404 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Dec. It, 1885. 



-will dispute the statement that the great lakes and the rivers 

 of this continent are maintained by evaporation from the 

 ocean. As little will they be disposed to dispute the state- 

 ment that there is evaporation from the surface of tliese 

 inland waters, resulting in a subsidiary supply of rainfall, in 

 Michigan, IlUnois and other States adjacent to the lakes; 

 that, in fact, if water due to rainfall from its primary 

 source in the ocean is by any means arre.^ted in its return to 

 the ocean, it may be evaporated and rcin'ecipitated locally 

 with considerable modification of climate. These are views 

 which I first saw put forward in the columns of the Fokest 

 AKD Stream, supported by arguments which appear to me 

 unanswerable. The settlement of the West has not resulted 

 in creating a larger lake area, but it has resulted in render 

 ing the soil of a vast area more retentive of moisture; it has 

 resulttd in arresting water on its relum to the ocean, and 

 distributing it by irrigation channels over a vast surface 

 from which it is being unintenuptedly although slowly 

 evaporated, and locally reprecipitated as" rain or dew, Mr. 

 Byers demands flgurcs as the one essential of proof. It is 

 difficult to give the precise figures. The amount of water 

 withdrawn from the streams for irrigation purposes, sup- 

 plemented bj the volume of rainfall arrested in its return 

 to the river, are the data necessary to determine the addi- 

 tional rainfall due to human agency. This is all evapora- 

 ted from the sm-face to return either as rain or dew, and 

 all the evidences support the view that the greater portion 

 of it falls within the desert area. 



Mr. Byers devotes his attention to the amount of rainfall 

 in a given year or month, and instances a particular Augu&t 

 which was supposed to have been an unusually wet month, 

 but in which, as a matter of fact, less rain fell than usual, 

 and regards this as an evidence of the fallibility of popular 

 opinions on such matters. It would not be difficult to show, 

 I think, that while technically wrong, this popular opinion 

 was really right. Those who have lived long in the West will 

 remember that yeais ago the rain which fell usually came in 

 deluging storms, swelling the smaller creeks and often mak- 

 ing raging torrents of dry ravines. Such sudden and furious 

 storms used to, and may still be, characteristic of Kansas, 

 Nebraska, Colorado and parts of Wyoming. If we suppose 

 two inches of rain to be tlie average "fall for a month in the 

 region referred to, it is evident that if it all falls in two 

 furious storms upon Ihe parched, baked ground, most of the 

 ■water will How off into the water courses, and a very small 

 proportion will sink into the soil to assist the growth of the 

 farmer's crops. On the other hand, if this two inches of 

 rain falls in, say thirty-two. gentle showers of one-sixteenth 

 of an inch each, it will all of it be received by the ground, 

 and so will all benefit the crops. In this way an inch and a 

 half of rain might, if distributed advantageously, do much 

 more good than twice the amount it it fefl all at once or in 

 two or three severe storms. 



Thus the people -who believed the particular mouth which 

 Mr. Byers cites to have been unusually wet -were right, in 

 one sense, although the actual amount of rainfall was less 

 than the average for that month. One fact, worth any array 

 of figures, is that laud foimerly dependent on ii-rigation for 

 a crop. wUl now produce good crops by dry cultivation. 

 This fact furnishes the necessary evidence of transition from 

 arid to less arid— the figures furnished by Mr. Byers indicate 

 a general increase of rainfall over the whole area within the 

 last ten or twelve years ; universal testimony supports the 

 claim of increased dewfall, and there is norea"sonable ground 

 to contend that if a wider range of figures were available, 

 they would point to contrary conclusions. The figures 

 should always agree with the facts. If they do not, so much 

 the worse for the figures. A Speciai, Correspondent. 



A NEW HUNTING GROUND. 



ON tiie boundary line between Sonora and Chihuahua, in 

 Mexico, cut east and west I5V the boundary line of the 

 United States, on the parallel of 'SV 32' north latitude, the 

 Sierra Madre (Mother Mountain) rises, the backbone of the 

 continent, and runs through Mexico and Central America as 

 the Cordilleras of the continent. 



