436 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



I Dec. 27, 1S8S 



brass and impudence in those great yellow eyes, as he 

 turned them upon me, and challenged me to touch him if I 

 dared, 



However, I dared. I loosened his chains, which liad become 

 entangled round a stick, or he might possibly have made his 

 escape, (though Tin uot at all certain he would have done so). 

 and dragged him in no gentle maimer to his box, ami sluil 

 him in, he all the time making all the resistance possible, 

 clinching his nails iu the ground, etc. I kept him a close 

 prisoner for several d:)\.s as a punishment. 



Some lime previous to ibis I had observed thai lie was in 

 tested with miles, there who myriads of th.'m. If 1 stroked 

 his head (which I soon ceased doing) or touched his perch or 

 box, my hand would be instantly covered with them. They 

 were extremely small, scarcely larger than the point of a 

 pin, and brown in color. 1 blew insect, powder from a bel- 

 lows box among bis feathers and on his perches, and ] also 

 placed burning sulphur in bis box, covering it closely to suf 

 locate them, but all to no purpose. There was hardly any 

 perceptible diminnatioi) of their numbers. I was dreadfully 

 afraid of their being communicated to mj canary birds. 



Poor 1 11 ink! I was not greatly surprised on returning 

 from a drive one day (o find him dead. Dear old Blink! 

 brave Blink! We buried him in tin; garden, as, of Course, 

 he WaS utterly until lor mounting, on account of the mites. 

 and beside, 1'do not think 1 should have felt like mourning 

 Blink. 



My other pel is simply a tiny striped gopher (S. triika-m 

 Miieatus} — ''ground Squirrels" the boys call them— that some 

 boys drowned out of its hole and brought alive tome for the 

 OWl. 1 could not for a moment think of sacrificing the 

 pretty, bright-eyed creature; so 1 placed it in a box,' pre- 

 pared for its reception, with some shelves, for perches and a 

 front of screen wire, and there it is at present, cosily in- 

 stalled iu a warm corner of the kitchen. We feed it grain, 

 corn, nuts, etc, It sils up and eats like the squirrels,' hold- 

 ing the food between its feet. It is not very tame, however; 

 when disturbed it utters a sharp, ringing, rolling sort of 

 cry. resembling the cull of a canary bird when separated 

 from its mate. Indeed, my birds reply to it whenever they 

 hear it. 



Toward the latter part of August it became very fat, and 

 so clumsy it could hardly crawl up on its perch. " I gave it 

 some grasses, corn silks, etc.. and it formed itself the cun- 

 i, little round nest, aud there it slays the most of the 

 time, On the £0th of September it became torpid, and has 

 remained so nearly ever since. AVaking up at irregular in- 

 tervals it partakes of a hearty meal, then goes back to bed, 

 covers itself entirely oyer, curls round into a little ball, and 

 goes to sleep again. Once it slept for three weeks or more. 

 Thinking it perhaps dead, I took it out. It was quite cold 

 to the touch, its eyes were closed, and I could not discover 

 the least, signs of respiration. I took it to the fire, and after 

 warming and rubbing it I laid it down, thinking it probably 

 dead; but in about half an hour it began to show some signs 

 of returning animation, aud presently woke up. Yesterday 

 it waked after a nap of a week's duration. Altogether. 

 Little Fawn, as we call it, for its prettily spotted sides, is 

 quite an interesting creature, and much less trouble to keep 

 than the owl. Vioi.kt 8. Wii.uums. 



Cokalvili.k. la,, Dee. IS, ISC'). 



Ottawa Field jSATliRAliiSTB 1 GutrB.— "We print below 

 the programme of the winter's work of this flourishing 

 society : t8S3. Dec, -b. - Notes on tie- Flora oita/wa,enm, 

 with special reference to (lie introduced plants, by .). 

 Fletcher: report of the Ornithological Section, 1884. Jan. 

