The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-09

the birch grove / was down at the shore
preparing a trout for baking In the ashes
when a very large frog came swimming in
from the lily pads. He had no fear, appar-
emily; he swan directly up 10 me, touching
my hands with his nose, and oven crawling
out TO my fest In the greatest curiosity. >
After that he took up his abode near the
foot Of the game path. l had only TO splash
the water there with my. finger and CHG
wooltz, as II / had whistled TO him, would
come from beside q green STONE, or from
under a log or the lily pads-for he had .
dozen hiding plaoes-and swim up to me
% be fed, or pOtted, or to have HE back
scratched.
He ate all sorts Of thinKs, insects, bread,
beef, game and fish, either raw or cooked.
/ would place q bit Of food before him and
knock It about with a straw 10 make It 6eem
alive. The moment he saw II (he had o
! queer way, sometimes, Of staring hard at q
thing without seeing i) he would crouch
and creep toward 1t, nearer and neRref,
softly and more softly, like q cat stalking q
chlpmunk.
Then there would be a Aash and the food
would be gone. The fash WAS his tongue.
which is attached at the outer end and folds
back in his mouth. 1t Is, moreover, large
and sticky and he can throw 1t out and
back like lightning, All you sec is the
fash OF 1t and his game is gone.
One day, to try the effects Of nicotine
on a new subject. l took q bit Of Slmmo's
black tobacco and gave 1t to Chigwooltz.
He ate it thankfully, as he did everything
else / gave him. In a little while he grew
uneasy, sitting up and rubbing his belly
with his fore paws.
Presently he brought his stomach up into
his mouth. turned IL inside out to get rid
OF the tobacco, washed 1t thoroughly In the
lake, swallowed it down again and was
ready for his bread and beef. A most con-
venient arrangement that, and also Il per-
fectly unbiased opinion on a much debated
subject.
~Chigwooltz, unlike many Of my pets, was
not in the least dependent on my bounty.
He was a remarkable hunter on his W
account, n what he took from me he re-
ceived as hospitality. not charity. One
morning he came to ME with the tail Of q
trout sticking out Of his mouth. The rest
Of the fish was below. being digested.
Another day, toward twilight, ! saw him
resting on the lily pads. looking very full.
with a Suspicious looking object curling
out over his under lip. I wiggled my
finger in the water and he came, from
pure soclability, for he was beyond eating
any more.
The suspicious looking object proved
to be a birds foot, and beside 1t was a
pointed wing tip. That was too much for
my curiosity. l opened bis mouth and
pulled out the bird with some difficulty,
for Chigwooltz had been engaged some
time in the act of swallowing his game
and had II we'll down.
1t proved to be a fun grown male swallow,
without a mark to show how he had come
Ivy his death. Chigwoolts looked at me
r~eproachfully, but swallowed his game
promptly the moment l had finished er-
aiming 1t.
There was small doubt in my mind that
le had caught his bird fairly by a quick
spring az the swallow touched the water In
front Of his nose near one of his numerous
lurking places. Still 1t puzzled me q good
deal till n early morning | saw him in
broad daylight do a more dificult thing
than swapping up a swallow.
| was coming down the game path to the
shore when a bird, a tree sparrow, I thought,
few to the ground just ahead Of me and
hoped to the water 10 drink. l watched
q moment, curiously, then with intense
interest as | saw a ripple steal out Of the
lily pads toward him. The ripple was
Chigwooltz.
The sparrow had finished drinking and
was absorbed in a morning bath. CHG
wooltz stole nearer and nearer, sinking
himself till only his eyes showed above
water. The ripple that flowed away on
either side was gentle as that Of a floating
leaf.
Then. just as the bird had slipped and
lifted it's head for a last swallow, CHG
wooltz hurled himself out Of water. One
snap of his big mouth, and the sparrow
was done for.
An hour later when l came down to
my canoe he was sitting low on the lily
pads, sleepy and oontented, with eight little
sparrow toe curling over the rim OF his
under lip like a h%ornpout's whiskars.