The Republican journal., 1896-07-23

next time you shoot, don't waste your
ammunition. Wait till the whole flock
get there. -
John passed over the rifle, looking so
crest fallen that | did not hesitate to as
sure him | did NOT wish to accept it. if
he would only lend it to me when l
wanted to 60 cunning. But he said he
did not intend to go back on his promise
and ! could consider the gun nv own, as
it was light and just right for me. Besides
he had for some time been intending to
get him one of larger calibre. took my
birds and went home as happy boy as
ever left the woods.
On arriving home, | determined to say
nothing to my mother of my success
with the rifle, as she was always opposed
to our shooting birds of any kind, except
ing hawks and crows; but finding the
birds in the empty dinner basket, she ex-
claimed, "Oh what pity! They are too
pretty to be killed." and inquired into
the matter, and her feelings were some
what cheered upon hearing that l had
shot them all through the head She re-
marked, Poor things, they could not
have suffered much,' and set about pre-
pairing them for supper
One night not long after this event nv
brother brought home two young coons
about two weeks old. They found them,
together with the old ones, in hollow
tree. The old ones had to be dispatched
at once. The young ones we decided to
keep. We found them very tractable and
easily domesticated. They were playful
as kittens. and very mschievous, stealing
everything they could carry away, and
deposltngl 1t III some out Of the way place.
10 guard against loss, we used to fix
such places when they We're not around and
would seldom fail to find the article lost.
They were very fond of sweets and would
submit to great deal of training for
morsel of honey, sugar, or preserves.
They are not SO inclined to hibernate dur
ing the cold weather as the bear-but
leave their nests at the approach of every
warm spell i'll winter. and although not
very active. they are inclined to take food.
which the bear very rarely, if ever, does.
we had quite number of squirrels
about the falm-a dozen or more of them
quite tame, 50 that they would come to
us when their names We're called. The
tameness was due mostly to my Youngest
sister. The fall prior to the capture of
the coons we had some eight or ten acres
OF urnt-land corn which was surrounded
on three sides by woods. The SQUIRRELS
SNN"i4ie tiiOit dliuoN my ludl tIG larger
animals, as they would nibble a great
many ears, and at the beginning of their
depreciation my father offered me and my
sister bounty of five cents per head for
all we could CATCH
We We're provided with some dozen or
more boA-traps and repaired to the corn
heid, taking along with us large wire
cage. The greater part of the squirrels
We're OF the Chlpmunk species, which bur
row III the ground. We set our traps
near these holes, and going some distance
away awaited results. As these bright
HttIe ANIMALS are OF very inquistive
nature, we knew We would not have long
to wait After some fifteen or twenty
MINUTES, we visited the traps and found
i've OF them sprung, and as many squir-
Iels securely enclosed These we trans
tered to the wire cage. as they were not
injured in the least, and reset our traps.
We returned to the house in time for
school with twenty-one squirrels as re-
suit of our mornings work.
In the upper part of the granary we
NAG large room into which our mother
suggested that we put the squirrels until
we received our bounty SO we put into
the room dish of fresh water and plenty
OF corn, and turned them loose After
and took squirrel from each-one of
them beautiful grey. Then my sister
proposed that we set four of the traps on
the fence next the woods for more greys.
The others We're placed in front of new
holes. and when we returned home at
shutdown, we had fourteen chipmunks
and three greys in our cage to take home
with us.
ThnSn ,.l,.
others, and that evening we collected
sl.90 in bounty of our father. who said
they must be disposed OF in the morning
We told mother that some of the other
boys must kill them if they We're to be
killed. She remarked that she would
have them disposed Of, and | thought |
noticed peculiar twinkle in her eve.
Next morning We were mp before the sun,
aud before going to the corntield. |
thought We vouid take last look at our
squirrels in the granary. and was much
surprised to find them all gone. The
window IN the end of the room which |
had carefully closed when | put the squir-
refs III, noticed was raised. | told NV
sister that the squirrels were gone, she
said perhaps the boys killed them last
night, and if they had escaped, we had
our pay, and perhaps could catch some
OF them again. She wanted new dress
and better hat, and the bounty on squir-
rels must pay for them The supply
would soon run out any way We CON
tinued our operations very successfully
all the week, and Saturday night had re-
ceived. in all, about ten dollars as bounty.
Father remarked that he never knew
squirrels to be so plentiful before and be-
gan to make inquiries as to how they had
been disposed of. We did not stop to
make much talk about that, as we knew
so little, and both had chores to do that
we had nearly forgotten. Mother could
tell him what the boys did with them.
We did not know. We never knew
whether the matter was ever explained to
his satisfaction or not. We got our
orders Monday morning that hereafter,
in order to get our bounty on squirrels,
we should have to present their bodies.
After this there were no windows open
ed, and when the corn was all safely har-
vested, we had on our hands some fifty
squirrels of all kinds, and it being SO
near winter, and the squirrels not having
the privilege of laying up their winter
store of food, we thought it but Just to
provide for them
Some of them had already become
quite tame, and they helped to tame the
rest. We provided them nests in conven-
lent hooks about the premises, with few
handfuls of grain near each nest, and