A BED OF BOUGHS 



ley" would be a godsend; anything but endless 

 dragging of one's self up such an Alpine stairway. 

 The winter wren, common all through the woods, 

 peeped and scolded at us as we sat blowing near 

 the summit, and the oven-bird, not quite sure as to 

 what manner of creatures we were, hopped down a 

 limb to within a few feet of us and had a good look, 

 then darted off into the woods to tell the news. I 

 also noted the Canada warbler, the chestnut-sided 

 warbler, and the black-throated blue-back, the 

 latter most abundant of all. Up these mountain 

 brooks, too, goes the belted kingfisher, swooping 

 around through the woods when he spies the fish- 

 erman, then wheeling into the open space of the 

 stream and literally making a " blue streak " down 

 under the branches. 



At last the stream which had been our guide was 

 lost under the rocks, and before long the top was 

 gained. These mountains are horse-shaped. There 

 is always a broad, smooth back, more or less de- 

 pressed, which the hunter aims to bestride; rising 

 rapidly from this is pretty sure to be a rough, curv- 

 ing ridge that carries the forest up to some highest 

 peak. We were lucky in hitting the saddle, but we 

 could see a little to the south the sharp, steep neck 

 of the steed sweeping up toward the sky with an 

 erect mane of balsam fir. 



These mountains are steed-like in other respects : 

 any timid and vacillating course with them is sure 

 241 



