FOREST AND STREAM. 



243 



the neck of the camel, and the tail of the ass; by another 

 writer, apparently with less reason, it is reported to mean 

 "like none of the four," that is, the deer, the cow, the 

 goat, and the horse. The color is a reddish brown, with a 

 blackish stripe down the withers, and with the tail, which 

 is unusually "full," also blackish. The fawn is spotted 

 like those of other species. 



The latest information respecting the species has been 

 given by Dr. P. L. Sclater, the Secretary of the Zoological 

 Society of London, in an aiticle on the deer living in the 

 gardens of that Society, and is as follows :— 



This fine animal is one of the many of the zoological 

 discoveries which are due to researches of M. C. Pere Ar- 

 mand David, missionary of the congregation of Lazarists 

 at Pekin, an active correspondent of the Museum of Na- 

 tional History of the Jardin des Plantes, etc. M. David 

 first made known the existence of this deer in 1865 in a 

 letter addressed to Professor Milne-Edwards, having be- 

 come acquainted with it by looking over the wall of the 

 imperial hunting park, in which it is kept in a semi-domestic 

 state. This park is situated about two miles south of Pe- 

 kin, and is called the Nan-hai-tsze, or "southern marsh, "f 

 No European is allowed to enter it. It is stated to contain 

 deer of different species, and herds of Antilope gutturosa, 

 besides the Elaphures. M. David saw from the wail more 

 than a hundred of the last-named animal, which he de- 

 scribed as resembling a "long tailed reindeer with very 

 large horns." At that time he was unable, in spite of every 

 effort, to get specimens of it, but being acquainted with 

 some of the Tartar soldiers, who mounted guard in the 

 park, subsequently succeeded in obtaining the examples 

 upon which M. Alphonse Milne-Edwards founded his de- 

 scription of this remarkable animal. 



Shortly after this M. Henri de Bellonet, Charge d' Af- 

 faires of the French Legation at ^Pekin, managed to pro- 

 cure a living pair of Elaphures from the Imperial Park and 

 kept them for nearly two years in a court near the embassy 

 in that city. Upon his return to Paris, in the summer of 

 1887, M. de Bellonet, having heard of our applications to 

 our correspondents at Pekin to obtain living examples of 

 this animal, was kind enough to place this pair at the dis- 

 posal of the Society upon our undertaking the expense of 

 their removal to this country. This the Council willingly 

 agreed to, and application was at once made to H. E. Sir 

 Rutherford Alcock and our other correspondents at Pekin 

 to make arrangements for their transportation. Unfortu- 

 nately, however, these animals died before this could be 

 effected; but the skin and skeleton of the male were care- 

 fully preserved under Sir Rutherford Alcock's direction 

 and forwarded to the Society, along with two pairs of the 

 shed horns of the same animal. They were exhibited at 

 our meeting on November 12th, 1868, after which the skin 

 was deposited in the British Museum and the skeleton and 

 horns in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons. 



Meanwhile Sir Rutherford Alcock lost no time in making 

 application to the Chinese authorities for other specimens, 

 and after interviews with Prince Kung and other high offi- 

 cials ultimately succeeded in procuring several young pairs, 

 one of which reached the Society's gardens in perfect 

 health and condition on the 2d of August last, [1869]. 



The general aspect of the Elaphure is much more like 

 that of the true cervi than I had anticipated from the de- 

 scription and figure of M. Milne-Edwards. The only two 

 very noticeable points of distinction besides the horns of 

 the male, which are not at present shown in our animals, 

 are the rather larger, heavier legs, the longer and more ex- 

 panding toes, and the long tail. 



The latter character, however, seems to me to have been 

 somewhat exaggerated in M. Milne-Edward's figures, the 

 tail in our specimen not nearly reaching the hocks, and 

 though of somewhat different form, being really little, if 

 any, longer than that of the fallow deer and some of the 

 American deer, such as Cervus Virginiarius. 



The muffle of Elu/phurus, as M. Milne-Edwards has al- 

 ready stated, is quite naked and moist as in the true term. 



