The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-16
PROBLEMS OF THE FOODS.
What Becomes of Beasts that Die q Nat
ural Death?

CHESTER. n. Y, Oct. 15.-'What becomes Of
wild animals that die in tho woods ?" said the
naturalist. "Imean wild animals that die a nat
ural death. Age and disease must carry many
of them regularly as human beings are carried
of. but what becomes of their bodies? ] have
never heard of any one coming across a dead
bear or deer or fox or wildcat in the woods that
had died from natural causes. l have never
heard Of any one finding even the skeleton of
u wild animal in the woods that did not show
evidence somewhere that the beast had met
its death through violence. But an uninjured
skeleton or body of II wild animal without
a wound. l have never heard Of.
Il found once in the woods Of Mexican coun-
ty, Pa, the skeletons of two enormous bucks
with their antlers locked together. II was
plain that the two animals had engaged in
mortal com bat during which their horns had
become entanGled, and IL being impossible TO
break the lock thus made. both bucks sue
cumbed to exhaustion and starvation. Another
time | found the body of a doe in the woods,
and near by lay the mutilated remains OF II big
rattlesnakc. The story of the two bodies was
plain to me. TIL deer. true to its nature. had
attacked the snake. but the snake had sue
ceeded in striking the deer with its fangs be-
fore the sharp hoofs Of the animal had killed it.
! have come upon many other dead bodies and
ShtlClphS VI wiz INK III llltTtllI llUltS III
the woods. but never one that did not show UNI
questionable evidence that the beast had died
from violence of some kind. So the mystery as
TO what becomes of the wild animals that die
from natural causes remains.
Then here is another mystery OF the woods.
Who ever killed Il buck that had no horns, and
whoever found q set Of deer a]ntlers in the
room for II new set? | have roamed for many
years the woods where deerabound, and / have
never either killed a h~ornless buck or found
Of p any o one .0 who did, i'd Yet nave every n' wood aGnra
knows. or ought 10 know. that no buck has
old, and that every buck that has horns casts
them Ole on ea gh sHpriHs Rnd grows a new set;
old keep themselves. Tho c~ast-ofr antlers, las
every woOdsman knows, are eaten by field mice
and wood mice but that fact explains only one
OF the mysteries OF the forests; -.
II wish some one would tell mo also why It
p that a dog. even the smartest kind OF dog.
although the dog may have had ever so many
lessons; There are no hcdgehogs in this local.
ity and, e9Tnse q tIs folks folks h he tSi. dom,
dogs for tackling hedgehogs. but up in the
PENNSYLVANIA hemlock belt people know all
Some folks would. call the hemlock belt hedge
hog a p%orcupine; but that, would make no diff;
fI let tSat TO h Iaf he@ N | pit eflt sof into He wo get
have known the best trained deerRound to
with one OF these porcupines, although he may
have Just got In shape from his last encounter
with one. OF course, the dog usually kills hIs
and tear to himself He is bound to have his
mouth and nose illled with the porcupine's
on with renewed spirit. The pain they Inlet
maddens him. and he pitches In fcrcer than
ever, only 20 receive another ,Iuiveriul OF the
Many, a valuable hunting dog has been
ruined by these, .Iuills. Such numbers OF
destroy his scouting quality. The quilts sink
SO deep into the flesh that j Is almost i'm
possible, TO remove then, with ones hngers.
insert themselves, Any part Of a 1uillleft In a
dogs flesh will continue its Journey into the
fatally. Yet the dog seems TO have an Unborn
production Tor hghtihG the hedgehog; in fact
animal abounds TO eradicate that singular in
clinatiOn.'