BIRCH BROWSINGS. 209 



old birds kept up a constant din. But the 

 gunners soon got wind of it, and from far 

 and near were wont to pour in during the 

 spring, and to slaughter both old and young. 

 This practice soon had the effect of driving 

 the pigeons all away, and now only a few 

 pairs breed in these woods. 



Deer are still met with, though they are be- 

 coming scarcer every year. Last winter near 

 seventy head were killed on the Beaver Kill 

 alone. I heard of one wretch, who, finding 

 the deer snowbound, walked up to them on 

 his snowshoes, and one morning before break- 

 fast slaughtered six, leaving their carcasses 

 where they fell. There are traditions of per- 

 sons having been smitten blind or senseless 

 when about to commit some heinous offence, 

 but the fact that this villain escaped without 

 some such visitation throws discredit on all 

 such stories. 



The great attraction, however, of this re- 

 gion, is the brook trout, with which the 

 streams and lakes abound. The water is of 

 excessive coldness, the thermometer indicat- 

 ing 44 and 45 in the springs, and 47 or 

 48 in the smaller streams. The trout are 

 generally small, but in the more remote 

 branches their number is very great. In 



