March 30, 1882.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



167 



extent atany rate; and it ia confidently expected that Hie iu- 

 fennition given liere will prove useful to man? wliu. how- 



cvrr familiar flier may be with the appearance of these nsfmes 



on papsr, have comparatively Utile notion of tiie derivation, 



i on, and application of the words, mid who unwit- 



ffiglj speak them as they usually hear them pronounced, that 



with glaring impropriety. No one who adds a de- 



■ :■■'!■ eencj to lils scientific acquirements, be 



hitter never 80 extensive, can fail to handle the tools of 



thought with an ease and precision so greatly enhanced lhat 



Hi-' merit of ornithological exactitude mav be adorned With 



In barm of scholarly elegance. 



The pmpose Of the present "Check List" is thus distinctly 

 - en to be twofold: First, to present a complete list of (he 

 Krds now known to inhabit North America north of Mexico 

 and including Greenland, to classify them systematically, and 

 B nanie Ml, in conformably with current rill's of tionrtjnclfl- 

 twiv. these being ornithological mutters of science; secondly, 

 to fake each word occurring in such technical usage, explain 

 K derivation, significance, and application, spell it correctly, 

 nnc imhsafr, hs pronnncatcis with flit esual chai niiea! 

 marks, ilicse bring purely philological matters, affecting not 

 tin s> : ftinc status of any bird, but the class sal questions 

 Evolved in its name. 



THE SCARCITY OF GROUSE. 



1MIE laborious efforts at ridicule borne to as on the uorth- 

 _ ern breeze in your issue of Fell. Ifi. are so clearly of a 

 suicidal nature, that we resign them to their inevitable fate, 

 merely observing thai ihe canst/ of wing-shooting from its 

 first inception has only been strengthened by the envious as- 

 laults of the pot-hunter. 



If was with pleasurable emotions that I perused the com- 

 munication of "Nessniuk" in your last issue. 



s evidently one of "nature's noblemen— born, not 

 imufaetured"— as expressed in his manner of worshiping 

 her shrine. 



of 



y 



only 



family near this place kept a pair of them for some time. 

 The birds were taken wben very young, and soon became so 

 lame thai they were allowed their liberty through theday, 

 and thry invariably returned to their cage at night. When 

 16 they made some preparations toward building a 

 nest, bul seemed disgusted with the undertaking, and tore it 

 to pieces. They were finally sold 1o Mr. J. A. Pickering, of 

 Iowa city ; and the melody of that beautiful BOflgster is 

 poured forth as clear and sweet from the confines of that 

 gentleman's store as it ever is by his more fortunate brethren 

 of the woods.— Violet 8. WlUiAafs. 



it lier slirmc. 



However, is not his philosophical manner of disposing of 

 is "scarcity of gEOuse" question quite as illogical as any 

 Jicory previously advanced, in view of the fact lhat not only 



5 grouse, but also all of 



1 same fate wherever exposed to the 



loculiar civilization. In short, wherei 

 hibited its baneful influence that is 

 1 rapid extermination of our large gR_._ 

 I can point to large tracts of formerly fi 



i New England where the "trei c" ano 



and fish have shar 

 award march of our 

 r the same cause has 

 -day accomplishing 



ic at the West, 



grouse, country 

 r have wrought 



dieal extermination within a space of time covering only 

 3W years. And similar reports reach us from every cfirec- 

 a. "Adirondack'' writes that in Northern New York 

 thousands of grouse are shamefully slaughtered every season 

 and sent to market by parties making this their sole business 

 at, certain seasons of the year. He also stales that one man 

 polted seventy grouse over a little treeing cur in a short time, 

 and shooting Only al odd intervals. 



