328 



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FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Noyembkh 24, 1881. 



for the good Admiral Sir George Somcrs, which we reach 

 after passing a long and costly bridge, walking past some 

 beautiful laud-locked lakes of salt water. The "town is old 

 and pioiuresque, with narrow streets and high walls, and 

 ruius overhung wiiii pll IS 3 with hWB and 



there a palmetto. Above i: n irrisoned. It is 



here that the wrecked vessels are brought for repairs, and 

 here I found my Bcbooner, perched upon the marine railway, 

 receiving a last coat of paiut. previous to being launched. Id 

 this quaint town I ended my winter walk just as the sun 

 went down, nor sorry, on the whole, that I had been stranded 

 here. With the " Bard of Erin " I was ready to say— 

 "Alas ! that a vision so Happy should fade!" 



Obbb, 

 — ». . 



TIM POND AND THE SEVEN PONDS. 



I NEVER nonsidered myself a first-class Bhot, hut I am sur- 

 prised that, while aiming at other game, a stray shot from my 

 article iu your paper of September 18 bit Captain F. C. Barker. 

 Indeed, had it not boeu for the flutter, I should have been igno- 

 rant of the wound in all future time. In answer to two of his 

 conundrums— what I write for, and where I thought his camps 

 came from at the Ponds— allow me to say, if he had read with 

 coolness my entire article he wonld have found whv 1 write. And 

 I eertaiuly did not "imagine" the camps were built at Itanyeley 

 aud brought to their place, on the shoulders of brawny guides, 

 till this new intimation. I do not now really think they wore. 

 Aa I understand the case, the captain and I, and all others as well, 

 agree that the so-called Seven Ponds as o a vary Mecca for Sports- 

 men j that the troutiug and the hunting of small and large game 

 in the open season is splendid, aud the scenery is grand. A" to 

 the matter of how to get there, and who shall go, is the question. 

 Do intimates that nono but the hardy sportsman should go, and 

 have them attended and served by man power. Shall 1 gay he 

 sneers at the idea that the invalid sportsman tnd worn business 

 man may go ? I want such to have the privilege, and the hardy 

 sportsman. We enjoyed the society of both hist' September. The 

 robust ones could find plenty excursions to distant streams, ponds 

 and mountains, and on their retnrn with sharpened appetites never 

 complained that our varied and abundant comforts and stores were 

 brought by horse-power. Well, let us look at the two routes to 

 the Seven Ponds. First, we take what the Captain has given us— 

 three miles on strong wagon, seven on foot or horseback, five 

 miles' pull iu a boat down the lake, a mile and one-half up the 

 stream to a little lake, a half mile across this lake, up the inlet 

 two miles further, then eight or nine miles' trail, and the Ponds are 

 reached. If we call the trail nine miles the aggregate is twenty- 

 eight miles. Now, if I take the aggregate of the same route as 

 given to me by old guides and by trappers and hunters that] 

 have before referred to, by guests just ariived. and by their 

 guides still resting from the burden of their "packs" of ei'ghly or 

 ninety pounds they have "toted" over the land and water the Cap- 

 tain has described. I must put it down at thirty-four or thirty- 

 five mdes, for this is what they gave us. To be fair, we will lake 

 the average, for I do not question the estimate of one more than 

 that of another. Perhaps the shoulders of the " brawny guides " 

 were still smarting, whUo the familiar distance seems short to the 

 Captain. I say estimate, for I do not know the distance has been 

 "chained." The average is thirty-one miles, as I take thirty-four 

 instead of thirty-five. If we go to these ponds via Smith's' Farm 

 and lim Pond, either the Farmington or the North New Portland 

 stage will leave us at Smith's House inEustis. From the house 

 to Tim Pond it is called— I do not know that it has been measured 

 —six or seven miles, from Tim Pond to the Seven Ponds ten m 

 eleven miles. Using the largest numbers, we have an aggregate 

 of eighteen miles, a difference bv the two routes of thirteen Miles 

 As the lawyers say, Iwill "rest my case" with these ligures, 

 only remarking that aa the Captain has described the mode of 

 transportation, via Rangeley. I will Pay there has been a bnckboard 

 road from the house to Tim Pond since lS7t). and it has been much 

 used. Tho road from Tim 1'ond to Seven Ponds was begun a lit- 

 tle more than n year ago. The first wagon. I think, went through 

 in July last. Smith had men at work on it when 1 was there, and 

 for the last feiy weeks he bus ten men at work on it, aud lias been 

 with them himself. The whole distance is good walking, aud 1 

 call it a fair road for a wagon. One can walk the whole disbmee, 

 spending a few days at the Tim Pond cabins, or ho can ride the 

 whole distance, or he can walk a part and ride the rest of the way. 

