Atra, 19> 1886.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



65 



Bpeed. In less than a second the aforesaid good 

 angel was amply -vindicated, and my wildest di-eams 

 were more than realized. Amid the frantic screaming of 

 the excited dog there came — as sweetest music to my ears 

 and choicest balm to my feelings— the heartfelt grunts 

 and splutterings of Old Butt-er. Usually I coiild keep my 

 coimtenance straight when any fun was going on, but 

 this was more than I could stand; and I was obliged to 

 take two or tln-ee rolls on the grass before I could face the 

 music. When finally I recovered sufficiently to ajiproach 

 the scene of operation the old man had lifted the dog to 

 the edge of tlie hole, and as I came up he admuiistered a 

 sounding wliack to his ribs and dismissed him with an 

 energetic "Git!" that could have been heard a railo. Just 

 then the fox bolted, and popping out of the hole vanished 

 like a ghost. This filled the old man's cup full to over- 

 flowing, at all events he "boiled over" most decidedly. 

 Making a frantic spring to get out of the hole he missed 

 fire and went back all in a heap. As ho rose to it the sec- 

 ond time I caught the glitter of his eye and incontinently 

 took to my heels and did not stop until I had put a safe 

 distance between us. When I glanced back to see how 

 thmgs were v/orking Old Butt-er was wildlj^ capering 

 around that heap of gravel and cutting up some of the 

 queerest didos it was ever my good fortune to witness. 

 After a very careful review of all the circumstances and 

 a most enjoyable study of his eccentric evolutions, I some- 

 how became iinj)ressed with the notion that, to use one 

 of his expressive phrases, ' 'He was-er takin' the rest on't 

 out in cussin-er." O. M. 



REINDEER IN ALASKA SNOWS. 



THE following extracts from a letter written by J. W. 

 Johnson, who is connected with the Signal Service 

 in Alaska, to his father, A. M. Johnson, who resides at 

 Eockj)ort, ni., will be found interesting: 



NusHAGAK, Alaska, April 7.— Spring has commenced 

 to appear, though the country is still covered with a heavy 

 coat of snow. I was informed this morning that a shij) 

 had been seen down on the seacoast. The islands and 

 upper part of the river are covered with ice, though I 

 expect a few good warm days will raise the ice and carry 

 it out to sea. This spring is very backward, more so 

 than usual. Yesterday and to-day have been very warm 

 and pleasant. 



Perhaps a little moose or reindeer hunting adventure 

 would interest you. I will tell you about a ti'ip with a 

 Russian, from which I returned' a few days since. The 

 Russian started the day before I did, and 'fished up the 

 river some twenty miles for a small fish found there — a 

 kind of smelt. The next morning I overtook him, and 

 we started over the Timdra, or level and rolling country. 

 We had not gone far — some two or three mUes— before 

 we sighted something far out on the tmidra. After a 

 few minutes watching it proved to be a herd of reindeer, 

 and they seemed to have seen us about the same time, 

 for they made off over the country. So Paul, for that is 

 his name, a young fellow about my age, and I started for 

 the deer on snowshoes, with om- Winchester repeating 

 rifles containuig twelve or fourteen cartridges in the 

 chambers. We traveled for over two hom-s and at last got 

 sight of them. We f oimd they had been running in a circle 

 quite around us. We soon started afresh after them . They 

 ran otf two miles or more and we headed for the sleigh. 

 We found the deer were going the same way we were, 

 so we thought we would wait for the sleigh to come up. 

 We had gone down into a little gully and by the time we 

 got out on the level again the deer had come back to 

 us and were within a third of a mile of us. As Paul and 

 I were separated some thousand yards and the deer were 

 so near we thought our chances favorable for shooting 

 some of them. He went one way and I the other. I tried 

 hard to get near them, but could not— only falling heels 

 over head in trying to creep with my snowshoes on. Just 

 then the deer separated — three going toward Paul and 

 seven toward me, or rather passing before me, though at 

 about 800yds. range. They began to run, for Paul had 

 commenced to shoot. They passed witliin 100yds. of 

 him, though he never hit one. I had better luck. I saw 

 I could get no nearer, so after I fell I concluded I would 

 sit where I was and shoot. I raised the rifle sight to 

 900yds. and fired low, killing one the first shot. He ran 

 150ft. and fell dead, shot through the small of the back. 

