Juno 1890.] 



AND OOLOGI8T. 



89 



When I heard her say that she had walked ten 

 miU's that forenoon I mustered up courage 

 enough to speak, not in opposition to her 

 statement, but it was a good opportunity to 

 speak, waiving entirely the formality of an 

 introduction. The situation did not demand 

 the usual form, so we chatted. The bouquet of 

 flowers before her she had gathered that 

 morning in her tramp. She was an enthusias- 

 tic botanist. "You wouldn't think," she said, 

 "from my tramp of ten miles this forenoon 

 that I had just recovered from a severe attack 

 of pneumonia." That circumstance I ad- 

 mitted hardly put her in the ranks of invalids. 



I found her a charming conversationalist, a 

 keen, discriminating observer not only in the 

 realm of botany, but in all tlie physical features 

 of mountain scenery and in all forms of life. As 

 I had just been shooting birds and collecting 

 butterflies we had common ground for conver- 

 sation and exchange of ideas. She could 

 tell one bird from another, and not content 

 with simply being aware that there was a con- 

 crete thing called "bird" under her eye, she 

 observed it with critical eye, noting its form, 

 its colors, its characteristic movements, its 

 peculiar song, and she could whistle and imi- 

 tate the notes of birds admirably. She was vis- 

 iting the Rockies, going through to the Pacific 

 and then up to Alaska. This was not her first 

 trip across the continent, having crossed once 

 before over the same line of the Canadian 

 Pacific Railway. Her home was New York. 

 She had just come from Banf, wlierc, taking 

 another lady as a companion, she had gone 

 with a guide to Devil's Lake; had trolled for 

 and caught the lake trout, one being seven 

 pounds in weight; and had slept over niglit in 

 an old camp or hut, the guide sleeping on the 

 beach. A bear came around in the night but 

 he did not molest the campers, and his tracks 

 were discovered next morning. 



Stopping at Donald, which place I had just 

 left, she entered into conversation with some 

 of the old inhabitants about the birds, asking 

 them what birds were found there. "Oh ! there 

 are no birds about here," "this is not the 

 place for birds," " only a Robin or two and a 

 Bluebird are found here." At the same instant 

 her critical ear was distinguishing the notes of 

 a dozen different species. All birds to them 

 were Robins, Bluebirds, or "Chippers." They 

 were not cognizant of any difference in the 

 songs, if in fact, they heard the songs. 



My new found acquaintance was unique. 

 She not only was observing bird life minutely 

 but she was going to liave her guide shoot 



some specimens and she was to essay the 

 task of skinning and making up the skins, 

 although she had never tried it, but had 

 merely been shown how. This speaks volumes 

 for her determination and confidence. A copy 

 of Coues' Key was in her possession. She 

 was not a trained ornithologist but a careful 

 observer. A year or two ago she had made a 

 trip to the Xepigon region, to the north of 

 Lake Superior, and had there taken an Indian 

 squaw as a companion — a sort of chaperone — 

 and with a young Indian as canoeman and 

 guide, had camped on the shores of the Nepi- 

 gon, and with fiy rod had caught trout. A 

 four-pounder was her greatest trophy, and she 

 landed him unaided. This made me, a fol- 

 lower of Isaac Walton, feel that I had met a 

 companion indeed, one who had been very 

 close and intimate with nature. She had plied 

 the Indians with all sorts of questions, es- 

 pecially in regard to bird life and the names 

 of birds. The young man, her guide, was 

 very intelligent, and was educated, having 

 studied in one of the colleges established by 

 the Jesuits. He was " up" in Latin and was 

 able to give reliable information. 



A Jesuit missionary, one of those patient, 

 zealous workers among the Indians, seen so 

 often in Canada had given her much in regard 

 to the Indian names of birds, assuring cor- 

 rect orthography and correct jironunciation. 



The subjoined list gives a few of the names 

 with meaning, which she was kind enough to 

 write out for me. It will be noticed that 

 the name fits perfectly, either as a description 

 of the bird's habits or as giving the individual 

 note or song characteristics or some peculiar 

 feature of form. She had practised under the 

 tutelage of the Indians the proper pronunci- 

 ation of the names, and herein in the soft 

 Indian tongue lies the chief charm of the 

 names. 



I was speaking to some of the hotel atten- 

 dants, asking if the Canadian Jay or Moose 

 bird, was found about Glacier. The guide and 

 others did not know it. My lady friend suggested 

 that I use the name Whiskey Jack. I did so 

 and the guide knew at once. The name 

 given to the Moose bird and the reputation he 

 has and the disrepute he has fallen into 

 among campers, the Indians of Lake Superior 

 say are not justified by facts. He is called an 

 intruder, a thief, a villain, a meddler. Not so; 

 long before man came, the Moose bird was 

 here, these forests were /;/.s home, he lived in 

 peace undisturbed. Then came man, the in- 

 truder, with no right to disturb him in his 



