68 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[August 25, 1881. 



sleeping mockmg bird in the orange tree Bear my window 

 Ireams of musie, partial]} wakes and -warbles a few soft, 

 .Sleepy, delicious notes, a BeaufifDlmusieai Boliloqny, stopping 

 as abruptly as it began • and lie dreams again to waken tbe 

 sleeper, neat bin) with a royal salute t<>" tbe coming mom, 

 When the east Hushes and tbe stars grow dim. S. 



DO OPOSSUMS FEIGN DEATH? 



THAT the opossum Will lergn death that, he may live is 

 known by nil acquainted with their habits. Hence 

 the saying "play 'possum" Where the opossum lives. 



When collecting botanical specimens, many r years ago, in 

 Wilcox County. Alabama, 1 saw an opossum up a small tree 

 of only about, three inches in diameter. To see if he would 

 pretend to be dead I armed myself with a ereen stick of the 

 size of a large cane ami beg ttetKe. He was 



about ten feet, high next the body of the tree, on a small 

 limb. The shaking caused htm to run out. on the limb and 

 also to lose his foothold, but he caught the limb by the tail 

 and remained suspended until repeated shaking caused him 

 to fall. 



Several blows on the head stretched him on the ground, 

 seemingly dead. 1 held him up by the tail and threw him 

 down, and he showed no signs of life. I then stood and 

 watched him until I saw him breathe slowly and at distant 

 intervals. I went several rods distant, where he could not 

 see me. Finally he opened lus eyes, raised bis head, looked 

 around, got up, and ran into his hole a short distance oil, be- 

 neath the upturned roots of a large fallen Iree. 1 did not 

 know that his home was so near, if 1 had I should have 

 closed the entrance and killed him. 



'Possums are common in this portion of Texas. I have 

 killed many of them when they came after my chickens at 

 night. One I thought 1 had killed and threw him down 

 with a bloody 'head. Next morning he was gone, since 

 which I make sure work in killing them. 



According to Prof, Baird in the Mexican Boundary Sur- 

 vey, and also in Vol. 8 of the Pacific Railroad Reports, the 

 Virginia 'possum is not known to live in Texas, but the 

 Texas 'possum is the DideiphyH raliforni^a, a smaller animal 

 with a larger tail. 



The 'possum of this Tegiou seems to he identical with I he 

 one east of the Mississippi in size and appearance, nor have 

 I ever heard any one speak of the Texas 'possum as being 

 different. I believe a full investigation of tbe matter will 

 prove them to be the same species. 



The 'possum cannot run faster than a man, hence, in a fair 

 field by moonlight, he is easily overtaken. I have killed two 

 females, each of which had nine young ones in pouch at- 

 tached to dugs.. 



A few years ago a 'possum was killed near Naples, Ontario 

 Co., N. Y., where it is so rare that many prople did not 

 know its name. S, B. Bccklky. 



Austin, Texas, August, 1881. 



HOW A SNAKE CLIMBS. 



New Orleans, August 17. 



HAYING noticed in your issue of 11th iost. the remark 

 that none of your correspondents upon the subject of 

 snakes climbing trees had described the manner of ascent I 

 would state that I happened once to witness the act. 



Returning from a trout-fishing excursion in the Allegha- 

 nies, traveling by the turnpike that runs along the north 

 fork of the south branch of the Potomac, in Pendleton coun- 

 ty, West Virginia, nry attention was attracted by a black 

 snake, about "four feet in length, flattened against the trunk 

 of an oak of about three feet diameter. It had got some four 

 or five feet from the ground and was making its way slowly 

 upward in an almost perpendicular direction. Every muscle 

 appeared to be at its greatest tension ; the body was rigid and 

 drawn in irregular serpentine folds much more marked than 

 those made in progression on tbe ground, taking hold by the 

 abdominal plates upon the corners or projections of the cor- 

 rugated bark and so drawing its length upward as from step 

 to step in the maimer suggested by you. The surface of the 

 bark, broken by irregular upright channels arid ridges, with 

 transverse breaks in the latter, afforded so many points 

 d'appii', from one. of which the snake would lift a section of 

 its length to another and so «n upward, slowly but surely. 



