FOREST AND STREAM. 



357 



records of human intellect. But here we have a building 

 which marks the very dawn of history, which is the oldest 

 authentic monument of man's genius and skill, and which, 

 instead of being far inferior (is very much superior to all 

 which followed it. Great men are the products of their 

 age and country, and the designer and constructors of this 

 wonderful monument could never have arisen among an 

 unintellectual and half barbarous people. So perfect a 

 work implies many preceding less perfect works which 

 have disappeared. It marks the culminating point of an 

 ancient civilization, of the early stages of which we have 

 no record whatever. 



The three cases to which I have, now adverted (and there 

 are many others) seem to require for their satisfactory in- 

 terpretation a somewhat different view of human progress 

 from that which is now generally accepted. Taken in con- 

 nection with the great intellectual power of the ancient 

 Greeks— which Mr. Gait on believes to have been far above 

 that of the average of any modern nation — and the eleva- 

 tion at once intellectual and moral, displayed in the writings 

 of Confucius, Zoroaster, and the Vedas, they point to the 

 conclusion, that while in material progress there has been 

 a tolerably steady advance, man's intellectual and moral 

 development reached almost its highest level in a very 

 remote past. The lower, the more animal, but often the 

 more energetic types have, however, always been far the 

 more numerous; hence such established societies as have 

 here and there arisen under the guidance of higher minds, 

 have always been liable to be swept away by tbe incursions 

 of barbarians. Thus in almost every part of the globe 

 there may have been a long succession of partial civiliza- 

 tions, each in turn succeeded by a period of barbarism; and 

 this view seems supported by tbe occurrence of degraded 

 types of skulls along with such "as might have belonged 

 to a philosopher" at a time when the mammoth and the 

 reindeer inhabited southern France. 



Nor need we f "ear that there is not time enough for the 

 rise and decay of so many successive civilizations a« this 

 view would imply; for the opinion is now gaining ground 

 among geologists that paleolithic man was really preglacial, 

 and that the great gap— marked alike by a change of physi- 

 cal conditions, and of animal life— which in Europe always- 

 separates him from his neolithic successor, was caused by 

 the coming on and passing away of the great ice age. 



If the views now advanced are correct, many, perhaps 

 most, of our existing savages, are the successors of higher 

 races; and their art&, often showing a wonderful similarity 

 in distant continents, may have been derived from a com- 

 mon source among more civilized peoples. 



I must now conclude this very imperfect sketch of a 

 few of the offshoots from the great tree of Biological study. 

 It will perhaps, be thought by some that my remarks linve 

 tended to the depreciation of our science, by hinting at im- 

 perfections in our knowledge and errors in our theories, 

 where more enthusiastic students see nothing but establish- 

 ed truths. But I trust that I may have conveyed to many - 

 of my hearers a different impression. 1 have endeavored 

 to show that even in what are usually considered the more 

 trivial and superficial characters presented by natural ob- 

 jects, a whole field of new inquiry is opened up to us by the 

 study of distribution and local conditions. And as recards 

 man, I have endeavored to fix your attention upon a class 

 of facts which indicate that the course of his development 

 has been far less direct and simple than has hitherto 

 been supposed; and that instead of resembling a single 

 tide with its advancing and receding ripples, it must rather 

 be compared to the progress from neap to spring tide?, both 

 the rise and the depression beiug comparatively greater as 

 the waters of civilization slowly advance toward the highest 

 level they can reach. 



And if we are led to believe that our present knowledge 

 of nature is somewhat less complete than we have been ac- 

 customed to consider it, this is only what wo might expect; 

 for however great may have been the intellectual triumphs 

 of the nineteenth century, we can hardily think so highly 

 of its achievements as to imagine that, in somewhat less 

 than twenty years, we have passed from complete ignor- 

 ance to almost perfect knowledge on two such vast sub- 

 jects as the, origin of species and the antiquity of man. 



«♦«»■ 



HABITS OF MINK. 



The account of "The Mink as a forager," by M. A. H., 

 Jr., in your last number, reminds me of a story told by 

 a friend, which happened a few years ago. ""We were 

 spending our vacation in the woods of Maine, fishing, and 

 traveling about for a good time in general. One day we 

 came across an old dam made to flood a piece of lowland. 

 As this looked like a good place to fish we stopped, seated 

 ourselves upon the edge of the dam, and cast in our line. 

