Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-05-05

shelter from the Drown hawk OF tue
Sierra, 10 the numerous canals aul
dit,hes water enough to drink, in tue
iuicy native grass aud green wheat all
The food it wants, aud when the sum
mer's sun transfers tne green plain into
one brown mass OF dust it mi"ra.es to
the VINEYARDS aud Il >es possession of tle
orchards. No BARK oi frult tree is safe
from it, no graLe too rlca, no raisln too
,weet. The rabbit attac IS everytnint,
eats everything aud destroys more than
the ground squirrel aud the gopher put
.o1ether. 1t is the farmers natural
enemy.
Tn. rabbit drive is a peculiarly Cen.
.ral California institution, wholly III
known in tins Eastern or tue Southern
States. The present drives take place
usually near Fresno, the metropolis OF
the san Joaquin vaiiey. This year on
sccoun, OF heavy rams the day SET for
the first drive mad been twice postponed,
out the third Saturday was al that could
be desired in regtrn To tae weather.
Early in the morning tue people Of
u.
From 5 o'clock all tue avenues leading
toward McMuileu's Station were lined
with innumcraDIe teams Of all descrip.
tious. LADIES' in ligut bugges, gentle
men on hOrseblcG, children in big,
heavy wagons, ia jeunesse Goree' OF
Fresno, the Iaborlng classes, mere ants
and business men, politicians, church
members and saloon keepers, every one
who could, the aEistocracy aud the dem.
ocracy, went to participate in the
slaughter Of the unsuspecting leporid,G
Ga the wav the crowds were reinforced
By strong detacnments OF farmers from
the surrounding country, VINO have more
grievances against the rabbits than any
other class OF people.
Far in tie east the gigantic chain Of
the Sierra is visible, snow capped aud
glittering, for the recent snowfalis in
the mountains transformed the dark blue
walls into a dazzling mass OF whitene3s.
In the west the dim outline of tue Coast
Range appears, and between these two
ranges stretches the plain, level as the
surface OF the sea, radiant with JOY Of
spring life, braltiui as IA the first DAYS
OF creation.
A serpearine line OF moving mass of
humanity disturbs the repose Of this
magnificent prairie. Tuc roads are soon
abandoned and the teams, horse men and
De 1estrilns enter IN confusion the open
fields. No pistols and no dogs are al.
lowed-cubs form the only weapon Of
destruction. Nearer aud nearer the diff
fereut scattered parties draw to ether,
both wings approaching the centre. The
horsemeu "masters of the ceremonies
ride III all directions, issuing orders aud
shouting at the too eager crowd, the pc
destrians march in front aud the vehi
cles in the rear, forming a living, tlem'
bling, yelling wall.
The rabbits appear. Ia the beginning
we saw only few here and there. run
ming in front OF the riders, jumping over
the bitches aui Vinln ng through them,
for a mcNraUb;t is an excellent SWIM
mer. Bat when we enter the regular
prairie they become more numerous.
Some Of them, instead o; running for.
ward, woul turn and make a break to
pierce the line Of the moving Immunity.
Usually they are successful. TGeY seem
to know how to avoid the clubs which
are hurled at them. They run under the
vehicles, under the horses hoo!s, and,
though some OF them yet smashed, the
majority escape-many OF then, 1t IS
true, with broken LEGS and bodies. TneSe
escaped RABBITS viii be the progenitori
Of thousands of others, which, later IN
the season aud the next year, Will lnlest
the praires as ever.
The chances of escape are getting,
however, smaller and smaller, and when
the line is completely formed there is al
most no escape for the rabbits. They
must move in the opposite direction to-
ward the corral where certain destruction
awaits them.
The pen consists of two immense
wins over half-mle each in len5th,
made of rabbt-pro)t fence firmly
fastened to posts. AT the entrance is a
gate leading to chute some thirty feet
into the Enclosure and to the corral
proper, surrounded by high wire
screen fence.
The moving line was, at the start,
fully i've miles long, extending IN the
form of semi-circIe. The people
closed rapidly, and when the line con-
tracted it formed such BLACK mass oil
many thousan Is that it reminded one OF
ln mi, ~ in hn NIL
ages, when many tribes were leaving
their seats and wandered toward more
cOngenial homes. The excitement To-
creased with every minute, and the noise
was becoming dreadful. YelIs OF the
men, screams of the women mingled to-
gethcr with ncighing horses and pitiIu'
cries OF the rabbits.
The jacks were driven now by thou
sands toward the pea. The prairie was
fully alive with them as they, astonished
and bewildered, ran to and fro, with ne
hope of escaping, no chance OF avoiding
the cruel club of the hu1tsTau.
Just before the pen we sightei q
curious spectacle. At once and without
any apparent reason the rabbits be 5an
to rua in circle or rather in n series
OF concentric circles. Taking into con-
sIderation that there were thousan Is OF
them moving with extraordinary
Iapidity, it can easily be imagine nov
curious this performance must have
been. The dust rose in clou Is, aud
tais occurrence, together with toe swift
circular motion OF the maddeneI ami
mails, would make any one believe that
whirlwnd was rising. We almost
baw a hurricane approaching, and Sc
natural was the appearance OF it thc'
many present graspel their mats to pre-