The lachrymal sinus is small, and the eye also remark- 

 ably small. The muzzle is terminated by a good many sin- 

 gle straggling bristles, as in 0. Duvancetti. 



The insides of the ears in this deer are very closely filled 



with dense hairs. 



I cannot ascertain positively whether the usual gland on 

 the outer side of the metatarsus is present or not in this 

 deer, but it is certainly not very highly developed. 



On the whole, I cannot consent to take this species out 

 of the genus cervus, as I think it ought to be understood. 

 The Elaphure is no doubt very distinct in the form of its 

 horns from every other described species of the genus, and 

 should be placed in a section by itself, just as Busa, Axis, 

 Uyelaphus, and the numerous other (so- called) 'genera of 

 some authors. Those who regard these subordinate groups 

 as generic will likewise use ElapJiurus as a genus. To me 

 its nearest ally seems to be perhaps the Barasingha (0. Du- 

 mncelli), which has likewise a long muzzle, terminated with 

 outstanding hairs, and rather long expanding toes. Like the 

 Banisingha, the Elaphure is in all probability an inhabitant 

 of marshes and wet grounds. 



M. Swinhoe informs me that the young Cervus Davidi- 

 anus is spotted with white like other cervi at its birth, and 

 retains the spotted dress about three months, when these 

 markings gradually disappear. Theo. Gill. 



t'Tiie imperial hunting ground, or Hae-tsze, as it is called, is three 

 miles outside the south gate of the Chinese city, it is a tract of country 

 enclosed by a wall forty miles long. 



MIGRATIONS OF SQUIRRELS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: — 



Among the first to visit on my trip West were the B.'s, 

 located at that beautiful and then rising city, Beaver Dam, 

 Wisconsin. Samuel, one of the boys with whom I had 

 been initiated in many a college scrape in earlier years, 

 possessed in a high degree, even then, not only a keenness 

 for fun and practical jokes, but a courage, perseverance, 

 and sagacity in carrying them out, that has enabled him no 

 doubt in a great measure to reach that success he has 

 since achieved. 



Here was where I first owned a bear. On my arrival, 

 both the boys, Sam and Charley, were absent on a tramp 

 north, "land looking." But on a previous trip they had 

 brought home a cub bear, about four months old, and one 

 of the blackest and cunningest little rascals I ever saw. He 

 was chained to a post in the yard, was as playful as a kitten 

 and supposed to be perfectly harmless. Mrs. B. , whose es- 

 pecial pet he was, as she could apparently do anything she 

 chose with him, always fed him, patted and 

 played with him, came home from church the Sunday fol- 

 lowing my arrival, and taking a piece of cake in her hand, 

 proceeded to feed little Bruin. The villain sat up, as was 

 his custom, and very solemnly ate it from her hand, then, 

 either on account of the kid glove, which she had not re- 

 moved, or from one of those diabolical impulses that hu- 

 man kind are said to take on at times, very deliberately bit 

 the hand of his benefactress through and through, his teeth 

 cutting from palm to back. Well, you may well presume 

 there was a scene. Mr. B. , a man of few words, but tre- 

 mendous and determined in action, was decidedly wrathy. 

 He rushed toward me, saying: "Here, young man, remove 

 that animal instantly. Away with him! Let it be your 

 capital, your stock in trade, anything; off with him!" . In 

 vain I pleaded to let him remain until the following day, 

 when I might sell him to advantage. No, I must away 

 with him at once, and putting the chain in my hand he fairly 

 drove me out of the yard. And that on a Sunday! Just 

 think of it. Here was a nice scrape to be in. Two 

 churches were just out, and pouring their congregations 

 into the street, and I, a perfect stranger, toting along a 

 cub bear. If ever I felt profoundly streaked, it was then. 

 What in thunder to do I didn't know. Had I had my wits 

 about me I might have hurried to a barn or livery stable and 

 had him housed for the night at least. But the whole mat- 

 ter came so suddenly that I was more than considerably 

 confused. What a figure I did cut, lugging along that 

 bear! Everbody must have seen how cheap I was; the bear 

 was cheap any way, for on arriving at the corner of the 

 business street, I was surrounded by a crowd of boys, 

 among whom towered in ample proportions the proprietor 

 of a Teutonic restaurant. To this gentleman, for the amount 

 of five single silver dollars (and half a dozen tickets to the 

 supper) I transferred my right and title (?) to Mr. Bruin. 

