April 30, 1885.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



267 



tottm\m §j;<ntri$l 



THE BUCKTA1L IN FLORIDA, 



THERE is no more liberal, open-handed man than the 

 average American outer, He seldom objects to paying 

 a dollar for twenty-five cents' worth of recreation and fun, 

 But, having paid his doUar, he is a trifle apt to insist on the 

 t'un. He is used to overcharge and extortions, which he 

 accepts philosophically as a necessary evil connected in some 

 mysterious way with ' nearly every phase of what is nowa- 

 days called outing; but he likes to feel when his vacation is 

 ended that it has not been all in vain. He is easily inter- 

 ested, diverted, or amused; and, if he has a penchant for 

 field sports— as he mostly has— can he kept in a state of daily 

 conteutment by a rather thin show of fishing and shooting, 

 with some rowing, bathing and sailing thrown in. 



Nearly every popular resort that I have known has had 

 some special point of attraction to which the attention of 

 the guests was mainly drawn. It might be a fine bit of 

 mountain scenery, a very fine walk or drive, good fishing on 

 a lake or river, or fine shooting. Whatever it might be, it 

 usually overslaughed all other points of interest in its imme- 

 diate neighborhood, though they might be quite as deserving 

 of attention. 



At Tarpon Springs it is Lake Butler that takes the lead, 

 and not without reason. Lake Butler is a crystal gem in an 

 emerald setting of pine and palm. In length it is six aud a 

 half miles from north to south, with a slight curve from 

 north by west to west-southwest, and has a general width of 

 two miles, varied by bays, points and indentations usual to 

 fresh-water lakes. The* bays are favorite resorts of the heron 

 family and also of cormorants, there being an extensive 

 "roost," or breeding ground, of the latter on the east side of 

 the lake. 



The bass fishing is excellent, both big mouths aud speckled 

 bass, or goggle eyes, as they are called here, being abundant. 

 The other fish in the lake are sunfish aud catties, the latter 

 large, solid-fleshed and good. The lake has a shore line of 

 twenty miles of more, aud there is not a settler on its banks. 

 As the west side of the lake is flanked by beautiful rolling 

 land, on which many fine sites for building may be found, 

 and as the land and situation are both favorable for orange 

 growing one is surprised that it should have been left iu a 

 state, of nature through all the long years since Florida was 

 first settled ; for, be it remembered, Florida was the first 

 ; settled State in the Union. 



Now, in the Northern "Wilderness, and in most places of 

 resort, that I have known, such a place as Lake Butler would 

 have at least one good open camp, where visitors could enjoy 

 a night of outing and be on hand with rod and gun before 

 : sunrise, also as a place of shelter in case of a storm, and a 

 pleasant place withal for a picnic dinner. 



Lake Butler had no such place. But, when I mentioned 

 lit to a gentleman interested in the Tarpon House, he thought 

 the idea a good oue, and when I offered to build a hunter's 

 • shanty if he would find the material he closed with the offer 

 : at once. He soon had boards, nails, etc., on the ground, 

 and for three days I went over to the lake and worked 

 deisurely at camp building for a few hours each day. Though 

 at was the sort of work I like, it was not altogether a labor of 

 Hove. I foresaw that I was very likely to want a camp there 

 jmyself, aud it seemed somehow in line with Camp Tarpon 

 son Oak Point. It was only an eighty-rod carry from that 

 camp to Upper Salt Lake, a mile of fine paddling, and a 

 ■ cany of sixty -five rods over to Lake Butler. So I made the 

 scamp in full faith that I was as likely to want it as any body, 

 and I was right. 



On March 17 I carried over to Upper Salt Lake and thence 

 -over to the camp on Lake Butler, where "Tarpon" was to 

 join me next morning for a cruise up the lake and also up 

 .the inlet at the south end of the lake. For the inlet seemed 

 ito be little known about the spring and was reputed to be ex- 

 ceedingly tropical in character, full of fish, with a fair stock 

 of water-moccasins, and a favorite resort of birds with hand- 

 some plumage. 



