164 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



I Sept. 2S. 1882. 



Antioosti, which 1ms red Btripes longitudinally psiuted upon 

 its white background. It seems Btraugu Uut so many ve.ur.s 

 had to roll by before such simple moony were adopted in 



guiding vessels during the thick fops which a ',P a bide 



Anticosii from view, and that wreck upon wreck was suffered 

 to strand upon these bleak shows, They are the graveof 

 many a hapless mariner whose terrible sufferings, frequently 

 en lea at last by freezing to death, are still within the vivid 

 recollection of some of iheold settlers Upon the island. Fur 

 sake of additional precaution, the Wc-t and Heath Point 

 lighthouses, situated respectively upon the eastern and west- 

 c.iii end of Anticosti, are now provided with signal guns, 

 the boom of which for miles away warnstbe befogged vessel 

 of the proximity of their dangerous jutting out in §. 



We entertain, however, al present no particular apprehen- 

 sion about any possible mishap. The months of July and 

 August are especially this year marked byheahliful and 

 clear weather, and although a brisk northwest breeze, which 

 raises in iv hurry a rough Sea, cOmpelB the Kate to run for 

 Ellis's Rny, the skv looks all along as blue us smiling 

 Italy, and the sun sinks as lovdv behind the wooded cliffs 

 bacK of BHis'a Bay as ever poet's fancy picturetl, The short 



swell upon which the Katfl had been lossed like n cockle 

 Shell subsides as quickly as it rosfi, and alter a comfortable 

 night in this best harbor on Anticosii we weigl anchor again 

 at sunrise and head with a fair wind for the -Si. Johns River. 



Anticosii Island is fully visit, Ic from the mouth of it, as it 

 is divided from the north shore by a narrow strait of hardly 

 thirty miles in width. The sea around il swarms with life 

 during (spring and fall, when its migratory birds arrive in 

 immense Hocks. Bnd'when in the foi>mpr season seals come 

 in thousands upon the drift ieo, which is carried by the 

 northern currents through tin Snails of Helle Isle into ihe 

 b.'i-in of the Gulf. But now I here is a I neal hing spell and 

 animated nature takes her vacation We saw, however, 

 along the north channel many porpoises and several large 

 whales, which some of our crew, who are professional 

 whalers, asserted to be sulplmr bolloms. Their Spouting 

 and mouthing, Whibh latter means their feeding, could be 

 distinctly heard for a couple jof miles. Sometimes one or 

 another would rise close alongside, though only to dive in- 

 stintly when they discover their mistake Thi- large black- 

 backed gull [T/0,rui urn nun.*), called la-re appropriately sad- 

 dle buck, ihe common herring gull, Ihe silvery white and 

 black-wing,.-,] solan goose, better known hen- as 'ganuet, the 

 eid,-i duck and scoter, a few guillemots, and a gr.-ul number 

 of pufhus make up the average species of birds we saw h.r. 

 hovering over these sileut waters during the summer months. 

 The latter bird is called here parroquet and breeds iu great 

 numhi is, along with a Utile colonv of the solan geese and 

 herring gulls, upon u little island mimed after il. The 

 ■ .-line ahno.si w thill tide shot, andagreal 

 cloud of birds hovering over it indicates at a glance that it 

 is their breeding -round. In aspect it is like 11 huge square 

 tower of about thirty acres in area with vertically rising 

 sides formed of limestone. It is the westernmost one of the 

 long chain of Ihe Mingan Islands which closely skirt, like a 

 broken necklace, tie ma in shore of Southern Labrador. To 

 judge by appearances they have been separated from it by 

 the immense denuding forces, the effects of which are every- 

 where engraven upon these carved out coastlines of Ihe Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence. 



It is only eight miles from here to the mouth of the St. 

 Johns River, and a gentle breeze from the southwest soon 

 finds us lit last anchored outside 01 its shallow bar. 



This great artery runs in an almost parallel direction with 

 the generality of the great rivers which drain the southern 

 Blopps of the heights of land. Amoig ihem the Moisie, 

 . Mingan, Romanic, and Nutasbquau are the most notable. 

 Moisie and Si Johns are also the principal highways, of 

 which the Moutagnais Indians avail themselves for making 

 their annual hunting and trapping expeditious into the but 

 little known interior of the greal Labrador peninsula. 



