The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-31
paosLeMs or rHs WOODS.
what becomes OF Beast. That Die . Nat
urai Death.

What becomes OF Beasts That Die Q Nat
urai Death.
What. becomes OF wild animals that
die In the woods?" said the naturalist.
Il mean Wild animals that die a natural
death. Age and disease must carry
many OF them regularly as human be
ings are carried of. but what becomes
Of their bodiesf I have never heard of
any one coming across a dead bear or
deer or fox or wildcat In the woods
thai had died from natural causes. I
have never heard of any one finding
even the skeleton Of a wild animal in
the woods that did not show evidence
somewhere hat the beast had met its
death through violence. But an unin-
jured skeleton or body of a wild AMI
NAL without wound. I ave never
heard Of.
Il found once in the woods OF Nc
Kean county. Pa. the skeletons OF two
enormous bucks with their antlers
locked together. IL was plain that the
two animals had engaged in mortal
combat, during which their horns had
become entangled. and 1t being impos-
sible to break the lock thus made, both
bucks succumbed to exhaustion and
starvation. Another time / found the
body OF a doe In the woods and near
by lay the mutilated remains of a big
rat;lesnake The story OF the two bodies
was plain to me. The deer, true to its
nature. had attacked the snake. but
the snake had succeeded in striking the
deer with Its fangs before the sharp
hoofs of the animal had killed II. I
have come upon many other dead bodies
and skeletons of wild animals at diff
ferent times In the woods. but never one
hat did not show unquestionable- ext
dence that the beast had died from vio-
lence 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 a buck that
had no horns. n whoever found n set
of deer antlers in tine -woods-antlers
that had been cast to make room for q
new set? I have roamed for many years
the woods where deer abound. and I have
never either killed a hornless buck or
found a pair of horns. And l nave never
heard of any one who did. Yet every
woodsman knows. or ought to know,
that no buck has even the sign Of a
horn until he is two years old. and that
every buck that has horns casts them
off each spring and grows a new set.
Now, where do all the bucks under two
years Did keep themselves? The cast
off antlers. as every woodsman knows.
are eaten by field mice and wood mice:
out mat IdCt explains only one OF tne
mysteries of the forests.
Il wish some n would tell me also
why IL Is that a dog. even. the smartest
kind of dog, dom seem TO be able to let
a hedgehog alone although the dog
may have had ever so many lessons.
There are no hedgehogs in this locality
and. consequently, folks hereabout
dom know much on the subject Of this
passion OF dogs for tackling hedgehogs.
but up in the Pennsylvania hemlock
belt people know all about II n won
der at IL correspondingly. Some ok
would call the hemlock belt hedgehog a
porcupine, but that would make no diff
ference to the hemlock belt dog. He
would let that habit of pitching into II
get the better of him just the same. i
have known the best trained ~rho
to stop suddenly on a hot trail to have
a fight with one of these porcupines. al
though he may have just got In shape
from his last encounter with one. OF
course. the dog usually kills his game.
but ii is always after more or less wear
and tear to himself. He Is bound 20
have his mouth and nose filled with the
porcupine's quilts. and 1t is this that
seems to egg the dog on with renewed
spirit. The pain they infict maddens
him, and he pitches in fiercer than ever.
only to receive another quiverful of the