228 
CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
farm hands, agreeable with their usual custom and practice, 
were resting from their labors, the tranquillity of these green 
heads was suddenly broken by an outburst of the most dis¬ 
tressing cries by birds of every feather. Spot was first to sense 
the fact that some war-minded villain had broken the truce, 
and that murder was stalking abroad. He was off to the rescue 
without awaiting a summons or command. One of the men, 
one who knew the dog’s uncanny faculties for fathoming mys¬ 
teries, followed close behind. Once upon the scene of the 
tragedy, it was noted that all of the commotion seemed to 
center around a small cluster of gall-shrubs. A joree (so called 
by reason of his peculiar note, “jo-r-e-e-e“) appeared to be 
more distressed than other birds present, and persisted in hov¬ 
ering above these bushes. Spot was going in circles about the 
scene of the commotion, whining. Looking into these bushes 
this observer took note of nothing more menacing than the 
wing of a dead joree in an upright position upon the leaves. 
Reaching forward he attempted to pick it up, but it would not 
let go, so applying some force he pulled about two feet of the 
business end of a five-foot rattler from a deposit of dead 
leaves. 
It has been stated elsewhere, and we insist here, that the 
rattler is capable of singing a song, or whistling in such manner 
as to deceive the birds and influence them to come to investi¬ 
gate. The reason the writer knows this to be a fact is that he 
has heard it himself. Once they gather to the spot, if the 
reptile is in a concealed position, he will deliberately crawl 
forth where he knows they can see him clearly, then make it 
appear that he is retreating from the scene by reason of their 
terrible outcry. Having clearly shown himself, he will crawl 
beneath the sheltering leaves of a patch of shrubs, knowing 
they will finally come near for a closer inspection. When they 
do this, coming within range of his powerful glare, they never 
recover from the effect, unless someone should come along in 
time to release them from the power which binds them. When 
birds are noted crying in such manner as described above, and 
occasionally darting down, dive-bomber style, one may know 
for sure that some reptile is at the bottom of all the excite¬ 
ment. 
