Bept. 3, 1885.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



lOB 



tag aad baggage, our birds packed carefully away in the 

 "buggy, with our guns and traps and Dick following along 

 after. Wc were In that serene mood which enwraps the 

 mind at the close of a successful hunt; and we felt addition- 

 ally rejoiced that we had safely run the gauntlet of the bug- 

 bear of our trip, rattlesnakes. 



We were more than half way home. We had reaolied a 

 point where the road wound along a steep, rocky, thickly- 

 timbered side hill, when our horse suddenly shied to one 

 side. A glance from the buggy showed a large black rattle- 

 snake lying full lengtb, his head and a part of his body con- 

 cealed in the thick "bushes at the side and the remainder of 

 his length stretclied across the road. T reached for my gun, 

 put in a couple of cai'tvidges and jumped out. I found I 

 could get, no siglit of the snake's head, but concluding that 

 blowing him iu half would sei-ve all practical purposes, I 

 fired at the thick part of his body. Up to this time 1 had 

 taken no thought of Dick. The moment 1 shot, with the re- 

 trieving instinct he dashed at once into the bushes. The 

 snake, almost divided in two, still had strength to rear his 

 horrible head, and before I could get Dick out by frantic 

 calls, I saw the reptile strike quickly and Dick jerk back. 

 The dog came running out, and approaching the thicket 

 closer I discovered the snake still poised for another stroke, 

 his wide ugly mouth agape, from which the fangs bristled, 

 and his eyes blazing like two garnets with venomous malig- 

 nancy. With the remaining cartridge I blew his head to 

 atoms. 



I looked Dick over hut could find no wound ; and 1 was 

 hopeful he had escaped. We continued our way, but I 

 watched him ciosely from tiic hack of the buggy. Very 

 soon I noticed his steps began to flag, and upon slowing up 

 I thought I observed a swelling upon the side of his face. 

 Sure enough, upon examination two drops of blood showed 

 themselves upon the hair of his upper lip, and the flesh be- 

 neath was ah-eady highly inflamed and swollen. We took 

 him at once and administered whisky, the only remedy at 

 hand. We took him in the buggy and drove as fast as we 

 could the remaining five miles." He cried out in an agonizing 

 way at intervals, and looked up in our faces with mute 

 appeals for help. 



Alas for Dicii! He had retrieved his last woodcock. He 

 died in a half hour after we reached home. Quilp. 



The misnaming of the woodcock "woodpecker" is quite 

 prevalent. Our correspondent "Graeme" writes from South- 

 west Virginia: You know we have in this section a member 

 of the •■red-headed family." Don't they call it m the lan- 

 guage of a people who never saw it Campcphilm primiprdtis? 

 It is called to this day by our old-fashioned people "wood- 

 cock." To illustrate this prevalent name for Mr. Campe- 

 philus, as well as the ignorance of many who never shoot 

 game Ijirds, about the existence of the real woodcock right 

 among them, I once asked an old gentleman if he had seen 

 any woodcock on his farm that fall. He said, "Yes, but 

 you don't eat them stinkin' critters, do ye?" Some time 

 since on our streets sat a group. In it vras our old village 

 doctor, who in the past was a crack shot and a connoisseur 

 of game birds. Also there was that man whom you often 

 find — the man who has heen everywhere. Ls personally ac- 

 quainted with every distinguished man in the nation, and 

 has played the epicure with kings. This character was 

 Schneider, the Dutch village music teachei'. 



"Tou speak about the edible qualities of game birds, 

 gentlemen," said the doctor; "in my opinion none of them 

 are equal to the woodcock." 



"Veil, dot's so," said Schneider, "dey are goot, but der 

 darn tings need so much cookin' ; but if you pair bile dem, 

 to take der stink mit dera ofl:, den roast dem mit onions und 

 hepper, dey vill sort a do, put dem red-headed tings, haf a 

 peastly echmell." 



The doctor left with the scornful remark: "Well, man, 

 you don't know what you are talking ahout. You'd as well 

 eat a polecat as one of those hirds." Graeme. 



