FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Dec, 13, lM. 



Chestnut-Ruffed Grouse.— Arlington, N. J., Dec. 3. 

 —Editor Forest and Stream: On a shooting trip in the 

 neighborhood of Lake Hopatcong, K, J.. Nov. 30, I 

 secured, among my bag of six ruffed" grouse, two birds 

 that differed very materially from the others. The 

 strangers were shot from the same cover and apparently 

 in company with the others. They were both male birds, 

 full grown and in fine condition. I send you feathers 

 from the ruff, neck and tail of one of them, also feathers 

 from the grouse already familiar to me. The specimens 

 are from a male bird in each instance. The following is 

 a description of the strangers, which I hope you will find 

 sufficient to identify them. They were about lin. longer 

 than the others, darker in plumage, darker in flesh, in- 

 testines darker in color, and I imagined not so fine 

 flavored. There was also a difference in the formation 

 of the breastbone and the contents of their crops. Those 

 of the unknown were filled with leaves, unknown, and 

 the others with buds and berries. The ruffs on the necks 

 of the strangers were brown, while the others were black. 

 My attention was called to the difference in the mark- 

 ings of the bird by a gentleman who lives near where 

 the birds were shot and to whom the birds were familiar. 

 The question I would like to have answered is: Are they 

 our regular grouse in a new dress or are they a cross 

 between our birds and the English grouse? I am told 

 there was. or is, a game preserve near there that has 

 some of the imported birds in it.— F. W. [Grouse with 

 the chestnut ruff, like the one sent in by our correspond- 

 ent, are not very uncommon and we have often seen them 

 killed in different parts of the country. While the ruff 

 of the grouse is usually glossy black, it is not always so, 

 but runs through dull black to chestnut brown and almost 

 to the color of the cherry wood used in cabinet making. 

 It is simply a question of individual variation. To this 

 also must be attributed the other supposed unusual quali- 

 ties of the birds under discussion. These were our 

 ordinary ruffed grouse.] 



Game in Town.— Denver, S. C. — Some time in October 

 last I was in the city of Anderson, which is the seat of 

 Anderson county, and beard the familiar whistle of ''Bob 

 White." After looking about to 3ee where he was, I saw 

 him sitting on the very top of the block of buildings 

 known as "Brick Range," which forms the southwestern 

 part of the public square. There he sat some twenty or 

 thirty feet from the ground whistling as big as if in his 

 native haunts. Shortly afterward I saw a little negro on 

 the street with a timid, wounded, fluttering bird in his 

 hands. The deadly sling shot had got in its work. — Blue 

 Ridge. ' 



ARRIVALS AT THE PHILADELPHIA ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN Of 



November, 1888.— Purchased— One rhesus macaque (Macacus ery- 

 tlirceus), one peba armadillo (Tatusia oeba), two Baltimore orioles 

 (Icterus Baltimore), three banded rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus), 

 and four slow worms (Auguis fragilis). Presented— One boDnet 

 monkey (Macacus radiatus), two flying squirrels (Pteromys volu- 

 cella), one brown mink (Putorius visou), one purple finch (Carpo- 

 dacus purpureus), four screech owls (Scops asio), nne red-tailed 

 buzzard (Buteo borealis), one herring gull (Lams argentatus),four 

 alligators (Alligator mississippiensisi, one painted terrapin (Ohry- 

 semys picta), and fifteen salamanders (Diemyctylus miniatus). 



GOATS AND GLACIERS. 



SO much has been said pro and con about the wariness 

 •of the mountain goat that I feel a desire to add my 

 mite to the mass of matter already written on this subject. 



Last week while passing through the Rockies westward 

 on the line of the C. P. R. R. I met Mr. Perley, the genial 

 proprietor of the Glacier House, which is situated in the 

 heart of the Selkirk Mountains. Mr. Perley informed 

 me that a party of miners had discovered a valley south- 

 ward from the hotel, which in some respects fairly out- 

 rivaled the far-famed Yosemite, and that goats and'other 

 large game were to be found there in abundance: and 

 finally, that a four or five hours' tramp over the miners' 

 trail would take one to their camp in the upper part of 

 the valley. This information caused me to stop at the 

 glacier. The next morning I was provided with a guide 

 and companion in the person of Mr. H. D. Hume, who 

 was accustomed to mountain and ice climbing, though he 

 had not been in this valley; in fact, at that date probably 

 not over half a dozen persons had ever been in there, 

 that is to say, in the upper part of the valley. 