 IT. — The sand plains and changes of water level of the 

 Upper Ottawa, by E. Odium. M. A.; report, of the Geologi- 

 es] Section ; notes on and a list of the Cambro-Silurinn Fos- 

 sils of the vicinity of Ottawa, by H. M, Ami. Jan, 31.— 

 Edible and Poisonous Fungi, by J, iMacoun, M, A., F. L 

 S.. F. K. S. C; report, of Ihe/Botanioal Section. Felt. 14.— 

 Ottawa Qoleopfm/, with notes ou Xew Species, aud ou 

 those beetles not previously recorded from Canada, by W 

 H. Harrington; revision of the S„r(,jrui, bv J. B. Tyrrell 

 B. A., F. G. 8.; report of the Geological Section. Feb. -'8. 

 — The occurrence of Phosphate Deposits, by G. M. Dawson 

 D. S. ? Assoc. R. S. M., F. G. 8., F. B. S. C. ; note on a 

 new species of Arr.lwocrinmt, by W. K. Billings; report of 

 the Entomological Section. March 1:1. — The' Deer of the 

 Ottawa Valley, by W. P. Lett; report of the General 

 Zoology Section. The soirees will be held in the 

 Aluseum of the Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society, 

 No, 2.3 Sparks street (opposite the Russell House), and the 

 chair will be taken at 8 o'clock P. M. The annual meeting 

 will be held ou 'Tuesday, March 18, 1884 fin the same 

 room), at 4 P. M. ' 



Nesting of the Hooded Merganser.— Last summer, 

 while in the Adiroudacks with Air. Calvin's survey, I was 

 going down one of the Eagle chain of lakes in a boat 'with the 

 guide "Jack" Sheppard, when he callad attention to a dead 

 tree ou the south shore, and said that a pair of sheldrakes 

 nested in it every year. We rowed in close, and while look- 

 ing at the hole, which Was about fifteen feet, from the ground, 

 the male bird came out, and it was easily recognized as the 

 hooded merganser, called there sheldrake, and iu AVestern 

 l\ew York saw-bill. The hole was similar to that used bv 

 wood-ducks. — Fred Matueh, 



Hare, you roltd/ Sn: jutijc 438. 



Long Meadow &CM Oi.t.n.— Minneapolis, Minn., Dec. IS), 

 —The club was organized under the State laws in October 

 last, and lias now a membership of thirty-three out of a 

 total membership of fifty as autboiized bv our articles of in- 

 corporation. We control about 3,300 ucies of bottom lands 

 located on the Minnesota Liver, within fifteen miles of this 

 city, aud having several of the best duck passes on the river. 

 At the last meeting- of the club plans for a club bouse were 

 selected, and I he building committee were authorized to let 

 the contract for the same, the building- to be ready tor oc- 

 cupancy by March 1, 188-1. The plans adopted provide for 

 It complete house for the purpose, containing parlor, dining- 

 room, kitchen and panlries, a large gun-room, hall and 

 eleven sleeping rooms above. Shooting lias been fair on the 

 grounds this fall, some good bags being made. 



AIalone. Franklin Co., N". Y.. Dee. 14.- Foxes are plenty; 

 can be started within half umilcof the post-office. Not been 

 many killed yet, as we have not had much snow. Partridges 

 arc scarce, but deer arc plenty. Parties are killing large 

 numbers still-hunting.— Fox. 



OPEN SEASONS. 



Tlie digest or open seasons, printed in our i 

 been published in convenient pamphlet form, an 

 address, postpaid, on receipt of 10 er-iits. 



ue of Ails;. ID, hai 

 \vffl be sent to an.f 



KENTUCKY QUAIL SHOOTING. 



POSTAL from my old neighbor and friend Major S. 

 of Lincoln county, informing me that, iJco col.i-ii.tt. 

 aud weather favoring, he would expect a horse— and "rain 

 bag for shells, "and so forth"— at depot, afternoon of '2d 

 inst.. incited an alacrity of "rounding up" chores which 



A 



provoked ma 

 onled the 



fields, and t 



ig. uncerti! 

 vious arran 

 clinnlion to 

 sell my o 

 have bee.i 

 fall back 



1 br 



get 



possible six or St 

 m my old 13-gf. 

