\?u 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[September 1 1881. 



it makes him better for the table than if allowed to flounder 

 in the basket until he contracts ft fever and dies a misei : le 

 and lingering death. 



There are no nerves in the cartilaginous part of a trout's 

 mouth, and his being hooked there, as is most frequently the 

 case, causes no more pain than a man's experiences in the 

 chair of a skillful barber. 



Try it _^ Mii.i.ard. 



THE ENGLISH SPARROW'S OBITUARY. 



A POEM OF TUB FUTURE. 



WHEN we published the other day Bryant's English 

 sparrow poem, we intimated the pleasure it would 

 afford us to print also au obituary of the Inst bird of that race 

 in America. Our long-time friend, Mr. Isaac MeLelUiu, re- 

 sponding to our note, has thoughtfully furnished us a poem 

 fitted for such a purpose. Unfortunately, however, the Eng- 

 lish Eparrow is still with us, and to publish a triumphal song 

 over his extinction were premature. In fact it was not so 

 much the song that we wanted us it was the occasion for the 

 song. We look out now from the desk where we are 

 writing, and in the dusty City hall Park we see the sffuah- 

 Ming hordes of these chattering birds twittering about, fear- 

 less of the tramps on the benches, and noisily assuring us 

 that the English sparrow is here — and prop was to stay. 

 "We shall not dispute it. We shall not attempt to deceive 

 ourselves nor our readers in this matter. The English spar- 

 row brood has a long life before it in America. Publishing 

 Ita obituary will not intimidate it. No words will intimidate 

 it. Fine shot might. But we publish the poem. We put 

 it on record in the files of this paper. The hope inspires us 

 that in the future of promise, when the chair in this sanctum 

 shall have be-n filled by another, and by yet another, sonic 

 one of the editors of the Forest and Stream may at length 

 herald the going of the sparrow, and republish from this, 

 then old and forgotten Volume Seventeen, the poem which 

 we print here this day, September 1, 1881, descriptive of 

 what shall then be the native song bird's pteau of joy over 



THE DEATH OF THE LAST SPARED W. 

 The song-birds rejoice in valley una wood, 

 For the sparrows have gone, that pestilent brood! 

 She meaduw lark warbles his pauus of praise, 

 Robin redb.east Is sweet with bis Jubilant lavs. 



The blue-birds tnat perch on the old garden gate 

 And the Utile brown wrens now with joj are elate, 

 The black-birds with musical chatter declare, 

 As their hovering pinions circle lu air, 



That the tierce, flghtmg sparrows uo longer molesl . 

 To sting with their bills or harrow i ik- nesi . 

 And no longer in orchard w green toi'est glade 

 Will the haunts of the Inn.i.vni warblers Invade. 



She eat-blrds that lurk when- the thickets are dhn, 

 The martins that rou' d the barn gables now skim: 

 The swallows thai tci-.i on Cheinsectsol ajr, 

 The humming-birds brilliant us emeralds rare ; 



The oriole splendid with purple and gold, 



The bright Utile yellow-birds, fair to behold ; 



The gay bob-o-llnlc, whose minstrelsy Hows 



Like the babbling brook thro' the meadow that goes; 



The b own thrush, Mi u hermit pi deep soiii afles, 

 The lone chieadoe that chirps in the woods;— 

 All these native harpists, a nni-leal band, 

 Rejoice that the sparrow is dead in me land ! 



These foreign Invaders all scorn'd a fat slug, 

 Scorn'd army worm, Uesslan Hy. tOTtSt iie.lli and bug; 

 Won dniit teas on the Insects thai poison the fruit, 

 — That sr.ilp the green leaves which garland the shoot 



But stained are their bills wiili ihe blood of (be grape 

 Whose clusters of nectar i he trelllces drape; 

 They feed on the strawben les, luscious and red, 

 And on all the sweets of the garden are feJ. 

 On the round, ruddy globes of the peach tree, that tills 

 With fragranco the air as ihe honey disiilis ; 

 On the brown, juicy pears iluu burst as tney l ill ; 

 On the sweet purple plums i hat droop o'er I lie wall ; 



ire diadems, 

 met with i heir doom, 

 may bloom. 



On the cherries ambrosial, whose 

 Clasp and crown ihe light tOTIgS i 

 But now since ihe sparrows ii.ee 

 The harvests may llotii lsh, the gai 

 Yeai now the broad aeies oi lipenin . I In 

 Ma)- brighten is Bunsutae and freshen In rain; 

 The fnilisof the orchard their treasures may store, 

 The song-birds oaaj warble as ever or yore, 

 For the sparrows will rob and molest never more. 