 I fired some two or three times more, but did not stop any 

 more of them, though lam confident I hit another, as one 

 lagged behind. Paul picked up the brdlet in the snow. 

 It passed thi-ough the deer without touchmg a bone, and 

 it is not defaced in the least. That night we slept in a 

 deserted sod house, whose tenants had flown. It was just 

 the thing, for it was dry and comfortable, and had a cook 

 stove and two couches to sleep on. Snow set in, and it 

 snowed all night. I told Paul to have the Esquimaux take 

 the bait for foxes and set them back in the woods, so that 

 the dogs would not be likely to get any of them, as I used 

 strychnine on the bait. This precaution was without 

 avail, for one dog soon came back and keeled over in front 

 of the door. The next morning the Esqiiimau brought in 

 a fox and at night one more dog— pretty good luck so far. 

 The fii-st dog was a magnificent specimen; in fact, the 

 finest I ever saw, exactly like a wolf. We stayed at this 

 house for three days, as rain set in on the second day and 

 it looked as though we were going to have a soft spell, but 

 it grew colder during the night. 



In the morning we set out. I was on PauFs sleigh 

 with him. The morning was cloudy, but in the afternoon 

 it cleared up, and while on the way up the river we ran 

 across a moose track. It was about time to stop and feed. 

 We soon made a fti-e and had tea, and were ready for the 

 moose chase. The track was an old one, but that made 

 not the least difference as long as we could follow it. We 

 followed it for half an hour, and it just happened that 

 where the winds had not sifted the snow we saw the track 

 of snowshoes. Of course that was enough. Esquimaux 

 up the river had been after him. So we went back and 

 ran across another leading back to the woods. After los- 

 ing and findmg the track a good many times, at last we 

 fovmd it in the woods, and then it ran over hiUs covered 

 with spruce and through ravip.es, the most zigzag com-se 

 an animal coiild take. It scrubbed alongside of trees and 

 between everything it could in order to elude us and hide 

 from man or beast. It was quite a job to follow it, as 

 the dogs and sleigh were along. We followed it, however, 

 all that day, but the track grew but Mttle fresher. We 

 camped that night. The day had been beautiful, bright and 

 sunshiny. We passed through several beartif ul groves of 

 epruce just like parks. It reminded me of the Grolden Gate 



Park at San Francisco. That night w© sat round the 



camp-fire talking over the events of the day and of what 

 the morrow would bring forth. The first thing in the 

 morning was breakfast — reindeer steak and toasted bread 

 with tea. That over, camp was broken and we were off. 

 The day promising to be fine we traveled over hills and 

 hoUows, through dense woods, going down hills at break 

 neck speed, and sometimes the dogs could not keep from 

 being run over by the sleighs. At last the moose started 

 out on the Tundra as his track plainly showed. After 

 following it a few hundred yards we discovered where 

 another had met it and turned back into the woods again. 

 That was more encom'aging. After following the track 

 for a half mile or so we came to Avhere they had stopjied 

 to browse on the trees, and they seemed to think nobody 

 would be likely to disturb them. The tracks were very 

 distmct though not very fresh. The snow was about 3ft. 

 deep and we were quite certain they would not move far. 

