164 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[September 2!) 1S8IJ 



d 



thing like this emotion at the sight of game. The dialogue 

 •which took place between Suuawitcb. and Mr. H., as after- 

 ward detailed to me, was both earnest and excited. 



SqUa Witch said: "What's that therein the water, Chol- 

 ley?" "Mowitch" fiho deer), was the reply. '-Wake 

 mowitch, sellslkmm, delate sellalicum" ('tis no, deer, it, is 

 the monster ; yes, it's a true monster). " We bad better go 

 to the sbore at once or we'll all be killed," said Su.ua witch 

 and he made a motion with bis paddle as if to turn the canoe 

 to shore. "Keep still," rejoined Mr. H., '• I tell you it's the 

 deer." And a moment later, the object hvving by this time 

 turned well out into the lake, he added, " JIamook " (pull), 

 and the canoe shot toward the mysterious thing. The first 

 few strokes pulled by Squawitck did very little toward help- 

 ing the canoe forward, tint, at least, if they were not strong, 

 they were noiseless ones. No doubt be wished to avoid at- 

 tracting the. attention of the Sellalicum by makiug any 

 sound, and so we advanced silently toward it. Before we 

 had gone very far, however, the mystery exp'ained itself in 

 a very simple way, and the Indian's Lars were quieted. We 

 saw swimming slowly along a fine buck, about whose horns 

 were twined two or three long sprays of fern, which over- 

 shadowed bis head, and falling down behind trailed in the 

 water. The reflect* >n cast by this muss of green in the 

 •water, which rippled behind and on each side of the swini- 

 ming animal, w renden-d vague, and blurred that of the 

 trees noar the margin of the lake, so thai, the whole thing had 

 a misty and indistinct appearance, which might well cause 

 doubt as to wllttt it; was to arise in 1 he mind or one who was 

 prepared to see something supernatural. Squawitch believed 

 as thoroughly in the existence of lie Sellalicum as he did in 

 Ms own, and seeing something in the water unlike anything 

 thathehyd ever previously beheld, at once concluded that 

 the monster had appeared. I have no doubt that he felt 

 perfectly sure during the first hundred yards of our progress 

 that we were all hastening into the jaws of death. He was 

 probably ashamed to draw back when his two companions in- 

 sisted on advancing, and indeed there was no way for him to 

 reach the shore except by swimming. 



As soon as we were near enough to the buck to make out 

 what he was, and thus to s jothe the fears of the Indian, the 

 latter put more vigor into his strokes, and we rapidly neared 

 the object of our pursuit, which had not yet observed us, but 

 was swimming quietly along, evidently very tired with his 

 long tun. We ran up to within twenty yards of him before 

 he noticed vs. When he did so, he al once turned toward 

 the shore and put on a burst of speed. He swam almost as 

 fast as 'he. canoe went, but before reaching the land slowed 

 down somewhat. .lost before his feet touched the bottom, 

 Mr. IT. warned me to be ready, anil I rose to my feet, and, 

 as the deer jnade his first bound to shore, shot Li m through 

 the neck. The crimson fluid tinted the clear water, the ani- 

 mal tuned back toward the deep water, and Mr. H., fearing 

 lest it should die and sink there, gave it the coup de grace. 



Tnis was the first time that 1 had ever seen a deer killed 

 before dogs, and 1 confess that, to my notion, tlrs method of 

 hunting Buffersby comparison with still-hunting. The hunter, 

 after he. has the deer in the water, and has pulled up to it, is 

 too sure of his quarry. He has too much time to think about 

 it. The struggles which the animal makes to reach the 

 shore excite his sympathies, and after he has killed his came 

 he is likely to wish that, he had allowed it to escape. There 

 are, however, some localities in winch, during the summer 

 and early autumn, this is the only way in' which gam 9 can 

 be obtained, and this is true of most of the sea coast of 

 British Columbia. The forests are utterly unlike anything 

 that I have seen elsewhere on this continent, and progress 

 through them h slow, difficult and noisy. Under such con- 

 ditions still-hunting is an impossibility, a mere waste of 

 time and productive only of loss of temper. The forests are 

 very thick and full of down limber, an j the underbrush dense 

 and tangled. One strives to force one's way through it 

 quietly, bm a< every step makes as much noise as a six-mule 

 team. Fal'en trees, from two to seven feet in diameter, have 

 to be climbed over, or crawled under. In the open spots, 

 ferns as high as one's head obstruct the view, and rocks, con- 

 cealed by the luxuriant vegetation, bark your shins. You 

 slip upon the thick, wet moss. The huckleberry and sallal 

 vines twine lovingly about your leas and throw you to the 

 ground. You gra-p the stem of a sapling to ease your fall, 

 and find that you have chosen the thorny umbrella plant, or 

 "devil's walking stick," ns a support. Then you sit do'wn 

 and, taking out your knife, pick the spines out of your hand 

 and think plea-ant thoughts, while the Douglas squirrel and 

 the Stelleis j iy chatter derisively in Ihe branches above your 

 head. One feels at such a time that, all is indeed vanity. I 

 do not by any means wish to imply that all the country 

 through which I passed is like what I have described, but 

 through a very large portion of it it is impossible to hunt. 



