142 THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



He admired the pure unbroken expanse of snow and tlie fine view over 

 the St. Lawrence and towards St. Jean Chrysostom. Next morning he arose 

 early and took the same course to gain an appetite for breakfast. When lo, 

 he saw some strange tracks in the snow. They were very large, and there 

 was something like the imprint of a spur behind each of them. While he 

 stood greatly puzzled, an old Scotchman drove along on a traineau. Our 

 friend stopped him ; and the following colloquy occurred : — 



"Can you tell me, Sir, what made these tracks?" 



"The snaw-shus." 



"What huge tracks ! They come from the woods" (pointing towards 

 Wolfe's Field). 



"0 aye, that' awa." 



"They came in the night?" 



"Like as not." 



"And they go towards the town. Ar'n't the people afraid " 



"Na', na'. They're used to them." 



And he drove on. 



Out came the stranger's note book; and he wrote: — 



"The Great Snortshius, a strange creature with huge feet, comes from 

 the woods in the night, and passes into the town ; and the people are not 

 terrified. I must enquire further." 



So I felt about the chipmunk. I must enquire further; and I did. 



The chipmunks and field mice are very mischievious. Towards Spring 

 when their Winter storm of provisions have run short, and when the snow 

 next the earth has melted, leaving run-ways amidst the buried brush, the 

 little animals follow these passages till they come to the young maples, that 

 the farmer has been preserving to form a second growth sugary. They gnaw 

 the bark of the trees near the ground. After a ^ong Winter I have seen 

 scores of young trees completely girdled and destroyed by them. If a young 

 orchard is near the creatures are apt to serve the fruit trees in the same way. 

 Lengths of stove pipe unhooked at the sides, and placed around the base of 

 the trees, and then hooked together again, are a safeguard against the 

 spoilers. 



From our seat on the log we can observe many interesting things. Yonder 

 runs a Ruffed Grouse or partridge. It probably has its nest at the foot of 

 3ome neighbouring tree. The nest is but a slight hollow in a dry spot. The 

 bird lays many eggs. She sits close; and her colour and markings so resem- 

 ble her surroundings that she is seldom noticed by a passer-by. Her young can 

 run as soon as they are hatched. 



I have witnessed a strange device that the partridge has of escaping its 

 foes in the Winter. 



I was standing beside a church which was built near such a wood lot 

 as we are considering. The snow lay deep on the ground, and was drifted 

 against the edifice. Suddenly a pair of partridges whirled rapidly round the 

 gable of the building. They were unaware of my presence till they came upon 

 me. I could have touched them but they dived with startling rapidity into 

 the drift beside me, scatter^'ng the light snow all around as they passed in, 

 and so completely closing up their passage way that I could not tell the 

 exact spot where they had entered, though it was not more than three yards 

 from mp 



Eenresentatives of the insect world are on the wing, or sunning them- 

 iselves OP the foliage. There is Polygonia faunu;^, Edwards, the most beauti- 

 ful of oiir Graptadge. Notice the rich mottling of its under side. There, 

 too, is Basilarchia arthemis, one of the finest of our butterflies. The dark 