The rivers which flow into the sea from this mountain 

 divide are the Bavispe and the Moctezuma, which, rising 

 near the boundary line, flow through the Yaqui River to the 

 Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean. The Sonora liiver 

 rises on the boundary line and runs through the Arizpe dis- 

 trict, watering the rich valleys of Sonora, passing the city 

 of Hermosilla, the capital of Sonora. The San Pedro Biver 

 rises in the western part of the district of Arizpe and flows 

 northward through Arizona, fertilizing some of the richest 

 valleys, and empties into the Gila Ttiver. The Moctezuma 

 Eiver rises near the boundary line and flows southward 

 through the district of Arizpe and Moctezuma, emptying 

 into the Yaqui River. The San Bernardino River rises in 

 the Chiracahua Mountains, in Arizona, and flows south- 

 wardly through through the district of Arizpe, in Sonora. 



It would be impossible to enumerate the streams and rivers 

 which flow from this reservoir in the mountains to fertilize 

 the plains; but enough has been given to show that this 

 region is abundantly supplied with water; in fact nearly all 

 mountains are reservoirs of water. In the region mentioned 

 the altitude of the principal towns where measures have been 

 taken averages about 2,500 feet above the level of the sea, 

 giving a salubrious temperature and a delightful climate. 



At El Paso, Tex., the nearest point where observations 

 have been recorded for any number of years, the mercury 

 averages 85° at an elevation of 8,800 feet above the level of 

 the sea. In winter the mean temperature is 48°. 



The Sierra Madres may be approached from the east by 

 the Mexican Central Railway, leaving the rail at San Jose 

 or the city of Chihuahua, from either of which places fron- 

 tier outfits, guides, provisions and experienced hunters can 

 be procured. In approaching the Sierra Madres from the 

 western side the Santa Fe & Sonora Railway can be used 

 from Nogales, on the boundary line of Mexico, to Guaymas, 

 on the Gulf of California. 



The Sierra Madres have been less explored than any other 

 equal space on the continent; but from Government surveys, 

 explorations and prospecting parties some information can 

 now be gathered. As we have seen, there is abundance of 

 water and this indicates vegetation. The timber in the 

 Sierra Madre is grand, the pine trees reaching a height of 

 one hundred feet and a diameter of five feet at the base. The 

 piiion or short-leaved pine bears a very nutritious and deli- 

 cately flavored nut, much used by the Indians for food. The 

 juniper pine grows in abundance, yielding a resinous gum 

 and berries used in flavoring liquors. Live oaks and scrub 

 oaks abound on the foothills of the Sierra Madre, and along 

 the streams there are ash, cottonwoods, aspens, walnuts, 

 beeches, willows, cedars, madrofia (strawberry tree) man- 

 zanita fir, and a great variety of indigenous growths. The 



grasses are abundant for pasture, and animals can be fed the 

 entire vyinter upon the natural flora. The scenery of the 

 mountains is made enchanting by the purity of the atmosphere 



The game in the Sierra Madres has scarcely been disturbed 

 by the Indians, and the region has not been visited in any 

 force by Mexicans or foreigners. The fauna of the Sierra 

 Madre consists, so far as known, of mountain lions, black 

 bears, grtzzly bears, and the cress between, called cinnamon 

 bears, opossums, badgers, antelopes in immense herds, small 

 white-tailed deer in the mountains and black-tailed deer in 

 the valleys, wild turkeys, topknot quail, hawks, parrots, 

 doves, cranes, herons, chapparal cccks, ducks, geese, snipe, 

 plover, curlew. Along the streams are found beavers, tur- 

 tles, catfish in abundance, bass, trout, suckers, perch, min- 

 nows, etc. The natural productions of the forests and 

 streams are ample for subsistence— pine nuts, acorns, mes- 

 quite beans, black and white walnuts, persimmons, and the 

 maguey in great variety. 



