Sept. 14, 1895.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



228 



i invitation. lean hardly say camped, for during our stay 

 we were Mr. Seegmiller's guests, aud our camp life con- 

 sisted simply in sleeping in our own blankets. It was a 

 pleasure onese more to sit down to a meal that we did not 

 cook ourselves and to get bread that was baked in an 

 oven. Mr. SeegmiWer was an enthusiastic horseman — a 

 breeder of both running and draft stock. For years he 

 has had an unbeaten stable in southern Utah. We also 

 noticed thoroughbred Jersey bulls, Holsteins, Berkshires 

 and other famous breeds of cattle, swine and sheep. In 

 the ranch there are 1,800 acres under fence, and as all the 

 springs in the vicinity of Upper Kanab Creek are covered 

 by this patent, sheepmen have kept at a distance. Hence 

 our host has a little game preserve of his own, the deer 

 being reserved for the especial use of himself and friends. 

 He told us where the best shooting was to be obtained, 

 and before daylight the next morning Andrew and Doc 

 were out with their rifles. Business prevented my accom- 

 panying them. Botanically speaking, we were in a new 

 world and the region was immensely rich from a paleon- 

 tologies! standpoint. 



After breakfast Collie, having in a measure slept off his 

 bay-haired infatuation, shod two of the horses; Perry rode 

 seven miles to the post office to mail some letters, and I 

 geologized. The pink cliffs are of lower eocene age, and 

 consist of uniformly bedded lake marls. The fossils are 

 well defined and belong to a brackish- water period. The 

 fresh-water deposits of the higher eocene I did not have 

 time to study. 



A little before noon our hunters returned, tired and 

 hungry, but without a deer, though they claimed to have 

 killed one and lost it in the timber, This was their story: 

 After going up half a mile from the house they turned 

 into a side caflon that seemed to be a natural feeding 

 ground. This soon forked. Doc took one hollow, Andrew 

 the other. In a short time Andrew heard Doc's Winches- 

 ter give nine barks just as rapidly as the lever could be 

 worked. He thought a whole herd was being extermin- 

 ated. Presently he saw a yearling buck, evidently greatly 

 scared, cross the ridge 150yds. ahead of him. He gave it 

 one shot and it fell, but was instantly on its feet and 

 down the ridge again on Doc's side, but he did not fire. 

 It was the first time he had ever seen a wild deer, though 

 he was born and raised in Utah, and the buck ague was 

 too much for him. Doc's story was the same as Andrew's, 



L and he admitted that the deer was very close to him when 

 he first shot. The two followed the bloody trail for about 

 300yds. and then lost it. The buck was going through the 

 heavy timber in the direction of the creek, and Andrew 



I thought that he could not last long, as he was shot 

 through the body just back of the heart. While search- 

 ing for deer No. 1, Doc started a second even closer to 



I him than the other, and put two'lneffectual shots after it 

 before it said "good-by." 



At 4 o'clock we all started to search for the lost deer. 



j If we could not find it we could at least botanize. Doc 

 paced off the distance at which he made his nine shots 

 and found it to be 75yds. The shots at the other deer 

 were from 35 to 50yds. * But Doc was not ashamed. He 

 was more deer hungry than ever. In vain we beat the 

 forest for two hours; no deer could be found. The botan- 

 ists and ornithologists did well, and the names of a few 

 Bpecieswill show the nature of the flora: Thalictuun 

 fendleri, Engelm. ; Delphinium datum, var. occidental, 



■ Watson ; Astragalus lonchocarpus, Torr . ; Frasera speciosa, 

 Dougl. ; Pentstemon kingii, Watson. 



When within a mile of the house on our return trip, at 

 a crossing of the creek I saw Collie stop suddenly and 

 throw up his hands. I rode hurriedly up. There, with 

 his nose in the water, dead in the act of drinking, lay our 

 lost buck — a two-year- old with antlers in the velvet. He 

 was strapped across the saddle and we walked back well 

 contented with the day's efforts in all directions. 



