The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-02

consequently. received all the admiration;
so the other dog barlked short sharp, in
cessant yelps at him all day long, anly
stopping when some one patted him. We
believe that leopards are absolutely silent
creatures; but many of the felidae nave a
particular sound OF request In the cat a
very low. short meow is commonly used
when the object Is near, and will almost
certainly be granted, such as .the opening
of door, or the giving of water or milk
Unusual food which It fancies il will not
get Is asked for in another note, and any
request not attended TO Is repeated IN the
different key. The tiger uses the low new
in some form Of conversation with the
tigress, and the puma, when homestead
ed. has considerable range of notes to
ask for food, water and society, or 70 re-
turn thanks, the latter, as in the case
of the cat and tiger. kind Of purr.
Statement in animal speech is maialy
confined to Indications that the creature
has made discovery, good or bad. For
the former the cook has perhaps, the
most distinct get OF sounds; they are quite
unlike any other note he uses, ana are
to the assertion that he mas
found something good to eat Cock pig
cons do the same, and we Imagine that
geese have an equivalent sound.
Dogs have two forms Of sound to state
a discovery, elephants only ore. Inc cog
banks loud and sharply over something
new or surprising We have heard a dos
bark in this way when couple OF geo
graphical globes were placed In win
dow-obiects he had never seen and wish
es to call attention to. But painful dis
coyery. such as chat Of dead body, or a
dangerously wounded man, Is sometimes
communicated BY the dog bowling, which
makes a different form of speech.
practical ACQUAINTANCE with shore shoot
ing and the men who have learned 10 inn
Itate the notes of shore birds, dlscloses
some curious facts as 10 the minute dlt-
ferences between the 'talk OF inherent
species. The greater humber have a par
ticular note, which signifies Come" and
this note seems always 70 be understood
and generally obeyed, almost instantly
BY the birds Of the same species, though
no bird of another species pays the slight
est attention to IT, But the few shore
birds which are really "talkative," name
ly. the wild geese, the redshank, and the
green plover, pay very little attention TO
the calls, either Of their own species or
Of any one who has ever tried to 'calP'
wild geese. Green ployer can be called,
but very seldom; and though redshanks
can sometimes be whistled within shot
TINS - fdItlJ NOiiS-
The difference between the notes Of in
vita ion made by various shore fowi--stints
gray plover, golden ployer ringed plover,
knots and sandpipers--is so slight that no
one but a fowler would notice them. Yet
to these men the difference is as great
as that between the sound of the French
and English A really hrst-class gunner
will sit in a creek in August and call the
birds up, If within hearing and inclined to
move, IN any order you like 10 name.
Even such closely allied birds as The cur
lew and the Wimbre have different notes.
We once saw a large mixed flock Of gray
plover, knots and stiDs flying past on the
muds, at a distance Of some ninety yards
A gunner noticed that there were two or
three golden power among them. The
gunner whistled the golden powers note
and from the big flock Of some sixty birds
the pair instantly flew out. wheeled and
passed within fifty yards answering the
call in their own language. Perhaps the
best instance OF The aptness OF the gun
ners in learning bird language was re-
Gently recorded In the Westminster Ga
zette IL Is credited 70 q fowler who shot
the only specimen of the broad-billed
sandplper ever Killed In Norfolk. When
down on the muds listening TO the notes
Of the shore birds ne distinguished one
which he did not know. He initiated It,
che bird answered. flew up 10 him and
was shot. Starings. which seem almost to
talk, and certainly can initiate other birds
when engaged in their curious song"
which seems 50 like a conversational va
riety entertainment are all the time en-
joyrng monologue. Starlings. when they
have anything to say, as when nesting or
quarreling for places when going to roost,
use quite different notes 4 OF all bird
voices the song of the swallow Is most
like human speech-not our speech, but
like the songs which the Lapp or such
outlandsh races sing. A Lapp woman
sings a song just like that Of a swallow
at dawn.