 Shelter Island, Aug. 22. Isaac Mclkllan. 



Dbatu-Tkaps Aoais.— We have a list of some fifty " acci- 

 dents " to yachts this season, one and all traceable to a lack 

 of depth and low weights. The list is unfortunately not yet 

 e implete. The Herald of Sunday adds two more of these 

 to-called accidents. A "yacht " turns turile ou the St. Law- 

 rence, off Murray Bay, Aug. 23, and her crew of tbree are 

 drowned ; and, nearer home, another yacht, the M ibel 

 Emma, rolls over near Long Beach, the same day, spills her 

 contents, and Colonel William Chalmers, of this city, expi- 

 ate! with his bfe the blunders of the beamy light-draft 

 school. Next week we will print a letter from General 

 Frazer to the Boston Advertiser, which shows we are 

 no long3r alone in the crusade against the man-! raps a per- 

 verted taste confounds with craft entitled to the appehuiou 

 "yacht." 



Many English Sportsmen are visiting America this season 

 and seeking sport at the West. 



BLOOD POISONING FROM FISH. 



WE know of several persons who cannot eat fish, lob- 

 sters, oysters, etc., either one or all, without experi- 

 encing a most iniolerable itching and often an eruption upon 

 the skin. We also know a lady who is afflicted in the same 

 manner alter eating strawberries. One person can cat fish 

 which have been out of water some days, but a visit to the 

 sea shore and an indulgence in fish fresh from the water pro- 

 duces the poisoning described. 



A doctor who was applied to In one instance recommended 

 the heroic treatment of eating fish and scratching, until the sys- 

 tem became reconciled to the diet, as iu the case of the use of 

 otherpoisons. This would require thedevotion which the small 

 boy brings to the mastery of tobacco, and would require his 

 enthusiasm, which is uot usually found in adults. This de- 

 privation of fish food is, to those who love it, a serious mat- 

 ter, and we have written this at the request of a sufferer, in 

 order to see if some of our medical j-caders caunot suggest a 

 remedy. 



A ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE. 



IT gives us much pleasure to chronicle an incident which 

 took place at Wbitestone, Long Island, Tuesday even- 

 ing of last week, aud more particularly so as the circum- 

 stances reflect great credit upon a gentleman well known to 

 many of the readers of the Forest and Stream Mr. George 

 en lougall who upon the occasion referred to took a head- 

 er into Long Island Sound, and pluckily rescued from 

 drowning a young lady, who had inadvertently tumbled into 

 the same. Like the brave young oysterman, who in the 

 ballad said 



" To save his dear 

 Leander swam the Hellespont, 

 Ami I can swim this 'ere," 

 he gallantly bore her to the shore. 



One of those ever-present 'Arrys, whom Punch delights to 

 picture, was of course on hand, in the shape of a newspaper 

 man, to claim the glory. The young miss was pleasant, 

 pretty and picturesque, and, if newspaper reports are to be 

 relied upon, instead of saying to a rather pertinent question, 

 "No, George; oh, no, George! not just yet," she looked 

 up or down, we know not which, into the large blue eyes of 

 her hero and said "Yes." We wish them joy. It was a 

 brave act. and nothing could be more fitting than that the 

 sequel should be the approved happy one of the Oliver Optic 

 Story-books. 



John P. Moore, whose name his been prominent in the 

 gun trade for more than half a century, died at his residence 

 iu this city, last Saturday, August 27, at the advanced age of 

 eighty-one years, having been born in this city in 1799. When 

 eighteen years old he entered the employ of Benjamin 

 Cooper as an apprentice in the trade of gunsmithing, and be- 

 gan business on his own account four years later at No. 206 

 Broadway. His building erected not long after on the site of 

 the present Evening Pod budding was the largest on Broad- 

 way at that time, lu I860 he retired, leaving the business to 

 his suns. Mr. Moore had an enviable reputation for sterling 

 integrity, and held iu the course of his business career many 

 positions of trust, having been for some lime a Director in 

 the Mechanic's Bank. At the time of his death he was a Di- 

 rtCtor of the Jefferson Fire Insurance Company, an office he 

 had held for tweniy-five years. He was one of the earliest 

 members of the General Society of Mechanics and Trades- 

 men, and took much pride in the success of its Appretices' 

 Library. For many years he was President of the society. 

