Evening star., 1901-11-16

apparent reason or influence which eau.
casian can detect.
Domesticated animals have lost n great
oeal OF their primitive instincts nnd yet
they still have some remnants left which
come to the surface in the most unexpected
manner. In the winter l have seen a whole
bunch of steers leave a good. warm barn
and. with tails straight above their backs,
run headlong for the timber, When II hap
pened / could see no reason for IL end
asked negro farm laborer what Il meant.
why, boss he answered, don't you
Know at Wen yo' see feedin' cattle take to
de woods daterway at hits gwinetah tu'n
bad nifty soon? OATS whut hit is"
very much to my surprise, It turned out
just as the negro had said. for in the uext
twelve hours a blizzard was raging Since
then L have seen the same thing happen
again and again. 1t is simply a bit of the
old instinct of wood and field. which ccn-
tact with man has not been able to eradI-
cate.
On another occasion I saw several old
brood sows hurrying about a straw rick,
carrying great mouthfuls of straw and
pillng 1t up. The whole while they were
at work they were making an uneasy
grunting noise. I asked a negro what they
were doing
"A hawg des nachully sees col weathah
a-comin'," was the answer. "Dey des car.
rytn straw fuh to mex 'em a bed TO hit
tu ms col. Yessah. hawg allus knows
when hits a-goin' to tu'n col, cause de air
des nachully looks red to 'em den. An
ats whut meks EN- hollah an squeal so,
too"
Both OF these instances show exactly tho
same instinct, which saves so many of our
animals of the woods and plains from
freezing to death in sudden weather
changes.
Winter Homes of Birds.
As fall touches the forest with rosy fin
gers and each morning shows the iow-lying
meadows hoary with frost. the last strag-
glers leave for the south and only a handful
Of birds remain with U.S. few birds
from farther north come to keep :h,m
company during the bleak, cold Jays OF
winter
1t is easy to understand how sbay manapo
to keep warm as long as the weather re-
mains only moderately cold FIR they luf-
fie up their soft, downy feathers and thus
really live in feather bed. But when
storms come sweeping from the north and
all the earth is covered vita snow and
sleet and 1t grows bitterly cold, then Is the
time when they must find secure places in
which to sleep.
Great numbers of our birds have a safe
refuge in the dense, green foliage of the
red cedars, and during cold weather YOU
are almost certain to see some cardinals
and mocSing birds deep in their protected
centers. Not alone do they go to the &C.
dars for protection from the cold winds but
also as a store house In time of need In
bitter cold and snowy weather have seen
a grove of red cedars literally covered with
hungry birds. Even the ground under the
trees was. nearly hidden by birds engaged
in picking up the blue berries which tho
birds in the trees had dropped.
Along small streams, where the current
has cut the earth from under the roots of
a big forest tree. are snug retreats from
cold and wind and snow. / have often
found great numbers of crowned sparrows
juncoes, winter chippies and other ground
birds in such places. Larks and partl idges
are often driven into the feeding barns.
among the cattle and hogs and as long as
the bad weather lasts they will appear
quite tame. But at the first sign of favora-
pie weather they will leave for their own
wild haunts again.