Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-09-28

II is as fond Of the ice as school-buy,
and full as ready for a frolic. After the ice
has formed in November, it l. soon followed
first los SHOWS. aud then 10y thaNs or rain.
The latter converts the snow into ,lush,
resting on the firm ice beneath Now any
sensible creature would keep away from
such a mess But not 50 the caribou, for
t. it this makes the very gala time Of the
year The herd 90 out upon the ice in sin
gle file, then scatter, and each one falls to
paving up the Slush with its lorefeet At
ter they have tired Of this performance.
they fall upon their knees, and seem To lap
the ice with their tongues Why they du
this is, as far as the writer has been able to
learn, a mystery. 1t certainly i, not from
thirst. since they have crossed a dozen
open brooks in their morning ramble Per
haps, To use one Of those slang expressions
so happily indefinite in leaving unhridled
liberty of detail to the Imagination Of the
nearer, they do it for grandeur. This Is
the most simple, and indeed at times it
seems the only, explanation of many of the
yagaries of this most singular creature.
After a while one will suspend operations,
seem to think things over generally, then
20 gravely over to where another has mined
down to "A piece of ice of extra flavor, and
prod and poke it with the utmost viCor.
The assaulted party rises to its feet, and
meekly resigns its place to the intruder,
which Immediately drops upon its knees and
continues the operations of its predecessor,
while the ousted either passes along the
compliment 10y routing out another, or pro
ceeds to dig a new spot for itself. Then
perhaps all will lie down for "A while, and,
though one would think the bed about as
congeuia rs the inside of an ice cream
freezer, chew the cud in apparently the
acme Of bovine comfort,
Next, one will slowly rise to it, feet,
round up its back, aud stretch itself, sur
vey its comrades to select the one which
seems the most comfortable, and then, nc
tunted by that perversty Of disposition we
so often see and anathematlze in the human
carly riser, proceed to stir it up with hoof
and horn, until it too gets upon its legs and
joins in the game. Soon all are on their
feet, and falling in one behind the other,
move for the woods in single file, headed
by the leader-always bull, though not
invariably the largest in the herd They
move off at a walk their heads hanging
down precisely like cows driven 10 pasture.
suddenly one will become possessed Of "a
devil, and breaking from the ranks with Il
hop, skip and jump, charge through the
line again and again, until it is thrown into
complete disorder. Then it will as sudden
ly fall into place, as demure as n cat, say
ing, as distinctly rs an attitude can speak
"What you do not mean to charge this
untmely disturbance to me, do you . The
march is then resumed, and all may disup-
pear at the meekest kind Of walk in the
surrounding forest or, without the slight
est apparent cause, the herd will break into
a run at a pace so keen you almost fancy
you can hear them whz as they cleave "a
passage through the air This burst Of
speed may last for a hundred yards ; it may
be kept up through thick and thin for five
miles the one is about as likely as the
nfhnr -SeuiaLLLaL HIL.neL.,s