The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1893-04-01

The writer has ,sespetimes seen l.ares,
not lying in their FIRM, but sitting up
| in such places, just as a laborer shell
! tiers behind a havst1ck. Where there
are no woodlan6lstSey creep under the
the crnlnblinQ Hwy of the IN Id be-
meath the roots in lie. hedge bal l<s and
there scratch oRkSa snug and dry re-
treat -
Rabbits usually keep under ground
in their Burrows. only coming out to
feed, unlesss their Aples are flooded, as
often happens aftet long course of
wet They then leave the warren Ito
gether, and lie out among the turnips.
or even on the open stubblcs, huddlcd
up into the smallest possible space. as
if they had lost aaITfaith in the possi-
bility of finding farther shelter. Rats
have the strongest possible dislike to
ss&4led ~et&~arR-nso the stacks and
farm buildings Those which spend
their lives along the banks of rivers
and brooi1s-a semi-aquatic breed OF
land rats which resemble the
true water rats in all but
their vegetarian dict-have SIM
pie and clever resource for wet
weather. 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 weli-drained
winter lodgings, safe even in fiood-time;
for their powers of swimming enable
them to shift from tree to tree, and the
swarns of snails and insects which
shelter in the hollow trunks provide
them with food for Il "rauy day"
Foxes often lie in these large hollow
pollards during very wet wea ther; and
the writer has seen otter slip from
the crown of one OF them into the Cher
we'll during an autumn food. But
foxes more often prefer to lie still for
hours curled up in the high grass and
brambles in some thick doubie-fence,
dry furze-bral>c Sometimes, in
heavy rain, they reluctant to
leave their dry quarters, that they do
not move until their disturber is close
upon them; and the coInical, half-rc-
luctant, and wholly suiky look of
old dOg-foN, as he stands hc>itating be-
tween prudence and comfort, should ap-
peal to the most unsympathctic sports
man.
Horses and cattle never look so mis-
cradle as when standing exposed to
cold and driving rain. Every field in
which cattle are turned loose should
have some rude shelter provided, how
ever rough and hardy the stock. If left
to themselves in ii state of nature, they
would travel miles to some bank 81
thicl1et, which would at least give Q. e. .
against the wind Shut up between
four hedges, they are denied alike the
aid OF n If fnrr thought and of their
own instinct Bewi:Ks vlsncttcs OF Old
horses or unhapp, donkeyvs; huddled
together in driving showers on So.
bleak common, express vast amount
of animal misery in an inch of woodcut
1t seems strange that no animal, unless
it be the squirrel, seems to build itself
a shelter with the express object of
much dislike. Monkeys arc miserable
in wet, and conld~e:.silv build shelters,
if they had the sense to do so ''As the
creatures hop disconsolatcly along in
the rain," writes Mr.. Kiplin-. in his
'Bcast and Man in India y ''or crouch
on branches. with dripping bac:<s set
against the tree-trunl> shelter from
a driving storm, they have the air of
being very sorry for them solves" But
even the ourang-outanr. which builds Il
small platform in the trees which to
sleep at night, never seems to think of
A roof, though the Dyaks say that when
it is very wet it covers itself with the
leaves of the pandanus, a large fern.
Birds, some 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
a house or a projecting cliff, to cover
wet would destroy, seem incapa bic OF
making Il waterproof house for them |
selves Grouse and all the fowls OF the !
open moorla nds go to the most open |
and exposed spots, in rain avoiding tho |
thick heather and even the peat |
nags,' in whose hollows they might |
ind shelter Partrilgcs hudd!c under !
.he fences, or lie the dricst aud |
oarcst places on the fallovvs, apparent |
Y caring less for shelter a bovt than for |
Try soil beneath them. Rocks often |
dock in to thick fir trees, or in summer
AXE refuge in the Old and close-grow
ng oaks which line the roadsidcS. But
the small and helpless birds, yellow
hammers, buntings, chaffi nchcs and ;
innets seem quite bcwildered by the
pea ting storms. They creep into cart
-uts or behind tn fits OF grass: often they
AXE refuge under the big Swede tur-
lips round the edges of the fields
where they are numbed and crampcd
~ cold and wet that they may be
:aught by the hand. are picked up
~ stoats and rats, humble and uncon-
'hiered victims of the ''plague of rain
and waters '-London Spectator.
HIcdish Material.
For the best dresses that women OF
Moderate means keep for special occa- |
ions there are various inexpensive
attn fabrics that wear and look much
'etter than silks of similar low price.