292 BIRDS OF FIELD, FOREST AND PARK 



animals, which are necessary to a keen insight 

 into their habits. Being much alone in the wil- 

 derness from the nature of his calling, he turned 

 to the study of these creatures for amusement, 

 and he has had many interesting experiences. 

 As you cannot have the pleasure of hearing these 

 stories from his lips, I will attempt to record a 

 few here. 



It often happened that with the approach of 

 the season of deep snows his occupation as guide 

 ceased, and he sought employment as cook for a 

 crew of lumbermen. During the long winters he 

 had many quite unusual experiences with the 

 birds and one in particular he relates, which af- 

 forded him much amusement and real pleasure 

 as wxll. Far in the woods, cut off from civiliza- 

 tion, the only means of communication with the 

 outside world being the tote team which made 

 occasional trips to the settlement for supplies, 

 he turned to the feathered and the furred folk 

 about him for entertainment. 



The winter days being very short, the men 

 left camp for their labor in the morning, before 

 the first glint of daylight, returning when the 

 shades were beginning to fall, for in the gloom 

 of the spruce forest the night comes quickly. 

 During the hours of daylight he was left alone 

 with a boy, his assistant in the work of prepar- 

 ing food for the crew. A part of the boy's duty 

 was to carry the midday lunch to the men who 

 were cutting the timber too far from the camp 

 to warrant their return at noon. By eleven 

 o'clock each day the boy would set out with 

 buckets of food and great pots of steaming 