 Thus, you see, for about twenty minutes I was an owner 

 and showman of a beast, and that was full as long as I had 

 any desire to play Barnum. I felt decidedly relieved when 

 the chain passed from my hands and the black whelp was 

 led away. 



I told Mr. B. he must settle the matter with the boys on 

 their return, and though they never said a word to me 

 about it, one way or the other, I am afraid Sam never fully 

 forgave me for the part I had innocently taken in the case. 

 What times we did have among the game that fall! The 

 boys were both keen sportsmen and splendid shots. Quail 

 were plenty, and the snipe and ducks around and among 

 the islands of Beaver Lake, their name was legion. Here it 

 was, too, that I first saw squirrels on "an emigrate," as they 

 call it. Charley had been down to the station one morn- 

 ing and came back nearly out of breath, and asked me if I 

 wanted to kill more squirrels in one day than I ever saw in 

 my life. I replied, "Count me in on a squirrel hunt, but 

 I don't think we'll get quite as many as that, for I have 

 killed a few in my time." 



"Well, don't say a word, I just learned it from the engi- 

 neer, the squirrels were seen by millions twenty miles from 

 here going West. We'll run out about twelve miles, and I 

 guess we'll strike them; if we do, you'll see a sight." 



While Charley was getting the traps ready I ran down 

 town and got the ammunition. I got ten pounds of squir- 

 rel shot and the rest in proportion. 



"Pooh!" says Charley, "we shall want three times that 

 amount; go and get a 25 pound bag." 



We took the 9 A. M. freight train, and in an hour were 

 dropped at a watering station. We started for the first 

 piece of woods, about forty rods distant, and before we 

 even got there we began to see squirrels on the fences and 

 the ground; now a single one, then two or three together, 

 hurrying along. On entering the woods I got the first shot 

 at a gray fellow on the side of a sapling. At the sound of 

 my gun — whew ! what a barking commenced all over the 

 woods, and the scamps could be seen in nearly ever direc- 

 tion on the trees and scudding along the ground. This 

 was only the outskirts of the army. We pushed on, firing 

 as we went, until we must have got into the main body; 

 and then such a sight, thousands and thousands of them ! 

 Squirrels to right of us, 

 Squirrels to left of us, 

 Squirrels in front of us, 

 Chattering and scampering. 



Well, there is no necessity for me to tell you how many 

 we killed that day within the distance of a mile from the 

 station. On our way back we picked up the piles we had 

 made of our slain, strung them together on a pole, and it 

 was all we two could do to get them to the railroad. 



Of course on our arrival home the story was told. The 

 next day a dozen of the boys started for the place (we had 

 had enough), and will you believe it, all that those twelve 

 men got was four squirrels for their day's work. Not an- 

 other squirrel did they see. Had they gone father west 

 six or eight miles I think they would have hit them, for 

 word came from the larmers in that direction that 

 they passed there then and did considerable damage to their 

 cornfields on their march. 



Now, the before mentioned day's work may not have 



been very sportsmanlike, as it is termed by gentlemen of 



the trigger, but who does not recall with genuine pleasure 



his boyish days among the bushy tails? Jacobstaff. 

 +^ 



* DEER HUNTING IN MARYLAND. 



Cumberland, Maryland, Nov. 18, 1873. 

 Editor of Forest and Stream:— 



Your highly prized paper comes every Saturday full of 

 interesting matter concerning the field sports and various 

 athletic games of our country. It is not only interesting 

 on account of the glowing descriptions it gives by means of 

 its correspondents of the splendid bunting grounds of Lake 

 Okeechobee, in Florida, and the primeval forests of Nova 

 Scotia, but it's correspondents are men of intelligence and 

 education, and the valuable scientific information combined 

 with the stories of bag and basket, find an important place 

 in the estimation of your correspondent, if I may so term 

 myself. 



