48 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



ANECDOTE OF A WILD GOOSE. 



Captain S , of N. J. , while lying at anchor with 



his schooner, off Poole's Island, in the Chesapeake Bay, 

 observed a Wild Goose, (which had been wounded) attempt 

 to fly from the top of a hill to the water, but being unable 

 to reach its place of destination, alighted about midway of 

 the hill, where some cattle were grazing; one of which, 

 seeing the stranger, and being unable exactly to make out 

 its character, walked up, as is commonly the case with 

 cattle, to smell it. The Goose, not fancying this kind of 

 introduction, and perhaps unacquainted with the motives of 

 the steer, seized him by the nose with so much firmness, 

 as to set the creature bellowing, and actually ran off a 

 considerable distance, before it could disengage this new 

 enemy from its hold. The Goose then made for the bay, 

 where it was chased by two boats from the schooner, and 

 after much diversion, and an hour and a half's labour, they 

 succeeded in capturing it. 



wet, cold, and hungry, find the fire out, and the meal pre- 

 pared for you to consist of stale bread, beefsteak burnt up, 

 and pye with crust as tough as sole leather. 



COMFORTS OF A SHOOTER. 



After a long ride to }'our hunting ground, and find- 

 ing plenty of game, to be ordered off by the proprietor 

 after killing but one bird; or wandering a long distance, to 

 be overtaken by a heavy and continuous rain, or to be con- 

 fined to the house in consequence of a tremendous rain, 

 after having travelled the day before, many miles with a 

 view of having a good hunt. 



To be in company with persons, whose dogs always 

 flush the game, when yours are at a stand ; or to have a 

 companion, who, the instant the dogs point, runs up and 

 flushes the game, before you get within shooting distance, 

 or (especially if you are a good shot, and himself an infe- 

 rior one) makes it his common practice to shoot at the same 

 bird with yourself, and claim it as having been killed by 

 him. 



To have a companion, who, after shooting away all of 

 his powder and shot, kills but one bird, attributes the fault 

 to the gun, shot, or powder, and vends his angry feelings 

 on his dog; or, after hunting all day, without seeing game, 

 and towards evening the dogs come to a stand, expectation 

 on tip-toe, but on coming up, find it to be either a lark, or 

 where some partridges have been. 



To be in company with a stranger who professes to be a 

 great shot, but on trial of his skill, proves him as likely to 

 shoot yourself or the dog, as the bird in a mistake; or, to 

 be intruded upon by some other sportsman, addicted to 

 cursing, swearing, and hallooing at his dogs, sufiBcient to 

 alarm a whole township. 



Comforting yourself in your ill-success, with a prospect 

 of having a good supper; on your return to the tavern. 



MISCEL,L,A]VY. 



A FRIEND from Pendleton furnishes us with the fol- 

 lowing item of sporting intelligence. A young gentleman 

 in Bath county, Mr. John Williams, recently killed two 

 large bucks, the horns of which were so interlocked that 

 they could not disengage themselves. There is no doubt 

 they had had a combat, and from observations which Mr. 

 W. made, he supposed they had been in this condition for 

 several days. The horns were so securely fastened, that 

 he could not separate them without breaking off one of the 

 prongs. The bucks were killed at two shots, and the one 

 which escaped the first ball, carried the other about one 

 hundred yards before he met a leaden death." — Slaunton, 

 ( Va. ) Spectator. 



RETALIATION. 



It is well known that in the good old days of our 

 fathers, when New England was truly the land of steady 

 habits, there would occasionally spring up a volatile and 

 fun-loving character, whose disposition and habits formed 

 a striking contrast with the upright and conscientious bear- 

 ing of the puritans. There were two farmers of this cast 

 who lived very near each other ; one of them was the 

 owner of very fine sheep, but who, having a decided anti- 

 pathy to confinement would sometimes trespass on the en- 

 closure of their master's neighbour. The other having 

 caught them in one of these overt acts, determined to in- 

 flict summary vengeance on the intruders and their owner. 

 With this intent he proceeded to catch them, and running 

 his knife through one of their hind legs, between the ten- 

 don and the bone, immediately above the knee joint, put 

 the other leg through the hole. Izi this condition the 

 woolly flock decamped, leaving one quarter less tracks than 

 when they came. The feeder of sheep kept his own coun- 

 sel; and soon after, his neighbour's hogs having broken or 

 dug into his enclosures, he took advantage of this opportu- 

 nity for retaliation by cutting their mouths from ear to ear. 

 In this way the four footed grunters, rather chop /alien, 

 made their way to their own quarters. The owner of the 

 swine soon made his appearance in a great rage, declaring 

 his hogs were ruined, and that he would have redress. His 

 neighbour made answer, that it was he who ruined them, 

 " For, the fact is, friend, I didn't cut open them are hog's 

 mouths, but seeing my sheep running on three legs, they 

 split their mouths a laughing. " 



