366 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jtoe 8, 188& 



Ye who have been there knew how it is; and I ween can 

 call to mind the "first odors" sniffed in many an old camp of 

 years ago. 



After breakfast we got some lumber from our nest door 

 neighbor, young Benway, eighty rods above, and fixed up 

 the kitchen, A substantial table, ten feet long, was con- 

 structed, on each end of which was placed one of the pack- 

 ing boxes to serve as a cuphoard. The twelve by sixteen 

 feet fly was stretched over this; and just outside, the little 

 camp stove was set up, and within reach of it we contrived 

 another table for the especial comfort of Frank and his pans 

 and dishes. The spreading branches of half a dozen or more 

 low cedars cast their cool shadows over our dining room the 

 whole day, and standing in the shade of one of these after it 

 was all finished, old Dan pronounced it "a fine blending of 

 nature and art, with nature a good length in the lead" (Dan's 

 a lover of the horse); and Prank ventured the opinion that 

 it was ' 'the boss" of all the summer kitchens in Michigan. 

 A husce bundle of feathers from Benway's haystack made 

 fragrant beds for the tent3, and we only waited for Jim and 

 the Scribe to take their places at our festive (pine) board to 

 have the family complete. Last of all, we cut a cedar sap- 

 ling, trimmed it, and planting it in the hollow of an old stump 

 near the water, ran up the American flag, and not until then 

 were we ready to turn the camp over to Frank and go a- 

 fishin'. 



Taking a boat, our rods and a bucket of frogs, Dan and I 

 fished carefully along down the east shore to the outlet, and 

 took only two large-mouthed bass and a small pickerel, which 

 we thought rather a slim showing for a lake that was "as 

 good as any of 'em and a leetle better. " The outlet is at the 

 left side of the lake, looking south, and trending down and 

 around to the west, the shore forms a little bay — the extreme 

 foot of the lake— where Sisson said we would find the best 

 bass fishing in that whole body of water. 



"We fished it carefully, and conscientiously, and under- 

 standing^'-, clear around and back and across, and never got 

 a sign or a symptom of a nibble, not even from a sneaking 

 pickerel, 



Sisson's Lake stock went down, and we went up the west 

 side, fishing quietly and studying the water clear around to 

 the mouth of the river, at the head of the lake. 



We got back to camp at sundown, with a half dozen me- 

 dium-sized bass and three or four small pickerel, and a very 

 poor opinion of the fishing in that particular sheet of water. 

 Bro. R. and Frank hid stayed in camp and finished up a 

 number of little things that had been forgotten after we 

 thought everything was done. {Mem. — There is always some- 

 thing to bo done in a fishing camp. This is for the eye of 

 the young fry, not for the old "mossbacks" of tLe brother- 

 hood.) 



After supper we looked the camp over carefully, and find- 

 ing no trace of Jim and the Scribe, we held a consultation of 

 four to determine on what to do next day, the result being that 

 Dan and I were to start early on a prospecting trip to the 

 head of Six-mile Lake, and Frank and R. to fish around 

 camp, in order to be there and do the honors if the boys 

 should happen to arrive. Kingfisher. 



Cincinnati, Ohio. 



[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



JUNE. 



rpHROOGH dim aroades the pallid, trembling spire* 

 -"- Of camp fires float up straight among the trees; 

 la listless mood the wind that never tires 

 Drops to tie whisper of a spirit breeze— 

 And the June days came! 



Days when through green leaves the sunlight stealing 

 ■Weaves a fairy pattern on the grass; 



Days when the glad soul hushes angry feeling- 

 Days that are steps of angels as they pass. 

 Boston, 1883. John Preston Tbue. 



column of darkness, the blacker because of the surrounding 

 brightness. The birds were attracted by the light, approached 

 the lamps and their eyes were so dazzled that they failed to 

 see the framework against which they were dashed by the 

 momentum of their flight. Hence the wounds, bruises and 

 death. The neighbors say that since the fatal night the light 

 has not been so bright, and they think no birds have been 

 killed. One man said "perhaps they tumbled to the 

 racket." 



I visited another tower and learned that a few birds had 

 been killed about it within the last week or ten days, the lust 

 observed were yesterday morning — two. A boy said the 

 first he noticed was one evening just after the lamps were 

 lighted, when he saw two birds fall from near the top of the 

 tower. The birds killed were of all the varieties common 

 to the town and vicinity — robins, orioles, blackbirds, king- 

 birds and many others. W. N. B. 

 Denver, Col., May 34. 



