124 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Mabch 13, 1884. 



larger, more massive aud wide spreading, and had many 

 more and longer prongs than either of these. The height of 

 a full-grown animal of this species is about four and a half 

 feet, and the weight of its carcass about 350 pounds. Large 

 bucks are occasionally met with nearly 400 pounds in weight. 

 The food of the cariboo consists of rnbsses, lichens and creep- 

 ing plants found in Ihc swamps in summer, and in search of 

 which it paws up the snow with its hoofs in winter. The 

 flesh when fat is most delicious venison; when thin and 

 meagre it is dry and insipid. The cariboo is the fleetest of 

 American deer. In galloping it makes most extraordinary 

 leaps; aud as a trotter, the slow-going 2:15 horses attempt- 

 ing to compete with him would be simply nowhere. Like 

 his useful congener— some authors believe them to be of the 

 same species— the reindeer of Northern Europe, the cariboo 

 is possessed of great powers of endurance, frequently escap- 

 ing from the Indian hunters after the fatigue and starvation 

 inseparable from four or five days of a continuous following 

 up hunt. When the hunted animal gets upon glare 

 ice, over which he can glide at a rate that would double upon 

 the fleetest skater, the hunter is obliged to give it up as a 

 bad job. The cariboo is a shy and exceedingly wary ani- 

 mal, and most diflicult to still-hunt, neither can he be suc- 

 cessfully hunted in deep snow, he being enabled to go ovei 

 the surface of the snow like a hare, upon his broad flat hoofs. 

 So far as I have ever been able to learn, it is only time lost 

 attempting to hunt them with dogs. The hounds might 

 follow the scent, but they could scarcely ever be in at the 

 death, and it is pretty well known that dogs cannot drive 

 them to water. They are, however, successfully still-hunted 

 by Indians, and also by white hunters skilled" in the craft. 

 Large numbers of them are also frequently slaughtered when 

 discovered swimming across a river or lake in their migra- 

 tions. The cariboo is still to be found in considerable abund- 

 ance on the Riviere du Lievres as close as sixty or seventy miles 

 from the Ottawa, on the Gatineau River above the Desert, 

 and in more limited numbers above Pembroke, in the neigh- 

 borhood of Black River, and along the shores of Lake Ni- 

 pissing; they are still plentiful on both sides of the St, Law- 

 rence, beyond Riviere du Loup below Quebec. They are 

 also quite numerous on the northern shore of Lake Superior. 

 I have no recollection of cariboo being met with on the 

 south shore of the Ottawa River, with the exception of an 

 odd one occasionaby many years ago; in each of such cases 

 the animals had evidently strayed from the north side, which 

 has always been their true and natural habitat, The skin 

 of the cariboo, when tanned, is made into moccasins and 

 wind-proof garments, and in its raw state is used in the 

 manufacture of snowshoes. It is fine, thin, tough and 

 durable. Frank Forester has described hunting the wood- 

 laud caribou in the following terms: 



"As to his habits, while the Lapland or Siberian reindeer 

 is the tamest and most docile of its genus, the American 

 cariboo is the fiercest, fleetest, wildest, shyest and most uri- 

 nuneable. So much so, that they are rarely pursued by white 

 hunters, or shot by them except through casual good for- 

 tune; ludians alone having the patience and instinctive 

 craft, which enables them to crawl unseen, unsmelt— for the 

 nose of the cariboo can detect the smallest taint upon the 

 air of anything human at least two miles up wind of him— 

 and unsuspected. If he takes alarm and starts off on the run, 

 no one dreams of pursuing. As well pursue the wind, ofwhich 

 no mau knoweth whenceit cometh or whither it goeth. Snow- 

 shoes against him alone avail little, for propped upon the 

 broad, natural snowshoes of his long, elastic pasterns and 

 wide cleft clacking hoofs, he shoots over the crust of the 

 deepest drifts unbroken; in which the lordly moose would 

 soon flounder, shoulder deep, if hard pressed, and the grace- 

 ful deer would fall despairing, and bleat in vain for mercy 

 — -but he, the ship of the winter wilderness, out-speeds the 

 wind among his native pines and tamaracs — even as the 

 desert ship, the dromedary, out-trots the red simoon on 

 the terrible Sahara — and once started may be seen no 

 more by human eyes, nor run down by fleetest feet of man, no, 

 not if they pursue him from their nightly casual camps, un- 

 wearied, following his trail by the day, by tbe week, by the 

 month, till a fresh snow effaces his tracks, and leaves the 

 hunter at the last, as he was at the first of the chase, less only 

 the fatigue, the disappointment and the folly." 



