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FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 1, 1886. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Publtih- 

 ng Co. 



DAYS WITH THE BARMECIDE CLUB. 



VII. 



HOW looked the morning? Good-natured and good- 

 humored, and all the surroundings helped on the 

 good feeling. The leaves were whispering soft nothings 

 to each other, the lake was smiling, the brook was laugh- 

 ing and a moving mosaic of sunlight and shadow was 

 naughtily playing hide and seek on Sunday morning. 

 The morning sun coming like a caress edged the light clouds 

 with gold and spread a soft warm color over the mountains. 

 Down from the hills and through the woodland draws, 

 through the tamarack swamp and pungent odors of the 

 forest, came the breeze, brisk and bracing ; out on the lake 

 it hurried furrowing it with silver crowned ripples, which 

 patted the lily pads as they scurried inshore. 



A likely morning for fishing, but surrounded with these 

 mighty harmonies, this perfect blending of all that is gracious 

 in nature, a diapason of delight, a benediction, the club wet 

 no line this Sabbath day. That person who rejoices in the 

 great blessing of love for angling has a great debt to pay and 

 he can at least devote one day in the week toward paying 

 for the favor granted him when he was imbued with the 

 spirit of the gentle angler and became a brother of those who 

 love the swaying rod. To none i3 vouchsafed a richer large- 

 ness of blessings" and the Giver of all this, perfect and boun- 

 tiful in His love and wisdom, asks only that you think and 

 thank. 



There is a satisfaction in feeling you have done right, even 

 if the world at large gives you no credit for it. "Take my 

 advice and let the trout alone on a Sunday and become fishers 

 of thought, drawing bright and good things out of the depths 

 of memory. They will rise to your cast with great freedom 

 and take hold strongly, and it is a pleasure to land them, 

 and once secure they become an enjoyable possession." 



How brightly rises the genial face of the dear old friend 

 who gave me my first lesson in fly-casting. Through the 

 shadowy mists of the intervening years I can see the friend 

 of my boyhood days. "We were"old cronies, though he was 

 thirty years my senior. How well I remember that long ago 

 afternoon, when he gave me my first lesson. That is some- 

 thing which is not yet lost in the vistas of the past. All the 

 attendant minutiae are indelibly impressed on my mind. It 

 was a June Saturday when I was a youngster in my teens. 

 I had brought with me to the woods a Mitchell rod, and my 

 mentor taught me to get out about thirty feet of line in toler- 

 ably good form. I was clever with my hands and that helped 

 me wonderfully in timing and handling my rod, and I soon 

 found that the secret of success lay in the back cast. I caught 

 the knack wonderfully quick, as naturally as an Irishman 

 takes to politics, and two hours before dark rowed to a long 

 shallow in the lake and quietly anchored. Twenty-five feet 

 of line was about all that was necessary for me to cast before 

 a pound trout was hooked to the red ibis stretcher. How 

 gingerly I handled him, for my confidence in the light rod 

 was not the greatest, but it soon increased as the rod re- 

 sponded seemingly of its own volition to all demands upon 

 it and hilled its first trout like an old veteran. 



Cast after cast was immediately rewarded ; sometimes the 

 stretcher fly, sometimes the grizzly king dropper and occa- 

 sionally both at once were fastened to the feeding trout ; and 

 I was so rapidly improving my methods that by dark, when 

 I pulled up anchor and rowed back to the cabin with about 

 twenty trout averaging over a pound each, I had abjured the 

 slimy angleworm and the disgusting grub. I have never had 

 better angling than on that long ago June afternoon, when I 

 met my maiden feather, and under the tuition of that worthy 

 master was initiated into the mysteries and beauties of the 

 higher art and more graceful practice with the lighter rod. 

 I discarded the heavy pole forever. Main strength gave way 

 to science, though there may be strength behind the pliant 

 rod and plenty too, but I had learned to achieve greater re- 

 sults with a less expenditure of muscle. There was a cabin 

 full of anglers at the lake, and all of them, save my teacher, 

 disciples of the heavy bait-rod, and to most of them my 

 success was a revelation, and if there was an element of 

 slaughter in my youthful attempt it has long since been 

 eliminated. I know that the next morning I was anxious to 

 be out on the lake, but my good master said, "No, sonny, 

 don't tempt fortune to-day. She was very good to you yes- 

 terday. Wait until to-morrow." 



"I have a very vivid recollection," says Eoy, "of the last 

 Sunday's fishing that ever I indulged in; but as I caught 

 nothing but a wet jacket and a hungry stomach, the record- 

 ing angel ought to blot it out, for I sincerely repented at the 

 time and have never been a backslider. Two of us were in 

 the woods at Pine Lake, where we had been having indiffer- 

 ent luck, and one Sunday morning we proposed trying G. 

