The herald., 1895-12-26
LEW VILLAGES BLAcKBIRD STORY

Gen. Lew Wallace yesterday related an
incident which shows to a remarkable ex-
tent the wonderful sagacity and memory
of blackbirds.
AT my home over in Crawfordsville,'
said the general, i've have large number
of tall trees on the lawn, and in course of
time these trees became the roosting place
at certain times Of the year for hundreds
of thousands of blackbirds. They came in
great black clouds, and in spite of all
could do, they refused to leave. or course
they were a great nu sance, aid was in
despair as to some means of getting clear
Of them. l stood for days with my gun
firing into them of an evening and killing
hundreds of them, but the rest did not
seem to be sufficiently struck by fear or
grief to want to part company with me and
my hospitality. l then devised new
scheme.
procuring a number of Roman candles
one evening. | lighted them one by one
after dark, when the boughs of the trees
were bent low with the weight + the croak-
ing birds. and | poured the candles into
the tops OF the trees at a great rate. The
sudden innovation startled the birds as
nothing had ever done before, and they
became panic stricken. That night was
ITt0 VI tuoIn.
THE next evening, however, the habit of
returning there to roost was stronger than
fear, and they began coming in by thou
sands as the evening approached. After
dark ! b0can with ano her volley of
candles, and the birds began to realize
that thsre was determined bombardment
in progress. They fed precipitately, and
the si,ird evening only few returned. A
few last shots put them to fight, and was
troubled no more.
But what do you think those birds did?
My dividing fence runs between the trees
on nay property and the trees on the prop
srty OF my neighbor, which are equ lily
high and equally suitable for home for
the hlackbrds. When the birds were
driven from nay lot they nsw over across
the dividing fence to the trees of my
nsighbor and settled. There WAS no bonn
bardnnent over there, and they have stayed
there ever since.
This was . long time ago, but never
since the asst Roman candle was fired into
them has one Of lhoss birds settled on one
Of my trees. They are 'tabooed' as
etfectually as though they were on fire.
The great clouds of birds each morning
and evening ny directly over my trees go-
ing and coming, but not bird settles
upon tree that 10 on my side of the di-
viding fenco.
"Anether strange thing 10 that il any one
Va All oVeuiuk ot6uuo Ill my ldWIl dtlu
makes ight noise, as slapping his hands,
there will be the widest commotion among
the birds in the neighboring trees. They
become restless and almost panic stricken.
II, however, the same person crosses the
fence and stands directly under them and
makes twice as mucn noise they pay no at
tenion whatever to him. He can even
shoot up into them without driving them
from their perches.
81 have wondered several times just what
impression those birds have of me and my
proper tina; they have SO decidedly given
me tho cold shoulder. They know every
tree that 10 on my lawn, and will settle by
thousand OH the other side of the fence
within few feet OF the dividing line. Of
course, have not bothered them over
there, as they were not my guests. "-Indi-
annapolis Sentinel.