Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-02-24
WOODLAND, MYSTERY
WHAT BECOMES CT THE BODIES OF
DEAD eEASTS.

Ago and Disease Must Carry Many of
Them Of-Whoever Found in the Woods
a Set of Deer Anti ers That Had Been
Lost to Make Room For a New Set?
What becomes Of wild animals that
die in the woods?' said the naturalist
Il mean wild animals that die Il nat
ural death. Age and disease must
carry off some of them as regularly as
human beings are carried off. but what
becomes of their bodies? | have never
heard OF any one coming across a dead
Dear or deer or fox or wildcat in the
woods that had died from natural
causes. | have never heard of anyone
finding even the skeleton of wild an
ilnal 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 a
wild animal without IA wound, | have
never heard Of
Il found once in the woods of Nc
Kean County, Pa, the skeletons of two
enormous bucks with their antlors
locked together. 1t was plain that the
two animals had engaged in mortal
combat, during which their horns had
become entang led. and it being impos-
Sible to break the lock thus made,
both bucks succumbpd to exhaustion
ana starvation. Another time | found
the body of Il doe in the woods. and
near by lay the m1tilated remains of
Il big rattle snake. The story of the
two bodies was plat 4 to me. The deer
true to its nature. had attacked the
snake. but the snake had succeeded in
striking the deer with its fangs he
fore the sharp hoOfa of the animal had
killed it. | have come upon many
other dead bodies and skeletons Of
wild animals at different times in the
woods. but never one that did not show
unqucstionablc evidence that the beast
had died of violence OF some kind. SO
the mystery as to W hat 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. and who eVcr found
Il set of deer antlerS in the goods
antlers that had been cast to make
room for a new set? I have roamcd
for many years the woods where deer
abound and | have never either killed
a hornlcSS buck or found pair of
horns. And | have never heard of any
one who did. Yet every Woudsman
knows. or ought to know. that no buck
has even the sign of horn until he is
years old and that every buck that
has horns casts them off each Spring
and grows new set Now. where do
all the bucks under years keep them
selves. The cast-off antlerS as every
WOOdSman knows. are eaten by field
mice and wood mice; but that fact OK
len Of
forests.
81 wish some one would tell me. also,
why it is that a Jog. even the smallest
kind of dog, don't seem to be able to
let hedgehog alone, although the dog
may have had ever SO many lessons. |
have known the best trained deer
hound to stop suddenly on trail to
nave fight with Il porcupine. although
tie may have just got in shape from his
last encounter with one. OF course.
the dog usually kills his game, but it
is always AIT ter more or less wear and
tear to himself. He is bound to have
his mouth and nose filled with the
DOrcupine's quilts. and it is this that
seems to egg the dog on with renewed
spirit. The pain they inhict maddcns
him, and he pitches in tiercer than
aver, only to receive another culver
full of the sharp and penetrating little
weapons. Many valuable hunting
log has been ruined by these quilts
such numbers of them entering his
nose and mou,A as to destroy his scent
ing quality. The quilts sink 50 deep
nto the flesh tina it is almost impoSsi-
Ole to remove them with ones fingers.
and the longer they are left in the
leeper they insert themselves. Any
Dart of the quill left in dogs flesh.
will continue us journey into the flesh,
md will in time result seriously if not
'atally. Yet the dog seems to have an
Unborn prediction for fighting the
hedgehog; in fact, it is almost impossi-
Die in region where that animal
lbounds to eradicate that singular in
,lnation."