Dec. 17, 1885.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



408 



down -with Ms teelh and ILen cssmining the color of the 

 bark, if this were pcrff clly fresh he judged lhat the moase 

 had hcen there siuce Chrislmas, if^ however, it were dry and 

 discolored he judged that the hite had heeu made early in 

 the season, and that in all probability the animal need not 

 be looked for, as he would have been tiaveling for a_ long 

 time, while in the foimer case he would in all probability be 

 found somewhere in the vicinity Edwakd Jack. 



Peederioton, N. B. 



AN OUTING IN MICHIGAN. 



THE particular outing of which I write, was not the 

 annual encampment of the I, 0. F. Olub, which oc- 

 curred this year, Aug. 6 to 19, on Long Lake. But rather 

 a brief outing by some members of the club during the 

 encampment— an outing within an outing — which came 

 about after this fashion. 



On Saturday morning after our.amval, a boat load (con- 

 sisting of Mr. .J. and wife, and niece, and the writer) took 

 an early start for the old camp, a point at the head of the 

 lake where the club had camped in 'S4. The weather 

 geemed (to a landsman) propitious, our tackle was in prime 

 condition, the lunch as choice and bountiful as the general 

 "smoke " could furnish, and the vision of a lively day and a 

 large catch put strength into the muscle and spirit into the 

 heart, and greatly relieved the toil and tedium of a long pull 

 of three miles. 



We anchored in the bay not far from the old site, and be- 

 gan fishing with very moderate success, only an occasional 

 bass seemed disposed to take the tempting bait we offered, 

 and allow himself to be inveigled into the landing net and 

 thence into (he boat. We had numerous reasons to offer 

 for the inditfercuce of the fish, but at last agreed to blame 

 it on the strong wind that had commenced to blow soon 

 after our leaving camp. But we comforted ourselves by 

 hoping it would scon fall and leave the fish voraciously 

 hungry. Alas for a fisherman's hopes, instead of falling, 

 the wind rose higher and higher, and with it the waves,' 

 until the ladies expressed a wish to be taken ashore. Leav- 

 ing them to prepare the lunch, Mr. J. and I pushed out 

 again to give the fish another trial. It was not long, how- 

 ever, before disgust, or fear, or perhaps both, constrained 

 us to go ashore. " It is an ill wind," etc. While we were 

 bewailing om- bad luck, and discussing the supplies of the 

 cook, another party of four (Mr. S. and daughter, Mr. G. 

 and sisters), concluding it was a grand day for a sail, had 

 started out in the sailboat, and were having rare sport cut 

 ting the waves before a driving wind. The spoit, however, 

 changed to another experience quite serious, for in trying to 

 go back, ihey found the craft unmanageable. Our nautical 

 friends then said they would tack her,"but she did not seem 

 to undeistand the teim, and certainly would not obey the 

 order. I wonder if the drunken and profane habits which 

 the owner afterward developed, had anything to do with 

 the boat's caprice and obstinacy. Do boats ever take after 

 their owners? The trouble was certainly altributable to 

 something eke than the sailing abilities of the crew. 



They determined at last, if she would not run dead 

 against the wind, if she would not tack, she must be run 

 ashore, for she was shipping water, and the situation was 

 really becoming perilous. By the heroic and herculean 

 efforts of the m'^n, and the admirable courage of the ladies 

 tliey finally conquered. With blanched faces, drenched 

 clothing and woebegone appearance, they landed near the 

 old camp. Their cry of distress brought our party to the 

 scene. We helped to beach the boat Vi^hich was half full of 

 water, and then did what we could for the relief of the dis- 

 tressed crew, generously offering the remainder of our lunch, 

 and parting with what dry garments we could spare. 



The ladies had lost their appetite in the excitement of the 

 sail, but the men were ravenous, and tlie meager supply we 

 could offer only aggravated them. 



We were positive the wind would fall when the sun went 

 down, and joked considerably about having to remain all 

 night in the woods. Some one suggested walking to caaip 

 and insisted on making the start. We were obliged to give 

 that up as impracticable. So we concluded to make the 

 most of our stay, and whiled away the afternoon watching 

 the big waves coming in, singing snatches of songs, and in- 

 dulging in pleasantries. Some were sleeping wherever they 

 could find a log with a smooth sru-face, and others were 

 broiling fish and eating it. It was excellent, barring the 

 lack of salt. 



At last the sun went down, but not the wind, anel the 

 conviction forced itself upon us, lhat our little Joke was to 

 be a reality — we must sp^end the night in the woods, supper- 

 less and shelterless. We set to work to construct a brush 

 tent to protect us from the strong wind. Our penknives 

 were very serviceable, but scarcely sqflfieient for the emer- 

 gency. However, in a sort of a way, we improvised a shel- 

 ter, and were preparing to occupy it, when we were joined 

 by another party of four, a gentleman and his wife and two 

 children, from Alpena, who had come out for a day's pleas- 

 ure, and, like ourselves, could not return. They were wel- 

 come arrivals to our exceedingly hungry party, as they had 

 a remnant of their lunch, which they generously distributed. 



