104 
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FOREST AND STREAM, 
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[Smrm, 4, 1884. 
set out for Sheldrake Island on a Friday afternoon about the 
last of August, with the intention of returning on Saturday 
evening, But our plans had ‘‘gane agley.” The entire 
manuer of this miscarriage shall be niade manifest further on. 
My little Milicite birch was looked on very scornfully by 
the dwellers on the boisterous Miramichi, who were accus- 
tomed to seeing only the huge sea-going canoes of their Mic- 
mac Indians, and who regarded even these outrageously 
safe craft as little less than criminally perilous. My dainty 
Milicite, in which they saw me put out in the roughest 
weather, they consolingly designated as my coffin. No 
adult native of Chatham, with the exception of one or two 
young ladies, who were looked upon as reckiegsness incar- 
nate, could be induced to set foot within its slender sides, 
and when two or three plucky boys, with the true cande- 
man’s fibre to their spirits, became my disciples and with me 
danced upon the big waves in the teeth of the characteristic 
nor’easters, a cry went up that I was about to sacrifice the 
Tairest promise of the town on the altar of my hobby god; 
but my idol called for no such perpetration, It is a gentle 
god, 
For the trip now under consideration, however, I had no 
neophyte for companion. ©. is not a swimmer, nor is hea 
thoroughly skilled canoeist, but he has ridden the great geen 
billows of the Newfoundland Banks in his dory, and is 
therefore not timorous in rough water. We paddled off 
arabout four o'clock of a sunny and windless afternoon, 
and kept down along the southern shore. Occasionally, when 
passing likély ground,we landedand bagged a snipe or two. 
When a light head wind arose, with a salt tang in its breath, 
caught of the green gulf waves from which it blew, our 
blood bounded yigorously, and we faced the music with 
glee, making as good time as before. On the flat beaches at 
Black Brools, as the sun was getting low and the shadows 
Jong, we knocked down a few yellow-legs. As we drew 
under a lofty cliff, from the summit of which projected a 
thick growth of mingled birch and yines, the laugh of a 
great crested kingfisher rang out above us, and as we looked 
up the bird launched itself headlong for the water close he- 
hind us, J had just time to prepare for a scornful smile, 
as 1 saw ©. toss up his barrels, when the splendid bird 
reached the water—‘'a mass of fluttering feathers.” 
“Never more 
Shall the lake glass her, flying o’er.”* 
lt was a fine shot, sudden as thought, full over the 
shoulder. C. wanted the bird ssa specimen, But I felt a 
sentimental sorrow for the handsome fisher, which in no way 
interfered with my deadly purpose, or with the accuracy of 
my aim, when, afew minufes later, we passed under a voyag- 
ing duck. ¥ df 
All this time we had been cruising alongshore, but as the 
sun sank behind the low hills of the Northwest Branch, and 
the broad patches of rose which overspread the whole sky 
began to pale into a chilly ashen green, we turned our prow 
toward the island, which lay about two miles below us and 
then over a league out from shore. Having been forthe last 
half hour or more under the lee of Point Cheval, we had not 
noticed that the light head wind had developed to a strong 
gale, but we found out this fact presently. Almost before 
we had time to realize 1t we were contending against a wind 
and sea which gaye the tiny birch all she could do, in the 
direction we were traveling. We fell equal to the contest, 
however, with our canoe well balanced, a tough arm at the 
bow and a steady wrist at the stern, and got over another half 
mile without swerving from the course wehad chosen. But 
by this time night had gathered down Yaw and gray, the 
wind had greatly increased in violence, sweeping fiercely and 
steadily from the open gulf, and we dared no longer flout the 
dangerous seas with half our broadside as we had heen doing. 
We had to put the craft nearly bow on. giving the seas just 
as little of her quarter as would enable us to make the lower 
end of the island, thus adding nearly two miles to our diffi- 
eult way. Then a half hour of silent labor, teeth set, fingers 
numb, my steering wrist feeling ready to snap like an over- 
tense steel spring, and ©, said, ‘‘Old man, don’t you think it 
would be as satisfactory if we were out of this?” 