Our deer having been secured, we left to Squawiich the 

 task of transporting it to town, while we hastened thither 

 ahead of him. At two o'clock, with a charming party of 

 friends, we took Ihe stage for Buirard Inlet, distant nine 

 miles from New Westminster, which we reached about 4 30. 

 We were met here by Mr. John Fannin, a gentleman who 

 bsslong resided in this northern country, and whose grace- 

 ful pen has contributed to the columns of Foeest and 

 StKham more than one most grnphic and realistic pen picture 

 of life in the FarNoitb. Both Mr. H. and Mr. Fannin 

 are interested in zoology, and through their observations 

 pot a few interesting points in regard to the habits of 



certain Northwest coast birds, mammals and flsheB have 

 been brought to light. Many a pleasant hour did I spend 

 with these two gentlemeu, examining their specimens, talk- 

 ing over the fauna of the region, discussing knotty points as 

 to the relationships of closely allied forms, and listening to 

 the relation of the experiences through which, inlheir wan- 

 derings, they had passed. Tales of Cariboo and Cassiar, of 

 Alaska and Deese Lake, of Athabaska, Peace River and the 

 Arctic slope, gave a reality to those districts, heretofore only 

 vaguely heard of, which to me they bad never had, and 

 made me promise myself that, in the years to come, I too 

 would visit these scenes. 



By eight, o'clock the next morning our party had embarked 

 on the lit'le steamer Senator, and were swifily steaming up 

 Burrard Inlet, which, opposite the town of Hastings, is a 

 mile or more in width. The staunch and comfortable little 

 craft bore us swiftly up the Itdet, past the Indian ranc.herie 

 on the north bank, past wooded hills and low grassy points, 

 past the rough granile mountain faces, where the few scat- 

 tering trees can scarcely find earth enough to support them 

 and with difficulty maintain their foothold upon the bare 

 rock, until, six miles from Hastings, we turned sharply to 

 the h ft, and up the Nbnh Arm of the Inlet. Here the hills 

 on either side drew nearer together, and thus appean d higher 

 and more rugged, their summits being capped with snow, 

 which in many of tLc gorges and ravines extended far down 

 toward the water's edge. The almost vertical rock faces were 

 co vi red with a harsh brown mess, which, except when it is 

 wet, gives an excellent, foothold. Where the Soil is not ut- 

 terly want! ' g, or the precipices are cot too nearly vertical, the 

 mou itains are densely wooded with Douglas fir and cedar, 

 some of the timber being of great size.- The varying shades 

 of green displayed by 1he different species of trees gave 

 a variety to the aspect of the forests as a whole, which 

 had almost the effect of cloud shadows, and added greatly 

 to the beauty of the scene. Down almost every slope in 

 sight, and constantly changing as our position and point of 

 view changed, poured most lovely case ides, some of which 

 even deserved the title of waterfalls. Though at present 

 carrying but little Water, their wide beds of naked rock 

 showed that in spring, after the rains, and in the early sum- 

 mer, when the snows were melting, they were mighty tor- 

 rents which would sweep everything before them by their 

 resistless power. Even now they were extremely beautiful, 

 stretching as they did like delicate white threads far 

 up the mountain side, often scarcely separable in the dis- 

 tance from the lines of snow in the ravines. Only 

 by the aid of a good glass could we discern the leaping, wav- 

 I ering motion of the torrent, which served to distinguish the 

 white, hurrying flood from the unmoviug snowdrift. The 

 presence of animal life added still further charms to the 

 scene. The pigeon guillemot, in its sombre livery of black, 

 relieved only by its while shoulder knots and coral-red feet, 

 was present on the water in great numbers — an active, busy 

 little bird, constantly employed in its search for food. A 

 specits of crayfish stems to bo a favorite article of diet with 

 this bird, and many of 1 hose which we saw flying by the vessel 

 were carrying this crustacean to their young. They are said 

 by the Indians to breed on'the islands in the Inlet, rearing 

 their young in the holes in the rocks. On ttuse islands, too, 

 the harlequin duck is said to breed, though not in such num- 

 bers as on the river, which flows into the Inlet at the head of 

 the Arm. Eagles, fishhiwks, kingfishers and crows fairly 

 swarmed along the shores, for these waters abound in fish, 

 good, bad and indifferent, the hideous dogfish standing at 

 the foot of the list and the salmon at the head. Each species 

 contributes something toward the support of the birds, and, 

 besides these, the shellfish afford excellent feeding for the 

 crows and ravens. 



