The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-07
A WONDERFUL DIAMOND BACK.
HE COULD DO ALMOST EVERYTHING
EXCEPT SING.


Was an xtraordinary Retriever
After Ducks and His Fishing Ex-
pIOits Tax observation-disclosures the
Joke ON the oImu'an, but FL
nalIy Fell a Victim to n SCHOOL,
mn'nm's Taste for Terrapin Stew.
Prof. ThOrndiI<c's speckIed Turtle
Intelligence.
Tybee Island, Ga, April 5.-"The'
Jinken, fisherman, philosopher and
friend, laid aside the Popular Science
Monthly with sigh. He had been read
ing an article entitled, Testing a Tur-
ties Intelligence" 1t detailed the ex-
periments of Prof. E. l.. Thorndike and
other scientists, at Woods Hol, Mass,
for the purpose of ascertaining the degree
of intelligence possessed by the common
speckled turtle, known as 'chelopus guta-
tus" The article went on to tell how
certain speckled turtle, after its thir-
tieth trip through a specially constructed
labyrinth, had been able to thread the
maze in sixteen minutes.
"I don't know much about turkles,
said THE" who fishes and hunts for
the love of 1t, and disregards his English
while in gum boots and jumpers, but
do know a thing or two about tarrypins.
Say, did 1 ever tell you about my pet
tarrypin Jean de Reszky?' l named him
Jean because he was a John-Bull tar
rypin, and De ReszKy,' because it was
so d--resky TO take him out visitiu' with
me- Another reason for the name was
that the tarrypin couldn't sing. But that
was about the only thing he couldn't do.
1.-THE way 1 met jean was romantic.
l was over to Daufuskie one day with
picnic. There was Moo England school
ma am in the gang. She wanted to know
all about the fora and fauna Cor maybe
IL was Lizzie and Maude) of the South
ern seacoast. We was looking for Flora
and Fauna among the sea oats, the
marsh sedge and the choo-wheekers. Ev-
erytime jo-darter would jump up and
skeet and every time marsh hen would
cackle, that blamed school ma am would
say, How interesting! and make note
on pad.
LAS we passed little slash in the sedge
1 saw something that l thought would
be more than usually INTERESTING to the
school ma'am. 1t was a lazy little dia-
mon back. that had been left by the tide
He wasn't big enough to be a count,
so the tarrypin hunters wouldn't ha' both
cred him. l gathered him in, and after
explaining to the school ma'am his good
pints and how much dozen his family
was worth in Baltimore and Moo York
I put him in my pocket. Just why done
that I don't know. You can put any
kind o. cooter down miles from water
and he'll go back to it, straight. But
somehow 1 felt kinder sorry for this
poor, lonesome little cuss, so l put him
in my pocket"
Here The" tilted back his chair.
struck a match, pulled few whins on
his pipe. and laughed.
"You know" he went on, IT forgot all
about that ding'd brute, in my breeches
pocket, till that night, when I was a-hug-
gin the school ma'am on the old wreck,
on the club house beach, he pinched me
on the thigh In a minnit l knowed
what II was; the critter was hungry, and
was after eatin' me. IT any rate, he smut
me off from telling the school ma am tnat
7 loved her-which didn't. but was about
To saw IL for politeness; and that's why
say my meeting with jean was romantic.
"Well. to clip the cord close to the ball,
carried the little calf tarrypin home
with me that night; and when TOOK
him out OF my pocket I'll be hanged II
he didn't look up into my face. wink and
open his mouth in a grin! He mad hearo
all I had said to the school maam!
laughed, too. and the tarrypin and me
was good friends at once, and understood
each other
.From that day set in to the regular
training and education of my protege and
friend. He was a hlgh-class. diamond
hack tarrypin one of the first families;
therefore he was extraordinarily bright
and quick to learn, for his kind; and he
was as affectionate as puppy. In six
months time he knowed his name, would
follow like a dog and was as mischievous
as a crow. In year he was as good a
retriever as ever went a-hunttnS; and he
was sportsman from beak to tail. Why
sir. that tarrypin used to go duckin' with
me I'm winter and at the crack of the
gun he'd be overheard out of the boat
In a few minutes I'd see the dead duck
a-foatin' toward me, and I'd take 1t In
l knowed well enough that Jean had II
by one leg under the water town It 10
me And when ia lift the duck aboard
thered be the tarrypin, holdin' on to the
leg 10 be lifted in. too. Then he'd crawl
IN TO the bow OF the boat and
putin both fore-nlppers over the
Runnel, he'd wait for che next shot ana
the next duck. / never knowed jean TO
miss "A solitary duck In the whole two
seasons he hunted with me. Hed nnd
them every clip where dog would fall
HIS instinct was something past under
standing. and hts loyalty was sublime.
but duckin' wasn't Jeans strongest
pint OF sporismanshlp Channel bass you
know are big, strong nsh. For a ten
FOUNDER. YOU have 20 use the landing
not ard N you're hshln' with rod ana
reel Mr rars vii often fool you ana
carry ~ your hook ana sinker Well.
jean uHcd 10 fret 20 af being lon be-
hiTd that : finally had io take him with
me bass nshing The nrni time oat hs
was a-standln sikh Die nippers 5n the
Eunnsi, Hhsn 4 booked q bass. Jean