 We unloosed four of the best dogs, told two of the Esqui- 

 maux to stay by the sleighs and took the third, who was 

 the oldest, with us. He had a single-barrel shotgun. We 

 had been gone some half hour and Paul and I had got 

 separated a hundred yards or so, when all at once I saw the 

 dogs throw iip their heads and run. I knew well what was in 

 the wind and started on a run, but one cannot run very 

 fast with snowshoes on in the woods. I heard the dogs 

 bark and knew they had come upon the moose, but could 

 not see them. Paul was quite close to the animals, and 

 pretty soon I saw the big fellows tearing tln-ough the 

 woods, paying no attention to what was in their way. 

 They sank down in the show at every step three feet or 

 more, while the dogs ran on the snow veithout breaking 

 through only now and then. As soon as the dogs got a 

 chance they would nip the moose in the flank, and that 

 would cause them to turn around. When we caught sight 

 of them we fired at them while ninning through the 

 bnish. As soon as we fu-ed they tm-ned and came back. 

 We both ran to get a shot at a two-year-old with small 

 horns. I fired at him as he tm-ned to^ charge on the dogs, 

 and broke his right hind leg, and down he went. I heard 

 the dogs baying at another, and as I had stopped the first 

 I thought I would try and stop the other also. I got a nm- 

 ning shot. So did Paul. This moose was a big fellow. 

 His back was higher than my head. He turned and ran 

 between the Esquimaux and us, and Paul thought he was 

 coming for loim. I kept a tree between myself and his 

 highness. I threw back the lever of my "gun and saw 

 there were no cartridges in the magaziiae. The moose 

 stni stood in the dense group of spruce and the dogs were 

 baying him. Poor Paul had no more shells either. He 

 said we had better climb a ti*ee as the moose raiglit charge 

 us. We could see the great long bristles on his neck 

 standing erect like a wild boar at bay, and every few 

 minutes he would growl or groan and chase the 

 dogs from his retreat, striking at them with 

 both front feet with great swiftness. Paul climbed 

 up a crooked birch tree, and said the moose would 

 go for us. I told him if he did he would see me go 

 up a tree quick enough as I had sent the Esquimaux back 

 to the sleigh for more shells. Just then I pushed down 

 the lever of my rifle, and to my surprise saw two car- 

 tridges in the chamber. The moose was mine. I raised 

 my rifle and fu-ed, the ball striking him in the shoulder 

 and lodging there. The animal still stood on his feet. I 

 tlien walked up and shot him behind the ear and he 

 dropped. The moment he fell the dogs sprang upon him 

 Uke so many wolves and tried to tear him to pieces, but 

 made no impression on his tougli hide. From the other 

 moose I liicked out a buckshot wliich was barely through 

 tlie skin and shot at fifty yards. The last moose was an 

 adult and had shed its horns last fall. It was all that 

 Paul and myself could do to tiu-n him over one end at a 

 time after we had skmned and cut him up. We started 

 for the other, leaving the Esqitiraaux to draw the meat 

 out to the edge of the woods so we could cache it or hang 

 it up in the trees. One moose vras as much as both teanis 

 of dogs and men could haul. The animal weighed nearly 

 1,000 pounds. The first moose was lying down as if alive. 



To-day is the fu-st calm day lor a week. The wind has 

 been blowing steadily froua the northeast and strong. 

 Though it has been sunshiny every day, the snow melts 

 very slowly. It certainly will be June before it is gone. 

 It is up to tlie tops of the "fences now. J. W. Johnson. 



HABITS OF RUFFED GROUSE. 



Editor Forest and Sti'eam: 



For two or three seasons past I have noticed ruffed 

 grouse m imusual places, as, for instance, two or three 

 haunting aU one fall a patch of nursery trees run wild. 

 This season, on two isolated ledges, where probably no 

 ruffed grouse but sti-agglers have been for thirty years, 

 a brood has evidently been raised on each. To "me this 

 is a very encouraging hope for the continuation of this 

 finest of our Eastem game birds. It looks as if they were 

 accepting the situation, and accommodating themselves 

 to cu-cumscribed limits, for in neither of these places 

 have I ever seen, till this year, any ruffed grouse but the 

 occasional stragglers that are found every fall in all sorts 

 of unaccustomed spots. Has any other reader of Forest 

 AND Stream seen the like ? 



