Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1900-01-02
A FEW ANIMAL NOTES
THINGS A CLOSE OBSERVER HAS
FOUND BY EXPERIENCE.


lomething About Game 5irds.-A
Fox's 8rush.-The vixen.-PecuIiar
Acts of the Mother Fawn.-lii
Tempered Horses-Mules are cads.
Every game bird, in its native
haunts, has a habit Of association
which is differently expressed. Thus
sportsmen who know. say a bevy OF
cartridges, a covey of quail. a bunch
of prairie chicken, plump OF wild
fowl, a wisp of teal, either green or
blue winged, file of geese. flight
of pigeons, or woodcock, line OF
snipe. Pheasants are so nearly do
INVESTIGATED they are said to come in
clutches, rail and plover in balls, and
cranes and heron in slants.
Everybody knows that fox's tail
Is in hunting parlance his brush. but
few perhaps know further that his
scalp is technically mask" or that
II he is superlatively game, ii is torn
of, nailed on the kennel door of the
pack in at his death, and marked with
three crosses to show that he died
only at the end of a ringing run. The
brush, of course, goes 10 whoever is
ucdTScL WITCH IL 10 tdkCn. AC thOPhy
next in value is the right forefoot-
In hunting phrase pad thief" The
left forefoot pad mino," ranks next.
After them the hind feet, the pegs"
which only very young or very avid
hunters care much to claim.
One amazing thing regarding the
vixen-the she fox-is that no dog
will follow her trail while she carries
young. 1t is uncertain whether she
then leaves no scent, or whether the
dogs obey some primal instinct, in
passing over her track. A certain
consideration for the female is appar-
ent in most of canine species. One
of the surest signs of rabies is for
dog to attack a bitch of his own spe-
cies.
Fawns when first dropped are for
some hours unable to stand. The dog
does not remain beside them, but pa
ces slowly around at a considerable
distance. Every now and then she
gives a little tremulous bleating call,
at sound of which the fawn lifts its
head and tries to struggle to its feet.
Should a man or dog appear mean
time, the doe runs away in straight
line, but laggingly and hating as
though herself hurt unto death. When
she thinks she has lured the enemy
far enough away, she gives three
great flying leaps, which take her at
once out of sight and goes back to her
baby upon seven-league boots. But
II left undisturbed, she keeps up the
pacing until she sees the fawn stand
ing, then PAGES oaintily away in
straight line, choosing always the
easiest grade. AS she PAGES she calls
family and every now and then halts.
looking over her shoulder, to see that
she is followed.
III tempered old horses delight to
attack very young foals and will kill
them If permitted. Mules have the
same cheerful habit, unless they are
under the influence of ''the bell mare"
She is the queen of the herd-a kind
ly creature who has grazed and fed
with them, wearing a tinkling bell
about her neck. If she snorts de-
fiance of anything. all her followers
rush to the attack. If she shifts toll
erance, they pass it by. In all things
they obey her abjectly. Back in the
old days. when horses and mules
throughout the southwest went to
market in droves, the rough riding
highwayman of that epoch always
tried TO capture the Dell ana make
off with it, knowing that nothing
could keep the drove from following.
Similarly, drovers tried to save the
bell" She was led, never ridden,
so that in event of attack, she might
be fresh for game run. A light lad
led her--the owner or chief drover
brought up the rear. The lad had
strict orders at the first sign of
trouble to go his very best, caring for
nothing but "the bell"
Mules are on the whole something
of cads. They are very proud of their
horse kin-folk and very much asham-
ed of the other side of their ancestry.
One horse in a lot full of mules is
royal parsonage. Poor Neddy. con-
trariwise. is kicked and cuffed, and
nipped most cruelly.-Exchange.