We had not prepared for a night' out, and uotwithstanel- 

 ing the big fire we had built, we were uncomfortably cold 

 on that side of the body next to the wind. To add to our 

 discomfiture, about 10 oclock it began to rain, and then 

 there arose a cry of distress that even the pitiless winds 

 might have heeded, as we tried to relieve our depressed 

 spirits by loud lamentations and bitter reproaches for not 

 having brought overcoats, shawls, rubber coats, etc. After 

 that we took a philosophical view of the case, and courted 

 the oblivion of slumber. 



Somebody roused me near midnight and hinted that the 

 fire was low, and a little wood was in demand. Half awake 

 I got up, caught hold of a stick of wood to throw it on the 

 dying embers, but suddenly droppeel it, as it was burning 

 on the under side, and blistered my fingers terribly. Then 

 I went out into the rain and darkness to gather wood for 

 the fire. Oh, such a night to be out ! Why did we not 

 gather plenty of wood before dark ? 1 moved cautiously in 

 the brush, for I had the dread of the boy whose mother sent 

 Mm out in wmter to get some wood. He complained that the 

 snow was too deep. She said " Rustle it up. " He answered 

 her, "Rustle up the dickens, I might rustle up a snake." 



Having replenished the fire, I returned to my quarters, 

 and gave orders, that as my work was done, I did not wish 

 bs disturbed till morning. In spite of wind and rain, 

 unger and cdU, I went to sleep again. Who kept up the 

 re after t!i<it, I do not kaow. Sabbath morning was break- 

 g, cold and clear, when I awoke to find that the wind had 

 alleuj thu vSia hid ceased, and the roughness of the lake 

 ad subsidol. We did not lose much time in launching our 



boiits and pulling for the camp. Our friends were glad to 

 see us. They suppeised we would find shelter at some house, 

 and had uot'lost any sleep on our account. The recital of 

 our perils and privations awakened no little sympathy, and 

 we were made the recipients of many kindnesses. 



Some dry clothes, a warm breakfast, and soon after, a 

 refreshing sleep, were effectual in restoring'our good spirits. 

 We were apprehensive that the exposure might prove seri- 

 ous to the ladies, who were ill-prepared for such an adven- 

 ture, but none of the party suffered even the slightest cold 

 or indisposition. Since the occurrence we have no reason to 

 be sorry for it, It was a novel experience to all. But we 

 are all entirely satisfied with it. We vote unanimously — 

 no more such outings for us. Selim, 



Sewicklky, Pa. 



ARCTOMYS MONAX. 



THE WOODOHUOK OR OTKrUNDHOG. 



THE scientific name of this animal is derived from the 

 Grrcek arcios (a bear) and wra.s (a mouse); also, from 

 monan (solitary) and aw (tendency). Thus the entire name, 

 hterally rendered, means a mouse bear, with a tendency to 

 solitude— to be alone; "to flock by himself." The common 

 name in this region of coimtry is woodchuck. "Chuck" is 

 the Persian name for hog. From the fact that this animal 

 burrows in the ground it is called in some regions the 

 groundhog. From its habit of living in the woods and 

 along the borders of wooded ravines it is called the wood- 

 chuck, or the woodhog. The negroes of Virginia call it a 

 ' ' moonax ;'" for some reason they have the scientific name in 

 part. The range of this animal north is limited on^y by 

 Hudson's Bay, It is not found south of South Carolina. 

 East and west, it ranges from the Atlantic coast to theRocky 

 Mountains. 



It is from 15 to 18 inches long, thick-set, rather clumsy, 

 neck very short. In color it is grizzly gray on the back and 

 chestnut red below. Legs very short, tail bushy and rather 

 flat. 



• They are very numerou$ in valleys where there is alluvial 

 soil and in regions where sandhills abound. In early spring 

 and .^ummer' they come from their winter retreats in the 

 woods and groves, sandhills and other slightly elevated 

 grounds, 7ibove high-water mark, into grassy meadows to 

 feed and raise their young. They prefer clover fields as 

 feeding places. 



They raise from three to five young ones, and it is a very 

 pretty sight to see the mother- and four or five little ones sit- 

 ting up together in front of their hole. Their hearing is 

 very quick ; they are keen sighted and very vigilant, I have 

 tiied many times to get over a fence from one to two hun- 

 dred yards distant from them, only to be disappointed by 

 their retreat io a place of safely. They are very sharp ob- 

 servers, first-class sentinel.?, eating a little and then sitting 

 up to take a general survey, and then repealing the process. 



