The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-31
TERRIBLE is THE OWL
1T IS A POWERFUL BIRD, sHREwD,
AND MANY ARE ITS VICTIMS.
a Silent Company of Rat Catchers--A
low Cat-Muskrats, Owl and Mink.

Scranton Correspondence in New York Sun.
Farmer Ralph Belyea, jr.. of Beech
wood. missed a lot of eggs from his cell
lar last month. He laid the loss to rats.
and one evening he placed a pair OF fer
rets in the cellar. The next morning
the snow between the house and road
was full of rat tracks, and the farmer
found that the ferrets hadn't nabbed a
single rat. The agile egg thieves had
become terrified over the presence OF
their relentless little enemies and had
skedaddled to the barn. Mr.. Belyca
carried the ferrets to the barn in the
evening, and the next morning he dis
covered that the rats had fled to the
hog house. He removed the ferrets TO
the hog house. where they killed two
rats that night, the rest of the demoral-
lied army having scurried to a stack
of hay few rods out in the meadow.
After supper that evening the farmer
carried the ferrets to the haystack. and
within minute or so he saw scores of
rats scoot from under the stack and go
to scampering around on the crust in the
bright moonlight. They sreered straight
away from the farm buildings. and
their actions showed plainly that they
were afraid to return to them for fear
of encountering the dreadful ferrets
again. The intense cold soon made
them furious, and they squealed and
fought and tumbled over one another
in a vain endeavor to find hiding places
in the snow-covered field. The ferrets
stayed under the stack, and every few
seconds a rat would come kiting out
as il the hay was on fire. Presently
they all huddled together and began to
joStle and jump and claw and climb as
though each was bound TO force its way
to the center of the bunch to get warm
The struggling heap was larger than a
half-bushel basket, and the colder the
fighting animals got the angrier and
noisier they became. The weakest ones
stood no show whatever and were
obliged to remain on the outside OF the
pile
While Mr. Belyea was studying the
lively antics of the harassed egg steal
ers a huge owl dropped from the sky
without the slightest noise, alighted on
top of the squabbling group, Tapped its
wings twice and then arose with a
Squaling rat in each claw and sailed
away The silent arrival and departure
of the fierce night bird didn't seem to
attract the attention of the shivering
little beasts, and they continued to hud-
die together and claw one another as II
their lives were at stake. Hardly had
the owl vanished in the mOonshine than
another one with mammoth wings set
tied down on the moving mass and bore
away two more rats. The heap Kept
on trying to get warm. More Owls
came fitting to the spot shortly, ana
Mr. Belyea said it was clear to him
then that the shrill voices of the rats
had reached the ears of all the big-eyed
birds in the nearby woods. When the
owls had carried off more than score
n 1frd InV1Ixr
fright at the appearance OF an uncom-
monty large owl that swooped upon the
top of the heap and separated at once.
Some of them ran under the haystack,
where the ferretS nailed them in 1iffy,
while others skipped up the sides OF the
stack and crowded into the hay. The
ferrets must have busted them in the
night and driven them out where the
owls had a chance to gobble them, for
when Mr.. Belyea removed the hay to
the barn in the morning there wasn't a
live rat to be seen anywhere on the
premises. while four dead ones were
found with the ferrets at the bottom Of
the stack.
AN UNPLEASANT ANIMAL.
A team belonging to farmer Amos M.
Partridge, of Maple Vale stopped sud-
denly in the road one evening last
month, snorted and tried to turn around.
The snow was so deep that they upset
the sleigh, but they couldn't wheel
about. The moon was shining. and
after Mr.. Partridge had quoted the
horses he saw that the cause of their
fright was a skunk in the track few
yards ahead. 1t was pointed toward
the team and it stood and blinked at
the horses as though it had the right
of way and didn't propose to bulge.
Owing to the depth of the snow 1T was
impossible for the farmer to turn out
or to back up. so he decided to let the
independent animal take its own time
to get out of the track. He waited ten
or twelve minutes, but the skunk stlll
stuck up for its rights. lie at length
became tired of humoring the stubborn
animal and, as the wind was in his
favor he got out his revolver, went in
front of the horses and made ready to
shoot it.
Just then a large horned owl alighted
on a fence stake not far from the skunk
and Mr.. Partridge changed his mind.
On spying the owl the skunk crouched
|. close to the side of the track and tried
to hide. The owl saw what the skunk
was up to and at once hewN 10 a stake
across the road, where 1t had better
view The skunk evidently understood
why the owl had shifted Its perch' FOR
it Immediately crept to the OF rSack
and again attempted to secrete ltseL
from the sharp eyes of the big piru.,
cled around over a field for spell ana
then flew back to the first stake. The
skunk peeped over the top of the snow
bank after the owl had disappeared.
but failed TO keep an eye on the where
abouts of the silent night bird. 1t was
fairly puzzled as ito where the owl had
gone to, and that was just the effect
the cunning bird had set out to pro-
duce when it took the turns around the
meadow No sooner had the owl
alighted the last time than the skunk
covered again. as if in mortal terror.
once more the owl fitted across the
road. seeming to take great pleasure in
tormenting the skunk. flying back again
before the skunk had time to stir.
The skunk continued to squat In the
| snow, and pretty soon the owl arose a
hundred feet or so and went to hover
| ing directly over the trembling animal.
| That was apparently the sort OF tao
fics the skunk didn't like at all, for X
| was unable to watch the broad-winged
birds movements UP there. and II nm
| mediately started TO steal toward the
| team. on seeing that IL was bent on
finding refuge under the rig the OWL IN
| stantIy pounced upon the skunk ana
| seized it by the hump. The skunk wrig-
| gled and squeaIed and made frantic
bird. but IL