[The case recorded by our correspondent appears to be in 

 all respects analagous to what takes place each spring and 

 fall all along our Atlantic coast. Migrating birds which to a 

 great extent perform their journeys during the night-time, fly 

 against the lights on the tower of the light houses and are 

 thus destroyed in great numbers. While for the practical 

 purposes of night migration most birds can see well enough; 

 the introduction of such a disturbing element as a brilliant 

 light, would undoubtedly tend to confuse and blind them. 

 Any one who is accustomed to driving at night knows how 

 difficult it is to see the road ahead of him just before passing 

 a street lamp or a brilliantly lighted window. If now, in 

 theirswift flight, when thus unable to distinguish objects, they 

 strike against anything, the consequences are fatal. If a 

 tower stands directly in the path which a species follows in 

 its migrations, it k evident that during certain nights in each 

 spring and fall when the birds are passing in greatest 

 numbers, there will be very many more killed than in the 

 earlier and later days of the flight. We imagine that this 

 was the case in regard to the tower mentioned by "W. N. B." 

 The tower about which the greatest number of birds were 

 found probably stood directly in the track of certain species, 

 and the time at which they were found in greatest numbers 

 was during the night of the flight.] 



lutatid yj}i$torg. 



BIRDS AND ELECTRIC LIGHTS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I observe that some of your correspondents note with sur- 

 prise the fact that the common redbird is seen in the winter 

 in Northern States. When I was a boy, in Central Ohio, 

 and -aught quails in a pyramidal trap of laths or cornstalks, 

 the redbird was a common and plentiful inhabitant of that 

 region. lie sprung- my traps much more frequently than 

 did the qua Is, and I thought he maliciously imprisoned 

 himself day after day in order to defraud me. I think the 

 redbiid winters always in Ohio, but, it is more plentiful 

 further so th. 



But the redbird question was not the chief object of this 

 note. Denver is largely lighted by electricity. Out toward 

 the suburbs are several lofty towers, upon the tops of which 

 are powerful electric lights. They are visible twenty or 

 thirty miles distant, and for a circuit of half a mile or more 

 in eveiy duection they give a light almost like day. These 

 towers are an open framework of squared timbers and iron 

 rods, built like an od well derrick, but rising to a height of 

 two hundred feet. About ten days ago one of the evening 

 papers stated that a great number of birds were being killed 

 about one of these towers, speaking of the destruction as 

 "hundreds," and demanding" that the electric lights be 

 abolished if they had to be maintained at the expense of 

 bird life. The Electric Light Company claimed that it was 

 unjustly attacked. I have since invest gated the facts to 

 some extent, and am of opinion that the very bright light 

 was the cause of destruction, The slaughter occurred 

 mainly on one night, to some extent the succeeding night, 

 and none is reported since. It is stated by persons living in 

 the vicinity, that on the night in question the light was 

 excessively bright. Birds were flitting about, twitteiing 

 and singing all night. They flew against windows that 

 were lighted, In the morning dead ones were found in the 

 nciihuorhood of the to.ver to the estimated number of three 

 hundred. Others were crippled, with broken wings or 

 otherwise disabled. The dead were bruised and lacerated, 

 with many bones broken. A wild duck was found t > have 

 its breast mashed to a pulp. In some the breast was laid 

 open as though split by a kuife. 



The cause of destruction was a source of much specula- 

 tion. The prevalent opinion was that the birds flew against 

 the telegraph, telephone and other wires that are quite 

 numerous, but wires would not make such bruises or wounds, 

 A more probable theory is that they dashed themselves to 

 death against the framework of the tower. Immediately 

 under the lamps there is no light, the tower itself is in a 



THE DIVINING ROD. 



I SEE, from Forest and Stream of May 4, that the "di- 

 vining rod" matter will not rest. A writer in that num- 

 ber of the paper says in effect that the ' 'fool-killer" should 

 take in hand all those who profess to believe in it. That is 

 right. Let's stir the divining rod men up. and make them 

 speak for themselves. I, for one, cannot say that I believe 

 in the divining rod business, nor can I say that I reject it. 

 There are some things in the world that 1 do not understand, 

 and this seems to be one of those things. When Franklin 

 first broached his ideas in regard to electricity, there were no 

 doubt a great many people who thought him a fit subject for 

 the "fool- killer;" bo with regard to" Watts and Fulton; so 

 with regard to Morse. I have observed so many strange 

 things connected with the subtle forces of nature that lam 

 very slow to cry "fool," "fooll" about any new thing that I 

 see or hear of. It has often happened that millions cried 

 "fool," "fooll" when the only wise man in the crowd was 

 the solitary one against whom the. "fool," "fool!" was cried. 

 Thus Copernicus, thus Galileo, thus Columbus, thus even 

 Jesus Christ. There is ono sin from which I wish to be 

 saved, and that is, "stoning the prophets." I don't want to 

 be one of that crowd, and if I know myself, I won't be. 



