62 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Ato. 20, 1885. 



Game Pbospects —The prospects for a good supply of 

 ruffed grouse, quail aud woodcock tlie comiug season appear 

 to be very flattering. We have received within the past few 

 days intelligence from a large and varied section of country 

 giving very hopeful accounts of the abundance of these birds. 

 Ruifed grouse well grown and in full broods are reported 

 more plenty than has been known for years. Quail 

 are also said to be doing well and their cheery call 

 is heard from almost every flcld. Woodcock were found 

 plenty in June and the early part of July, but the wet 

 weather has scattered them, and the shooters report that 

 the large bags anticipated have not in many cases been 

 realized, although the shooting has been fairly good. Octo- 

 ber will undoubtedly bring us some good sport. 



Shab in the HtrDsoN.— According to statistics gathered 

 by Fish Commissioner E. G. Blackford the catch of shad in 

 the Hudson River this year amounted to the sum of |176,- 

 335. The supply keeps up well in spite of the great drain 

 upon it, and this is to be credited to the efforts of the Fish 

 Commissioners of the State and of the United States, in 

 keeping the river well stocked. Ko doubt more fish were 

 taken and consumed along the river than are included in the 

 teturna made to Mr. Blackford. 



President Cleveland having gone to the Adirondacks, 

 the concocters of newspaper telegrams are devising a series 

 of fishing yarns that shall not fall short of the lies told about 

 Mr. Chester A. Ai-thur's recent salmon angling. Mr, 

 Arthur's score for one week was stated to be ninety salmon ; 

 and the scribe who started the record probably imagined 

 that salmon fishing is something like sorting over salt codfish 

 in a commission house. 



Trout as Yekmin.— An enthusiastic salmon angler, after 

 a week's experience, will be quite ready to aver that trout 

 in a salmon stream are vermin. 



Address all coynmunications to the Forest and Stream, Publish- 

 ing Co. 



SPORT IN THE SIERRAS. 



BOME ABDITIONAL INCIDENTS. 



THREE days had been spent in a desultory manner by us 

 all Reading, writing letters, playing piquet and bean 

 poker, a little mild fishing and hunting, served to pass the 

 pleasant hours. During this time the "Terror" comes to the 

 i'ront on one occasion, and earns the name by which he is 

 known in this verticious history — said name being cenferred 

 iipon him by Miss O. in commemoration of his exploits. 

 He and Will vvere out hunting small game, when the "Terror" 

 spied a ground squirrel sitting upon a rock, swaying from 

 side to side and acting in a strantie manner. Creeping up 

 close he shot it, and it rolled over into the chapparal growing 

 around the rock, and dropped out of sight. Forcing his way 

 to the spot, the "Terror" stepped upon the rock which his 

 game had just occupied, and stooped down to part the bushes 

 in order to look for it, when a rattlesnake gave his angry 

 warning. It was the "Terror's" first experience with the 

 craialus, and he nearly droppod with fright, not being able 

 to locate the sound — as few people are until accustomed to 

 it— but knowing full well what it was. It would seem that 

 his snakeship was out hunting that afternoon himself, and 

 had his eye fixed upon the squirrel when the latter was shot, 

 and when the body fell took possession of it. And so the 

 "Terror" stood there, quaking in every limb, not daring to 

 jump, as he could not tell in what direction safety lay. At 

 last he saw the snake lying coiled beside the dead squbrel 

 under the bushes, and drawing up he shot it through the 

 folds with a charge of No. 6 shot, and bore it home in 

 triumph. He still carries its rattles in memory of his first 

 Interview wilh a living rattler. It proved to be the largest 

 specmieu ever seen by any of the party. It measured four 

 feet three inches in length, and ten inches around in the 

 middle. The "Terror" also encountered and killed a second 

 but smaller one the same day while out fisbiug in company 

 with the ladies, and was then and there dubbed a "terror to 

 snal^es," a name of which a partsLill clings to him, and prob- 

 ablv always will. Henry killed one near the house on the 

 morning of the same day,"" and that evening Will and I found 

 a ground ov w^orm snake in the road, and it wasn't much of 

 a day for snakes either. 



This was the tlrst living specimen of the worm snake I had 

 ever seen, aud was a great cuiicsity. It was about fom'teen 

 inches long and very glossy. It:, tail was blunt, but had no 

 shield such as is seen in the Uropeltis. The body was cylin- 

 drical; color light olive, fading into greenish yellow on the 

 belly; eyes very .small. It was semi-torpid, but after being 

 moved about for inspection, began to burrow slowly into the 

 sand, and vvitb a scarcely pei ceptible movement gradtially 

 disappeared. When the tail had entered the sand I uncov- 

 ered it and tried to pull the reptile backward, but found it 

 could not be done without pulling it in two pieces, so firm a 

 hold had it secured in tlie light sand. After examining it 

 sutDcieutly we removed it to a place of greater safety, and 

 set it free. That evening two more angirrs, H. and W., 

 arrived, and we had a merry crowd around the stove, when 

 the chill night air drove us mto the house and near the fire, 

 as it does the year round at this altitude. 



