4 90 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 4, 1889. 



WILD PETS. 



II. — ANOTHER TAME MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 



HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS, Col,— I was much inter- 

 ested in "G. B. G.'s" history of Seep in your issue 

 of June 6; also in the incidental mention of other do- 

 mesticated mountain sheep. Thinking additional notes 

 on the subject might possess some interest I offer the fol- 

 lowing: 



Some years ago I heard of a pet sheep near Fort Col- 

 lins, this State. Being ®n somewhat familiar terms with 

 the veteran showman. P. T. Baraum , I wrote him to inquire 

 if he would like to secure it. Being answered in the 

 affirmative, I sent and got it, and after a short time for- 

 warded it by express to Mr. Barnum. It traveled with 

 kis "Greatest Show on Earth" for two or three seasons, 

 and was finally burned with his museum and menagerie 

 on Broadway. Daring its life Mr. B. wrote me two or 

 three times about it, and again after its death. He seemed 

 to think it oue of the most interesting animals in his col- 

 lection. It was a female, and during the short time I 

 had it in possession I learned to think it the most inter- 

 esting pet I had ever owned. 



Last year one was raised by a family living four miles 

 up Grand River from this place. In the fall it was sold 

 to an Eastern gentleman who came out for a hunt. The 

 price was $40. The purchaser went further West hunt- 

 ing, and about the time of his return to claim his pur- 

 chase and take it home the animal died, from what cause 

 I never learned. 



Mountain sheep were not uncommon pets in the early 

 years of Colorado's settlement. I know that I have fre- 

 quently seen them , but cannot now recall other particular 

 instances. 



One or more sheep were killed near here last winter in 

 violation of the State law for their protection. Neigh- 

 bors charge the offense to a young man who has left the 

 country, but there is grave suspicion that some people 

 yet here have got " some of the hog," if they did not actu- 

 ally do the killing. W. N. Byers. 



NEW BIRDS ANp MAMMALS. 



NUMBERS of the Bulletin of the American Museum 

 of Natural History issued during the month of June 

 contain some interesting papers on new South American 

 birds by Mr. J. A. Allen, and on new mammals by Mr. 

 Frank M. Chapman. 



Mr. Allen's examination of South American birds in 

 the collection of the Museum has resulted in the dis- 

 covery of a number of new species and in the reference 

 to their proper zoological position of a number of species 

 which have been erroneously placed by other ornithol- 

 ogists. Among the new species described by Mr. Allen 

 are: Thryothurus macrurus, T. longijjes, Platyrhynchus 

 bifasciatus, P. insnlaris, Eascarthm ochropterus and 

 Sublegatus virescens. There are interesting notes on a 

 dozen other species of birds. 



Another paper of great interest to ornithologists from 

 Mr. Allen's pen treats of the South American bird Cy- 

 clorhis and its rear allies, and is illustrated by figures of 

 the heads of three species, G. viridis, C. ochrocepliala and 

 C. gnianensis. 



Mr. Chapman's investigations in Florida have resulted 

 in the collection of some very interesting material. In 

 the paper before us he describes two apparently new 

 species of the genus Hesperoviys, under the names H. 

 floridanus and H. niveiven.tr is, and a new subspecies of 

 Sigmodon huyridus under the name S. h. lateralis. Mr. 

 Chapman made some interesting observations on the 

 habits of the rare Neofiber alleni, the round-tailed 

 muskrat, of which so little is known. This species was 

 found abundant in eastern Florida, opposite Micco. Mr. 

 Chapman's account of the habits of this species, so far as 

 he observed them, is very interesting. He is led to be- 

 lieve that the food of JSeofiber is largely vegetable, and 

 that, while it is very much at home in the water, it is 

 much less aquatic in habit than the muskrat. 



Bullfrogs as Fish Eaters. — Constantine, Mich., 

 June 20. — Editor Forest and Stream: In a late issue a 

 correspondent states that bullfrogs do not have a taste 

 for fish, but take almost anything else. I once had an 

 experience which makes me think that bullfrogs have a 

 decided taste for fish. A companion and I were fishing 

 for blue-gill sunfish at a lake near here, and whenever 

 we caught a fish we threw it about loft, behind us into 

 a shallow^ spring water surrounded by tall grass and 

 sufficiently inclosed to prevent the fish from escaping. 

 After fisfiing in tins way for some time, and after having 

 caught several dozen fish we heard an unusual commo- 

 tion among the fish we had caught and a great- splash- 

 ing in the pool, and ujjon investigating, we found a 

 monstrous bullfrog — his size certainly entitled him to 

 that name — sitting in the pool swallowing a blue-gill as 

 broad as my hand, not including the thumb; and before 

 we oould make him vacate he snapped up and swallowed 

 another sunfish fully as large and swallowed that too, all 

 but a little of the tail, which protruded from his mouth. 

