Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-09-10
WHAT I SAW OUT WEST.
BY DAVID HILL.

! Reno, New, is a pretty little town
river and only few miles distant from
the California line. The picturesque
valley surrounding it is ten or twelve
miles wide, a good share Of which is
under cultivation, and is not unlike
the shape to a star-fish. By this I
mean that the ends Of several noun
tain ranges, among which might be
mentioned the Peavine mountain and
the Sierra Nevada range, shove up in
to it at different places and suddenly
terminate This leaves the central
porti on of the valley the body of the
fish, while the narrow valleys reach
ing up between the different noun
tains are the several points or arms.
Those valleys all Of which extend into
more distant districts, renders Reno
a most central point for business; and
that it is destined at some time to be
a large town there can be no doubt.
Several of our townspeople are locat-
ed there, among whom might be
mentioned VIM B. Twombly, @. III.
Colley and the Curtis Brothers. stop
ped over there for a few days and in
company with Colley collected quite
number of specimens of birds. AS it
and is also an adept with the fishing
rod, and as his wife is a good cook,
q can vouch for that) it will be un-
derstood that the mallard and can
and fried mountain river trout they
tempted me with, to say nothing
about the luxuries furnished by the
others, toned me up into condition
to leave Reno in a much healthier and
happier condition than when I went
into it.
Duck hunting is rare sport in that
country as we'll as quail and grouse
hunting among the mountains. The
broa d meadows south east of Reno,
acres of which are partially submerg-
ed and covered with flags, called tul-
les in that section, and great variety
of herbaceous plants loaded with
seeds are favorite feeding grounds for
nu merous kinds of birds, principally
ducks, thousands of which gather
there in the early fall and winter.
Geese and Swan are also frequent Wis
itors in that locality. 1t is ducks, how
ever, that swarm over the meadows |
in the greatest nembers. The rivers
and sic WIS and fields of tulles eare1fuH
Of them. They risefup attimesin great
aocks that almost darken the sky. In
the hun ting season it is bangt bang!
Bang! in every direction forIcm
away. You simply choose a good 40
cation and cling to it and shoot as the
ducks pass by. The many hunters sit
uated in different localitiesIkeep4 the
birds almost continually on the wing,
and all you have to do is stand and
shoot while your retriever brings in
5he game. Thousands of birds are kill
ed each season that are neverretrieN-
sdy SO hmuoh SO that, n it, the5Iduckst
wasted nNevadaT each year could in
habit Vermont we could have very
good duck hunting here.
One evening little before sunset
Is Colley and myself were hunting
along the banks of the Truckee river
On the opposite side of which, only
lew rods from the shore, the bare sides
IF a mountain rose up and sloped
away to join others behind them,
peculiar musical sound issuing as we
believed from some kind of an in
'trument, attracted our attention. At
lines the soft euphonic notes, waited
20 us from uncertain points and ex-
pleasing to the ear, were not
mike the measured mellow cadences
If crystal chimes; then we likened ,
hem to the tones of harmonica as
ome one lightly breathed upon the |
higher keys; then again to the SYM
,honious tinkling Of little silver bells;
md frequently the music resembled
he strains of a mandolin or harp
played at a distance and with slight
variation in the sound. Whatever the
played upon there was no
cessation in the music, it represented J
10 particular tune, and yet the harmo- 1
~ was complete.
'sWhat is that music?'' I asked, af :
er we had listened to it attentively .
or some moments.
''Give it up,' my companion replied. {
''Ever hear anything like it before?' ]
''Never. think it must arise from I
cy,;,.itc Of looI Indians /.
Well might it have been the spirits r
f dead Indians if such a thing could
ave been possible. There were relics ;