Early on Saturday morning we set out on our thirty- 

 seven-mile drive through Kanab Canon to Kanab. The 

 road was for the last twenty-five miles either .rocky or 

 heavy with sand. Water was scarce, so we expected a 

 hard trip. Perry, Ted and Collie took the wagon, the rest 

 of us the buckboard. Seven miles below Vermilion Ranch 

 the waters of the creek were exhausted and from this 

 point to the head of the canon the natives eked out a pre- 



I carious livelihood by dry farming. Here the buckboard 

 stopped at the ranch of Andrew Siler and the wagon was 

 sent on. We told the boys that we would overtake them 

 in an hour or two. Siler, who is an invalid at present, 

 has been a noted botanical collector throughout this region 

 and he gave us many valuable "pointers" concerning our 

 trip in Arizona. His specialty has been the cacti, and 

 while he knows nothing of systematic botany his field 

 notes are invaluable. He showed us many letters from 

 Dr. Cray, Dr. Parry, Dr. Englemann and many of the old 

 worthies that have passed into the "silent land" and 

 wished that he could accompany us. At 1 o'clock we 

 started on the trail of our companions and an hour later 

 were at the head of the caflon, into which we passed, and 

 for fifteen miles our view was hemmed in by narrow and 

 lofty walls. At the head of the canon was a small spring 

 where we watered our team, and supposed of course that 

 in accordance with instructions the other boys had done 

 the same. We were in the picturesque realm of the cre- 

 taceous—a region of yellow sandstones and clay-sholes, 

 bent, twisted, flexed, broken, unconformable, and withal 

 the most interesting of geological studies. In many places 

 it waB capped with a thin stratum of lava and occasionally 

 we saw lava ridges that had once filled the stream beds, 

 the cretaceous and jurassic having now worn away and 

 left volcanic hills in marked contrast to their surround- 

 ings. Interesting, too, was the study of birds and flowers. 

 During the afternoon we found three species of pent- 

 stemon, including the rare P. palmeri, but of Composite 

 and Leguminosce. we found more than of all other orders 

 combined. About 4 o'clock we found Collie's saddle 

 horse that had been tied behind the sheep wagon munch- 

 ing the lupines by the wayside, and an hour later we caugh t 

 the wagon itself. It was stuck in the sand and the horses 

 that had not been watered since the morning, and no one 

 could remember watering them then, were completely 

 played out. We changed teams, but to no purpose, so I 

 mounted Baldy and started on a twelve mile ride to 

 Kanab for assistance. We did not know how far it was 

 to water, but two miles after leaving the boys I struck a 

 large stream as it came out of the Vermilion cliffs at 

 what is known as the Headwaters, and I felt no more 

 uneasiness, for I knew that if they made this spot they 

 could easily camp until morning. From this point 

 Kanab Creek flows on without sinking and it is becoming 

 the redeemer of the desert, but as I saw the carcasses in 



the mud about Headwaters, I actually pitied the people 

 who have to use that water for culinary purposes. About 

 7 o'clock I reached Kanab Dam, that reservoirs the water 

 for the lower country. I was conscious of a change of 

 temperature and altitude. About me grew tree cacti and 

 tall yuccas, then the vermilion walls receded on either 

 side and before me stretched the great Arizona desert, 

 but on its hither side, nestling in the very jaws of the 

 Triassic Palisades, embowered in trees aud in all the 

 beauty of early summer, lay the little village of Kanab. 



I was so covered with dust and perspiration that hair, 

 face, canvas coat and blue overalls were of one hue — a 

 kind of hybrid between a Chinese joss and a Washoe 

 mud-eater— but I made the best of necessity and going 

 boldly to a house inquired: "Is Mr. Robinson at home?" 