Southwest Vihginia. 



GROUSE IN NEW ENGLAND. 



QEPTBMBER first was the opening day of the grouse 

 lO season in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. 

 It was also the opening day for duck shooting in New Eng- 

 land, hut woodcock shooting in Massachusetts begins legally 

 Aug. 1, while quail shooting in that State is prohibited tOl 

 Oct. 15. • 



In Massachusetts prospects a.re good for the sportsmen. 

 The same is true of the southern part of New Hampshire 

 and Vermont. A taxidermist of long experience, also a close 

 watcher of birds, remarked to the writer the other day that 

 one would be sur]3rised to know how thick the grouse are in 

 many parts of this State. There is a good deal of game 

 near home this fall for the Boston sportsmen, and they will 

 improve the opportunity. There is a good deal of game in 

 Massachusetts for tliose who know how to find it. But little 

 illegal shooting has been done, at least few out-of-season 

 hirds have been seen in the Boston markets. 



But in the North Woods, including nearly all of Maine 

 and Northern New Hampshire, ii is to be feared that grouse 

 are far from plenty. 'The broods have not been seen as 

 plentiful as usual, though the old birds appeared to have 

 wintered well. A cold spring or late cold rains may have 

 destroyed the eggs or the young birds. Sportsmen and 

 guides" have various theories. One is that the foxes and owls 

 are unusually plenty. A collection of information from 

 those in position to be well informed goes to establish the 

 fact of a few birds, unless, as is suggested by one gentleman 

 well posted, that the birds have not been seen as usual. His 

 theory is as follows : 



Such a crop of berries of all kinds was seldom known be- 

 fore in Maine and Northern New England. Thousands of 

 bushels of blueherries wUl not he gathered at all, because 

 there is neither use nor market for them. These berries have 

 been thick in eveiy direction. Every hillside and opening 

 in the woods has abounded with them. "The woods are full 

 of them." Other berries have also heen remarkably plenty. 

 This is very favorable to the grouse. It gives them an 

 abundance of food, and it has enabled many a brood to feed 

 all summer in a very small space without 'straying abroad 

 and falling under human observation. The chances of the 

 hroods heing seen have been lessened one to ten as com- 

 pared with a dry season and a scarcity of berries, when they 

 are obhged to roam around for food. This gentleman's 

 idea is that the coming of frost and fahing of the foliage— 

 the ending of the berry season — should hring out a goodly 

 numher of partridges. 



Another gentleman, a lover of the gun, also suggests the 

 same tlicory, or rather thinks there may be more grouse 

 than appearances indicate thus far. He says that his house, 



although located in a Maine village, is near a fine grove, 

 which is in turn backed up by a wood lol , The gentleman's 

 garden runs back to the very pines. Sweet corn, squashes, 

 peas, etc.. cover the ground from the ver}' house to the 

 woods. One stormy day a week or two ago he had occasion 

 to raise a window in the second story looking over the gar- 

 den. This end of the house is but little used. He leaned 

 out of the window to adjust a blind and heard a peculiar 

 clucking nnd then the warning cry of the old grouse to her 

 young. When behold, there under the squ;isli vines and 

 corn stiilks were raoi-e than half a dozen two-thirds grown 

 partridges trying to keep out of the rain. M obody had seen 

 the flock before, nor have the birds since been seen, unless 

 some of them fell to the gun on the morning of Sept. 1. The 

 curious part of the story is that there are several good par- 

 tridge dogs in the village and the gentleman himself owns a 

 spaniel "crazy after grouse." 'These birds evidently had 

 not been disturbed by the dogs. 



The flocks which have been watched all summer by the 

 boys to be shot the first day of the open season, are few and 

 far between this year. The way the Maine boys do is some- 

 what cunning. They are learning to respect the law, be- 

 lieving it to be best for the birds, and hence themselves. 

