BIRD PARADISE 215 



make-up. I half conjecture from his manner 

 that he is as much surprised at the outcome as 

 any one else. When the snow hides the ground 

 and most of the small birds are gone I am quite 

 sure my small friend suffers with hunger. At 

 such times in my boyhood we used to find the 

 fellow seeking refuge in the old farm barns. 

 Like other birds, however, he can suffer hunger 

 for a time without much apparent discomfort. I 

 suppose he knows all about the hours of dark- 

 ness, but no one else is the wiser for it. I do not 

 know that his deeds are evil, but he is a real 

 lover of the darkness. In my small domain half 

 the time belongs to Mr. Owl pretty much alone 

 and in his way he seems to enjoy it. 



I had hardly thought that there were any fur- 

 bearing animals left in our hill country to trap, 

 but I am told that it is a business successfully 

 prosecuted by a number of persons in our town. 

 Living in Clayville is William White, who re- 

 ceives quite an annual income from the furs he 

 secures by trapping. Mink and skunk are the 

 principal animals that he traps, though there are 

 some others that he obtains more or less fre- 

 quently. Think of having a line of traps along 



