Article: 261580 of talk.bizarre From: jfw@jfwhome.funhouse.com (John F. Woods) Newsgroups: talk.bizarre Subject: Nature Date: 1 Dec 1995 22:18:50 -0500 Organization: Misanthropes-R-Us Lines: 20 Message-ID: <49ogiq$52h@jfwhome.funhouse.com> Status: O X-Status: So, I paid $65 for a bird feeder and don't regret one cent of it. The feeder itself is a clear plastic cylinder from which bird seed is dispensed in a fairly traditional scheme. The magic of this expensive bird feeder is in what is above it -- it is crowned with a top that is a cone-shaped hat thing, kind of like a witches' hat with more gentle slopes. You hang this in the traditional manner. Then, the squirrels climb upon it in the traditional manner, intending to devour the entire seed container as is their wont. However, their nasty little feed cannot obtain purchase on the smooth plastic; typically, they anchor themselves on the chain, and hang delicately down attempting to reach beyond the brim to the festive party in plain sight below, reaching further and further until SWOOSH SPLAT an indignant squirrel hits the ground, generally tearing after whatever other animals are on the ground looking for seeds as if to blame them for its disaster. We've seen several squirrels launched in this manner, and it never fails to entertain. Next, a spring loaded ratapault... -- New and Improved Web Page: http://www.funhouse.com/~jfw/