The trail for about two miles 4pd through a heavy for- 

 est, following up a glacier stream. Then it came out on 

 a large morain facing two glaciers, one to our right and 

 the other directly in front of us. We followed up the 

 trail between the glaciers for another mile, then took to 

 the ice at the left hand. The glacier was in many places 

 full of seemingly bottomless fissures, but by careful work 

 we proceeded without any mishap. We saw on the ice a 

 couple of lynx and a wolverine; but they kept out of 

 range, though the wolverine folbwed us for" half a mile. 

 After a mile and a half of ice work, we arrived at the top 

 of the pass, where to the southward we had a view of the 

 grandest and the most terrific mountain scenery that man 

 ever beheld. 



We were at an altitude of fully eight thousand feet, 

 flanked by mountains on each side. In front, from our 

 feet down to the valley three thousand feet below, the 

 steep mountainside was covered with green grass and a 

 few low bushes and stunted trees, interspersed with deep 

 ravines and foaming torrents. Coming down the valley 

 to the left, and ending opposite to us, was an immense 

 glacier nearly a mile wide and a greater width above— a 

 frozen river of ice showing all shades of color. The 

 glacier completely filled the valley, and the ice was of 

 great thickness. For less than two miles from its lower 

 end there were what we named the Giant Stairs, four 

 steps that extended across the glacier, and each step at 

 lea>t five hundred feet in thickness. From the lower end 

 of the glacier, through an archway a hundred feet wide 

 it foaming river of discolored water rushes out and winds 

 down the green valley for ten miles before it is lost from 

 our view. Across the valley and far above us tower 

 mountains, peak after peak, and from near the top of the 

 highest one, and directly in front of us, a glacier starts 

 and runs straight into the valley. We count ei«ht laree 

 glaciers, all in sight from the pass. A short°distance 

 down the valley, along the perpendicular sides of one of 

 the mountains, are three waterfalls, each at least fifteen 

 hundred feet high. A measurement has been taken of 



the speed of the large glacier in the valley, and it moved 

 or traveled at the rate of eleven feet in ten days, and has 

 piled up at its foot a high morain— but this is not goat, 

 so we will return to our mutton. 



We had lain for an hour in the warm sunshine on the 

 green grass a short distance below the top of the pass, 

 oblivious to all but the awe-inspiring view before us. I 

 then began to scan the grassy pastures for goats, and soon 

 saw one across a ravine to our left and about 600 or 700yds. 

 away. It stood in a grassy nook between two spurs of 

 ledge, watching us. With a strong field glass we had a 

 plain view of him, and could see that it was a large 

 "Billy." Here was a chance to see if this kind of game 

 could be easily stalked. I gave my rifle to Hume, request- 

 ing him, if possible to do so, to cross the ravine and get a 

 shot by creeping up behind the nearest point of rock, and 

 I would watch the goat and note its action. 



The animal stood intently watching my companion as 

 lie started down the cliff, which was an almost perpen- 

 dicular descent from the top to the stream below. Mr. 

 Hume soon came to a stopping place; he could not return, 

 and it looked like sure death to attempt to proceed. As 

 Hume clung to the naked wall of rock looking for a way 

 out of his difficulty, the billy goat began feeding with an 

 air that seemed to say, '"That man is in a safe spot and 

 will require no more watching." Mr. Hume, however, 

 by working away to one side, found a place where he could 

 descend, and was soon down to the rivulet and over it 

 and up within 50yds. of the point of rocks. Here he sat 

 down to recover his breath. At this moment the goat 

 looked up, and, not seeing the man where he last saw 

 him, he started to look for him, and walked up on to the 

 highest point of the rocks, nearly over Hume, much 

 to that gentleman's astonishment, who afterward declared 

 that the goat looked as large as a horse as he stood 

 there peering down at him. Up goes the rifle, but the. 

 aim is unsteady and the bullet goes wide of the mark. 

 The goat still stands there. Another cartridge is pumped in 

 andanother shot fired. The goat stands for a moment, then 

 deliberately turns and ambles away. As he comes again 

 in view, some 300yds. up the mountainside, he is again 

 under fire, and a lucky Bhot lays him low. In answer to 

 our shots we heard a rock-blast from the miners, who 

 were working in the valley below us. The goat was a 

 very large male and would weigh at least 3001bs. He was 

 quite as fat as a stall-fed sheep. The head, skin and one 

 hindquarter were as much of a load as we could pack 

 down to the miners' camp, where we arrived before dark. 

