Friday, December 27, 2013
Published in the Illinois Daily Journal, Springfield,Illinois on Tuesday, August 9, 1853
At an exhibition of animals in Liverpool, the keeper called the lioness to kiss him. She did so, but took off his nose in her teeth.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Published in the Illinois Daily Journal, Springfield,Illinois on Tuesday, September 13, 1853
A toad weighing seven pounds was taken out of a solid locust log at the ship yard in Poughkeepsie a few days ago. He must have been there 100 years.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Published in the Illinois Daily Journal, Springfield,Illinois on Tuesday, October 4, 1853
A piece of outrageous cruelty was lately committed upon two noble horses in Oramel, Allegany county, New York. They were raced 80 miles for a stake of $4000, the winning horse making the distance in eight hours and eight minutes, including stoppages, and the other dying in less than a hour after the race.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Published in the Illinois Daily Journal, Springfield,Illinois on Friday, August 19, 1853
At the late session of the New York Legislature, an act was passed, forbidding under heavy penalties, the killing of birds in cemeteries, and buying and selling birds killed or taken therein or therefrom. In some of the handsomer cemeteries near New York city, the trees have been stocked with birds of beautiful plumage and sweet song, and the boys trap them and sell them to market hucksters.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Published in the Illinois Daily Journal, Springfield,Illinois on Friday, October 7, 1853
This snake finds a superior foe in the deer and black snake. Whenever a buck discovers a rattlesnake in a situation which invites an attack, he loses no time in preparing for battle. He makes up within 10 or 12 feet of the snake, then leaps forward and aims to sever the body with his sharp and bifurcate hoofs. The first onset is commonly successful, if otherwise, the buck repeats the trial till he cuts the snake in two. The rapidity and fatality of his skillful manoeuvre leave but a slight chance for his victim either to escape or inject poison into his more alert antagonist.
The rattlesnake also finds a dreadful opponent in the black snake. Such is his celerity of motion, not only in cunning, but entwining itself around its victim, that the rattlesnake has no way of escaping from its fatal embrace. When the black and the rattlesnake are about to meet for battle, the former darts forward at the height of his speed, and strikes at the head of the latter with unerring certainty, leaving a foot or two of the upper part of the body at liberty. In an instant he encircles him in five or six folds; he then stops and looks the strangled and gasping foe in the face, to ascertain the effect produced upon his corseted body. If he shows signs of life, the coils are multiplied, and the screws are tightened-the operator all the while narrowly watching the countenance of the helpless victim. Thus the two remain thirty or forty minutes; the executor then slackens one coil, noticing, if so, the coil is resumed and retained, until the incarcerated is entirely lifeless. The moccasin is destroyed in the same way.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Published in the Illinois Daily Journal, Springfield,Illinois on Friday, October 7, 1853
A turkey-cock owned by Mr. Odeltown, sat upon twelve hen’s egg’s and hatched seven chickens. The “old fellow” continues to take charge of them, covering them at night under his wings. Meanwhile the mother of the brood is attending a hen convention.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Published in the Illinois Daily Journal, Springfield,Illinois on Thursday, October 13, 1853
We stopped one very sultry day about noon to rest our horses, and enjoy the cooling shade afforded by a clump of sycamore trees, with a refreshing drink from an adjoining spring. Several large hawks were flying about the spot, two of which we brought down. From their great size, immense claws, and large hooked beak, they could have easily carried off a common sized duck or goose. Close to our resting place was a small hill, round the top of which I observed two hawks assemble; and judging that a nest was there, without communicating my intention to any one of the party. I determined to find it out. I therefore cautiously ascended the eminence, on the summit of which I perceived a nest larger than a common sized market basket, formed of branches of trees, one laid regularly over the other, and the least of which was an inch in circumference. Around it were scattered bodies, skeletons, and half-mangled bodies of pigeons, sparrows, humming-birds, & etc.
Next to a rattlesnake and a shark, my greatest aversion is a hawk; and on this occasion it was not diminished by observing the remains of the feathered tribe, which had, from time to time, fallen a prey to their voracious appetite.
