A Sportsman 81 



superior perceptiveness in sight. All hunters have 

 seen that wild animals will observe a moving body 

 with interest if not suspicion, but if one stands per- 

 fectly still, at first, not being detected, wild animals will 

 often approach very near, as I have repeatedly had 

 deer, bears, and foxes do. Deer, seeming to be aware 

 of this feature, will frequently stand motionless, sup- 

 posing themselves to be unobserved, and will allow 

 an intruder to pass very closely. Foxes, despite their 

 cunning and suspiciousness, appear to be more dim- 

 sighted than other animals, and will come upon you 

 very frequently in the fields about the settlements, 

 when hunting field-mice, in which pursuit they seem to 

 be wholly absorbed, and by standing still and imitating 

 the faint squeak of the mouse, one may tempt them 

 to approach within a few feet. 



I wish I could do justice to the subject of deer 

 stalking, but it has so many aspects, varying so in 

 effect upon the appreciation and receptiveness of the 

 stalker, that it is not likely that one's own views 

 may be fully shared by another. Still, I can believe 

 that with many, the enjoyment does not wholly con- 

 sist in the killing of deer, although it is the primary 

 object, but, as in fishing for trout, the auxiliaries are 

 the attractive features. 



There is a wholesomeness and vitality about the 

 Maine forests in winter which is not found elsewhere. 

 The cold, the ice, the snow, the changing rough 

 weather, invite to the robust recreations of skating, 

 ice-boating, tobogganing, and snowshoeing. They 

 heighten the comforts of indoors. Restful sleep, 

 appetite and digestion, and blazing birchwood fires 

 solve the question, "Is life worth living?" 



