usfox-houndnamedBurgoyne,—hepronounceditBugine,—whichmyinformantusedtoborrow.Inthe“WastBook”ofanoldtraderofthistown,whowasalsoacaptain,town-clerk,andrepresentative,Ifindthefollowingentry.Jan.18th,1742–3,“JohnMelvenCr.by1GreyFox0—2—3”theyarenotnowfoundhereandinhisledger,Feb.7th,1743,HezekiahStrattonhascredit“by?aCattskin0—1—4?”ofcourse,awild-cat,forStrattonwasasergeantintheoldFrenchwar,andwouldnothavegotcreditforhuntinglessnoblegame.Creditisgivenfordeerskinsalso,andtheyweredailysold.Onemanstillpreservesthehornsofthelastdeerthatwaskilledinthisvicinity,andanotherhastoldmetheparticularsofthehuntinwhichhisunclewasengaged.Thehunterswereformerlyanumerousandmerrycrewhere.IrememberwellonegauntNimrodwhowouldcatchupaleafbytheroad-sideandplayastrainonitwilderandmoremelodious,ifmymemoryservesme,thananyhunting-horn.
Atmidnight,whentherewasamoon,Isometimesmetwithhoundsinmypathprowlingaboutthewoods,whichwouldskulkoutofmyway,asifafraid,andstandsilentamidthebushestillIhadpassed.
Squirrelsandwildmicedisputedformystoreofnuts.Therewerescoresofpitch-pinesaroundmyhouse,fromonetofourinchesindiameter,whichhadbeengnawedbymicethepreviouswinter,—aNorwegianwinterforthem,forthesnowlaylonganddeep,andtheywereobligedtomixalargeproportionofpinebarkwiththeirotherdiet.Thesetreeswerealiveandapparentlyflourishingatmid-summer,andmanyofthemhadgrownafoot,thoughcompletelygirdledbutafteranotherwintersuchwerewithoutexceptiondead.Itisremarkablethatasinglemouseshouldthusbeallowedawholepinetreeforitsdinner,gnawingroundinsteadofupanddownitbutperhapsitisnecessaryinordertothinthesetrees,whicharewonttogrowupdensely.
Thehares(LepusAmericanus)wereveryfamiliar.Onehadherformundermyhouseallwinter,separatedfrommeonlybytheflooring,andshestartledmeeachmorningbyherhastydeparturewhenIbegantostir,—thump,thump,th