 Scoured and oiled, a 12-gai 

 down either barrel as smooth] 



workman's bench 

 and the familiar click ( 

 the nipples suggested 111 

 great superiority ot the 

 "Of course there is." i, 

 old muzzle-loader is got 

 — since a dozen plump 

 four shots inspire as g 

 when a bigger bag than 

 Estimating the train 

 depot to my h 



rounding up' _ 

 sign itieaut smile from' the Madam— J . . 

 ke eagerness of fifteen years agone. It 

 cross the mountain to the nearest quail 

 nnvenienee of getting over without walk- 

 da marker and game carrier without prc- 

 it. logelhei with an unaccountable disin- 

 eady and go. had rendered persuasion to 

 *" ier at a profit rather easier than would 

 en years earlier, and I had to 

 igc muzzle-loader for the hunt, 

 flick card board wad slipped 

 hen she came from the 



les as smooth as planished glass, 

 f never-failing lock when capping 

 e reflection after all "Is there such 

 breech-loader over our old reliables';" 

 the inevitable confession. Still the 



she 



1 enough— v 

 tirds affront tw 

 •eat contentmen 



Dirk's or Hig's 

 m hour late, i tie 

 Id have bK 



do better 



ftfve to even twenty- 

 I, as did two score 

 was toy aspiration, 

 ten miles from Iho 

 veled by 8 or B:8Q P. 



I that 

 1st, of 

 el at 



1 dog 



M., and the supper hour had been deferred for" the occasion 

 The uproar of a pack of mongrels half a mile away on the 

 mountain side at, 7:30 persuaded me that they were coming, 

 aud lighting a lantern 1 sallied out to meet them, suggesting 

 thai supper might as well be spread within the next fifteen 

 minute,-:. Willi assurance that, supper would be properly 

 attended to, 1 proceeded to the stables and, after wailing 

 long enough for the Major and escort to have ridden a mile, 

 I despoudingly returned to the sitting room to find the chil- 

 dren tucked away for the night, the Madam reading the 

 latest magazine, and no supper in sight. An hour later 1 

 suggested that it was unnecessary to longer delay supper, as 

 I had instructed the messenger not to return f'hnl nighlif 

 the (rain was more than an hour late, or if the Major didn'i 

 come, and as, Ihe limit had been passed 1 argued that it would 

 not be inhospitable to serve the Major something which had 

 been kept warm. During that, endeavor to convert the mis- 

 tress to my way ot thinking, the dogs renewed their eon- 

 cert, and on the second lime emerging with lighted lauteru 

 1 was greeted with "All right" from the stable, and they 

 were here. 



AVe adjourned to the supper room. Broiled squirrels and 

 celery were not slighted. Surfeited, cigars were lain on a 

 mantel and pipes preferred; the speakership briefly adverted 

 to. a few reminiscences of the first five years after the war. 

 prospects of the morrow, and to bed at i:i o'clock standard 

 time. 



On leaving my guest lor I lie night after seeing thai he was 

 comfortably "tucked in," he observed: "Now, Tom. 1 

 think S) o'clock will be soon enough to enter the stubbles, and 

 let's not derange domestic customs by urging a daylight 

 breakfast. Remember that we are going lor -port and not 

 for "a bag." AVe anticipated the hour but a few minutes, 

 and when the old pointer was permitted to "hie a 

 first stubble, he "spun away" at such a headlosg | 

 Within a hundred pace- he pulled up almost in the 

 a bevy, which failed to lie. Major got off one 1 

 quite long range, bin winged a cock, which the _. 

 soon brought to bag. The entire bevy pitched into fi 

 cover on n woodland hillside, hut got up' in twos and threes 

 without considerately awaiting ihe reloading of even a 

 breech-loader, and we got but two each after first rise. As 

 they flew into the woods where we expected to drive more, 

 it was voted better to hunt a fresh bevy, and we re -turned 

 to the fields. Soon a flock was flushed out of range which 

 pitched into thick briers and weeds along a ditch, and they 

 got up in bunches, flying in opposite directions. But two 

 were bagged when it was determined to follow the larger 

 bunch, which pitched out of sight over an elevation in the 

 field. We failed to find, but unexpectedly put up the third 

 bevy into which we had walked, and in the flurry and turn- 

 ing to gel in second barrel to best advantage, failed to re- 

 trieve our first birds in the thick sedge, standing ami 

 abominable ''running briers." Marking "down the greater 

 portion along a neighboring ditch we followed iu expecta- 

 tion of a sure thing, but found the tangle so gn-ai thai the 

 birds began running before the dogs^ind we drew off to 

 hunt another bevy — having bagged an average of but three 

 to a bevy. The old dog stiffened out directly we entered a 

 field; and two birds got up, which swelled our hag to thir- 

 teen, when 'twas resolved to shoot no more till we had tried 

 a neighboring slough for mallards. Ordering the. dogs to 

 heel we crept within range, and on rising hut, a single duck 

 arose, which tumbled to the Major's charge of No. is chilled, 

 at fully fitly yards. 



