The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-31

IS
struggling for liberty the musical AMI
NAL landed across the rail- on his belly.
with one of the wideawake night birds
tousing at his hide violently on either
side OF the fence The owls were a
dead match In both size and strength.
the rail until he yowled and spit and
spuftered in way that showed he was
sorry he hadn't stayed at home. All
the dogs and cats on the premises
f1ocked out to witness the interesting
midnight spectacle, their voices mingling
with the frightful cries of the tomcat.
The energetic owls paid no attention to
the noisy four-footed spectators, but
continued to beat the air and to keep
the cat in limbo on the rail.
After while the cat reached the
rail with his hind claws and he kicked
so hard for dear. life then that the owl
at his head yanked him and the other
owl over the fence. They all tumbled
into the snow. where for short time
the desperate cat made the feathers nv.
The vigorous forest birds didn't let uD
on the cat a particle. though, and they
kept twisting, and tugging, and tearing
his hide till he was completely played
out. Then the owls. with their heads
pointed in the same direction, clutched
the cat at opposite ends, bore him sky
ward and sailed away to the woods
with him. one in front of the other.
THE OWL AND THE MUSKRAT.
Cyrus Goodell. of Panther Creek, saw
an owl nab muskrat at dusk the
other day. 1t failed to get good claw
hold and the muskrat fought SO fiercely
that the bird was unable to get away
with 1t. The cries Of the little animal
brought the whole colony of muskrats
from their huts on the double quick,
and they pitched into the owl and tried
to rescue their relative. The murderous
bird chung to the captive and flung the
rescuers off with it's wings. They re-
newed the attack and soon made it so
hot for the owl that it released its prey
and attempted to rise. The maddened
animals held it down., and it Mapped.
and clawed, and bit right and left.
Presently two more owls flew to the
spot Each bird captured muskrat
and sailed into the timber with 1T. The
fighting owl kept up the warfare ana
was getting the better of the plucky
muskrats when two minks popped from
underneath root and set their claws
and teeth into the owl under its wings.
The muskrats scooted into their nuts
at sight of the minks and the owl
Topped and tumbled on the Ice in
vain effort to rid itself Of the sleek lit
tie bloodsuckers. Before long the owl
weakened, and the minks cut its throat,
sucked their fill and left it dead near
the muskrat it had killed.
worthless little cur belonging to
Ambrose Decker, of Cranberry Creek,
ran foul of an ugly owl one day this
winter. Mr. Decker heard the dog yelp-
ing furiously down by the creek soon
after dinner, but thought nothing of it
until nearly o'clock, when he hitched
UP to drive to the district schoolhouse
for the children. The cur didn't show
up, and, as it had been in the habit of
running in front of the team to and
from the schoolhouse all winter. Mr..
Decker strobe down to the creek to see
If he could get track of it. A large
horned owl had got one of its feet in
a steel mink trap that belonged to a
neighboring trapper, and the inquiSl-
tive cur had evidently tackled the UNI
lucky bird when Mr.. Decker heard it
bowling. The dog had approached too
near the cross bird and the owl had
clutched the curious little barker by the
mouth and under jaw with its powerful
free claw and kept it clinched till the
ours wind was shut off. The playful
pup was frozen stiff and the owl still
had it by the nose.
abode in Henry J. Clarks barn on North
mountain early in the winter. The barn
was alive with rats. and Mr.. Clark took
pains to make the bird feel at home.
The owl caught two or three rats each
day. doing the work so quietly that the
rest of the pests didn't become alarmed
Within fortnight the owl got wonted
to the place and wouldn't permit the
cats TO nunI Ill The DdTu. Al llTSt The
cats objected to being driven out by
the strange bird, but they fought shy
OF the building after the owl had made
scars in their hides with its sharp
talons. At dusk not long ago another
owl fitted into the barn while Mr..
Clark was doing his chores and alighted
on the big beam as if it had decided to
settle down there until spring. On a
scaffold over the threshing floor the sol
ftary winged occupant of the building
tSfaO q ho JT110
the inoffensive stranger the owl flew
over to it. muttered for a moment and
then sat down and faced it. The new
conner mumbled something back and the
resident owl instantly gave it a cuff
and knocked it off the beam. 1t flew up
again and the home owl beat 1t off and
drove it to the floor. There they jawed
each other for spell, and the stranger
arose and perched on the purline plate.
At that the resident owl became wild.
Tt hustled the newcomer around the
barn. got it down on the hay NOW and
finally tore out it's crop and killed it.