Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-06-15
A FEW ANIMAL NOTES
THINGS A CLOSE OBSERVER HAS
FOUND BY EXPERIENCE.

Something About Game Blrds.-A
Fox's Brush.-The Vixen.-Peculiar
Acts Of the Mother Fawn.-IIl
Tempered Horses-MuIes are Cads.
Every game bird, in its native
haunts, has a habit of association
which is differently expressed. Thus
sportsmen who know, say bevy of
partridges, a covey of quail, a bunch
of prairie chicken, a plump of wild
fowl, a wisp of teal, either green or
blue winged, a file of geese, a flight
of pigeons, or woodcock, a line of
snipe. Pheasants are so nearly do
mesticated 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 a mask or that
If he is superlativeiy game it is torn
off, 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 TO whoever is
nearest when it is taken. The trophy
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
| &c q in hot no cha
| 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 a
dog to attack 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 it's feet
Should a man or dog appear mean
time, the doe runs away in straight
line, but laggingly and halting 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
If left undisturbed she keeps up the
pacing until she sees the fawn stand
| ing, then PAGES uaintily away in g
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.
Ill tempered old horses delight tC
attack very young foals and will xii
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 fe(
with them, wearing a tinkling bel
about her neck. If she snorts de
fance of anything, all her followers
rush to the attack If she shifts tol
erance, they pass it by. In all things
, they obey her abjectly Back in thu
old days, when horses and mule
throughout the southwest went t
market in droves, the rough ridinl
highwayman of that epoch alway
tried to capture "the bell" and max
off with it, knowing that nothing
could keep the drove from following
Similarly, drovers tried to save tn
'bell." She was led, never ridden
so that in event of attack she Nigh
be fresh for a game run. A light la
led her-the owner or chief drove
? brought up the rear. The lad ha
strict orders at the first sign @
trouble to go his very best, caring fo
nothing but "the bell"
Mules are on the whole somethin
Of cads. They are very proud of thei
horse kin-folk and very much asian
ed of the other side of their ancestry
One horse in lot full of mules is
royal parsonage. Poor Neddy, col
trariwise, is kicked and cuffed an
5 nipped most cruely,-EXchange