 After we had thumped him with a board, but failing to 

 make him disgorge any of his thievings, he escaped with 

 enormous leaps and disappeared in the lake. I do not 

 know whether he swallowed more, but I saw him swallow 

 those two, and he did it with decided relish, if we could 

 judge from his countenance, which was a very open, one 

 during the process; at least he enjoyed it more than we 

 did.— S. J. H. 



Life in the Sea Sakds, — Philadelphia.— A stranger to 

 the beach would think there would be little or no animal 

 life in the apparently barren sand, especially along the 

 surf; but one with investigating habits will soon learn 

 that in the surf and sand there is almost a mass of such 

 life. Prominent are the surf bugs and gaud crabs; fur- 

 ther out the common crab and sand eel. What they live 

 on is not so apparent. It is such that drum and some 

 other fish come to feed on along the beach. On the flood 

 tide the sand bugs come out of the sand in the wave en 

 shore, and may be scooped up with shrimp nets in large 

 numbers, and when the wave recedes they may be seen 

 in schools settling in the loose sands, making a ripple, as 

 though they were pieces of broken shell. Surf bugs and 

 sand crabs are good bait for sheepshead, especially when 

 fishing for small fish, which s® quickly devour the soft 

 bait. How far north and south surf bugs are found I can- 

 not answer. I have not seen them north of New Jersey 

 nor south of Cape diaries.— P, 



Range of the Tdrkey Buzzard.— Owego, N. Y.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: In your last issue "Big Reel" 

 wishes to know the range of the turkey buzzard. In 

 August, 1887, a gentleman told me that his' son had killed 

 what the neighborhood called a turkey buzzard, and. if I 

 would come to the house I might have it. On arriving 

 at the house I found it true. The bird had been around 

 the vicinity for several days, and the neighbors thinking 

 it some kind of an eagle tried to kill it. Finally, one day 

 it sailed over the house and alighted in the woods, and 

 the boy taking the gun went in pursuit and succeeded in 

 getting a shot. The bird was undoubtedly a turkey buz- 

 zard, and measured 6ft. from tip to tip. Owego is about 

 in latitude 42° N.— I. A Loring. 



The Hoop Snake is still found in the columns of 

 country papers. The Highland, N. Y. Democrat, of June 

 22, reported that "as Mr. Jim Head was walking along 

 the road near the home of John Hedden, he was attacked 

 by a hoop snake, which encircled his leg around his boot, 

 which luckily proved a shield against his deadly weapon, 

 and by the aid of assistance he was finally released." 

 Our offer of a reward for a specimen of genuine hoop 

 snake still holds good. 



\%mt §jag mid 



NEW YORK WILDFOWL LAW. 



THE wildfowl law, Sec 'ion 4, Chan. 534 of the Laws of 1S79, was 

 amended by the last Legislature to read: 8 i. No person shall 

 kill or expose for sale or have in Ills or her possession afler the 

 same has been killed, any wild duck, goose or brant, in anv of the 

 waters of this State, between the first day of May and the first 

 day of September, except that in the waters of Long Island none 

 of said birds shall be killed between the first day of May and the 

 first day of October. * * * And any person found between sun- 

 set and sunrise on the water with a gun and lanlern, in the act of 

 attempting 10 pursue, fire at or kill any such birds, shall be 

 deemed guilty of a violation of this section. 



JAMES RIVER TALES.-1IL 



AFTER summer ducks. 



A, SMALL yellow flame struggling to force its light 

 through a badly neglected chimney, threw a sort 

 of twilight uncertainty upon the usual bric-a-brac of a 

 country newspaper office, the dim light seeming to add 

 several inches to the height of a gigantic stalk of corn in 

 one corner of the room and elongating the premium 

 spear of wheat hanging from the «eiling, both duly 

 commented upon in the local columns of a previous 

 edition of the Claremont Herald. The hour was 4 o'clock 

 of a September morning. Jim and the Old Man were 

 making ready for summer ducks, and Dan stood near 

 the door watching the preparations, all anxiety to be off, 

 yet half fearing he would be left. Jim takes a Parker in 

 each band, tbe Old Man shoulders the oars, and with 

 Dan prancing around us, barking his delight, we are off 

 down the road to Chipoax Creek. 



The air is damp with a heavy fog that has settled low 

 upon the earth, the long grass hanging over the narrow 

 road being as wet as from a rain. The birds are not yet 

 awake. Even that early riser, the thrush, has not opened 

 his eyes. We tread single file the winding path that 

 leads from the road down the wooded river bank to the 

 boat. 



