366 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[December 8, 1881. 



ceedingly. She rose and settled on an even kee] with a 

 steadiness I should have scarcely looked for in a boat of 

 twice her size, and ihrew oil the steep, sharp seas like u 

 duck. I ill ought then, and still think, that for a light, 

 comfortable cruising canoe, under paddle, her model can- 

 not be improved. 



When about half way across the lake a low, ugly looking 

 black cloud came up from the soul Invest, and When just, over 

 the lake let go a torrent, of water that drenched me to the 

 skin in three minutes. It. was no time nor place for strug- 

 gling into a gum coat, and I wanted both hands 00 the pad- 

 dle, so I took it as philosophically as possible. It erased as 

 I rounded the rock at the inlet, and 1 went Hying up daeoufl 

 Lake with the wind astern, only dipping the paddle for 

 steerage way ; and again tin-re came a i.hund: i gust, with a 

 down-pour of rain. But, as I could he no welter, I rather 

 enjoyed it. 



Rounding the Eagle's Nest, I ran under the lee of the 

 forest-crowned point and sponged put the canoe, for she was 

 getting logy with the water 'hat had fallen into her, and 

 then paddled across to Third Lake camp. Ferric, with sev- 

 eral old acquaintances, met me at the landing and gyve me a 

 woodland welcome, besides lending me dry clothes that I 

 greatly needed. 



1 foundtliecainp enlarged to thrice its former capacity, 

 and filled to overflowing with boarders and tourists. Four 

 of the inmates were suffering from pulmonary troubles, and 

 did not seem to be getting much benefit from ''balsamic 

 breezes," or " ozone." Each one had his or her peculiar 

 coiigh; the season had been wet and cold, and the bright, 

 open air tire, that should be inseparable from a camp in the 

 wilderness, was, fur the most part, lacking. On the night 

 of my arrival the wind shifted to northeast with a cold, 

 drizzling rain, and in less than forty-eight hours after land- 

 ing I had joined the little band of coughers, coughing 

 oftener and louder than any of them. As 1 hud made the 

 trip to the wo. dsfor health mainly, this was most provoking. 

 I thought ii was only a surface cough, so to speak, but it 

 was constant, hard aud irritating. There were plenty of 

 cough remedies in the house, and I tried them all, with little 

 or no effect until I resorted to balsam, taken directly from 

 the little blisters on the balsam firs, soaked into sugar and 

 allowed tfi percolate slowly down the throat. This gave re- 

 lief, and I mention it for ihe benefit of any future tourist 

 who may get landed upon a cruise by a cough and cold. 



By the 2*31 I was sufficiently recovered to assist at a din- 

 ner given at Dunakin's Camp, on Fomth Lake, by Messrs. 

 F. J. Nott, S. F. Fish and U. M. Crowell. The dinner was 

 intrusted to Sam Dunakin as cook and purveyor, aud it was 

 a neat affair. The suests, estimated at six, turned out 

 thirteen strong ai, the table, State Game Constable Dodge 

 being one of the number, and 1 thought he looked a little 

 glum as he tasted the "mutton," which had a rather gamy 

 flavor, as though it " had lain in the roses, and fed on the 

 lilies of life" i, or of the lakes. J Whatever he thought, he 

 said nothing, and the dinner was one of the pleasant, episodes 

 one never forgets. Our hosts were capable of good red wine, 

 with a bottle of Martel at the finish. The trout were ex- 

 cellent and well cooked, and all three of our hosts sang glees 

 in capital voice and good taste, aided by the game con- 

 stable, who, by the way, struck me as lieiug the right man 

 in the right place. Just at dark I paddled leisurely down to 

 Third Lake with an impression that the 22d of July, 1881, 

 would be agood d ly to mark with a white' stone. 



Next day I tried salmon trout at the buoys, and brook 

 trout at all the spring holes, with no success. In fact, the 

 fishing on Third Lake, after the first of July, was not worth 

 the trouble, of putting a rod together or wetting a buoy-line, 



Nbbsmuk. 



AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL FRAGMENTS.— III. 



"NESBIHTK." 



* * * And I remain yours sincerely, Nkssmotc, which 

 means in the Narragansctt tongue, or did mean, as long as 

 there were any Narragani >gi tongue, Wood-duck, or 



rather, Wood-drake. 



Also, it was the name of the aihletic young brave, who 

 was wont to steal me away from home before I was five 

 years old, and carry me around Nepmug and Junkamaug 

 lakes, day after day, until I imbibed much of his woodcraft, 

 all his love for forest life, and alas, much of his goodnatured 

 shiftlessness. 



Even now my blood flows faster as T think of the rides I 

 had on his well-formed shoulders, a little leg on either side 

 of his neck, and a death-grip on his strong, black mane 

 Or rode, " belly-bumps," on his back across old Junkamaug, 

 hugging him tightly around the neck, like the S' lfish little 

 Eg nist that 1 was. He tire? He drown ? I would ai 

 have thougnt to tire a wolf or drown a while. At first, 

 these excursions were not fairly concluded without a final 

 Settlement at home — s:iid settlement consisting of a head- 

 rakingwittiB line-toothed comb mat left my scalp raw, and 

 a S'ih eqnent interview, of a private nature, with "Par," 

 behind the barn, at which a yearling apple tree sprout was 

 always a leading fecU. . (My blood tingles a tittle at thai 

 recollection too.j 



Gradually ihey came to understand that I was incorri- 

 gible, or, as a maiden aunt of the old school put, if, "given 

 over; " and, so that I did not run away from school, I was 

 allowed to " run with them dirty Injuns," as the aunt afore- 

 said expressed it. 



But I did tun away from school, and books of the dry 

 sort, to study the great hook of nature. Did I lose by it ? 

 I cannot teli, even now. 



As ihe world goes, perhaps yes. 



No man can transcend his possibilities. 



I am no befeventi the supernatural ; mesmerism, spiritual- 

 ism, and a dozen other 'isms ate, to me, but as fetish. But, 

 imes ask myself, did the strong, healthy, magnetic 

 nature of that Ltd an paSB into my boyish life, as I rode on 

 his powerful shou tiers, or slept in Irs strong arms beneath 

 the soft whispering pines of "Douglas Woods." 



Poor Nesamukl Poor Li! Fit y years ago the remnant 

 of that tribe numbered thirty-six, housed, fed and clothed 

 by the State. The same number of Dutchmen, under the 

 same c mdilions, would have overrun the Btate ere this. 



The Indians have passed away forever; and, when I tried 

 to find the resting place of my old friend, with the view of 

 putting a plain stone above his grave, no one could point out 

 Ihe spot. 



And this ib how I happen to write over the name by which 

 he was known among his people, and the reason why a 

 favorite dog or canoe is quite likely to be called 



Nkssmuk. 



laittml W*? tov U 



THE ENEMIES OF GAME BIRDS. 



Cadillac, Mich., Nov. 21. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



In reference to your inquiry as to whether the nests of the 



ruff i d grouse are destroyed by the red squirrel, 1 offer the 



. marks In the spring of 1868 1 found the nest Of 



a ruffed grouse, conlainuu: t -.-',;.. nd as I wished to 



obtain a set for my ocflogical cabinet, 7 left tbe nest, uhdis- 

 turbed for the mother bird to complete her laving. I used 

 io visit this nisi quite cegularly, Bometvraes finding the 

 mother bird absent, but frequently Hushing her from the 

 in st. Sue would allow me to approach within a few feet of 

 iri i the best, and in 



some way generally manage to coyer her t ggs with the fallen 

 leaves. I never came to a sure conclusion as to how this was 

 done, hut think it was accomplished by Hie use of both 



Ings and feet. 



On vi-i itjg the nest one d',y, I found it. deserted, and the 

 ven in number, snowed plainly that they had been 

 bitten into by some animal, not one egg had escaped being 

 maugl d. 