 I like the bnckboard for a change, and to carry supplies, etc.. and 

 am sorry if our friend has had snch experience on bis road 

 with it that he "imagines " his spinal column has been pushed six 

 inches through liis caput. It must hurt, aud eanuot bo an orna- 

 ment to a public man ! He does not appear to like new " faugled 

 notions," and therefore "ticks to his route because it is the oldest. 

 All right, I am quite willing he shall enjoy it (with the thirteen 

 miles extra), and with the amiable spirit he manifests, 1 trust he 

 will graciously allow me and my friends to use the now way. We 

 believe in progress, and prefer the rail car to the stage coach, the 

 telegraph to tho post horse, the split bamboo rod to the alder pule. 

 and tho breech-loader to tho old flint gun our grandfathers 

 usd 



jj, the way, speaking of " split bamboo," reminds me of a cor- 

 respondent of yours, who used, a few months since, these words 

 as his n<mi <le plume. His criticism on me was just, 'if his infer- 

 ence was correct. I heard him spoken of in Maine as a fine, whole- 

 souled gentleman and a very nice, skillful sportsman. I havo not 

 the honor of his acquaintance. 1 did not think to mention it here, 

 but it may explain why the Captain's " travel to the Seven' Ponds 

 increases." Now that the coaxing, seductive words of my critic in- 

 duce me to repeat it to you, I do so confidentially (?)! In sub- 

 stance. " Spbt Bamboo." speaking of the Hangelev Lake region, 

 said Steve Morse remarked "This fishing needs rest." Guides 

 told mo he is " correct," and that the same is true of the Kenue- 

 bagoronds. One of the truest and hardiest sportsmen of Maine 

 told me tho same, and he had just re turned from a tramp to the 

 Seven Ponds, via Kennebago. He added, it is fortunate Kennedy 

 Smith has just at this time made this huutiug and iishing bonanza 

 60 easily accessible. So if wo have been too prodigal with our 

 former haunts, let us be grateful a supply is newly opened to us. 

 and we will try and learn a lesson by tho lamp of experience. 1 

 cannot decide to stay at homo next year, though not a hardy sports- 

 man, notwithstanding the advice given. If the good Captain will 

 come to im cabin perhaps I will intr. duce him to some of •' the 

 loved ones'l left behind " this year, and I shall be bappy to serve 

 hini with the utmost hospitality and entertain him with Boston 

 brown bread aud baked perk and beans, trout fried, broiled, 

 baited or in chowder ; grouse stewed, baked, broiled or fiica-sc.-d : 

 venison iu any style his taste requires, a variety ol Vegetable! 



We are iu constant communication with Kernel mail- .-is ,,: : I, 



world. If the lady cooks are there as at "Tim P.nd he shall have 

 salads, pastry, sweelmeats and cake, and while sipping our Java 

 and Mocha, we will talk of the exploits , f good feaah Walton, I 

 our own and those of Nlmrod \ of the magnificent teeueiv around 

 and above us, and will ha friends all our days. J. W. T. 



Hm Britain, -W. -v. is. 1881. 



Thk Tamk Pahtkidgk ICiu, «— Oakbam, Mass , .NVv. 

 17- — About two weeks ago ' Sent you an account, of He 

 tame partridge at Colebrta k, > car Parker's Mills. The fa 



%nturti fiptorg. 



of this bird 1ms gone all over tb 

 A rnifcrable wretch, I would send yoi 

 recently visited the location, oiled Hi 

 up, and knocked its head against a 

 spite of the protest of n man. who vva 

 habits ol the. bird. This pot hunter 



try, but it i 

 i bis name if 1 had it, 

 ! bird to him, picked it 

 free. This he did in 

 passing apd knew the 

 he united bale of 



grangers as well bs sportsmen of Worcester county, aud more 

 than ore would like to learn his mime, |\ 



f Why if n't they kill the man . ] 



CHANGED IN THE CItATiLE. 



1'ucAssET, Mass., Nov. 3. 

 Editor Forest and St/ram : 



1 inclose a clipping fnnn the Wor.crlqj Mar/aline, and if the 

 article be true 1 think stoiks Cjii claim superior knowledge 

 over all oilier birds. 



