The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-08-16
A QUEER OWL PARTY.
THE SOLEMN BIRDS RESPONDED TO
THE WooDsMAN's CALL.


Ey Night I'm tre woods of West Yir-
ginia-rhe Whippoorvvili Call.
''West Virginia seems TO be "a favor
ite region for owls, said John Lochlin
of Pittsburg, ''and was highly
amused participant once in what they
call an owl party down there. was
camping on trout stream in the Cum
berland mountains. attended by Jim
Frazier, a grizzly old woodsman and
mcuntaineer. just as it was getting
dark one muggy, cloudy day. 1 was cit
ting IN the cabin door smoking, and
jim, after IN inspection of the sur
roundings and conditions with his
weather eye, said
This IS gointer be a tit night for
an owl party. Shell git ye up oneY'
''That was the first heard of such Il
thing as an owl party
81 don't know what you mean.
Jim, said 1.
" This is gonter be fit night for
an owl party. he repeated. Shell I git
ye up oner'
"Jim had 81 way of doing things and
explaining them afterward, so l knew
party was would have to wait and see.
'Certninly, sail. Get me up
one, of course.
THAT was all that was said or done
about it ut the time. bnt when darkness
had settled down Jim stood up in front
of the cabin and sent ont on the night
wind a good imitation of the mournful
cry of the hoot owl. After half min
ute of silence he repeated the cry. Pres
emily from away off in tho woods some
where came an answer. mournfnl and
prolonged:
" 'Too-whoo! Too-whoo! Too whoo-
o-o'
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 hud scarcely died away in the
woods when from another direction a
similar cry WAS heard.
" Two of 'em. said the old hunter.
And so he kept on Stimulating the
notes Of the owl until his calls were
anewered from every part Of the sur
rounding woods. each answering bird
drawing nearer and nearer at every re-
sponse. in ten minutes time. from the
trees over our heads, in front and all
around the cabin. dozen pairs Of fiery
eyes were glaring down at us from the
darkness. When the old woodsman ut
tered his cry softly, chorus of soft,
cooling responses met il from the owls
in the trees. If he hurled it in resound-
ing volume at the ehostly assembIage,
from each throat beneath pair Of blaz-
ing. eyes would coris collection Of the
mCst unearthly sounds that u human
being ever stood still and listened 10.
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 a hair raising
finale of too-whoos, too-whoos.
"For an hour this exhibition was
kept up by the old woodsmau's deft
maneuvering, sometimes with varin-
tions that were convulsingly ludicrous
and sometimes with accomplishments
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 9
as old as the hills down in this kentry,
said Jim. owls ken be called Jest like
that most any night, but q muggy
night like this one ia tho best. don't 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 miles-it'll answer ye and gradu 'ly
make It's way toward ye till at last its
ye- company co::e &c visit. I've had es
many aa six. dozen Of 'em hodnoddin
with me all to wunst. Owls will put of
everything else they got on hand and
set and visit with ye all night If yen
only keep on talkin to 'em, and they'll
jaw back as fact and as sassy as ye ken
jaw at them.
"Jsm. just at dusk one evening, got
me up whippoorwiil 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 awooping
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 il it WASH {
June. said Jim. 'The whippoorwill
don't whistle 'cept in that month. and
it's always the he feller that does 1t.
That whistle ia his love call, and all
them whippoorwills had caperin round
here 80 was of t'other sex and was
spectin to find mate here hearin the
CALL
"Jim assured me that I 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. It seemed to me that initiated
the cries Of the owl and the whippoor-
will as closely as he did, but not q re-
sponse could receive to my invitation.
No sooner would Jim pipe up or hoot,
though, than the answers would begin
to come. 1t was most amazing. and
from the way old Jim grinned I'm
agino he induced the fpat inat tO ahoyv