 The fish were quite plenty, and as fast as we caught one 

 we threw it behind us upon the scaffolding. After a dozen 

 or so had been caught, I thought I would light my pipe, 

 pick up the fish and put them in the shade, and I started 

 to do so. I accomplished the first object, but upon looking 

 for the fish I could not find a single one. I thought that 

 my chum must have removed them, and was playing a 

 joke upon me, but on mentioning it to him he was as much 

 surprised as I was. They could not have fallen through 

 the cracks, nor leaped over the side without our knowing 

 it. Where were they? That was the question. He re- 

 turned to fish, and I seated myself upon the bank to digest 

 the subject. Presently he caught another fish and threw it 

 upon the boards. Immediately I saw a mink run out from 

 a hole near by, snatch the fish and carry it off. This ex- 

 plained the mysterious disappearance of the others, 



as the little fellow had already obtained the lion's share, 

 we took care to place the rest of the fish in a safer place." 



Cambridge, Mass. W. M. D. 



[We have had lake trout weighing twelve pounds apiece, 

 carried off by minks, and dragged to their holes in the 

 bank, when their size prevented them being drawn in. — 

 Ed.] 



-**-»- 



MENOPOMA AND MRNOBRANCHUS. 



New Haven, January 1st. 

 Editor Forest and Stream.— 



Under the Natural History department of the last number 

 of Forest and Stream, was given a cut of "Meno- 

 branchus," with a subjoined description of "Menopoma." 

 This would confuse readers not acquainted with the two 

 animals. R.T.Morris. 



Correct. The cuts were interchanged by mistake, or 

 carelessness. To remedy the error, and to prevent con- 

 fusion, we give an illustration of each, with a description 

 of the Menobranchus or Banded Proteus. A description 

 of the Hellbender was printed in our issue of December 

 28th. 



THE HELL BENDER. 



The Banded Protetis {Menobranchus Lateralis) now to be 

 seen in the Aquarium up town, is one of the most curious 

 and interesting of aquatic animals. As the visitor to the 

 Aquarium will be able to observe its peculiarities of form 

 and structure, no extended description of them is needed. 

 It will be well, however, to direct attention to the peculiar 

 form of the gills, there being three on each side, ramified 

 and fringed, and of a red color, on account of the blood 

 which circulates through them. Dr. Beall invented an in- 

 genious arrangement by which this phenomenon of circula- 

 tion could be witnessed. The blood discs are of so extra- 

 ordinary a size that they can be distinguished by an ordi- 

 nary pocket magnifier while passing through the vessels. 



The Banded Proteus is found in Lake Champlain and at 

 the outlet of Lake George. It is also to be found in cer- 

 tain of our Northern*and inland lakes, where its presence 

 is a bane to the fishermen, since it has a peculiar fondnes 

 for the spawns of the white fish. Its movements in the 

 water are usually slow, but, from the size of its tail, it is 



■ 





THE BANDED PROTEUS. 1 



evident that when occasion demands it can move with 

 great speed. They are said occasionally to come upon the 

 fand. Its color is brownish with blackish spots, and its 

 length varies from one to two feet. 



Wood, writing of the Proteus anguinus, states that at the 

 duchy of Carmiola is a most wonderful cavern, called the 

 grotto of the Maddalina, extending many hundred feet be- 

 low the eurface of the earth, and consequently buried in 

 the profoundest darkness. In this cavern exists a little 

 lake, roofed with stalactites surrounded with masses of rock 

 and floored with a bed of soft mud, upon which the Proteus 

 may be seen crawling uneasily, as if endeavoring to avoid 

 the unwelcome light by which its presence is known. 

 These creatures are not always to be found in the lake, 

 though after heavy rains they are tolerably abundant. _ 



The same writer adds that the discovery of this animal 

 is extremely valuable, not only as an aid to the science of 

 comparative anatomy, but as affording another instance of 

 the strange and wondrous forms of animal life which still 

 survive in hidden and unvisited nooks of the earth. 



Does the Osprey Ever Take Dead Fish.— Our corres- 

 pondent, Roamer, writes us from Portland, saying:— 



"In Forest and Stream of December 7th, S. C. C. 

 tells of an Osprey picking up a dead fish. Did not the ob- 

 server mistake a young eagle for an Osprey? I have 

 never known an Osprey to take a dead fish from the water, 

 m& ^km icoitotally dropped, ixom Wi ^wa ta]ops ? anQ 



if this incident occurred as related by S. 0. C, is it not an 

 unprecedented one? It would, however, be no unusual 

 occurrence for an eagle to pick up a dead fish, and the bird 

 in question may have been an eagle in the immature 

 plumage that much resembles that of the Osprey or Fish- 

 hawk." 



The generally received opinion is, of course, that the 

 Fish-hawk will never stoop to pick up a dead fish even 

 when, as Eoamer says, "accidentally dropped from its own 

 talons." We do not think, however, that such an ob- 

 server as we know S. C. C . to be, would be likely to mis- 

 take a young eagle for a Fish-hawk. 



« #>»■ 



SORES ON FISH. 



% Plymouth, Mass., Dec. 28th, 1876. 



