54 



Travels in a Tree-top 



fauna of the State. The deer are not yet quite 

 gone, possibly a few bears remain. Certainly 

 the raccoon and otter must be abundant. I 

 was constantly on the lookout for minks, for 

 the river abounds in fish. This animal is 

 sometimes mistaken for a huge snake, as it 

 rises several inches above the water at times, 

 and has then a rather startling appearance. 

 An old fisherman on Chesapeake Bay told me 

 that he had seen a mink with a huge eel in its 

 mouth come to the surface, and then the 

 wriggling fish and long, lithe body of the 

 mink together looked like two serpents fight- 

 ing. I can readily imagine it. Birches, 

 liquidambars, and pines in clusters would 

 next command attention, and usually there 

 was a dense undergrowth. Holding the boat, 

 at times, we could hear the water rushing 

 through the roots of this tangled mass, and 

 found that what we had supposed was firm 

 land afforded no certain footing, and a bluff 

 of firm earth was very welcome when we 

 thought of landing for a hasty lunch. This 

 firm earth did indeed support us, but in re- 

 ality it was the most unstable of shifting sands, 

 being held in place by reindeer-moss, par- 

 tridge-berry, and other pine-barren growths. 



