Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-09-18
CROWS PLAYING AT PlNe-PoNG.
Expend Much Labor to Discover a
Ball is Not an Egg.


Ball is Not an Egg.
Times of India.-Great is the indig-
nation of the crows of our station. And
the cause of it all is that new-fangled
game, that sign of goth century de-
neutrality-suspicious. Utterly re-
gardless of the fact that it was the
Sabbath, and that high Episcopal
dignitary was staying in the station, it
was ordained that the final of the
local ping-pong tournament should be
played off last Sunday. One of the
| competitors was retired colonel of
| three-score years and 10, but his eye
| is not dim, nor is his natural force
abated. He lost, but not without max
| ing plucky fight of it. He attributes
his defeat to the fact that an unsound
ball was used at critical juncture.
The colonel acted up to his belief, and
wrought vengeance upon the ball by
sending it forth into space. The ball,
although unsound, obeyed the laws of
gravitation; it fell on. grassy plot.
| Presently vigilant crow espied that
i
swooped down upon it, seized it in its
| powerful beak. and bore it off in
| triumph. OF course it was very fool
lsh OF crow to mistake a ping-pong
ball for an egg; for, granted that he
was not a society bird, acquainted
with the mysteries of ping-pong, the
weight of the ball should have suf-
feed to convey to his corvine mind
| the fact that it could not contain a
very substantial breakfast. But
crows, although the cleverest of birds,
are really very silly, if judged by
human standards They have not the
wit to discover when a keel has
| dropped an egg into the nest, nor
| have they the sense to distinguish the
, interloper, when it is Matched. from
| one of their own kind.
Having secured it's prize, the worthy
crow took up a commanding position
on the branch of bamboo tree. After
little prospecting he caught sight
| OF small stone post, which appeared
to be admirable adapted to his pur.
pose. To this he flew, and droping
the ball, pecked at it to break it. In
! stead of breaking, the ball hopped on
| TO the ground; the crow retrieved il.
and again had peck at it, with the
same result. Having repeated the
process half dozen times the crow
| grew thoughtful. Never before had he
come across such an obstinate egg
| He then decided to tackle it upon the
| ground; here he met with no better
| success. He next few to a neiebhor-
| ing tree, and from that altitude con-
templated the ball, which he had left
lying on the ground A happy thought
suddenly seized him. He took I'D the
| egg in his beak, and flew with it to a
| branch some six feet above the
ground, and let it fall. 1t survived
! the shock intact. This was too much
for another crow that had been at
tentively watching the first bird Said
he to himself: IF that iuggins cant
break the egg, there is nothing left
but for me to show him how to do it,,
Having delivered himself of These
sentiments, he made a swoop at the
ball, snapped at it as he flew over.
but since the first crow was in hot
| pursuit he missed it. Then followed
| a long contest between the second
bird and the rightful owner. Every
| time the former attempted to capture
| the egg, the latter flew after him and
tried to reck him After a little both
| pirds came to rest on different trees
within full view of the ball, each with
his back toward the other.
Crows are not straightforwa
birds. They live chiefly by deceit
Each wanted the other to think that
he had forgotten all about the bone
OF contention. After the struggle had
continued some 20 minutes the first
bird was seized with a sudden fit of
generosity. and decided to let his
rival have an inning. The latfer's
score was no larger than that of the
nrst crow. In vain he pecked at the
oal, which bounded away at each
peck; in vain he jumped upon it. He
was clearly losing his temper when
| third crow arrived on tsc scene
and little knowing what was in store
Tor him. gayly tackled the egg. which
the second crow gave up to him in
the most selfdenying manner. Before
ne had quite exhausted his energy
TWO more crows arrived and forth
Win attacked the ball. The other
three crows remained placidly looking
on from neighboring tree Alter
''ihe the two newcomers, who had
taken alternate pecks at the celluloid
sphere, left it in disgust and Joined
the other three birds in the tree. the
whole five cawed in unison. in ? mar.
ner betraying the most unspeakabIe
disgust.