I was so struck by this acrobatic feat of a legless reptile 

 that I have retained a lively recollection of it to this day.— 

 G. A. W. 



A Cunning Old Squirrel — PuA/iTsnuRGn, N. T., May 9. 

 —Editor Ft/rent and Stream;— On the ?th of May, a friend 

 and myself took a ramble in search of some hawk's eggs, as 

 I have not yet quite lost my old spirit of a "nest-robbing 

 urchin," but confine my collection to the eggs of the hawk, 

 owl, crow, etc., against which I wage a ceaseless war. The 

 first nest we found was in a large maple tree. We had a 

 boy to do the climbing and adjusting the climbers to his legs 

 he was soon up to the nest. He cried out that it was an old 

 hawk's nest, and threw it down. Where it struck the 

 ground a great chattering was set up, and on examining the 

 nest, we found in tbe interior of the bunch of sticks and 

 dead leaves three young gray squirrels whose eyes were not; 

 yet opened. We arranged the nest as best as we could, and 

 covering the young squirrels up with leaves, left them at the 

 font of the tree, in hopes that the old gray might find them. 

 On our return we thought we would look for the squirrels, 

 but on watching the tree we found squirrels and nest gone, 

 and in a tree near by was a new nest. On looking closer we 

 saw the old gray squirrel sitting in a crotch about a yard 

 from the nest. On seeing us the squirrel •jumped into the 

 next tree and sal up again We drew nearer, to get a belter 

 view of her, when she jumped into the next tree, and so 

 gradually led us away from the rest. Now it certainly 

 looked as if the old squirrel had, during the day, made a new 

 nest, transferred her young to it, and upon seeing us return, 

 had led us fully one hundred yards from the nest, when, 

 thinking her young were safe, she ran up an elm and was 

 out of sight in a twinkling F. B. Jonsv, ,n. 



Climbing Woodoul-okbAoais— New Castle, Pa., July 7.— 

 Two instances of the kind came under my own observation. 

 One day last fall I was hunting squirrels in the eastern part 

 Of this county. Seating myself on a log to rest, I noticed 

 some large, dark animal climbing, or, as it seemed to me, 

 sliding up a tree of probably eight inches in dial 

 Quieklv slipping a couple of heavy shells into my ten-gauge 

 I made ni y way to the tree. The woodchuck— lor such I found 

 it to be— went on up the tree to Where it forked, and sticking 

 his head through the forks, proceeded to " take in " the sur- 

 rounding country. But he "took in" more than he had 



bargained for— a charge of No. 4 shot— and then took a 

 tumble. II was tbe largest one 1 ever saw. This spring, 

 while hunting ducks on one of our streams, 1 saw a wood- 

 eluiek jump out of a small willow tree where he had been 

 sitting about lour feet from the ground. Before I could 

 throw my gun to my shoulder and pull he was in a hole at 

 t lie foot oi 'the tree.' It is very common for them to tree 

 when hotly pursued by dugs. 1 have a friend living in the 

 country who has shot at least a dozen in that way. — Woort- 

 ortuoK. 



The Ohitian Robin's Foster- Father.— In Rocky Hill a 

 tame male robin is kept by Mrs. Ryer in a cage. lie would 

 come back to the cage, when liberated, after flying about 

 out-doors. Near by, in a dwarf pear tree, a pair of robins 

 had a nest. The house cat, just about ihe time the young 

 robins were hatched, succeeded in catching and killing the 

 male bird of the pair, ami a day or two later the same cat, 

 also killed the mother bird, thus leaving the young birds un- 

 provided for. Mrs. Ryer took Ihe nest out of the tree, and 

 placed it, with its gaping and hungry little iumates, in the 

 cage of her tame cock-robin, together with a dish ot boiled 

 eggs, as an experiment. The old bird looked at them, and 

 apparently thought the matter over in a reflecting mood. 

