Year: 1875

used often to lose their sheep, from the
depredations of bears and wolves; and
occasionally hungry lynx or 'slucivee'
would throttle one.


My grandfather's pasture was on a
mountain side, at some distance from
the farm, on the borders of an extensive
forest. But lynxs did not often molest
sheep during the summer in the pasture.
1t was only late in the fall, or very early
in the spring, that they committed their
depredations.


Generally, these creatures are shy,
and are only fallen in with in the very
heart of the wilderness. When one
comes out into the cleared land, and
prowls about the barns, it is almost al
ways an old male, or else, in the spring,
4 female with her young.


About the first of October we used to
get the sheep home from the mountain.
and allow them to feed in the fields till
the snow came. The docks came to the
yard every night, and generally were
not ont of sight in the daytime. Yet
one autumn we lost three sheep one af-
ter the other in less than week.


Ofthe first two missed we could find no
trace but the last one was found, half
eaten, in little thicket of hemlock that
bordered the field. We supposed it
IL Ill III
but on finding the remains of the un-
fortunate animal, grandfather at once
pronounced it to be either the work of a
lucivee, or dog for III these back dis
tricts there are often s'sheep-killing
dogs, which range about without home
or a master, and who sometimes fall
upon sheep in the pastures.


The body of the sheep had been eaten
out hollow. Inside of the ribs a lad and
myself set an otter trap, claiming it to a
stout stake. The second morning after,
ON going to see if we had caught our
game, we heard the trap ciank among
the hemlocks, and found we had caught
the marauder by one of his fore paws.


1t proved to be lucivee. The crea-
ture did yowyow most frightfully when
we approached him. His eyes were like
brigt silver, and as large as half dollars,
or looked as large to rs. We did not
dare to get near him for fear he might
get loose. He was in a fury from the
pain the trap gave his leg.


The whole neighborhood, boys, men,
and even girls, gathered at the spot in a
short time to see the ''sheep-ea eater. y
Some of the boys brought pitchforks,
and one, an old hay-hook, with which
we pulled the trap out of the hemlock


The beast would spit, something like
a cat, but louder, and gave out a strong,
musky odor, It had &. very large, round
head but the usual tufts on its ears of
long, black hairs, were wanting. Its
color was stone gray, mottled blackish.


Lynxes generally have long legs, and
are quite tall animals yet this ones



but very stout and the tail was longer
than is common with the species. There
were also other respects in which it diff
cred.


/ have since doubted whether it was
pure lynx, but possibly half bred ami
NAL, though I know not what Prof.
Baird would think of such theory. Its
legs were more like those of wolverine
than lynx, and its body was as large a
wolverines.


The boys plagued the creature to hear
it growl, and see it show its teeth and
claws. When touched with a hay-fork
it would make savage rushes at its tor
mentor. One of the men at length kill
ed it with an axe. I recollect that we
sold it for six dollars. At that season of
the year the fur was in prime condition.


That same fall lad named Ned Will
bur, and myself, were one night badly
frightened by lynx. We had been at a
"husking" at a farm two miles below
our neighborhood, and we were coming
home late between twelve and one /
think.


One of our neighbors, named Sylyes-
ter, had lost yearling steer week be-
fore. 1t was choaked by an apple. He
had skinned the animal, and left the car
cass out in the field, not far from the
stone wall which enclosed the road, and
close under the row of apple trees where
they had found the dead steer lying.
1t was forty or fifty rods from the house,
and cold weather had come on.


AS Ned and L were going past the
spot we thought of the steer, and looked
over into the field where The carcass lay.
1t was starlight and not very dark.


s'Why, there's something over there, %
Ned exclaimed, 'seating it %


''It's dog, I guess said I. ''Let's
stone him"


We felt around in the road and gath
cred up stones, and let them fly towards
where we could see a dark object mov-
ing slightly As ugly a snarl greeted
us as can be imagined. The creature
rose up, suddenly, and with a growl,
sprang into one of the apple trees. Its
weight shook the limbs as smartly as a
man would have done.


Ned and concluded to move on as fast
we could. and did not care to throw any
more stones. We thought it might be
a panther, but I presume it was a lynx.
When disturbed while eating any thing,