“Um-m,” said I; “‘blaze away. I can’t hold her head up 
alone.” And ©., with back bowed and head thrust forward, 
doggedly resumed his sinewy surges upon the bow paddle. 
At one moment we would have a very good view of the 
shadowy bulk of the island to our left; and the next from 
the trough of the sea we could mark only the white, 
angry crests of the waves about us. Frigid as were our 
fingers, our bodies were drenched with perspiration, as well 
as by the flying spume-flakes. We had no care for conyer- 
sational duties at that time. In fact, a casualobserver might 
have called our silence morose. But at last we got near 
enough the lower end of the island to find that a landing 
there was utterly impossible. The shores were high and 
rocky, lashed with surf, and an attempt to land would cer- 
tainly mean shipwreck. Besides, 1 was not a swimmer. 
We gathered our breath and our vim, and just upon the 
duwnward slope of a good, substantial, unbroken billow we 
brought her round, with most nimble speed and some trepid- 
alion; and were swiftly speeding up the island coast just 
outside the surf fringe. The little Milicite rode like a duck, 
behaving exquisitely, so that I almost forgot our peril in ny 
pride. My wrist felt now asif it were within a white-hot 
iron bracelet, with the prolonged strain of holding the craft 
steady against the brutal twist which every curling wave 
delivered her. At last we crowded round the head of tue 
island, stole into a little sandy cove where no wind was, 
thrust in among a quiet family of bulrushes, and lay back 
in our places with a long sigh of relief. We wanted to stay 
ust where we were; and I believe the unspoken thought oc- 
urred to both of us that we might manage to sleep right 
here. But a few minutes’ rest restored us to a our normal 
ondition nearly. 
The first thing that aroused us was a timely visit from an 
uuaccounted-for autumnal contingency of mosquitoes. We 
had regarded the mosquitoes as defunct, as now lying afar 
off peacefully in the seclusion of their nameless graves; but I 
think we must have been mistaken. No ghost, unless it 
were the vampire which feasted upon our forefathers, was 
ever half so definite and incisive in his visitation, We arose, 
shouldered our vessel and our dmpedimenta, and moved in- 
and. We wade a smoky fire and reveled in the smoke, 
warmed our tea and diank it, demolished too large a part of 
our knapsacks, taking no thought whatever for the morrow, 
nd then pitched our tent on a patch of dry, elastic sward, 
We slept well that first night on Sheldrake Island. 
When we turned back our tent-flaps the next morning, and 
rawled forth, yawning and stretching, into the crisp air, 
we needed not to glance off-shore to tell us that the wind still 
held high revel. Wecould hear the roll and beat of the surge 
beyond our sheltering point. We could see the trees on the 
higher ground of the island swaying and tossing heavily, 
And the whole distance between us and the nearer shore, a 
reach of treacherous shoals, navigable only in still weather 
and for very light craft, was whipped into a mad ferment 
of sand and weeds and dingy foam. It was a very poor 
lookout for us, 4s far as our hopes of sport were concerned; 
and noting the businesslike pertinacity and inexorable energy 
of the wind, we thought, aghast, that possibly it had wnder- 
faken a whole week's contract. We made an economical 
not to'say parsimonious, breakfast, and were most sparing 
of our—raspberry vinegar. But we mdulged in a liberal 
desseri. of blueberries, which grew by our very tent door, 
©,, being a Newfoundlander, persisted nm calling these harm- 
less little berries “hurts” (whorts), 
Then we started to make a detour of the island, and tra- 
versed a small reedy marsh, wherein we put up several 
snipe. C, bagged his birds, but I was a little off my aim 
and missed two easy shots in succession. But no sign of 
ducks far or near, A flock of sandrail ran before us, a 
puff of feathers, a flicker of gray and brown and fled down 
the sheltered beach with a soft din of tiny cries. So we 
moved on till we reached the rocky northeast extremity of 
the island, climbed around the point, above the roar and 
tumult of the surges, drove seaward a solitary cormorant 
and monopolized his airy perch, the wind singing keenly in 
our ears. We scanned the broad expanse of wild waters 
which we had crossed the night before and we congratulated 
ourselves anew, Between our island and Point Cheval, 
sparkling like liye emerald in the sunlit distance, and thence 
down as far as the eye could see toward the open gulf, we 
counted eight square-rigeed ships racing in before the gale 
for Chatham harber. ‘Then we made our way back by the 
windy shore to our starting point, but nothing saw we of 
eame, By this time we desired to set out for home, accord- 
ing to our original plans, but the wind and sea derided us 
hugely when we mildly suggested the idea, We were rav- 
enous in this bracing air, so we finished our provisions com- 
pletely, gnawing our beef bone toa beautiful whiteness. A 
dessert of blueberries followed, and then we wandered inland, 
passing from side to side and from end to end of the island 
through its tangled heart, Still no more game, not so much 
éven as 4 squirrel, and when, toward sundown, the ducks 
began to fly past, they gave our ‘prison a wide berth. We 
eroaned and gnashed our too-unoccupied teeth, built a fire in 
a sheliered nook, and spitted the few birds we had shot. 