 The school in charge of the society became one of the best 

 in Ihe city during Ihe time Mr. Moore was Chairman of the 

 Committee on Education. 



IoimiYOLOGicAL Students will do well to read Dr. Gill's 

 erttiei-m en Dr. Glinther's " Introduction to the Study of 

 Ichthyology," in another column. The need of such a work 

 as Dr. Clumber proposal to furnish has long been felt, but 

 those who are competent to furnish it are so engaged with 

 advanced word I hat they have neglected it. We had Imped 

 that the book of Dr. Giinther would prove a boon to the be- 

 ginner, but Dr. Gill thinks otherwise. A book of this char- 

 acter bearing the name of any recognized American ichthy- 

 ologist would no doubt be in demand. Hardly a day passes 

 without application being made to us for such a work. We 

 realize the difficulties which beset a beginner who lia3 no 

 teacher and knows not where to commence, for we were our- 

 selves led into all sorts of bye-paths in trying to find a road 

 to ichlhyic knowledge. 



An Archery Tournament will be he'd at the Fair 

 Grounds, Waverly, New Jersey, on Friday, Sept. 20, iu 

 wh'ch all the clubs of this vicinity are expected to take part. 

 The Corresponding Secretary is Mr. W. Holberton, of No. 

 66 Fulton street, this city. L'iwu tenuis aud lacrosse are 

 also on the programme. 



A New Maine Map.— Mr. Thos. Sedgwick Steele is pre- 

 paring a map of the Maine canoeing region to accompany his 

 fortneomiug book, "Padd'e and Portage." The map, we 

 understand, is prepared from original sources of information 

 and will doubtless prove indispensable to the Maine canoeist. 



Wit.d Celery.— Mr. D. W. Cross writes that he has had 

 several letters about transplanting the wild celery, and in all 

 probability the experiment will be so thoroughly tested that 

 the question of its success will be definitely settled. 



JlTjftf £#oi[tsimn gauri^i 



"OLE WHEELER." 



I 



T was nearly noon when our party emerged from the for- 

 est into a lii tie clearing. Struck by its appearance, they 

 ed upon its edge and gazed around. Very beautiful was 



rested upon its edge and gazed around. Yery 1 

 this little opening in the vast forest— this oasis in the desert 

 of tree trunks. It disclosed a broad, blue belt of sky, of 

 which oniy a speck here and there had been visible in the 

 woods. The sun, too, which sent but few pale rays into the 

 forest depths, here shone with full brilliancy, caressing the 

 tree-tops wiili its sparkling light, warming the grass and 

 bushes and bringing a deeper blush to the raspberries, whose 

 clustering vine.* filled the greater part of the clearing and ran 

 riot over the mouldering tree-trunks. The stillness of mid- 

 day rested upon the scene. The breeze scarcely swayed the 

 graceful foliage of the elms, above whose tops two hawks 

 were lazily soaring. The rippling of the little brook, hurry- 

 ing over iis bed, as if impatient to gain the cool of the forest 

 beyond, was the only sound. 



" This is the place, lads, and a pleasanier one don't lie in 

 the whole South woods," said Wren. " If there was only a 

 little lake by I'd like to camp here for the rest of my mortal 

 days. These elms show good soil." 



" Where's his hut ?" asked Sigourney. 



" Some might call it a hut, but if he hasn't put a French 

 roof on it since I was here last I should denominate it a hovel. 

 Over here." And he led the way to the centre of the clearing. 



A large elm tree shaded the brook, which here widened a. 

 little, and from it grassy banks sloped away. On one side 

 was an ii regular pile of logs and bark, covered with leaves. 

 Wren went to one end of it and, stooping down, pushed away 

 some boards. 



"There is nobody at home. The mansion is vacant. 

 Look !" and he stepped aside. 



Merciful God, is it one of thy creatures that exists here! 

 Through a single pane of glass, fastened in its place by a few 

 pegs, the interior was dimly lighted. The damp earth was 

 coveretl with mould and a pool of stagnant water stood in 

 the middle. On the farther side, where the hole had not 

 been dun as deeply, lay a ragged sheepskin — the man's bed. 

 A shelf held a few hoities, traps and cooking utensiis and in 

 front was a stone fire-place, in which the ashes of fifteen 

 years were si anding. Wren knew ihey had been there fif- 

 teen years, for Ihe man had lived there, that time and such a 

 heap couldn't have been collected in any less. The parly 

 were still curiously gaziug into the den when Wren whis- 

 pered, " Here comes ' Ole Wheeler' hisself." 



