Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-09-10
THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE
Woodstock, Vermont.
Printed Saturday Morning
ONE DOLLAR A YEAR
WOODSTOCK NEWS
Natural History Looking Up
in Woodstock.

Fl NuJuiui hioeSiJ 10 iSonahS "P AAi
VI Woodstock. Interest in the study of
N birds, bugs, four-footed things and
81 reptiles is added to in odd and un-
a expected ways, and we learn more
a about their structure, their haunts,
y habits, likes and dislikes every day.
3 Professor Morse and his natural his
v tory classes have helped us a great
deal. The young folks have been
+. eager biologists and their tireless
q pursuit of bugs and butterflies has
been an inspiration to the most in
Y different person. Even an ordinary
white miller will keep a small boy
\ with his scoop net running for hours.
All this local activity in natural
lhistory is developing individual
powers of observation to remarka-
3ble degree. Out ON the Country
&club links the other day two golf
X players, hunting for lost ball,
*iumped three feet in the air at the
Nsight of a monster-headed snake,
really a frightful looking freak
NThey looked at it again and called it
horned adder.
A little closer investigation showed
that it wasn't horned adder but
< plain striped snake which had swal
SOwed small toad, and the toad's
mind legs stuck out of the corners OF
the reptiles mouth like horns
:Almost anyone would have called it
horned adder at a first scared
Eglance.
How Taftsville farmer became
Interested in natural history was told
in The Age few weeks ago. His
barge, empty silo was pre-empted and
dominated by skunk, and the un-
usual situation has been a matter OF
much interest and discussion in the
since that time.
n Weasel, ermine, or whatP
< Local nature takers have been
thrown into confusion by recent
Experience of one of our SUMMER
Eisitors--a story of more than ordi-
harry geological interest. A little long
bodied creature. of reddish brown
|folor on it's back and with white
breast, entered the room where she
ETas sitting the other day-darted
bbout, ran up and down the walls
&hnd sailed over bird cage suspend
\ fd from the ceiling with incredible
f Bpeed and ease, never minding the
Pld family dog which was sleeping
n corner by the fire. 1t was well
for the dog. perhaps, that he didn't
wake up. The strange animal ran
but of the room when the other occu-
pant moved, but escape was cut off
4 bnd he came back again and the
'tl loor was closed on him. When the
door was opened again the creature
Fouldn't he found at first Pretty
hearly everything was turned upside
down, and the little animal was dis
covered behind the bottom shelf of q
book case, closed in front to the floor.
Rrhe case was showed back tight 10
The wall, making the thing pris-
Pner, and a four-ounce bottle of
fhloroform poured through hole
bored in the shelf killed him in q
minute or two, the lady, member of
the Audubon and various humane
societies, insisting upon painless
*death.
There was a hurried consultation
pf encyclopedias. dictionaries and
mature books, and the lady declared
with some emphasis that the weasel
pr ermine was an ermine, in its sum-
mer clothes.
1t was taken to Prof. Morse at the
Arts and Crafts rooms. The prc
lessor said it was weasel, and that
an ermine is weasel in white winter
fur
1t will be mounted and placed in
tue local museum when it is built.