 The young lady who answered my knock looked at me a 

 moment and then, raising her hands in holy horror, ex- 

 claimed: "Good heavens! It's Mr. W.l" 



Mr. Robinson was at home and in fifteen minutes I was 

 enjoying the luxury of a much-needed bath. Then came 

 supper, after which Mr. Robinson took me over to the 

 store and we talked over matters. The general impres- 

 sion was that the boys would camp at H eadwaters and it 

 would not be necessarv to send for them. While we 

 were yet talking (at 10:30 P. M.) the buckboard drove up, 

 having on it the five other members of the pa,rty and 

 leading the two used-up nags. I noticed that Doc looked 

 "blue," the first time that I had ever seen him in that 

 condition, and Elsie was missing. Perry was getting out 

 a revolver to shoot a coyote that trotted ahead of the 

 team. In some way the weapon was discharged and the 

 hullet passed entirely through Elsie's body. Nothing 

 could save her, so a grace shot put an end to her suffer- 

 ing. This cast a gloom over the entire party, though we 

 were devoutly thankful that the accident had no more 

 disastrous results. In spite of the hour Mr. Robinson took 

 the whole party to his house and his good wife got supper 

 for the crowd. It was almost midnight when we were 

 ready to retire. Andrew and I stayed at Mr. Robinson's. 

 Mr. John Brown took Perry and Collie home with him. 

 Bishop Johnson entertained Doc and Ted, and the next 

 morning Mr. William Lewis took his team and made a 

 twenty-four mile trip to get our wagon. To these four 

 gentlemen, especially to Mr. Joseph E. Robinson, "The 

 Six" are under lasting obligations, not only for that par- 

 ticular night, but for all our stay in the southern country. 



Most of these men were perfectly familiar with the 

 Grand Canon. They had been with the Powell and other 

 expeditions and the way in which thev discussed the 

 relative merits of Capt. Dutton and Mr. Walcott showed 

 an intimate acquaintance with these geologioal lights. It 

 takes camp life to learn a man through and through. 



As our Sunday clothes were in the sheep wagon, we 

 could n' t go to Sunday-school, so under the guidance of 

 Messrs Robinson and Brown we climbed the vermilion 

 parapet immediately east of town and surveyed the 

 country from Mount Trumbull to the Paria and as far 

 south as the distant San Francisco Mountains of Arizona. 

 Kanab seemed a very oasis in the desert. It was beautiful 

 and prosperous. Its fields extend for five miles south of 

 the town, and the houses are embowered in orchards of 

 peach, plum and apricot, and in vineyards as beautiful if 

 not as large as those of California. Though remote from 

 a railroad, I believe that the wealth of the community 

 will ultimately lie in its dried fruits and raisins. To-day 

 it is in flocks and herds. The great range is the desert 

 and the Buckskins. Its elevation is about 5,000ft. ; popu- 

 lation about 600; distance from Provo by one route about 

 312 miles; climate, hot in summer, with cool nights, and 

 delightful winters. So much for a description of the set- 

 tlement where I suppose no other reader of Forest and 

 Stream will ever penetrate — a village that has never ex- 

 perienced a "boom," and where every one is prosperous, 

 there being neither doctor, lawyer nor real estate agent 

 within seventy miles. The sociability of the people is one 

 of the most charming features of the community. 



From the signal point we noticed two large reservoirs 

 south of the town, and these in spring and fall are excel- 

 lent ducking resorts. Monday and Tuesday the boys de- 

 voted to birds, botany and general collecting, I had no 

 time for excursions, I felt worn out. From dawn till 

 midnight I was busy determining species of all kinds, 

 classifying our mineralogical and geological rarities and 

 writing up notes. The boys in addition to their regular . 

 work explored some mounds in the southwest field and 

 secured arrow heads, axes, pottery and bones for their 

 trouble. On Monday Doc shot a bird on the lower reservoir 

 that he thought to be a small canvasback. It proved a 

 "lesser scaup duck" {Ay thy a afflnis, cit). 



The list of birds shot from Seegmiller's ranch until we 

 left Kanab is as follows: 



Molothrus ater obsairus, Gmel. — Dwarf cowbird. 

 Chondestes grammacus sirigatus, Swains.— Western lark sparrow 

 (supplanting the desert horned lark south of the Basin). 

 Junco cinereus dorsalis, Henry. — Red- backed juneo. 

 Pipilo aberti, Baird.— Abert's towhee. 

 Piranga rubra cooperi, Ridgw.— Cooper's tanager. 

 Geothlypis macgillivrayi, Aud.— Macgiilivray's warbler. 

 Icteric, vireue longicauda. Lawr.— Long-tailed chat. 