Here I first saw that very common incident in the history 

 of the two species, the robbing of the fishhawk by the white- 

 headed eagle — a beautiful sight and one long to be remem- 

 bered. The eagle passed us, flying low and swiftly, while 

 the osprey had risen to a considerable height with his fish, 

 and apparently was about to make off with it over the woods. 

 As soon, however, as he caught sight of his pursuer he began 

 to rise in a spiral higher and higher, but it was easy to per- 

 ceive that the eagle was guiuing rapidly. At last he had rjsen 

 above the fishhawk and made one or two darts at the latter, 

 whxh it seemed easily to avoid, but evidently despairing of 

 getting away with its prey, it dropped it. Shining like a 

 bar of silver, the fish fell and was carried off by the wind 

 diagonally to one side, but the eagle, half closing his wings, 

 stooped for it, secured it before it had fallen half way to the 

 water, and bore it off to a tall tree on the mountaiu side. 



On the islands in the North Arm, as well as on the main- 

 land, deer are abundant, acd it is a delightful place for a 

 hunt, as in many places the timber is so sparse that both deer 

 and hounds can be seen from the canoe for a good part of the 

 run. To. 



Burrard Inlet, h>. G. 



Tne Moxbob Marshes.— The famous ducking grounds of 

 the Monroe Marshes, Michigan, at the mouth of the Racine 

 River, in Lake Erie, have been purchased by a club, and 

 are now rigidly protected. The club property comprises be- 

 tween eight hundred and one thousand acres. Mr. George 

 Dawson, of Albany, N. Y., is the President of the club, and 

 Mr. J. Be vans Giles, St. Catharines, Ont., the Secretary. 

 The full organization of the club will be effected ntxt 

 month. 



FISH COMMISSIONERS OF NORTH AMERICA] 



WE herewith present to the Fish Comrnissinrwa 

 North America a list, revised ard correct edM 

 tember21. This list has been obtained by correspond^ 

 and is correct. It will be found to contain some new nJ 

 as'well as new commissions. We take this labor upon.3 

 selves annually, that the Commissioners may be able In] 

 change reports and other information with certainty, "j 

 a gratifying fact that the fishculturists of America recon 

 the Forest and Stream as their organ of eonimuniS 

 with each other, and choose it to publish such news astj 

 may wish to mako public, instead of scattering it in obri 

 papers where it is nofrseen by those interested. 



We take this occasion to return thanks to the Fisliq 

 missions of the different Provinces, States and Terriiri 

 for their uniform courtesy in crediting to us such aril 

 from our columns as they have seen tit, to make used 

 their reports, as well as for crediting ns wilh Ihe labor of J 

 piling the official list of Ccmmissirneis. A prominent 



commissioner writes us : "My colleague, Mr =-, i hjj 



is too poor to subscribe for your papt r. Send it to ■ 

 my expense. No intelligent fishculturist can j.fl'ord [\ 

 without Forest and Stream if the price were increased] 

 fold. He would soon find himself behind in the race, n 

 is not to the strong, hut to the best pested." 



OFFICIAL LIST OF FISH COMMISSIONERS. 



The expirations of the terms of ofi'ire are indleateil hij the dales iiij 

 thesis. Where no date, is given the term Is inde/inits. 

 Canada— 



W. F. Whiteher, Ottawa, Ontario. 

 New Brunswick— W. H. Venning, Inspector of Fisheries, 



St. John. 

 Nova Scotia — W. H. Rogers, Iuspt. of Fisheries, Amherst. 

 Prince Edward Island— J. If. Dnvar, Inspector of Fish- 



eries, Alberton. 

 British Columbia— Ates: C. Andergi 

 eries, Victoria. 



, Inspector of Fish' 



The United States— 



Prof. Spencer F. Baird, Washington, I). C. 

 Alabama— C. S. G. Doster, Prattville. 

 D. B. Huntlay, Courtland. 

 Arizona— John J. Gosper, Prcscott (18X4.) 

 IUchard Rule, Tombstone "(1884.) 

 Dr. J. H. Taggart, Yuma (18S4.) 

 Arkansas— N. B. Pearce, Osage Mills 



James Horalbrook, Little Roclt. 

