The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-26
A NOVEL HUNTING DEVICE.
Photograph Introduced In Rabbit
Hunting to Replace the Forbidden
Earraf.
From the Chicago Tribune.

Ferret.
From the Chicago Tribune.
There is an unwritten law in the Fox
lake country against the shooting of
unfortunate ducks that are frozen fast
in the ice, just as there is a written
law against chasing the rabbit out of
his warm burrow or brush heap by
means of the squeaking ferret. And
thereby Squire Otto Muehrcke has done
good deal of work in past years in
clearing friends charged with the vio-
lation of the rabbit-ferret code especial
ly. Think of it," has been one OF the
arguments of the squire. "Only last
winter it took twelve hours for the
defense to get jury, which finally
decided for the prisoner: Well, we
can't see why a man should be fined
for catching a mess of perch through
the ice.' Now, when it takes that much
time for such a case, what am l to
do?" AS a result, In connection with
rabbit shooting and the use OF ferrets,
Chicago friend of the squire has
solved the difficulty for the present
winter though increasing his own field
equipment thereby.
This friend, who is fond of rabbit
shooting, has pen of ferrets at home.
Also he has talking machine of I'M
questioned accent and purity of tone.
The rest has been easy In hunting
the rabbit with the real thing in past
years, the most effective Sertion of the
ferret is it's squeak. TIE 1.-the, rat
fish little animal squeaks at a touch
and 1t continues It's serpentine squirm-
ings in the hand to the music of a
note pitched close to that of a slate
pencil of a second grade schoolroom
slate. Between the squeak and the
80 -, -
| teeth, no mere novice would hunt rab-
| bits with a ferret anyhow; 1t is too
| much like chasing them with pet rat
| tlesnake. But the type of man who
| isn't afraid to try to feel the wind
| from a buzz saw with his fingers oc-
casionally takes to the ferret, if the
| law allows, or if he is certain of the
kind of jury that he can draw upon in
| an emergency.
In hunting with the live squeak the
| animal is taken from a pocket, from
| the trouser leg, or from almost any
| portion of the clothing where 1t has
| squirmed to in transit, and at the en-
| trance to the rabbits burrow, or to
| it's hole in the brush pile, the ferret
| is turned in, nose first. If there is
another exit from the burrow or the
| brush heap the rabbit goes out at it
| with the momentum of light; If there
! 10 OILY IAlC ChbCA MS Po0Sd5O NAAC loO
| bit still comes out at the given rate,
| having passed it's slim enemy in the
| burrow entrance. Then it is that the
| hunter gets in his deadly work with
| a charge of shot. But in the Fox lake
country one cannot hunt with ferrets,
and the Chicago man who is piling
up the stores above every one in the
! neighborhood of Fox lake station is
| Squire Muehrcke's friend with the
| talking machine.
| Before starting out on his shooting
| trip the Chicago man takes his ferret
| to the machine. in which he has in
| serted a new registering cylinder.
Pinching the creature and fumbling it
before the instrument. he accumulates
| a series of hysterical squeaks upon
the wax cylinder, which is calculated
to bring terror to the biggest bunny
that ever holed up in the woods Of
Lake county. Then with the machine
under one arm and the gun under the
other the hunter IS ready. Before
burrow showing fresh tracks In the
snow, the hunter places the decorating
barrel Of the machine, clicks the start
er. and in a moment there is a series
of excited shrieks, and Gatherings, and
souaks, and crashing Of teeth rever
berating through the bunny borrow,
making the Miller's station dugout
and the automatic trio look less than
30 cents. A Washington park hostlcr
couldn't hold the rabbit from boiling.
and at the psychologist moment the
hunter takes the cottontail on the
| jump.
All Lake county has been stirred
| deeper than a burrow over the innova-
tion. on the part OF those who shoot
rabbits for sport. II is declared to be
wholly within the law. On the other
hand, those who shoot for dinner de-
clare that Il is a patent evasion OF
the lava something designed for the
rich man who can afford a talking
machine and take II out into the wood
instead OF keeping II IN the third fiai
a. home. buzzing u on solo work. '"fo
me" said Squire Auehrcke. IT Is like
this. Suppose gang - men should
surround your house. ana boot. and
yell. and hammer on the doors Until
yau ran out Ia q fright. and then rob
bed your house. That Hosiid b. rios
and robbery. But suppose some one