Nothing definite concerning any of these is known, ex- 

 cepting ihe 'Moisie, of which an exploration was made in 

 1801 bv Prof. Hind, the results of which have beeuptibllsbed 

 in two interesting volumes of explorations of the Labrador 

 peninsula, It i.s yet very difficult, if not impossible, to 

 gather any reliable information concerning the aspect and 

 character" of the great primitive wilderness between the 

 shores of the Gulf and those of Hudson Buy and the Straits 

 of Belle Isle. This region can only be penetrated by canoes 

 along the great watercourses, but even then it is no very 

 easy task to obtain cxp'-ri guides to accomplish such an 

 undertaking, and do the work thoroughly. 



The Indians arc very reticenl, as they fear competition 

 and intrusion on part of the white trappers upon the only 

 reservation and hunting grounds for game and fur, which 

 constitute their only means to eke out a miserable existence. 

 Even such old settlers as Mr. Scott, who is a well-informed 

 sportsman, and lias been foru half life time the agent of the 

 Hudson. Bay Company's post at Mingan, knows relatively 

 nothing concerning the gam& of the' interior of Labrador, 

 not to speak of it- physical and geological features, ill 

 that there is known to him or any of the white settlers 

 idling lb.- Gulf coast is this that the Mountaineer Indians 

 leave the coast, bag and baggage, for parts unknown about 

 beginning of .-Vigiist, and return next spring toward the latter 

 end ,1 May. Loaded down with fur, whenever trapping has 

 been fair They depart with merely an excuse of an outfit 

 in the way of provisions, and stale that they manage until 

 late in September to subsist without taxing their scanty 

 stock of powder upon lb- myriads of waterfowl breeding 

 Upon the countless shallow lake-like ponds which dot the 

 interior. 



I b ive heard it stated that only one white man, a Catholic 

 missionary, ever penetrated the Labrador peninsula from 

 the Gulf shores to Esquimaux Bay on parallel 56 dcg., of 

 which route he made a rough chart, the only one iu cxist- 

 unce. The whole distance traversed bv bin. baldly exceeded 

 •Jbd miles and was :.ccompli-h-<l. with exception of the several 

 portages well kmnvi, to Ihe Indian*. ,-nliiclv bv water, ah. tig 

 the course of rivers and lakes. This region then is still one 

 of the few spots which invites the adventurous explorer. 

 who may be the first to put his foot upon this primitive 

 wilderness marked off with large letters no the government 

 map as unexplored region. To Ihe ornithologist it would 

 be doubly interesting, as these regions serve undoubtedly, 

 by reason of their remoteness and undisturbed condition, as 

 breeding grounds tor Hie innumerable flocks of geese, 

 ducks, and waders of all kinds, which make each early 

 soring their appearance for a few short weeks only along the 

 shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to resume their flight in 

 a northerly direction. But my present journey is not one of 

 exploration. For such a comprehensive undertaking larger 

 preparations and means are needed thau 1 can connnaud at 

 present. A passing glimpse at the portals of the mysterious 



lands bey, mil. recreation from exhuustingilidooroe<-u| .aliens, 

 along with the prospect of an occasional treat in the way of 

 trout fishing, have allured us again tb these -bores. Already 



do we feel the invigorating effect of ihepureand tteovilj oxy- 

 genated air, which gives us the refreshing, constant luxury 

 of an air bath, as applied inwardly and outwardly, through 

 l'it.-s and skin. L." 



AN AFTERNOON ON BOG RIVER. 



