28o 



The American A^isrler, 



porch, while I strip off my hunting 

 coat and vest and make ready for the 

 cleaning up. Oh! isn't that delicious. 

 Deck, the colored boy, looks out for 

 my wants. There stands the big tin 

 basin, here the soap, and on the rack 

 heavy linen towels. Then the scrub. 

 Long before it is over, the fatigue has 

 gone and the hunger of the hunter 

 manifests itself. 



I have come for several seasons to 

 this same place for this same purpose. 

 I am one of the family, as well as the 

 honored guest. The two positions 

 combined make the life up here in 

 these New England pastures one of 

 continual delight. What do we do 

 with our "birds ? " Why, the farmer's 

 son has the hides off before my meal is 

 finished. The inner side is plentifully 

 sprinkled with a coating of salt and 

 black pepper. Then we nail them to 

 the barn door, the inner side outside, 

 and stretching the skins to their 

 utmost limit before the nails are ham- 

 mered in. The meal ? Why, the car- 

 cass of the older animal is chopped up 

 and fed to the poultry. The smaller 

 one is dressed nicely, and, when the 

 time comes, is placed in a pan, with 

 any quantity of peeled potatoes sur- 

 rounding the meat. Into the oven 

 goes that pan, and when it comes out, 

 done to a turn, brown as the pigment 

 called Van Dyke, it is served for 

 dinner. Is the meal of a woodchuck 

 good to eat ? Why not ? It is as good 

 as any bit of lamb that ever titilated 

 a potato. 



If you want proof, why, just write to 

 Uncle Billy Taylor, of Suffems, Orange 

 County, N, Y. He will answer your 

 inquiry by telling you that, when 

 properly cooked, there is no meat on 

 €arth so sweet, so tender, as that of a 

 woodchuck when it is young in years 



and in good condition physically. You 

 doubt it ? Why, evidence can refute 

 your misgivings. The late Colonel 

 Fred G. Skinner was wont to say that 

 two good things in the edible line were 

 greatly neglected, and that had these 

 things been found in France, they 

 would have long ago ranked with the 

 canvas-back duck of Chesapeke waters 

 and the true diamond-back terrapin of 

 Maryland waters as things of gustatory 

 delight ; and these two things were the 

 musquash, or muskrat, of our ponds 

 and streams, and this same woodchuck 

 we are telling of. 



You ask Uncle Jake Pentz about the 

 capabilities of the woodchuck as an 

 article of food, and his gorge rises at 

 once. He has cause for his opinion. 

 As he tells the story, it runs as follows : 

 To premise, let me state Uncle Jake 

 has been, from his early years, an 

 ardent sportsman. This happening we 

 propose to tell of took place along in 

 his 'teens. He was then residing each 

 Summer, and until late in the Fall, in 

 Fairfield County, Connecticut, just over 

 the New York State line. The country 

 was a great game one, and, owing to 

 its rolling character and rocky condi- 

 tions, woodchucks were especially 

 numerous. His temporary home was 

 at a farm house, situated at the edge of 

 a stream, known as the Byram River. 

 Then came meadows, pastures, wood- 

 lands and cultivated fields. East of the 

 house was a low-lying meadow, through 

 which coursed a little rivulet, not over 

 a couple of feet wide at any place, 

 although quite a foot deep. At the 

 stone fence which bounded this meadow, 

 and at the point where the small stream 

 left the ravine, grew a hickory tree 

 (American walnut). This tree had the 

 peculiarity of bearing, each season, any 

 number of twin nuts, that is, two per- 