They have great curiosity. When alarmed l^hey run for 

 their holes, but when within easy reach will often stop to 

 get another view before going into their burrows. In from 

 twenty to Ihirly minutes they will come out, very cautiously, 

 only just far enough to see if an enemy is near. By degrees 

 they will wholly emerge, and at length ,sit up and take a 

 wide survey before venturing far to feed. 



I have heard mnviY stories in regard to their weight, some 

 saying that they have seen those that would weigh twenty 

 pounds. I have shot with my little .33-caliber rifle over 500 

 of them in the last few years, and the largest one did not 

 exceed thirteen pounds. About one in one hundred wood 

 chucks are black. They seem some stronger and larger than 

 those of the ordinary color, and. If possible, more vigilant. 

 1 have to secrete myself and wait for them to come out if I 

 acn to get a shot at them. Have killed some five or six black 

 fellows. 



The colored people know how to prepare and cook them 

 so that theV are very good eating. A spring chuck killed in 

 September,' or one only a year old, is by far the best eating. 

 Old ones have a decidedly strong flavor. Some white men 

 kill and salt down for winter's use large numbers of them. 

 An old judge told me he had a case before him where a man 

 was charged with neglect of his family. When on the wit- 

 ness stand he stoutly denied the charge, "saying he had in 

 his cellar more than a half barrel of woodchuck meat, 

 salted down." I know of one negro who salts down from 

 forty to fifty every year. 



Farmers are very glad to get rid of "these pests" as they 

 call them. They dig holes in the meadows, trample down 

 the grass, destroying in this way more than they eat. I have 

 often heard farmers say they had ratlier have a "hog in their 

 meadow than a woodchuck." Horses often step into then- 

 koles while drawing the mowing machines. Some men 

 have been thrown from their machines and seriously injured, 

 having legs and arms broken, and been in imminent danger 

 of being cut to pieces. Horses are often thrown down from 

 stepping into holes, and have to be dug out — especially if 

 on steep ground. Farmers are very glad to feed a hunter 

 and care for liis horse if he will only shoot chucks on their 

 farms. 



Woodchucks are splendid fighters and make it lively for 

 dogs tt^f attack them. They die game. They call in their 

 young'Sy uttering a whistling sound, accompanied often by 

 a kind o^' metallic rattle. If ^hey do not promptly respond, 

 they use force, bite them and compel them to retreat for 

 safety. When it is time for the young to "look out for 

 themselves" they force them to leave the old burrow by some 

 pretty severe treatment. They use their teeth on them 

 freely till they "dig out" and dig a hole for themselves. 



An oltl friend of mine — quite a naturalist— while looking 

 out timber lands in Michigan some forty years ago, came 

 across a colony of these animals, some fifteen or twenty in 

 number, of all ages. They did not exhibit the least fear; 

 they allowed themselves to be picked up and handled like 

 cats_ and kittens. They, doubtless, from the encroachments 

 of civilization found themselves in a new environment, full 

 of peril from enemies, chiefly men and dogs. Hence they 

 have been compelled to exercise great caution, extreme vigi- 

 lance, in order to survive. Doubtless the instinct of caution 

 — by cultivation, forced upon them by circumstances— has 

 become hereditary, as pointing has in dogs. Each animal 

 has become his own sentinel. Very young ones exhibit this 

 trait in a marked degree. So the chuck unacquainted with 

 man and one of modern times differ in a great degree on the 

 matter of vigilance. To "look out" has become a very 

 marked characteristic of the species 



The woodchuck can climb trees to the height of fifteen or 

 twenty feet. They can swim rivers of some fifty yards in 

 width, but seem greatly exhausted by the effort. I think 

 they are not natural swimmers, but only swim from com- 

 pulsion to escape danger, either from floods or hot pm'suit. 

 They run over fences with considerable speed. 



They are not free from elisease. I have killed one with 

 the upper incisors, or long front teeth, turned upward and 

 backward till they made a hole through the upper lip. The 

 teeth resembled the boar's tusks anel were more than one 

 inch in length above the gums. On the shoulder of one I 

 once found a large tumor, three inches in diameter. I have 

 found them blind in one eye, and also with very seriously 

 ulcerated feet. It is not uncommon to find them minus a 

 leg, healed over very beautifully. The member had doubt- 

 less been lost in a steel trap. 



They are far from being an easy animal to kill dead upon 

 the spot. They are often within one bound of their holes, 

 and they will escape unless the head or heart be struck by 

 the bullet. When one sits f r-onting you you have not more 

 than two and one-half inches of fatal space in width. If 

 they sit sidewise, or are feeding, on the ground, they present 

 not over two inches of fatal surface to the rifleman. They 

 must be shot in front of the diaphragm or they will surely 

 escape. I have seen them run many yards after a ball had 

 passed entirely through the body. It requires very close 

 and accurate shooting to secure this kind of game. I get 

 many half-days of outing and amusement hunting Arctomys 

 monax when there is no other game to shoot. Besides, I 

 get many thanks from my colored friends for their carcasses, 

 on which they feed with real pleasure. Chuck Hujsteb. 



