The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-19
TRAITS of WILD ANIMALS.
Their Intelligence Is N Marvel to
Those Who Hunt Them.


vertiser.
One who has occasion to observe
wild animals in their native haunts
to any extent cannot but be impressed
with the peculiarities which they dis
play, many of which seem to be en-
tirely out of keeping and inconsistent
with their nature and habits. Sur
prises of this kind are constantly be-
ing brought to the observation of one
who turns his attention to these mat
tiers and furnish the subject matter
Of many an unanswered query with
the discerning naturalist.
Bruln, Tor example, with as thick
and tough and warm a skin as any
beast that roams the woods, grown
fat beyond all bounds in the autumn
from feeding for the entire season
upon delicacies exactly to his liking,
nevertheless with the first coming cf
the cold and the snow must needs
seek out a hiding place in some den or
hollow tree and there spend the win
ter sleeping and sucking his paws. The
mere thought of winter makes him
shiVer. Catch him abroad of his own
Will at such a time? Oh, mol He re-
minds one throughout of that type of
individual occasionally seen who de-
lights in sitting out the winter before
he fireplace, doing and toasting his
shins.
Bunny, the colonial. on the other
hand, is exactly his opposite. His pelt
is so thin and tender that it can
scarcely be removed without being
torn, and as for a little flesh and fat
the poor fellow is but a bag of bones,
year in and year out, no matter how
favorable the season and how boun-
teous the crops Talk of facing the Sc
we're cold of winter, the very worst
specimen for this purpose in all the
category of the game animals you
would surely pronounce him after ex-
amining him carefully, and yet as a
matter of fact he has no more regard
for the fierce blasts of Boreas than
for the palmy zephyrs- of spring.
His FORM" or resting place, he To-
Gates as fancy dictates, and seeming
ly without the slightest regard for
warmth, protection or shelter. Quite
as frequently as not he settles on
the crest of a hill or in the middle of
bare, wind-swept field, and here he
sits out the coolest, windiest day in
perfect comfort and satisfaction, as
lenge.
Another peculiarly of bruins is
quite as uIfaccountable. Let the hunt
err once discover him and get upon his
trail, and as soon as he becomes thor
oughly alarmed he will settle down to
business in a manner which will cause
his pursuer no little wonder and as
constituent. Fat, numbering and awk-
ward though he is. with short, thick
and clumsy legs, he will nevertheless
run his pursuer a race which will not
be confined to a brace of counties.
Night and day he will travel at an
astonishing pace, heading directly for
the densest and deepest wilderness
tangle with which he Is acquainted.
The writer has known him thus to run
across three states and successfully
escape capture in the mountain fast
nesses as result.
Reynard, on the contrary, Is built
Tor running Every limb and bone and
muscle Is fashioned with this very end
III view. Every move that he makes.
graceful, easy and quick, reveals his
speed possibilities, and yet he seldom
ii ever puts his powers to the test.
| What a run across the country he could
make If he desired. yet pursue him
| even to the death and he almost never
will lead the pursuer more than a
| dozen miles from home. For some
| reason he does not like to run. He
| would rather escape by some other
and easier means, and will risk his
life in the attempt rather than resort
to his best means of gaining safety,
taking to his legs and putting a coun-
ty or two between hunter and himself.
The tactics Of the bobcat. or lynx,
are exactly the reverse. Not for a
moment would he allow the hunter to
insinuate that he was afraid. His
course is to make a great show of fight
at the start and then run. The mo-
ment that he catches glimpse Of
the pursuer he is at him, blocking his
way and snarling, and splitting fero-
ciously. even before he ascertains
whether 1t is friend or foe or even
worthy Of his ire. He will go far
out of his way to insult the intruder,
and even when perched upon the limb
of tree, well out of harms way,
where he would easily pass unnoticed.
he must needs drop down in ones path,
thus to scold and threaten and chal-
near as the observer can determine.
But his courage soon deserts him and
he turns and runs even before there
is any cause for alarm. A confusing
realization of his rash temerity seems
suddenly to sweep over him in q great
flood, fairly taking from him every
vestige of courage he ever possessed,
and away he goes with the greatest
haste as though the evil one were after
him.
But the ruined grouse displays the
strangest and most pleasing trait of
all. He is the fellow of all game an
imals that by nature is the dullard and
the Ounce: but finally, with a bit of
schooling, develops into the craftiest,
wisest, widest fellow in all the woods
He is the brilliant scholar among the
denizens of the wood, a veritable wiz
ard, and no mistake. In newly discov-
cred countries where the foot Of man
has seldom trod this game bird is 80
tame and stupid and unsuspecting that
upon being disturbed he makes little
or no attempt at escape, but rising to
the lowest limbs of the trees nearest at
hand sits and stares with wide-eyed
establishment, nor will he even move a
muscle to save himself while his enc
my advances and knocks him from his
perch.
But after he has lived for a time In
the vicinity of men he begins to real
lie the fact that he must put his wits
to the very best use of which he is
capable II he would escape his terrible
foe, and so assiduously does he apply
himself to the task of matching his
wit against that of man that the re-
suits which he achieves are truly mar
velous.
One example of his cunning the writ
err often had occasion to note If while
walking through the woods you unex-
pectedly intrude upon him, and should
he feel tolerably sure that you have
not seen him, he will silently step be-
hind the nearest bush, and as you ap-
proach move about it in such way
that it is constantly between you and
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