June 1, 1882.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



848 



giving the visitor a warm sliuke of the hand. Then he intro- 

 duced him La his Erisnd ind Scllsague ami EryselS and asked 

 him to be seated, Mr. Smith laid down a largo bundle upon 

 the table— perhaps the special instructions which he had re- 

 ceived from the Royal Academy. Having just had our mail, 

 and not wishing to be impolite to the distinguished stranger, 

 we apologized for looting over our papers and letters, whilst 



he and Mr. were engaged upon the subject which caused 



him to be present. Still we looked at these two with one 

 eye and heard with one ear. 



"You represent the Royal Academy, I suppose, sir?" 



"Yes, sir." 



"I am happy to have had the honor of a visit; and shall be 

 pleased to contribute all I cau to further the objects winch 

 led you to call at my room. Will you do me the kindness to 

 inform me to what I am indebted* for this opportune and 

 agreeable visit?" 



"With great pleasure, sir. [Unrolling his bundle.] Mr. 

 Ordway tells me that you are exceedingly fond of Shake- 

 speare; and I am the agent for the sale of the Royal Acad- 

 emy edition of the works of the great dramatist, and thought 

 you would be glad of an opportunity to suhseribefor a copy. 

 It is by I'm the finest edition of Shakespeare ever published. 

 It has copious notes by Knight, the very best annotator of 

 his works, who has explained with masterly skill many words 

 and phrases which have hitherto had an unknown or doubt- 

 ful signification. And then each play has a fine engraving- 

 far superior to any yet published." Here he turned over the 

 leaves of "Hamlet" and showed t'M '<''• We had seen that 

 the member of the Committee on Railways and Canals had 

 fallen somewhat from his high expectations; and we won' 

 d'ercd (at least I did) how be would manage to come down 

 without too severe, a shock to his intellectual and moral sys- 

 tem. "And you do not represent the Royal Academy of 

 Arts and Sciences, as your card indicates?" said he. 



"Oh, no, sir, only the Royal Academy edition of Shakes- 

 peare," replied Mr. John White Smith. 



"Well," said Mr. , "1 have not the pleasure to know the 



gentleman whose kindly judgment led you to make me a 

 visit; but ain happy to say that he has not misrepresented 

 me. 1 am fond of Shakespeare." 



"Weil, I thought so; all intelligent and justly distinguished 

 men, as you are, show the same" taste and judgment. As I 

 remarked, the annotations are by Knight, and the engravings 

 by one of the finest artists of this country or Em-ope. What 

 a sweet and sad face the 'fair Ophe/ia' has, the 'nvmph,' of 

 whom Hamlet asked 'in thy orisons, be all my sins remem- 

 bered.'" 



When the words "intelligent and justly distinguished" 



were applied to Mr. , he looked pleased, for we all have 



a weak side for flattery, and even Congressmen, who prac- 

 tise the. art, are not proof against its seductive influences. 



"Is that a photograph of Ophelia, or is it a fancy sketch? 

 Hit is her •counterfeit' [see the last of the casket scene in 

 the "Merchant of Venice"] I'll buy a copy, for I always 

 loved her, and never could but admire lit nil/ !',< good taste 

 when he bestowed upon her the affections of his soul." 



"Why, no, it is a fancy picture." 



"Not real! Is it possible that your edition has fallen into 

 the ridiculous habit, which is a disgrace to its fellows, of 

 printing false representations, which produce upon the mind 

 impressions which are based upon unreality? Butvousay 

 the annotations are by Knight. Who is he? for I am ashamed 

 to confess I never heard of him." 



"As I remarked, he is a fine Shakesperian scholar, wdio 

 has thrown a great deal of light upon many passages which 

 have heretofore been quite obscure." 



"Why, as to that, my friend, I much prefer to know what 

 Shakespeare said than what Knight, or Malone or Johnson 

 says. I have the Boston edition, which is good enough for 

 me. The trouble I experience is, that I can't understand 

 Shakespeare, and am not sure that the explanations I see are 

 true, or false." 