 John E. Eeardon, Little Rock. 

 California— S. R. Throckmorton. San Francisco (1883 ) 

 B. B. Bedding. Sail Francisco (1883.) 

 J. D. Farwell, Niles, Alameda Co. (1883.) 

 Colorado— W. E. Sisty, Brookvale (1883.) 

 Cos 



•—Dr. W.M. Hudson, Hartford (1882.) 

 i;i,i.i-i t u. i'ik,,, :\r ;,; i. ■'■.,,■,,. > ■ 1 - vj 

 G. N. Woodruff, Sherman (1884.) 

 Georgia— J. T. Henderson (Coni'r of Agriculture and 

 Com'r of Fisheries). Atlanta (1882.) 

 Dr. H. H. Carev. Supt. of Fisheries, Lft fl 

 (1882.) 

 Illinois— N. K. Fail-bank, President, Chicago (1882.) 

 S. P. Bart.lelt, Qaincy (1884.) 

 S. P. .McDoel, Aurora (1884.) 

 Indiana — Calvin Fletcher, Spencer, Owen County. 

 Iowa— B. F. Shaw. Anamosa (1882.) 



A. A. Mosher (Asa't for N. W. portion), Spirit Lake (II 

 Kansas— D. B. Long, Ellsworth (March, 1883.) 

 Kkntiickv— Win. Griffith, President, Lonisville. 



Dr. S. W. Coombs, Secretary, Bowling Green 

 P. H. Darby, Princeton. 

 John B. Walker, Madisonvilte. 

 Hon. 0. J. Walton, Munl'ordville. 

 Hon. J. A. Steele, Versailles. 

 W. C. Price, Danville. 

 Dr. W. Van Antwerp, Mt. Sterling. 

 Hon. J. M. Chambers, Independence. Kenton Co. 

 A. H. Goble Catlettsburg. 

 Malne -Henry 0. Stanley, Dixlield (1883). 



E. M. Stilwell (Assistant Commissioner), Bangor, (li 

 Maryland— T. B. Ferguson (of Baltimore), Massachusetts 1 

 Washington. D. C. (1882) 

 Thomas Hughle'tt, Easton (April, 1882). 

 Massachusetts— Theodore Lyman, Brookline (1831). 

 E. A. Brackott, Winchester (1384). 

 Asa French, South Braiutree (1881). 

 Michigan— Eli B. Miller. Richland (1883). 

 A. J. Kellogg, Detroit (1885). 

 Dr. J. C. Parker, Grand Rapids (18J7). 

 Minnesota— 1st District— Daniel Cameron, La Crescent 9 

 2d District— Wm. W. Sweuey, M. D.. Red \ 

 3d District— Robt. Ormsbv Sweeny, Presi I 

 Paul (1883). 

 Missouri— Hon. Silas Woodson, St. Joseph (1882), 

 John Reid, Lexington (1882). 

 J. G. W. Steedinan, 2,803 Pino at., St. Louis (18$ 

 Nebraska— R. R. Livingston, Plattsmouth. 

 H. S. Kaley, Red Cloud. 

 W. L. May, Fremont. 

 Nevada— H. G. Parker, Carson City (1882). 

 New Hampshire— Albina H. Powers, Plymouth (18S6). 

 Luther Hayes. Milton (1.-86). 

 Dr. Edw'd Spanldiug, Nashua (1886). 

 New Jersey— Dr. B. P. Howell, Woodbury, Gloucester Co. (II 

 Mai. E. J. Anderson, Trenton (1883). 

 TheD. Morford, Newton, Sussex Co. (1883). 

 New York— Hon. R. Barnwell Roosevelt, 7(1 Chambers St., 

 York. 

 Edward M. Smith, Rochester. 

 Richard U. Sherman, New Hartford, Oneida Co. I 

 Eugene G. Blackford (Fulton Market, New York & 

 809 Bedford ave., Brooklyn. 

 North Carolina— S. G. Worth, Morgantown. 



(Mr. Worth is acting a3 Commissioner and Superintendent, U 



being no special Fish Commissioner recognized in the State. ''• 



department is under the general supervision of the Commissi 



of Agriculture, Hon. Montford McGehee, Raleigh). 



Ohio— L. A. Harris, Cincinnati (1884). 



C. W. Bond, Toledo (1884). 



H. C. Post, Sandusky (1884). 



Pennsylvania— Hon. H. J. Reeder. Easton, Northiii 



(1881). 



Hon.Benj.L.He\vit,HollidaV8bm-g,BlairCo.(M 

 James Duffy, Marietta, Lancaster Co. (1881), 



