250 



THE OOLOGIST. 



called "solitude" aud stages before the 

 admiring eye the grandest of scenes en- 

 acted in the great theatre of the natural 

 world; it educates the desirable faculty 

 of careful observation and supplies it 

 with an inexhaustible amountof mater- 

 ial for consideration; it fosters a desire 

 for knowledge, and engenders health. 

 Referring to some note-books tilled 

 with experiences of days of yore, when 

 the cares and responsibilities of life 

 were but yagucly undei stood and the 

 free-hearted school-boy planned and 

 schemed for summer vacations long be- 

 fore the term approached its close — re- 

 ferring to-day to these momentoes of 

 the past, I tind therein accounts of 

 many a ci'uise on river, lake and ocean 

 which as I read bring me again to old 

 familiar haunts, once more I hear 

 the meiiy bark of my good old 

 setter as, with gun in hand, we leave 

 the old homestead at sunrise to surprise 

 the Quail in their haunts; once more I 

 feel myself on the New York Harbor 

 in the white-sailed cat-boat, as with til- 

 ler in hand we cruise along its well- 

 known shores. Again the tent is spread 

 on the shores of many a lake, or with 

 no better shelter than the bottom of my 

 inverted canoe, the night passed with 

 that sweet, refreshing slumber so kind- 

 ly graniod to healthful youth. But the 

 cat -boat changed hands before 1 left 

 college; the canoe, built in my own 

 work-shop, by means of which some of 

 the most delightful cruises on lakes and 

 rivers were made and with which I 

 have covered more miles and gained 

 more enjoyments than I have yet been 

 able to do with the beautiful "Rushton" 

 now in my possession, was abandoned. 

 The gun— companion of many a cruise 

 — with which wing-shots wei'e made 

 itbatlcannow hardly rival, certainly 

 not excel, with my improved "Greener," 

 was in due time discarded for its more 

 modern successor. My dog— faithful 

 friend— who was frequently my sole 

 living companion for many days and 



nights — barring, of course, the bi'oad 

 realm of vitalized nature by which we 

 were environed — remained with me un- 

 til his death which occurred some j'ears 

 since. Those days have indeed passed 

 to return no more, but the incidents 

 with which they were fraught are still 

 fresh and bright on memory's page. 

 The love of cruising, inculcated by 

 hearty indulgence in the mind of the 

 boy, still exists in the life of the man. 

 Nature is still as dear as then and she 

 now speaks in even plainer language — 

 sweeter because better understood. 



But a truce to these I'etlections. The 

 object of this communication is to give 

 the readers of the Oologist some practi- 

 cal hints on cruising as applied to re- 

 search in Oology and Ornithology, and 

 to assist in bringing its peculiar pleas- 

 ures and benefits within their posses- 

 sion. 



First of all, in order to "o'uise" a 

 boat is necessar . If the journey is to 

 be upon the ocean or its immediate trib- 

 utaries, a well equipped sailing craft is 

 quite essential; if upon a large lake, a 

 commodious craft upon which a sail 

 may be rigged, is often desirable; but 

 for rivers and lakes of moderate size a 

 portable canoe will be found advanta- 

 geous. As space would fail us to con- 

 sider in detail each variety of craft just 

 mentioned we will devote ourselves to 

 a consideration of the latter class— the 

 canoe — and reserve the two former for 

 separate description at a late date. 



The advantages of a light canoe for 

 navigating small streams, for exploring 

 the arms and tributaries of lakes and 

 rivers, etc., while studying natural 

 phenomena are plainly abvious. For 

 these purposes an expensive, heavy 

 boat is by no means the most desirable; 

 but. on the contrary, a light, portable 

 craft such as may be constructed at 

 home with slight expense is often as 

 good as anjf. Such boats, however, are 

 hardly suited to hunting excursions and" 

 for cari'ying heavy outfits. 