Dan takes his position in the bow. It is my turn at 

 the oars, and off she slides into the water. The fog 

 seems to have grown denser. It is impossible to dis- 

 tinguish objects over a dozen boat lengths away. Five, 

 ten, fifteen minutes are ticked off by the dip of the oars, 

 and still the fog hangs about us like a Hading veil, deny- 

 ing even a glimpse of the shore, for which we were 

 steering. 



"Say, Old Man, how's this," cries Jim, pointing to a 

 stake we have almost collided with. I feel the inclina- 

 tion to say something, the first letter of which is damn, 

 for I recognize our starting point. We have made a cir- 

 cuit. Jim produces a small compass attached to a watch 

 chain, we take our bearings carefully and try again. 

 This time the trees come out of the fog to meet us, for we 

 have made the opposite shore. The boat glides on just 

 out of reach of the overhanging bushes. A great blue 

 crane flops out of a tree above us, and with a harsh cry 

 that startles Dan disappears in the fog. 



Easy now. Here is the first narrow stream leading 

 up through the marsh. We change positions, Jim mov- 

 ing up to the bow with his gun, while I settle in the stern 

 to paddle. The first bend, and no ducks. The stream is 

 now scarcely wider than the boat. Water bushes are 

 bent aside to enable us to pass, taking care not to disturb 

 an ugly-looking wasp nest with its wicked owners asleep 

 on the outside. I give the boat a shove around the next 

 turn. Up rise several ducks. Bang! bang! goes Jim's 

 Parker. A clean miss with the first barrel, but the sec- 

 ond drops its victim all in a heap, as limp as a wet dish 

 rag. Another conies out of the wild rice at my very 

 elbow. The paddle slips into the water as I reach for my 

 gun, and down comes Mr. Duck with a splash. Dan is 

 overboard attending to business, and quickly retrieves 

 the fellow. Nice fat fellows they are. Here comes a 

 straggler returning through the mist. Jim has his eye 

 upon him and makes a very creditable kill. Dan splashes 

 off through the weeds and water and retrieves, with the 

 duck held firmly in his mouth. He climbs into the boat, 

 and with muddy feet and dripping hide carefully squats 

 upon the middle seat, where somebody will have to sit at 

 the oars, Dan never neglected to place one or more of 

 his feet on that seat every time he entered the boat, pro- 

 vided they were wet or muddy. Jim and I argued with 

 him earnestly and often against this weakness, and now 

 and then with the broad end of the paddle, but all to no 

 purpose. So after a bit I would laugh when it came Jim's 

 time to occupy the muddy seat, and Jim would giggle 

 when I had to make a blotter of myself. 



Back down the stream we turn to the left and add 

 another duck to our string. The fog is lifting now, a 

 light breeze swaying the rice and cattails. The black- 

 birds are awake, clattering over their breakfast and mak- 

 ing sociable visits from one flock to another. Clear as a 

 tinkling bell comes the jrink, pink, of the reed birds. A 

 tall crane stands out in the water across the creek forag- 

 ing for his morning lunch. I produce my rjipe and light 

 up, while Jim makes himself useful at the oars. Half a 

 mile up the creek Ave strike the mouth of another stream 

 that zig-zags across the marsh. 1 take tbe post of honor 



this time. We are not fairly into the stream before a I 

 plump-looking duck comes out of the rushes, but drops I 

 back as the smoke curls away from my gun. Quiet now, I 

 for a loud word would frighten the ducks that are preb- I 

 ably feeding under that clump of water bushes ahead, ! 

 whereas they will not often take wing at the report of a I 

 gun unless very near them. We approach with great! 

 caution, for this is one of our favorite spots, though the I 

 ducks have a trick of going out on the wrong side of the I 

 bushes — undoubtedly the right side for them. The bushes! 

 being so high that the ducks are out of range before they I 

 show above them. 



We try a new dodge this time on the feathered inno-1 

 cents. Jim steps out upon the marsh while I proceed"! 

 with the boat. If they only come this way, well and! 

 good. But no, the fates are against us. Out they go as;J 

 the boat jars the bushes, but further up than usual, and! 

 only one, most likely a youngster, falls a victim byl 

 separating from the flock. 



We have time for one more stream ere the tide lowers. J 

 I give Jim the bow, and tell him to shoot straight audi 

 take his time about it, for this is the boss stream of thel 

 creek. He stands up in the narrow bow ready for action,! 

 the hammers of his Parker lying back like the ears of a I 

 horse about to bite. Dod blast it! Dan is in that seat! 

 again; but this is not the place or time to rebuke him, fori 

 the stream is deep and the boat unsteady. I paddle noise-1 

 lessly around the bend. The expectation becomes almost! 

 painful. With fluttering of wings up rise two beauties,! 

