macdougall] NATURE-STUDY ON AN OLD-TIME FARM 371 



Furthermore, in 10 minutes after firing the shot I have seen 

 perhaps half a dozen coyotes peering over the ridges in various 

 directions. How did they know? Their sixth sense told them. 



A man, with all his boasted intelligence and reasoning power, 

 has been known to starve to death within half a mile of an abund- 

 ance of food; or to die of thirst within a few hundred yards of 

 water, because he lacked the sixth sense. 



How does this sixth sense act on the intelligence of the bird 

 or other mammal ? That is probably a part of the great unknow- 

 able; but if any man or woman here can enlighten us on the sub- 

 ject, I am sure we shall all feel grateful. 



Nature-Study on an Old-time Farm 



John MacDougall 



Some forty-five years ago a nature-loving fanner bought a farm 

 close by the village of Ormstown on the Chateauguay River in the 

 Province of Quebec. 



On this farm the home field of five acres situated between the 

 road and the river contained, first, by the roadside, some few rods 

 in width of level clay loam; then came a descent towards the river, 

 very gentle at the side of the field where the house was placed, but 

 becoming at the far side too steep for the plow. After falling away 

 some twenty-five feet from the level of the farm, this was followed 

 by a harrow of light dry loam rising again almost to the farm-level. 

 The soil in the little intervale was rich garden mould, as porous 

 as the loess of China, the most copious rainfall sinking away at 

 once. The rising barrow of loam did not reach across the breadth 

 of the field, but was replaced at the far side by a further depression 

 into which the humus of woods-earth had washed until the soil 

 was almost swamp-like. The lower end of the field toward the 

 river terminated in a level acre of strong clay, flooded each spring- 

 time and rich in grass in summer. 



The farther side of this field with its marked variation of soil and 

 contour the new owner decided to make into an arboretum, gather- 

 ing into it as the years passed all trees and shrubs native to the 

 region. On the neighboring farm it was flanked by a grove of 

 sugar maples planted years before for profit in formal rows. 



