IN THE CATSKILLS 



no doubt much annoyed at being interrupted, dis- 

 charged the vials of his wrath full in the farmer's 

 face, and with such admirable effect that, for a few 

 moments, he was completely blinded, and powerless 

 to revenge himself upon the rogue, who embraced 

 the opportunity to make good his escape; but he 

 declared that afterwards his eyes felt as if purged 

 by fire, and his sight was much clearer. 



In March that brief summary of a bear, the rac- 

 coon, comes out of his den in the ledges, and leaves 

 his sharp digitigrade track upon the snow, trav- 

 eling not unfrequently in pairs, a lean, hungry 

 couple, bent on pillage and plunder. They have 

 an unenviable time of it, feasting in the summer 

 and fall, hibernating in winter, and starving in 

 spring. In April I have found the young of the 

 previous year creeping about the fields, so reduced 

 by starvation as to be quite helpless, and offering 

 no resistance to my taking them up by the tail and 

 carrying them home. 



The old ones also become very much emaciated, 

 and come boldly up to the barn or other outbuild- 

 ings in quest of food. I remember, one morning in 

 early spring, of hearing old Cuff, the farm-dog, bark- 

 ing vociferously before it was yet light. When we 

 got up we discovered him, at the foot of an ash-tree 

 standing about thirty rods from the house, looking 

 up at some gray object in the leafless branches, and 

 by his manners and his voice evincing great impa- 

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