spent an afternoon
in firing at a mark. But they never did so without their father's consent.
[Illustration: THE HAWK.]
Thomas soon joined the other boys, having the gun in his hand; and
after Mr. Harvey had bidden them to be careful, they followed in the
direction the hawk was flying. They kept close by the fence, so that it
could not see them. In a short time it was over the barn yard, and
sailing round and round, in order to make a sweep downwards. "Hurry,
Thomas," said John; and Thomas ran stooping along some bushes,
followed by John and Samuel, on their hands and feet. The hawk was
now quite low, and the boys could hear the hens screaming and running
about. At last Thomas reached the barn fence, and his brother told him
to fire. But he could not take aim, because the hawk was partly hidden
by the corner of the barn. "I am afraid he'll get that little chicken," said
Samuel. "See if you can take aim now," whispered John. The hawk
now made a sweep at one of the chickens; but it ran under the barn, and
the hawk flew up a little higher. Just then, Thomas fired. The hawk
came down head foremost, and Thomas threw away his gun, and
sprang over the wall. John and Samuel jumped after him, shouting as
loud as they could. In a few moments the hawk was dead. It was the
largest one that either of them had ever seen. When they reached the
house, Mr. Harvey was waiting for them; and on seeing so large a hawk,
promised to have it stuffed for them. The gun was then hung up in its
place.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER VII.
ABOUT BATS.
This evening, while the boys were reading and talking to Mr. Harvey,
several bats flew in at the window. John caught one of them in his hat,
and placed it on the table for his cousin to examine. Samuel asked his
uncle if it would not fly away.
"No," said Mr. Harvey, "it cannot raise itself from the ground. What we
call its wings, are, you see, nothing but two thin skins, or membranes,
stretched from its hind legs to its fore ones, and fastened to its sides.
When flying, it spreads out its toes, so as to unfold these membranes,
and thus balances itself in the air."
"Do not some people think that the bat is a bird?" asked Samuel.
"Yes. But probably they never examined a bat closely. You see that it
looks nothing at all like a bird."
"Father," said John, "where did those great bats come from, which you
have in your cabinet?"
"From the island of Java," said Mr. Harvey. "They are called Java bats.
I have seen some with bodies as large as hens, and wings like umbrellas.
Hundreds of these animals fly about the gardens and orchards of that
island, every night, destroying great quantities of fruit. The people
there, spread nets over the trees, to protect the fruit, and shoot the bats
with guns, as you did the hawk."
"I have read, in a book of travels," said Samuel, "that while persons are
asleep, these bats, or some other large kind, suck their blood. Is that
true, sir?"
"No," said Mr. Harvey. "Such tales were long believed, even by writers
on natural history; and I have some where a picture of a monstrous bat
sucking the blood from a man's veins. But all this is now known to be
fabulous. No kind of bat will attack an animal as large as itself, nor
enter a house when there is an abundance of fruit and insects in the
field."
"Shall we let this bat go now?" said John. Mr. Harvey said yes; and
then John lifted it on a large sheet of paper, and threw it into the air. In
a moment it spread out its thin wings, and after flying about the room
two or three times, passed out of the window. Mr. Harvey told them,
that although the bat was so feeble when on the ground, yet its strength
of wing was greater than that of any bird.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER VIII.
THE WALK TO THE CREEK.
The next day there was a heavy thunder shower, in the morning, which
compelled the boys to stay in the house; and in the afternoon the
teacher of the academy paid Mr. Harvey a visit. During the time that he
staid, Thomas, with his brother and cousin, were told to remain in the
house. But the next day was cool and pleasant, and they started early on
a ramble through the fields. As they passed close to a farm house,
Samuel saw a large dog chained to a tree, in the yard. It looked
Continue reading on your phone by scaning this QR Code
Tip: The current page has been bookmarked automatically. If you wish to continue reading later, just open the
Dertz Homepage, and click on the 'continue reading' link at the bottom of the page.