"While 1 was iu Iljorring (Denmark) last summer there 

 occurred a tragedy in connection Willi one of these twiggy 

 households which is here worthy of mention. It was one of 

 the many cases where connubial felicity is wrecked by a 

 malicious act of one unprincipled being. It was a case iu 

 evidence lhat a female's good character can, with a careless 

 stroke of a hand, be scattered to the winds, never lo be re- 

 covered .satisfactorily to the world, which thinks itself over 

 convinced of her guilt, and no one and nothing, save the vic- 

 tim's heart, dates avow innocence. It was one of the cases 

 where a true and loving life partner is, by an outsider to her 

 domestic circle, cruelly wronged, is convicted on circuni- 

 slantial evidence, and sentenced to death for a Crime of 

 which she is not guilty. It was a case where love between 

 the couple is mutual, where it is strong to exactness, and a 

 cause for doubt leaves desperation in die heart of the be- 

 trayed. It was a ca'e that would bring tears to the eyes of 

 a thinker audits termination to this family was ruin, heart- 

 break, orphanage, misery aud death. The story is this: 



'' While the hen stork was laying, a mischievous neighbor 

 mounted the budding one day when she was out frogling, 

 robbed the nest, of one of its deposits, left in its place a duck 

 egg, and then descended to watch the effect. The claimants 

 to "the nest took no appatent notice of the trick upon ihsir 

 return, aud the perpetrator of the deed had aimost forgotten 

 the matter when, some weeks later, his attention was at- 

 tracted to the nest and its quarreling occupants. The quarrel 

 continued, the male chattering to his mate in an excited and 

 angry manner for an hour or more, and then flaw away. 

 Two hours passed, and • at length he returned with thirteen 

 other males. They all lit upon the house; surveyed the 

 nest's contents critically, and then huddled together for a 

 protracted council. The female was evidently are sed by 

 them of unfaithfulness to her lord and master. She was 

 having her trial, and the learned -sages, gathered to deal out 

 justice, each and all took part in the lively arguments on 

 the subject. Thcuufortuuate one fuih d t i gi yen sal is factory 

 explanation to the hearers of her case, and he discussion 

 grew wartnri until she was convict d \ d'»tu sentence 

 was pronounced and agreed upon b judged djuiy. ami 

 immediately the flock pounced upon » d peeked net Dnl 

 she lay dead on the. tiles. Then curb Hew away la Ms re- 

 spective home, while the avenged litis iftttd and father went, 

 in search of food for his motherless - •rt'spriuir." 



I have experimented with the eggs of many different birds. 

 changing them from one nest to another of a different spe- 

 cies, and, although the spurious eggs were hatched I never 

 knew any disturbance between the pair imposed upon. 



While collecting eggs in the spring of lt-73, I noticed the 

 habits of some of- the smaller birds when their nests were in- 

 vaded by the cow bunting. This bird, with seeming uncon- 

 cern in regard to its young, deposits its eggs in the nests of 

 smaller birds and takes no further care of either. I have 

 never been able to catch a cow bunting in the act of laying, 

 i hough lhave often seen them iu the thickets aud woods 

 where such birds as they impose upon are likely to build. 

 In one instance 1 found a cow bird's egg in the nest of a 

 vireo, and not any of the lalter's, thus showing that the 

 busting can distinguish between an old nest that 1ms been 

 used and a new oue. Had I not removed Hie egg the vireos 

 would have laid and hatched, not their own eggs, but this 

 cow bird's first, then the young bunting would have turned 

 out the others aud monopolized the old birtl's care; !or iu 

 most casts the birds imposed lipon perform the task of rear- 

 ing Hie intruder without any complaint. This fact led me 

 into making a few experiments. 



I look two eggs from the nest of a barn swallow and ex- 

 changed for two from the nest of a red-eyed vireo. 1 made 

 this choice as their eggs ate somewhat alike, and their food 

 being mostly dying insects is similar, so in case the eggs 

 were batched the young birds would receive their proper 

 food. It happened that the embryos In Hie swallow's m:gs 

 were sofar advanced thai on the second day lh< re were two 

 young swallows in the vireo's nest. Elowever, the old birds 

 "were not at all disconcerted by ibis forwarduess They be- 

 gan to care for the little swallows at oLce, aud must have 

 fed them with as much solicitude as any parents would. 

