34 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 16-No. 3 



uiuisual natural curiosity, viz., ice on .July 4tli, 

 in that latitude and altitude. 



It seems a pity that this beautiful world 

 should be encumbered by such cattle, who 

 tliink it smart to destroy all they can, or have 

 no care for othcr-s" comforts and pleasures. I 

 only wish that I knew the name of this vandal, 

 that 1 might hand it down to posterity with 

 ignominy attached to it, like the brand of the 

 Scarlet Letter. 



Off we go again, and bring up at Diana's 

 Baths, a series of cascades mentioned in a 

 previous article. The pot-holes at this place 

 exhibit very striking forms, one being a very 

 good representation of a bath-tub, and one of 

 a very good shaped stocking, but if it was the 

 impression of Diana's hosiery I would prefer 

 not to have run the risk of her disple.asurc, as 

 she was reputed to be somewhat athletic iu 

 her tastes. 



Another hole takes a very neaily round 

 form, eighteen inches deep and only eight 

 in diameter. 



1 wish here to give the crows of North Con- 

 way the credit of the greatest sagacity which 

 I have ever seen exhibited by these most saga- 

 cious birds, since they allowed us to practise 

 on tliem with a Colt .4.5, at seventy-five yards, 

 and only jumped when the ball struck within 

 a few inches. They had app.arently "been 

 thei-e before, many a time." 



The next morning, my companion, the pho- 

 tographer of the expeditifvn, Wni. H. Wilson 

 of JJoston, having anived on the scene, we 

 packed ourknapsacks, put up ourblack-tly killer 

 and boarded a train for farther up the Notch. 



It was our original intention to have 

 ascended the valley of Dead or Mt. Washington 

 liiver, and make the ascent of the Monarch of 

 the Presidential range from that side, via the 

 river bed. But we found that several parties 

 had been through there with camera and rod, 

 and as our idea was to get some pictures where 

 that everlasting Appalachian Mountain Club 

 had not been, we turned the other way. 



By the way, I am not paid to blow my bugle 

 for the Appalachian Mountain Club, but I want 

 to thank them right here for their excellent 

 habit of piling up monuments of rocks to 

 point out vague paths on the mountain sides; 

 they saved me some hard climbing, this year. 

 Long may they pile rocks to guide the wander- 

 ing footsteps of those who reap the fruits of 

 others" sowing. 



But I need some monuments to keep me lui 

 the straight tr.ack. 



Variovis incidents turned iilfairs so that we 



got fired off the train at Avalanche Station, 

 near the old Willey Hou.se, the scene of the 

 well-known tragedy. 



We stood for a moment watching the tail 

 end of the train as it sped up the track toward 

 the end where it closes in. 



Below us was the same old Saco River of 

 numerous turnings and windings, and Ijeyond 

 it Mt. Webster reared its old bald head against 

 the sky. 



We looked at Mts. Willard and Willey and 

 groaned at the steeij hill which lay befcne us, 

 and I inw.ardly wept as I thought of the hard- 

 tack and salt pork iu my knapsack, and my 

 mouth watered for some of Mrs. Na.sh's bis- 

 cuits and butter, and custard pie, and I wanted 

 togo back. But while we groaned, we strapped 

 on our packs, picked up our guns, and with a 

 native to put us on the right track started up 

 the slope. 



We soon were on our proper path, and bade 

 our guide a long, lingering farewell; more 

 sad, because he was the first man whom I had 

 struck in New Hampshire who would not take 

 a "tip" for service rendered, and I feared he 

 would not live long, — he was too delicate for 

 that gall-bracing climate. I found his mate 

 when I came back. <Tod bless them! They 

 restored my faith in humanity. I h.ad begun 

 to think that I was only the creature of inifoi- 

 tunate circumstances. 



We tramped along the top of the ridge which 

 separates the valley of the Saco from that of 

 the Pemigevvasset, until the afternoon was 

 well on the downward track, and as a slight 

 rain had set in we began to think of camp. 



The great desiderata of camp are svood and 

 water. We bad enough of both, smdi as they 

 were, but they were both deciiledly iiu-onveu- 

 ient. Tlie wood was green, and (be water in 

 too small drops to be anything but wet, so we 

 turned southwest down the slope till we struck 

 the edge of a logger's track, from the like of 

 which to see again, may the saints deliver me. 

 Big logs and small logs, tree-tops piled cross- 

 ways, end-ways, and all other ways, tough 

 when we wanted to break thcon and frail and 

 rotten when we wanted to climb upon them, 

 hut we got over at last. (O, myl but this was 

 play to what we got later on.) 



Hei'e we separated to And the w.ay out, or 

 rather in, for we did not want to go out, and 

 I was dowu in the lowland ankle-deep in water, 

 mud and moss, hunting for the brook, when a 

 sliot from X.ash's gun, followed by a cry from 

 a bird which I did not recognize, and soon 

 another shot, betokened something of vmImc. I 