How delicious the one duck tasted, and those round-belhed 
snipe. We cast longing eyes even upon the feathers; but we 
saved the two yellowlegs for next morhing’s breakfast, 
Tt was passing well that we did so, for we awoke to find 
the wind still supreme. It was Sunday morning, and we 
eat our tivo slim yellowlegs with thankful lips, but most 
ungratified stomachs. C. swallowed his bird whole, and 
then sat glaring af mine, but I rolled the morsel under 
my tougue, inhaled the perfume of it, and so managed to 
make a long, if not avery square, meal. We decided that 
we might as well take things easily, as it was Sunday, so we 
Jaid away our guns and strolled out among the blueberry 
bushes. Wespent some happy hours also devouring the dry 
and gvitty pigeon berries and the acrid iron-wood berries, 
till our inner men groaned bitterly over such unaccustomed 
dieting. Still the wind raged. Then we caught the whistle 
of a snipe not far off, and straightway our Sunday scruples 
were forgotten; went for our guns and set out upon the war 
path. Two moré snipe, which fell before us, and soon after 
disappeared asif by magic, Ithink they were snipe, but 
we did nof stop to inquire too closely. We eat them and 
cried for more, As more were not forthcoming, however, 
we fot up a game of quoits with flat stones, and when tired 
of that rolled back and smoked upon the warm sand, chew- 
ing beach-grass roots, and taking a malignant satisfaction in 
sharp criticism of our best friends. The wird could not 
touch us in this drowsy cove; the sun and sand were sweetly 
soft about us; a tiny thistle bird—too small to be eaten— 
came and twittered to us from the seedy top of a swaying 
rush, so about four in the afternoon we fell asleep. 
Tt was a little after five when we awoke, and behold, the 
wind had half abated. The seas were still running high, 
the breeze was still no mere capful; but we decided that the 
passage was possible, so we undertook it as speedily as we 
could get our canoe loaded. By heading diagonally toward 
the northern shore, we kept as long as possible under the lee 
of the island, and by the time we were clear of its protection 
ihe wind had still further gone down, The waves rose 
mightily before us, they towered up behind us as if to over- 
whelm us entirely; but the brave little birch ever lifted 
herself just foo soon for them, and rode merrily without 
shipping a drop. We set our sprit-sail, and ran with a speed 
so gay that we almost forgot our hunger in the splendid ex- 
citement of it all, We ran near enough to a big Liverpool 
ship to receive the mingled jeers and astonished congratula- 
tions of the crew, who fried to persuade us to come aboard 
und save two funerals. We laughed loud and sped on. The 
run to our wharf at Muirhead’s slip, in Chatham, was made 
in two hours, and the heavy-eyed tobacco-chewing idlers, 
who hung over the wharf posts to watch our return, greeted 
us with gloomy Se har We had failed again to verity 
tlieix predictions, and hence could not expect any popularity, 
Gameless, but still game, we arrived. The next step we 
took is told in the beginning of this chapter, and the final 
one, quite to the satisfaction of all concerned, was connected 
With pipes, easy chairs, and brilliant, if somewhat egotistical 
discourses for the benefit of a sclect and admiring (female) 
audience, Onarins G. D. Ropers. 
