Jmvr 28, 1861.] 



*ores?; AND stream: 



511 



CAMP "JIM WHITE." 



BATAfBfAH, Tetin., July 15, 1881. 



TJIHE Klaw Hammer Angling Association has just returned 

 _L from its annual fishing and camping excursion. The 

 club wns better fixed than ever before, and "Camp Jim 

 White," so named from one of the most energetic and assid- 

 uous of our members, will always be remembered as a model 

 of eomfort and convenience. The association reached home 

 in time to attend the funeral of a former president, Mr. L. 

 H. Broyles, a vc:erau angler and the best and most warm- 

 hearted of associates. This gentleman had heretofore always 

 accompanied the. club, and his loss will be ever felt and his 

 memory cherished by all of o-ir members. 



The bass did not bite well on account of the hot weather 

 and low water. The writer captured the biggest one c mght, 

 estimated variously according to the temperament of the dif- 

 ferent anglers, at from Si to 4 lbs. 



Although the weather was hot, and the fish off their feed, 

 the party enjoyed themselves greatly. Plenty of fish arid 

 game were captured to supply the table, and our sab e chef 

 de cvmi.e Bxaellea" himself in catering to our appetites. Our 

 bill of fare included bass, perch, cat-fish, squiirels, soft-shell 

 turtle and frogs, to say nothing of fresh butter, comb-honey, 

 new-laid eggs'and soring chickens, drawn from the farmers 

 around. Altogether the affair was a success, and except 

 that the misfortune, detailed above, which saddened our 

 home-coming, nothing occurred to detract from the pleasure 

 of the trip. I hope at some early date to be able to chronicle 

 the doings of the club at greater length. Will. 



A THIRTY-POUND RANGELEY TROUT. 



A correspondent of the Boston Journal recalls the story 

 of the big Kenuebago fish : 



" Resting upon hooks at Camp Kennebago is a very curi- 

 ous fishing rod, and that rod has a history. The rod is a 

 si out maple tree, nearly as thick as one's wrist, aod 15 or 

 20 feet long The reel is a heavy wooden wheel as large as 

 a dining plate, aud the ]in,e is a stout bedcord, with a hook 

 of iron to correspond, aud a bob as big as a man's hat. Some 

 years ago a novice, but would-be sportsman, stopped here, 

 by invitation from the members of the association, and in 

 the evening he told some fish stories designed to enlighten 

 the members then in camp. . He told of large trout caught 

 with 8-ounce rods, and considerably embellished his powers 

 as a sportsman. One of the members hit upon the idea of 

 playing off a joke upon him. The novice was on his way 

 to Kennebago Lake for a day or two of fishing, and the 

 member offered to wager that on the day after the return of 

 the novice he could laud a bigger fish, and that, too, with a 

 more wonderful rod and line than the novice had ever seen, 

 or would be able to catch. The bet was quickly taken, the 

 novice departed for the mountain lake, and preparations for 

 catching the big fish began. The member making the wa- 

 ger sent, to Portland for the largest fresh fish to be obtained, 

 to be forwarded intact to Indian Rock. Three or four days 

 after it came, an immense specimen of codfish, weighing 



" That night the novice returned from trio upper lake, and it 

 was arranged that the fishing tournament should take place 

 next morning. The above-mentioned rod and reel had been 

 constructed beforehand. Early in the rnorniDg the wager- 

 ing member took his position in a canoe on the sirearn in 

 front of the camp. The novel rod lay in the bottom of the 

 canoe, with the 30-pound fish hooked to the line over the 

 side in the water, so that neither would be noticed. The 

 member went quietly to work cas'iug his flies with another 

 rod. while his guide kept the canoe in place. Soon the 

 novice came down from the camp, clad in a sporting suit, 

 ,,,,. "hr.Wi ,_-.. ;.:r::. 1 i ounce rod deftly in hand, with a cast of 

 handsome flies at the end. He seemed considerably chag- 

 rined that his antagonist should have attempted to steal a 

 march on him by getting ahead in the morning ; but he soon 

 took a position by the side of his guide in another canoe, a 

 few rods from his rival. All the campers, the most of whom 

 were in the secret, came down upon the shore to witness the 

 contest. Both parties made a few casts, and each landed a 

 few small trout. Soon the uovice hooked a fair-sized fish, 

 but he lost him by bad handling of his rod. All at once, 

 at a given splash from his guide, the wagering member 

 dropped his rod and seized the maple-tree with the bed- 

 cord, and drew up the fish so that the novice could see 

 him, but quickly let him go again as though alive. The 

 uovice was nonplussed. He laid down his rod, sat down 

 in his canoe, and gazed in blank astonishment while the 

 huge dead fish was reeled in. He did not come to his 

 senses and see that he had been badly sold till the laugh- 

 ter of the members on shore and the sight of the ungain- 

 ly tackle brought him to his wits. He acknowledged the 

 w»ger won without weighing the fish, and has never since 

 allowed himself to bet against older heads." 



