Kookooskoos and the Wrong Rat. 67 



dark shadow shot over our heads. It struck the stick 

 sharply and swept on and up into the spruces across 

 the clearing, taking Bunny's skin with it. 



Then one big lumberman, who saw the point, 

 jumped up with a yell and danced a jig in the snow, 

 like a schoolboy. There was no need of further dem- 

 onstration with a cap; and nobody volunteered his 

 head for a final experiment ; but all remembered see- 

 ing the owl on his nightly watch, and knew something 

 of his swooping habits. Of course some were incred- 

 ulous at first, and had a dozen questions and objec- 

 tions when we were in camp. No one likes to have a 

 good ghost story spoiled ; and, besides, where super- 

 stition is, there the marvelous is most easily believed. 

 It is only the simple truth that is doubted. So I 

 spent half the night in convincing them that they had 

 been brought up in the woods to be scared by an owl. 



Poor Kookooskoos ! they shot him next night on 

 his watch tower, and nailed him to the camp door 

 as a warning. 



I discovered another curious thing about Kookoos- 

 koos that night when I watched to find out what had 

 struck me. I found out why he hoots. Sometimes, 

 if he is a young owl, he hoots for practice, or to learn 

 how ; and then he makes an awful noise of it, a rasp- 

 ing screech, before his voice deepens. And if you are 