: H. i.C w rilmg from Erooiei Id, N 1 in vour tSSUs of 

 December 30, 1880, slates " thai of all the ruffed grouse that 

 are fcillad during 1 lie month of December in Ihe central and 

 northern counties of this State, nine out of every ten are 

 killed by market-humors, pot-hunters, and the like, and 

 worst of all, eight out of every nine are killed sitting on 

 trees, where they have been seared by the traditioual 'valler 

 dog,' wdiose idea of sport is about as exalted as the man who 

 owns and hunts him," and "that unless immediate steps are 

 taken l-o arrest the slaughter that is going on among the 

 feathered tribe, our children will have no use for the costly 

 guns and implements winch we leave behind us, save to look 

 'ie stupidity of the men who did not pro- 

 provided for the recreation of mankind." 

 ience similar to the above indefinitely 

 or'rint section from whence the cry of 



igil >le for the grasp of the "logical 

 is possible that the fell destroyer has noi 

 lmediatc vicinity of "Nessmuk's" favor- 

 mysterious means of communication of 

 iger, as constantly witnessed among the brute creation, 

 isrng demoralization to a large circle outside the immedi- 

 scene of disaster, furnishes an abundance of evidence of 

 cause of the depletion of game in districts more or less 

 •~*^ from the prime cause, and doubtless forms an import- 

 general disappear-auee of our 



_ Ai,p,rxo MrsKR.vr.— AHornellsville(N.Y.)paper says "Mr. 

 S. W. Owens brought into our office last evening a veritable 

 curiosity in the shape of a white muskrat, which had been 

 trapped by Fred. Wombull in the river at Oanrsteo yesterday 

 morning, His ratship was of usual size and while his fur 

 was of a cream color outside, upon the blowing it apart it 

 wss f sand i.) he irarh a pun white. The fad was broader 

 and flatter than ihe ordinary muskrat and more closely re- 

 sembled that of the beaver, and in color was a pure white." 

 This specimen was a true albino haying pink eyes. 



; 



em and 



curse t 



tect 



hat wh 



ch God 



W 



■ could 



add ev 



and 1 





cry nri] 



sear< 



ity of i 



:rouse ] 



Is 

 mint 



such ev 

 ?" Th 



ough i! 





rated t 



i the ii 





ivers, s 



ill the 



dor in the cause of the 



Therefore, as we sweat over our task of restocking with 

 quail, let us reflect on the fact, that if ever reduced to the 

 same exigencies with the wary, determined grouse, the rigor 

 ol our task will be multiplied 'many fold. Shall W e indolently 

 neglect our fleeting opportunities for the preservation of our 

 fcdly decimated stock of grouse? Buffed Grouse. 



Ashpield, Mass. 



PtiOOEKI.TYGS OF THE PrtlLADELPUIA ACADEJtY.— We 



sved par! III. of tin- Proceedings of the Academy 

 ot Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, which comprises the 

 records of Ihe meetings andthe papers read al such meetings 

 from Angus! to December, 1881. An idea of the varied and 

 interesting Contents of this part may be had from the eon- 

 tents, which we give below: Revision of the Paheocriuordea. 

 by Charles Waehsmnth and F. Springer; Revision of the 

 tsisAl ssissippi Tertiary Pectens cf the L S. Remarks :n: 

 the Molluscan Genera Hippagus, Yertieordia and Pccoluolia, 

 Note on the Approximate Position of the Eocene Deposits 

 of Maryland; Revision of the Tertiary Species of Area of 

 the Eastern and Southern E. S., all by A. lieilprin; On 

 llieraeiuin aurantiaeum, and Note upon Plantago elongata 

 (Pursh.t. by S, H. Redfield; Flow Orb-Wcaviiig Spiders 

 Make the Framework or Foundations of Webs, by Eev, II 

 C. McCook; On the Nature of the Diphtheritic OonUidum 

 by Dr. H. 0. Wood; Notes on Mistletoe, Dimorphism in a 

 Willow, Color in Autumn Leaves, OnMovementS and Paral- 

 ysis in the Leaves of Eobiuia, On Pilobolus crvstallinus, 

 lie Varying Influence of Heat on Flower'BmF and 

 Leaf Buds, by Thos. Jleehan; Occurrence of ihe same 

 HfeOiesofi Protozoa ou both sides of Ihe Allantie. by John 

 .. Ryder; The Genus Carlsrella vs. Bpongiophaga Potts!, 

 On a Ecetal Kangaroo and' its Membranes, 

 Reports of various officers; Elee- 

 ; Additions to the Museum ami the Lib a i , 

 of the Academy are publish© i 

 advance, anci ; , | , | to all natural- 



Pi 



li; R"Sis BUBAaTEIj GRQSJ8EAK ty C \pti\mty. -T!" 



lageoil 



■ e | 



§;mjc gzg m(d §mp 



) 



AN ARKANSAS BEAR FIGHT. 



