Waterbury Democrat., 1902-10-21
WOODS AND STREAM
Odd Happenings Observed by Hunt
 CTS and Fishermen.
UncOnv entional Foxes, Muskrnts, Fish and Other Creatures Lend Variety to Outdoor Life in
 Pennsylvania.

l Jesse Travis, of Starrucca, Wayne county, Pa, was ckopping in the woods on his farn few days ago. The barking of Little dog that accom- tention.
 He went to the spot where the dog was. writes New York Sun corre- sPendent, and discovered silver gray fox, which, in running past a shag- bark hickory tree had been caught by its bushy tail in the rough, strong, bristling bark of the tree. Effort to extricate itself had only drawn the tail tighter in the hold of the bark.
 The dog had been afraid to tackle the fox, and stood at safe distance, bark ing Travis knocked the fox on the head with his ax and had a pelt the like of which has net been seen in the Pennsyl- vania weeds for many years. It is worth more than months chopping of cerdWood.
 Virgil McCarty was scouting about the marshes at the headWaters of the LaekawaRna the other day on the look out for a possible shot at a jacksnipe, when muskrat slipped into the water just ahead ef him. A secSnd later a large trout leaped foot or more above the surface eff the water andlthe back of the muskrat came in sight. The trail fell back into the stream. In stantly there were signs of a struggle in the water. The back of the muskrat came in sight again and, McCarty fired at it. The muskrat turned over. dead.
 McCarty pulled it ashore. The trout was in, it's mouth. It was still alive. McCarty removed it care fully from the muskrat's mouth and placed it in the water. While he was watching it feebly swimming about on the surface it suddenly went down ! with sharp jerk. A watersRake had stolen from the crippled fish from below and seized it. The snake came up with the trout in it's mouth on the opposite side of the creek. McCarty shot it as it was crawling out on the bank. The trout dropped backinto the water still alive. It wigglea about on the surface again, gradually gaining strength, although the muskrat' teeth had made deep wound in it's belly, and at last swan away up the creek and disappeared. ]
 A fisherman on Lake Ariel, near Scranton, one day last week, saw 8 big fish foundering around on the surface of the water near the shore. He roWed over to the spot. "5#~.
 The foundering fish was a pickerel. The fisherman knocked it in the head with an oar. Then he found that the 1I x5 sized catfish, which had set it's spines to prevent it's swallowing. The result was that the pickerel could neither get the catfish up nor down, and fell vic- tim to it's greed
 Will Jennings was driving along the road by Lawrenee's academy, near Chester, the other day, when he heard nattling in the bushes. He investi- gated and found a woodchuck with it's head buried in big tomato can, and unable to get it out.
 Jennings killed the woodchuck. It was much emaciated, showing that it had been fast in the tin can long time, and was being slowly starved, to death. How it got it's head in the can no one knows.
 
 county, took load of hay to Scran- ton the other day and soldit. When he went to unload it at the barn of the man who bought it he found big hor- nets nest hanging to beam in the mow.
 [ To render the occupants of the nest harmless some sulphur was placed in pail, set on fire, and held under the nest so the fumes would suffocate the hornets. The pail was held too close, the nest caught fire and dropped into the pail.
 The hornets began to swarm out and the hired man who held the pail chucked it, nest, fire and all. out of the mow window. It fell on the load of hay, which caught fire. Young had time to get his horses unlocked and out of the way, but the hay and hay wagon and part of the barn were con- sumed. The hornets escaped.