TORONTO. 
A Bre Buck Srun.—Boston Highlands, Aug. 40,—Hditor 
Forest and Stream: The old adage holds good in many in- 
stances, that “‘One story’s good fill another one’s told.” 
Permit us, through the columns of your valuable paper, to 
suggest to “Special,” your Boston correspondent, that a 
little investigation would haye prevented his indignant re- 
marks in your issue of Aug. 28. On the morning of our 
return from the North Woods, a short time since, thinking 
to play a joke upon one of our neighbors, one of us procured 
a cut or picture of a ‘buck with budding horns,” about an 
inch in length, and tacking it on the top of a sinall stick, 
secured the stick in the center of a large box, which was 
sent by express to the aforesaid neighbor. He opened the 
box with glittering eyes and watering mouth only to find 
himseif sold. Hastily donning hat and coat, he made his 
way down town to the office of our local paper, and after 
several hours of arduous labor produced a most thrilling 
story of our (the dudes’) adventures in the Adirondack woods 
with a ferocious buck. Hoping that “Special” will take our 
correction in a kindly spirit, we would advise him not to 
believe all he sees in the papers, especially about election 
time,—ONE OF THE DUDES, 
dlatnyal History. 
ANIMAL LIFE IN THE GULF STREAM, 
URING the summer cruise of the U. 8, Fish Oommis- 
_ sion steamer Albatross many interesting animals in- 
habiting the surface in the Gulf Slream were encountered, 
We found cuttlefish in abundance, leaping out of the water 
as they are chased by swordfish, dolphins and other enemies, 
We were constantly accompanied by large schools of the 
animals, attracted by the brilliant lights and food thrown 
overboard, Swimming backward and forward with equal 
ease and rapidity, it is difficult to capture them, ordinary 
squid jigs being of no service. Many devices were tried, and 
finally we succeeded in capturing them by means of an in- 
geniously constructed spear. Whenever surprised, ?ts inky 
fiuid was forced into the water, enveloping it in 4 cloudy, 
protective mass of water. By means of its finlike tail for- 
ward motion is procured, and by forcing water through 4 
tube opening near the mouth itis propelled backward. This 
curious animal is classed by naturalists among the mollusks 
or shellfish, though, unless carefully studied, no resemblance 
between it and an oyster or clam can be seen. “There are 
two large, prominent eves, and its mouth is armed with a 
horny peak very much like a parrot’s bill. With this it can, 
no doubt, prove itself a dangerous enemy 10 marine animals. 
Ten feelers or arms, armed with strong suckers, are arranged 
around the mouth. HEyen in this form an embrace from the 
creature’s arms, small though they be, is quite painful. How 
much more so must it be in the giant squid, or devilfish, of 
the North, which is often forty fect Jong. In this case the 
suckers are sometimes two inches in diameter, and when 
worked bythe powerful muscles of the devilfish, painful 
wounds can he produced. 
From the earliest times fabulous accounts of a creature like 
this have been circtlated, but it is within a dozen years that 
accurate observations have been made proving the existence 
of such animals. Until 1870 it was regarded as a myth by 
naturalists, even as the sea serpent is regarded by many sci- 
entists. Victor Hugo, in his ‘'Toilers of the Sea,” gives a 
good picture but very poor description of this gigantic in- 
habitant of the sea. He confuses the name of poulp with 
polyp, and im his description makes an animal having char- 
acteristics of both the polyp and devilfish. He ealls them 
Oephaloptera tor Cephalopoda, the former being a species of 
ray called devilfish, the latter being the name for the cuttle- 
fish. There are gigantic octopi in the Southern waters 
which furnish food for the sperm whale, it biting a piece 
from the soft body ag it passes along. The Northern deyil- 
fish is not a true octopus, the latter having only eight arms. 