"Tarpon" was true to appointment; and side by side we 

 fcruised up the lake, stopping to examine every point of 

 •more than usual interest, and taking the entire forenoon to 

 paddle a little more than six miles. We had one rod and 

 one gun between us. "Tarpon" manned the breech end of 

 (the latter and I handled the rod. His desire was for speci- 

 mens; my duty was to catch as many bass as the camp could 

 use. We both kept fairly in line. He got as many birds as 

 lie cared to skin and I did the handsome thing by the bass. 

 1 quit when I had a fair supply for present use, and turned 

 •my attention to a cormorant which he had just shot. I 

 wanted to know how the cormorant ranked' as an edible 

 bird, and so I parboiled and fried the breast of this one in 

 my best manner. Many of my readers wall recollect the de- 

 cision of Charles XII. of Sweden on testing the black bread 

 which his soldiers kicked against. The grim old warrior 

 sate in his saddle and choked down a half loaf of the bread 

 without wine or water, then gave his memorable verdict: 

 "It is not good but it may be eaten." He might have said 

 the same of the cormorant. The meat was very dry, rather 

 sweet and tough. But the bird was an old one. A young 

 one might be passable eating. "Tarpon" had said to me, 

 "I'm pretty handy around camp if you let me do just what 

 I've a mind to." So I, knowing him to be a man wise in 

 woodcraft, let him do it. 



What he had a mind to do was to select a camping ground 

 under the shelter of trees near the shore, build a rousing fire, 

 put up the frame for a lean-to camp, cover it with broad 

 palmetto fans, dress the fish, and then set in to bring a sup- 

 ply of night wood. And I let him. Then he got but that 

 multifarious camp-chest of his, skirmished up a coffee-pot 

 and fry-pan, and began to get supper. And 1 let him do it. 

 Only as his fry pan was small, and I was sensible of being 

 uncommonly hungry, I got out my own, with a slice of fat 

 bacon, and prepared to brown the half of a bass, just to 

 make sure of enough. 



The motion was well taken. When we had finished eat- 

 ing there was nothing left of the supper but fish hones and 

 coffee grounds. Then we whittled a while on plug tobacco, 

 filled the pipes and smoked them out; refilled and smosed 

 them out again, the while our old-time friends the owls were 

 serenading us just as they do in summer time at the North. 

 And I remember thinking that "chuck- wills-wddow" was an 

 excellent substitute for my favorite whippoorwill. 



As the evening wore on, "Tarpon" coaxed the fire to a 

 conflagration, and then swung his grass hammock between 

 two trees, while I spread my blanket on a foundation of saw - 



palmetto fans, and lay with my feet to the fire, after my 

 usual fashion, while the man in the hammock spun me sea 

 yarns. And most interesting to me are tales of the sea, when 

 told by one who has gone in at the hawse holes and slowly 

 worked his way aft to the weather quarter, I lost him just 

 as he was dispersing a gang of rowdies in Callao with an 

 Allen pepper-box loaded only with powder and wad. 



Once during the night I waH awakened by a crash, and 

 was dimly conscious of "Tarpon" throwing logs on the fire; 

 but just as I was meditating a midnight smoke I lost it all 

 again, and when I once more opened my eyes it was day- 

 light, and my industrious partner was busy frying fish and 

 brewing coffee. 1 let him do just as he had a mind to, as 

 before. ' Nmssmuk. 



MOOSE HUNTING IN MAINE. 



