168 FAMILIAR LIFE IN PIBLD AND FOREST. 



mice and their nests. These he digs out with his long 

 claws, and whole families go to make up his evening 

 meah He prowls around the wood pile, evidently 

 after mice, and Dr. Abbott* relates an incident 

 humorous enough to bear repetition here. 



" The old wood pile was not infrequently the hid- 

 ing place of one or more of these ' varmints,' which 

 raided the henroost, kept the old dog in a fever of 

 excitement, and baffled the trapping skill of the oldest 

 'hands' upon the farm. . . . With what glee do I re- 

 call an autumn evening years ago, when the unusually, 

 furious barking of the old mastiff brought the whole 

 family to the door. In the dim twilight the dog could 

 be seen dashing at and retreating from the wood pile, 

 and at once the meaning of the hubbub was appar- 

 ent : some creature had taken refuge there. A lan- 

 tern was brought, and, as every man wished to be the 

 hero of the hour, my aunt held the light. The wood 

 pile was surrounded, every stick was quickly over- 

 turned, and finally a skunk was dislodged. Confused, 

 or attracted by the light, . . . the ' varmint ' made 

 straightway for the ample skirts of the old lady, fol- 

 lowed by the dog, and, in a second, skunk, dog, lady, 

 and lantern were one indistinguishable mass ! My 

 aunt proved the heroine of the evening, nor did the 



* Outings at Odd Times. Dr. 0. C. Abbott. 