 But each ho}^ is "mightily" afraid some other boy may 

 know where that "big flock" is as well as he does. No boy 

 will teh ; but how does he know that some other boy, who 

 "won't tell," may not know where his flock is, and get there 

 fii'st on the morning the season opens. There is some 

 "creeping out as soon as the day begins to peep," with shot- 

 gun in hand. If a boy does meet another boy in quest of 

 the same fiock, why each expresses surprise that the other 

 knew of it, and they laughingly go for the birds together. 

 Alas! For improved firearms and a growing love of field 

 sports, 1 fear the birds are doomed, though protection is do- 

 ing much to save them a wliile longer. Boston. 



TWO WEEKS IN MICHIGAN. 



ON October 6, the Colonel, Major and self, accompanied 

 by two dogs, boarded a train on the C. M. & St. Paul 

 R. R, bound for the Northern Peninsula of Michigan for 

 deer and an outing of two weeks. This trip had been under 

 discussion for about three months prior to date of leaving, 

 had been looked forward to with great expectations, and dur- 

 ing all this time we were engaged In getting together our out- 

 fit. Both the Colonel and the Major had been in the habit of 

 taking an outing every year or two; as for mj^self, my out- 

 ings in the past twenty years had been confined to a day's 

 trout fishing once or twice a year, and iu winter a day's 

 hunting when I could get away from husiness; and for the 

 first ten years of the twenty I managed to kill a venison 

 every winter. But the deer disappeared, and for many years 

 I had killed neither deer nor trout. The Colonel and Major 

 having plenty of spare time, indulged themselves in many a 

 hunt and fish; as for myself, my time was all occupied, for 

 the reason that when I was young not having capital to 

 engage in any other line of business, like many others in 

 similar circumstances, I studied medicine. The old passion 

 for a rifle and the woods never died out within me, and every 

 year through the summer I planned a trip away where I 

 could wander through the woods and feel the same pleasure 

 I used to when a boy, but when the time came to go business 

 spoiled it all. 



On the third day after leaving home we arrived at our 

 place of destination. Crystal Falls, Mich., on the C. M. & 

 St. Paul, M. & Northern and the C. & N. W. Railroads, 

 over which we traveled. We found the trainmen very 

 pleasant gentlemen, and had no trouble about our dogs. 

 We expected to pay for our dogs, and gave the baggage- 

 men what we saw fit to give, and they were perfectly satis- 

 fied. We did not take the dogs along to hound deer, and 

 all the time we were in the woods the dogs were chained in 

 camp, except that when one of us wounded a deer a dog 

 washrought and placed on the trail; but we only secured 

 one deer that had been wounded by the use of a dog — the 

 country where we hunted was tilled with swamps, and a 

 dog could not follow the trail through the water. There 

 was no hounding of deer by any one in that part of the 

 State; the professional hunters and guides do not use dogs 

 and will not allow others to. 



We found that about every State in the Union was repre- 

 sented here by hunting parties, especially Illinois, Indiana 

 and Ohio. Crystal Falls, the terminus of the C. & N. W. 

 Raihoad, is situated on what is known as the Menominee 

 Iron Range. It is surrounded by iron mines, and is the 

 base of supplies for the immense lumbering interests further 

 north. One year ago the laud on which the village stands 

 was a part of the dense forest one sees west of the town. 

 There is one long business street, and the place has a bright, 

 brisk business look about it, and its buildings, especially the 

 school house, shows that the' people do not lack enterprise 

 and the knowledge of what goes to make a place, if they 

 do live in the woods. Here we were joined by Mr. Buck, 

 an enthusiastic sportsman, and Mr. Carr, hunter and guide. 



Our supplies purchased, we started for the Michigaumie 

 River, eight miles east from the Falls, to be gone one week. 

 We found deer and trout very plenty and did not have to 

 live on canned goods, but had venison and trout from the 

 first day. The hunting was the easiest I had ever found ; it 

 was all done "sitting on a log." Our tents were pitched at a 

 place called "High Bank," on the river, and, browse having 

 been picked for beds and pillows, we were ready for busi- 

 ness. 