 Harporlynchus crissalis, Henry.— CriBsal thrasher. 

 Catherpes mexicanus conspersus, Ridgw.— Canon wren. 

 Thryothorus bewickii bairdi, 8. and G. — Baird's wren. 

 Salpinctes obsoletus, Say. — Rock wren. 



On Tuesday afternoon we decided that it would be im- 

 possible for us to take the sheep wagon across the desert 

 and through the mountains, and a Mr. Rider kindly let 

 us have his buckboard without charge. We were for- 

 tunate in securing the services of "Uncle John" Stewart 

 to guide us to the Grand Basin Canon. Mr. Stewart has 

 accompanied the U. S. Survey on several expeditions. 

 He was the first white man to set foot in DeMotte 

 Park, and during the present season he has a sheep herd 

 within a few miles of Point Sublime. Mr. Stewart 

 offered to accompany us, and all arrangements being 

 completed at 10 o'clock on Wednesday morning, June 

 26, we set out on the last stage of our journey. 



Shoshonb, 



Tours to the South via Pennsylvania Railroad. 



Two very attractive early autumn tours are announced by the 

 Pennsylvania Railroad Company. They include the battlefield of 

 Gettysburg, picturesque Blue Mountain, Luray Caverns, the Natural 

 Bridge, Grottoes of the Shenandoah, the cities of Richmond and 

 Washington, and Mt. Vernon. The 1 tours cover a period of ten days, 

 and will start from .New York in Bpecial trains of parlor cars on Sept. 

 24 and Oct. S. Round-trip rate, including all necessary expenses, $55 

 from New York, $53 from Philadelphia, and proportionate rates from 

 other points. 



For detailed itinerary apply to Ticket Agents or to Tourist Agent, 

 1196 Broadway ,-New York, or Room 411, Broad Street Station, iPhila- 

 delphia,— Adv, 



THREE MEALS IN ONE DAY. 



On one of the few glowing July days which nature pet- 

 tishly casts among the dainty delights of the Northwestern 

 summer, a party of nephews and nieces gathered about 

 the invalid's hammock to say good-by before a day's jaunt 

 among the lakes and dells of the most beautiful region of 

 all (nameless here forevermore). 



On other sumffners the invalid had been eyes and tongue 

 for the party, interpreter of the rede inscribed by Dame 

 Nature herself, and more than one noticed the wistful 

 look which passed over his face as he playfully predicted 

 the spoil with which each should return. 



"But, Uncle," said saucy May, with an unusual touch 

 of sympathy in her voice, "I dare say that you will gather 

 more of what you used to call the spoil of the eves from 

 your own hammock in our dooryard than all the rest of 

 us in twenty miles of outing." "We shall see," was the 

 quiet reply; and they hurried away, sending back pleas- 

 ant wishes for a comfortable day to the patient sufferer 

 under the trees. At twilight that evening the party re- 

 assembled on the wide veranda, and after disposing 

 themselves each in his most reposeful attitude, the com- 

 parison of the treasure trove began. 'Twas a mort of 

 miscellany, including torn skirts and stone bruises. But 

 the universal conclusion was that the day was too hot for 

 anything to happen worth seeing in the world of nature. 



"Why, the very catbirds came out of hiding with their 

 beaks open and feathers a-droop, completely wilted," 

 chimed in Charlie. 



"But what did you bag, Uncle?" said May; "display your 

 catch." 



' 'Well, children, 1 was more fortunate than any one who 

 has yet reported, for I captured. three meals— a breakfast, 

 dinner and supper— and the mSnu was in each case a gen- 

 uine surprise." 



Knowing that the invalid had for weeks subsisted on 

 almost nothing but clam broth and oatmeal, a look of of- 

 fended knowledge began to appear until the invalid con- 

 tinued: "Scarcely had your steps died away when sedate 

 Mme. Robin made her appearance, and yonder in the 

 shade of the syringia began preparations for her own 

 breakfast in a most matter-of-fact manner. The ground 

 is kept damp by the sprinkler, as you know, but look as I 

 might, I could see nothing on the scanty and short turf 

 to supply so hearty a guest. Darting from point to point 

 with decisive alertness, each time the bird seized upon 

 something string-like and evidently luscious. Then with 

 head on one side in a listening attitude, she stood until 

 the next spring. At first I thought madam was pullin°- 

 up succulent roots or runners, but as she approached it 

 was apparent that the breakfast consisted of plump 

 wriggling earth-worms, Yes, fish-worms, if you prefer. 

