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RECREATION 



mals, big game and snakes as they appear 

 in their natural state before being uphols- 

 tered or bottled up for a museum, but he is 

 mistaken about the coral snake. The snake 

 he describes properly belongs with the harm- 

 less King snakes and is one of those strange 

 instances found in animated nature where, 

 for protection, or some other purpose, a harm- 

 less creatures mimics a dangerous one. That 

 the coral snakes are poisonous scientists have 

 demonstrated, but the snake Mr. Kelly de- 

 scribes is not venomous. The white markings 

 are nominally yellow. However, color in 

 . reptiles is often variable. I have known the 

 same species of rattlesnake to vary from a 

 light yellow and brown to almost sooty black 

 and have even killed them half black and half 

 yellow and brown. In the case mentioned by 

 Mr. Kelly the yellow bands were evidently 

 so faintly colored as to appear white. — Editor. 



HOW TO MAKE BREAD IN CAMP. 



It is very generally supposed that before 

 you can make bread you must have yeast. 

 Consequently, parties going off on a camping 

 expedition, away from civilization, generally 

 take a good supply of yeast cakes. But, when 

 a lad, I learned from an unusually intelli- 

 gent cook in a lumber camp how to do with- 

 out these cakes. His plan was as follows : 

 He would search through a hardwood grove 

 for some nice, clean pieces of longwort, a 

 species of lichen growing upon the bark of 

 the rock maple and also, I think, on the birch. 

 Having selected his leaves, he would place 

 these to steep in lukewarm water near the 

 stove, but not near enough to become hot. 

 Leaving them all night, he would pour off 

 the water in the morning and mix up a batter 

 of flour which he woul'd place in a warm tin, 

 covered with a cloth, at some little distance 

 from the fire. This would be the leaven, "or 

 sour dousdi." In about twelve hours it would 

 be sufficiently worked for use. Then flour 

 would be added, keeping a little of the sour 

 dough back, for future use in making bread. 

 This would be mixed over night and in the 

 morning would be ready to bake. 



As will be seen from this description, the 

 first operation was somewhat tedious, but 

 after the leaven had been secured once it was 

 always easy to keep the baking going. A 

 small piece of leaven would raise a sponge 

 of enormous dimensions, and a little piece 

 was always held over. I remember, that, on 

 one trip we made in the depth of winter, 

 when camp was moved every night, a small 

 piece of the sour dough used to be wrapped 

 most carefully in a cloth and placed inside 

 the cook's shirt bosom. This was to prevent 

 the frost getting at it. I have kept the sour 

 dough from freezing by wrapping it in cloth 

 and burying it in the middle of a sack of 

 flour. He only made his original leaven once, 



and by its aid carried on the process of fer- 

 mentation throughout a long, cold winter— 

 the bread he made was perfectly delicious. 



Hank Hennings. 



Hank's idea of a lichen yeast cake agrees 

 with science, for a lichen is a complex organ- 

 ism, comprising a fungus part and an algas 

 part, living together in symbrotic relation, 

 each performing its part in the growth and 

 sustenance of the lichen. The fungus part 

 is quite similar in structure to the yeast 

 plant. — Editor. 



AGE 8. 

 Dear Mr. Dan Beard: 



I am a little girl eight years old and I read 

 Recreation and want to write you a little 

 story. 



Once two little girls and their mother went 

 fishing and caught a great many fish. What 

 a good time they had ! When it was time to 

 go home they were very sorry. Their mother 

 told them that they could go fishing again 

 to-morrow, so they caught 1,000 fish; when 

 the next day came they hitched up the mules. 

 That day they caught 2000 fish; and that 

 night they went home feeling very happy and 

 told their father what a good time they had, 

 but the fish did not look happy. 



Florence Falk, Monroe, La. 



AGE S3. 

 Editor Recreation : 



I have been reading Recreation for several 

 years and I congratulate you upon the im- 

 proved appearance of the last two issues. I 

 am particularly interested in your shooting 

 items, for, while I used to be a good fisher- 

 man, I am getting along in years, in fact past 

 Dr. Osier's chloroform stage, years ago. I 

 shoot a little, driving to the field behind an 

 old mule. I use a 28 gauge given to me by 

 my grandson two years ago, and although 

 it would have seemed but a toy to me earlier 

 in life i find that I can stop the birds about 

 as well as I did when I carried a heavier gun. 

 Our country here affords splendid cover and 

 if it were not for the palmetto it would be 

 ideal. Last November I got a dozen plump 

 birds within the radius of half a mile and had 

 ten of my twenty-five shells left, not so bad 

 for a man of eighty-three, eh? I would like 

 to hear from some of the old-time southern 

 sportsmen through the columns of Recrea- 

 tion. 



L? C. J. DuBignon, Brunswick, Ga. 



THE SNEAK BOX. 



Editor Recreation : 



Dear Sir — Allow me to congratulate you 

 and your associates upon the wonderful man- 

 ner in which you have handled Recreation. 

 I have not missed a number and I know just 