Editor Forest and Stream : — 



Nearly one-half the pickerel caught through the ice in 

 Billington Sea, this town, have sores on them, some being 

 completely covered. Can you give a reason for it? Did 

 you ever hear of it befoie? This pond is the only one af- 

 fected. There used to be a smallpox hospital on one of 

 the islands, and some people believe the fish caught it that 

 way. Quantities of fish are taken every year there, but 

 more or less are sick, or at least look so. Observer. 



It is impossible to say what the sores may be, as they 

 are not here to look at. Better send them to some compe- 

 tent physician or microscopist. Never heard of fish hav- 

 ing smallpox. Mr. Fred Mather tells us that there is a 

 black fish (tautog) in the New York Aquarium that came 

 from a fish car in Fulton Market, which has ulcers on its 

 sides as large as hickory nuts. Such things are not rare 

 in either salt or fresh water, but never heard of a lake 

 where all, as we understand you to say, were affected in 

 this manner. Ulcers and fungus are different. Tlie latter 

 results from an injury. We wish our scientists would 

 look into this matter. 



r oodfand, <$nrm and %atdtn. 



FLORIDA LANDS FOR SETTLEMENT. 



IN the winter of 1873 the Forest and Stream under- 

 took a thorough and critical survey of the State of 

 Florida, the editor believing from his personal knowledge 

 of the resources of the State and its beneficient climate, 

 that it would eventually, if not immediately, become the 

 chosen resort of agriculturists, pleasure seekers and inva- 

 lids. Though the very intelligent investigations of Mr. F. 

 A. Ober, first, and of Dr. Kenworthy ("At Fresco,") after- 

 wards, as well as other gentlemen of probity and perspica- 

 city, we were enabled to compile a book of several hundred 

 pages which has been of great service to those whom it 

 was specially intended. Like all other works giving infor- 

 mation of like character, its perusal only stimulated a desire 

 to know more; for the simple knowledge of the existence 

 of a source from which information could be drawn, was 

 sufficient in itself to attract the curious to the fountain 

 head. For several years we have answered a multitude of 

 questions from people desiring to visit Florida for health, 

 sport, or settlement, and replying,^ cathedra, we doubt if 

 many persons have been misled or misinformed. We are 

 now glad to be measurably relieved from responsibility by 

 an authority much more competent, whose avowed busi- 

 ness and duty it is to give all information required. We 

 refer to the "Florida New Yorker," a journal published at 

 21 Park Row, whose especial mission is to develop the State 

 of Florida, and bring it and the east into juxtaposition and 

 close communion and communication. Foremost among 

 the questions asked of us are those which are categorically 

 answered below— the "cost to go," and the "cost to settle." 

 This cost, the Florida Neio Yorker says, ranges from $36 75 

 by several all-rail routes, to $25, meals included, on the 

 cheapest and most direct steamship routes, all, or nearly 

 all of which, are advertised in the columns of Forest and 

 Stream. Any routes which brings you through New 

 York city will prove as quick and cheap as any other. 

 From Chicago, for instance, money and time will be saved 

 by coming to New York. The paper referred to continues, 

 as quoted: — 



" What will it cost to settle? That depends, entirely, upon 

 the means you have in hand to settle with. If you are a 

 poor man, landing in Florida with only a hundred, or a few 

 hundred dollars, you should build a log house. You can 

 live in a tent and be healthy. The polee. or logs for building 

 grow on anv land vou may select. With the aid of a good 

 negro man laborer, (who can be hired for $15 to $20 per 

 month), you can cut the logs, skin them, noich and put up 

 the body of a single room house in one week, ready for the 

 roof. The boards can be rived in two days from pine or 

 cypress timber at your door. These can be weighted down 

 with logs laid on top of the rows as they are put on, or 

 nailed on, which is better, and, in the end, cheaper. Floor- 

 ing can be had at a cost of $10 per thousand for lumber, 

 generally near you. Sticks for a mud chimney can be got 

 out in one day by two laborers. Another day ought to be 

 sufficient for completing, by daubing with clay to be had a 

 foot or two under the surface. 



"This is the rudest and cheapest house. With lumber at 

 $10, near by, it is easy to estimate what will be the coat of 

 a framed residence with two, four or more rooms. Car- 

 penters are in demand, wages ranging from $1.50 to $4 per 

 day. In most localities, lime of^ good quality can be had 

 bv burning the lime rock on the ground. 



""How shall I make a living the fint year if I have but Uti.e 

 money and settle in the wood?" You will have a hard rub 

 of it the first year. If you can get through that year, sup- 

 posing that you have kept steadily at work, you are all 

 right. Don't attempt too much. Go slow in clearing up 

 land. Belter rent land already cleared, if possible You 

 can thus coriimence, in February, planting the seeds of 

 peas, beans, tomatoes, watermelons, &c , &c. Successful 

 witb tbe§§ cropij you, wijj get retui-wg ttaoi them &§ gajiy 