While we have no historical record of the woodland cari- 

 boo ever having been found in any considerable numbers on 

 the south shore of the Ottawa, 1 (kink there can belittle 

 doubt of its having been quite plentiful on the north side of 

 the Ottawa within a tew miles, sixty or seventy years ago. 

 As mentioned before, stray members of the family have 

 been, to my own knowledge, seen on the south side of the 

 Ottawa, one having been killed at L'Orignal about twenty 

 years ago. The cariboo migrates in herds of from ten to 

 two, three and four hundred^ and it is a notable fact that a 

 concealed hunter, with the wind in his favor, if he has am 

 munition enough and does not show himself, can slaughter a 

 whole herd, providing the man behind the rifle is "the right 

 man in the right place." While under ordinary conditions 

 the cariboo is the most diflicult of approach of any known 

 species of deer, when accidentally met with under circum- 

 etancse such as I have mentioned, the animals seem to be 

 completely panic-stricken, and unable to make any attempt 

 to -scape. 



[TO BE CONCl/UDISD. | 



BIRD NOTES. 



V^HLLE out on the 22d day of February, to find out if 

 V T all the quails had perished during the deep snows and 

 Berere cold of the past winter, my. dogs found a nice little 

 bevy of eight. This goes to prove that Bob White has lived 

 through the inclement weather and will multiply the coming 

 season. My dogs also found on that day a woodcock in au 

 ulder thicket. Is not this early for Mr. Longbill to be in 

 New England? Robins and bluebirds are plenty, and have 

 been for the last three weeks, D. D. 



Glenville, Conn.. March 4. 



Partridges, squirrels, rabbits and such game have wintered 

 well. While in the woods lately I heard numbers of gray 

 squirrels barking all around me, but did not try to get a shot, 

 us 1 was out for pine grosbeaks and bluejays, which have 

 been very plenty, t have secured several fine specimens of 

 males but taking no more than I wish to mount. The Lap- 

 land bunting and black snowbird are very scarce, have 

 mounted but one of each. A. 0. Miller. 



Brookfield, N. Y., i ■ 



I saw a blackbird this morning. It was snowing very 

 hard at the time, and my advice to the voyager was to lay 

 his course due south for at least twenty days. Never saw 

 one so early in I he season before. PARSON O'Gath. 



Gore, O., March 6 



SEALS IN THE UPPER ST. LAWRENCE. 



BY C. HART MERRIAM, M.D. 



SEALS are commonly supposed to confine themselves to 

 the immediate vicinity of the sea: still they frequently 

 ascend large rivers, and have been known to reach fresh- 

 water lakes far in the interior. At least two have been killed 

 in Lake Champlain.and several have been recorded from Lake 

 Ontario. The most extraordinary record that I have seen is 

 that already published in your columns concerning the cap- 

 ture of a seal in Onondaga Lake, in the interior of New York 

 State. This animal was shot (April 28, 1882) by George F. 

 Kennedy in the very suburbs of the city of Syracuse. (For- 

 est and Stream, Vol. XVIII., No. 15, May 11, 1882, p. 

 286). As stated by your correspondent, it must have as- 

 cended the Oswego River from Lake Ontario. 



All of these examples belong to the species known as the 

 harbor seal or dotard (PJioca vitulirui), which is at present 

 abundant in the St. Lawrence, fifty miles below Quebec, In 

 the Brockville Evening Pecordg^or Jan. 11, 1884, appeared 

 the following : "Seals in the SPLawrence. — Several gentle- 

 men crossing the river from Morristown this morning were 

 considerably surprised to find in the open water near the first 

 Sister Island an exceedingly lively seal, which was gamboling 

 about in apparent glee. When first noticed it was making 

 an abortive attempt to capture two winter ducks, failing in 

 which it suddenly w T ent under water and out of sight. Mr, 

 William Griffiths, of Morristown, one of the gentlemen who 

 witnessed the animal's gambols, says it was about the size of 

 an ordinary Newfoundland dog. Seals have been seen in 

 the St. Lawrence on several occasions during the past few 

 years, and two have been known to meet death at the hands 

 of fishermen, one at Chippewa Bay and one at Wolfe Island." 



Upon reading this notice I wrote to Captain Ward Plumb, 

 of the steamer Armstong, for further information, and he 

 has kindly favored me with the following facts: He first 

 saw the seal at 9 A. M., Jan. 11, ult., a quarter of a mile 

 from Morristown, and says, "We were then crossing over to 

 Brockville. It kept ahead of us all the way across, occa- 

 sionally coming up so we had a full view of it. I should 

 judge its size was that of the end of a flour barrel. Its color 

 was a very dark brown. The last I saw of it was at 4 P. M. 

 the same day, but have since learned of its presence about 

 four miles above here, at a place called McDonald's Point. 