PICKING THE 'POSSUM'S BONES. 



Portsmouth, Va., July 19. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



I have been reading the various opinions advanced in, your 

 journal relative to the sportive 'possum and the question 

 whether he should be eaten hot or cold. Now, I suppose you 

 think it is quite a waste of ink to say anything more upon 

 the subject after you have summed up the evidence and 

 given your opinion. But did you never play the ace upon 

 the odd trick and have some one cry out "Miss deal?" You 

 see, in such a case the whole business is in doubt again. But 

 your numerous readers need not be alarmed, for 1 have con- 

 cluded at last to settle, once for all, the vexed question whether 

 the 'possum should be eaten hot or cold. Of course I could 

 nave done this long ago and saved youi; readers much time 

 and your paper much valuable space, but it is so gratifying 

 to hear a question argued pro and con, listen to and admire 

 the ingenuity and learning displayed on either side, feeling 

 all the" while that you are holding a reserve that can end the 

 bat'Je at any moment. 



Did you ever play a game of poker (just to pass the time) 

 and have the party raising the ante live, ten, twenty, etc., 

 while you were quietly sitting behind four aces? Again, 

 were you ever in court when it wad of great importance to 

 have a certain wituess present, and every one, from the judge 

 down, wondering at his absence, and after all kinds of cou- 

 jecltires.afirj ■surmises • 



is dead ? How proud you feel as the eyes of the multitude 

 are turned upon you ; how happy to be able to impart such 

 valuable informstionl But the pleasure of holding four 

 aceB, or reporting deaths in important cases is seldom vouch- 



safed to man. But it seems my turn has at last come to 

 give valuable information to your readers, aud, of course, 

 rece've thanks therefor, for I can certainly settle the 'possum 

 question . 



Last November I was in Camden County, N. C, haviug a 

 right royal time shooting partridges. During the bunt I fell 

 in with a native who kindly offered to show m» where the 

 birds were as thick (to use his weirds) as hair on a dog's back ; 

 and he. knew his business, for I never found birds more plen- 

 tiful. My companion, who, by the way, though a great 

 'possum huuter, had never before seen a setter range a field 

 or staud a bird, became very much interested in the hunt, 

 and was loud in Ids praise, especially of my doubles. In fact 

 he forgot all about his dinner, and followed me around until 

 nearly mght, when I wound up on a covey in his orchard. I 

 then, upon his pressing invitation, went in to dinner, although 

 I was not hungry, having, before meeting him, done fu 1 

 justice to my lunch, but I soon found be had appetite enough 

 feu- us both. He sat down to a fine roasted 'possum, bordered 

 with yam potatoes, aud after striking a 2.40 gait (oh, yes, I 

 know' this isn't much in these days of .Maud S. and Barns, 

 but it will do, especially when you keep it up as he did for 

 nearly an hour without break or skip) he finally weakeui d, 

 and at last rested the handles of his knife and fork at angles 

 of 90 deg. with the plane of the table, and looking across at 



v> 



his mother, with eyes beaming with intense satisfaction, and 

 speaking slowly, feelingly aud with great emphasis, be said, 

 "Mammy, 'possum is mighty good, but possum, fat ami 

 taters — Great Shakes !" 



Now, as this 'possum was cooked at the regular dinner 

 hour, 12 m., and was eaten after sun-down, of course it was 

 cold. C. F. J. 



P.S.— If the native had dined at his regular hour he might 

 have eaten his 'possum with the same gusto. In fact I think 

 he would have done so, and in that case of course the 'pos- 

 sum would have been hot. 



iiituml W4 ior U- 



DO GARTER SNAKES EAT PISH ? 



IN your issue of July 31 I notice a query as to whether 

 black and garter snakes habitually or occasionally eat 

 fish. Of the habits of the black snake in this particular I 

 know nothing, but, am able to make some positive assertions 

 about garter snakes. In the first place the congregation of 

 garter snakes about pools aud streams stocked with small 

 fish is too habitual to be entirely devoid of significance. 