In a letter to Forest and Stream on this subject, some 

 time ago, I mentioned certain remarkable things said to have 

 been performed by a "water witch" living in this city. To- 

 day I was fortunate enough to meet him and have a good 

 talk with him. He is an old gentleman, kind and gentle in 

 manner, who has lived in Austin some thirty years. He is 

 a shrewd man of business, rich, and personally highly es- 

 teemed, though regarded as somewhat crotchetty at times, 

 and eccentric. He vehemently denied that he was a water 

 witch, but claimed that, by means of a forked switch, he 

 could find subterranean waters, and had often done so to the 

 great joy of his friends, for whom he had performed the 

 service. He related a great many instances of this sort, giv- 

 ing names and residence. He declared that he could also 

 tell the depth in the ground at which water would be found. 



Among those for whom he had procured water he men- 

 tioned Hon. John Hancock, of Austin. This gentleman is 

 an old-time acquaintance and friend of mine, and his office 

 being only a few yards from where I had the conversation 

 with Mr. Alfred Smith, the divining rod man, I determined 

 to interview him on the subject. Ho confirmed all that Mr. 

 Smith had told me. He said he had expended a good deal of 

 money digging wells on his place, some three or four miles 

 from the city, and had entirely failed to get water except in 

 one instance, where he struck a very feeble spring that dried 

 up nearly every summer. He was obliged to haul water 

 from the Colorado River, which was a gnat annoyance. 

 "Finally," said he, "having heard a great deal of Mr. 

 Smith's exploits with his forked twig, I called on him and 

 begged him to go out to my place and see what he could do. 

 He is an old friend of mine. He consented. He walked all 

 over my ground, bearing his twig, myself following close 

 behind him. After going all over the' place, he said there 

 was no use trying to get water in the yard, as there was none 

 there to get. He then said he would try the garden. I fol- 

 lowed close at his heels. Said he presently: 'Here it is; here 

 is water, but the stream is weak; we will see if we can't find a 

 stronger stream.' Presently he exclaimed he had found ano her 

 much stronger than the first. He continued to walk, following, 

 as he told me, the subterranean stream. At last he halted and 

 declared that if I would dig right at the spot where he was 

 standing, 1 would find water in abundance, remarking that 

 the two streams came together immediately under his feet. 

 He said I would find the water at twenty to twenty -five feet 

 from the surface. I then got a hatchet and a shingle, and 

 asked him to drive the shingle in the ground at the exact 

 spot which should be the center of the well. This was done, 

 and we adjourned. I was then a member of Congress, and 

 left for Washington in a day or two, On returning, an old 

 freedman, who used to belong to me, called on me, asking 

 if T could not give him some work to do. I told the old 

 fellow to go and dig me a well. He objected, saying that 

 he had already dug wells enough for ine without getting 

 water. But I put him to work on the exact spot indicated 

 by Mr. Smith. In two or three days the old man came to 

 me and reported that he had struck a pood stream. I went 

 to see, and sure enough it was so. I found it to be exactly 

 twenty feet to the water I told him to go ahead and make 

 the well deeper. The next day he came to me saying that 



he had gone five feet deeper, and that the water wbs nfiti 

 pouring into the well so strongly that he couldn't v 

 any more. I found it all so, and the result i 

 I have had no more trouble on the water question. 

 abundance of it, not only for all uses about the hoi 

 stables, but also for irrigation when needed. Mtf^^H 

 with his forked twig, has certainly done me an invaluah 

 service. I would not have dug that well had it not been for 

 him and his forked twig. As for the divining rod 

 it looks very absurd, but I feel very thankful to II 

 not say that 1 believe in it, nor will I say that I r 

 Judge Hancock was for several years a promineni 

 of Congress, and no raan ranks higher in l'exss th: . 



I asked Mr. Smith to let me see with my own ej 

 of his performances with the rod. He took 

 marched down the livery stable in which we were 



and when he came to a certain spot the twig bei 



ward so forcibly as to twist off a part of the bark 

 was held in his hands. This he did repsatedly, and 

 I watched him very closely, I could detect nothing thin 

 looked like fraud. While the twig was bending dowuw&.-j 

 in Mr. Smith's hands, 1 took hold of it and felt its dowDward 

 tendency very strongly. 



But in one "thing Mr. Smith failed. He said he co 

 buried treasure with his twig. To test this we burl 

 silver dollars in a pile of sand, and asked the old gv 

 to find them. He searched in vain, though he pass, 

 times within a foot or two of the money. But agai 

 failure he had many successes to report, one of which 

 quite remarkable, confirmed by many. 



