_bodies, and then the silence again. 
Suddenly there came a muffled scream, a thump of 
Ghostly as a 
spirit, the white owl quested the clearing and in a 
silent swoop lifted and bore away a squeaking vole. 
The vixen fox barked from the eminence of wind- 
whipped hills. Among the rattling shocks of corn 
and tall weeds, furtive hares nibbled and frolicked 
and circled endlessly. 
I heard a dim sound, suddenly, unexpectedly, 
which roused primitive feelings and swept the 
soul back down the stairs of time. Out of the 
gloom of the pines crept a lean wild thing, a dog on 
a lonely trail, and as it drifted wind-swept down 
the slope, it paused to lift a slavered mouth to the 
moon in one long wolfish howl. Down in the valley 
the last friendly light flickered and went dark, and 
somewhere in those white lustrous miles, a bell 
tolled slowly, sonorously, twelve strokes. As the 
wind tossed the tones southward came the ribald 
singing of drunken woodsmen returning from the 
village. 
I looked to the eastern sky line. The sky was 
bright with a thousand points of light, glowing and 
burning, and I knew the gate opened to admit a 
new day. I felt the night in mystery of sound and 
stillness, of stinging frost and shadows, of far bells 
and sodden men and a wild thing blown over the 
snows. As I closed softly the door, the moonlight 
seemed a path of glory like in a deep dream of 
something happening behind the black hills in the 
imperial east. 
PARASITIC RABBIT DISEASE 
LMOST every year some disease attacks one 
A or more species of our wild life, and most of 
them seem to be of an intestinal nature. A 
few months ago it was reported that a considerable 
number of ruffed grouse were found dead as a re- 
sult of having been attacked by an intestinal para- 
site and now the rabbits, more especially in the 
western part of New York State, have fallen vic- 
tims to a similar scourge. 
Most of the rabbits found were under bushes and 
apparently in a sleeping condition. Some of them 
were forwarded to laboratories for dissection, and 
upon examination it was found that the intestines 
were infested with a worm very similar to a tape- 
worm. In nearly every case, death was caused by 
the worm having penetrated the wall of the in- 
testine. 
The cottontails of Cattaraugus country suffered 
most from the ravages of this parasite and the 
native sportsmen reported a noticeable decrease 
in their numbers. 
If the losses are really considerable, it will be 
interesting to note what effect, if any, they have 
upon other species of wild life, such as the fox, to 
which the rabbit is a favorite article of food supply. 
DEER IN NEW JERSEY 
REMARKABLE instance of what may be 
accomplished by the enforcement of wise 
game laws is shown in the report of the game 
commissioner of New Jersey, in the number of 
deer killed in that state during last year. Despite 
the fact that the open season lasted only five days 
and that they are protected, 1084 deer were killed 
as compared. with 80 :in 1914. If the deer in this 
Page 149 
state continue to increase in this ratio for the 
next decade, sportsmen will commence to wonder 
whether it will be worth their time, money and 
effort to travel to the northern states or Canada to 
kill their buck. 
A comparison of the number of deer killed in the 
various counties furnish an interesting study in 
ecology. The counties where one would most ex- 
pect to find the largest number of deer because of 
the rugged and wooded character of the country, 
reported the smallest number of deer killed. These 
are the counties in the northwestern part of the 
state where some of the grandest and wildest 
scenery in that part of the country is found. The 
biggest returns entered were from the flat and arid 
counties such as Ocean, Atlantic and Burlington 
counties, in the southeastern portion of the state. 
There are a number of small streams in this sec- 
tion and the flora consists to a large extent of scrub 
pines and oaks, which afford an excellent hayen of 
refuge for the deer. Burlington county reported 
375 deer killed, Ocean county, 221, and Atlantic 
county, 146. 
The close proximity in which deer may now be 
found to the great centers of population in our 
Eastern states is very encouraging and all due 
credit must be given to the state legislatures for 
the enactment and efficient enforcement of the 
game ‘laws. 
GREEN RAFTERS 
F there is a patch of dark conifers within rea- 
| sonable distance of the home haunt, go to these 
evergreens and make friends with them. The 
grove may be of virgin pine, perhaps of isolated 
spruce and somber hemlock and pine, or a few 
ancient oaks looming in grim majesty above the 
columnar trees—it does not matter, for you seek 
the compensations of the grove, not the magic and 
silence of a solitary tree. And it matters not the 
‘mood of the year, the frequency of visits—the lure 
of early spring, the blue peace of a June day, the 
yellow splendor of autumn, the chaste mystery of 
December. A spirit of the gray, hoary past hangs 
amid the straight boles and green rafters—even a 
lover of the oak and elm has to admit this. It 
is this strange intimacy which breeds love of the 
evergreen grove. 
These old trees are symbols of life in silent move- 
ment; they say nothing, yet they teach deeply as a 
pondrous tome. Under these green rafters you can 
find youth, laughter and music, or you may re- 
ceive grave philosophy and enter into communion 
with self—a rare thing today. It depends upon 
man and mood. The trees are generous, lavish 
with gifts to the individual. It is a matter of 
approach and understanding. 
Love for the trees should grow stronger with 
the years, for many trees are passing to oblivion. 
Appreciation of wild life and wild plants should 
deepen, for their age is dying. Nature cannot and 
will not stand mortal regulation. A friendliness 
leads to intimacy, and this leads to understanding, 
and so time spent under the swaying boughs is 
not wasted. Physically it is an antidote. Spiritu- 
ally they assail man like the benefits of a balm, the 
beauty of a benediction. And it is in their silence 
and utter wisdom many men find life is a sweet 
thing even amid a mad world and a restless people. 