 Wherever small fish abound, even on the borders of large 

 lakes, there yon may look for garter snakes with full assur- 

 ance of success. 



I have frequently found them watching with eager eyes 

 the movements of l heir finny prey: have seen them dart up- 

 on, seize and swallow minnows, and finally have dissected 

 minnows in various stages of digestion from their stomachs, 

 and this in a number of widely teparateet localities, where, 

 too, there was an abundance of other kinds of food, as in- 

 sects, toads, etc. My observations lead me to believe that 

 small fry constitute a very important, and, in places, the 

 chief part of the bill of fare of the garter snake, including in 

 the term all the many species in the United States. 



In conclusion, I may add that I fully believe that black 

 snakes are also fish eaters, though possibly not to the same 

 extent. They, too, frequent water habitually, and it is rea- 

 sonable to suppose not alone tor the sake of the frogs and 

 toads found there. H. W. Henshaw. 



Washington. D. O. 



HABITAT OP THE BEAVER. 



Wasuington, D. C, July 35. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



Your correspondents discuss I he range of the beaver, and 

 have extended it to Texas. 



I have seen on ihe Lower Colorado of the West in the low 

 grounds between Port Yuma and the head of (he Gulf of 

 California many signs of the beaver, and was informed that 

 they were abuntlaut. 



1 saw some skins, but was told that in that warm climate, 

 north latitude, 32 deg. to 33 deg., the fur was not very good. 



The last time I hunted north of Port D. A. Russell, in 

 November, 1873, I saw many beaver dams apparently well- 

 stocked on headwaters of Horse Creek at the eastern base of 

 the Black Hills. M. C. Mbigs. 



We hope that the above note from General Meigs may call 

 out memoranda of the observations of others. 



NiGHT-HaWK, WhIP-PoOR-WiLL, CURLEW AND C'OTOTE — 



Pyramid Lake, Indian Reservation, Nevada.— Will you in- 

 form me: First, are the night-hawk and the whip-poor-will 

 one and the same bird or a different species ? Second, can 

 you give me some description of the curlew and the section 

 of the country most common in ? Third, do coyotes live in 

 holes in the "ground 1 Is it natural? You will decide a 

 camp-fire dispute, and greatly oblige— D. W. 



The night-hawk, <■_"'/..>,■, ',./■;,.< ,:;,-g>nia>ms, and the whip- 

 poor-will, AiUrt's!.o,no-< uocifenu, are of different genera, aud 

 of coarse different species, in the family C-rpri-mulgidm, or 

 'goat suckers." The family also includes the "ehuekwill's 



widow," A. 



The curlews belong in the fami- 



ly Scolopacidw, with the snipes. The bill is li 

 head and curved elownward. The tarsus (bai 

 scaled only in front. The long-billed 



than the 



■art of leg) 

 side-bill, 



jout twen- 

 ik to the 



Nuiaenius hngiroslris, is a large bird 



ty-four inches from the tip of the bill along tl: 



mc\ of the tail feathers. Its bill is from five to nine inches ; 



;olor, reddish gray, variegated. The jack-curlew, tf. Jmd- 



•onicM, is lighter in color and smaller. They are common 



.n most parts of the United States where not exterminated. 



3. Coyotes often burrow, and Ihe females usually bringforth 



their young underground. They are mainly nocturnal. 



A Tree-Climbing Ssatce— Oconomowoc, Wis. — I don't 

 like the subject. I would rather have 'possum in mine, but 

 we all have'to take some'hing we don't like at times. Three 

 years ago last Apn) I was in Mobile, Ala., and was invited 

 by friends to spend a few days with them at Point Clear 

 where they were building and repairing their summer cot- 

 tages. We took passage on the go >d little steamer Annie, 

 and arrived tue-e S durday night. The next day we were in- 

 specting the grounds, and, in our walks about the place, a 

 large magnolia tree loaded with bloss mis attracted our at- 

 tention. The tree stood beniud a fence, and about six feet. 

 from the top of the fence was ti crotch in the iree. How to 

 get some of the blossoms was the question, as we were none 

 of us much ou the climb. Just then our cook came along 

 find says, "I cau got you some, boss," and starts to climb. 