 Lake to see if we could better our fortune. So after a very 

 early breakfast we started. G. Lake, if I remember correct- 

 ly, is only about a mile and a half from Pine, and we were 

 soon there, where we found rafts and paddles in good order, 

 and we were at once busy with our rods, that is, busy cast- 

 ing. We fished faithfully all that day, trying all the flies in 

 our books, throwing over every well-known and likely spot; 

 but apparently the fish entertained different opinions regard- 

 ing the question of taking hold, and not one trout did we see 

 that blessed day. About an hour before sunset we concluded 

 to return to Pine Lake. We had had no dinner, as the lakes 

 being so near we had expected to be back to camp in time 

 for a late dinner, but had overstayed, hoping for a change of 

 fortune. We came ashore and struck out on a blazed trail. 

 I knew it was the right one, for I had been over it a score of 

 times; but after going a mile or so we came to a little lake. 

 We both looked it over carefully and agreed that it was not 

 Pine Lake, for it was to all appearances not quarter the size 

 of Pine. There was nothing to do but get back to G. as 

 quickly as possible, for darkness was rapidly coming on. 

 We ran all the way back and commenced another search for 

 the Pine Lake trail. It commenced to sprinkle. Dark 

 hurrying clouds were gathering and twining themselves 

 around the treetops on the summits of the mountains and 

 soon everything was cradled in the blackest of black. 



"Fortunately there was a shanty close by, with wood enough 

 for a night's fire cut and piled up near it, so we were not so 

 badly off as we might have been. We were to make a night 

 of it anyhow, and in spite of the rain we soon had a roaring 

 fire. Rain, lightning, thunder— don't speak of it, please. A 

 bright flash, a deep roar, and the tempest broke in all its 

 fury. Peal after peal in quick succession rolled through the 

 sky and shook the mountains, while the rain came down 



with resistless persistency as though night had kept its damp- 

 ness, its noise, its cold, its darkness for our amusement. We 

 hauled part of our fire into the shanty, and passed the night 

 principally in trying to dodge the drops which came through 

 the leaky roof. This was anything but pleasant even had 

 we to take the exercise on full stomachs ; but going to bed — 

 bed did I say? — dinnerless and supperless, only aggravated 

 matters. However, those nights have an ending, the same 

 as others, and those dark clouds have their silver linings and 

 some of them even more valuable linings, for to see the 

 golden belt in the eastern horizon one would little imagine 

 that the previous night could have been guilty of the dark 

 proceedings we had witnessed. 



It was a sunny Monday morning, and we were out early 

 searching for the correct trail and congratulating ourselves 

 on the immense breakfast we would have in about an hour; 

 but somehow we couldn't find the trail, though for four or 

 five hours we searched diligently and carefully. There were 

 more blazes in those woods, Horatio, than even the little 

 hatchet of truthful George ever dreamed of. They were 

 thick as leaves in Vallambrosa (I believe that's the place), 

 but we had lost faith in their guiding us out of our present 

 difficulties. We adjourned to the shanty and held a council 

 of war to decide on future operations. We had a little 

 luncheon of scenery, the forest, the lake and the mountain, 

 with a little tender blue sky thrown in by way of dessert. 

 We could feast cur eyes anyhow. We concluded that the 

 only way now for us was to follow the outlet of the lake and 

 see where it would carry us. We thought it must run into 

 the West Canada Creek, and if it did we were all right if we 

 could stand the tramp, of the length of which we had very litWe 

 idea. We started down the outlet, and of all rough tramps 

 I have ever experienced that was far and away the roughest. 

 I doubt if many persons had at that time been over the same 

 ground. It didn't look as though mortal had ever pressed 

 foot in the same. You could feel the solitude, you could see 

 it— good substantial, solitude, which might have been cut 

 into blocks and sold in noisy towns at good prices. 



"The uncertainty of our venture was in addition to our 

 condition doubly tedious, and my companion wa3 fast los- 

 ing strength, and his stops and rests became dangerously 

 frequent and often. I had to arouse him with encouraging 

 words and vigorous shakings. We reached the West 

 Canada Creek into which the outlet emptied and then we 

 knew where we were, several miles above Becraft's. A 

 long walk under the circumstances, but it was good to be 

 able to locate ourselves again and that thought refreshed us 

 wonderfully. We made Becraft's just at supper time, as 

 though nothing had happened, told a plausible story to ac- 

 count for our unexpected appearance, washed and leisurely 

 took our places at the supper table. But how we ate and 

 slept that night. I was never more tired than I was all the 

 next day, and I resolved then and there that my Sunday 

 fishing was a thing of the past, a resolution which I have 

 faithfully kept. I suppose 1 would have been lost any other 

 day just the same, but it happened fortunately on Sunday 

 and 1 have treasured the adventure as a lesson and a warning. 

