174 WOODLAND IDYLS. 



long noses and are fond of blackberry pie have 

 I also proven. The plan of suspending the bas- 

 ket of provisions from the ridge-pole was suc- 

 cessful only as long as it contained no pie. On 

 yesterday, however, the good farm wife pre- 

 sented me, fresh from the oven, a large black- 

 berry pie. Now I have an especial hankering 

 for such pie (even if at times its crust is some- 

 what like that of sheet-iron in texture) and do 

 not care to share it with ants. In other words, 

 in the ants' opinion I am a " tight wad" with 

 my blackberry pies. After eating a generous 

 portion I wrapped the remainder in paper and 

 placed it in the basket. Some old scout among 

 the ants got a whiff of its juice and following 

 his nose up the end pole, along the ridge-pole 

 and down the cord and the handle of the basket, 

 found that pie. Hustling immediately home- 

 ward, he invited all his brothers and sisters, 

 aunts and cousins to share in his discovery. 

 When I arose this morn and sought the basket 

 for provisions there they were by scores, on the 

 pie alone and half drunk on its juices. They 

 have equalled me in cunning and hereafter I 

 shall have to eat my blackberry pies at a single 

 sitting. 



This place might well be named ''Camp Bug" 

 for not only are ants and wood ticks much more 

 numerous than about my previous tenting places 

 but yellow jackets and bald hornets are also 



