Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-04-24
BIRD and FLOWER LAND.
mr.. LAYNR WRITES OF CALIFORNIA AND
ITS AFFAIRS.
Birds Of Every Variety Find Homes in the Land Of
Perpetual Sunshine "A Fine Winter and Excellent
PrcSpects-This is the Season of Haying- PEI SON.
al Mention Etc


FRIEND MUNSoN Il didn't get the
CENSOR last week issue of the 3d, and
10 ease the aching void | II take you to
| task for not using better wrapping pa
per, Its rocky road and long one
from Viroqua t. Santee, and sometimes
he paper comes With broken wrapper,
md in this case hey probably became
separated.
And while I'm about it | might fur
ther relieve my feelings by inflicting
few lines on your readers | have had
designs on them for some time but de-
ferred execution until time which
1asn't come yet-when had something
worth perpetrating. 1t is hight of hay
ing here, ana owing to s;;as lrable rains
the yield Is good. A principal part of
the crop in this section is wild oats,
growing about the foot hills and so far
| up their sides that moving is difficult;
grows three to four feet high and makes
excellent hay.
The country has not looked SO vel
since we came as this season. so much
green and so bright with wild flowers.
wish that some wintry day our Viroqua
friends might be caught up ard let
down here in a basket long enough to
sniff some climate, view the Landscape
and hear the song birds. Birds are so
numerous as to be voted nuisance by
ranchers am not up in bird-ology
but know there are enough in kinds
and quantity to constitute charming
feature of the country. The most COM
mon Is the linnet, pretty little song
bird but terror to fruit ijcds and ten
der vegetables. Slaughter of the limo
cents, is often l. lulged n by outraged
fruit growers and gardeners. The mock
ing bird is modest plumaged but the
sweetest singer of all the feathered song
sters. The first sound TO greet the ear
in early morning is their rollicking song
from nearby tree or house top, But they
are with as only half the year nesting
and rearing thelr young. then away, /
don't know where. The meadow lark
ranks next for its musical notes. and it,
too, leaves us for half the year. The
tiny humming bird is q trifle larger than
your kind and somewhat different. |
think in habit, do no. remember ever
seeing one there perehed and plumming
itself, but they do here, and they nest
in the vines of our porch every year
little eggs the size of pea, and the
young but downy worms. Then there
are sparrows, tinches, orioles wild can
aries, robins, cooling doves and numerous
other kinds. The Butcher bird is held
in unusual execration, and il total de-
pravity extends to the bird kingdom
they are the guilty ones. fhey seem TO
delight in torturing their victims and
destroying life just for the cruel fun of
Ii. Catching bugs mice, frogs, lizards,
| etc, they impale them alive on barbs of
wire fence or thorns of bushes, ind leave
| them to perish, And young chickens
| and pet canary birds are not exempt
| from their murderous proclivities. Mrs.
| Layne hung cage with two canaries In
the open passageway between store and
| house and very soon afterwards found
their heads shipped off and dropped TO
| the floor while the bodies remained in
| the cage Birds hung on open porches
must be protected by mosquito bar
Then we have the blackbirds and crows.
common to all climes. also buzzards and
two species of the eagle.
Speaking of good crops, / would not
omit mention of the profitable one
known as tourists, which has not been
equalled since boom days. And this re-
minds me of a conundrum that ia occa-
sionally gotten off Why is Southern
California like two handsY Because
supported by two wrists. These tour.
lists come from everywhere and are of
many classes Of people. Most of them
are sensible alpreciative people that
know good thing when they see it.
Some are celebrities of our own and
other nations and few were mere
snobs making themselves ridicul, us try
ing TO impress the natives with their
importance. But all must carry away
with them lasting impressions of the
cordiality and hospitality of our people
The battleship Wisconsin is expected
in our harbor soon and would like to
visit it for it's name-sake. Anyth ng by
that name goes with people that have
lived in the Badger state. But adios for
this time p J. LAYNE