SEATING ourselves on the little "Rushton" that had borne 

 us so many miles, a few strong strokes of the paddles 

 sent us gliding swiftly from our camp landing toward the 

 outlet of the pond where the trail we were to lake began 

 A. Scene Of rare .beauty was before lis. To the left, rising 

 high and rugged hundreds of feet above the water, shone the 

 bare cliffs, rain washed and sun beaten, of ,)ue's Mountain, 

 resembling in their broken masses the crumbling turrets and 

 battlements of some old feudal castle, and where the scanty 

 verdure grew, or perhaps u stunted pine or shrub clung to 

 some crevice, one could easily fancy pOrtonllis, towcrf or 

 oriel window, moss grown ana ivy covered. From the Base 

 lo the water's edge was an unbroken forest, and lie waving 



tops of a hardwood ridge was always suggestive of a i I 



retreat. To Ihe right li-ing to tin- west, a 'iollh, ■ ..- of 

 hills rose one above another higher and higher till their peaks 

 were bid iu the mists and clouds in the (lis'tanec. while umia- 

 rack. beech, maple, spruce and birch presented ever-chang- 

 ing shades of green, which undulated before the varying 

 bri eras like the ocean billows: ahd the rustle and sighing of 

 the leaves and branches was not unlike the murmur of the 



100th 



oast. 



1 beach, skirted with a fringe of emerald 

 green, spear like grass, shone like burnished gold in the Ban- 

 light al one end of the pond, while the further cud, and that 

 towards which we were heading, was bordered wilh low 

 hanging bushes, and tamarack and balsams indicate 

 swampy ground and oozy soil, a safe retreat for deer or bear 

 from dogs or men, for few would care In penetrate it,; boggy 

 recesses, made almost impenetrable by dense thickets, masses 

 of fallen Umber and creeping vinesand roe-ts. 



All was peace. High over head iwo hawks were sailing 

 with ever-widening circle. A crane stood among the rushes 

 waiting for his dinner to appear. Far lip the mountainside, 

 perched on the highest limb of a dead pine, sat a great bald- 

 headed eagle, watching uoubrless for some unlucky rabbit, 

 bird or fawn to feast upon. A mother duck with bet brood 

 of young scurried away and hid among the lily pals ami 

 reeds, while a grout northern diver, startled at our approach, 

 dove beneath the surface to reappear a quarter of a mile 

 away, where he shook his wings and uttered Ids shrill cry 

 ere he -aid; again in quest of his fishy prey. As we entered 

 the little cove formed by the outlet, two startled deer raised 

 their heads, and after one frightened look bounded over the 

 bushes and disappeared, and the crane, with a harsh, discord 

 antcry, rose with great Mapping wings and dangling legs and 

 flew away over the tree tops 



A cajfry of n mllo or more brought us to agreat marsh sur- 

 rounding a lake Whose principal attractions arc acres of lily 

 pads, oceans of mud, through which it is almost impossible 

 to force a boat, and u preponderance of every known .species 

 of Ihe insect tribe thai harass the unwarv Iraveller, and 

 famous for the lad that it is one of the best feeding grounds 

 for deer in ihe country, and was once the breeding places 

 of the moose. 



After reaching the shore of the lake we bad lo go nearly a 

 mile before the water was deep enough to float the boat, and 

 as for the major part of the way we sank ankle deep in the 

 tenacious mud, our minds were in anything but an amiable 

 condition, nor was our temper much improved by the 

 myriads of winged pests that swarmed around us. "After 

 searching vainly for a spring which the guide book located 

 in a clump of balsams, we quenched our thirst with a few 

 sneks of a lemon, and launching our boal passed down the 

 lake and entered the channel of the river whose soniec is the 

 lake just mentioned. The river is very tortuous, and in 

 some places so narrow one ciiu almost touch either bank, 

 while frequent sand bars and shoals render navigation, when 

 the water is low. exceedingly laborious. 



A in. itb Skimmed lightly over the water, almost touching 

 it. A sudden rush or water, a splash, a swirl in the water 

 and u few bubbles show where a trout is taking his/meal. 

 With a backward stroke of the paddle the boai is checked, 

 and a moment, later Ihe Hies are trailing across the wake just 

 left, 



Once, twice, three times they are drawn across the pool 

 without a rise. 



Drawing back for the fifth east the rod suddenly bends, 

 and with a snap the lure is taken, and then the sport begins. 



He is hooked on the dropper, a Rube Wood, and as he 

 makes bis first turn another trout seizes the stretcher, and 

 both breakwater at the same lime, the firs I a "beauty." 

 That. u. -is a glorious light ' 



Now rushing toward the boat, auo'i heading for Ihe fallen 

 tree whose top ju.-t appears above the water, which if Ihcv 

 reach tackle would part like a thread, again sulking, they 

 seek the bottom. 