■- ' ime f i >ur weeks after, aod within a short distance of the 

 former nest, I discovered fi ecoui 



belonged to the Bame bird. Thisnest contained seventeen 

 eggs, and from their weight I knew foil inc'u io was 

 somewhat kdvanced, and It i i them undisturbed. 



In visiting this nest about a Week after, I caught a red 

 squirrel in the act of destroying the eggs. On my near ap- 

 proach the "imp " took refuge in a tree close by, and with a 

 vMrv and a chamfer s. emtd to defy toe to -top his di structive 

 mirk; but wdii a cUatge of Kb. 6 shot I broughl him to the 

 gound and put an end to his mischief. On examining the 

 n st I found that but four eggs had been bjoken. These I 

 removed, and found that, the yuunj! birds were nearly ready 

 to leave the shell. My next visit a few days uftfcr, found the 

 young hatched and gone. The red squirrel has also, for 

 ,- reason, a decided dislike to the nests of ihe humming 

 i (TrocMlus caluhrm ami the blue-gray gnatcatchei (Po- 

 liopUla c&rulert). At my old home, at, Ann Arbor, ileguut- 

 catcher is one of the most common birds of the woodlands, 

 and 1 gi nerally found from a dozen to tweuty nests every 

 s-asom and often as soon a< the mst was completed, 1 would 

 find it destroyed. After a day or two the birds would 

 again be 4t work, generally on the same tree; perhaps this 

 ne-t would again he destroyed and then a hew tree would be 

 selected and a third nest built. I have known a single pair 

 of birds In keep on this way until seven nests had been 

 i.uilt. At first I referred this to various causes, thinking 

 that perhaps the site chosen had not proved satisfactory, or 

 that it was the work of the cowbird (Molofftrus pecorU), but 

 at last, in the case of the seven nests, I discovered the cause 

 to it, It was the red squirrel. 



In conclusion I would Bay with Mr. Bishop, if there is any 

 good done by the red squirrel let us hear of it. 



ADOLrmj B. Covert. 



Ferrisburgh, Vt., Nov. 23 —Editor forest and Stream:— 

 Mr. Bishop's theory of tbe scarcity of ruffed grouse is novel 

 and ingenious, but it seems tome that the same objection 

 which "Verde Mont" makes to the hawk, fox arid owl 

 theory squelches this. There, have always been red squirrels 

 since any of us were born, and they were plentier twenty 

 years ago than now, and so were grouse. Hav the squirrels 

 all at once turned their attention to the destruction of young 

 grouse? Almost every one knows now how destructive red 

 squirrels are to the young of srusl! tree nesting birds, but has 

 any one ever seen them killing ground nesting birds? If 

 they would kill young grouse, why not young chickens ? 

 They have been plenty about our house ever since I can re- 

 member, but we never lost a chicken by them that we knew 

 of, though they have destroyed the young robins and black- 

 birds, at a great rate. 



I am glad that the Fokbst and Stream has drawn the 

 ,f sportsmen to this matter of the increasing scarcity 

 rouse, and I do not doubt that some one will get 

 at the true cause, but I do doubt that any one has hit it yet. 

 Meanwhile, 1 will stick to my theory of partial migration, a 

 theory which is strengthened by the stories I hear Of the 

 plentiness of grouse among the hick hills. R. E. It. 



Boston, Mass., Nov. 20, 1881. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



The inquiries in yawr paper regarding the gradual dis- 

 appearance of the ruffed grouse, make any light thrown 

 upon the subject of general interest to sportsmen and t thers. 

 The inclosed item, copied from the Concord (N.H) Monitor, 

 may account for the scarcity in some localities. It is as 

 follows: 



" To sportsmen ami ornithologists there have been several 

 strange circumstances of late in regard to that favorite 

 target for the hunter's aim— the partridge. A large decrease 

 in their numbers has been manifest, this season, but very few 

 being shot, and those thai have been secured have" been 

 scarcely more than skin and bones, and far from being the 

 commonly delicious article of food. A large number have 

 been found dead which have not suffered from the hunter's 

 greed, something very unusual, and especially at this lime of 

 the year. A gentlemen of this city, a few days since, care- 

 fully examining one which was found dead, found an expla- 

 nation in the shape of three small ulcers upon the sides and 

 top of the head, iu each one of which was a small tick, 

 which had made its way through the skull into the brain, 

 causing death. An explanation of this singular pest by 

 scientific gentlemen will be awaited witli interest." 