After a lefreshing draught From an old gourd which hung 

 at, the spring, and, concealing our game in the long grass. 1V e 

 proceeded in quest of quails. Three more bevies were put 

 up, and on swinging hack to the spring seveuteeu more were 

 added to the pile, and we partook of lunch. A smoke, a 

 snooze of an hour, aud we were ready for the afternoon sport. 

 Sending the game home, with instruction to the Madam to 

 expect as after dark, we tramped around till sunset, adding 

 twenty-three more to our bag. having lost six. and put in the 

 day without a split. I fired at one bird late in the afternoon, 

 which 1 discovered that the Major from behind had killed, 

 but too late to reserve my charge. 



Tuesday morning we 'prepared for new grounds, but on 



submitted. While 1 stabled the horses he visited the slough, 

 and after wasting both carl ridges on a brace of drakes, which 

 rose about fifty yards off, had the mortification of seeing a 

 flock of twenty get up almost, under his feet and soar away 

 But very few quail were found, and only nine and one 

 mallard bagged. Wednesday morning wo got in both bar- 

 rels on the mallards, but each scored a miss with first and 

 got, a duck at loug range with sucoud. Too eager on the 

 rise. AVe took it leisurely AVednesday, often sat and smoked, 



napped two hours after lunch, and returned before sunset 

 with hut thirteen quail and two ducks. 



Thursday morning we resolved to devote the day to the 

 mallards. None on the slough, so we look oppose '.: .i. 

 a small stream and followed its banks till nearly 

 Plushed but three, bagging one. Their flutter on i -,., 

 me ai "ager" which discharged ray firs! at random on bring- 

 ing up the gim, and I, got, only a few feathers with second. 

 Walking into a couple of bevies we bagged fourteen of them, 

 and started home shortly after uoou. Over Ihe grounds 

 Where we bagged fifty-three on Monday we didn't get hall 

 a dozen the next two days. Didn't put up a be 

 friend left me Friday with -,, handsome string of game, 

 promising to come again soon. 



T had planned to take my guest to grounds over which 1 

 have been invited to shoot, and felt confident of easily mak- 

 ing a bag of fifty each day, but comfort is uot an inconsider- 

 able ingredient with some of us who are not especially care- 

 ful to expose the sprinkle of gray hairs, though not loo 

 proud to confess an occasional rheumatic twinge, and 1 was 

 happy to discover a sincere desire to confine our tramps to a 

 limit which admits of convenient return home at night. A 

 days grouse shooting was foregone because a morning glance 

 at mountain tops was less inviting than recoUections of the 

 bevies and ducks of the day before. Quail are unusually 

 plentiful, and farmers are becoming much more prone to 

 order off tresspassers, though many are indebted to sports- 

 men for the additional dish' of quail they enjoy. A bunch 

 of six deer was reported to me last week, and I am now 

 expecting "Uncle Joe's" advice as to when we will go fur 



them. KromrcKiAir. 



SoitTBKRN KesTeeKv, December. 188a. 



DEER IN MICHIGAN. 



LIVING on the line of the main railroad to Northern 

 Michigan, over which quite one-half of the game shot 

 in the North is shipped, it will not lie a, difficult task to give 

 some idea of the myriads of deer carcasses that ate tri nafi rn 6 

 each season. Having kept a fair estimate during the past 

 three years, the present season's supply can be easily com- 

 pared with the others. 



