ADIRONDAO. 107 



first came on the lake. It needed a good long pull 

 to sober us down so we could fish. 



The land on the east side of the lake had been 

 burnt over, and was now mostly grown up with wild 

 cherry and red raspberry bushes. Ruffed grouse 

 were found here in great numbers. The Canada 

 grouse was also common. I shot eight of the latter 

 in less than an hour on one occasion ; the eighth one, 

 which was an old male, was killed with smooth peb- 

 ble stones, my shot having run short. Tiie wounded 

 bird ran under a pile of brush, like a frightened hen. 

 Thrusting a forked stick down through the interstices 

 I soon stopped his breathing. Wild pigeons were 

 quite numerous also. These latter recall a singular 

 freak of the sliarp shinned hawk. A flock of pig- 

 eons alighted on the top of a dead hemlock standing 

 in the edge of a swamp. I got over the fence and 

 moved toward them across an open space. I had not 

 taken many steps, when on looking up I saw the 

 whole flock again in motion flying very rapidly 

 around the butt of a hill. Just then this hawk 

 alighted on the same tree. I stepped back into the 

 road and paused a moment in doubt which course to 

 go. At that instant the little hawk launched into 

 the air and came as straight as an arrow toAvard me. 

 I looked in amazement, but in less than half a minute 

 he was within fifty feet of my face, coming full tilt 

 as if he had sighted my nose. Almost in self-de- 

 '^nse I let fly one barrel of my gun, and the man- 

 gled form of the audacious marauder fell literally be* 

 ♦ween my feet. 