The ensuing day B. and myself went down the river after 

 trout, and had a day's satisfactory fishing. We drove down 

 about four miles, tied our horse among the trees, and fished 

 a portion of the river I had never been un before. We both 

 got full creels in about four hours' fishing in the middle of 

 the day, the very woi'st time for trout to rise. 



At one time, while standing on a, boulder fishing a large 

 pool, something in motion on the side of the mountain, on 

 the opposite bunk of the river, attracted my eye, and an 

 attentive look revealed a large buck boundmg down toward 

 the stream. I turned to call to B., but he was just disap- 

 pearing round the angle of the bank, and my shout was 

 drowned by the roar of the rapids. It had been thundering 



heavily a few moments previously, and the reverberationshad 

 no doubt stirred the buck into action, as thunder generally 

 has that effect. He came down and entered the water about 

 forty yards above. I had been carrying a large revolver on 

 all my trips up and down the river until this very day, when, 

 having found it inconvenient, I had left it at home, of 

 course. Let those laugh who have never been cauerht out in 

 a similar manner. I felt as if I had both hands occupied and 

 a fly on my nose. I had been hunting these mountains for 

 days without success, and here a buck almost walks into my 

 distended jaws and 1 am helpless. It was too "cussed mean!" 

 There i stood, spellbound and motionless, watching with 

 bated breath every motion of the noble game. He plunged 

 into the water where the current was deep and swift, and 

 heading up stream, suffered himself to be floated, a few feet 

 at a time, down into the pool to a point opposite me. He 

 was now so close that I could have cast the flies, which now 

 hung idly dangling from my rod, upon his back. He was a 

 four-spiked buck, in splendid condition, the fat actually 

 shaking upon his quarters. He stooped his head aud took a 

 long draught of water, and on raising it agaui noticed me. 

 At first he evidently did not fear me, but stood watchful, 

 with eyes dilated and nostrils spread to catch the scent. 

 Finally, throwing out his head horizontally to the full ex- 

 tent of his neck, with the tips of his antlers resting on his 

 shoulders, he took one comprehensive sniff, and turning like 

 a flash disappeared from sight up the hank. The air around 

 that spot became very hot and sulphurous about that time, 

 probably caused by the thunderstorm before mentioned, 

 although it may be that leaving my revolver at home had 

 something to do with it. For me the balance of the day was 

 without light or warmth. 



This adventure gave me the buck fever very badly, and 

 the next morning Will and I took H.'s buckboard and horses 

 and drove up a horrible road for six miles to get Will's 

 horses, which he had turned out to graze, and to have a 

 hunt. We started early and traveled up a canon with a 

 dangerously steep grade, until reaching the summit of the 

 mountain, where we found a piece of fine grazing country. 

 While going up the mountain, Will pointed out where his 

 dog treed a bear the previous summer, and as there was con- 

 siderable ingenuity displayed in the beai-'s capture, I will 

 relate it in Will's own words; said he, ' 'I was going up after 

 my horses to the same place we're going to-day. I had a big 

 shepherd dog with me, and he came across the bear in that 

 big clump of willows over there, and ran him right up that 

 tree, where he sat chompiu' his teeth and growlin' and foam- 

 in' at the mouth. I hadn't my rifle with me, and I knew 

 that if I went back after it the dog would leave the tree, and 

 how to get him I couldn't think. At last I thought out a 

 plan, and startin' in, I gathered all the brush and logs I could 

 carry or roll, and built a big circle around the tree and set 

 fire to it. After it got to burnin' good, sez 1, by geewhilli- 

 kens! if he tries to come down now he'll get well singed 

 anyhow, and off I started for my rifle. Just as I expected, 

 the dog soon left and followed me; but the fire was a better 

 stayer, and when 1 got back the bear was mighty uneasy but 

 was still there, and I brought him down with a shot in the 

 stickin' place." If the reader will remember Captain Cut- 

 tle's advice and "make a note on't," this incident might 

 come handy at some future time, 



AVe reached our destination at an early hour, and seciirely 

 tying our horses started out after a buck. Our com'se at 

 tirst lay along the crest of the mountain ridge on which 

 we were, and which separated the stream we had left in the 

 valley, from a large branch which lay to the south. The 

 view from this point was worth ten times the journey to see. 

