WBy ^iM:t.* C' 1 ^') 
1897 
January S7 
Visited. Ball's Hill to-day for the first time this 
winter, taking the 10.16 A. M. train for West Bedford and 
crossing the river on the ice, which was nowhere less than 
six inches thick. Most of the open country was wholly 
hare of snow, hut in the woods there was a good deal of 
dusted over with a thin layer of fine dry snow 
icy snow/which showed footprints to unusual advantage. 
I have never before seen so many tracks of Foxes, 
Rabbits, Red and Gray Squirrels, Mice and Partridges as 
I found to-day in the vroods near Ball's Hill. The Rabbits 
especially seem to be swarming there this year. Scarce 
a yard of snow anywhere that was free from their foot- 
and 
prints/in the swamps the surface was literally trampled 
over by them. The Skunks, too, had left traces of their 
recent excursions in more than one place. I do not 
remember to have seen their tracks in January before. 
I started at least seven differant Partridges 
but small birds were apparently very scarce for I saw only 
a little flock of Chickadees near the cabin and two 
Brown Creepers in some pine woods. As I was crossing the 
river I heard a Snow Bunting call three or four times 
high up in the sky. Biskins, Goldfinches and Redpolls 
had been feeding in the birches near the cabin for the 
snow was covered with the fragments of the birch cones and 
seeds. A Partridge had wandered all around the cabin 
and along the river path. I know of no other large bird 
that takes such very short steps. When not alarmed or 
crossing an opening, the footprints nearly touch one 
another, thus: —( 
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