PART II.— TO BE CONCLUDED. 



TTTHENthey came opposite the scene of action they tooted 



T Y their horns and encouraged the dogs. After a time the 

 bears started again slowly, the old bear apparently keeping the 

 dogs well back. After going about a half a mile there was 

 another halt, the hunters came up and encouraged the dogs 

 for some time. Bill wanted to go in. again and shoot the bear, 

 but Jim would not hear to it. Jim could see the top of a 

 dead tree over the cane in the direction in which tie dogs 

 were barking. He climbed up on the roots of a great up- 

 turned tree, and from there could see the cub up in the free, 

 about one hundred yards away. He told Bill to hand him up 

 the ride. "You couldn't hit a barn that far," said Bill. Jim 

 insisted and the rifle was handed up. Jim cracked away but 

 no baah dropped. "Git down outern that and let your dad 

 come up," said Bill. Bill loaded her up for 300 yards. 

 Climbed up, drew a very fine bead on the cub and out it 

 tumbled, aud then there was a fearful "muss." After some 

 little time things became more quiet, and Judge Bill Jones 

 insisted on going in and shooting the old bear, but Judge 

 Barker urged him to keep cool. He insisted, and as a com- 

 promise they concluded to consult Judge Smith, so they 

 went back a short distance to a thin place in the cane, forced 

 their way through, found the old Judge, and held a council 

 of war, Judge Smith, having been away from the flask all 

 day, was perfectly cool. 



After listening intently for some time and encouraging the 

 dogs, and getting run of the movements of the old bear, 

 Judge Smith said, "it w T on't do, Bill, that old she devil has 

 got her grii up, and she would chaw you up quickern you 

 could say Jack Robinson, you could not get near enough 

 to her to see to shoot; and if you will listen you will hear 

 her charge on every dog that comes near her, and she would 

 serve you the same* way. 



Bill insisted that he "could whip any baah that ever lived" 

 with the help of his knife, and kept on insisting on going in. 

 They got into a pretty hot wrangle, and the probable result 

 would have been that Bill would have "licked" both of the 

 other judges aud then treed the bear, but a gradual change 

 was coming over the battle in the cane. While the men were 

 talking some of the dogs had come out, generally' badly 

 wounded, and the noise in the cane showed that but very 

 few of the dogs were keeping up the fight, which made it 

 the more severe on the others. Pretty soon old Tige came 

 out trying to walk on two legs. Then the hunters fried to 

 encourage the dogs to make one grand final effort to drive 

 the old bear away from the dead cub, so that they could get 

 it; but it was no use; the dogs had all had enough of it. So 

 they called them all off, and sat down on a log to eat their 

 lunch. Five dogs were missing, among them two of the 

 younger large bear dogs. After a time one of these came 

 crawling up, so hurt in the back that his hind parts were 

 useless for the present. After they had finished their lunch 

 and while consulting what to do," all at once old Tigc sud- 

 denly started up and rushed barking through the cane 

 up the lake as though nothing was the matter with him: 

 most of the other dogs followed'. After they had run about 

 a quarter of a mile there was a halt for some little time, then 

 another start, and away they went again. The hunters knew 

 that this meant that cither both bears had gone, or the 

 mother had concluded that the cub was dead and that it 

 would have no further use for her. 



"Now is your chance, Bill, if you want the cub." said 

 Jim, and Bill began at once to work his way through the 

 cane. When he reached the tree he found the cub dead and 

 two dead dogs. 



On consultation they concluded as it was getting kite in 

 the day that Judge Smith should follow up the chase on the 

 old mare, call off the dogs, and that the other two should 

 take each one of the cubs and return to camp. This plan 

 was carried out and all reached camp before dark. A muster 

 by companies of the dogs that evening only found seven on 

 deck, and nearly all of them somewhat injured. Old Tige 

 was among the missing. Old Lark had n splendid supper 

 ready, to which all did ample justice. Lark also had an 

 ample and savory mess for the dogs. After supper, and after 

 the lining of their nests had been warmed tip by a careful 

 mixture of spirilus fermenti, they carefully looked over the 

 wounded dogs, and made them'as comfortable as possible. 

