Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-12-08
Animals in Wet Weather.
from the London spectator.l

Animals I'm Wet Weather.
| from the London spectator.l
The reluctance with which most human
beings face voluntary exposure to such
(weD weather will account for our very
| limited knowledge of the shifts and de-
vices by which our wild animals endeavor
| to avoid the worst discomforts which IL
brings. But those who are bold enough
to GO forth In all weathers know by expe-
rience that In all but the most open coun-
tries there are generally to be found some
cosey corners to which the rain does not
penetrate, or which, even If not dry, are
sheltered from the direct access of the
driving drops.
Animals, birds especially, while showing
the utmost dislike to endure the storm,
are by no means so clever in the use of
such natural shelters as might be sup
posed. Hsres, as a rule, leave the open
country and seek shelter in the woods; and
stupid as they are in circumstances new to
their experience, as when suddenly chased,
or in avoiding snsres and traps, they show
considerable ingenuity in securing their
comfort. They nearly always make a
form near, but not touching, the trunk of
some large tree. Thus, while securing the
shelter of the stem and overhanging
limbs, they avoid the water which drains
down the main column and forms, as any
one may sse by looking at the foot of q
large timber tree in a mesdow, a tiny ca
nal at the base of the trunk. The writer
has sometimes seen hares not lying in
their form, but sitting up in such places,
80 LII, -. II. IL. l..
hsystack. Where there are no woodlands
they creep under the irregular overhsng-
ing cornice made by the crumbling away
of the mould beneath the roots in the
hedge banks, and there scratch out a snug
and dry retreat.
Rabbits usually keep under ground in
their burrows, only coming ont to feed,
unless their holes are flooded, as often
happens after long course of wet. They
then leave the warren altogether, and lie
out among the turnips, or even on the
open stubbles, huddled up into the small
est possible space, ss If they had lost all
faith in the possibility of finding further
shelter. Rats have the strongest possible
dislike to damp, and on the first approach
of settled wet swarm into the stacks and
farm buildings. Those which spend their
lives along the banks of rivers and brooks
"a semi-squstic breed of land rats which
resemble the true water rats in all but
their vegetarian dist-hsye a simple and
clever resource for wet westher. They
leave their holes in the banks, and go up
into the crowns of the pollard willows
which fringe the streams and line the
hedges; in these they find warm, dry and
we'll drained winter lodgings, safe even in
od-.ic,e; for their powers of swimming
enable them to shift from tree to tree, and
the swarms of snails and insects which
shelter in the hollow trunks provide them
with food for 'rainy day" Foxes often
lie in these large hollow pollards during
very wet weather, and the writer has seen
an otter slip from the crown of one of
them into the Cherwell during an autumn
flood. But foxes more often prefer to lie
still tor hours curled up in the high grass
and brambles in some thick double-fence,
or dry furzs-brake. Sometimes, in heavy
rain, they are SO reluctant to leave their
dry quarters that they do not move until
their disturber is Close upon them; and
the comicsl, half-reluctant and wholly sul-
| Ky look of an old dog-fox, as he stands
hesitating between prudence and comfort,
| should appeal to the most unsympathetic
| sportsman.
Horses aud cattle never look SO misera-
BILE as when standing exposed to cold and
driving rain. Every field in which cattle
| are turned loose should have some rude
hardy the stock. If left to themselves In
a state of nature they would travel miles
to some wellknown bank or thicket,
| which would at least give cover against
| the wind. Shut up between four hedges,
| they are denied alike the aid of human
| forethought and of their own instinct.
/ Bewick's vignettes of old horses or unhap-
| py donkeys, huddled together in driving
| showers on some bleak common, express
q vast amount of animsl misery in an inch
of woodcut. 1t seems strange that no an
| imsl unless 1t be the squirrel, seems to
/ build itself shelter with the express OBJ
ject of keeping off the rain, which they
all go much dislike. Monkeys are misera-
BILE in wet, and could easily build shelters
If they had the sense to do so. ''As the
creatures hop disconsolately along in the
rain" }" writes Mr.. KipiiDg. in his Beast
and Man in India, i" 'or crouch on branch
es, with dripping backs set against the
tree-t trunk as shelter from driving storm,
they have the air of being very sorry for
themselves" But even the ourang -outang,
which builds a small platform in the trees
on which to sleep st night, never seems to
think of a roof, though the Dyaks say that
| when it is very wet il covers itself with
the leaves of the psndanus, a large fern.
| Birds, come of which carefully roof in the
nests in which they rear their young, and
| even, as in the case OF the swallow, choose
some existing roof, such as the caves of q
house or q projecting cliff, to cover the
nest, when built of materials which wet
would destroy, seem incapable of making
a waterproof house for themselves.
Grouse and all the fowl of the open moor
lands go TO the most open and exposed
| spots, in rain avoiding the thick heather
and even the "pest-hsgs," in whose hol-
lows they might find shelter. Partridges
huddle under the fences, or lie on the
driest and bsrest places on the fallows,
| apparently caring less for shelter above
than for dry coil beneath thsm. Rocks
often flock into thick fir trees. or in sum-
mer take refuge in the old and close grow
ing oaks which line the rosdsides. But
the small and helpless birds, yellow-hAm
mers, buntings. chsfinchss and hnnets,
seem quite bewilderrd by the beating
storms. They creep into cart ruts or be-
hind tufts of grass; often they take re-
fuge under tine big Swede turnips round
the edges of the field, where they are so
numbtd and crsmped by cold and wet that
they may be caught by the hand, or are
picked up by stoats and rats, humble and
unconsidered victims of the plague of
rain and waters"
Salvation OIL gives perfect satisfaction
for horses with cracked hesls- G. W. Lee,