10 TrreE Aroostook Woops. 

and vigor, rejoicing in your ever-increasing strength and 
endurance. But now, ’tis in the mild September, and all is 
beautiful about the forest, lake and stream, while the dwellers 
in the woods are all most happy. The deer, the leaders of 
the droves, at this time are cruising on the summit of the 
ridges by themselves, proud, bold, and independent, while 
the mothers with the most of them two, occasionally three 
lambs each, are the happiest by themselves while she leads 
them to the cool springs in the warm days for their noonday 
drink, and at night to wade along the shores and nip the tops 
of the grasses growing above the waters, and at this season of 
the year particularly, finding everywhere an abundance of the 
finest food (and quantities to spare,) for themselves and 
their largest increase. 
And the Patridge, old mother P, now leaves the thrifty 
young yellow birch grove, with a grassy spot here and there 
all grown within a few years upon the old log landing, and 
leads her now very large babies down to the lake shore each 
day near noon-time, and as they stand all in a row upon the 
sandy shore beside the slightly rippled waters, moving their 
dainty little heads down and up quite irregularly, as they 
drink so cunningly, we count a dozen or more in place of the 
one pair in nesting time. But the old drummer, the father of 
the brood is not with them, as he has long since shirked all 
care or responsibility of the children, leaving dame P all the 
trouble as well as the great credit of raising and protecting 
the large family all by herself, whilst he has in the early 
infancy of the little ones sought out some cool and shady 
thicket to play the secluded hermit until beech-nut time. 
And right merry and happy are all the little wildwood 
birds, both old and young. Joyously they sing and call and 