A swordfish captured during the voyage was found to 
have in its stomach over thirty eyes and twenty beaks of the 
small cuttlefish, together with a few partly digested indi- 
viduals. Swordfish and sharks are natural enemies, many 
accounts of desperate encounters between them being re- 
corded. The swordfish is a bad enemy to encounter, using 
its sword with such force. One will often drive its sword 
through a boat’s bottom, leaying it in a leaking condition if 
the sword is withdrawn, but it frequently is broken off and 
left into the bottom, It is very pugnacious and furious 
when wounded, one case being on record where it struck a 
vessel twenty times. At times they are quite abundant on 
all sides, lying on surface with their dorsal fins projecting 
above. 
One day a sailor speared a dolphin, much to our surprise, 
for, allhough there had been a school about for days, they 
seldom came near enough to be speared, staying usually 
many feet below. Viewed through the deep azure blue 
water of the Gulf Stream, the different colors of their body 
reflected in the sunlight, and again in the electric light, were 
beautiful to an extreme degree. At last, one venturing too 
near the surface, received its fatal blow, and was suceess- 
fully bronght on deck. 41 had often heard of the changing 
colors of a dying dolphin, and now 1 was to witness it for 
the first time. No one can exaggerate the weird beauty of 
the sight, as the fish in its last struggle changes through all 
its various colors. One can eyen seé the colors disappear to 
be followed by others. Beginning at the head, they seem 
to sweep as a wave over the body. Blue gives place to white, 
then a light yellow, which changes to a golden, this bemg 
followed by a copper-colored tint; and so on through all con- 
ceivable hues, until the end having come, change is inter- 
rupted in its course, and two tints are leit in possession of 
the body, one in the act of disappearing, the other about to 
spread itself over the body. That portion exposed to sun- 
light changes more rapidly, the under side being less gor- 
geous. The power of changing colot to adapt itself to ei 
Gumstances is woll illustrated here in the dolphin, where it 
is well developed. ; 
Quttlefishes haye another enemy, this time belonging to the 
feathery tribe. Stormy petrels or Mother Cary’s chickens 
follow the outbound vessel in large flocks as soon as if is out 
of sight of land, and remain with it until land is again 
sighted, unless a violent stotm drives them away, Flying 
along the surface they dart down and peck a piece from the 
body of a cuttlefish; but their food is in a great measure com 
posed of refuse thrown from the ship. Hovering over the 
food in such a peculiar manner by patting the water with 
its webbed feet and quickly flapping its wings, it appears to 
stand on the water, and following the food as it is drifted 
along by the current it seems to walk along. Sailors have 
a great superstition coucerming this bird, fearing some great 
calatityif they are wantonly injured. They are very tame, 
flying very near the vessel, and at times even alighting m the 
rigging. Attracted by the lights they often flew against the 
house and dropped senseless to the deck. These birds must. 
have a very short and irregular breeding period, for they are 
always to be found on the high seas far from land. Probably 
they go in groups at different times, and quickly rearmg a 
brood, return to the sea. oe ) 
Physalia, the Portuguese man-of-war, with its beautiful 
blue fioat, may be seen on all sides. The float filled with air 
serves to keep the animal on the surface, and by the wind 
to bear it from place to place. It is a most curious animal 
or cluster of animals, I should say, for itis now considered 
to be a group of individuals having different fuactions, but 
working for the same general cause—that of supporting the 
mass. They say that in this group there are some whose 
sole purpose is to obtain food, some to digest, others to re- 
produce, etc., yet each is an individual animal, working for 
the good of the whole, that the whole may work for its good, 
and that in conjunction they may perform all the functions 
of life necessary to the well being and general weltare of the 
whole united colony. ‘The cluster has most remarkable de- 
fensive powers, being well furnished with lasso—cells or 
stinging organs, 
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‘4 ei? 
These consist of little barbed, arrow-like 7 
