Of Fur, of Feather and of Scale

Many are the times when the wild bug bites. The itch too great to resist and this causes many to get out of the urban chaos and curl into the lap of the wild. Excitement is the key word, for, how else can be described this unusual urge to set out on a trip into the wilderness. The drive to some spot that offers a hope of seeing something wild; be they of fur or of feather. Oftentimes it also entails a visit with a rod, reel and line to match strength and cunning with a hidden and sporting adversary with scales; which scales more than the hook, line and sinker that, when presented in a most artistic manner takes it and then makes a dash, while burning furrows in the fingers as the line plays out and the reel sings a merry tune of strain and excitement. The exhilaration as the rod bends from a ramrod to a tapered ‘U’ has to be experienced to believe.

Fur entices more than feather; especially if the furry one is the striped King of beasts, whose calls send a cold shiver down the spine, whose supple grace, regal bearings and prowess are tales of truth and of legends. Closely followed is the spotted Prince, he has not earned his stripes yet, but is very handsome, climbs trees, is very nimble footed and a master at camouflage.

The Lords are the trunked ones, sporting ivory flamboyantly and blow their own trumpets. They love the water and snorkel and gambol in it for hours. They are the gardeners; they prune trees, mow the great lawns and plant new trees and bushes. The Lord-lings, for some time wonder where their noses have gone and find the hose pipes attached to their snouts most annoying.

The power houses are the beautifully curved horned, pitch black, white stockinged, black shod men in black while, the ladies are elegantly dressed in brown leather tights. They are the bulkily graceful fat of these lands who always stare bewildered wide-eyed at the world.

The doe eyed beauties with white dappled fawn coats; their masters similarly liveried, and sporting beautifully curved and polished sabres disguised as branches stand out as jewels in the emerald green glades. The glens are ranged by their somber coloured larger cousins, chocolate brown, walnut tine crowned, regal headed, sure footed, deep bellowers.

The bright eyed bushy tailed red racers, whistling and winking as they gambol and play, their large ears ready to pick up all that is to be heard in their country, eternal nomads, very restless spirits of the forests. Their cousins sing to the Moon, and steal from the King and the Prince; by whose antics most are fooled to the advantage of the howler.

The bone crusher lopes about his business, fore quarters powerful, hind quarters weak, heavy jawed, dirty white, bedraggled, striped coated; an undertaker; but he laughs; for, he who laughs last, laughs best!

The Crested, large taloned, dark backed, spotted chested stooper, the buoyant flier; the downy feathered killer rides the wind in circles with no purpose at hand but still purposeful; who folds into nerve wracking nose dives and scares the wits out of the beholders.

The grandiose fan of the mover and shaker to impress the somber beauties around; dazzling them with Argus eyes and rainbow colours, and, glistening in jewels befitting a queen.

Bejewelled little down-curved billed royal purple scintilla, some also with deep lemon breasts; they sip liquid gold daintily from the fragrant and nubile flowers.

The grandiloquent green flashes mingling with the leaves; ventriloquists, some fruit headed, others necklaced, some hanging upside down, while all kiss and make up with their curvaceous bills.

‘Did you do it?’ and ‘Why did you do it?’ cries the leggy, yellow legged, black and white, brown coated red faced whistle blower; while his pale, yellow faced cousin meekly rejoins ‘Why?’ , ‘Why?’

The mighty massive headed, large scaled King of the waters, sometimes auric, sometimes argentine, live in the fastest gin-clear tumbling waters shot through with a million fine bubbles on the rocks; which as Champagne, go to the head!

The big mouthed, stiff upper lip-less-ed, dour, deep-bodied, crimson fringed, silver ingots wander the waters, sucking the slime and clearing the waters for racy swimmers.

Snake-headed, top-beady-eyed; the black apparitions suddenly shoot up to take a gulp of air, they have the best of both worlds, they drink and breathe at the same time.

The knife edged silver cleavers, hunch backed, lean bellied and extremely flat chested many toothed, small mouthed nippers gambol and flash as they roll and boil the waters in mirth.

Such sights and sounds, of mad rushes and stern moods, of the roarer, of the bellower and of the screamer; the headlong dives and the native song and dance caused to be seen and heard by a bug that bites is the panacea of life to be lived under the watchful eye of Faunus.

I have spoken ought of the creepy crawlies, of boughs and of vines, for I know nought of them, and may not take too kindly if I describe them false.