The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-08-12
Horn Flies and Cow Birds.

AAo
thereon. We used TO read much of this
.orn-fiy trap a few years ago, but for
the past two or three years I nave not
heard much of it.. In MI. w. P. Har-
ned's' Idlewild herd Of Shorthorns the
horn-hies have not been so bad, either
this season or last, as they were in 1896.
I don't know just why his is, unless
the cow7birds have something to do
with it. I used to see those birds away
back in the '70s, when a bare-footed
boy, I used to drive up the COWS at
night on the prairies Of Kansas. There
would be a small flock Of those little
grayish or ashen-brown birds with the
cows every night. Without eve a word
or a note, picking a fly here or there,
they would come in perched on the
cows backs, futtering or hopping from
this COW to that. Arrived at the corral,
perhaps they would hop down on to
the ground to relieve COWS Of the
swarms of flies that always collected on
their legs and ankles. They always
the cows as they grazed
through the day. And the COWS, of
course, would fight flies like mad, but
l never saw a cow offer n objection
to one of those birds, no matter whether
it was perched on her head, back or
horns or picking flies from off her
ankles. And those birds, one by one,
seem to have winged their way far
away into oblivion. And then, after a
time, came the horn-f1ies, for I doubt
If there was a horn-fly in the state of
Kansas twenty years ago.
But at last the little friends of my
early days, the silent, unassuming lit
tie c%ow-birds, have reappeared here in
central Missouri. I notice, however,
they seem to prefer the prairies, and
cattle running in heavily-wooded pas
lures eve are accompanied by any
of these silent friends.
I am sure if Mr.. D. p. Norton's family
COW only had one of those little birds
perched on her back there would be far
less horn-flies there.
And those experiment stations, with
their titled professors of ornithology,
entomology, ETC., I think they should
tell us Of these birds, that we may en-
courage them to remain among us.
For, while there are, perhaps, two doz-
en- of those birds here in the herd now,
I never saw one Of their nests yet, and
making all due allowance for the horn
fly traps and the various horn-fy dopes
that are OF the market or may be
discovered by learned professors with
ponderous titles and gentle mien in the
wiser days to come, still 1 think that if
ever the horn-fly does go it will be into
the craw of the cow-bird. I wonder if
they could be raised artiically, like
pigeons, and shipped to whoever wanted
them.
However, I hope Mr.. Norton will build
a fly trap and let us know of his
success. If he will get one black COW
and turn in with his herd I think he
will find that at least so per cent Of
the horn-flies in the herd have gath
cred IN this one COW. Why it is I don't
that such is the case.
Happy is the hostess who can intro
.duce some novelty. The average man
and woman imagine that just to be in
society means a life Of ease and ele-
gance, and lazy comfort, and until the
burden of social duties is laid on their
a. one it is, say the New York Herald.
One bright girl, driving leisurely
along a deeply shaded road not long
ago, came to a field so thickly studded
with daisies that it seemed as if it had
showed while she was under the shade
was the thought that flashed through
her mind.
She straightway set her nimble fin
gers and wits to work, and the outcome
was so charming a daisy luncheon"
that her guests were loud in their
praises of her cleverness. She set out
her small tables on the lawn, under
the trees, and linked them together
with daisy chains.
She manufactured her tablecloths of
white crepe paper, cut out around the
edge in daisy petals. She made a cen
ter piece for each table Of white and
yellow paper. to represent a large
daisy, and in the center of each flower
placed a cut glass bowl filled with
natural daisies. Her napkins were of
tissue paper, with the daisy petalled
border.
The a~nti-saloon league has recently
been at work in North Nebraska and
a large league was organized at Albion.
Differed by leading citizens.
The daughter of Arnold Gaaft, a