Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Friday, January 18, 1850
A Port Natal [South Africa] paper, in noticing the return of Capt. Faddy and some other sportsmen, from a hunting expedition in the interior, says that the list of game killed by them included one hundred and thirty-five elephants, seventeen rhinoceros, a lion, a hippopotamus, a leopard and a wolf, besides 42 buffaloes, 7 wild boars, 63 deer, antelopes, & etc.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Thursday, June 13, 1850
We take the following paragraph from the Mobile Tribune of the 3rd inst:
Two men of our acquaintance of unpeachable veracity witnessed a scene the other day worth recording. They observed at the distance of some thirty feet from them a very strange and unaccountable conduct on the part of a bird-commonly called the “Cow bird,” resembling in color the mocking bird of this region, though somewhat smaller. On watching it narrowly, they discovered that it was engaged in a conflict with a snake some eighteen or twenty inches long. In a few moments the bird was victorious. It suddenly caught the snake by the head and flying with it to an old pine tree, succeeded, after a hard struggle in fastening it to a pointed splinter. Thus pinioned, the snake was entirely helpless. The bird watched for a moment with the utmost complacently, and then continued his repast, devouring in ten or fifteen minutes three fourths of the snake.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Wednesday, June 5, 1850
The Michigan Farmer gives the following:
A lady farmer said the meadow moles had annoyed them greatly, and destroyed two fine pear trees. She tried an experiment for them with success. Their subterranean was uncovered, and two cow’s horns, with the large ends from each other, placed in it, so that the moles coming either way would enter the horns. Such is the “nature of the critter” that it never backs out of a scrape, persevering ahead till it makes its way or dies at the attempt. The latter it does in the present instance.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Wednesday, May 8, 1850
As the train from New York to Philadelphia, Monday morning, was leaving Jersey City, it ran over a cow. One of the passengers put his head out of the car to ascertain the cause of the difficulty, when he was instantly killed, by striking his head against a telegraph post.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Wednesday, May 8, 1850
My uncle William, who had learnt the whole process from Thomas, and always faithfully observed it, used to call it, in its intermediate state, an old soldier. A sailor deposits, or if there is such a word, [and if there is not, there ought not to be,] re-posits it in his tobacco-box. I have heard my brother Tom say, that this practice, occasioned a great dislike in the navy to one and two pound notes; for when the men were paid in paper, the tobacco-box served them for purse or pocket-book in lack of any thing better, and notes were rendered illegible by the deep stain of a wet quid. Thomas’ place for an old soldier between two campaigns, while he was napping and enjoying the narcotic effects of the first mastication, was the brim of his hat, from whence the squire on this occasion stole the veteran quid, and substituted in its place a dead mouse just taken from the trap. Presently the sleeper, half wakening without unclosing his eyes, and half stupified, put up his hand, and taking the mouse, with a finger and thumb, in which the discriminating sense of touch had been blunted by coarse work and unclean habits, opened his mouth to receive it, and with a slow, sleepy tongue, endeavored to accommodate it to its usual station, between the double teeth and the cheek. Happening to put it in headformost, the hind legs and tail hung out, and a minute or more spent in vain endeavors to lick those appendages in, before he perceived, in the substance, consistence, taste, something altogether unlike tobacco. Roused at the same time by a laugh which could no longer be suppressed, and discovering the trick which had been played, he started up in a furious rage, and, seizing the poker would have demolished the squire for this practical jest, if not provided a retreat by having the doors open, and taking shelter where Thomas could not, or dared not, follow.-Southey’s Life and Correspondence.
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Tuesday, April 30, 1850
Rev. Walter Colton, in his agreeable and christian-like diary of a voyage to California in a man-of-war, entitled “Deck and Port,” [in which by the way, much is mildly and convincingly said against the spirit ration and flogging in the navy,] relates the following capital rat story.
I have always felt some regard for a rat since my cruise in the constellation. We were fitting for sea at Norfork, and taking in water and provisions; a plank was resting on the sill of one of the posts which communicated with the wharf. On a bright moonlight evening, we discovered two rats on the plank coming into the ship. The foremost was leading the other with a straw, one end of which each held in his mouth. We managed to capture them both, and found, to our surprise, the one led by the other was stone blind. His faithful friend was trying to get on board, where he would have comfortable quarters during a three years’ cruise. We felt no disposition to kill either, and landed them on the wharf. How many are there in this world to whom the fidelity of that rat readeth a lesson.
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Saturday, April 20, 1850
Col. Robert Allen, within a few days past, has had forty-three of his fine sheep killed by dogs. This is really lamentable. These were the finest sheep in the county. There are many useless and worthless dogs kept in this city, who live by pilfering and plunder. A proper regard for the interests of the farmers in our neighborhood would dictate the enactment of a most stringent dog-law.
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Thursday, July 31, 1851
We mentioned some days since the importation into Baltimore of eleven Camels from the Canary Islands. From an article in the New York Herald we learn that they are the property of Messrs. Sands & Howes, the enterprising and well known circus proprietors of that city, who are about establishing an overland route to California. Their first caravan will leave Independence, Mo., early in June, direct for San Francisco. Messrs. S. & H. have already thirty-one of these useful animals in this country, and are daily looking for the arrival of a vessel at New Orleans, from Algiers, which has on board twenty-two more, making in all a stock of over fifty. A number of the camels have been selected with great care as brood stock. It is said that a caravan of upwards of twenty will leave each point once a month during the year.
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Wednesday, May 12, 1852
The imperial academy of China has issued a text under the auspices of the emperor, cautioning the celestials against the wickedness of slaughtering oxen and dogs for food, as they possess immortal souls and are gifted with reason and intelligence.
Published in the Illinois State Journal, Springfield, Illinois on Monday, April 26, 1852
The Detroit Tribune says that during the past winter, Messrs. Bowe & Co. of that city, have sent to the Eastern cities twelve thousand nine hundred forty-four Prairie Hens or Grouse and forty thousand four hundred and thirty-three Quails besides Partridges, wild Turkey in large numbers.