New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-20

perhaps wondered how much the animals knew
and especially how they came to know Il.
To illustrate the matter simply and IN our own
day and generation: A deer that has been chased
ell day long by dogs. and that has escaped at last
by swimming an icy river and fallen exhausted
on the further shore will lie down to sleep In the
snow That would mean swift death for any
human being Half the night the deer will move
about at short Intervals instead Of sleeping heavily
and In the morning ne Is as good as ever and ready
for another run. The same deer shut up IN a
warm barn to sleep over night. as has been more
than once tested with park animals. viii be found
dead In the morning.
IAN old Indian who lives and hunts on van
couver Island told recently that he has ssverai
times caught beaver that had previously cut their
legs off TO escape from traps. and that two OK
them had covered the wounds thckly with
gum Last spring the same Indian caught
a bear in a deadfalL On the animafs
side was a long rip from some other bears claw
and the wound had been smeared thckly with SOFT
spruce rOsiu. This lest experience corresponds
closely with OF my own. 1 shot g big bear
years ago In Northern New-Brunswick that had
received q gunshOt wound, which had raked him
badly and then penetrated the leg. He had
plugged the wound carefully with clay, evidently
20 stop the bleeding and then had covered the
broken skin with sticky mud from the rivers brink.
10 keep the files away from the wound and give II
chance 10 heal undisturbed. II IS noteworthy
here that the bear uses either gum or clay indif-
ferentIy while the beaver and muskrat seem TO
know enough to avoid the clay, which would be
quickly washed of in the water.
zone day In the early spring l. saw two elder
ducks swimming about the Hummock Pond. on
the island Of Nantucket. The keen eyed critic will
interfere here and say was mistaken; for elders
are salt water ducks that love the open sea ana
are supposed never to enter fresh water. not even
20 breed. That IS what also supposed until saw
these two so l sat down to watch awhile and
End out ~ possible what had caused them to
change their habits At this time OF year the
birds are almost invariably found IN pairs. and
sometimes a flock a hundred yards long VIII pass
you. flying close to the water and sweeping around
the point where you watching. first pretty
brown female and then a gorgeous black and
white drake Just behind her. alternating with
perfect regularity female and male. throughout
the whole length OF the long line. The two birds
before me. however. were both females. and tnat
was another reason for watching them instead Of
the hundreds OF other ducks. coots and sheldrakes
and broadbils that scattered all over the big
pond.
The first thing noticed that the birds were
acting queerly. dipping their heads under water
and keeping them there for full minute or more
at a time. That was curious. too. for the water
under them was too deep for feeding, and the
elders prefer 70 whit TIL the tide falls and then
gather the exposed shelhsh from the rocks. rather
than TO dive after them. like a cOot- Darkness
came on speedily to hide the birds. who were still
dippiua their heads as II bewitched and l went
away no wiser for my watching.
"A few weeks later there another elder. a
big drake. in the pond, and acting in the
same queer way. Thinking. perhaps. that this was
a wounded bird that mad gone crazy from shot
IN the head I pushed out after him in old tub
OF a boat but he took wing at my approach. like
auv other duck and after vigorous fight liz
further down the pond. and plunged his head
under water again. Thoroughly curious now.
went on q still hunt after the stranger and after
much difhcuItv succeeded in shooting him from the
end OF a bushy point TIE only unusual thing
about him that large mussel such as grow
on the rocks in salt water. had closed his shells
firmly on the birds tongue in such way that he
could neither be crushed by the birds bill nor
scratched off by the birds foot. I pulled the
sci of put it in my pocket. and went home more
mystifed than before
THAT night 1 hunted UP old fisherman who
had a big store Of Information in his head about
all kinds Of wild things. and asked him IL he had
ever seen a shoal duck IN fresh water. once or
twice he said. They kept dipping their heads
under water kinder crazy like But Re had no ex-
PLANTATION to offer until I showed him the mussei
that had found on the ducks tongue. Then his
face lightened 'Mussels OF that kind Wort live
in fresh water he declared. at a glance: and then
the explanation OF the birds queer actions flashed
into both heads at once; they were simply drown
ing the musses in order 90 make them loosen their
grip on the birds tongues.
Twenty years ago while sitting quietly by a
a woodcock futtered into the open and made
his way to a spot on the bank II was the season
when gunners were abroad in the land. and my
first impression that this a wounded bird
that had made long fight after being shot at.
and that had come out TO the stream u drink
or 20 battle his wounds birds often do
AT first he took sJst CLAW in his bill from the
edge OF the water and seemed 20 be snearns ~
on one leg the knee Then he fiuttered away
on one foot for a distance and seemed to be pulling
tiny roots and hbres OF grass. which h worked
into the clay that he had already smeared on his
leg. Again he took more clay and plastered 81
over the 1bres. putting more and till
could plainly see the enlargement. he worked away
with strange silent intentnsss for fully fifteen
minutes while l watched and wondered scarce
believing my eyes Then he stood perfectly stiIl
for a full hour under overha ngirg sod. where
the eye could with difficulty find him. his only
motion meanwhile being occa sionaI rubbing and
smoothing or the clay baadGge with lis bin. until
~ hardened enough suit him. whereupOn he
nuttered away from the brook and disappeared IN
the thick woods
Il had my own explanation % the Incredible
tor-namely. that the woodcock had a broken leg.
and had deliberately put Il into clay east
to hold the broken bones In place until
they should knit together again. but. naturally.