. Wild life near home . a full-grown, leisurely skunk is to havemissed excitement and suspense second only tothe staring out of countenance of a green-eyedwildcat. It is surely worth while, in these daysof parks and chipmunks, when all stir and ad-venture has fled the woods, to sally out at nightfor the mere sake of meeting a skunk, for theshock of standing before a beast that will notgive you the path. As you back away fromhim you feel as if you were really escaping. Ifthere is any genuine adventure left for us inthis age of suburbs, we must be helped to it bythe dark. Who ever had a good loo
. Wild life near home . a full-grown, leisurely skunk is to havemissed excitement and suspense second only tothe staring out of countenance of a green-eyedwildcat. It is surely worth while, in these daysof parks and chipmunks, when all stir and ad-venture has fled the woods, to sally out at nightfor the mere sake of meeting a skunk, for theshock of standing before a beast that will notgive you the path. As you back away fromhim you feel as if you were really escaping. Ifthere is any genuine adventure left for us inthis age of suburbs, we must be helped to it bythe dark. Who ever had a good look at a muskrat inthe glare of day? I was drifting noiselesslydown the river, recently, when one started tocross just ahead of my boat. He got nearmidstream, recognized me, and went under likea flash. Even a glimpse like this cannot be had[102] every summer; but in the autumn nights youcannot hide about their houses and fail to seethem. In October they are buikting their win-ter lodges, and the clumsiest watcher may spy. In October tliey are building their winter lodges. them glistening in the moonlight as they climbwith loads of sedge and mud to the roofs of theirsugar-loaf houses. They are readily seen, too,making short excursions into the meadows ; andoccasionally the desire to rove and see the worldwill take such hold u^ion one as to drive him amile from water, and he will slink along in theshadow of the fences and explore your dooryard rio3i and premises. Frequently, in the late winter, Ihave followed their tracks on these night jour-neys through the snow between ponds morethan a mile apart. But there is larger game abroad than musk-rats and possums. These October nights thequail are in covey, the mice are alive in the drygrass, and the foxes are abroad. Lying alongthe favorite run of Keynard, you may see are many sections of the country wherethe rocks and mountains and wide areas ofsterile pine-land still afford. the foxes safehomes; but in most localities Reynar
Size: 2325px × 1075px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1901
