The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-07
A NIGHT WITH NATURE.
Wild Life on Woodland Lake in the
Blue Mountains.

Il was evening ana L TOOK my CdlloS
paddle down from its rack and set
out through the Haven Gate to spend
the night on the lake. 1t had been
raining and the air was moist and
carried the odors of earth and ferns
and the wet bark of trees. Near by
the foliage was green. and bright and
shining but in the distance it melted
away into the rich blue of Croydon
mountain, along whose sides white
seams arose from a hundred heated
rocks like smoke from the campflres
i of an army.
/ The lake itself was swollen with the
rain, and it's surface was half hidden
by thin cloud of mist which hung
over it. But soon light breeze sprang
up and carried away the Vapor, and
then, dying away again, left the sur
face of the water as still as only a
! forest pool can be. I showed off and,
padding gently out upon the lake, sat
still to watch and listen. Far away
near the eastern shore two dark-col-
ored animals We're standing in the
| water. One was much larger than
| the other, and as l caught the head
! in profile I saw that it was a COW
moose and her well-grown calf. They
did not seem to be busy; apparently
| just enjoying the GOODNESS of the wa
ter. Occasionally the calf would wade
out so far that he had to swim, but
he soon came back to his mother, who
stretched her head toward him as if
in anxiety. A few moments later they
| turned and left the water and disap-.
| peared among the shadows of the
| trees.
| Far away, however, heard the call
of whip-poor-wi1l, given with more
deliberation than usual, 1 think there
| being longer pause on the second
syllable than have noted at any pre-
vious time this year. But only for a.
| moment had / an ear for Whip-poor-
Wills, for in a pine tree on the shore
| a hermit haQ9n Is
hutelike notes made me for that time
| intolerant of other sounds. No flip
pancy, no familiarity is there in the
song of the hermit; nothing done for
affectation or effect. Sweet and clear,
| calm and dignified, it is the song of
| one of natures poets, who, caring
naught for human appreciation, seeks
the solitude of the forest, there to give
fau1tless expression to the best within
him. But night was closing in; soon
the hermit ceased, and again I heard
the whip-poor-wfll calling family from
the distance.
Presently the moon, large and
round, rose slowly behind the wall of
pine trees. and the lake was flooded
with a strange, half-miSty light, which,
while revealing objects near at hand,
hid the distant ones more surely than
the darkness itself. 1t sharpened the
lines of the canoe and flashed from the
surface of the wet paddle blade at
every stroke. It revealed the position
floating leaf, and it flashed from tn
siIvery sides of a fish which, seeming
ly in sport, leaped high and, turning a
graceful arch, plunged back into the
lake. But the shadow sides of the
stumps and logs along the shore and
the spaces under the trees where the
moolight did not fall direct were
"black as the pit" Suddenly, as /
watched the shining surface of the wa
ter, there came a muskrat swimming.
Like partly submerged submarine
craft in miniature it pushed through
the water, it's little dark Prov making
ripples in front and leaving a V-shaped
glittering wake behind it. After watch
ing it for a moment l started in pur-
suit, and quickly gained upon it,though
for it's size it was going much faster
than I was. But it was never in dam
ger of being overtaken, for as the ca
noe began to overhaul 1t, there was a
swirl of water and the muskrat had
diSappeared-the submarine craft was
speeding beneath the surface, and who
could tell either where it was or in
what direction it was going? Far away
it's black nose broke the surface of the
lake, and left it to complete its voy-4
age in peace. A wonderful swimmer is |
the muskrat; the best, in fact, of all
the rats or ratlike creatures. I have
watched him leave his burrow at night |
and go swiftly down fast-running
stream. Coming to white water. he |
would steer straight for the middle OF
it and shoot the rapids like an Indian |
canoe I have known him to stay UNI |
der water for six minutes at time, |
and 1 am inclined to think that he
could stay below much longer if he
wished He is also a splendid diver, |
and can travel very rzpidly along the |
bottom of a pond or stream at gait |
which could not be called either run
ming swimming, but which is pro
baby composed of a good deal of BOTH |
AS he goes he kicks up the mud which |
so clouds the water behind him that it |
is extremely difficult to follow his
movements.
Something was moving toward the |
lake, and swinging the canoe into the
shadow of some reeds. I sat still and |
waited for it to come. Crack!
outer fringe of trees, and stood before
me in the moonlight. There was a
lighter swish, and a fawn stepped out
and stood beside her. For moment
the doe stood all alert, head raised
high and ears spread out, and the
fawn stood by as though awaiting or
ders But his mother seemed SatIs- I
fed that all was right, for she lowered
her head and drank. The youngster
shifted the water but did not drink; in
stead, he nibbled the leaves of some
bushes which were growing near MIN,
Perhaps the doe scented me, put at
any rate she soon showed signs OF
uneasiness, and raising her large white
tail she stepped back into the shelter
of the trees.
and until the dark sky began to shade
off into gray along the eastern horizon
Even as it did so I heard a nighthawk
calling, and a moment later hermit
thrush but half awake, I fancy, gave
out one or two disjointed notes.
Scarcely had he begun to sing In
earnest when he was joined by
robin. and a moment later by wood
pewee, and in less than ten minutes
from the sound of the first notes the
woods were ringing with bird music.
The details of the distant shore were
lust becoming visible in the growing
light, when a green heron came flap
ping across the water. and alight1ng
on the bank, walked slowly along as
though looking for likely place to
fish. Soon he found one and stepped
- Lar, l,ca aadI