 I was never fully satisfied that the lake we found was not 

 Pine, but I have never been in that part of the country 

 since. Millard. 



THE AUDUBON SOCIETY. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Feeling that public opinion is being awakened to a reali- 

 zation of the evils arising from the fearful destruction of our 

 birds to satisfy the demands of fashion, depraved appetites; 

 and while we deplore the too evident decrease in numbers of 

 our song birds, the depopulating of our heronries, the alarm- 

 ing destruction of the eggs of sea birds for food, and the in- 

 human destroying of every nest and egg within reach of 

 the merciless urchin who is seized with the egg-collecting 

 fever, we are at the same time conscious that we, as taxider- 

 mists, are looked upon with disfavor. 



But we desire to vindicate ourselves, and as representative 

 taxidermists of the largest establishment of the kind in this 

 country — Ward's Museum— we believe we at the same time 

 express the wishes of every true taxidermist, every honest 

 lover of the art, when we express it as our desire that the 

 wholesale slaughter of birds (for other than strictly scientific 

 purposes) be discouraged in every way possible. 



We heartily favor the bird laws as proposed by the Ameri- 

 can Ornithologists' Union's committee, and shall do all in 

 our power to further the protection of our birds. 



Wm. J. Critchley, 

 C. E. Akeley, 

 H. C. Denhlow, 

 N. R. Wood, 

 J. M. DeLaney, 

 ^-Geo. B. Turner, 

 >Geo. K. Cherreb, 

 Ward's Museum, Rochester, N. T., June 21, 1886. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The last Audubon meeting of our college year was held 

 this week, and I thought you might be interested in learning 

 the result of our spring's work. . 



You know that our society was organized m March, and 

 the outline of the work we then proposed for ourselves has 

 been given in the Forest and Stream, so that you are 

 familiar with the general character of our society, and know 

 that we have been going upon the theory that a knowledge 

 of the birds themselves would be one of the most effectual 

 checks upon their destruction for the justification of vanity. 

 Mr. John Burroughs was present at one of our first meetings 

 and spent several days with us, inaugurating our field work 

 by a succession of early candle-light as well as midday walks 

 to the favorite bird haunts of the region. The size of the 

 classes that met with him probably did more to confirm the 

 distrust of our feathered friends than to suggest to them any 

 sympathetic Audubon interest, but Mr. Burroughs' love of 

 the birds acted as an inspiration, and as soon as he left, the 

 field work committee began its work in earnest by dividing 

 the observers into squads of from six to ten, apparently, 

 much to the relief of the birds. At first each girl went out 

 only twice a week, but soon the interest became so great and 

 the size of the sections swelled so rapidly that the original 

 committee of four trained nine others as a sub-committee 

 to assist them, thus enabling every one to go out as many 

 times a week as desirable, and, what we found most essential, 

 reducing the sections to three or six. The work has been 

 carried on in this way for two months and the result is emi- 

 nently satisfactory to all concerned. . 



Migration blanks issued by the Division of Economic Orni- 



thology of the Agricultural Department were distributed at 

 the outset and have been used for the collection of notes 

 made in the field. Of the eighty-nine members of the society, 

 over fifty have done field work, and twenty-three have filled 

 out the migration blanks or given in their notes in some other 

 form. 



The data collected in this way has been collated, and the 

 results will be sent to the Department of Agriculture, dupli- 

 cates of all notes being kept in the annals of the society for 

 reference in future years. 



Seventy-six species of birds have been observed, and fifty- 

 six nests, of twenty-two species, have been found. Other 

 interesting notes have been made on the songs of birds, ou 

 flowers, and on other natural phenomena, while the study of 

 the birds has brought them much nearer to the lives and 

 sympathies of us all. 



The work of Audubon proselyting has formed an impor- 

 tant part of the society work, and we trust that our influence 

 has not been unavailing. 



We have distributed 1,050 circulars on the subject of bird 

 protection, 100 in the Northampton lligh School, 480 in the 

 departments in Washington, and the rest among families 

 and friends scattered throughout the States from San Fran- 

 cisco to Boston. 



One of our most energetic workers has gone to San Fran- 

 cisco for the summer vacation, and promises to do good 

 work there. Another one has started an Audubon Society 

 in Kansas, and still another claims forty convarts from the 

 Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, while a 

 great many have induced individual friends to give up their 

 feathers. 



On the whole we feel very much encouraged. We have 

 done far better than we had hoped to in this short time, and 

 the interest promises to be permanent. 



At our last meeting Mr. Burroughs was made an honorary 

 member of our society, and we hope to get new inspiration 

 from him and from other bird lovers next year. 