 While this was going on old Tige crawled into camp. The 

 old veteran was in a bad fix; they found on him no flesh 

 wounds, but one shoulder was badly swollen, and opposite 

 IimiiI leg entirely useless. Lark bathed his wounds with 

 seme Liniment" tint he had prepared during the day. made 

 him a nice warm bed. and gave' him some warm gruel*. When 

 the hunters sat down to enjoy their pipes. Jim undertook to 

 joke Kill about fighting and whipping a bear bare handed. 

 But Bill did not Take it' very kindly. He said, "Blasl you, if 

 you had let me gone in and killed that ar old baah tit first, 

 our dogs would not all have been sp'iled, and we could go on 

 with our hunt to-morrow. It's a purty scrape we have gpt 

 into away out heah on a baah bunt, unci no dogs left good 

 ensugh l.: • :ii;h a rabbit Ju.igi -miith chimed' in witlijim 

 tlittli - SOOT found lhat ih|l was in ■'< 



leyonangi - . ,... a)| i, 



most of them in a sorry condition. Our hunters constilif'd 

 on what they should do for the remainder of the week. ' 'We. 

 cannot do anything here at present." said old Sol, "for ail 

 the best dogs are in the horsepital." "I'll tell you what, 

 we'll do," said Jim. "Bill you go out and kill a deer, and I 

 and the Judge will go down to the deep place in the lake and 

 ealeh some trout, (bass) and to-morrow we will put the sorest, 

 dogs into the wagon and start for the mountains, (hills) and 

 by the time we reach there, the dogs will mostly be well." 

 All agreed to this as being the best course to puisne, so our 

 hunters started off in their several ways. Sol and Jim were 

 not burdened down with jointed rods" creels, reels and other 

 tomfoolery; they each had a stout linen cord in their pockets, 

 securely tied to a strong clumsy hook; they cut some strips 

 of fat with the skin attached from the young bears, and 

 started for the lake. When they reached* it they went into 

 the cane break acd cut a couple of long straight canes for 

 poles, tied on their fines, baited their hooks and Went to fish- 

 ing. Thei r manner was to throw the bait as far as they could 

 from them and then twitch it along just under the surface of 

 fhe water. They did not have to do much twitching, for the 

 bass were ravenously hungry, and often had the bait as soon 

 as it struck the wafer. When they hooked a fish they made 

 a vigorous jerk and generally, if "the fish was a small one, 

 threw it over their shoulders on to the ground behind them. 

 These bass range in size from two to seven pounds, and in 

 this clear, bright water are very game. When they hooked 

 in extra large fish, they drew it up on the bank by "main 

 strength and awkwardness." In this way they would catch 

 from one to six in a place and then move onto another. They 

 soon had all they could carry and returned to camp. 



Bill did not come in. "I hearu him shoot wunst, after 

 he'd bin out a little while, " said Lark, They waited until 

 near dark. It was nothing very strange that Judge Bill was 

 not in early, yet all the party* were uneasy. "You don't 

 think he can be lost, do you, Judge?" said Jim. " Bill Jones 

 get lost in this neck of woods! No, sir-ee. Did he take a 

 flask along with him, Lark?" "No, sak, not as I knows on," 

 said Lark. "Lark, look around and see if any are missing." 

 said Jim. "They be all heah, Massa Barker." 



Just as the curtain of night was being lowered there was a, 

 great commotion among the dogs; they all rushed off bark- 

 ing through the woods, with a half-whining bark. Directly 

 Lark's old' 'possum dog Csesar came rushing into camp, hair 

 on end and tail between his legs, and took up a position in 

 the farther corner of the tent from the door, where he 

 crouched, an abject picture of fright and cowardice. Soon 

 the voice of Bill was heard, scolding, and kicking the dogs, 

 and he came iu with a long yellowish brown something on 

 his shoulder reaching nearly to the ground on each sfde. He 

 threw it down, and the dogs fiercely whined and growled 

 around it. It was the skin of an immense panther, "Give 

 me some peach and honey, Lark, and get me some gruel 

 quicker 'n lightning, for 1 am nearly famished," said Bill, 

 and he took in out of the wet a square pint, of the ' 'critter. " 

