The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-06-05
BIRD Gals AND TRAILS.
Learned In the Language Of tho Woods
and OF Animals.

Il
Learned in the Language Of tho Woods
| and Of Animals.
Everybody knows that the little
darby, as he roams about the pop
ulous plantations Of the south, is
ragged and dirty, neglected in
mind, body aud estate, but what
everybody doesn't. know is that he
is a born naturalist and gets as much
fun and genuine, absorbing interest out
of the woods and fields as the city-bred
boy derives from a $3.50 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'errand
to mill or store, traverses it's rutty
length.
FOX been prowlin' yere! Dat fox
foot" says, one, looking critically at the
imprint in the sand. ~ .
dat amt no fox; it's mink F." atfirms
another; and then all set to work to find
a palmer track that will confirm or con-
tradict their suggestions.
"Dat are a fox, an he went in Miss
Giegels yard after her young ducks.
Here's where he push 'em under de
fence" insists the discoverer.
"Tain't SO, faint SO, tall" rebels his
companion; ''dat track amt moth
in but Mince Fields yaller dog what
come long yere this mornin'." and SO the
argument goes, every foot Of the road
suggesting whole combination of pos
sibilities to active imaginations.
Whenever ditch, fringed heavily
with broom sedge, stretches across the
field, childish figure or two turks near,
listening eagerly for the welcome sound
that shall tell them a trap has fallen.
Partridges 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, little meal of ground peas
sprinkled within, and into these snares
creatures are liable to walk un-
suspectingly. To contriye an original
and certain "dead-fall" is the acme of
these boys ambitions. When the per-
simmons drop plump and toothsome
from the pnrpling boughs, and the thick
rinds that protect the walnut, the hick-
Dry nut and the chinquapin gap wide at
the touch Of the frost, these little hunts
mem 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 a squirrel trap, or, in
default of that, attaching themselves
in b0dy to the lucky owner of gun
to explore the Businesses of forest and
field ait his beck, content at the pros
pect of being present when the all-im-
portant moment shall arrive. to take
aim and fire.
The sweet, precise whistle of the
is we'll known to town and
people alike, but TO these
small game-loxers the peculiar inflec-
ton and number of notes in the whistle
IS significant Cd the sex of the bird. |
1T looks like dat rooster-partridge |
amt find he mate" it will be observed, |
rs the insistent call sounds across the |
field. when partridges.is cen trouble,
nc whistles dat fashion; all de other |
lines he call different. 1t de same way
sid de whippooHwill and all dem whist
in birds"
Listen to dat chile hawk" one |
'hys; she's got young ones near about |
and in some inscrutable |
manner they manage to keep their eyes
IN the hawk and track her to the par
ocular tree where her nest is. the nest
hat she thinks so safe from detection.
Great is the jubilation when rab-
bits nest is found with the tiny infants
close in the shallow hole. The |
news spreads like wildfire and poor bun
ny, covering somewhere near, trem-
,ies, and with reason, for her young
offspring. ita, s8 4sigis
The very first time in his life that q |
,egro boy has anything that he can
all his own he swaps it for a puppy
hat can be trained to run rabbits, then
he begins to think of the gun he may
DC able to buy in the future. 1t may
'nly be common gun, unreliable. like
y to explode when not expected, to
-cmain obdurate and mresponsive at
nopportune times, but nevertheless a
run to be regarded with pride and cher
shed as o pearl above price. He will
board up small change for months and
months for this purpose. The next best
hing to gun, however. is a number of
'lingshots and various primitive con-
;riyances for letting fly a rock, pebble
,r other missile, and il his possessions l
,oast none Of these, effective execution
AN be done with q properly curved
tick.