There were several others present "when Mr. Sn 

 experimenting with his rod, and all of us tested it in 

 hands, but it would not work tor any of us. Tbtst 

 "witches" seem to be rare birds on the earth. I- 7 



AtfSTiN, Texas. 



Nesting of Owls. — East Wareham, Mass., May 89.— Is 

 the Forest and STREiMof May 4 "Hawkeye" givi 

 interesting information about a horned owl's nest and 

 contents. While looking for nests in the Northern S«k ol 

 Virginia, May 15, '77, my brother and I found oae of Ih; 

 homed owl. It was in the top of a very largs 

 stub. A storm had lately blown off the" whole 

 tree, all the limbs included; the trunk broke off about wbcti 

 the owls entered the cavity. This accident left their DCS 

 uncovered. It contained two fully-fledged yon i 

 could be seen from the foot of the tree. How "to get at then 

 was the question, They were up some tweuty ft < 

 ground and the stub was three feet through. A 

 solved the problem and formed a ladder, by t. 

 brother climbed to the nest. Gun in hand I mou 

 fallen log to protect him from the old birds, wh 

 sweeping about with ominous hoots. Just ss he i 

 top one of them swooped at him with an angry wli 

 sang out "Shoot herl Shoot herl" I fired a ban 

 as the bird passed over his head. He let go his 

 came d . wn by the run. After a lively controversy, 

 which mysbi.l as a wing shot and his courage \, 

 questioned, he started up the t.ee again. This tim 

 birds kept away. The two young birds retreated to til ' 

 most splinters of the fracture as he neai ed the nest. Ti 

 a dead stick he poked thorn both off, and they cam 

 to the groun:' in a helpless manner. On being ap 

 each threw himself on the defensive— back 

 sented and bill presented in an unpleasant manu 

 cavity contained an accumulation of rotten wood 

 moss and other debris which together made up 

 There were two legs of a rabbit and one of 

 "Hawkeye" asks, "Do not owls usually e; 

 of their prey?" A tame one that we had did, a 

 bread too. He was a small one (Scops ado), and win 

 could fly but a few yards. We kept him at a hotus 

 shore, near where our yacht was anchored. He 

 household pet as long as he lived. Once he was 

 two days after, hearing a great disturbance among 

 in a thicket near the house, we surmised that li 

 must be the cause, and on running out there fo 

 among a lot of angry catbirds, yellow chats, < 

 mocking buds. He seemed quite hungry an 

 did not object to being handled, and was fond of ui 

 head scratched— a trait I have observed in 

 — but resented with vigor anything like a 

 " Hawkeye" has been veiy fortunate in finding o .-, 

 I have searched for years, and this spring securt 

 horned owl's eggs, MfiRGEB. 



The Hoop Snake.— New York.— I find in yon. 

 among the Answers to Correspondents that you saj 

 no such thing as a "hoop snake which can take Its 

 mouth," etc. I regard this statement us a 

 in view of the fact that i possess such a 

 ther say: " The hoop snake is a figment of the imi 

 dwelling only in the innermost recesses and uuf 

 abysses of the superstition-befogged mind 

 simpletons," This sentence staggers me somewhal 

 reading it I pinched my arm to see if I was fully 

 feel certain that I am not a "granny," but am not sO HP 

 the " simpleton" charge. Persons cannot well ju< 

 any more than they can of any other ment 

 may possess, for all simpletons, lunatics am 

 themselves perfectly sane. But to the snake, 

 son has a thing in possession, and a great aull 

 Forest and Stream tells them that it does not 

 is but one course left to pursue, und that 

 proof. Therefore, if the snake editor of you 

 will do me the honor to call at the address b 

 take great pleasure in exhibiting the serp nl tc 

 of course, Forest akd Stream will, like all i ■ 



..: -._ ~ — . «..t.li,,lr- ., '. 



P. S.— I forgot to" mention that it holds its 



in its mouth, from which it is, however, easily n va 



is of silver and I wear it on my arm. — B. B. 



Ruffed or Ruffled ?— Seneca Fails, N. Y.,Jl«* '> 

 1883.— mtor Forest and btream: Is the nan 

 grouse " derived fiom its habit of raisin- i 

 (or Elizabethan "ruff"), or from its uniqu 

 tory challenge? Chambers' Enclyciopcdi.-' 

 as "a low vibrating sound less loud than the ro 

 by drummers." The nomenclature piobabl 

 first peculiarity, but, to say the lease, there is i 

 singular etymological coincidence. — E, it. Wn- 

 name undoubtedly comes from the ruff-like neck teaui 

 but the coincide uce suggested by our conespondent is 

 tainly curious and interesting.] 



