gra,es b~ deep and luxurlant he only feeds . few mo inents continuously lifting his head and tssalnx his horns xs 1T an sneiny was near.
 Suddenly there is . strnng pun of wlnd and IA the nostrils of the lesaier innaie the air transformation occurs like flash of lightning He halts. throws his niuxzle into the air and then rinits most unearthly. prolonged. weirsi meaning shrlek or below It ts like none of the var1ous nui,ses made npon other o<r'asious. but Ras . tone that is ali It's own and which Ia evidently we'll understWsi hy the entire herd
 With another shr1ek which can be uf1<Aiu ttt n httiC Aht fSrn tkkkArE. kuC l.'s4ier breaks mt, Il run. with his tail tn the HIT and with hIs head shaking an zrliy from side to side. followed by all the neinl@rs of the hertl. each adding to the volume of sound that now fills the AIT. AS other anInais feeding quietly at a distance hear the peculiar sounds they. tNI. prlck up thelr ears. then with shrieks they gallop wildly towar,i the exrite,i oand and )o,n It in pursuit of the leader.
 A TERRIFIC scxyR
 That annual quickly arrives at the telItsle spot He snnffs al the gruund. meanwhile flashing his sides with his tail and bellowfng continually Tn manner that suggests the height of rage His eyes flash wildly, the fruth drops rum his Jaws and hecks his neck and b,dy He paws the ground angrily with his hs,ofs, and by dexterons twisting man. ages to cast great nasses of the earth into the air and upon his back.
 The others come racing mp and crowd l.iossely auout the spot where their mate was slam. An inner circle Is formed by the excited animals. with thear heads all to n common center. and these below and paw the ground and rxce around and around until exhausted Meanwhile the others are circling rapid ly about the central cluster and finally displace the earlier arrivals. whercupou they too go throuxh the same perform ance.
 Tho scene ia a terrific one. Horna arc against horus. the bellowtng of the angry animals is deafeninX. the air is filled with dust. the beasts seern xctu- ated each by some particular Inaievo- lent spirit. and their actions appear prompted almost by human understand ing.
 Occasionally the scene of bioodshed will be discovered by some wandering "critter" who has that p,rtiou o< the range to hin,self temporarily, There may he no other cattle within twu or three miles. yet the lone nourner will the pr,1t~iure already de- @ribed. and within a quarter or half an nour he will have been Ioinei by 0thcrs, while ins,de of an hour there will b- . dense mass of excited cattle on the spos. and frpm the range in every directidn others will be seen hurryinx to the scene.
 Altogether cattle funeral is one of the otidest and most interesting sights that can he witnessed by man up . tree. San Francisro Chrunicis.
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