The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-19
EYES IN THE WOODS.
Exprsssions Of Birds and Beasts as Hunt
ers Have Observed Them.

Expressions Of Birds and Beasts as Hunt-
ers Have Observed Them.
When hunter tells how he got close
shot at head Of game, a partridge or a
buck, hen hawk or q woodchuck, his de-
scription of what he saw never fails to in
ciude the expression Of the eyes. 1t is the
eyes Of an animal more than any other fea-
ture that one remembers.
A day or so after the last deer season
opened an Adirondack boy took his win
chester and went deer hunting in one of
the clearings, long ago abandoned, which
are to be seen all around the woods. It
was early in the moaning when he got to
the CLEARING so early that he could scarce
" distinguish poplar from balsam tree.
He sat down beside clump of alders at a
place where deer sometimes come down
from the beech ridge above the clearing to
the creek below for drink. The boy was
fortunate A deer, small doe, came
down and stopped ten rods away, just as
the sunlight touched the ridge top 1t was
plain seeing then. The deer was looking
right at the boy as his rifle came up slow
~. The eyes showed even at that distance
a marked curiosity The gun was fired.
For brief space the boy saw the deer's
OyOSs sAACA4 ol1O u0IASsQ tllfl RlullSCd uC1Nl1y
away. The boy will not soon forget that
last gianoe. Mortal pain and fear showed
In the eyes-such as one can see plainly in
a wounded deer's eyes as it swims in a
lake near boat or watchers island. The
boy found the deer lister. She had been
shot through the lungs, had run short
distance, then laid hersolf down and ourled
herself up like dog going to sleep.
Squirrels eyes, being small and snap
ping, have an odd appearance, which
woodsmen call playfulness. The woods
men call a weasel g or mink's eyes mighty
ugly" though they are small and black.
OF the weasel family the skunk's eyes are
least vicious. The partridge has sort of
a puzzled look in Its eyes when 1t has been
scared up into tree by dog, as II won
dering how 1t came to fly away from
beast like that so preclpitateiy.
Those who have seen wolves eyes speak
of them as little and crafty. The fox looks
out of the corners of his eyes without turn
ing his head as he trots past some one he
has met unexpectedly. 1t has been assert
ed that snakes eyes have hypnotic in
fuence over its prey. Certain it is that
the eyes play very important part in the
unexplained phenomena Of charming birds
and beasts. One of the curious experiences
which few, If any, Of the hunters have es-
capped Is the feeling that something, they
do not know what, is looking at them. AS
the hunter walks along this feeling comes
over him. He casts his glances about, get
ting decidedly nervous to think Of what
may be after him-a panther, a she bear
perhaps. Sometimes the beast whose gaze
seems thus to be felt has been seen. There
are dozen authentic tales where panthers
have 30 followed men, their trails being
seen after the men had fed to camp Hunt
ers tell how deer have started off on the
jump, though the beasts could have neither
heard nor seen nor snelled the men. They,
too, seemed to feel they were followed
New York Sun.