 Of this I am certain, for the birds grew rapidly and on the 

 third day after hatching were the sole occupants of the nest, 

 the two eggs having been removed by the parent bird. She 

 must have thought, that they would not hatch. Where 

 she carried them i cannot Bay, and I never could find either 

 eggs or shells in any case where the birds had removed them 

 under similar circuiustauci s. This nest was in the fork of a 

 small, low limb near a cattle path, aud this low situation 

 proved its destruction, for when the little birds were nearly 

 large enough to leave it, some cow attacked the bush after 

 the manner of cattle, and with head ami horns destroyed a 

 Happy home and most interesting experiment. The tracks 

 on the ground about the bush proved the identity of the 

 vandal. Toe two vireo eggs which I placed in theswallow's 

 uest were not hatched, us the swallows— of which there were 

 three- came out first, and as in the former case the two re- 

 maining eggs were cast out. 



I have observed that i u most cases when several young 

 are hatched and one or more eggs remain, the old bird turns 

 them out in a few days, perhaps fearing they may break and 

 defile the nest. 



II there are any exceptions to this rule they are in favor 

 of the yelleiw warbler, as I have occasionally found nests of 

 this species with Ibrte young ready to fly and one spoiled 

 egr. Several such eggs are in my collection. 



My next experiment was with sparrows. I changed the 

 eggs' from the nest of a grass finch to those of a Savannah 

 sp irrow, and vke wmi. " In this case there seemed no inter- 

 ruption of dcmiestic affairs. The addition of an egg of the 

 song sparrow to the nest of a grass finch was followed by the 

 same, results. In the above eases the different eggs were 

 , i fched af the same lime as those belonging to the nests ev- 

 ptrimentedupon. 



1 on e placet! ihe egg of a grass finch in the nest of one of 

 the same species, which conoiined two ball-fledged young. 

 As the. egg was about In hatch when the change was made 

 there soon appeared a liny bird woli the two larger. Those 

 lust left the nest first, but the small one was cared for by its 

 foster parents. 



Some birds leave their nest at once on finding that any 

 one has disturbed it in the slightest degree. One of Ihe 

 most par 1 icular is the mocking bird. My brother and I 

 were collecting egL'S in Norilimi'iherlaPd county, Va.. in the 

 spring of 1877! Thefiral mocking bird's nest wltichwefnond 

 contained tUree cgg=. This we examined suirieiendy m en- 

 ter an accurate description of it in our note books. Wish- 

 ing to obtaiu the full complement of if our eggs "W6 left, the 

 nest as it was. and on returning the next day we found that 

 the birds bad removed all the eggs. On the same day, May 

 15, we found another uest with one egg, and although 

 nothing was disturbed at the time, on the following day the 

 nest was empty. Msttons. 



[The somewhat apocryphal stork story cpioted by our cor- 

 respondent is not new, but it is of special intcresf as railing 

 forth the relation of 'his experiments, with the eggs of some 

 of our small birds. The character of these experiments is 

 rpiite novel, and we could wish lhat they had been more ex- 

 tended.] 



FISH AND FROG SIIOWERS. 



Palestine, Texas, Nov. 3, 1881. 

 Editor Fared and stream : 



Does it never rain frogs, fish and so forth? I see lhat "J. 

 0. 15. ," of Washington city, Elates it as hisopiuion, iu your 

 issue of Ont. 27, lhat it never does rain frogs, fish and so 

 forth. "J. 0. B.," I believe, is a distinguished gentleman 

 connected with the Smithsonian Institution. Well, now if it 

 does not sometimes rain frogs, fish and so forth, nearly every- 

 body in the World is laboring under a wrong impression, I ' 

 have heard all my life that it does rain such things occasion- 

 ally. It is cert'iinly a common belief all over the United 

 States aud, doubtless, also wherever the human race exists. 

 The question is, could there be a doctrine so universal, touch- 

 ing a matter which may be proved to the eye, unless there 

 were Foundation foritin fact? I don't believe there could 

 be. For one, I never saw it rain frogs, fish and so forth, but 

 have been told by credible gentlemen that they had seen 

 such things. A gentleman in- North Carolina told me that he 

 returned lo hi3 borne one diy from a neighbor's just afti r a 

 heavy summer shower and found, as be opened Id's Rate, two 

 fine, fresh fish lying before him. I do not recollect that he 

 stated the variety, but I do recollect that he stated that they 

 were large enough to be eaten, and that they were eaten. I 

 was told by another gentieman, since I read the note of "J. 

