THE WILD LIFE OF LAKE SUPERIOR 



123 



Photograph by George Shiras, 3d 



CEDAR WAXWINGS NEAR THE CAMERA 



In July, 1892, while watching for deer, cherry-birds were observed flying over the water 

 after white millers. A stick with branches at right angles was placed near the blind and a 

 camera, with a pulling string attached, was set up only three feet away from the perch. Soon 

 a single bird was pictured ; then two, and finally the three shown above. 



several hundred yards above the mouth 

 of Carp River was a salt lick much fre- 

 quented by deer, for the valley beyond 

 was a wilderness, visited only by a few 

 trout fishermen early in the season. The 

 animals came down the well-forested 

 stream to the lick almost in sight of the 

 highway following the lake shore. 



Here, accompanied by a colored serv- 

 ant, he was placed on the top of a scaffold 

 facing a salted log and within an hour 

 had killed a deer, using a Martini-Henri 

 carbine, the forerunner of the modern 

 repeating rifle. 



Then ensued great excitement among 

 the boys of the neighborhood, and it was 

 deemed a special honor when I was se- 

 lected to try for a deer in company with 

 the successful hunter, the exact location 

 of the lick being unknown to the rest 

 of us. 



Several days later, on reaching the 



place, I found a high scaffold supported 

 by four poplar trees and ascended by a 

 rickety ladder, the general appearance 

 indicating that it had been used as a con- 

 venient spot for killing deer by some one 

 who found it unnecessary to go much be- 

 yond the town limits for his venison. 



An old log had been bored full of 

 auger-holes and filled with salt, so that 

 each rain caused the salt water to over- 

 flow, keeping the lick continuously fresh. 

 For about ten feet on each side of the 

 log the trees had been removed, giving a 

 full view of any animal standing in the 

 opening. 



A TRAGEDY AVERTED 



By agreement I was to fire the shotgun 

 first, followed by the carbine to insure 

 getting the deer. Little time had passed 

 when a twig cracked and both guns were 

 trained on the log, ready for immediate 