IN the early part of the mouth of October, in the year 18— , 

 I was on my annual hunting trip iu the wilds of Northern 

 Maine. It had been arranged, as the day was pleasant and 

 gave promise of a calm evening, that two of my Indian 

 guides should accompany me on a trip up a small stream 

 some five or six miles to a large bog known to be frequented 

 by moose, and see what success we would have in endeavor- 

 ing to obtain one. The stream being very low and rapid, 

 promised considerable hard work before we should arrive at 

 the desired point, therefore supplying the canoe with an axe, 

 aud the necessary provisions and camping equipage, as we 

 expected to remain up stream till the next day, we started at 

 about noon on our journey. Twenty minutes' paddling 

 brought us to quick water, at which poiut I put on hip 

 rubber boots and stepped into the water to wade. The guides 

 jumped overboard, and one at the bow and one at the stern, 

 dragged and pushed the canoe up the tortuous course of the 

 channel, where there was sufficient water to float it, car- 

 rying it bodily with its contents where the water was too 

 shallow or the sharp rocks too numerous. Two and a half 

 hours of this work brought us to the foot of the dead water 

 well warmed up with our exertions. I had noticed some old 

 tracks of moose on the muddy margin of the stream on the 

 way and felt very hopeful of finding fresher ones higher up. 



We now embarked again, and with a caution from the 

 Indians to make no noise and to "have you gun ready," we 

 paddled slowly and quietly up the winding stream. Its 

 banks at this point and for a half mile beyond were rather 

 high and dry, supporting a growth of spruce, fir, birch, etc, 

 with alders at the water's edge. Nothing of interest was 

 observed for some time, but as we neared the commence- 

 ment of the bog the canoe was stopped and worked over to 

 one side, a few words exchanged between the Indians, and 

 I soon saw the cause to be fresh tracks of a large moose, 

 made evidently the previous night. After a careful inspec- 

 tion we resumed our progress, and more signs were pointed 

 out to me, of lily-pads eaten off and more tracks. There 

 was a fight wind which blew up stream, and therefore, to 

 prevent the animals getting our scent, we decided to go to 

 the head of the bog to camp. Signs were fresh and quite 

 numerous, and my hunters said, "We get one sure to-night." 



Finding a suitable spot, the tent was pitched, fir boughs 

 gathered for the bed, wood cut and brought in, a fire started, 

 supper cooked and eaten, and then after an hour's rest, dur- 

 ing which the birch-bark horn had been prepared for calling, 

 we started down stream again to a poiut where it widened 

 out, making quite a bay, with a wide margin of grass round 

 the edges. An old lumbering road, long disused and grown 

 up with bushes, crossed the stream here and made a favorite 

 trail for moose, caribou and deer to come out to water. The 

 canoe was drawn up to the side so as to be partially cou- 

 cealed by the grass, and then after a space of some twenty 

 minutes spent in listening, the Indian commenced to call, 

 imitating the lowing of the cow moose. This most lugu- 

 brious sound was repeated at intervals of some fifteen or 

 twenty minutes, and this was kept up for perhaps an hour. 



Suddenly the other Indian whispers, "I hear him," and 

 soon I also heard a rather indistinct grunt repeated at short 

 intervals. It gradually became more distinct as the animal 

 approached us, until it became quite loud, and we could 

 then hear the cracking of dry branches as the huge animal 

 forced his way through the dense undergrowth. Wheu 

 within a distance seemingly of one thousand feet, judging 

 from the noise, the animal stopped and stood for nearty half 

 an hour without making any movement that we could hear, 

 or any response to our call. Then he started off down the 

 wind with loud grunts at nearly every step, and making a 

 loud crashing through the brush. His course was parallel 

 to the stream, but as it was now comparatively dark, it was 

 impossible to see any distance on account of the shadows. As 

 the animal was going away from us and seemed disinclined 

 to approach, we" carefully paddled the canoe down stream 

 for a half mile or so, and then stopped aud resumed calling. 

 At this time he was so far away that we could hear him only 

 indistinctly, but after the second or third call, it became evi- 

 dent that he had turned and was making for the stream, and 

 within twenty minutes we could hear him enter the water 

 and walk in it. The paddles were now used with vigor, but 

 with very little noise. 