The guide assigned each man to a certain place where 

 he had found deer .signs plenty, and the following was our 

 regular daily programme: A small alarm clock awoke us at 

 4 o'clock in the morning, when we had coffee and a lunch, 

 after which each man shouldered his gun and proceeded to 

 his station, where he .staid until about 8, watching the edge 

 of the swgmp for deer. The gi'ound here had been burned 

 over the fall or spring before and was covered, where the fire 

 had run, with a growth of small, black cherry sprouts, from 

 four inches to a foot in height. These tender sprouts seemed 

 to be a great luxury, for the deer browsed them, the smaller 

 and tender ones they cropped close to the ground'; of the 

 larger ones they took the branches only. Often the deer 

 would lie down where they had stopped feeding in the night, 

 and it was no uncommon thing just at daylight to see a deer 

 get up within ten or fifteen rods of where one of us was 

 sitting and go to browsing. About 8 A. M. we all met at 

 camp and had breakfast. Dinner came ahout 1 P. M. The 

 time from breakfast until 3 P. M. was spent hy each as best 

 pleased his fancy. There were plenty of trout in the river; 

 and each one, too, had time to look for a better station if not 

 satisfied with the ground he had been watching. Between 3 

 and 4 each man took his gun and went to his log. Dusk 

 found us aU in camp eating a hearty supper, with an appe- 



tite known only to those who have been in such situations 

 After supper came a smoke, sitting around the camp-fire, 

 and a discussion of the events of the day. We retired early 

 and were lulled to sleep by tire riffles in the river and the 

 beavers slapping their tails on the water. 



No deer were killed by our party with a headlight, but 

 around the Falls every night large numbers of shooters were 

 out with headlights; and here one of those sad accidents oc- 

 curred that cannot he explained satisfactorily to any one who 

 knows anything about hunting or has ordinary intelligence. 

 Chas. Bertram, the oldest hunter and guide in this section of 

 the State, was fatally .shot by a friend, both hunting with 

 headlights. How any man could mistake a large bullseye 

 light for a deer's eyes is inexpUcable. This man did, and 

 with a 45-00 bullet in his gun he struck Bertram at about the 

 junction of lower third with middle third of left arm, the 

 ball lodging near the spine. A gentleman came out to our 

 camp and I went in to see the wounded guide, but could do 

 nothing for him. In gomg in to the Falls I had a ride of 

 eight miles on a Michigan buckboard, over one of the worst 

 roads I ever saw. The Michigan buckboard is no fairy. It 

 is built to stay, and is calculated to carry from 1,500 to 3,000 

 pounds. The wheels look like those on a gun caisson, and 

 the body is ten to twelve feet long. Just after getting ofl; 

 from the cars I saw one standing in the street and asked a 

 citizen what that was. He said it was a buckboard. I did 

 not believe it. I thought he took me for a "tenderfoot," and 

 was starting in to have some fun with me. 



Coming into Chrystal Falls after a week spent on the 

 Michigaumie River, I felt as though a shave and shampoo 

 would not only improve my personal appearance, but would 

 also be conducive to my oyvn comfort, so I walked up the 

 long and only street in town to the top of the hill, leading 

 my dog by the chain and carrying my rifle over ray .shoulder. 

 I entered the shop, laid my rifle on the broad window sill, 

 and chained the dog to a stove leg. The barher began his 

 inevitable talk: "Have you heard about the battle?" "Bat- 

 tle?" "Yes." I stopped and stood like one petrified in the 

 center of the room. Here I had been for nearly two weeks 

 without seeing a newspaper or hearing any news. When I 

 left home two great political parties were contending for su- 

 premacy in our country, and always having taken a great 

 interest in politics, and reading two of the great dailies every 

 day when at home, and knowing that there was bad blood 

 that was liable to break out at any time and that acts of vio- 

 lence might be committed, I thought hostilities had actually 

 commenced. This whole train of thought rushed over me 

 in a second of time, and thinking of the hour the train left 

 next day, I managed to stammer out the question, "Wh- 

 what battle?" This answer came: "McAferty and Mitchell." 

 With a feeling of intense relief I ejaculated "Oh" and 

 dropped into the chair. He tried all the methods known to 

 his profession to draw me into conversation, but I was 

 dumb. 