 Two years ago one was caught in a gill net at Chippewa Bay, 

 twelve miles above Brockville, but was dead when found." 

 Chippewa Bay is about twenty five miles above Ogdensburg 

 and fifty from Lake Ontario. Wolfe Island is at the point 

 where Lake Ontario flows into the St. Lawrence, about 600 

 miles above the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 



Ortyx Virgenianus sot ist Arizona.— The article in 

 last week's Forest and Stream (p. 104), copied from the 

 Tucson Weeklyn Citizen, stating the capture of this species 

 in the Barboquivari range, probably refers to the Massena 

 quail (Cyrtonyx massena), which occurs abundantly in many 

 parts of Arizona. Ortyx virginianus has not been traced 

 further west than Central Texas, where it is confined to the 

 country east of Llano Estacado, or Staked Plains; and the 

 birds occurring there are a light-colored, grayish race, dis- 

 tinguished from O. virginianus proper by the name O. vir- 

 ginianus texanus, or Texan quail. Cyrtonyx massena, presents 

 somewhat of a superficial resemblance to O. Virginia nits, but 

 upon comparison will be found exceedingly distinct, both 

 in form and coloration. If not the Massena quail, the bird 

 referred to must be one of the Mexican species of Ortyx 

 (perhaps O, graysoni), none of which, however, have been 

 taken on our side of the boundary line. In order to settle 

 the question, it is very desirable that a specimen be sent for 

 examination; merely awing, with a portion of the skin of 

 the breast, with feathers attached, would be sufficient to in- 

 sure identification. — Robeut Ridgway (Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution). [We were assured by the writer of the article in 

 the Tucson Citizen that the birds were Bob White. We will 

 have more definite information on the subject shortly.] 



Ice Always Fl'oats. — If I am not mistaken I read an 

 account in your paper some time ago in regard to ice sinking 

 in some small lakes in the spring. I once lived near a small 

 lake where the ice would disappear very suddenly, and I 

 was told that it sunk. Will you please advise me if you 

 ever heard of such a thing? — W. L\ S. (Smithport, Pa.). 

 [Water expands in freezing, and ice always floats. Anchor 

 ice, often seen on the bottom of streams, is formed there, 

 and is held in its place by cohesion between it and the stones 

 at the bottom. The impression that ice sinks arises, no 

 doubt, from its sudden disappearance. It is* usually sup- 

 posed to sink in spring when the waters of the lake are 

 growing warmer constantly, and the ice is melting from 

 below as well as above. If under such conditions the waters 

 of the lake are agitated by a wind and the warmer lower 

 strata are thus brought to the surface, the ice will often dis- 

 appear in a few hours.] 



MANY Rattles — Mr. Grant, of our town, has recently 

 returned from Florida, where his son lias a plantation, bring- 

 ing many things which, though common there, are looked 

 upon as curiosities here. Among the collection was one 

 thing which is really a curiosity — it being the rattles from a 

 rattlesnake killed near the plantation, and the tail shows 

 twenty-nine (29) rattles. Bluebirds and song sparrows were 

 seen here Feb. 17.— S. F. Dexter (Pawtucket, March 8). 



%mtft §ag m\i 



Concerning Robins. — Editor Forest and stream: A. few 

 days since, while on a St. Augustine ferry boat, a native 

 white man came aboard with a shotgun and a bag of forty 

 robins, shot in the woods opposite Jacksonville, I inquired 

 what he proposed to do with them, and he replied: "O, 

 them's mighty fine eating, and we shoot heapsof them every 

 winter." "l looked the thing square in the face and replied: 

 "Fortunate for you, sir, that you live in the South; if you 

 were seen in the North with that bag of song birds in your 

 possession you would be lynched, and your carcass given to 

 the crows;" and turning on my heel, I inoved to a less irritat- 

 ing atmosphere. Is it lawful, Mr. Editor, to so slaughter 

 the little songsters that sing so sweetly about our Northern 

 homes? Would it not be well for a few missionaries from 

 the North to visit this section and labor with the law- 

 makers? It seems to be au inviting field with plenty to do. 

 — A. T. S. [Robins are shot in the North as well as in the 

 South. One country is not much behind the other in the 

 wholesale metkods of game killing. If our correspondent 

 wants to do missionary work in this direction, he can prob- 

 ably find a field at home. But to give a man to understand 

 that he is deserving of a halter is hardly the way to convert 

 him to your way of thinking. Our correspondent neglects to 

 tell us what the Floridian said, and this omission is to be 

 deplored, for doubtless the remarks were interesting.] 