The excitement I had been laboring under for an hour and 

 a half now culminated in an attack of what 1 suppose was 

 "buck fever," I shook as though I had a chill, and in spite 

 of all I could do I could not overcome it. My teeth all but 

 chattered in my head, and I felt that in such a condition the 

 moose was perfectly safe. We soon rounded a turn, and 

 about five hundred feet ahead of us walking down stream 

 close in to shore, we saw an immense dark form, the light- 

 colored hocks glistening with the reflected light from the 

 water. The canoe was forced rapidly ahead, the animal, 

 meanwhile, having stopped to listen, and when within about 

 fifty feet the Indian whispered, "shoot, shoot!" 



At first sight of the animal my nervousness had entirely 

 disappeared, and I was as cool and collected as on any or- 

 dinary occasion. I carefully drew the rifle to my shoulder, 

 and glanced along the sinning barrel, took deliberate aim at 

 a point about six inches above those glistening hocks and 

 pulled the trigger. The loud report was followed by a 

 splash in the water. The smoke hung and spread between 

 me and ihe animal, so that I could see nothing, but the 

 next instant I felt the canoe jump and then I saw an im- 

 mense set of antlers attached to a head going down stream 

 at a wonderful rate of speed, the canoe followed as fast as 

 two powerful men could paddle, and we were soon within 

 twenty feet. 1 fired again and again, but what with the mo- 

 tion of the canoe and the excitement I was under, I was 

 utterly unable to see the sights, aud the shots were thrown 

 away. After swimming down perhaps one hundred and 

 fifty feet and across the stream, the moose went out of the 

 water, and into the alders with a rush that swept down every- 

 thing before him, and for a minute or two afterward we 



could hear the dead trees snap and fall as he struck them. 

 Then all was still. 



It was too dark to see anything, so breaking a bush to 

 mark the spot where he left the water, we started for camp. 

 Arriving there after a brisk paddle of half an hour, the fire 

 whs renewed, a. cup of fresh hot tea drank, and we turned 

 in. I got but little sleep. I was so excited I could only lie 

 and wonder if I had made a successful shot. The night was 

 cold, aud as I could not sleep, I occupied myself iu keeping 

 the fire going, till every stick I could get hold of was burned. 

 At last the dull gray of morning began to show in the east, 

 and as soon as it wa's fairly light, I roused the Indians, for I 

 was anxious to know the results of our last evening's adven- 

 ture. Short work was made of breakfast, the tent taken 

 down, and with our other effects bundled into the canoe and 

 we were off down stream. Arriving at the spot marked by the 

 broken bush, the first exclamation of the Indian was "blood ;" 

 aud picking a leaf from an alder bush, he held it up for my 

 inspection 



Pulling the canoe into the brush, we took up the trail of 

 blood that was spattered here on the mossy ground, and 

 there on the leaves and twigs of the underbrush, aud followed 

 it, winding now one way, now another, for fully a mile 

 through the sparse growth of spruces in the bog. Suddeuly 

 the head Indian stopped and listened and then spoke to the 

 other, who put his hands to his mouth and give a low deep- 

 toned blat, and repeated it once. From the woods a short 

 distance ahead there came an answer. Cautiously we ap- 

 proached and saw that the moose was down and unable to 

 rise, in fact was nearly dead. To put him out of misery I 

 raised the rifle and put a bullet into a vital part, and then I 

 had the unbounded delight of examining my first moose. 

 The bullet had entered the rump about six inches below and 

 to the left of the tail, passed clean through and into and 

 through the lungs, lodging in the breast. 



He would weitrh standing alive at the lowest calculation, 

 900 pounds. From the tip of the hoof on the hind leg to 

 the bend at the hock outside it measured two feet six inches, 

 and the same measurement from the hock to the point of the 

 hip. The antlers had ten points on each branch and are 

 very uniform; weight with small piece of skull attached, 

 thirty-four and a half pounds; spread at widest part, three 

 feet eleven inches. They hang over the mantle in my sit- 

 ting-room, and perhaps you can imagine how proud of them 

 I am. 