The rest of our company came in just before dark with 

 the team, boat and camp equipage. The next morning we 

 started for a point on the Paint River, about two miles above 

 where the Hemlock empties into the Paint, and twenty miles 

 from the Falls. Two ladies, Mrs. C. and Mrs. B., accompa- 

 nied us from Chrystal PalLs. They thoroughly enjoyed 

 camping out, and were excellent cooks; our table had a 

 cheerful appearance, and our venison and trout were done to 

 a turn. We pitched our tents close by a desei ted loa:ging 

 camp, and the week we spent here was one of the pleas'ant- 

 est ever enjoyed by any party of "campers out." Trout and 

 venison plenty and warm, pleasant days. The hunting here 

 was the same as on the Michigaumie. Morning and 

 evening found each of us at the place assigned hy 

 the guide "sitting on a log." One afternoon while 

 here I thought I would go down about two miles from 

 camp to a place where Bertram had built a lookout, about 

 fifteen feet from the ground, about four rods from a salt 

 lick, which showed by fresh signs that the deer still visited 

 it often. Just hefore reaching the place I saw in the soft 

 mud in the road the track of a very large wolf. I thought 

 no more about it then. Reaching my destination, I cUmbed 

 up into the seat and commenced my watch. The wind was 

 blowing almost a gale, and 1 swayed to and fro in my frail 

 seat, with the dead pines falling all around and limbs flying 

 through the air. I waited and watched in vain for a shot. 

 I saw a large doe pass over a ridge about 150 rods from 

 where I sat, but no deer put in an appearance at the lick. 

 Just at dusk one of the largest horned ovyls I ever saw came 

 and settled upon one of the supports to the seat I was sitting 

 upon. I sat perfectly still. A tree about ten inches through 

 separated us. I started to reach around behind and take 

 hold of him. As I reached around behind he looked around 

 the front of the tree right into my face. We looked at one 

 another for a second or two, our faces not far apart, and not 

 liking my looks, he beat a hasty retreat. 



1 descended to the ground, as it was now dark, and started 

 for camp. When within about one and one-half miles from 

 camp, crossing a densely Avooded maple ridge, with my eyes 

 on the ground trying to follow the dim trail that led to camp, 

 I heard something start on my right and from the sound in 

 the dry leaves it went off at an angle of forty- five degrees 

 from the trail I was following. I thought nothing of it. more 

 than that it might be a deer. I had killed and hung up a 

 yearhng buck within a few rods of the place the day before. 

 I had gone but a few rods after first hearing the noise, when 

 a howl came out from among those trees, such as I had heard 

 many times before, but not quite so near, and this one coming 

 so unexpected, it seemed to raise me about four feet from 

 the ground, and when my moccasins struck the ground, the 

 rifle that I was carrying on my shoulder was in my hands, 

 however, drawn back and ready for action. About forty 

 rods to my left came an answering howl and another forty or 

 fifty rods ahead. The wolves followed me into camp and 

 howled around the camp for an hour after I reached there. 

 When a man has to walk a mile and a half over a dim trail, 

 the wind blowing a gale, the small dead dry pines that the 

 fire has killed falling all around him and across the trail and 

 is sun-ounded by a pack of wolves, although he may know 

 they are the biggest cowards in the worldj he does not find 

 them pleasant companions. 



On our return to the Falls, when within about a mile of 

 the village, I saw a deer jumping up a little rise, and as it 

 stopped two large pine trees covered its body. I could only 

 see its head as it turned to look at our party; by a well- 

 directed shot I placed a 40-60 bullet in the lower part of its 

 eye, the bullet coming out about two inches behind the ear 

 on the opposite side. But when I came to see it and that it 

 was a late fawn, only weighing about forty pounds dressed, 

 I felt as one of your contributors did when he shot the doe, 

 and then discovered she had two fawns suckling her. I felt 

 as though I had "killed a baby," and I feel so yet. 



The two weeks spent in Michigan will always remain as a . 



