The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-06-12
BIRD CALLS AND TRAILS.
Learned In the Language Of the Woos
and of Animals.

darby, as he roams about the pop
ulous plantations of the south, is
rugged and dirty, neglected in
mind, body and estate, but what
everybod doesn't know is that he
is born naturalist and gets as much
fun and genuine, absorbing interest out
of the woods and fields as the city bred
boy derives from 50 show. A stretch
of sandy road is a stretch of sandy
road to the average person. not so to the
smaller hunter, who, while on an erTand
TO mill or store, traverses its rutty
length.
FOX been prowlin' yere! Dat a fox
foot" says one, looking critically at the
imprint in the sand.
dat amt no fox; It's aminkl" afirm
another; and then all set to work to fine
palmer track that will confirm or con
tradict their suppositions.
Dat are fox, an he went in Mis-,
Giegel's yard after her young ducks
Here's where he push 'em under de
fence" insists the discoverer.
''Tain't SO, faint so, tall" rebels hi,
companion; dat track amt moth.
in but Mince Fields yaller dog wha,
come long yere this mornin'." and so the
argument goes, every foot of the road
suggesting whole combination of pos
siouities to active ineaginations.
Whenever ditch, fringed heavily
with broom sedge, stretches across the
field, q childish figure or two turks near
listening eagerly for the welcome sound
that shall tell them a trap has fallen.
cartridges nest in the broom sedge
sparrows, too, and doves, and all man.
ner OF winged wild things. Traps made
of carefully-selected sticks are laid in
ambush, a little meal of ground peas
sprinkled within, and into these snares
unwary creatures are liable TO walk IN.
suspectingly. To contrive an original
and certain "dead-fall" is the acme Of
these boys ambitions. When the per
simmons drop plump and toothsome
from the purpling boughs, and the thick
rinds that protect the walnut, the hicll
DRY nut and the chnquapin gap wide al
the touch of the frost, these little hunts
men make their plans
Squirrels awful fat now, de pecan
tree jist a-sheddin'," lanky youth re-
minds his fellows, and forthwith they
set about making q squirrel trap, OF, in
default Of that, attaching themselves
in body to the lucky owner of gun
to explore the Businesses of forest and
field at his beck, content at the pros.
lpect of being present when the an-im,
portant moment shall arrive TO take
aim and fire.
The sweet, precise whistle Of the
partridge Is well known to town and
country people alike, but to these
small game-lovers the peculiar intlec-
,tion and number of notes in the whistle
Us significant of the sex of the bird.
1T looks like dat rooster-partridge
can't find he mate it will be observed,
as the insistent cali sounds across the
field. when partridges is cen trouble,
he whistles dat fashion; all de other
times he call different. It de same way
wild de whippoorwill and adj dem whist
lin birds"
Listen to dat chile hawk" one
says; she's got young ones near about
somewheres," and in some inscrutabls
manner they manage to keep their eyes
on the hawk and track her to the par
tcular tree where her nest is, the nest
that she thinks SO safe from detection. |
Great is the jubilation when a rab-
bits nest is found with the tiny infants
cuddling close in theshallow hole. The |
like wiidfre and poor bum
ny, covering somewhere near, trem-
bles, and with reason, for her young |
The very first time in his life that a /
negro boy has anything that he can
cail his own he swaps it for q puppy |
that can be trained to run rabbits, then |
he begins to think of the gun he may
be able to buy in the future. II may |
only be q common gun, unreliable. like
~ TO explode when not expected, to
obdurate and unresponsive at
lnopportune times, but nevertheless a |
gun to be regarded with pride and cher
lshed as pearl above price. He will |
hoard up small change for months and
months for this purpose. The next best
thing to gun, however, Is a number of
slingshots and various primitive con-
trivanccs for letting fly a rock, pebble
or other missile, and if his possessions
boast none Of these, effective execution
can be done with properly curved
stick.
AS it is with the denizens of the fields
and woods, so with the curious web
footed birds that live in the marshes
and swamp. The boys think nothing
Of wading neck deep in water 10 get
belated young marsh hen, or even
swimming across stream to run down
pair of hustered little cranes that are
TOO confused to get out of the way.
a snake or lizard of any kind or de-
scription has a marvellous charm for the
little backwoodsman: he is not afraid
TO attack any snake. no matter how big,
and when he has vonquished him will
lnGcr on the spot long. to study his
color, markings, size and characters
tics. If he can come across a snake
she'd that is, an old skin that snake
has crawled out of. his delight is IN
bounded. and unspeakable bliss attends
The capture of live owl. DO matter how
EMAIL and young.-Nashville American.
PAID ONE AT a TIME.