A Heavy Deer.— Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 10.— On Dec. 1 

 Gen, Wade Hampton killed on his plantation in Washing- 

 ton coirnty, Miss., a buck which weighed when dressed two 

 hundred and sixty-five pounds. Gen. S. W. Ferguson, 

 member of the Mssissippi River Commission, who was in 

 the hunt, attests to having seen it weighed. I believe this 

 is the heaviest authenticated weight for the Cermis mrginiarms 

 I ever heard of. — Coahoma. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Publish' 

 ing Co. ' 



THE ADIRONDACK DEER. 



Editor Forest and Bt/ream: 



As yet there appears no reply to questions propounded by 

 "Ampersand" in Forest and Stream of Oct. 19, rciatife 

 to the operations of the deer hounding law in the eastern 



Adirondacks. 



While I would not assume to answer authoritatively for all 

 parts of the wilderness, yet my facilities for obtaining in- 

 formation together with the deep interest I have felt for the 

 observance of the game law in this respect, will, I trust, en^ 

 able me to reply quite correctly to some of these questions. 



In Hamilton county deer hounding has not been pursued 

 as openly as formerly, yet it has been practiced to a consid- 

 erable extent, and I can learn of no arrests being made for 

 violation of the law. A letter from the secretary of a shoot- 

 ing chrb at Gloversville states that the constable in charge of 

 Hamillon county is very lax in the performance of his duty, 

 and as an excuse says it is impossible to get a jury in that 

 county to convict a violater of the deer-hounding law, a very 

 poor excuse indeed. This shooting club is heartily in favor 

 of the strict enforcement of the law against the deer bounders. 



In Lewis county the law has been generally observed, the 

 only exceptions being in the extreme northern and southern 

 portions. In the Beaver River country, which also includes 

 the middle of Herkimer county, the law has been strictly 

 observed, owing in a great measure to those interested in the 

 preservation of deer in this section, who, placing but little 

 reliance on Stale officials, procured a competent man to look 

 after this locality, who was constantly on the ground and no 

 one dare attempt the violation of the law. He was paid for 

 his services by private contributions. The names and resi- 

 dences are given below : 



Hon. Lansing Hotaling, Albany, N. Y |5 



Seymour Van Santvoord, Troy, N. Y 5 



Eugene Seitz, Troy, N. Y 5 



Prof. E. L. Richards, Yale College, New Haren, Conn. 5 



W^m. Morrison, Lowville, In. Y. 5 



Dr. Spencer M. Marsh, New York city lo 



Joseph Dunbai', Stillwater, N. Y 5 



Isaac Sione, Number Four, N. Y 2 



Frank Johnson, Number Four, N. Y i 



Peter Youngs, Number Four, N. Y , • l 



Lyman W'etmore, Number Four, N. Y 2 



Henry Salmons, NuiBber Four, N. Y a 



Chas'. Fentou, Number Four, N. Y 143 



Thomas Fenton, Frewsburg, N. Y 27 



Martin G. Fenton, Jamestown, N. Y 27 



Altogether the deer hounding law has been a success if 

 we take into account the preservation of deer. It is safe to 

 say that at least a thousand have been saved through the 

 instrumentality of this law. No wanton slaughter has been 

 committed, as pot-hunters dare not market venison killed in 

 this way. The sentiment against hounding deer will eloubt- 

 less be stronger the next year and the law be more generally 

 observed the close season, as almost every one came out of the 

 woods the 1st and 3d of December. 



The still -hunting season has been very unfavorable, as but 

 very little snow fell duripg November. But very few hunt- 

 ers killed more than one or two deer, and more killed none 

 at all. 



Keep the game law relating to deer where it is, add to it a 

 more competent and elficient detective force, and plenty of 

 deer, sufficient for all reasonable demands of the tourist and 

 sportsman, are insured in the great Adirondack wildernesst 

 so long as it remains a wilderness. Hounds wiU hunt out 

 and drive the last deer into the water, no matter how thick 

 the cdver, and this means extermination. Mxjsset. 

 Number Fouk, Dee. 7. 



Editor Forest and Siremn: 



Suit has been brought against Pennsylvanlans who had 

 the dog at Indian River in the Adirondacks. They deny 

 using the dog for pursuing deer. The case comes up before 

 .lustice Evans in Remsen next week. State Game Protector 

 Brinkerhoff says 500 deer were killed between Beaver River 

 and Morehouseville this fall. W. 



Uttca, N. Y., Dec. 10. 