 Lark soon had enough grub on the board for three men. Bill 

 pitched into it, or, rather, pitched it into him, and was soon 

 heard to growl at Lark, ' 'Lark, old man, your samples are 

 first-rate, in fact, splendid; now please give me my supper, 

 old man." Old Lark looked at him with a sill.y, dazed kind 

 of an expression on bis countenance. "What are you stand- 

 ing there gauping at me for, youblarsted old hulk! Give me 

 some supper." Lark drew a long breath and replenished 

 the board with double the first allowance. Bill greedily de- 

 voured it, took another square "tiirful" of pcach*aiid honey, 

 and sat down for a smoke, 



" Well, Bill, said Judge Smith, "what have you been do- 

 ing with yourself all day, and whar did you get thai 

 varmint's scalp ?" 



"Been doin' with myself," said Bill. "I have been doin' 

 the best I could, and sick another tramp as I have had, I 

 dont think any feller ever had afore. 

 "Tell us all* about it," said both. 



"Wal, I started out up the edge of the cane, thinking I 

 would hang up a venison or two, and come back to camp." I 

 hadn't got morn a half a mile from camp, when I seen an old 

 buck feeding in a slash. I sneaked up and plugged him 

 beautifully. He made a jump or tw T o and quit. 1 stringed 

 him up and went on, thinking I would soon get a nice*fat 

 doe, and then come back. I traveled quite" a while clus 

 along the edge of the cane. About the time I felt like giving 

 it up, out jumped the purtiest, biggest, fattest doe. almost 

 from under my feet, you ever laid your eyes on. When she 

 got. about fifty yards off, I bleated* out at her. Site stopped 

 broadside toward me, and I fired away at her. She bounded 

 into the air, and then run like a turkey, and run out of sight, 

 I was sartin that I hit her just right, took' her trail 

 and followed her up [some of these old Southern deer-hunters 

 can follow a deer-trail on the bare ground nearly as well as 

 a Northern hunter can in snow]. She ran about three 

 hundred yards and laid down in the edge of the cane, and 

 bounded off before I come near her [but very few of these 

 men ever think of shooting at a running deer]. And so we. 

 kept it up for hours, I tliinking everj r time that I would get 

 right on her before she bounced, or that she would leave the 

 cane, I hated to lose so nice a piece of venison. I followed 

 her cl'ar up to the head of the lake, which she rounded and 

 started down on the other side. She appeared to lie just 

 as lively the last time I saw her as the first, so I concluded 

 that I had best give her up. As I was twelve miles from 

 camp, and you know, men, that twelve miles of that kind of 

 tramping means lots of hard work, I started back. 

 As I got nearer camp and evening was coming on, I began to 

 look for game. As I poked along I caught a glimpse of an 

 old buck's horns away down the edge of the cane, about 

 three hundred yards. I looked over my ground carefully 

 and started for him. The wind crossed in front of me— the 

 dry grass, leaves, and sticks would give me away, I knew, 

 unless I was very careful. I done my best and* got down 

 within one hundred yards, peeped over a big log to see my 

 gams. I saw lum quietly fcrewsing away as if eld' i irtsv and 

 I were not within fifty miles of him. * I glanced around to 

 see if I could get; any closer. You know that I can kill a 

 deer every time at a hundred yards, but I had a leetle rather 

 be a little closer. A large leaning tree stretched aeross 1k- 

 tween me and the buck, about thirty feet high and about 

 fifty feet from the deer. I saw a slight motion on this tree, 

 and looking up, I saw the biggest painter (panther) these bot- 

 toms ever saw— look at his hide— just ready to spring on the 

 buck ; bis tail ,vas sh.gh 1;. swinging— the" motion that 1 sa 

 He was crouching slightly, quartering aeross (he tree. 1 

 cocked old Betsy as she came up to *my shoulder. At the. 

 click of fhe gun the buck raised his head, and I and the 

 Breda ie tnej sr, the painter at ihe buck's. 

 unci i fiquar tliroagn ihe p&intK'e tieorth When old 



fo| SIIOVVII,-,!,. ■ 



