Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-02
BIRD CALLS AND TRAILS.
Learned in the Language of the
Woods and of Animals.


Learned in the Language of the
Woods and of Animals.
From the Nashville American
| Everybody knows that the little darby,
as he roams about the populous planta-
| tons of the south, is ragged and dirty and
| neglected in mind. body and estate. but
what everybody doesn't Know is that he
| is a born naturalist and gets much
fun and genuine absorbing interest out
| Of tho woods and fields about him 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 Its 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 a mink"' affirms
another; and then all set to work to find
palmer track that will confirm or con-
| trac-ct their suppositions.
Dat are fox. an he went in Miss Gle
! gels yard after her young ducks. Here's
where he push 'em under de fence" in
| sists the discoverer
'Tain't so. faint so, tall" rebels his
/ companion; dat track amt nothin' but
Mince Fields yaller dog what come long
vcre this mornin'," and SC the argument
| goes. every foot Of the read suggesting a
whole combination of possibilities to active
maeinatio..s.
Whenever a ditch, frineed heavily with
broom sedge, stretches across the field,
Childish figure or two Turk near, listening
eagerly for the welcome sound that shall
!eii them trap has fallen cartridges nest
N inc broom sedse, sparrows' too and
doVes, and all manner of winged wild
! thit gs. Traps made of carefully selected
Sticks are laid in ambush, a little meal of
ground peas sprinkied within, and into
these snares unwary creatures are liable
to walk unsuspectngly. To contrive
original and certain dead fall'' is the
acme OF these boys ambitions. When the
persimmons drop plump and toothsome
IRON the purpimS boughs and the thicker
f'hds that protect the walnut, the hick-
DRY nut and the ching Iap.n gap wide at
the touch Of the frost, these Little hunts
men make their plans.
Squirrels awful fat now; de pecan tree
Jlst a-sheddin'," lanky youth reminds his
fellows and forthwith they set about max
ing squirrel trap, or, in default of that,
attaching themselves in a body to the
lucky owner of a gun to explore the fast
ncsses of forest and field at his beck, con-
tent at the prospect Of being present when
the i.ll-lmportaat moment shall arrive to
take am and fire.
The sweet, precise whistle of the part
ridge IS we'll known to town and coLntry
people alike, but to these small game low
ers the peculiar infection and number of
notes in the whistle is significant of the
sex of the bird. 1T looks like dat rooster
partridge can't find his mate it will be oh
served, as the insistent call sounds across
the field. when partr dye is cen trouble
ne whistles dat fashion; all de other times
he call different. 1t de same way wild de
Whlpplr-W.H and all an whiStlin' BIRDS
Listen to dat chile hawk" one says:
sne got young ones near about some
where's, and in some inScrutable manner
they manage to keep their eyes on the
hawk and track her to the particular tree
where her rest is, the nest that she thinks
so safe from detection.
is he i,lb
nest is found, with the tiny infants cud-
ding close in the shallow hole. The news
spreads Ike wildtre and poor bunny, cow
er!nS somewhere near, tIembles and with
reason, Tor her young offspring.
The very first time N his life that a ne
gro boy fas anything that ne can call his
own he swi ps II for a puppy that can be
trained to run rabbits then he begins 10
think of the gun he may be able to buy
in the future. 1t may be only a common
gun, unreliable. likely to explode when not
expected, to remain obdurate and unre-
sponsive at opportune times but never
theless a gun to be regarded with pride
and cherished as a pearl above price He
will hoard up small change for months
and months for this purpose. The next
test thing to gun, however Is a number
Of slingshcts, and various primitive con-
trivances fer letting fly a rock pebble or
other missile, and if his possessions boast
none Of these, effective execution can be
done with proI eriy curved stick.
AS 1t is with the denizeLs of the fields
and woods. so with the curious eb-footed
birds that live in the marshes and
swamps. The boys think nothing OF wad-
ing neck deep in water to get a belated
young ms rsh hen, or even swimming
across stream to run down pair of fius-
tered little cranes that are too confused to
get out of the way.
A snake or a 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 vanquished him will linger
on the spot long, to study his color, mark
ings. size and characteristics. If he
come across a snake she'd" that is an
old skin that a sr&ke has crawled out Of
his delight is unbounded, and unspeakable
bliss attends the capture of a live owl, no
matter how small and young.