But they struggled in vain, for the little :\oi. rod had 

 stood marry a light With trout and bass, and nobly responded 

 from tip to but to every call, and soon both lay ga-ping o.u 

 their lives in the bottom of the boat. The fust one weighed 

 1 lb. Oozs., the second a trifle over 13ozs — not large, to be 

 sure, but gamier than many I have caught weighing twice 

 as much. 



A little below the river widened, forming a large pool, and 

 from this, in less than half an hour, sufficient were secured 

 for supper, hut none over a quarter of a pound in weight. 



As fast as tin- trout werecaught the guide dressed them. 

 and then, when enough had ieen caught, the rod was put. 

 into its case and the guu taken up instead, for we wen- in a 



' AS we I'l'ininfa sharp bend in the river an otter slid down 

 the bank and disappeared under the fringe of alder! skirling 

 the water's edge, and a lair-sized trout lying on the bank 

 showed he too had been after his eveniug 'meal. 



Soon wc came to nil apparent landing on the right bank, 

 although almost hidden by the dense alders. We pushed 

 the boat's prow through the thick bushes, and. after some' 

 scrambling,! managed to reach the top of the steep bank, 

 and found some evidence of a former camp from the charred 

 wood and two or three peeled barks lying on the ground, 

 so concluded we had better stop here' for supper, as the 

 country was as new to ray guide as to myself, and neither 

 knew bow far it might be'tn'the next camping ground. 



Supper was soon ready, composed of trout, fried pork, 

 tea, flapjacks and potatoes, and how good it tasted only 

 those who have worked hard in that pure bracing air cuu 

 appreciate 



The meal finished. Ihe guide busied himself cleaning up, 

 while I pushed off in the boat to explore the river below. 

 Presently I came to a place that had been burned off, 



making a field of several acres, and among the stumps that 

 were left four deer w^iv (juicily feeding, but a careless 

 "lunk" on the side of the boat with the paddle caused them 

 to spring away into the woods with "whistles" and snorts 

 of alarm; but it was just as well, for the season was not 

 quite yet open, and provisions were not so scarce that I was * 

 obliged to wage war on does and their young, but hud a 

 buck appeared I fear my conscience would have been rather 

 elastic, for I was waiting With eager expectation for savory 

 venison stews and tender steaks; but for the nonce 1 had to 

 content myself with troul. 



While watching, and. I confess, hoping, a buck would ap- 

 pear, 1 heard a low mutter of distant thunder, and that 

 warning was sufficient, and hastily putting the boat up 

 Stream, soon reached the landing, and lb re found the guide 

 waiting for me anxiously, for, very carelessly, I had omitted 

 putting the blankets and rubber coats in the pack, as the 

 day was 60 warm and bright I did mil. think we would 

 need them when we. I, ft tin- camp, and that was now some 

 five miles away, and it was after six o'clock and would soon 

 be dark. So speed was necessary if we expected to sleep in 

 our own shanty that night. We applied our paddles with a 

 will, but soon a few big drops of rain -plashing in the water, 

 and the sighing of the wind in the trees, while ihe black 

 clouds were piling up and flying overhead, warned us our. 

 prospects of a ducking were very probable. 



Soon there came an ominous lull, and knowing what was 

 soon lo follow, we drove the boat ashore, lifted it from the 

 water, inverted it, and resting oneend on the ground, propped 

 the other up with Ihe paddles and crawled under. We were 

 just in time, for the boal quivered and rocked with the wind 

 and rain driving against the bottom, which we bad placed 

 so that, it would take the brunt of the storm, while we were 

 almost deafened by the roar of thunder, the whistling wind, 

 and ihe crash of falling timber, and the water was beginning 

 to stream in miniature rivulets under the boat and render 

 our position anything hut comforiublo. But we had no al- 

 ternative but "fighting it out mi that line.'' and when, after 

 an hour's confinement, we crawled out. cramped and wet, 

 We COUld not help laughing at the sorry spectacle we pre- 

 sented with our muddy and bedraggled appearance, and the 

 water-soaked condition of our ofothes. We went up the 

 river till we came to a alight rise of ground on which a 

 clump of balsams grew, and lauding there we built up a 

 rousing fire, and crawling beneath their thick branches, laid 

 down together and slept till the next morning's sun, peeping 

 over the distant bills, drove the darkness and shadows away 

 and awakened us to the beauties ot sunrise in the, moun- 

 tains. And not even a sneeze worried us with the fear that 

 perhaps we had caught, our "death o' cold" from sleeping on 

 the bosom of Dame .Nature with no protection save rugged 

 health, pure air and youth on our side. 