 Tin n he proceeded to feed them a little— giving to each little 

 wide-open throat a morse! of the egg-yolk. Having disposed of 

 that, he Llcw off; on a search for worms, the young birds' nat- 

 ural food. From that, time forward, this solitary old bachelor 

 bird continued very industriously to forage the gardens there- 

 about for the benefit of those nestlings. These latter grew 

 apace, and in due time were big enough to be encouraged to 

 get out-doors themselves and try their wings. Whether tie 

 old cock-robin after that taught them by example bow to 

 find ami secure worms for themselves in the sward of the 

 lawn and in the garden has not been reported, but that in 

 the case of robins the parent birds do leach their young that 

 vny thing has been abundantly shown in the writer's observa- 

 tion this very summer. In the Rocky Hill case Ihe young 

 robi de became able lo take care of themselves ; and then their 

 benevolent self appointed guardian went back to his cage. 

 —Hartford (Conn.) TPmes. 



Lakgk Deer Horns— Moira, near the Adirondack*, July 

 20, 1881. — The deer are, for some reason or other, more 

 plenty in the St. Regis district than Ihey have been before in 

 several years past, although they have been hunted ever 

 since the middle of May. Parties who have been up lo the 

 Sixteen-mile Level during the past two weeks have found 

 them plenty as ever. A very large buck was killed there 

 last week. "They have the horns at the Blue Mount House, 

 and all who sec them say they are the largest they ever saw. 

 They me in the velvet yet, an I have sixteen prongs started, 

 eight on each horn. They measure eight inches in circum- 

 ference near Ihe head, and are eight inches broad at the 

 .vi, 'i al part near their ends. The parties who killed the deer 

 had no means of weighing it. but think if. would weigh over 

 200 lbs. It was very fat, "and they got a large quantity of 

 tallow when they dressed it. Another buck was killed there 

 last week, near the same place, nearly as large as that one, 

 but it had not such large horns; and two deer were shot 

 there Wednesday night last, and both got away wounded 

 unto death. This is the curse of night hunting. As many 

 get away wounded and are left to die a lingering death as 

 there are of those killed ou the spot and got by tbe hunters. 

 -A. C. 



§m(e §ag m& §un. 



A CAMP HINT IN ISSAQUENA COUNTY. 



IN my earlier days of hunting in the swamps of Mississippi it 

 was considered entirely liars de convenance while follow- 

 ing a pack of bear dogs, to shoot at any other game however 

 the temptation. Many times has it; occurred to pass afine great 

 buck or a drove of turkeys, not daring to break through the 

 prescribed rules of the country. On one occasion, however, 

 in company with my father and several English gentlemen, 

 on a grand camp hunt, I broke the prescribed rules, and with 

 so little bad effect upon the dogs, that since then I believe 

 the old rule has been placed on file, not even to be re- 

 ferred to. 



Before telling the circumstance under which I laid myself 

 liable to at least severe censure, I will try and give the 

 readers of the Forest asu Stream an account of that, my 

 first experience of c imping in the wilderness. It was in the 

 fall of 1850. The weather had been remarkably fine, and 

 the mast more abundant than ever known before. The 

 country were very sparsely sett led, and the wood full of game, 

 panthers and bears being so plentiful that it was the constant 

 talk of the inhabitants as to their boldness, and Ihe great 

 depredations thev had made upon Ihe few heads of stock 

 Which was in Ihe" country. Our camp equipage was not only 

 complete but luxurious : negroes to wait upon us, and any 

 number of mules lo pack our baggage. We even carried 

 along a couple of canvas canoes to facilitate crossing 

 bayous, and to do duck, goose and swan shooting from. 

 Atler leaving the cleared land some few miles, we were as 

 dependent upon the compass for our guide as though we had 

 beetl in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Time was no 

 special object, so we did not attempt to hunt or unsllp a 

 hound until we had gone several miles and come to the bmk 

 of a beautiful, clear-iunnine; bayou, where we determined to 

 pilch our tents, and from there start upon our first hunt. 



Our negroes, nnda the direction of my father's old body 

 servant, Rupert; were left to attend to the camp details, and 

 after takiua observations as to our exact position, (he dogs 

 were uncoupled. We b id seen a good deal of deer sign, aud 

 ihe old hunter "Biz:" had discovered a bear track or two. 

