The Holbrook news., 1912-04-19

l k- k1 /l-A SuolGu1uS W u I | . u S S . |.
 EEEI There he will find re- II A corded a true and exhaus-
 %N tive account of outdoor
 = happenings of the past
 twenty-four hours
 Across the snow-covered field at the edge of the woods you trail the ia
 m1liar tracks of the little cottontail
 rabbit. By their side, and occasional
 ly joining and obliterating them, are
 the accusing footprints of that mis-
 chievous pointer pup, who should
 have been tied up in the barn. About
 small clump of swaying weed-stalks
 are the four-barred prints of such
 hardy birds as juncos. red-polls, and
 the larger blue-jays and crows. A pow
 dery mass of loosened snow comes
 sitting down from the topmost bough
 of an evergreen at the forest edge, as
 large snowy owl flies noiselessly
 back into the silent woods. Driven
 from his summer hunting grounds at
 the far north, by the icy hand of win
 ter he will levy toll from squirrels,
 grouse and rabbits, before taking his departure for more congenial climes at the coming of spring. His hunting Is methodical and constant With set, silent. wings, he swoops suddenly down upon his victim. like some great white specter of the forest. Little round pellets of hair. feathers and bones found on the snow beneath his tavorite perch, indicate the fate of his unfortunate prey Fierce. rapacious and fpcofiohIo he dfa1 0vor tho f0ldd and through the forest, ever ready to fall like a meteor on some unsuspect- Ing bird or mammal Unlike most of bis kind. this bold assassin from the arctic does not conflne his hunting ex- cursions to the night time alone. but flies abroad during certain hours of the day as we'll; thereby proving even more destructive and dangerous than his ally in crime. the northern gos- hawk.
 Over the whitened aisles of the for est wind the beautiful. delicately traced trails of the little wood-mice. Nibbling daintily at dried grass and larger weed-stalks. they wander about during the coldest weather. When the thermometer stands far be- low zero and starvation often threat ems them, these little mice, when in the vicinity of farms. make their way to the granaries and barns, in search of food. When wandering about the woods, they often come upon the shed antler of deer or moose; they at once start to nibble and gnaw at the hard substance, until they finally I T~ g-a their winding trails disappear beneath the snow, to reappear some little dis tance further on, emerging from tiny tunnel which they have dug in search of hidden seeds.
 At the base of some forest tree is recorded the jump of the gray sQuir- rel. In long, undulating bounds, he makes his way over the snow. Often times he pokes his nose beneath the surface and pushes and roots in search of acorns or nuts, which he knows are covering. Some blue-jays scream. and. to betray his storehouse, he runs quickly to nearby trunk and as- cends to the first limbs, where he sits l scolding the noisy intru- , ders.
 Beneath the snow-laden branches of 1 the balsams. the round cat-like i'm prints of the lynx show forth. Bold | and prominent. they form an easily | trail through the woods. The | half-buried top of a fallen tree, a | cavity left by the roots of an upturned | stump. thick-grown mass of rhodo- denrons, have all been carefully ex- | amined by this soft-footed prowler in | his relentless search for food. Slight | Iy further on, his trail joins that of the | varying hare, or white rabbit" and | bis tread becomes measured and care ful, as he creeps forward on the hot l scent of his intended victim. About | the edge of a dismal swamp the dis turbed snow shows where, coming on the unwary hare. he has made his leap and secured his prize. The line by | the side of his trail marks the drag of his prey on the snow as he has car ried it to the top of an open knoll Here are displayed all the evidences of his savage feast. Having satisfied his hunger he has circled about and several times walked to the point of his commanding elevation. One can almost hear his weird, piercing scream, uttered in bold defiance from ais prominence. Evidently satisfied hat nothing is to be gained by tarry- ng longer in the vicinity. his restless 'eet have been again turned toward he denser forest in which direction lis trail disappears.
 By the side of gently-murmuring. ce-incrusted brook. appears the sinu- ,us hunting trail of the blood-thirsty mink. The little footprints in sets of ;wo and two. register in the snow