An hour and a half later we were at our own home camp, 

 and the Hag floating from its mast at the landing waved us a 

 genial welcome. O'nonoaoa. 



BREEDING QUAIL IN CONFINEMENT. 



'IMII-: following i 

 1 quail in conlin 



president of the V 

 was published in i 

 1 am not the tin 

 in Ibis line. Fffti 

 and grow to full 



int. of an experiment iu breeding 

 ,l is written by Mr. John. J. Willis; 

 d. New Jersey, game society, and 



Who has tried, and been successful, i 

 usiigo. I saw young quail hatched) 

 i New York city. Mi. A. 0. Law- 1 



rem ■ -. of Ninth street, has made a success of the experiment, I 

 and that is where 1 got my flrst ideas on the subject. Mr. 

 Lawrence's arrangements consisted of wire netting, extend- 

 ing fiom the fences of his court, yard on three sides, orabout 

 fifty feet in length, three fed high, and il.csriue width, par- 

 titioned off for three pair of birds. In the inclosure were 

 plante i dwarl evergreens, and suitable boxes in which the 

 birds could take shell, -r in wet Or cold weather. 



1 started niv experiment in my small conservatory. Dur- 

 ing- the winter 1 kept the birds confined in a small space 

 thereof, inclosed by wire netting. As soon as I was able to 

 place my flowers out of doors, I raised the sashes and placed 

 woe netting so as to cover the open windows. Beside giv- 

 ing them a iiox of road dust to wallow in, I furnished them 

 wiih plenty of good soil to scratch and peck at, and then 

 opened the cage and gave them the liberty Of the whole 

 room. Having become familiar with the place during the 

 winter, and accustomed to seeing me in the room to feed 

 them, thoy made no effort to get out by flying against the 

 glass, and' iu a week Were as tame as chickens. The hen 

 bird was one or two that 1 purchased last fall, and hatched 

 under a bantam. The cock was one of a lot that our game 

 soeii.lv purchased for stocking our preserves, and cmne from 

 Indian Territory. He soon became as tame as the hen, not- 

 withstanding the fuel thai he look advantage of nn open 

 door on three occasions, and escaped. Each time, as soon 

 as I discovered his absence, 1 shut up the hen and opened 

 the window, and each time my gentleman returned lo his 

 mate. 



Quail should breed as early as June, bul I saw no signs 

 of mine doing so before August. As soon asl observed nest 

 building indications I cut. a large bog of long grass and 

 placed it on the Moor ina corner, surrounding it with living 

 ferns, and other plants, to furnish a hiding place. I also 

 collected a quantity of fine, short, dry grass, and soon had 

 the satisfaction of 'seeiug a, pair of quail build their nest. I 

 do not believe that ouc person in a thousand knows how 

 they do it. Thev at once selecled the place 1 had axed for 

 them, and the cock carried the material to the spot, where 

 Mrs. Quail arranged them to suit herself Herein is theVpe- 

 culiar part of it: the bird does not carry the material in his 

 bill directly to the nest, but standing with his back toward 

 the nest, picks up a straw and l brows it over his shoulder, 

 repeating the operation until it reaches (he pest. Alter the 

 nest was completed I found ii entirely inclosed by the grass, 

 both lop and sides, leaving two round openings, oue of 

 whioli seems to have been made for use as an entrance, and 

 tii, oilier to admit light from the sun. 



In a day or two I had the pleasure of seeing the first egg, 

 and it was interesting to watch and listen to the continual 

 consultation the pair seemed to carry on in a low chatting; 

 tone. Iu a whole week there were but three eggs laid, and 

 a day after, when I found one of them out in the middle of 

 the floor with a hole in it, I was discouraged and feared my 

 experiment had come to an untimely end. This, however, 

 must have been an imperfect egg which they wanted to get 