 It was but, a few minutes before old " Sp;.t " opened (we 

 were in Bight of him at tbe time), and I was particularly 

 struck at Tug manner. Re was standing perfectly still; 

 every few seconds he wool I put his nose to the ground, and 

 then suddenly raising his head, he would give one of those 

 peculiar, long, musical howls, as only Ihe thoroughbred 

 hound can. This state of things lasted several seconds ; the 

 other dugs showed impatience, vet they seemed to kn >w that 

 it, was not proper to start until their leader was ready. 

 At, last "Spot," broke away as though he had 

 sighted Ihe came, then followed the others, opening 

 their musical throats with sueh intensity of purpose that 

 their confidence seemed perfect in having business ahead. It 

 rath ■ difficult to keep very close up to them, ou account 

 of tbe briars, undergrowth and fallen limber, but such abso- 

 lute silence prevailed in this virgin forest, outside mf 

 the huautiful notes of the pack, that we could hear them 



distinctly, the chase at times was most exciting ; as the dog 

 would find a place wTiefffi the trail was freshest, their yelping 

 and barking would have made one unaccustomed to this kind 

 of hunting think that they had found the bear; then would 

 come a pause, caused perhaps by the bear crossing a creek, 

 or else when closely pursued (they are as cunning as foxes) 

 they will run through water on Lop of logs and sometimes go 

 in a hollow tree to throw the dogs off the trail. That was 

 not the case, however, with this one ; the pack was fresh and 

 thirsting for blood, and Bruin was allowed no time for his 

 pranks. He turned first one way ami then another, and must 

 have gone at a tremendous speed for at least an hour and a 

 half ; when overcome he tcok to a cane-brake, and in a few 

 minutes went up an euormous gum tree, the dogs close at 

 his heels, and when we got up to them, which we did by dis- 

 mounting at the edge of the brake, and with cane knives cut- 

 ting our way lo tluin, they were at its base, harking and 

 yelping with such fury that it is no wonder that the poor 

 beast had not the courage to turn aud meet them in combat. 

 As I had killed my hear already, one of the Englishmen, 

 Hon. M. B. P, was allowed the shot. He had a Lancaster! 

 double barrelled and double grooved riflOj carrying an ounce 

 ball, which he drew on his game, and alter the sharp crack of 

 the report down tumbled I'niin as dead as a mackerel. 



As none of our parly were any too clever at " boxing the 

 compass" had it not been for the sagacity of a mule I was 



riding we would have had some trouble i 

 Here we found everything in splendid 

 pitched, a splendid fire burning, campsti 

 and a table improvised from a few pole, 

 canvas stretched tight, across them, upo 

 white table (doth ornamented with sUve 

 plates, tumblers aud napkins. Such a diun 



aiding our camp. 

 ik-r. The tents 

 i set, out in front, 

 md a bit of stray 

 yhich was laid a 

 poons and forks, 

 ,d such appe- 



tites can only be had under sueh circumstances. We had a 

 capital soup. "Rupert" had put one of the men to fishing 

 (black bass in quantities) and lie took a gun (when we were 

 out of hearing; and bagged a few fine mallards which, added 

 to the supplies brought along, made us a sumptuous repast. 



The day's work had not been heavy so a fox hunt was pro- 

 posed. That night all joined except my-elf, ami 1 not, sim- 

 ply because being near-sighted T had no chance to have a 

 shot, besides 1 knew that my father wished his foreign guests 

 to get as much slroting as possible. Before going to sleep 

 in the deathly stillness which reigned I heard three or four 



n ports of guns, which in the 

 of afine fat doe weighing som 

 We remained at this can 

 to know of our whereabouts, 

 too long ranges to find game 

 the banks of Little Sunfiow 



killing several bear, two panthers, and any number of deer 

 and turkeys, and il was here When the dogs were in hot pur- 

 suit of a bear that I made my tenable innova'ion upon the 

 former stereotyped rules of the bear chase. I was left be- 

 hind on the banks of the bai ou at a place where bear tracks 



ing proved to be fruitful 

 ity odd pounds. 