House %vrens disaj)peared from these parts many years 

 ago, long before the fashion of wearing bhds' skins was 

 thought of by any one but savages. Has their disappear- 

 ance been noted elsewhere ? Awahsoose. 



Vermont, August. 



WOODCOCK NOTES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In issue of July 15 your correspondent, "A.," after re- 

 lating the discovery by him of a woodcock's nest, says: 



The next morning I called to take another view of the young in- 

 nocents, but they were gone. Probably the parent removed them 

 during my absence, and if so, ho\v? Or did they gain strength 

 (which seemed to me improbable) and follow the m^ ther to a new 

 and more secluded home? Or were they devoured by hawk or fox? 

 are queries I never could answer satisfactorily to my own mind. 

 I have always had the impression that the parent bird in some 

 way removed them. 



The explanation is easy. Tlie mother bird carried off 

 her young one by one in her legs. I have seen it done. 

 In the case which came under my notice the young were 

 already half grown, and the mother dropped one of them 

 several times in her anxious efforts to flutter off with it. 

 But she succeeded. J. A. H, 



ROOHESIEH, N, Y. 



THE PRAIRIE CHICKENS. 



THE open season for prairie chicken vdll begin in this 

 State August 15, and for those that are prepared the 

 shooting will be above par. Several things have been 

 much in this bird's favor. The season has been imusually 

 favorable for breeding, as the heavy rains that usually 

 cause such sad havoc among the young birds were not 

 very prevalent, and fine coveys are reported from many 

 localities. Good hunting dogs have been scarce here for 

 several years, and are very scarce again, and you fre- 

 quently hear the question asked, "Where can I get a good 

 hunting dog?" Owing to the absence of dogs many 

 coveys from time to time have mattu-ed, so we have a fair 

 supply of this estimable bird. 



We need in this State a law prohibiting shooting until 

 September 1. The writer has frequently seen young bu-ds 

 brought in that were not much larger than "Bob White. 

 Very often the nests are made in cornfields which are not 

 plowed until May, and again they are made on fall plow- 

 ing that is intended for corn, and then they are almost 

 always destroyed. When such is the case, the old bird, 

 if she rears a brood, must look up a new home, wliich 

 takes time. I think this is the cause of there being so 

 many small bu-ds when the season opens. Some years ago 

 I was breaking down corn stalks late in April with a drag 

 to which two horses were attached; an old hen grouse was 

 on her nest and remained sitting although the horses 

 passed on each side of her, and the fu-st known of her 

 presence was when she was fluttering rmder the drag, 

 from which she emerged almost denuded of feathers. 

 Her nest contained fom-teen fresh eggs, part of which 

 were broken. This was an imusually eai-ly laying; they 

 comxnonly commence to lay about May 5 or 10, and if the 

 nest should be destroyed and another complement of eggs 

 laid, the chicks will be so small by Aug. 15 as to stand a 

 poor showing before the breechloader. 



Bob White of late years is very scarce here and is but 

 seldom seen. I know of three pans of old bu-ds near 

 town, and they are very tame, allowing you to approach 

 very close. These ai-e not accompanied by any young 

 this year, their nests probably having been destroyed. 

 The cold winter's deep snows and ruthless mass of hunt- 

 ers are too much for Uttle Bob. We have a few ruffed 

 grouse left and they are not much hunted, as they are a 

 little "too previous" on the wing for most of om- hunters. 



Like aU other localities om-s is cursed with a few would- 

 be sportsmen who have no respect for game laws, and 

 kill prairie chickens out of season. There has been some 

 of it done already this season. A sharp watch wili be 

 kept and all offenders, when caught, will be promptly 

 dealt vtdth. H. A. Kline. 



Polo, 111. _ 



BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN. 



