Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-11-22
NATURES MURDERER'S.
Birds OF the Air and Beasts of the FieIe
Which Are Constantly at War.

Birds OF the Air and Beasts of the G;eJe
Which Are Constantly at War.
In Prof. Newman's letters to the
newspapers he says that 'ff we give
up the cruelty Of mangling birds with
the gun and leave the little hawks to
destroy themselves with divine dex.
terity, they will remain as numerous
as now." Surely imagination is at
work here more tepderly than keenly.
Any one who has spent quiet days on
the lonely moors must have seen a
sparrow hawk chasing a lark. We
cannot tell what the lark's private
opinion may be, but to all outward
appearances it never appreciates
"divtne deXterity" The chase often
lasts from twenty minutes to half an
hour. Sometimes the lark gets clean
away; sometimes 1t takes refuge at
the feet of man or in some friendly
cottage; but more often the poor
creatures flight grows feeble, and the
savage enemy stoopS and brings it
down. When the captive and captor
reach the ground the divine deXterity
makes itself manifest in a most
butcherly process Of tearing and rend-
ing. Partridges and grouse, which
are pursued by the larger hawks, seem
also to suffer terrible agony during
their flight. In fact, from all obser-
vation, incline to believe that if the
birds could be got to deliver an i'm
partial opinion, they would declare in
favsr Of the swift oblivion given by
the gun rather than in favor Of the
long terror of flight and the cruel
rending of beak and talonS Prof.
Newman may have means of accu.
ratelY gauging Ornithological opinion,
but we, the most part of US, can only
form judgment from common obSer-
walton. Those who favor the pro-
fessor's views of natures operations
should try TO spend one long day in
some wild place. They would find
that day cycle Of murder Suppos-
ing that the place is by the sea, lie
down, first Of all, by the side OF
some deep break in the rocks, and
watch what goes on as the tide flows
In. The goby turks behind the way
ing weeds and dashes out now and
again on his prey; the dog crab slides
along and watches his chances: the
black eel winds sinuously about with
his vil!ianOus eye and his snakv coils
making him look like the very genius
Of murder. BY the time the gap is
completely filed the observer sees one
great battle of species against species:
and he knows that the same fight is
going on in every bay down the coast
Inland the same kind Of wild work
may be seen by dexterous watching.
a rabbit stumbles hopelessly among
the tussocks. 1t seems daZed and
foredone. a few yards behind comes
a tiny brown creature with white
breast and vicious little teeth; and
the poor rabbit knows that there is
no escape from this deadly purSuer.
Unless you care to deliver the rabbit
from divine dexteritY you will see
how natures butchers work. The
chased beast begins to run in halting
circles; then il stops and screams,
then there is a brown fash, and
the weasel is fixed like an ugly
parasite behind the poor victims cars;
then there is silence. Halfan hour
after you will see the rabbit abdn-
dOned with a gaping wound in its
neck. II your terrier acCOmplnie.
you. then the rabbit is saved and
the would-be murderer is murdered.
The weasel turns on the dog and
squeaKS with a thin sound that sets
the teeth on edge; he also emits an
abOminable stencil, which stays long
in the air. The terrier knows that
divine deXterity must be exercised
mot so much for the purpose of spar
ing the weasel pain as for preventing
that lively creature from getting a
hold on his jugular), so he pOiSeS j /
second before striking. Then he
catches the soft little brute by the
middle; there is quick tapping
sound as the dog shakes his head, and !
the vessel flies four feet into the air.
Evolution and training have made !
this butcher efficient. Watch among |
the sloe-bushes Of some deep Tayine. !
Down In the hollow there is a rec !
gleem as Reynard works his way
among the SedgeS. He comes into |
the open and you actually see him /!
curl his lips into queer kind Of Ne /
smile. lie glanCeS over
his shoulder and advances with d
wary gait The innocent water hen !
goes on nodding her head and making |
little noises, without being the least !
aware OF the greedy eyes and the bare /
teeth that are flashing so close |
behind her The fox makes his dart: |
there is a gurgling scream, and divine !
dexterity is once more made mani. |
fest How many more sights
and sounds of death meet the eve dnG /
ear in the course of day and night !
There is no need to say. P:S1 New. |
man should go and see; and ke might |
learn that man is not, after all, ,he !
rrupIest Ofanim1lS