"In order to understand him you must know the history 

 of the time of which he wrote, and this is largely supplied 

 by the excellent annotations of Knight." 



"But I don't know these things, and, therefore, of ten fail to 

 understand. However, I am glad you have called to see me, for 

 it gives me an opportunity which* 1 have long desired— an op- 

 portunity of conversing with an intelligent gentleman, thor- 

 oughly conversant with the writings of the Master of the 

 Drama,, who can and will, no doubt, take great pleasure in 

 unfolding to me the mysterious reading ofTseveral passages 

 of my favorite author." 



This seemed to infuse joy into the heart of Mr. Smith, and 

 with a smile indicative of his intense delight, he politely 

 said, "I'll be happy indeed to explain any passage upon 

 which you may seek enlightenment." 



"Well, sir, 1 think the piece which first occurs to me is 

 found in 'Macbeth,' and iu the scene just following 'the fatal 

 entrance of Duncan under the battlements.' It is in the well- 

 known soliloquy, and the arch-traitor is revolving over 

 in his mind the reasons for and against the damning deed 

 which Lady Maobeth, with 'sly, ensnaring art,' had 'screwed 

 his courage to the sticking place' to commit. These, sir, are 

 the words: 



'Besides, this Duncan 

 Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been 

 So clear in bis great Office, that his virtues 

 Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongu'd, against 

 The deep damnation of his taking off.' " 



At this point Smith, who probably understood the meaning 

 of the words quoted, hastened to interject an explanation, 

 happy enough, that the quotation was one which he could so 



readily answer. But Mr. begged him to desist for a 



while, saying that he comprehended the meaning of the 

 author thus far, his desire being to get some insight into that 

 part of the passage immediately following: 



" 'And pity, like a naked new-born babe, 



Striding the Wast, or heaven's cherubim, hors'd 

 Upon the sightless couriers of the ah, 

 Shall blow the horrid deed in every eya, 

 That tears shall drown the wind. 1 



"Now, what does that mean?" 



Mr. Smith was in deep water, and floundered lustily for a 



few moments, when he was interrupted by Mr. , who said : 



"Shakspearewas a tender-hearted man. and no one can make 

 mo believe that one of his genius would have ever been so 

 hard pushed for an illustration as to have taken a bran new- 

 baby— the most helpless of all animate, things— slung it up 

 bare-backed upon the top of an old blind horse— for a 'eight- 

 less courier' must be one that cannot see, is blind— put a tin 

 trumpet in its hand— when everybody knows it could not 

 hold one— and set it ro blowing murder into every one's eye 

 with tuck a sharp blast as to draw out the water in such 



abundance that the wind itself— the fountain of breath- 

 should be drowned. I don't believe it, sir. It is possible, 

 however, you may be right. And now be so kind as to eluci- 

 date another passage from Shakespeare. I cannot recall the 

 play where it is found, but so soon as I quote it I am sure 

 your intimate acquaintance with the writer will enable you 

 to tell. It may not be found in any of his dramas, but 

 among his miscellanea." 



Smith's vanity was again touched, and he smiled intelli- 

 gently^ and graciously, asking for the passage. 



"It is this, you will see that it is the form of an interrog- 

 atory: 'Whether at public elections the votes of faction 

 predominate more by internal suggestions or the bias of juris- 

 prudence?' " 



Smith started off in an explanation, when Mr. D., who 

 who had been seemingly absorbed in a morning paper, could 

 maintain his gravity no longer and broke out in a fit of 

 laughter, in which 1 was obliged to join, and which sud- 

 denly dried up the fountains of Shakesperian knowledge. 



Mr. preserved his sober expression, and rising from his 



seat with apparent offense, rebuked Mr. D. by telling him 

 that he was ' 'astonished that a gentleman supposed to be 

 capable of representing in Congress one of the districts of 

 North Carolina was so far forgetful of the proprieties of life 

 as to disturb, by unseemly laughter, an intellectual and 

 literary conversation carried on between his colleague and 

 a representative of the Royal Academy edition of Shake- 

 speare." 