To all sporting men and to those who are fond of the 

 good things of life and a jovial landlord, I would recom- 

 mend the St. Nicholas Hotel, and mine host Samuel Luman, 

 a true disciple of Isaac Walton and a Nimrod of no mean 

 pretensions. It was under the auspices of this landlord 

 that a deer hunt was organized and conducted by William 

 Hal land with his eight hounds. 



All my preparations had been made the night before, and 

 a ring at the door bell at four o'clock, .A. M., notified me 

 that it was time to start. I was soon ready and in the 

 saddle, accompanied by six other gentlemen. A ride of 

 eight miles through the cool frosty air of an autumn morn 

 ing brought us to our destination. We were told that the 

 dogs had already started. 



We selected our stands and I soon had my gun loaded 

 with a heavy charge of C. and H's diamond grain powder, 

 covered by one of Eley's patent wire cartridges for large 

 game. I was satisfied that if the dogs should run in the 

 deer at my stand, that I would be able to damage his hide. 

 My stand was between the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and 

 the Potomac River, which at this point are only separated 

 by about twenty-five yards, at the end of a ridge called 

 Iron's Mountain, upon which ridge the dogs were to be 

 started. 



I had been standing for perhaps an hour trying to catch 

 the least sound indicative of the approach of the deer, 

 when about a mile off I could hear the tongueing of one of 

 the hounds; nearer and nearer came the sound, and faster 

 and faster beat my pulse. I was evidently getting the buck 

 fever and I trembled with excitement, but braced myself 

 for action and thought that now was the opportunity to 

 show my qualities as a shot. 



I had not long to wait on the bare hill side. About three 

 hundred yards away was a fine four pronged buck making 

 for the river just ahead of three of the dogs. I saw he 

 would cross the canal about two hundred yards below me, 

 too far for my gun to reach. I ran as fast as I could to in- 

 tercept him, and as he emerged from the water on my side, 

 (I was probably eighty yards from him), I stopped, steadied 

 myself, and as he paused to jump a fence on the line of the 

 towing path, I fired. Over the fence he went right on his 

 head. Getting up he starred off , when my left barrel brought 

 him once more to his knees, but he recovered and staggered 

 to the river bank, where he laid down, and upon my ap- 

 proach, got up and crossed the river. But a shot from 

 another of the party put an end to his travels and our 

 morning hunt. In the afternoon we killed another deer 

 about the same size, and the rest of the day was spent in 

 jollification over our success, and in telling stories of 

 former hunts and camp experiences. In my next I will 

 give the different varieties of game found in this section of 

 country, and some of the prominent characteristics of the 

 same, as often seen by Yours, Observer. 



A Chopper at Work.— The choppers do not stand on 

 the ground, but on stages raised so as to enable the axe to 

 strike in where the tree attains its regular thickness; for 

 the redwood, like the sequoia, swells at the base, near the 

 ground. These trees prefer steep hill-sides, and grow in an 

 extremely rough and broken country, and their great height 

 makes it necepsary to fell them carefully, lest they should, 

 falling with such an enormous weight, break to pieces! 

 This constantly happens in spite of every precaution, and 

 there is little doubt that in these forests and at the mills two 

 feet of wood are wasted for every foot of lumber sent to 

 market. To mark the direction line on which the tree is to 

 fall, the chopper usually drives a stake into the ground a 

 hundred or a hundred and fifty feet from the base of the 

 tree, and it is actually common to make the tree fall upon 

 this stake, so straight do these redwoods stand, and so ac- 

 curate is the skill of the cutters. To fell a tree eight feet in 

 diameter is counted a day's work for a man. When such a 

 tree begins to totter, it gives at first a sharp crack; the cut- 

 ter labors with his axe usually about fifteen minutes after 

 this premonitory crack, when at last the huge mass begins 

 to go over. Then you may hear one of the grandest sornds 

 of the forest. The fall of a great redwood is startlingly like 

 a prolonged thunder-crash, and is really a terrible sound.— 

 isharles Nordhoff, Harper's Magazine. 



— -**+» — — 



—Antiquity of rowing: the Ark was guided by a Noah. 