Being myself in Oxford and Androscoggin Counties, in 

 Main, the past, summer and fall, 1 heard of: young grouse 

 id dead, their heads upon examination disclosing 

 ticks. One old resident and burner had found quite a num- 

 ber, and attributed the diminution in numbers entirely to 

 that cause. Last year i ! . was the same, he said, and he, 

 being a very observing man, and something of a naturalist, 

 observations in that direction of some value. 



Mr. Bishop's letter in Ihe last, number of your pap'-r 

 mentions what is to me a new enemy of tbe grouse. Squir- 

 rels, however, are very scai , lli oealities mentioned 

 above, and I do not think they destroy the birds, though 

 probably cats destroy more or less.— .1. N. D 



The ravages of the so called wood-tick have beenknown to 

 observing sportsmen for many years, although it was not until 

 the early part of the year 187!) that, the insect which causes so 



much harm was satisfactorily identified and its habits des- 

 cribed in the columns of FoBBBX AOT Stick;, m. Since many 

 of our present readers may not have seen the information 

 then printed, we give a brief abstract of it. Any further ob- 

 servations which may have been made on this pest should 

 be reported at once. There is no doubt that it is the most 

 destructive enemy, except man, against which the ruffed 

 grouse has to contend. 



The so-called ticks are the larvse of a fly, which we have 

 called the partridge fly. It has no other English name but 

 its scientific appellation is Olfemia (Feronia) Americana, 

 leach. It belongs to the family Hip)" .'.'"',v.v/, f!j u group of 

 flies usually found in or near forests and woods, of which 

 the common small brown horse fly is one of the most famil- 

 iar examples. The species included in this group are most 

 of them very troublesome to horses and cattle, and feed on 

 blood. The young of this insect are. produced alive, and in 

 their general appearance resemble ticks, but any one who 

 closely examines one will see thatnt has but six legs instead 

 of eight, which the ticks, as belonging to the AraChiiidd, all 

 These larvae are provider] with a very fine delicate 

 proboscis, through which they suck the blood of their unfor- 

 tunate victims. They are produced alive, and it. seems 

 probable that the adult fly deposits the young on the neck or 



ids t il the newly hatched grouse. Instances where young 

 too weak to fly, have been caught with many of 

 these parasites clinging to them are on record In Fouf.bt 

 and Stream, vol. XII, p. 25, Mr Charles Baylieseays: 



" Some time in the fore part of .1 on '■■: ' , t " :■ g started 

 a flock of young partridges, perhaps one-third grown, one of 

 which seemed to lag as though it were wounded. Tbe dog 

 caught it and brought it to me. I noticed several ticks (.w'c) 

 - n the side of its head, about as large as a No. 4 shot and 

 about the same color." 



We have ourselves seen one young grouse which had no 



is than thirty of the parasites on its head and nock. These 



ried iu size from a pin's head to a No. 2 shot, aud were 

 plump, round and full of blood. It can readily be seen tbat 

 pouhg bird could long survive such a drain as this. The 

 just referred to was picked up from before the dog's 

 ?, the vermin removed, and the bird was then freed. 

 Several times afterward we saw him, for he was readily to 

 be distinguished from his brethren by his small size, and the 

 last time he came under our eye he seemed, though small, 

 as strong and well as any of the family. 



