Midsummer Night Sounds 



What was it that sound so like the angry, 

 petulant scream of a heat-vexed, half-sick 

 child? It was only a tree-toad's night cry, 

 rough, harsh, and penetrating. You will 

 seldom hear the sound except on a hot sum- 

 mer night; but once heard, you can never 

 forget it. I know of nothing quite so harsh 

 and disagreeable among all the voices of the 

 wild creatures. It makes a heavy, sultry 

 summer night seem all the more unendur- 

 able. 



Perhaps there comes up to your window, 

 on some warm midsummer night, a thin, 

 quavering, plaintive, long-drawn whimper. 

 "What is that?" you ask. That is the cry 

 of the predatory skunk. You will hear it 

 in any locality where there is a hen-roost. 

 That short-legged night-thief is on his cus- 

 tomary rounds, and the chances are that he 

 will pounce upon somebody's pet chicken 

 before morning. Why he should announce 

 his coming by that tremulous cry I do not 

 know ; but it is certainly a sweet and melan- 

 choly night-sound. There is something al- 

 most winningly pathetic about it. 



The raccoon has a similar night-cry, only 

 louder and not quite so tremulous. You 



