El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-19
The Kites Mistake

M-EL as Tar 04 ED44A see and
after that as far as you could see
- again. there was nothing but water
and marsh, mud and mire. Although
now comparatively warm and the
home of many insects and flOW e-s-
even butterflies fitted mere and there,
MOSQUITOES hummed IN mllllOuS-lt was
for the greater part OF the year one
vast eXpause of snow and ice, the
home of a few Arctic foxes and Polar
bears Indeed. it was the FAR, far
northern fringe or europe
At the time we are looking at ft.
however. the place was alive with
birds. If you had looked down upon
it from an aerOplane, the land would
have literally appeared 20 have drift
ing over IL the smoke Of many bon
fires, so many flying birds were
there.
Evening was at hand. The ground
was beginning to grow frosty in the
pale light One was just about to
wonder where all those birds-from
the big curlew as large as hen, with
a down curved beak. down to the
tiny little stint smaller than a spar
rOW-Were going to rOOst when sud-
denly the whole air was filled with
a mighty rushing sound 1t looked
as though vast column OF smoke was
shooting up into the sky against the
setting sun. but IL was birds really
For a few minutes they flew round
and round, then set off, flying higher
ana nlzlers iii LueT were lost TO
sight in the southwest
There was sort OF a pause after
they had gone, and mighty white
tailed sea eagle came slowly sailing
past Not a bird OF all the thousands
LETT moved a fraction Of an inch while
he was in sight. He flew round for
a space, peering down with his fierce
eyes, as though trying to make them
out then passed on, rising also into
the southwestern sky.
About 10 minutes after he had r0ua
there was another rush. and another
vast horde Of birds shot alOft, swept
away, and were lost 10 sight
Thus, far into the night. hey con-
tinued to depart at intervals, until
when the day daWned, the barren eX-
panse was deserted, except for one
little blue arctic fox trOtting fOrlornly
along.
Where were they2 If you had been
standing at that moment about four
hundred miles almost due S S. W on
the bleak coast Of Norway, and had
looked Up, you would have seen some
thing that looked like a swarm OF
midges flying s S. W. overhead Those
were the birds They were nearly
too high up to be seen You could
barely hear rlem-a whisper OF WhlS-
ties far aWay-fOra they were not call
ing so much now that it was light
Only during the dark hours had they
piped much. so as TO prevent straying
as they flew swiftly toward the island
group Of the Hebrides.
Then. suddenly, out from the frown-
ing cliffs swept a bird He looked
to be red. and almost 1aWn about
the head when the light caught him
HIS wings were long. and sharp as
scimitars; his tail was long. too, and
fOrked, and be was big for a bird
about two feet But it was his flight
that arrested the eyes instantly
cession OF gliding circles 1t was al
most as If he was suspended on an
invisible wire, which was slowly
swinging in a vast circle and being
wound upwards as it swung
He was a bird Of prey, who had
been nesting somewhere in the south
Of Sweden. and who was journeying
also TO winter in warmer climes.
In a Few minutes he, too, finally went
from sight altogether. When next ne
appeared he was dashing through the
ranks Of the Waders so quickly that
he was past them in a second and was
coming down He sailed TO the cliffs
and settled. q lifeIess redshanz hang
ing from one Of his mUrder0us yellow
claws. Then he fed
Half an hour later he. too, made
out TO sea. on a course which, IL fol-
lowed would land him at the Heb
rides
He did not land there. however. He
passed the iOurneying hosts Of water
birds sleeDfnr there in the dark and
when the sun rose next morning we
find him resting on a ledge OF some
towering cliffs on the north coast OF
Far below him the bright green
waters Of small inlet glittered-
Here and there on the water were
wild ducks Of various species, and
a big, black. and rascally old carbon
crow was beating slowly along the
cliffs
The waiting. watching bird Of prey
above suddenly shut his wings and
hurried dOWnWards, straight at a
Hook Movers inst then n0rrr
to settle In a flash he had cut out
a single bird from the flock. and was
hunting IL across the sky with such
Understandable fury and dash that one
that any bird could keep
ahead Of him
The gray plover is a wonderful flyer
itself, being a world circler' If may
so put it. twice every year, but it had
follow Its prey at the dartlng, twist
Ing hurting speed Of this kite. In
deed, at last its strength gave out.
and IL sank helplesSly, TO be instantly
pOunced upon by the hungry kite.
Two DAYS after We discover our kite
.u MOnmOuthshire- He had iOurneyed
down the west coast more or less
hanging on the TANKS Of the con-
course OF migrating wild fowl which
he had discovered in Norway.
He had left the wild fowl seven miles
away, feeding at the mud flats Of the
River Severn. where they were SAFE t
from his attacks and had come to
Try his luck among the hills
All at once his telescOpic eyes
spotted a tiny white dot on a far away
common. The dot proved TO be a sheep
which, getting on its back in a de-
preston in the ground. was unable %
get up again The sheep was quite
lead when he found il, and settlins
mo.e diately. he prepared for a glorious
gorge.
One Of those Wretched CarriOn crows
vas perched on a Head tree not far
AWAY, but he did not seem inclined
rood reason And the kite gaiIy
topped on TO the poor dead head 70
legin.
Then something went snap and the
rap or that Sleeps head, but ii had
leen set for the crow. not the kite.