Perhaps I may write at some future time an account of 

 the moose I did not get, and how surprised I was that I did 

 not. Tom-Hegan. 



im[ul t§i£toryi. 



THE BIRDS OF MICHIGAN. 



BY DE. MORBIS GIBBS. 

 (Continued.) 



29. Cistothorvs stellar!* (Licht.) Caban.— Short-billed marsh 

 wren. 



This interesting but little-known species, like the last, is 

 not evenly distributed, and in many parts of the State is en- 

 tirely unknown. Like the longbill it is gregarious, and fre- 

 quents marshy localities, but does not haunt the submerged 

 grounds, rather preferring low meadows, or more particu- 

 larly, sections that are overflowed during early spring, but 

 which are later provided with a rank growth of coarse grass. 



I do not find that the bird is well known to collectors, and 

 it is only recorded iu three lists out of the dozen or more, be- 

 fore me on Michigan birds. It is first embraced by A. H. 

 Boies in his list of the birds of Southern Michigan, 1875. 

 It has not been captured to the north of 43°', to my knowl- 

 edge. I first became acquainted with this species in July, 

 1878, when an old one and some young were secured by Mr. 

 Benjamin Syke. After that date we became more intimate- 

 ly acquainted with it. In 1883 I was so fortunate as to 

 secure a nest and two eggs on June 2, at Ounn Lake 

 swamp, Barry county. We found the birds there in hun- 

 dreds, and a great many nests were observed, but the one 

 containing two eggs was the only one which was Of value 

 to us, the rest being empty. 



The nests are built in large numbers, as in the case of the 

 longbill, regardless of time and trouble, and are grouped 

 together in the tall grass and often in small bushes, prin- 

 cipally of the wild rose and a stunted species of willow. 



The nests are similar in form to those of the last named 

 species, but are about one -third smaller, much more compact 

 iu makeup and are lined in a very comfortable manner with 

 soft substances, principally from the blossoms of the willows. 

 The birds are exceedingly shy, and are only procured by 

 considerable effort. The species has the same fluttering-, 

 nervous flight as is seen in the longbill, but often flies to a 

 considerable distance. It is very timorous and quickly re- 

 treats on one's approach. 



The eggs are pure white and very small, and of course 

 strikingly dissimilar to the eggs of the house or longbill 

 wrens. In the year 1883, following the season when we 

 found the birds so plentiful, we again visited the same local- 

 ity hoping to secure more eggs, but we were compelled to 

 leave without so much as hearing a single bird. The date 

 was June 1, only one day earlier than the previous, but for 

 some unaccountable reason the birds had failed to appear. 

 In 1884 a single specimen was secured by a friend in quite 

 another quarter. The shortbill appears to be an irregular 

 migrant and is not to be relied on. I know nothing of its 

 dates of arrivals or departures. 



The song, if the odd notes may be termed such, is simple 

 and composed of few notes. It may be represented by the 

 syllables chel-chet-ohet, dee-dee-dee, or ehea-chea, die-dee- 

 dee. The notes are frequently uttered almost inces- 

 santly for a long time, and heard from the throats of many 

 birds in the marsh are not disagreeable. The call notes are 

 simple chirps. 



The wrens occupy no inconsiderable place in the great 

 army of insect destroyers, and all of the members of the 

 family are of service in ridding us of the myriads of injuri- 

 ous insects. The food of the Carolina and Bewick's wrens I 

 have had no opportunity of examining, but in the case of the 

 other species , so far as my observations have extended, I am 

 satisfied that the diet of the little fellows is almost entirely 

 of an insect nature, and feel safe in saying that they are of 

 inestimable value to the agriculturist, and therefore to us all. 



The house wren feeds upon a greater variety of insects, I 

 believe, than any other bird of my acquaintance. Insects of 

 every order are devoured, to my knowledge, not excepting 

 the wasp, which the wren adroitly captures and eats with 

 relish. The winter wren feeds in summer largely upon the 



