124 AROUND AN OLD HOMESTEAD. 



those artistic effects in Nature which men have always 

 attempted to copy, but have only succeeded in suggest- 

 ing — the yellow of the leaves casting a beautiful glow 

 through the woods in this season of the year, a sub- 

 dued, mellow light, as of the reflected splendor of a 

 sunset — the twilight of the dying year. 



In winter? Bare boughs, except now and then a 

 branch of dead beech leaves or of oak; snow marked 

 with tracks; evergreen trees seen at a distance among 

 the hardwoods; and the smoke from the sugar camp 

 toward the early year. 



In all the seasons, in these dingles and nooks in the 

 woods, one may perhaps get glimpses of a too soon 

 forgotten Eden. How beautiful It all Is, as I think 

 of It! 



I have seen at least these birds flitting among the 

 trees or perched on their staghorn tops — the robin and 

 chewink, wood thrush and brown thrasher, cardinal and 

 scarlet tanager, common bluebird and Indigo bluebird, 

 yellow-breasted chat and wild canary, chippy and song 

 sparrow, ruby-throated humming bird, Carolina wren, 

 blue jay, cedar bird, chickadee, flicker, red-headed 

 woodpecker, big sap sucker, little sap sucker, blackbird, 

 chicken hawk, crow, mourning dove, meadow lark, 

 woodcock, quail. In the day turkey buzzards soar and 

 soar above the trees, and In the night whip-poor-wills 

 and screech owls cry and whinner. Great flocks of wild 

 pigeons used to roost in the woods when they, like the 

 buffalo, had life, and had It abundantly. 



And I have noticed, at different times, raccoons, 

 opossums, skunks, weasels, gray squirrels, big fox squir- 

 rels, the little striped ground squirrel, rabbits, mice, 



