222 



Caribou -Hunting. 



other little birds and eats their brains. I shall always consider it a 

 vile slander, Audubon and all the rest of them to the contrary not- 

 withstanding. These charming little birds are seldom seen except 

 in the depths of the forests ; at rare intervals, they come out to the 

 clearings, but their homes are in the forest. In order to give an 

 idea of the tameness of these birds, I may mention that at this 

 moment, as I write, a cedar-bird is begging to be taken on my finger 

 and held up to my face so that he may indulge in his pet occupation 

 of preening my mustache, and a red-poll linnet is industriously strew- 

 ing the floor with my pencils and paper, and if scolded flies away 

 uttering his plaintive call, " Sweet- Willie !" 

 At night, as we sat over the camp-fire smok- 

 ing our pipes, we 

 heard a horrid 

 screech in the 

 forest. 



" Up-we-pe-se- 



kin [lynx] chasm' rabbits," said 

 Tomah in sepulchral tones, be- 



1 CEDAR-BIRDS. 



tween the whiffs of his pipe. 



"You see," said Sebatis, in explana- 

 tion of Tomah's remark, "when up-we- 

 pe-se-kin make noise like that, scar 'im rabbit so bad he jump right 

 out sight in deep snow, then you see up-we-pe-se-kin dig him out 

 an' have pretty good supper." 



Just as I was turning out next morning, Sebatis walked into 

 camp, and said : 



" Sartin, caribou very hungry this mornin' ; I find plenty places 

 where he eat 'im ofif old men's beards, close up." 



This is the long, trailing moss which hangs from the trees and 

 bushes, and is a favorite food of the caribou. 



* 