Allied species of flies, which resemble Americana quite 

 closely, have been taken on many hawks, owls and herons. 

 ihe red-tailed hawk (Butco boreaHs) i- infested with a simi- 

 lar fly belonging to the genus Oi-nitlwmya, and we have 

 ound some resembling the. partridge fly ontheosprey, barred 

 iwl, long eared owl, marsh hawk, night heron and great 

 blue heron. It does not seem probable that this parasite 

 destroys the adult grouse, and if not, the damage that it does 

 must be confined to tbe summer months when the young 

 birds are its especial prey. That, it destroys considerable 

 numbers of birds can scarcely he doubted, but at the same 

 time it. must be remembered that it is no new thing and that 

 the birds have always been subject to its attacks. When, 

 however, the old birds, from this or any other cause, fail to" 

 rear their broods during summer, and are then killed off in 

 fall, the prospects for much grouse shooting in that lo- 

 cality in the future cannot be said to be encouraging. 



The adult form of the same or a similar fly we have often 

 found on quail, although wc have never seen the young 

 birds with the larva; attached to them. It is scarcely necessary 

 to say tint the death of the bird is caused by loss of blood, 

 and not by the insect boring into the brain, as is stated in 

 the newspaper clipping quoted by J. N- T). 



Those of our readers who desire to look up this subject 

 more fully will find frequent references to it. in Foksbt a no 

 Stbuam from Volume XL to the present time. 



DEATH OF THE TAME PARTRIDGE. 



Wokoestbr, Mass., Dec. 1, 1881. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



The item which appeared in your last number dated Oak- 

 ham, Mass., and signed "E.," concerning the tame partridge 

 at Coldbrook Springs gives a very wrong impression. One 

 would get the idea that" the party who did the killing knew 

 the bird and wantonly slaughtered it, notwithstanding he was 

 urged not to do so by a "passer by." I was one of the first, 

 if not the very first, to learn of the sad death of this remark- 

 • able bird, and I give the facts as they were told me by one of 

 the party who did the mischief, and who then did not know 

 thai such a thing as a tame partridge ever existed. A real 

 estate broker, whose office is in Worcester, took two men, 

 who are residents of the adjoining town of Shrewsbury, to 

 Coldbrook Springs to look at the wood-lot at Parker's mills 

 which has for the past three years been the home of this won- 

 derful bird, when not in the immediate companionship of Mr. 

 Parker in or about his mill. 



The three men were looking over the lot when the bird 

 appeared to them running about their feet. One of the party 

 knock, d th • bird over with a stick, but, probably, it was not 

 fatally injured. Just then it occurred to the broker that it 

 might be the mother of a late bn tod of young who was trying 

 to attract their attention while the chicks could hide, aud for 

 that reason begged him to try to save the bird alive, but no 

 young ones could be found, and fearing the bird was injured 

 pas;, recovery, he rapped its head on the trunk of a tree. 

 ibis broker has beeu a personal acquaintance for many years, 

 and on meeting me after their return to Worcester, and, 

 knowiug me to be a sportsman, told me of their adventure 

 with tue bird with much eagerness, and then asked me if 1 

 had ever known anything like it or could give any explanation 

 of the bird's actions Before the story was through it was 

 all plain to me, and I told him of the mischief they had done 

 and' wbat a sad loss it would be to Mr. Parker. And here 

 let me say that I no more believe any one of that parly would 

 have killed Mr. Parker's pet, knowing it. to be such, than thai 

 they would have gone to bis stable and killed his best horse. 

 There is, however, this much for which T think them worthy 

 of censure. Several days afterward these men asked Mr. 

 Parker to show them the bounds of this wood-lot, aud while 

 out with them he spoke of lis pet, and desired to show it to 

 them and tried to call it for that purpose, and failing to do so 

 expres-ed fears that something had befallen it. Under such 

 circumstances not every one would have come out. with the 

 story. Still, to ray mind, that would have been an honorable 

 thing to have done, and all hands wou'd have bit much bet- 

 ter than they now do. Mr. Parker feels the loss of his pet 

 very keenly, and, also, that the men treated him very nnhand- 

 son'u ly in not telling him frankly of the mistake they had 

 made. So much has been said of this bird in Die papersand, 

 so remarkable seemed the case that a great many people have 

 I visited it, especially the past year, many going a great dis- 



