The Newark journal., 1904-03-25
THE Woods CITIZENS
A FOREST rs MORE THAN A COL
LECTION OF TREES.
It Has It's Inhabitants Who Are Quite
as Interesting in Their Way
as Those of a City-How
to Study Them.

co1Iectlon OF trees, and the description
is about as enlightening as the state
ment that city is collection of build
ings Like the city, the forest has a
vast population, without which it
would be as uninteresting as a city
without its citizens. We admire beau
tiful trees as we admire beautiful
buildings, for themselves. but more in
teresting to some of us at least are the
lives and works of the creatures which
inhabit the buildings and trees respee-
lively When | enter forest in winter
or summer. | am always aware that
am not alone, though the air be so still
that one might hear the growing of the
trees. | know that | am watched by
many eyes, and that. at every football,
scores of ears are on the alert.
If you go into the woods in the early
spring, you may at first be under the
impression that there is little life about
you. But sit down awhile, and wait IN
some spot where your figure will not
be too conspicuous, and you will prob
ably see some of the creatures whose
work you temporarily interrupted.
First of all. perhaps. you will hear a
faint, crisp drumming sound-the
sound made by wood mouse, when he
drums with one fore foot on dry leaf.
and after short interval, you will
probably hear the answering "br-r-r-r"
e
quiet, you will see the dainty form of
the creature itself, with its tawny up
per parts, white belly and feet. its
large black eyes. its well-shaped, trans
lucent ears its trembling whiskers, and
its long, silky TAIL the latter held care
fully off the ground in graceful curve.
Out from the shadow of a bunch of
withered leaves he skips. leaps lightly
over the ground to wild cherry tree
where he searches for and eventually
finds cherry stone. A simple matter,
this hunting for and finding of a meal;
and yet to the mouse it was business
very important business, since it must
be attended to faithfully every day il
he would avoid hunger or even starya-
ton
Next. perhaps you will be aware that
a red squirrel is peering out at you
from a knot-hole in an old tree. Keep
still, and, when he goes out to dine,
perhaps he will betray the whereabouts
of some store of nuts gathered months
ago And these little boards, how
many busy days they representatives,
at the end of which even the wiry legs
must have ached. | sometimes won
der if, at the end of autumn, the squir-
rels and other creatures which have
been laying up food for the winter, feel
any satisfaction, asllin to that which
is felt by farmers when their crops are
all garnered. And I wonder if. when
the stores of red squirrel are discov-
cred and eaten up by pig, the owner
does not have feeling somewhat sim
liar to that experienced by a thrifty
man whose savings are stolen by
burglar.
And, perhaps close to you on the
ground. a pellet of matter fur may be-
tray the presence of some large owl;
probably the barred owl which lives in
a hollow high up in the very tree
against which you lean He, too. has
much business in the wood, and his
business is with the mice. the squirrels,
the rabbits and the grouse-with any
living creature which he can Kill. He
is an actor of many roles, this great
owl with the big round head. and the
dark-brown half-human eyes. Now he
is the midnight hunter, coursing the
startled rabbit through the forest
glades. Now he is poacher, killing
grouse within the boundaries of some
game preserve; and next night behold
him as the farmers ally, exterminating
rats and mice and moles. At one hour
he is a murderer, Staying perhaps
mother squirrel. whose babies will
slowly starye to death in their nest; at
the next he is an angel of mercy. end
ing as with lightning the sufferings of
some trapped or wounded creature.
which otherwise might linger in agony
for days.
Yes. there is always important bust
ness going forward in the forest and
the better it is understood the more
important it seems There are beavers
telling trees, making dams, flooding
Sacres of land, and building houses SUI
perior to those of certain tribes of men.
There are porcupines stripping and
killing hundred trees apiece per an
mum; woodchucks and chipmunks ex-
cavating long, winding subterranean
tunnels, muskrats diving for mussels
and the roots of water plants, and mink
and offers fishing in the streams and
ponds. All the year round, and at all
hours of the day and night, there are
citizens of the forest city plying their