no 
OUR BIRDS IN WINTER. 
rally walk along it until he came to an opening 
in it, or reached its end. The trapper, knowing 
this, left a passage open about midway in the 
hedge, and in this opening fixed a noose that 
was fastened to a springing sapling, like the 
other I mentioned. This noose was barely 
caught on the sides of the passage in the 
hedge, and when my chick put his head in it, 
innocently enough, he drew it about his neck. 
In his efforts to release himself, he drew it 
tighter, when it suddenly sprung, and he was 
swinging in the air in a moment, a lifeless 
Grouse. 
Not knowing which way to turn, we flew, 
half frantic, to the depths of the woods, and 
hardly dared to move for two or three days. 
Such horrible deaths in our family, in one day, 
made a lasting impression on us, and we never 
passed a bent sapling after that but we gave it 
a wide berth.” 
Here the afflicted Grouse gave a huge sigh, 
and began furiously picking and trimming 
some broken feathers on his breast, that looked 
a little rough and careless. Woodcock, know- 