Mi-. Smith looked as if he thought something was wrong, 

 but what it was he was unable to understand. So quietly 

 wrapping up the pictures of Ophelia, Desdemona and 

 Cordelia, with Knight's annotations, he remarked: "Well, 

 I guess I can't sell you a copy this morning." 



"No, sir; my colleague's impolite conduct has so annoyed 

 me that now I would not salute the 'pretty little Jessica' with 

 a kiss. " 



And that was the last attempt of Smith on this member. 

 J_^ Wells. 



SPRING GREETINGS. 



A FEW days ago the warm rays of the sun severed the 

 icy chains which for months had bound our beautiful 

 Hebron Pond in frigid bondage. The floodgates of nature 

 were opened wide and its waters arose to their highest 

 pitch. The dreary clouds have cleared away and bright sun 

 smiles upon us. All nature is rejoicing in happy unison. 

 The frogs, quails, robins, loons and whip-poor-wills "are again 

 among us. Everything is symbolic of the new spring life. 

 The bursting leaves upon tire trees of the forests skirting the 

 ciystal lake, the sweet fragrance of the wild flowers, and the 

 songs and trills of the new birds are all witnesses that sum- 

 mer is rapidly approaching. From our village we embark 

 in our modest craft upon the water and engage in the 

 pleasant recreation of angling for trout. Out upon the silent 

 impressive lake, while the shades of night are falling, one is 

 in a land of shadows. The clouds flitting across the horizon, 

 the varied trees upon the shores, the mountain tops in the 

 distance are all reflected in the clear water beneath, and we, 

 in imagination, are in a different world. As we move we 

 behold weird and strange scenes, platoons of men, and 

 throngs of shadowy beings are moving in wild and fantastic 

 uniformity, and for a moment we lose our terrestrial identity 

 and revel in the novelty of a land and world of shade. The 

 spring is a time for rejoicing and good cheer. And this 

 spring we have much to rejoice for. In this part of Maine 

 public sentiment regarding our game and fish laws is rapidly 

 changing for the better. Many of those who once espoused 

 the cause of the poacher admit with commendable frankness 

 that they were in the. wrong and are now our staunchest 

 friends. One of the gubernatorial candidates of one of our 

 leading political parties, and the one who will undoubtedly 

 carry off the prize in the convention, is a well known and 

 ardent sportsman, one whose name has long been familiar to 

 the fraternity. The world moves and it is not at all improb- 

 able that the Pine, Tree State may yet have for her chief 

 magistrate a true and genuine sportsman, a devoted follower 

 of lzaak Walton. J. F. S. 



Monson, Me., May 26. 



Capt. Hiram MANSELL.--Hart.ford, Conn., May 23.— Many 

 of your readers who have visited the Moosehead Lake region 

 will be pained to learn of the death of Capt. Hiram Mansell 

 of the steamer Rebecca. He was instantly killed by a steam 

 sawing-machine on the 4th inst. He leaves a wife and five 

 small children. Capt. Mansell had been for many years one 

 of the most popular guides in the Moosehead Lake" regions, 

 and had, until his promotion to the steamer Rebecca last sea- 

 son, piloted many of the exploring parties through the wilds 

 of Maine. It was the writer's privilege in the autumn of 

 1880 to enjoy his society during a seven weeks' tour from 

 Moosehead Lake to the Aroostook River. His ever polite 

 manners and agreeable voice made his services always at a 

 premium, while his knowledge of woodcraft was indispen- 

 sable to the tourist. — T. Sedgwick Steele. 



Pamy $iv% ^Uckmjjmp^ 



MART loved to hunt; but ducks seemed to bear a charmed 

 life before him^ he never got any. One day one of the pa- 

 trolmen on the marsh picked up three wounded ducks, 

 ' 'killed witha paddle. " These he gave to Mart, telling him one 

 was a buffalo-head, another a pintail andihe thirdabluebill. 

