ADIRONDAC. 123 



wounded bird ran under a pile of brush, like 

 a frightened hen. Thrusting a forked stick 

 down through the interstices, I soon stopped 

 his breathing. Wild pigeons were quite nu- 

 merous, also. These latter recall a singular 

 freak of the sharp-shinned hawk. A flock 

 of pigeons alighted on the top of a dead hem- 

 lock standing in the edge of a swamp. I 

 got over the fence and moved toward them 

 across an open space. I had not taken many 

 steps, when, on looking up, I saw the whole 

 flock again in motion, flying very rapidly 

 around the butt of a hill. Just then, this 

 hawk alighted on the same tree. I stepped 

 back into the road, and paused a moment in 

 doubt which course to go. At that instant, 

 the little hawk launched into the air, and 

 came as straight as an arrow toward me. I 

 looked in amazement, but in less than half 

 a minute he was within fifty feet of my 

 face, coming full tilt, as if he had sighted my 

 nose. Almost in self-defence, I let fly one 

 barrel of my gun, and the mangled form of 

 the audacious marauder fell literally between 

 my feet. 



Of wild animals, such as bears, panthers, 

 wolves, wild cats, etc., we neither saw nor 

 heard any in the Adirondacs. " A howling 



