Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-12-04

perfectly still on some sloping grass
field or ploughland on which the rays
OF the evening sun fall and IN the
long summer evenings rocks will do
the same before going to bed. Star
lings prefer a chimney-pot to any
other place; wild ducks of all kinds
the sloping bank of pool where the
land shelves gradually down to the
water. In decoy ponds such resting
places are made artifically, near the
mouths of the pipes.
Round the coasts of England, and of
every other sea-washed isle, there are
hundreds of crags known as Seagull
Rock, or by a name with that mean
ing. Very often round our shores
said to be a corruption OF ursa (bear),
much more than they do the animal
after which they are now called
Such rocks have been the resting
places for all time since birds could
fly of the sea-fowl, of gulls, gannets,
and cormorants. There may be a
ROCKS, but their favorites are those
round which the waves never cease to
beat. Even on these there are pet
places which they choose before all
others, just as luxurious people might
pick out particular chair for seat.
1t has been noticed that on some of
these rocks one favorite jut or pima
Gle is never seen without a gull or cor
morant upon it. Cormorants have
special need of such places, as it
seems part of their daily life to spend
a certain time in airing and drying
their wings after their constant i'm
mersions in the sea in pursuit of fish.
A buoy suits them as we'll as most
places, or on isolated rock. They very
seldom land upon a sandy or pebbly
shore. On our English estu-
aries, especially the smaller ones,
such as the Beaulieu River, Christ
church Harbor and Poole Harbour a
most ancient mode of marking the
channel is in use, called leather and
twig." Posts are put in at low water,
those on one side being furnished
with old leather buckets, and those on
the other with old birch brooms, the
inner meaning Of which is known to
the navigators. These posts make
ideal places for such birds as terms to
rest upon. In the northern estuaries
the terms sit on the poles Of the stake
uets, deadly fixed engines set for
catching salmon. In the Scilly islands,
and in places like the fishing villages
of the northeast coast of Scotland,
the large herring-gulls are wont to
rest on the low roofs of the cottages.
At Dornoch they may be seen sitting
thus in rows like pigeons.
Though most of our wild animals
are nocturnal, certain of them have
day resting places. Rabbits choose
sunny banks to sit on by day; and in
the spring foxes often lie out in rough
grass to enjoy the sun, and even OF
tiers will go to sleep in bed of dry
sedges quite in the open. Our domes
tic animals are often very nice in
their selection of an outdoor resting
place. London cats seeking sun and
quiet climb up on to the top of the
water tanks in their own or their
neighbors'' backwards. In the country
cats often find a warm flower bed I'M
der a wall, and curl up there. ST.
| John noticed that Scotch terriers were
particularly fond Of finding flower
border in which to sleep by day. Our
sheep have lost nearly all the wild
instincts but one, which is to seek the
highest possible place in order to lie
down and rest. On Canvey island,
which is as fiat as a table, the present
writer saw two old rams asleep on the
top of a mound, probably the highest
place on the island; and on Thorpe
Cloud, the big hill in Dovedale, the
sheep go to the very summit to sleep.
The Spectator