 That evening, when we were ail sitting around, some one 

 asked Mart how many ducks he got. He replied with some 

 pride, "Three." "What are they?" "Oh, I've got a button- 

 head, a pinback and a bluetail." Did we smile? — C. 



Eleven P. M. We are about to turn in, when a flock of 

 geese fly honking over the shanty, and Brunt, bouncing into 

 his trousers, grabs his .gun and rushes out for a shot. "That 

 reminds me," says Billy, "of the two Irishmen rooming to- 

 gether in a tenement house. An alarm of fire is beard. They 

 both pile out of bed and into their clothes, one of them in his 

 haste getting his trousers on hind side before. After the fire 

 his companion meets him in the street with a most curious 

 expression ou his face, having just discovered his predica- 

 ment. "Are you hurted, Pat?" he asks. "No." says Pat, 

 looking down, "Oi'm not hurted, bu,toi'm badly strained " — 

 Dick. 



"Forest and Stream Btrd Notes."— A book for sports- 

 men and naturalists. Price $1,50. 



MOCKERS. 



MISS Juliet Thorpe, of this plate, has a wonderful moek- 

 ing bird. Under the ladies' training it has learned Co 

 whistle a portion of three tunes. It imitates perfectly the 

 crowing of a rooster, the mewing of a cat, and is well ad- 

 vanced on the bark of a dog. Wo hope Miss T. will not be « 

 annoyed by its falling into the habits of (he average dog and 

 barking at: fright, This bird appears to imitate f ■ <v the pure fun 

 of the thing. One of your correspondents saj time 



that mocking birds exercise considerable, intelligence in their 

 imitation of sounds. I am almost, inclined to agree with 

 him. Another mocker, a native of Australia, inhabiting the. 

 mountains, is called the lyre bird; the tail feathers when 

 erect resemble in shape that ancient musical instrument the 

 lyre. This beautiful bird in appearance resembles the pheas- 

 ant family, and is a perfect mocking bird. It, will not. only 

 imitate other birds in clear and unmistakable notes, but the 

 human voice as well. Its natural note, with w hic'n it inva- 

 riably makes a beginning, is a sharp, far-sounding cry of 

 bulla ti, Indian. It is not known if this beautiful bird' will 

 live in confinement. I am not informed by books I have 

 read if the experiment has been tried. What a magnificent 

 pet he would make with. his strange plumage and magnifi- 

 cent tail. An article in Harper's Maga&wS, August, "iH, I 

 think, gives a short sketch of this Australian mocker. 



The nesting of the birds here is near completion — many of 

 the young already hatched; but I fear this cool weather will 

 kill them off . Quail are pairing off and getting to house- 

 keeping. What a "merrie" whistle this rncrric bird has; its 

 cheerfulness is contagious. Bob White will do his duty Bud 

 raise his family according to the highest quad ethics, and 

 thereby bring joy and gladness to the hearts of the sports- 

 man, the pot-hunter, professional trapper and nigger at one 

 and the same time, providing the sun and rahTare propi- 

 tious. Dick Swtvellek. 



UBAN1TBVILI.B, S. C. 



So little is known of the habits of the lyre bird {Mr: nam, 

 mperba) that a few words concerning them may be of in- 

 terest to our readers. The following remarks are from the 

 pen of Mr. C4ould, the great English ornithologist, He says: 

 "The great stronghold of the lyre bird is the colony of New 

 South Wales, and from what I could learn, its i ange does 

 not extend SO far to the eastward as Moreton JJav, 

 neither have I been able to trace it to the westward of Port 

 Philip on the southern coast ; but further research can only 

 determine these points. It inhabits equally the bushes on 

 the coast and those that clothe the sides of the mountains in 

 the interior. On the coast it is especially abundant at the 

 Western Port and at Illawarra; in the 'interior the cedar 

 brushes of the Liverpool range, and, according to Mr, G-. Ben- 

 nett, the mountains of the Sumat country, are among the 

 places of which it is the denizen. 