I therefore determined to destroy the nest, and disperse its inhabitants; but I had scarcely commenced the work of demolition with my dagger, when old and young flew out and attacked me in every direction, but particularly about my face and eyes; the latter of which as a punishment for my temerity, they seemed determined to separate from their sockets. In the mean time I roared out lustily for assistance, and laid about me with my dagger. Three men promptly ran up the hill, and called out to me to shut my eyes, and throw myself on the ground, otherwise I should be shortly blinded, promising in the mean time to assist me.
I obeyed their directions, and just as I began to kiss the earth, a bullet from one of their rifles, brought down a large hawk, apparently the father of the gang. He fell close to my neck, and in his expiring agonies made a desperate bite at my left ear, which I escaped, and in return gave him the coup de grace, by thrusting about four inches of my dagger down his throat. The death of their chieftain was followed by that of two others, which completely dispersed them, and we retired after breaking up their den.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Published in the The American Weekly Murcury, Volume 2, Philadelphia, Penn. on Sunday, October 5, 1721
A Waterman fishing lately at a place called Magdalen Bridge, had the misfortune to be devoured by a large Sea Dog, [Shark] in sight of several other fishermen who had made their escape. But considering what a prejudice this monster might do to their fishing, [ruin their fishing] and being also desirous of revenging their companions death, they provided themselves with Iron instruments and Steel hooks, and getting into Barques, followed the fish by his trail, for he had appeared thereabouts several times. Coming up with him the 6th of June, they threw out Hooks concealed in a Horfe’s Burtock, [fish] but as the monster had been aware of the hooks, he blew upon the fish without baiting it. [did not bite] Whereupon the fishermen went another way to work; which was, by calling [putting] into the sea a cord with a slip knot, in the middle whereof was a bait, and holding both ends of the cord in their hands. The monster sprang upon the bait with such violence, that his head went clear through the noose, and the fishermen pulling the cord, had their prey caught. The fish, to disintangle himself, pitched tail over head, broke the nape of his neck, and threw himself on shore. The fishermen, and other people who ran to it were overjoyed at that. He was 20 feet long, had a very wide throat, with three rows of teeth like saws in the upper jaw, and one in the under. He had two fins three feet long, and another upon his back longer than the rest. His tail was in the form of a bow, six feet wide. The belly was fourteen feet in circumference. It was a female, and weighed six Cantara’s, of 23 pound each. [take a guess] The next day, the Watermen opened the belly, where they found, besides a large quantity of fish, half a mans skull with hair on, both the jaws, and part of the back bone with its ribs, which they judged to belong to their unfortunate companion, who had been devoured some days before. Our committee of Health ordered the fish to be burnt, for fear of infection.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield,Illinois on Friday, May 19, 1854
The skillful acts of the nomad people of Lapland in throwing the lasso, avails them at times, in making captives of other animals beside their own deer. “On one occasion” so said a clergyman whom Mr. Loyd met in Norrland and who vouched for the truth of the story. “When a Lapp, in company with a young female, was driving the herd through the forest they accidentally roused a large bear from his winter quarters. The girl very fortunately, had the lasso in her hand, which with great coolness and skill, she threw over his head, as he was slowly quitting his den, and at the same instant coiled the other end around a tree. The brute on thus finding himself in the rope, dashed at the intrepid Amazon, but, as she slipped to one side, he fortunately missed his aim, and on coming to the length of the tether, was, in sailor’s language, brought short up and thrown on the ground. Bruin’s career was now at an end, for, in seizing the thong with his paws, and by so doing tightening the noose, he presently managed to strangle himself. The Lapp, on seeing the beast charge the girl, took fright and ran away; and as a consequence the bold wench who was to have married him, sent him at once to the right about; very properly refusing to have anything more to say to so dastardly a fellow.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield,Illinois on Wednesday, June 7, 1854
A Vermont ox is now on exhibition at Cleveland, Ohio, which is six feet three inches high, twenty feet from tip to tip, girths ten feet, is in ordinary flesh and weighs four thousand pounds. It is said the proprietor is taking him to the prairies of Illinois, to obtain room for him to grow.