The mysterious tree, called by the Mexicans "yerbaflecha" 

 (arrowherb), which produces the "jumping bean" is found 

 in the Sierra Madre. This shrub attains a height of twenty- 

 five or thirty feet and has numerous upright limbs, the flower, 

 baik, and even the wood of the tree exude an unpleasant 

 odor, which the natives fear as much as the Japanese fear the 

 odor of the upas tree. The shrub bears a nut about the size 

 of a hazelnut, which opens at maturity and drops the pod 

 which contains a worm encased in the shell. They fall in 

 the autumn, about the middle of October. If you remove 

 one of these beans from a cool place into the sunshine it will 

 begin 1o hop and skip about as if electrified. If you have 

 the curiosity to see what makes the bean jump, cut a hole in 

 the shell and you will find an active little worm an eighth of 

 an inch long, round back, flat belly, and legs resembling a 

 wasp's. If you leave the aperture open and expose the 

 worm to the air, he will mend the hole with a web of strong 

 material spun from his legs and retains his hermitage for the 

 winter. In the spring he cuts his way out and flies away. 



In these mountains is found on arborescent tree called the 

 madrona, which attains a height of foity to fifty feet and a 

 girth of four or five feet, on which grows instead of a leaf a 

 net called by the natives "arana," in the shape of a sack, 

 with capacit'y from a quart to three gallons, and of all con- 

 ceivable shapes, woven of pure white silk attached to the 

 limbs and twigs. This sack is filled with brown worms 

 about an inch long which crawl in and out, feeding on the 

 leaves of the tree. These worms mature into gadflies, and 

 are unendurable to animals or men. The sacks or pouches 

 are nearly as .strong as buckskin, and axe used by the natives 

 for tobacco pouches. 



The following note is by an intelligent observer who has 

 passed most of the present year in the Sierra Madres. and I 

 am persuaded lhat many of your readers would find the 

 legion an exceedingly interesting, salubrious and gamy win- 

 ter ciuarters. 0. D. P. 

 NogAles, Arizofia. 