 At one spot a pebble flung into air would have dropped 

 nearly 3,000 feet into the bed of the stream below. A sea of 

 mountains rolled away, wave upon wave, to the south, until 

 their snowy peaks melted into the blue of the sky. Upon 

 the opposite side of the canon the streams from the melting 

 snows could be traced in lines of glistening light as they 

 glided over th.e bare slopes of granite to the river, brawl- 

 ing so far beneath us that its voice could not be heard. But 

 why dwell upon it when all these Sien'a views are so grand? 

 Come and see for yourself what nature can do in this glorious 

 western land ! After a time we turned back across the crest, 

 aud followed down a flat ravine for a couple of miles with- 

 out seeing any game, only a couple of fawns. They were both 

 well grown, but neither of us would shoot them, nor would 

 we allow the dog to chase them. We now struck upon 

 ground which had been pastured by sheep, and the soil was 

 as bare of herbage as if fire had run over it. We were get- 

 ting a little discouraged as we had traversed some splendid 

 hunting groimd without effect, so we left the ravine down 

 which we had come and struck over into another running in 

 the same direction, with the intention of hunting back. 

 Here old Turk soon gave tongue, but the deer ran out ahead 

 of us and the dng's voice was soon lost to hearing over the 

 ridge. We toiled on, up opposite sides of the I'avine, about 

 150 yards apart, until tired, when I suggested that we sit 

 down and wait for the dog, as we might be leaving 

 game behind in the willows which Hned the bottom of 

 the hollow between us. AV"e both chose a soft rock 

 to sit down upon and rest, and talked across to 

 each other some ten minutes, when cr r-rash went some 

 heavy body in the bushes directly below and between us, 

 and out jumped a buck upon Will's side. He had been lying 

 there all the time waiting for us to pass by, but our lingeiiug 

 in his neighborhood had rendered him 'suspicious, and he 

 made a dash for safer quarters. This was the most foolish 

 move he ever made, for had he lain still we would soon have 

 passed him by. I instantly "turned loose" upon him as soon 

 as he broke cover, and wounded him severely, the bullet 

 entering just beside the root of the tail. He turned 

 down the ravine, and I fired again, the second bullet enter- 

 ing within an inch and a half of the first. This brought 

 him down, and Will ran up and finished him with a ball 

 through the neck and then cut his throat. At last I have 

 got my buck, a fine three-spiked one, and I am satisfied. I 

 remain in charge of the venison, and Will goes back for a 

 horse to pack it out. He returns in about two hours, and I 

 set my rifle against a tree in order to assist in putting the 

 carcass upon the horse's back. Just as we are raising it to 

 the saddle we notice the horse looking intently down the 

 ravine. Will turns his head to see what it is, and there 

 stands another buck watching us at a distance of sixty yards. 

 Will dropped his end, too quick, and sprang for my rifle, 

 having left his own at the wagon. Not understanding the 

 mechanism, he cannot use it, and by the time he has tried it 

 twice without result, and then handed it to me, the deer 

 has disappeared among the timber. We console ourselves 

 by saying that we already have venison enough, and get 

 back to the wagon as soon as possible. After an hour's 

 search Will secures the horses he came after, and we return 

 homeward. Arefab. 



A.ddress all comnmnications to the Forest and Stream Publish- 

 mg Co. 



LIFE ON THE SEASHORE. 



A GOOD deal of pleasure, to say nothing of instruction, 

 is to be got from keeping one's eyes open to what is 

 curious and wonderful in the works of nature. People who 

 take their summering at the seaside miss a great deal if they 

 fail to acquaint themselves with the appearance and habits 

 of some of the common animals that abound everywhere on 

 the shore. By taking a walk along the beach at loV tide, or 

 better still by going out in a boat and searching the shallow 

 water in the neighborhood of rocks, many interesting forms 

 of life may readily be found. 



In taking a walk along one of the Cape Ann beaches the 

 other day I saw at least half a dozen of those exceedingly 

 curious creatures which go under tlie common name of jelly 

 fishes. I have heard that Agassiz once showed a friend one 

 of these animals in an aquarium and asked him what he 

 thought it looked hke. His friend replied that he thought it 

 resembled animated water. Any one who has seen some of the 

 smaller species of these animals will recognize a good deal of 

 appropriateness in this definition. One has to look sharply 

 to see them at all, so delicate and so perfectly transparent are 

 they. They may be found most abundantly on a quiet even- 

 ing gaily swimming about on the sm-face of the water by 

 alternately opening and shutting theu- umbrella-shaped 

 bodies. Probably not one person in a hundred who has 

 seen these curious beings knows anything about their 

 wonderful life history. The transformations which they 

 undergo in their development are among the most remarkable 

 exhibited by livmg things. Jelly fishes are. in fact, nothing 

 less than the offspring of those delicate plant-like organisms 

 which grow on all shores attached to common seaweed, 

 rocks, etc., and which are known by the common names of 

 sea mosses and sea firs. These names, of course, give an 

 erroneous notion as to their nature, for notwithstanding their 

 decidedly plant-like appearance they are true animals. It is 

 not to be wondered at, however, that the mistake of regard- 

 ing them as plants is so common, for the naturalists them- 

 selves were for a long time puzzled to know to which king- 

 dom of living things they belonged. The old observers, 

 thinking they saw in them the character of both, ingeniously 

 called them zoophytes, a word which means animal plants. 

