March in the Pine Woods, 



fectly does their plumage blend with the 

 tree trunks. Their booming, too, is 

 as elusive as the will-o'-the-wisp. It 

 may be described as a low, deep, muffled 

 boof^ boof^ sounding first from one direc- 

 tion and then from another. The 

 general color of the bird is mottled 

 brown, grayer upon the breast and 

 darker on the back, with a broad, dark 

 band at the tip of the tail. 



Other game birds there are in this 

 Eel River country. Flocks of band- 

 tailed pigeons were seen every now and 

 then, while the swift-flying mourning- 

 dove returned at the first intimation 

 of spring. Long lines of wild geese in 

 wedge-shaped files were flying overhead, 

 and their noisy honking floated down 

 from the far regions of the sky like 

 voices from another world. 



With the advent of spring came the 

 turkey-buzzards, wheeling in easy gyra- 

 tions from crest to crest of the rugged 

 mountains. A silent shadow passes 

 along the green hillside, and looking 

 150 