It has been a good season and thousands of deer have been 

 shipped over this one road, the G. K. & I. R. R., during the 

 past ten weeks. An occasional carcass is expressed down 

 now, Ihe officers of the road satisfying themselves that no 

 wrong is done, from the assurances' of hunters that such <], .-, ,- 

 were shot before the extra-h'mital date, Dec. 1, but 1 leave 

 the readers to judge whether a hunter would keep a good 

 sized deer quite two weeks before transporting it. I "have 

 counted over one hundred hides taken in the North aud 

 shipped off ou ti branch road connecting With the main line 

 at this place, and feel safe in saying that at least ten deer 

 pass down in the flesh to one that' goes in the hi : 

 bucks tire always sold iutaet, and only when hunters are 

 making a regular camp lor the sake of "money do they Skin 

 the deer. 



The notion, generally prevalent, that there are more hunt- 

 ers in the woods of Northern Michigan than there are deer, 

 is undoubtedly correct, for every train going north on every 



road is filled with hunters, and frequently in then oi 



the season fifty hunters may he counted' on a train. All 

 classes of men are to be met with in banting camps in Michi- 

 gan from nearly all States east of the Mississippi Bi.ci 1 . 

 Thousands annually huui iu our Slate whose hones are in 

 Ohio. Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky, besides the hordes of 

 sportsmen inhabiting ihe, Peninsular Slate, as well as I he 

 usual .allowance, of pot hunters infesting all localities. 



Yes, there were more deer shot this season than everbcfoic 

 iu this Slate, and though many mote banters relumed to 

 their homes without the usual trophies such results came 

 about from the fact that with so many hunters all could uot 

 be supplied even by the fertile resources of our nine forests. 

 Now that the road extends clear to the apex of the Lower 

 Peninsula, aud communication is established with the upper 

 part of the State, more hunters are invailing the territory in- 

 habited by our few remaining moose aud elk. But few of 

 these monarchs pas? through inland, most of them being 

 shipped to Chicago. Detroit or more remote points by 



steamer. 



CaribOU, elk. moose and the common deer are round iu 

 the Upper Peninsula, while but few if any elkare found now 

 in the Lower Peninsula aud no moose nor caribou, 



If approved by the editor 1 will, sometime in the future, 

 devote a portion of the valuable Space iu Ihe Forest And 

 Stiif.am to a partial history of tne game mammals of Miehi 

 gall in which I will show the original territory occupied b\ 

 the various members of Ihe family ("lorolo-. 



The laws relative to dear protection in Michigan have, 

 until within Ihe last few years, been a dead letter, and had the 

 farce been continued much longer the hunting in the State 

 would have ended ere this, but still we are in grea t danger and 

 such protection as is guaranteed to tie- moose of Maine 

 should also be extended to all our game, both feiitii red and 

 hoofed. 



The law is only .stringent in relation lo transportation of 

 game alba- date, 'and iu this respect is often violated, and as 

 regard.-, the privilege of settlers to kill game the leniency 

 shown them is simply abominable and mato u frelj 



A story goes (he rounds that a man was discharged by a 

 judge after pleading guilty to the charge of shooting a deer 

 'in "August, ou the plea "that he had no meal in his family, 

 "Go," said the judge, "and when you gel out of meat again, 

 kill another deer."" Let us hope that it, was not a judge, but 

 an ignorant justice of the peace, one of that class infesting 

 country towns. 



Let me give one instance of I lie lawless manner iu which 

 the seasons are disregarded, 1 was riding leisurely one .lu!\ 

 day returning to town on my horse after quite a trip, and 

 while watching a brace of woodduck flying over a mill pond 

 iu a clearing,! was suddenly made aware of a man's pres- 

 ence by the crack of a rifle quite mar. Soon the wretch 

 made his appearance, in one hand Ids rifle and over his 

 shoulder a beautiful spotted fawn about four or five month's 

 old 1 should judge. He desired me to call on his v 

 was quite ill, and as the shanty was near I hitched B1J DWt 

 and followed him. About as soon as I had engaged riie lady 

 of the mansion in conversation, and before 1 had learned her 

 symptoms the backwoodsman blurted out, "Dock, I hainl 

 got no money topay with, en if yon want any of Ehi 

 venison just 'say so'" It is needl -- to - v that a doctor i-- nol 

 surprised in this laud of pine and sand lo hear that no 

 money is in the investment, but when it conn, n 



worse than stolen meat it makes a conscientious ma 

 But I will tell you (and please don't, eliminate m< 

 truth,) when "I left the shanty a hind quarter of Matting 



