So Tue Aroostook Woops. 

long, happy chitter. Exit owl, up again squirrel, all alive 
with the fun, and as frisky asever. That rather funny fellow 
the woodpecker, next came flying directly to me (I wasn’t 
afraid.) He brought up upon the spruce tree directly oppo- 
site my ear and commenced his drillings for his favorite food, 
the white wood worm. ‘‘Tap-tap-tappity-tap ” and his feet 
made loud scratchings as he worked up and down on the 
rough spruce bark. Presently he worked around to within 
five or six inches of my nose before he saw me. Suddenly he 
stopped and looked me square in the eyes, gave one horrified 
squawk, that even startled me, as he flew out and away. Occa- 
sionally a partridge or two would show themselves crossing 
the roads and sometimes loiter around a little too late if we 
needed them. Rabbits, toward evening, we often saw hop- 
ping about getting their suppers, and often were we deceived 
by big sounds from little feet; and at.times, hearing the 
cracking sounds of sticks breaking beneath their tread we 
knew that some large game had passed, just out of our sight, 
behind some thicker growth. One dark drizzly day, towards 
evening, a small dog fox came out of an old road in front of 
me. I had no luck that afternoon and concluded I would 
carry him to camp, if nothing more; and as he was nosing 
about at his ease, I waited a bit for a sure shot with the rifle. 
Hearing a mouse squeak, or seeing something he would like 
for supper, he pricked up his ears and commenced creeping 
up the road, giving a very good shot. I rested the rifle upon 
the railing, fired for his head, and missed it by just one six- 
teenth of an inch. The bullet struck, spank, in the soft wet 
earth just under his nose, splashing the dirt and water in his 
eyes. If you saw him you would have smiled. He turned 
a back hand-spring and gave two or three of the most astonish- 
