The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-10
rive s1Rss yoU wUsvN'T sSSWT
TBe wseAtna Blra aMa ths ts,ss Ws1As'
P~Veeeetea Nv eesaa

'rpfn faF sway u asnrnel ~ cYfns - tfill,
~ lhe eughuNestle NagthsVW = PIT N,
thsu q inv lhen q Fpsel How 4 ch,fpl NV
\ meffV WRISTS, haw \ lfeHtuiu altlsslNnr
\ eFy ~ alaffH, q Whule rhalH ~ tglils huHeHi
tes~thefI ~ astaals f%r1VeUeHt rest y lUu6
rN~ = THes iueN IN Nv allesFu aprassluna'o
and atrhinhig 4 aleHue 4 Hetlley NJ hfd
hr'~s a swsfus q errn . ~ . eaftiinai
y mseilh = hash a iuchlna, = sraffnw
y shiprpuf Nin m ufiole, 4 Harhtffd .
tofptt q tlurtafi ~ tha taris have
Weodri thrit MITES iAsseni iFf N
swre,B
n sure saa = A. fhev ~ dowr here IN
tetss NJ 10 q shels Md rhutis Nhen N"
wiia this r. tss mNchina httd
Although me- dfchapsfai tkfoatihes may
seem IN 10 cunning from q distance he IL
otsn frolihe yo,t Not tweaty ~, aWay
pefhHTa waa Tits caa, aMona The thick
efccn ~ Tho copee Tor the mccsiha bird
lovea surprises. and often, after he has
watched you from ne Isafy fastneae waning
ysegt nsch and p%ss.ina I'D gesrlns hIsh
him, he will hu,teF from he perch and splash
IN -FOUR face a torrent of deflalve ntelody,
90 he dives away lRto che dseper foHgee,
~ warble again the marvellous aa'nut ~ his
NeTrA'ne thfoat
tho wildwood and the density NJ the
copse. From the megnolie tfpe m the city
lawn, from the depths ~ the bordering
shade tree, from che hiilowr ~ the oleander
~ your very window ledge, IN the early
and m%dT" cyI" l. sSd M. I, NJ, iss night IiysS,n'pSs s thrust, GS%ss me- n;
sweet treapaaa NJ hia sons Upon yon-but
only from the time when the buds open In
mid March until the Passing OF the summer
roses In June. Then the woods Claim him.
and only occasionally ie HE burst oi cong
makes melodious the silent groves and
shadowy thickets,
No trap or gun endangern the hooking
bird in Texas. To kill q knocking bird IL
held almost a. great an Offences here a. 70
speak slightingly OF q
II would 20 hard. too. with the un-
thinking man who would lift n gun against
the levee walker OF the Texas rice belt.
0ridironing the great fields are embank-
ments raised to control the spread OF water
over 'he growing rice as II IL turned on from
the i~rrigating canals and to divide the
fields into working sections. Lateral canals
conduct the water from the main canals
to and along these entertainments, which
are called levees.
The Northern man. gazing from the car
window Of a Southern Pacific train as II
sped along between endless stretches Of rice
prairie, levee and canal, and noticing the
frequent rising from the levees and canal
borders, far afield, Of flocks OF large birds,
most Of them pure white, fell to wondering
what variety of bird they might be, 40
plentiful on those prairies, and evidently
so shy.
He spoke Of his curiosity to a fellow
10 --.a .lA.Al, 49, 80 III
region, and asked him TO crafty it.
Them birds?' said the native. Them
birds is levee walkers, and, Colonel, il you-all
was thinkin' o. droppin' of somewheres
along the line and takin' a shot at EN- you
better telegraph your folks te come after
o with a box!"
The Northern man further learned from
the native that the levee walker was in
reality a heron. and one not in
Texas, but not seen in any large number
in the coast country until the prairies were
put under cultivation to rice.
The burrowing crawfsh is a prolific and
ubiquitous preempter Of the moist soil Of
the Texas coast country. Wherever even
a puddle of water or a ditch is found on the
borders Of II will this crawfish dig it's nest
and honey comb the ground with its ex-
cavations.
The open cutters which Texas cities seem
to cling to with a fondness that attaches
to all heirlooms offer the crawflsh favorite
haunts. One Of the first things in Houston
that struck the Northern man as being
queer was seeing sundry darky boys
one day after a rainy spell fishing for craw-
fish in the street cutters just as the North
erner used to wander with rod and line
where the Pike county brook trout hid.
When the irrigation canals and bitches
were dug in the prairies to supply the water
necessary for rice cultivation. what miles
and miles OF nesting banks they offered
this burrowing crawfsh for occupancy.
The crawfish was not slow in taking adj
vantage Of the new field, and in time, in
some districts, it threatened havoc to the
levee banks.
Then the rice planters noticed that birds
| of a kind new to them, some Of them white
and some Of them blush gray, but all long
legged and Of great spread OF wing, began
At first the farmers regarded them with
strong d~isfavor, believing 'them to be OF
still another tribe Of winged destroyers OF
rice, several Of which were already in dis
~oouraging evidence, and they wen out
against them with guns and destructive
devices.
In spite of this warfare on them these big
birds persisted in lowering about the fields,
and ii marching with much statelinese up
and down the levees with ever increasing
numbers. After a while the discovery was
made that the honeycomfing and tun-
relling crawfsh had met with an obstacle
somehow.
In fact 1t was plain that the iproads OF
the pest had received a decided check, and
then the revelation came that the big levee
walking bird, instead Of being a devourer
of the rice crop, was simply putting in it's
time crawfshipg, and that the number OF
the destructive burrowers one Of these birds
managed to surprise during a days walk
ing OF a levee was beyond belief. From
that time it became the unwritten law OF
the rice belt that the man behind any gun
that was levelled at a levee walker had best
lose no time IN getting away. from that
particular corner Of the belt and not forget
to stay away.
aAn' seein' a. It pears like setch was the
feelin' through here" said the native who
had enlightened the Northern man in these
matters regarding the levee walker, seems
10 me ef | was you-all. Colonel, I wouldn't
drop of nowheres along the line an go to
gurnin' fer rone OF en-
The Northern man said he wouldn't.
The Northern mans diary has entry OF
May /: First green corn Of the season
for dinner to-day. Fine! Not az big,
though, as an ear a friend sends word about