 C. B." in Fokkkt and Stbesm, that he once witnessed quite 

 a shower of frogs on Black Elver, in Michigan. It was rain- 

 ing at the time, and the frogs came down with the rain by 

 hundreds aud thousands. Most of them, he said, were dead 

 —apparently killed by the fall— and some had the appearance 

 of having been dead for some lime. Many a time, just after 

 a summer shower, I have seen the ground literally alive with 

 little toads. 1 did not suppose that they had descended from 

 the clouds, but some of them may have so descended. I see 

 nothing impossible in such a supposition. 1 ha ve seen vol- 

 canic ashes falling in Texas which must have come from 

 volcanoes many thousands of miles away. True, these ashes 

 were a little finer llian any frogs or fishes I ever saw, but if 

 these ashes could be transported in the aerial cuirents thou- 

 sands and thousands of miles, (night not frogs and fi-h be 

 transported a few hundreds of miles at least ? It isknown that 

 hailstones of large size often ride in the upper legions an 

 indefinite time before falling, and why might not Irogsanel 

 fish so ride also if they should be taken up in a water- 

 spout, whirlwind or cyclone? Cyclones sometimes take up 

 men, horses, oxen and even house-; and tranflpoit llicm acon- 

 siderable distance. If they can do this why might, they not 

 also take up frogs, fish and so forth. Ton may put me down 

 as a strong believer iu it sometimes raining frogs, flhes and 

 so forth, notwithstanding the opinion of "J. C. B." 



As for the fish which appear in ponds disconnected from 

 any other water, 1 think "J. C. B." accounts for them very 

 well. In most cases they are no doubt taken there in spawn 

 Which becomes attached to the legs of aepiatic fowl that fly 

 from water to water. But they are transported by oiler 

 creatures also. The ditch in front df my residence in lions- 

 ton, Texas, becomes entirely dry several times during the 

 year; yet when it fills up with a tain it soou becomes filled 

 Willi little fish. The spawn from which these fish originate 

 was, no doubt, borne lrorn the neighboring bayous by Ihe 

 little black "willow bug" that we sec skimming so rapidly 

 over creeks and rivers in the day. In the night It flies away 

 from the larger waters and alights in any ponds or pools it may 

 discover, hastening back to the sit cams before daylight. 

 Thus these ponds and pools become peopled with fish." Wild 

 waterfowl wonlel hardly visit our very doors in the cities, 



N. A. T. 



[ Weourselvcs believe in the possibility of occasional showers 

 01 living tilings which have been taken up in waterspouts, 

 Whirlwinds or cyclones; but these showers take place much 

 less luquently than is supposed, and most of those reported 

 are to be explained on some other ground than this. We 

 differ from our correspondent most decidedly, however, when 

 he says that the universality of the belief iu such showers is 

 auy argument in favor of Lhelr. occurrence. A luge number 

 of instances might be given of beliels which have a very wide 

 currency and yet are unconfirmed by any evidence, that is of 

 value. The hoopsuake story is a case iu point, and there are 

 many others, some of which we might cite aud others of 

 which would scarcely bear printing,] 



What Was It ?— Chattanooga, Pcnn., November 9, 1881. 

 —Ou looking over a recent number of Fonasr and Stkbaxi, I 

 was attracted to an article signed by "G. F. W. who, in 

 speaking of a snake he killed, says : "I was surprised to 

 see it was a vicious copperhead. He flatted his head and 

 struck at me, but I soon killed him." I wish to say to G. F. 

 W. lhat if he will consult the Kncjt-lopedia he will not find 

 any reptile by that name. There is only one species of 

 snake that will. flatten his heaei when disturbed, and that is 

 the spreading adder. There are twti kind- of these, the 

 black and the rattlesnake si riped. The " spreading adder" 

 will not only spread his head, but blow when struck at. 

 They are not as poisonous as the- moccasin or rattlesnake. 

 The" snake O. F. W. must have meant is the " coppcrbelly" 

 or "high-land" moccasin. It is copper-colored underneath, 

 and will quit the water and go on "high-land." I have fre- 

 quently killed the " Copperbelly" in my stables, two or more 

 miles from water, and sometimes in company with the adder, 

 the two being, I think, good Mends. I write this to en- 

 lighten G. P. W . — II. 0. MlXTOS, M. D. 



[spreading adder is, we believe, one of the many names of 

 th l very harmless {[elerodon phdyrhlnox, a species which is 

 notorious for its habit of flattening its head and hissing or 

 blowing. ] 



