The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-08-16

An CncaEny Sort of Enfertu nment
That .Vns Given ON Al Cloudy, Mug
Gy Night In the Woods Of West Vir-
ginin-The WhippooryiII Call.
'tWest Virginia seems to be favor
ite region for owls. said John Lochlin
of Pittsburg, "and I was highly
amused participant once in what they
call an owl party down there I was
camping on trout stream in the Cum
berland mountains, attended by Jim
Frazier, grizzly old woodsman and
mcuntaineer. Just as it was getting
dark one muggy, cloudy day, I was cit
ting in the cabin door smoking, and
jim, after an inspection of the sur
roundings and conditions with his
weather eye, said:
Z" This is gointer be fit night for
an owl party. Shell git ye up one?'
''That was the first heard Of such
thing as an owl party.
{" 4 don't know what you mean,
jim, said I.
I" This is gointer be a fit night for
an owl party. he repeated. Shell git
ye mp one.'
"Jim had way of doing things and
explaining them afterward, so l knew
that if I wanted to learn what an owl
party was would have to wait and see.
(" Certainly, I saitl. Get ME up
one, Of course
"That was all that was said or done
about it at the time, but when darkness
had settled down Jim stood up in front
Of the cabin and sent out on the night
wind a good imitation of the mournful
cry of the hcot owl. After half min
ute Of silence he repeated the cry. Pres
emily FROM away off in the woods some
where came An answer. mournful and
prolonged:
(" 'Too-whoo Too-whoo! Too-whoo-
o-op
.s That's one old chap that'll be to
our party anyhow. said Jim, and again
he repeated the cry. 1t was responded
to by the owl, this time nearer, and
his notes had. scarcely died away in the
woods when from another direction a
similar cry was heard.
I" Two of 'cm, said the old hunter.
"And so he kept on Stimulating the
notes of the owl until his calls were
answered from, every part Of the sur
rounding woods, each answering bird
drawing nearer and nearer at every re-
spouse. In ten minutes tirle. from the
trees over our heads, in front and all
around. tie cabin, a dozen pairs of fiery
eyes were glaring down at us from the
darkness. When the old woodsman ut
tered his cry softly, a chorus of soft.
cooling responses met it froll the owls
in the trees If he hurled it III resound-
ing volume at the ehostly assemblage,
from each throat beneath pair of blaz-
ing. eyes would come collection of the
mcst nnearthly sounds that human
being ever stood still and listened to.
Short. staccato yelps like the fright
ened barking of dog; blood curdling
gurglings and gaspings, as of person
being strangled; loud swapping of the
hooked mandibles, and hair raising
finale Of too -whoos, too-whoos.
sFor an hour this exhibition was
kept up by the old woodsman's deft
maneuvering, sometimes with varia-
tions that were convulsingly ludicrous
and sometimes with accompaniment
sufficiently demoniacal to scare a man
into fits. After he had ceased to.pro-
woke the owls to further performances
they remained. in the trees quarter of
an hour or more, swapping Their bills
together and giving voice to various
uncanny sounds. Then they began to
fit away one by one in the darkness,
until they had all disappeared.
"'Givin owl parties is trick that's
as old as the hills down in this kentry,
said Jim. owls ken be called jest like
that most any night, but a muggy
night like this one is the best. I don't
know what they think they come for,
but if tha's an owl within sound Of yer
voice when ye give the call--and an
owl can hear considerable furder than
two 1niles-it'll answer ye and gradu'ly
make its way toward ye till at last its
yer company come to visit. I've had as
many as elk. dozen Of 'em hodnoddin
with me all to wunst. Owls will put off
everything else they'v got on hand and
set and visit with ye all night if yell
only keep on talkin to 'em, and they'll
jaw back as fast and as sassy as ye ken
jaw at them.
"Jim, just at dusk one evening, got
me up whippoorwill party. By imi-
tating the plaintive call of that noe
turnal bird he soon had score or more
Of them huttering noiselessly about the
cabin, never lighting, but swooping
about and keeping up the curious clat-
tering and swapping of their hairy beaks
that are characteristic of their kind.
81 couldn't do that if it wasn't
June, said Jim. The whippoorwill
don't whistle 'cept in that month. and
it's always the he feller that does it.
That whistle is his love call, and all
them whippoorwills I had caperin round
here so was of t'other sex and was
spectin to find mate here hearin the
call.
"Jim assured me that could get up
an owl party or whippoorwill party
juet as we'll as he could, but various
persistent trials proved that he was
wrong 1t seemed to me that / initiated
the cries of the owl and the whippoor-
will as closely as he did, but not re-
sponse could I receive to my invitation.