78 Musings by Camp- Fire and Wayside 



ably the weakest flyer, and the chase began. The 

 pigeon moved in a spiral circle, about two hundred 

 feet in diameter, and a remarkably true circle it 

 was. Constantly ascending as around and around 

 he flew in his spiral and graceful upward movement, 

 the hawk following as closely as he could, the 

 pigeon at every circle would be seen to have in- 

 creased his advantage in height. His motive in 

 this ascent is that he instinctively knows he can 

 outfly his enemy in making it. The motive of the 

 hawk is his knowledge that he is swifter than any 

 bird in pouncing from above. In some instances 

 the parties to the chase would become mere specks 

 in the sky, with constantly increasing advantage in 

 the rarer atmosphere to the pursued, because the 

 hawk is built for battle, like an ironclad. He would 

 finally give up the chase as hopeless, and descend 

 as he went up, in circles, though much wider. The 

 pigeon, after soaring till he thought he could 

 descend in safety, came directly down in graceful 

 stoops. I never saw a hawk succeed in catching a 

 pigeon in the air. He must confine his attention 

 to young and undeveloped birds, which though they 

 would always make the attempt to rise, were 

 quickly frustrated by the enemy. 



I witnessed a startling tragedy to-day. Passing 

 along the shore of the North Twin, I heard pound- 

 ing feet, and looking along the wide and thinly 

 brushed slope from the north, saw a large doe 

 coming down in splendid style at the top of her 