"There are also other freaks of nature in this country 

 that are worthy of mention. The wild turkey attains such 

 a phenomenal size that he makes a track from five to seven 

 and a half inches in length. The oriole builds a swinging 

 nest from twenty inches to two feet in length. Wild honey 

 bees deposit immense quantities of honey in reservoirs which 

 they construct in the shady nooks of rocky walls along 

 mountain gorges, and also in hollow trees on the highest 

 mountains. The tarantula hawk (a kind of wasj)), as in 

 other countries, swoops down and plants his sting in a vel- 

 vety cockade of the huge and hairy spider, thereby com- 

 pletely paralyzing, but not killing him, and then fays his 

 eggs in the still living, but helpless body of his adversary, 

 the warmth of which hatches the egg, and the juice of which 

 furnish the sustenance to the infant hawks until they are 

 able to fly away on a tarantula hunt of their own. The 

 young of the alacran (a numerous and quite dangerous sting- 

 ing scorpion, from iwo to four inches in length) fasten upon 

 the joints of the spinal column of the mother as soon as they 

 see the light and there they remain undisturbeel, absorbing 

 the very marrow from her bones, untfl her exhaustion causes 

 her to relax her hold upon some usually high perch (as the 

 ceiling of a room), and her fall is notification to ilx^m that 

 they must turn out and 'hunt for hash' elsewhere. It is 

 from this source that they get the first poison with which to 

 fill the sack at the end of the tail (like a serpent's fang) that 

 rounds off their 'business end.' The centipede here attains 

 a length of ten inches and a breadth of an inch and a quar- 

 ter, and is cuirassed with a corrugated or jointed horny sub- 

 stance like a turtle. He has but one head, but his legs are 

 so arranged that he can run either forward or backwai-d with 

 equal facility and with the speed of the fastest snake— and if 

 you cut him in two the head part will run for its den and the 

 other part will wheel about and follow with equal pace and 

 certainty of 'hitting the hole.' Of all the animal kingdom the 

 centipede is the best equipped for offensive and defensive oper- 

 ations. His softest footfall is hotter than the sting of a hornet, 

 and beside himthe'fretful porcupine' would feel like the downy 

 cheek of an infant. On his head he wears two long, fleshy 

 'feelers,' beneath thesesare two flashing, black, and protrud- 

 ing eyeballs (one abovti the other) on each side of the head, 

 each "ball about the size of a mustard seed she>t; just beneath 

 these come two powerful horns, set in flexible sockets and 

 shaped and pointed forward and inward like those of a 

 young bull — and with these he can bite through half a dozen 

 pie-plates; beneath again, come two powerful stings, shaped 

 like the horns but not so large, and just beneath or rather 

 between these is the prettiest, most cunning, and even ..i.ss- 

 able looking little mouth you ever saw on an animal— and 

 in this strips of beefsteak will disappear like water i oured 

 into a rat hole. He is always as hungry as a hired man, 

 and, as the colored preacher said of the devil, 'He is always 

 goin' about like a roarin' lion seeking whom he might catch 

 somebody.' He kills roaches, rats, bats, children and grown 

 people. He is especially fond of children and bedbugs, and 

 is always prowling about under your blankets at night in 

 search of the latter. He may not tackle the sleeper but if he 

 gets in full chase after a bedbug over your naked leg or 

 body, you want to be careful not to interfere with the race, 

 or the hottest grease would make a cooling application to 

 the spot where the centipede was checked— for each one of 

 his countless legs terminates in a long, curved, keenly 

 pointed, jet black sting as hard as steel, and as he buries 

 these into the quivering flesh the curve in this sting gives 

 him a purchase whereby he brings into play two other huge 

 blunt stings that project at different angles from the inner 

 side of each leg above. Thus, according to his length, 

 which determines the number of legs, he can instantly bury 

 into your flesh from 140 to 400 stings — and this he can repeat 

 ten times a second, while on a keen run. Lockjaw follows 

 in two to three hours, and death in as many more." 



IN THE FORESTS OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 



AFTER our visit from the moose, and after the excite- 

 ment which it caused onr little party was passed, we 

 pitched our tent not far from the shores of the stream, in as 

 level a spot as we could find in this wooded, wild and rocky 

 country, fitted by nature either for the haunts of wild beasts 

 or for' the growth of timber alone. We were now in the 

 center of New Brunswick, at a point equi distant from the 

 eastern line of the State of Maine and the waters of the Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence. Three of us the next morning descended 

 the Dead Water in the canoe, with the baggage, seeing on 

 our waj down several beaver houses close to the bank of the 

 stream, as well as noticing where they had been fecciina: a 

 day or two before on the broad leaves of the water lily, 

 which was abundant on the muddy shores of the dark and 

 deep pools through which we passed. 



About a mile's paddle brought us to a series of rapids, 

 where the stream was full of granite botilders, among which 

 it made a quick descent of about a quarter of a mile to the 

 Little Southwest Lake of the Miramiehi River, At the head 

 of these rapids there was an old Abenaki Indian portage, of 

 which we availed ourselves, part taking the canoe out of the 

 water and carrying it down to the lake, while the rest shoul- 

 dered the provisions, cooking utensils and bed clothes, and 

 carried them down to an old hunting camp close to the shore 

 of the lake, where the stream down which we had desceneled 

 united its waters with it. This camp had not been occupied 

 for a year and the birch bark covering was off the roof, so 

 we sent the canoe down the lake, which is about four miles 

 long, for a load of white birch bark to render our habitation 

 comfortable. While the canoe was down the lake, the rest 

 of the party set to work picking fir boughs with which to 

 make our bed, while others cut and carried haidwood logs 

 for our night's fire. 