til the varmints began 

 ept clear of us, lequiring 

 v up traps a' d made for 

 : had royal sport 



plenty aud In 

 cross there tin' In 

 seemed to be runnii 

 so that I had both X 

 ergo e,y. The do 



Supposing that hf 



ugh 



attempt to 

 I, and they 

 id so much 



for any em- 

 id closer, 



and I was attaining my eyes out to catch the first glimpse of 

 my game. All at once 1 beard a tremendous rattling and 

 cracking of • the cane ou the opposite bank from where I 

 stood, and made sure 1 would soon see the bear; the noise 

 continued, as though whatever was making it was undecided 

 as to which way logo. I was, Tmust. confess, getting quite 

 nervous, the dogs in the meantime, judging from the sound, 

 had passed the point opposite where 1 was, and from their 

 weak cry I fancied they had lost the trail. The rattling 

 noise in my front continued, and I took rufuge behind a largo 



cypress tree clo?e by where 1 

 minutes, still looking Opj 

 pace down the bank a magnificent nuc 

 did antlers, into the bayou he dash 

 ward my side. I remembered the rul< 

 game wuen the hounds were on a bet 

 tation was too great, I raised my g m b 

 if I shot and did kill the 1 

 so 1 kept cool until he beg! 

 when within about twenty yards of 

 excitement, let off both barrels at one 

 but such a kick my gun gave me that 

 shooting the rest of the time we were < 

 and he kindly took me to camp ah 

 described as well as I could wher 

 blazed several trees on my way 1: 



her. 



at i 



iding. In about two 

 rattling 

 f splen- 

 ting to- 

 ! at any 

 e temp- 

 Id sink, 

 nk, and 

 the 



i a pit 



the 



the ban 



I fired, and 



I killed my game, 



leapicitaled me for 



I got on my mule 



wo miles away. I 



y buck was, and having 



•k with my cane knife, the 



men had but little difficulty iu finding hi 



When the others came in at night they said they had 

 heard my gun, but it no way affected the running of the 

 dogs. Since then no matter what the hounds were, after no 

 outside game was allowed to pass, and the bear dogs did their 

 i t] just IB well. We were out, about ten days when the 

 beautiful weather changed to rain, and we broke camp and 

 went home, not hiving been more than twenty-five roilis 

 distant all tbe while, and havlngbroken (tamp but twice. As 

 the FoKK>T ami Stream goes to England I hope some of 

 the gentlemen who were of our party could see this little 

 narrative. Many wonderful changes have taken place in 

 thai county. My father is since dead, so is Eize, and, of 

 course, not, a vestige of the strain of our old dogs is in the 

 comity. Where was seen the most beautiful cotton planta- 

 tions in the South with their hundreds of darkeys lo cultivate 

 them, now there is nothing but, ruin and desolati 



J. D. H. 



MAINE GAME NOTES. 



i Mr 



Moxsorf, i 1 



This morning, at about, sis o'clock, Mr. 



of this place, started a Eos about three imk 



Eotrlish fox; hound Spot. He started him 



woods, and, after a chase of twenty mm 



cooled in driving I im into his lio'e, whe 

 Lured Mm a'ivo. It was the first fox of th 



American red fox, I u : 

 isiheo*ner (if several oilier valuable dogs, 

 m English bare beagle, Thorn, and 

 •ailed Bell. Heinforn 

 in this vicinity is excell 

 Sportsmen who desir 

 eh field for operation-. 

 When the season for ruffed grouse and woodcock opens 

 — here are looking for lively times 



old Elliottsville "township, at, the north of us, and 

 ■ighboriug towns of Howard. BU.nchard and .^huley 



manymiles of solitary and alinoi ■> in highways 



running through, dense forests where these birds I 

 great numbers. 



Jishop, 

 ith his 

 mpson 



)g 8UC- 



jp cap- 



nd was 

 tletnau 

 ich are 

 A bitch 

 ne that the prospect for fox hunting 



e this kind of sport would find this a 



In the 



n the 



