1 86 BIRCH BROWSINGS. 



if to inquire the tidings from the outer world, — per- 

 haps the quotations of the cattle market. They came 

 up to me, and eagerly licked my hand, clothes, and gun. 

 Salt was what they were after, and they were ready to 

 swallow anything that contained the smallest percent- 

 age of it. They were mostly yearlings and as sleek as 

 moles. They had a very gamy look. We were after- 

 wards told that, in the spring, the farmers round about 

 turn into these woods their young cattle, which do not 

 come out again till fall. They are then in good con- 

 dition, — not fat, like grass-fed cattle, but trim and 

 supple, like deer. Once a month the owner hunts 

 them up and salts them. They have their beats, and 

 seldom wander beyond well-defined limits. It was in- 

 teresting to see them feed. They browsed on the low 

 limbs and bushes, and on the various plants, munching 

 at everything without any apparent discrimination. 



They attempted to follow me, but I escaped them 

 by clambering down some steep rocks. I now found 

 myself gradually edging down the side of the moun- 

 tain, keeping around it in a spiral manner, and scan- 

 ning the woods and the shape of the ground for some 

 encouraging hint or sign. Finally the woods became 

 more open, and the descent less rapid. The trees 

 were remarkably straight and uniform in size. Black 

 birches, the first I had seen, were very numerous. I 

 felt encouraged. Listening attentively, I caught, from 

 a breeze just lifting the drooping leaves, a sound that 

 I willingly believed was made by a bullfrog. On this 



