With regard to most of the other Australian
forms of marsupial animals, they are most strictly nocturnal; so that, if
a traveller were not aware of that peculiarity, he might fancy himself
traversing a country destitute of the mammalian grade of animal life. If,
however, after a weary day's journey, he could be awakened, and were to
look out about the moonlight glade or scrub, or if he were to set traps
by night, he would probably be surprised to find how great a number of
interesting forms of mammalian animals were to Be met with, in places
where there was not the slightest appearance of them in the daytime."
Battues.--In Sweden, where hundreds of people are marshalled, each man
has a number, and the number is chalked upon his hat.
Scarecrows.--A string with feathers tied to it at intervals, like the
tail of a boy's kite, will scare most animals of the deer tribe, by their
fluttering; and, in want of a sufficient force of men, passes may be
closed by this contrivance. The Swedes use "lappar," viz. Pieces of
canvas, of half the height of a man, painted in glaring colours and left
to flutter from a line.
Mr. Lloyd tells us of a peasant who, when walking without a gun, saw a
glutton up in a tree. He at once took off his hat and coat and rigged out
a scarecrow, the counterpart of himself, which he fixed close by, for the
purpose of frightening the beast from coming down; he then went leisurely
home, to fetch his gun: this notable expedient succeeded perfectly.
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