 Jim swings his gun and leans to one side. Dan thinks it J 

 a good time to get off that seat, and does it so expedi-l 

 tiously that with the report of the gun both Jim and thel 

 ducks disappear, he having lost his balance by the recoil! 

 of the gun and Dan's untimely move. He clutches fran-l 

 tically at the air, but it availed him not. There is a re-l 

 sounding splash, and Jim's feet are hanging on the edge! 

 of the boat, while his body is in the water. He holds thel 

 gun at arm's length above the water, the muzzle wob-| 

 bling suggestively in a line with my head, as he en-J 

 deavors to dislodge his feet. I think, good Lord, if ho| 

 should pull that trigger, and forget to offer him any as-J 

 sistance in my anxiety to get out of range of that'gunj 

 barrel. But in less time than it has taken to tell it Jim h i 

 on his feet in water up to his middle, indulging in such! 

 roars of laughter as to nearly frighten the ducks intoj 

 spasms, and sending them scurrying out of the creek as I 

 if the devil himself was chasing them. You may be sme 

 I laughed with him. It makes me smile to this day when 

 I think of Jim hanging by his heels, nead down, in that 

 little creek. 



This mishap spoiled our shooting, but we succeeded itij 

 stopping a couple of ducks as they passed out. Putting 

 up a small sail we sped down the Chipoax and Lome, 

 fairly well satisfied with our bag of seven ducks. 



To me Chipoax Creek was a joy forever, and really! 

 possessed no mean beauties when viewed at high water.' 

 It swept in graceful curves through the green marsh, its 

 course as crooked a as blacksnake's track, now lunning 

 under a steep bank from which the trees reached down 

 their branches as if to drink, and further on its watea 

 playing about the trunks of huge cypress trees standing 

 well out from the shore. But when the tide went ou 

 how marked the change ! I have seen the very walls of' 

 its muddy channel laid bare, while on either side grea^ 

 slimy flats would come out of the water, their glistening 

 surface broken here and there with decaying snags ana 

 dotted with little patches of tangled grass." But it is 

 not my desire, oh, Chipoax ! to revile you because your 

 waters leave you uncovered, for many is the time that 

 you have floated my boat and ofTered up your treasures 

 with unstinted hand. Long may your tides flow in and 

 out and your channel remain unchoked by debris of the. 

 sea. " Old Man. 



THE OZARK MOUNTAINS. 



THE items in recent numbers of Forest and Strea 

 about the Ozarks have interested me very much, 

 was in Taney and Christian counties, Missouri, for two 

 weeks during last November, stopping at Forsyth fpj 

 three or four days and at Ozark for nearly two weeks. 

 Although business engagements prevented any personal 1 

 experiences with a gun in that country I made diligent 

 inquiry of people well posted. 



The truth is I never saw a country where game I 

 certain sorts was so abundant. The flocks of quail were 

 so numerous and so tame that they ran along in the road* 

 way and cocked their eyes up at me as I sat, on a horse, 

 as chickens might do in a barnyard. The natives thought 

 them rather too small to bother with— very good eating 

 of course and worth killing if a man could bunch 'em and 

 shoot twelve or fifteen at a shot; but as for wasting a 

 whole charge of powder and shot on one quail was shea 

 extravagance. 



In a ride from Chaclwick to Forsyth five deer were 

 started on the oak ridges— three in one bunch and two ii 

 another. The native who was with me said that my 

 luck in this case was exceptional. He rode over the 

 route very often without seeing even one. However* 

 deer are sufficiently numerous to warrant the assertion 

 that no sportsman need spend a week on White Rivei 

 without getting a handsome head to mount. Deer may 

 be either stalked or driven to water by the native dog's. 



Turkeys, the natives said, were so thick as to b&i 

 nuisance. They scratched up their corn in springtimj 

 and picked it down when the ears became sufficiently 

 matured. Messrs. Al. Spauldiug and Charley Blood, two 

 traveling salesmen driving over a route 650 miles long 

 out of Springfield, Mo., told me they frequently sa'tij 

 flocks of from 20 to 50 turkeys along their route and thai 

 they never drove over it without seeing turkeys. 



Bears abound in the caves along White River and it^ 

 branches. The natives butcher them, for their pelts by 

 going into the caves during cold storms and shooting or 

 stabbing the sleeping brutes. At least that is the storS 

 they told me, but it seemed to me it was rather a low 

 down way of shooting even a bear. The natives wouldh$ 

 kill each other in such fashion. Taney and Christiacl 

 counties were the home of the Bald Knobbers. In their 

 fights with one another the Knobbers and the militia, 

 always jumped out into the clearing and went at it man 

 fashion. If a man who can shoot will go down in Taney 

 county to the Arkansas line he will surely get a bearskin 

 as well as a buck's head for trophies in the course of twtj 

 weeks' time. 



I do not think there is a panther in the country. I 

 heard of a few wolves, and saw one wildcat pelt. The' 

 possum and the coon and dogs and natives who can ajjq 