 'Well, Mrs. R,,' said I, 'if you can catch worms, so can I.' 

 But the vaunt proved beyond my power. Lie quiet as I 

 might, no worm could I see. Perhaps robin nas more 

 delicate hearing than we, and holds her wise head atilt to 

 catch, if not the footfall, let us say the 'wigglefalP of the 

 prey. But it soon became plain that it was to accommo- 

 date vision and not hearing that the head was cocked on 

 one side, so that the lateral eyes might be in line of the 

 proposed spring. Little heaps of sand pellets showed the 

 activity of the worms, and as the tip of the body of his 

 wormship was thrust up above the burrow to rear these 

 little monuments of the eternal annuloid industry it be- 

 came the promptly accepted signal for breakfast." 



"Well, Uncle, how about dinner?" 



"Ah, that was a tragic and as my French friend over the 

 way says, 'a heart rendering' matter. About 10 o'clock 

 a little gathering of blue jays occurred on the telegraph 

 pole and telephone brackets yonder. There was a vast 

 deal of vociferous chattering and tail gesticulation, inter- 

 spersed frequently with the indescribable, goblin-like 

 jodel which is the most characteristic note of the bird. 

 You all know what I mean— the bird seems to have an 

 unusually uncouth vocable stuck in his throat which he 

 can neither pronounce nor swallow, and in dismay he 

 shakes himself violently up and down, during which pro- 

 cess the sound rattles with metallic resonance back and 

 forth. Well, after a great deal of parley, during which 

 one seemed to hear 'Now, you do it,' 'Oh, you are afraid,' 

 etc., finally one jay more resolute than the rest set off 

 directly for the porch, where my hammock had been 

 hung, with an air of business about every movement. 

 After a series of skulking flights a sudden dash brought 

 the robber into the midst of fehe Virginia creeper over the 

 side entrance where, you know, Dame Chipping Sparrow 

 has her home and brood of half-grown children. There 

 was a shrill chir-r-r-r-r-r and many-voiced scream, till at 

 last the evicted mother came flouncing down at my feet, 

 keeping up a plaintive chip-chip, which seemed to me 

 imploring help; but before help could be offered the gay 



blue robber was off with a screaming babe in hiB beak 



thus dinner was announced in the house of Cyanurus and 

 another Rama went into mourning in my very ears. 



"The third meal was after another manner. You all 

 know the flicker, that degenerate woodpecker who has 

 allied himself with the terrestrial tribes which, independ- 

 ently of any other bond than the common habit, seem to 

 have adopted the crescent on the breast as their heraldic 

 symbol (witness the meadow lark, horned lark, killdee 

 and others). But although familiar enough with the wild 

 proddings and burrowings of the flicker, I was unable to 

 explain the action of two of them who were busyin^ 

 themselves just at sunset in the path across the lawn! 

 They seemed to be thrusting their clumsy beaks fuli 

 length into the soil and then pumping vigorously out and 

 in for a moment. Occasionally one of the birds would 

 turn his beak straight toward the zenith and perform a 

 strange sort of ceremonial dance with neck outstretched 

 and contorted body. Closer examiaatioo showed that 

 Messrs. Flicker had discovered a group of ant nests and 

 thrusting their beaks into the crowded avenues were as- 

 sisting outpouring multitudes into the capacious throat. 

 The pumping motion was accompanied by vigorous action 

 of the barbeu, sticky and singularly flexible tongue, but 

 occasionally an active ant, deviating from the intended 

 pathway, found opportunity to register his disapproval of 

 the whole performance by sundry stinging bites, and this 

 may explain the gyrations which I was at first inclined 

 to explain as a ceremonial adoration of the setting sun 

 It was, in fact, not unlike the dance performed by Harry 

 here when he tried to dig up a granary of black ante 

 last summer to see how their home had been formed 



