WHEN WE HUNTED THE STRIPED CATAMOUNT The following week Tom Edwards and I had a somewhat exciting adventure which, however, by no means covered us with glory.

During the previous winter and, indeed, for several winters before that, there had been rumors current of a strange, fierce animal which came down, from the "great woods" to devour dead lambs that were cast forth from the farmers' barns in February and March.
At that time nearly every farmer in the vicinity kept a flock of from fifty to a hundred sheep.

During the warm season the animals got their own living in the back pastures; in winter they were fed on nothing better than hay.

The animals usually came out in the spring thin and weak, with the ewes in poor condition to raise their lambs.

In consequence, many of the lambs died soon after birth, and were thrown out on the snow for the crows and wild animals to dispose of.
The old Squire had begun to feed corn to his flock during the latter part of the winter, and urged his neighbors to do so; but many of them did not have the corn and preferred to let nature take its course.
The mysterious animal that the boys were talking about seemed to have formed the habit of visiting that region every spring.