 Standing on the top of the fence he puts his hand into the 

 crotch to raise himself when, with a yell an 1 a bouud, down 

 he comes followed by a snake at least three feet long, which 

 had been lying coiled in the crotch, and dropped the other 

 side of the fence, disappearing in the brush before we could 

 kill him. We all swore it was a rattlesnake for we heard 

 him rattle (but it might have been the nigger's teeth). How 

 did the snake get there? I know I didn't put it there, and 

 we all swore the tame thing. If that snake wasn't a climber 

 it made that nigger climb— and at a rattling, lively pace, too. 

 -I. C. H. 



Blaoksnakes Climb Tubes.— Stirling, Loudoun County, 

 Y r a.— Several years ago, while fishing on the Potomac, I 

 killed a large blacksnake which had climbed a Urge tree to 

 rob a bird's nest. I was roused by a horrible screeching and 

 angry chattering on the part of a choir of fifteen or twenty 

 birds of different species. I stopped casting, aud, upon ex- 

 amination, discover, d the blacksnake, nearly five feel long, 

 up a tree, near a nest about ten feet from the ground, and 

 surrounded by an infuriated mob of small birds, which were 

 fluttering and" pecking, and cursing almost, by' his snakeship's 

 head. The tree was almost flat, though rough, on the side 

 where the snake was, and he was in the shape of several 

 copies of the letter S joined together, evidently incapable of 

 r.ipid movemeni, the tree sloping toward his Blindness. The 

 plates on his belly were raised, I think, so as to help him 

 cling, and this, together with his winding position, kept him 

 from falling.— T. W. 



An Antelope's Eemaekablk Wound.— It is not a very 

 remarkable thing for a man to carry in his flesh an ounce ball 

 and still get along reasonably well in the world, after the 

 bullet settles down to something like a quiet life, but the idea 

 of an animal, of either human or brute kind, carrying for 

 years a knife imbedded from the neck almost to the heart, is 

 something extraordinary. The following letter shows how 

 an antelope may eet wouutled and live to get fat: "Dos 

 Cabezas, July 7, 1881— Editor Bulletin : I send by to-day's 

 express a knife taken from an antelope killed yesterday near 

 this place by a Mexican. The kuife extended on the left 

 side of the neck, just before the shoulder, passing about half 

 an inch from the heart, the point sticking into a rib, holding 

 it in place. It was entirely covered by the skin. The wood 

 part of the handle fell in pieces as the knife was being taken 

 out, showing that it had been confined for some time. The 

 antelope was very fat, as I had some for breakfast this morn- 

 ing.— Respectfully, B. Corey." The knife, including the 

 blade proper aud the handle to which the wooden covering 

 was fastened, is nine and a half inches long, and weighs a 

 half-pound. Evidently the knife must have been in the flesh 

 for years, as the wood bad decayed aud the skin of the ani- 

 mal had entirely covered the butt of the weapon. It is con- 

 jectured that the knife was thrown at the antelope, and the 

 animal in brushing it against the ground or timber pushed it 

 further into the body. The Academy of Sciences will be 

 asked to give a theory of the wound.— Sun Francuoo Bul- 

 letin. 



A Woodooox in Reservoir Square.— Two New York 

 city correspondents send us this very interesting note of a 

 woodcock observed in one of the city parks: 



On crossing Reservoir square, Forty-second slreet and 

 Sixth avenue, about noon. July 1, a woodcock, Philohela, 

 minor, was observed feeding with the sparrows. Upon ap- 

 proaching it it seemed quite tame, but would not allow us 

 to go very near it. After picking around for some it flew 

 into some bushes and disappeared, aud we were unable to 

 find it afterward.— E. W. L. and S. W. A. 



Some mouths ago our readers will remember we chroni- 

 cled the capture of a woodcock in a house in Brooklyn, the 

 bird having flown in through a window. 



Snakes fob. tub Smithsonian. — The New Haven Palla- 

 dium says : " There arrived on board the schooner Thomas 

 Terrell, which reached this port a few flays ago, a number of 

 snakes consigned to the Smithsonian Institution at Washing- 

 ton. They were very closely packed in large stone jars, which 

 were sealed and covered and consequently were not exposed 

 to view. The jars were quite heavy aud were directed to 

 Pn,f. Baird, of the Institution. There were also directed to 

 the same address and from the same party a portfolio con- 

 taining drawings of primitive Indian weapons — stone hatch- 

 ed, axes, etc. These articles were sent by M. Geusde, of 

 Guadaloupe. They will bo forwarded to Washington with- 

 out delay." 



