66 



THE OOLOQI8T 



had ran over one and he was making 

 a meal of it. Often have I watched 

 the rabbits start out in front of our 

 engine and run excited in a zig-zag 

 •fashion, as though their life depended 

 upon a good hard run, until we ran 

 over them or they crouched down till 

 we had passed over them in safety. 

 You would surely make up your mind 

 they would never bound over the rail, 

 and in winter while the snow covers 

 the track the eye can follow their 

 movements far better than at any 

 other time. 



Yes, these are little excitements 

 that one goes through in life, that the 

 average people never think about. 



At another time in February also 

 on a night mail run in old Missouri (it 

 was not necessary to show me) for 

 it had to be seen to be appreciated. 

 The engineer and fireman were at 

 outs and had not spoken a word to 

 each other for most a week, as our 

 train was dropping down a long hill 

 at a terrific rate of speed with reverse 

 curves and through a very densely 

 wooded district, hills and hollows for 

 miles and miles, when suddenuly with 

 a crash in came the front cab window. 

 An object fastened its claws in the 

 bosom of the engineer's jacket and 

 looking up in his face was a Great 

 Horned Owl, blinking and snapping 

 his bill to the surprise of the engineer. 

 He screeched as I never expect to 

 hear him again. "Take him off of me, 

 take him off" (The Owl thing). Of 

 course the fireman took him off, and 

 this mended differences and a short 

 time afterwards he had the fireman 

 promoted. The Owl thing was respon- 

 sible for this good deed. 



At another time as we were run- 

 ning about fifty miles per hour, 

 through State of Indiana, passing 

 through a very heavy wooded district 

 the sides of the grade were shallow 



pools of water, infested with tad- 

 poles and insect life, which proved 

 a good feeding ground for the spotted 

 sandpiper. There were about six 

 birds in all. As we came upon them 

 so sudden they were so surprised and 

 bewildered that they did not fly 

 straight ahead to the openings, but 

 instead almost arose perpendicular to 

 tov'cr the tree tops which were nearly 

 cne h'"ndred feet, some of them. 



B'.U one poor bird got so bewild- 

 ered that it tried to alight in the top 

 of a large Sycamore, somehow it lo:=t 

 its footing and tried to catch itself 

 by its bill and consequently it slipped 

 dovrn into a sharp fork of the small 

 limbs of this monster tree, and there 

 it hung itself. I never passed this 

 place for a year afterwards without 

 looking for this would-be suicide. It 

 hung there withered and dried, 

 Tfeather-beaten until at last only the 

 bones and scalp were visible from the 

 cab window. 



Again in the spring of 1898 I 

 chanced to see a Great Blue Heron 

 fishing in a narrow but swift run- 

 ning stream that connects to some 

 of the small lakes in Northern Indi- 

 ana. The Heron was facing up stream 

 standing in about one foot of water. 

 Just as we came along a small fish 

 about ten inches long passed between 

 the Heron's legs. He made a strike 

 for it but landed about one foot be- 

 hind himself, but got his fish. And 

 in the struggle he Avas upset. He 

 threw out his wings as he fell in the 

 water the current was strong and 

 caught him and started down stream 

 with his legs sticking straight up in 

 the air! But he never let go the fish. 

 He finally arighted himself and shook 

 the water from his wardrobe and took 

 his ten inch prize to some Sycamore, 

 where his little ones were being 

 reared. These are actual observatioris 