THE YELLOWSTONE PARK BILL. 



WE print below the text of the bill passed March 6 by 

 the Senate, providing for the enlargement and better 

 protection of the National Park. It is an interesting docu- 

 ment and will well repay study. 



The letter from Mr. Arnold Hague, of the Geological Sur- 

 vey, will commend itself to our readers. The "writer is 

 thoroughly familiar with the Park, and his opinions are 

 entitled to the greatest weight. 



A Bill to amend sections twenty-four hundred and seventy-four 

 and twenty-four hundred and seventy-live of the Revised 

 Statutes of tbe United States, setting apart a certain tract of land 

 lying near the head waters of the Yellowstone River as a public 

 park. 

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 

 United States of America in Congress assembled. That the bound- 

 aries of the 5 ellowstone National Park, as now fixed bv section num- 

 bered twenty-four hundred and seventy-four of the Revised Statutes, 

 shall hereafter be as follows: Beginning at a point on the forty-fifth 

 parallel of north latitude where said parallel is intersected by the 

 meridian of one hundred and eleven dugrees west longitude ; fcto 

 due east to a point on said meridian within ten miles of the eastern 

 boundary of the Park as now established ; thence due south five miles ; 

 thence due east to the meridian of one hundred aud nine degrees and 

 thirty minutes west longitude; thence due south along said meridian 

 to the forty-fourth parallel of north latitude: thence due west along 

 said parallel to its point of intersection with the meridian of one hun- 

 dred and eleven degrees west longitude; thence, due north along said 

 meridian to the place of beginning; and it shall be the duty of the 

 Secretary of the Interior to cause an accurate survey to be made of 

 the boundary lines of said Park as established by this act, said survey 

 to be recorded in the offices of the Surveyor-General and Commis- 

 sioner ef the General Land Office of the United States, as provided 

 by law. 



Sec. 2. That all of the territory embraced within the limits of the 

 Park as herein established shall be reserved and withdrawn from 

 settlement, occupancy or sale under the laws of the United Si ates. 

 and dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasure ground for 

 the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States: and 

 said territory so set apart shall be under the control of the Secretary 

 of the Interior, and subject to all the provisions of sections numbered 

 twenty-four hundred and seventy -four and twenty-four hundred and 

 seventy-five of the Revised Statutes of the United States, except as 

 herein otherwise provided. 



Sec. 3. That the Secretary of the Interior shall make and publish 

 such rules and regulations as he may deem necessary and proper for 

 the management and care of the Park, especially for the preservation 

 from injury or spoliation of all timber, mineral deposits, natural 

 curiosities, or wonderful objects within said Park, snd for the pro- 

 tection of the game animals found in the Park, to prevent their cap- 

 ture or destruction. He shall cause all persons trespassing upon the 

 Park to be removed therefrom, and shall take all measures which he 

 may think necessary to carry out the purposes of this act; and the 

 Secretary of War is hereby directed to make such details of troops 

 as the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the President, 

 may require for the purpose of preventing trespassers or intruders 

 from entering the Park with the object of destroying the game there- 

 in, or other illegal purposes, and for removing such persons from the 

 Park. 



Sec. 4. That the killing, wounding, or capturing, at any time, of any 

 buffalo, bison, moose, elk, deer, mountain sheep, Rocky Mountain 

 goat, antelope, beaver, otter, martin, fisher, grouse, prairie 

 chicken, pheasant, fool-hen, partridge, quail, wild goose, duck, eagle, 

 magpie, swan, heron, sparrow, robin, meadow lark, thrush, goldfinch, 

 flicker or yellowharnmer, blackbird, oriole, jay, snowbird, or any of 

 the small birds commonly known as singing-birds, is prohibited 

 within the limits of said Park; nor shall any fish be taken out of the 

 waters of the Park by means of seines, nets", traps, or by the use of 

 drags, or any explosive substances or compounds, or in any other 

 way than by hook and line. Any person violating the provisions of 

 this section shall be deemed Kuilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon con- 

 viction, shall be fined for each offense not less than twenty nor more 

 than one hundred dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than 

 three months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Possession 

 of the dead bodies, or any part thereof, of any of the animals or birds 

 hereinbefore mentioned, shall be prima facie evidence that tbe person 

 or persons having the same are guilty of violating this act. Any per- 

 son or persons, or stage, express, or railroad company, receiving for 

 transportation any of the animals, birds, or fish named herein, know- 

 ing or having reasonable cause to believe that such animaLs, birds, or 

 fish were killed or captured in violation of this act, shall be d< 

 guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall forfeit and pay for every such 

 offense the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars, to be recovered by 

 a proceeding in the nature of an information before any Tenitorial 

 or United States district court within whose jurisdiction such offense 

 was committed; and it shall be the duty of tbe district attorney of 

 the United States for such Territory or district to institute and prose- 

 cute said proceeding in the name of the United States, the amount 

 collected from the party offending to be paid into the treasury of the 

 United States. 