AFTER supper, feeling quite tired, I wrapped myself in 

 my blanket preparatory to going asleep. I lay for 

 some time but was unable to close my eyes. At length I 

 arose, and putting aside the cm-tain of the tent, looked 

 out. It was midnight. The moon had just risen, peering 

 over yonder mountain top, and its light, reflected on the 

 waters of the lake, lit up the forest around as if a thou- 

 sand torches were blazing within it. 



AU was stni save the occasional hoot of an owl and the 

 cry of a loon, which broke in upon the stillness of the 

 night like an intrusion. In the distant mountain glade 

 could be heard the moose calling for his mate ; in the swamp 

 the cry of the whippoormll. The camp-fh-e had nearly 

 gone out and a few embers were still smoking. It was 

 then that nature seemed most grand and beautiful. Giv- 

 ing up all idea of again seeking sleep, I woke one of the 

 guides and bade him paddle me out upon the lake. Never 

 shall I forget that ni^-ht if I live to be a himth-ed years 

 old. Words cannot describe it. Grand seems but a tame 

 word to aiiply to it. I sat in the bow of the canoe gazing 

 in wonder and admiration on the scene before me. The- 

 hght bii-ch glided silently over the water, the paddle being 

 wielded in the skiUful hands of the Indian. Not a word 

 had been spoken by either of us since we left the shore, 

 each being occupied with his own thoughts. Indeed there 

 seemed to be a solemnity about the scene that made one 

 abstain from speaking lest all should vanish like a dream. 



Toward the further shore, directly in the ray of the 

 moon, stood a deer drinking from the lake, his" slender 

 figm-e standing out plainly from the dark forest beliind. 

 I tried to raise my rifle but could not lift it; it seemed ais 

 if it had become an immense weight that could not be 

 moved. Thus I gazed upon the pictm-e before me, hardly 

 knowing whether I was awake or in a di-eam. 



The flight of time was unheeded. Suddenly the spell 

 was broken by the cry of a loon. One by one the stars 

 had disappeared from the sky. The east was already 

 aglow with gold and purple clouds. The moon had sunk 

 hi the west just as the sun made its appearance amiounc- 

 ing the approach of another day. Silently we paddled 

 back to camp. 



As I sat down to breakfast, I coidd hardly believe that I 

 had not wakened from a dream. A mist seemed before 

 my eyes, beyond which was the picttu-e of that beautiful 

 night. Y. 



Bangob, Me. 



Rifled Chokebores.— New Orleans, La., Aug. 11.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: Your number of Aug. 5 con- 

 tained an ai-ticle concerning the new "choke-rifled" gun 

 barrel, which Lieut.-Col. Fosbery claims as being his own 

 invention. I do not have the least doubt that tliis gentle- 

 man is actmg in perfectly good faith, having probably 

 never heard of another similar device. However, it is a 

 fact, that the same device in shotgun barrels was invented 

 and apphed several years ago, by the eminent gun maker, 

 H, Pieper, in Liege, 'Belgium. I have under' my eves a 

 catalogue of Mr. Pieper, dated 1883, printed in French, giv- 

 ing the price of "choke-rifling" as twenty-five francs per 

 bai-rel. Although Piex^er's g-uns have won a great fame 

 aU over om- cotmtry, it seems to me that his invention of 

 "choke-rifling" is till to date known to a few professional 

 men only. My catalogue is at the disposal of Col. Fos- 

 bery to furnish him the proof of my saying, and if ad- 

 dressing to Messrs. Schoverhng, Daly & Gales, in New- 

 York, Pieper's agents for the U. S., these gentlemen will 

 Ukely fuUy confirm my above statement. In fact the 

 system of "choke-rifling" is neither a new nor an Ameri- 

 can invention, and I pubHsh these lines solely for the sake 

 of ti-uth. to give honor to whom honor belongs.— F. R, 

 Ambuehl (P. 0» Box 129). [Ool. Fosbery is of the British 

 Army,] 