When the canoe returned with a number of sheets of bark 

 we were all ready to make use of them, and in a few min- 

 utes had a neat little log camp, weh covered with a material 

 impervious to any rainstorm. While the camp was being pre- 

 pared the Indian boy could not resist the temptation of going 

 a hundred yards or so from the place where the brook joined 

 the lake and where there was a famous fishing place, where 

 one coidd stand on the high granite boulders which are 

 strewed about through the water, anel cast his fly or bait 

 without fear of his hook being caught in an overhanging 

 tree. Under these great rocks the water is very deep, and 

 here the lai gest trout love to hide themselves, indeed the sea 

 trout from the Gulf of St. Lawrence ascend the Southwest 

 Miramiehi to its very head, and as the fisherman seldom 

 finds his way into the deep recesses of these forests, one is 

 always sure of trout at the proper season. The boy soon re- 

 turned with a string of large fish, one weighing' over two 

 and three-quarter pounds. Of course at that season of the 

 year (October) they were not fit to eat, but the woe)dsmen 

 and the Indian boy seemed to relish them, judging by the 

 way in which they gathered around the frying pan with their 

 tin plates so soon as the cook had eione his duty. Indeed I 

 never heard any of our lumbermen say that a trout was ever 

 out of season. 



The next morning we sent the canoe down the lake with a 

 party led by an experienced woodsman, whose duty it was 

 to find a surveyor's line eight miles distant from our little 

 camp, in which the cook and myself were to avv'ait their re- 

 turn. This camp was about three-quarters of a mile from 

 the head of the lake, which was here very shoal and full of 

 grass and reeds, among which wo could see flocks of black 

 ducks feeding. These birds took good care to ke^p either 

 well out in the center of the lake or behind some of the 

 islands, of which we counted fifteen, one of them a quarter 

 of a mile long. The shores of the lake were generally low 

 and fringed with a border of sapling white pines, whose 

 light green tops I could see from where I sat, waving beneath 

 the chilly autumn wind. 



Ice had been making ai'ound the shores, and now anel then 

 there were slight snow squalls. Although the land at the 

 head of the lake was low near the shores, at the distance of 

 a mile from them was a range of high hills extending nortii- 

 wardly to Nictaux, these which formed the watershed be- 

 tween the St. John River and the streams running into the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence rose one after the other, not differing 

 much in height. They were separated by high valleys, and 

 their 'summits were covered with hard wood, the sides by 

 spruce accompanied by some pines, inelicated by the lighter 

 color of their tops. This range of hills is called by the 

 lumbermen the "Cow Mountains." 



A small brook running from a little pond emptied itself 

 into the head of the Little Southwest Lake, and here was the 

 termination of the Indian portage from Lejng Lake, on the 

 head of the Tobique, a branch of the St. Johu River, the dis- 

 tance between the two lakes being some eight or nine miles; 

 and here also we found a motley collection of catamarans 

 and canoes very much the worse for wear. One of the log 

 canoes, which had been a very large one, had been cut in 

 two and fitted with a square stern. There was also here a 

 little canoe made of spruce bark, which woulel only curry 

 one person. Its gunwales were made of two poles, to which 

 it was fastened by thongs made of the inner bark of the 

 white cedar, which the Abenakis use for many purposes in 

 which strings are requited, indeed, they often carry their 

 packs by bands made of it placed arounel their foreheads or 

 across their shoulders. The Indian portage, which we fol- 

 lowed for a mile or two, had been neglected for some years 

 and trees had fallen across it. making the traveling uncom- 

 fortable. We found on one road the place where Col. Muun- 

 sel had camped some years before on a canoe trip which he 

 and Mrs. Maunsel had made through from the St. John River 

 to the Gulf of St. Lawrence by the way of the Tobique and 

 Little Southwest Miramiehi rivers, a journey which 

 many men, not to say ladies, would have feared to make, as 

 the Little Southwest Miramiehi some miles below the lake 

 is a very rapid and rough river. 



We saw on our route frequent signs of moose which are 

 yet abundant among the valleys and on the sides of these 

 solitary mountains. These signs were moose woods, small 

 white maples or other trees whose bark had been peeled by 

 these animals a winter or two previously. The former 

 presence of the moo.se was also evinced by the tops of shrubs 

 or twigs bitten off by them. 



One of the early Catholic missionaries to Acadia, who was 

 there in 1677, Father Christian Le Clerc, relates how the 

 Indians, whom he frequently accompanied, could tell on 

 their hunting expeditions how long it was since the moose 

 had passed by merely biting the top of the twig which the 

 moose had bitten off'. The father had seen them as I have 

 done doing this, but drew a wrong inference. The Indian 

 took the shrub into his mouth for the purpose pf splitting it 



