The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1896-08-13
A SPARROW HUNT.
Eight Thousand Birds Killed In
One Afternoon.
OHIO FARMERS Get Together Every Year
and Devote n Dsy to tae Exter-
minstion OF the title Eng
tish Tests.


iish Tests
The annual sparrow hunt is a big
event in several Ohio counties. ltsccms
20 have originated in Summit county.
and TO this day tho hunt T. conducted
on a more elaborate scale in that part
Of the state than anywhere else. Only
English srarrows are shot. aud no mat
ter how many are killed like Kcko's
victims, they never will be missed"
Early in the month of December The
farmers, having got everything stored
away neatly and safely, having pro
,itled plenty of wood and having
boarded up The cattle sheds for Tie
winter, decided TINT il was about time
To go on the warpsth for sparrows. \
notice was posted up nest Jay at Rich
Geld Center 10 this effect:
The annual sparrow hunt will he
held tomorrow. All are invited. Plcacc
be on hand not later than eight o'clock
a. M, lothian Potter ard Cyrus Hoy
,ins viii I've captains of tho two teams.
respectively. aud will choose sides o.
7'4S n. m"
On the following morning nearly 100
men were ready for the hunt. ~
doesn't take long 10 circulate such nm
announcement in farming commune
~ in Ohio. Especially Is this true dur
ing the winter season, when there IL
nothing that the younger people like
better than To visit around
When the hunters came together H.
was noticeable that nearly oil of them
carried guns OF modern make. Very
few old-pattcrn pieces were shouldercd
by the stalwart sons of the county, aud
the army muskct, which was so con
spicuous Immediately after the war,
was no longer noticeable. "City foil:
hez done II ALL" croaSed Elder Paine.
They've come out here m shot quail
with brich leaders N now nuthin' will
do but that ev'ry boy in the neighbor.
hood must be armed with q tangled
gun with more'n hull summers
work"
As soon rs the contestants could be
placed In line the captains chose their
men. II didn't take long TO do that, for
II doesn't require much skill TO shoot
English sparrows. They are so tame
thatanyone can get close enough to- pop
them over as fast as he can sight his
gun. The hunters with the guns that
can be operated with the most speed
nrc almost certain 10 be those 20 make
the largest scores.
One side went up the valley and the
other side went down. the agreement
being 10 hunt in circle and come TO-
gether again at the center at stipu-
lated time in the afternoon, all sparrows
TO count up 10 the time that the con
testnnts should report TO the score
keeper at the center.
In five minutes from the time that the
ucn started on their way the guns
Logan to bang. All up and down the
valley during tho entire afternoon the
reports filled the air until the inhab-
ltants might have been excused for he
lieving that n war skirmish was going
on in the neighborhood. The spar
rows never had been thicker. In fact,
they had been so thick during the sum-
mer months that they threatened 70
eat the farmers out OF house and home.
One peculiar fact about shooting spar
rows is that the noise OF the guns seems
to brighten them only temporarily.
They rapidly become accustomed TO
the report. as they do 10 everything
else They are the most complacent
littleupstsrts that ever immigrated into
the country. On Fourth of July the
same Characteristic Is noticeable. In
early morning, when the first few fire
crackers or miniature torpedoes are dis
charged, the spnrrows will fly away
10 the topmost branches OF the trees
OF TO the caves OF the barns and houses
where they build nests, but before
nightfall they are back again on the
streets as clipper as ever, and only
mind a frecracler long enough TO fly
few feet away and sputter like the
mischief when II bursts. So II Is
when hunting. The first discharge oil
weapons carly In the morning sent
the spnrrows away 20 their safest re
treats, but by noon. between hunger
and the foet that they no longer
dreaded the noise, they were out OF
the roads, in the fields, about barnyurd'
and stealing the grain away from the
chickens, as th9hgb they, never hae
heard a shotgun.
Az tue sun ptBhn 70 SINK IN tne Yves
the pile of sparrows began 70 accumu
late. Some OF the hunters were lucky
and shot themselves out of ammunition
before they had been out two hours
Others were not so fortunate, and
struggled in just os daylight was aboui
finished, II has beef, one OF the best
days that the sparrow hunters ever had
In round numbers 5000 birds were
slaughtered. That averaged about 81
10 u man. Stretched "bill TO tail" a
Farmer Garretson put IT, them bird
would have reached nigh seven miles
allowing five inches for u bird" Tn,
next morning, however, there seemed
TO be just as many sparrows in ant
about Richfeld Center as ever,
lothian Pottcr's side killed the mos
sparrows, and therefore Cyrus Hop
kins' side viii have TO provide first
class supper for winners and losers
with plenty of Summit county trim