Sec. 5. That the Secretary of the Interior may lease small portions 

 of ground in the Park, not exceeding ten acres in extent lor each 

 tract, on which may be erected hotels and the necessary out-build- 

 ings, and for a period not exceeding ten years; but such lease shall 

 not include any of the geysers or other objects of curiosity or interest 

 in said Park, or exclude the public from the free and convenient 

 approach thereto, or include any grouud within one quarter of a 

 mile of any of the geysers or the Yellowstone Falls, nor shall there. 

 be leased more than one tract of not exceeding ten acres to an} 

 one person, association or corporation: nor shall any hotel or other 

 buildings be erected within the Park until such lease shall be executed 

 by the Secretary of the Interior; and all contracts, agreements or 

 exclusive privileges heretofore made or given in regard" to said Park, 

 or any pan thereof, inconsistent with this act, are hereby declared 

 invalid; nor shall the Secretary of the Interior, in any lease which 

 he may make and execute, grant any exclusive privileges within said 

 Park, except upon the ground leased. 



Sec. 6. That for the purpose of giving protection to life and property 

 within said Park the laws of the Territory of Montana are hereby 

 extended over the same, so far as said laws do not conflict with this 

 act; and said Park is declared to be, for the purpose aforesaid, and 

 the administration of justice generally therein, a part of the count; 

 of Gallatin, in said Territory, until Congress shall otherwise provide. 

 All costs and expenses arising in cases under tnis act, and properly 

 chargeable to the United States, shall be certified by the court or 

 justice trying said cases to the United States marshal for Montana, 

 •and shall be paid by him out of any public funds in his hands, and 

 be reported by him to the Department of Justice, as in the 

 other cases in" the United States courts. The violation of any regula- 

 tion made and published by the Secretary of the Interior in regard to 

 the control aucl management of the Park, and the protection of the 

 game and public property therein, is hereby declared to be a misde- 

 meanor, and the party convicted shall be punished for each offense 

 by a fine of not less than twenty nor more than one hundred dollars, 

 or by imprisonment for not exceeding three months, or by both 

 such fine and imprisonment. 



Sec. 7. That the Secretary of the Interior shad appoint a Bliperin- 

 tendent of the Park, who shall be paid an annual salary of two thou- 

 sand dollars, and fifteen assistants, who shall each lie paid annually 

 nine hundred dollars. And it shall be the duty of" said superintendent 

 and his assisstants to reside continuously in the Park, and to protect 

 the game and public property, to preserve the peace, and prevent 

 crime: and for this purpose they shall have power to arrest all per- 

 sons committing' any crime or 'misdemeanor within the Park, and 

 shall also have all tne powers and duties conferred by law upon the 

 sheriffs and constables for the Territory of Moutana, and their depu- 

 ties: Provided. That the power hereby conferred shall be exercised 

 only within the. limits of said Park, and in conveying persons arrested 

 to the nearest court or officer having jurisdiction of the crime or mis- 

 demeanor with which the person or persons have been charged: And 

 provided also. That nothing herein contained shall be construed as 

 preventing the United States marshals from serving within the ter- 

 ritory of The Part any writ or process issued by lawful authority: 

 And provided also, That no timber in said Park shall he cut, either 

 for building purposes or for firewood, except by tbe permission In 

 writing of the superintendent of said Park, specifying the place at 

 which said timber may be cut, and the. quantity thereof. 



Sec. 8. That the Secretary of War shall detail au officer from the 

 Corps of Engineers whose duty it shall be to survey and lay out suit- 

 able roads in said Park, and select the proper location for bridges 

 therein; and the Secretary of War shall, upon the report, of said offi- 

 cer, make annual estimates for the cost of such improvements, and 

 communicate the same to Congress, with such other recommenda- 

 tions iu regard to the Park as he may deem proper; and all sums re- 

 ceived by the Secretary of the Interior from rents in the Park, or 

 arising from fines or forfeitures for vielations of the laws and regu- 

 lations made for the government of said Parle, and protection of the 

 game and public property therein, shall be applied to the improve- 