 The name now applied to them is hydroid zoophytes, or 

 simply hydroid. If one of these organisms be carefully ex- 

 amined in the summer, little bud-like swellings may be seen 

 attached to its stem. These little buds after a while detach 

 them.selves and, strange to say, develop into the compara- 

 tively gigantic jelly fishes. It seems scarcely credible that 

 such a transformation can occur, but no tact of science is 

 better established. The special function of the jelly fish 

 stage of the hydroid is the production of the elements re- 

 quired for the reproduction of the species. When this has 

 been accomplished the jelly fish dies, the embryo to which it 

 gave rise are at first free-swimming, but after a while they 

 attach themselves to some rock or weed and develop not into 

 jelly fishes like those from which they sprung, but into the 

 plant-like hydroids. These changes furnish an example of 

 what the scientists call "alternation of generations." 



I have seen more of those exceedingly graceful animals, 

 that go under the rather homely name of squid, the present 

 summer than for several years previous. In some places the 

 beach is strewn with them, they having been cast up by the 

 tide. I doubt if there is any animal in the sea prettier than 

 this when seen in his native element. The delicate, ever- 

 varying flushes of color that constantly chase one another 

 over his back and sides are not to be compared with any- 

 thing I know of, and for quickness, variety and graceful- 

 ness' of movement he is not to be outdone. It is interesting, 

 too, to watch him thrust his ten long 8ucker-tif)ped arms to 

 and fro in the water in his search for food. And then he 

 has a cm'ious way, not possessed by any other animal so far 

 as I know, of suddenly darting straight backward. He ac- 

 complishes this feat by meens of a peculiar internal organ 

 by which he is able to throw out from his body at will jets 

 of water, the reaction of which gives him his backward 

 movement. If you disturb a squid while in the water he 

 suddenly envelops himself in an inky cloud. This is for 

 the sake of protection, and is accomplished by a special organ 

 called the ink bag, from which the animal discharges a black 

 fluid. 



Though the squid is such a handsome fellow, he has some 

 near relatives of a decidedly unattractive sort. Those wierd 

 creatures, the octopi, described by Hugo in one of his novels, 

 though not quite correctly, it is said, belong to 'the same 

 order! It is by means of cup-shaped suckers just like those 

 of the squid, except that they are very much larger, that the 

 octopi hold their deadly grip on their victims,' while with 

 their long arms they squeeze them to death. It is said to be 

 quite a common thing in some of the islands of the Pacific 

 for the natives to be attacked by these creatures. I have 

 read that they always take an axe with them in their boats 

 with which to cut off the arms of the octopus in case of 

 attack. It is only in this way that they can free themselves, 

 for when the creature has once fixed his suckers no strength 

 a man coidd exert would be .sufficient to puU them loose. 



One of the most common animals of the sea,shore is the 

 little crustacean which goes under the common name of the 

 hermit crab, the animal being so called from the fact that it 

 is always found inhabiting the shell of some dead moDusk, 

 as the common snad. The little creature presents a curious 

 and interesting sight as he sits in his stolen house with his 

 strong nipping-claws, watchful looking stalked-eyes, and 

 long feelers projecting out from the open door. Though ap- 

 parently so vigilant and well armed he does not always show 

 hostility at the approach of his foes. On the contrary he 

 more oi'ten takes the rather cowardly com'se of withdrawing 

 himself completely into his shell and there remaining until 

 his enemy has gone by, when he again cautiously ventures 

 forth. Of his two nipping-claws one is always larger thaji 

 the other, and when he has thus withdrawn himself into his 

 shell he always uses the larger one as a kind of plug to close 

 the entrance. 



It is interesting to notice the reason why the hermit crab 

 thus appropriates the shell of another animal. It is because 

 the hinder part of its body, or abdomen, unlike that of other 

 animals of the same group to which it belongs, is not pro- 

 tected by a hard crust, but is quite soft. In the common 

 shore crab and in the lobster, for examples, this part of the 

 body is covered with a hard calcareous crust which acts as a 

 shield against the attacks of their enemies; the hermit crab, 

 not being provided with this natuial means of defense, is 