With long, swiDgtua: steps, and gun at a trail, a figure was 

 swiftly approaching from ihe woods — a tall, gaunt figure, 

 bent and awkward A face — a face that will never be for- 

 gotten by those who then met its gaze— looked out from a 

 malted beard and long tangled hair. Surely fancy would 

 have named this creature some old river god, some mighty 

 genius of the woods, had it not been for his ragged pants, 

 torn off at the knees, and the quaint old swallow-tailed coat 

 fastened by its brass buttons tightly around him. The Pro- 

 fessor recognized the same figure which he had seen crossing 

 Grass River. The man stopped and surveyed the four 

 hunters. His eyes, black and restless, moved from one to 

 another — eyes that glowed with a wavering light that told 

 plainly the loss of reason. 



"Have ye come to steal me taters or me sugar, Mr. 

 Wren?" 



' ' Neii her one nor t'other. We're four honest men as wants 

 to take dinner and be sociable-like with yer." 



Old W ht eler appeared assured aud laid aside his rusty gun. 

 Hauk untied th&pack basket, and the party had a tempting 

 meal of jerked venison and bread spread out on the grass. 



"Benies!" exclaimed Wheeler, emerg'ng from his 

 burrow. 



' ' Yes, that's so," said Wren. There were about six quarts 

 of rich, ripe raspberries. 



" Sugar !" sa d Wheeler coming up out of the tomb again. 



" Right agin," said Wren. 



The " Prof essor,_ however, declared it was syrup ; maple 

 syrup in that delicious balf-way s'ate in which you find it 

 only in the woods. With it the berries were delicious. But 

 the purpose of the parties' visit was to hear " Ole Wheeler" 

 talk, and accordingly Wren soon put him on the trail. 



" Do I like to be alone here ? Yis. I love to ; I love to sit 

 here nights an' watch the stars an' the moon sir. I've 

 watched 'em these fifteen years, and I know 'em every one ; 

 as well as I know the lakes an' the hills. I know how they 

 move an' I can tell ye. Have I read the books about 'em ? 

 Yes, and they lie sir, they all lie; ihey're made to sell — to 

 set. What I've seen for years I know is true an' no book 

 learnin' can make me believe otherwise. Why don't I write 

 a book? Well, I'm poor an' folks think I'm ignorant, an' 

 they wouldn't believe me ; but maybe I shall write some day. 

 I've got papers and drawiu's made. No the books deceive 

 ye. 1 know the sun isn't fur off as they say it is. I've 

 measured it here an' I know it's near me. I can feel it warm 

 me, an' the mo3n and the stars, they aint fur off; an' some- 

 I'liies in bright e'ear nights they talk to me, an' ibey tell me 

 about the good God. Yis sir, I like to talk wiih 'em an' 

 with the trees an' the animals ; the're better'n men. Have I 

 a family? Well, my wife is livin' sir, but she's dead to me. 

 My son, he went to Californy where the rivers run gold, but 

 the Injuns killed him. My nephew said sevin year ago he'd 

 come an' visit me, and I expects him. We shall live on 

 taters. My taters are the best in the county." 



After making the old man a few presents the party started 

 for camp. As they struck off into the trail they heard him 

 say: 



"If ye meet my nephew, tell him to hurry. Say he shall 

 have 'taters an' sugar." 



They promised and walked on in silence. 



What is that which wc call the love of na'ure, that power 

 which draws man to her, which has its influence over the 

 coaise and the culiivat' d mind, and often endows him who 

 passes his life with her with those refined traits of character 

 which make him in the truest sense of the word "Nature's 

 nobleman ?" All classes of men are drawn to her. The rude 

 backswoodsman loves her solitudes, he knows not why. 

 The cultivated m»in delights in her company. The care- 

 worn merchant, the student with weary brain, seek her mus- 

 ing and are refreshed. The tempted commune wiih her and 

 are strengthen! d. The upright man finds with her peace «nd 

 security. The. criminal trembles when she alone is by. The 

 soul embittered by some wrong flees to her. The heart 

 Etung by some great sorrow seeks consolation with her. In 

 that "society where none intrudes" she speaks with man ; 

 she calls to him from the vastness of the mountains, the mad 

 dashing of the rapids, and the awful gloom of night ; from, 