"Of all the birds I have ever met with the Menura is far the 

 most shy and difficult to procure. While among the moun- 

 tains I have been surrounded by these birds, pouring forth 

 their loud liqu-rd calls for days together, without, being a tile 

 to get a sight of them, and it was only by the most "deter- 

 mined perseverance and extreme caution that I was enabled 

 to effect this desirable object, which was rendered more diffi- 

 cult by their often frequenting the most inaccessible and pre- 

 cipitous sides of gullies and ravines, covered with tangled 

 masses of creepers and umbrageous trees; the cracking of a ■ 

 stick, the rolling down of a small stone, or any other noi 

 however slight, is sufficient to alarm it; and none but ; 

 who have traversed those rugged, hot and suffocating 

 bushes can full} 7 understand the anxious labor attendant on 

 the pursuit of the Menura. 



"Independently of climbing over rocks and fallen trunks 

 of trees the sportsman has to creep and crawl beneath and 

 among the branches with the utmost caution, taking care 

 to advance only while the bird's attention is occupied in 

 singing or in scratching up the leaves in search of food; to 

 watch its action it is necessary to remain perfectly mo 

 less, not venturing to move even in the slightest d 1 \ ■■, ir it 

 vanishes from sight as if by magic. Although I ha \ e sai - 

 much on the cautiousness of the Menura, it is not always so 

 alert; in some of the more accessible bushes, through which 

 roads have been cut, it may frequently be seen, and on horse' 

 back even closely approached, the bird evincing less fear of 

 those animals than of man. 



"At Blawarra it is sometimes successfully pursued by dogs 

 trained to rush suddenly upon it, when it immediately leaps 

 upon the branch of a tree, and its attention being attracted 

 bythcdogbelowbarking.it is easily approached 

 Another successful mode of procuring specimens is by wear- 

 ing the tail of a full plumaged male in the hat, keeping it 

 constantly in motion, and concealing the person among the 

 bushes, when the attention of the bird being arrested by the 

 apparent intrusion of another of its own "sex, it, will be at- 

 tracted within the range of the gun. Ifthebird be hidden 

 from view by surrounding objects, any unusual sound, sucih 

 as a shrill whistle, will generally mducehiqa to ' ■ . I rim-elf 

 for an instant, by causing him to leap ith i i 



sprightly air upon some neighboring branch to ascertain the 

 cause of the disturbance. Advantage must be taken of this 

 circumstance immediately, or the. next moment it may 

 half way down the gully. 



"The Meuura seldom, if ever, attempts to escape by flight, 

 but easily eludes pursuit by its extraordinary powersof run- 

 ning. None are so efficient in obtaining specimens as the 

 naked black, whose noiseless and gliding steps enable h',:. 

 steal upon it unheard andunperccived, and With a gnu i 

 hand he rarely allows it to escape, and in many instanci 

 will even kill it with his own weapons, 



"The lyrebird isof a wandering disposition, and although it 

 probably keeps to the same bush, it is constantly engaged in 

 traversing it from one end to the other, from the nice; 

 base, to the top of the gullies, whose steep and nigged Bid) 

 present no obstacle to its long legs and. muscular tbigi , 

 is also capable of performing extraordinary leaps, ana I have 

 heard it, stated that it will spring ten feet ;v; n. ndicularly 

 from the ground. Among its many curious habits, the only 

 one at all approaching to those of the G that Otf 



forming small rounded hillocks, which arc constantly visited 

 during the day. and upon which the male isconsti I 

 fog, at the same Lime erecting and spread;- , I in the. 



most graceful manner, and uttering its viuious cries, some- 

 times pouring forth its natural noti litaiing those 

 of other birds, and even the howling of ;!>< i 

 (Dingo). The early morning and the evening ate the pel 

 when it is most animated and active. 



"The food of the Menura appears to consist principally o* 