Blank schedules have been distributed to the observers for 

 use during the summer months, and when college opens in 

 the fall we hope to add new names to the society, and also 

 new birds to our lists as the result of the summer's work, and 

 to take up our work together with renewed enthusiasm. 



F. A. M. 



Smith College, Northampton, Mass., June 19. 



A matter presents itself at this time which, in view of the 

 strenuous efforts made (and as a rule sensibly) to protect our 

 song and some other birds, calls for consideration. I refer 

 to the depredations of robins (Turdus migratorius) on the 

 cherry trees about here. Out of ten trees that a while ago 

 were loaded with promising fruit, not one tree but that has 

 suffered. Eight of them have been about stripped of fine 

 black hearts. The only tree having anything o' < ousequence 

 left on it is the one close by the house. Flutt"i-i-ig strings, 

 rags, and even a bell fixed so as to ring when a hr< i ze moves 

 the limbs, are of no avail. Even if you throw a fin) cracker 

 into a tree it only sends them off for a time. J sun glad to 

 see the birds protected, and I am not at all pr< j id iced; but 

 in this case I think the robin ought to be forcibly invited to 

 let these cherries alone. Perhaps the origin >to s. Of the 

 Audubon Society or some of its members c^n Mi^cest a 

 remedy. 1 do not like monopolies. X. Y . Z. 



Salem, Mass. 



On complaint of James Anderson, agent of the Ma««nrhu- 

 setts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animate for 

 the four western counties of the commonwealth, Lewis and 

 Darwin Merrill, of Shelburne Falls, were yesterday aimiirm d 

 before Justice Greene, at Greenfield, for shooting robins, and 

 were each fined $20 and costs, a total of $58.58. This is the 

 initial movement of the Society under the provisions of the 

 bird law just passed, which imposes a penalty of $10 and 

 costs for each robin killed. — Boston Herald, June 24. 



"The ladies of Paris," says the St. James's Gazette, "tired 

 of wearing dead birds, are now spending fabulous sums in 

 procuring all sorts of creeping things— such as spiders, 

 beetles, etc. — with which to adorn their hair and dresses. 

 It seems the idea originated with Alme. Judic, who during 

 her tour in 'the Golden South Americas,' was presented by a 

 deputation of feminine admirers in Brazil with a 'brace' or 

 'pair' or 'couple'— we are not sure of the technical term for 

 two insects— of Brazilian beetles, or 'gold bugs'; which, it 

 appears, can be trained, and are tethered by thin gold chains 

 to a hair-pin, and are allowed to wander about her head at 

 their own sweet wills. The idea of ladies adorning them- 

 selves with living insects is hardly original. Not to go as 

 far back as the Egyptians and Etruscans, we ourselves re- 

 member seeing in the Brazils a party of ladies who, having 

 captured a number of fire flies, inclosed them in long tubes 

 of muslin, with which they trimmed the front of their 

 dresses. The effect in a garden after dark was quite as 

 pretty as the electric lights which the 'Iolanthe' fairies wore 

 at the Savoy. If Mine. Judic's beetles could speak, they 

 would probably say, with Piscal, 'Fashion is a tyrant from 

 which nothing frees us.' In the meantime they are the sub- 

 ject of much comment in Paris; for, as Pope said in a 

 famous epigram, 'Ladies will talk of what runs in their 

 head.' " 



Barn Owl in Ohio.— Editor Forest and Stream: I had 

 the good fortune to secure a fine adult female barn owl {Strix 

 pratincola, Bonap.), brought to me by a farmer who sliot it 

 from the top of a high oak tree. This is the first instance of 

 its occurrence in Northern Ohio, only five or six specimens 

 being recorded in the State, and those over in the southern 

 part The first owl of this kind I ever saw was alive, in a 

 Cleveland bird store, labeled ' 'monkey owl." The gen Neman 

 in charge was very indignant when I informed him of his 

 mistake in the name, He told me that it was a new kind of 

 owl of which I knew nothing. I have often thought since 

 that the name was very appropriate, as the owl does really 

 resemble that animal about the face and eyes. The Cleve- 

 land specimen came from Florida.— A. Hall, (East Kockfort, 

 O., June 19). 



A Singular Egg.— This morning we had a singular egg 

 for breakfast. It was nothing less than one egg with another 

 inside of it. The egg was poached and when the cook came 

 to break it a smaller egg fell out of the larger one. The 

 smaller one was about the size of a pigeon's— or perhaps a 

 little larger— with a very thin shell. My desire was to pre- 

 serve it, but I found that it had been cracked in breaking 

 the egg that inclosed it. I might say that the larger egg. 

 was supposed to be a double yolked one, and as an honored 

 guest I was to enjoy the two yolks. But instead of the 

 usual two yolks there was. the smaller egg. The smaller 

 | one was without a yolk. — A. H. G. 