 Mr. Tilton, of Victoria, B. C, owner of the camp, gave 

 us a warm welcome. Mr. Tilton is a sportsman, as well 

 as the proprietor of several silver mines. He said that 

 caribou, silvertip and black bear were abundant in the 

 valley, and that wolves and goats were also quite numer- 

 ous, and that very day a large goat had been quite near 

 their camp and was not disturbed by the blasting in the 

 mine. 



One of the miners, old Ben, had had an encounter 

 with a large billy goat a few days before our visit there. 

 Ben was coming down the mountain with his pack on, 

 when he met the goat, who did not "run worth a cent." 

 Ben was near a small tree. He picked up a stone and 

 hit the goat. This excited the creature's ire; he elevated 

 his mane — and at this point there is a break in the old 

 man's story. He admits picking up his pack some dis- 

 tance down the mountainside five or six hours after- 

 ward, but refuses to admit that he sat perched up in the 

 branches of that tree all that time with an enraged wild 

 goat for guardian: we must draw our own conclusions, 

 for Ben's lips are sealed on that subject. 



The next morning as we were preparing to return we 

 saw up on the mountainside near the trail a goat feed- 

 ing. The wind was blowing up directly toward it, so I 

 did not expect to get within range; but as we neared it a 

 small ridge hid it from view. We walked up within 

 fifty yards of the spot, and then mounted the ridge. The 

 goat lay there chewing its cud, and was not frightened by 

 us nor by the dog. Knowing that I had it safe I iired a 

 shot over its head. It gave me a surprised look, arose, 

 stretched itself, then moved slowly away. I then fired at 

 its neck. The bullet struck a little low and cut the jugu- 

 lar veins. It then turned and jumped out on to the edge 

 of the cliff, where I caught it with another shot which 

 knocked it over. Within a minute's time we were on the 

 edge of the cliff, and saw our game laying fully a third of 

 a mile down in the bottom of the deep ravine. It must 

 have rolled down there over and over like a large ball, 

 and there was life still in it, for with our glass we could 

 see it move its head and make a feeble attempt to rise. 

 This goat was a female, and would weieii somewhat over 

 SOOlbs. 



Several mountain goats have been killed this season 

 with revolvers but a short distance from the line of rail- 

 way near Donald, British Columbia. 



So far as my limited experience goes, leaving the hard 

 climbing out of the question, there is about as much 

 sportsmanlike sport in killing or shooting mountain goats 

 as there is going into a calf pasture and bagging young 

 veals; you walk up openly until within range, then 

 blaze away. 



This valley that we were in is a perfect paradise for 

 sportsmen. A few miles down the valley below the 

 glacier in the eddies of the stream large trout were seen, 

 and besides the large game already mentioned as being- 

 found there, Ave saw on the mountainside near the pass, 

 blue grouse, magpies and large numbers of mountain 

 marmots, whose shrill whistling was heard on everv 

 aide. In the valley a few weeks since one of the miners 

 had the extraordinary good luck to kill three silvertips 

 —a she bear and two nearly full grown cubs— with three 

 shots, the rifle used was a .44 Winchester carbine loaded 

 with cartridges made by the Dominion Cartridge Co.. 

 ot Montreal. These bears were eating a goat that they 

 had captured. The old bear was shot through the heart 

 and the others through their heads. A few days after- 

 ward the miners found their tent knocked down and a 

 large male silveitip standing on it with his head in the 

 hour sack. With the same rifle they killed him on the 

 spot, and his dying struggles mixed tent blankets, flour 

 and bacon into "a gory mess." We arrived at the hotel 

 about 4 P.M., well pleased with our trip. 



The next morning I saw and had a shot at a black bear 

 within a quarter of a mile from the hotel. 



I am fairly well acquainted with the mountains and 

 know ot no more favorable spot for large game than in 

 the vicinity of the Glacier House. I believe that two 

 miles south from the hotel there is another pass into that 

 valley much lower than the one now used. The great ob- 



jection to the present trail is that when the early snow 

 comes it makes the glacier the more dangerous, though 

 with Mr. Hume I would attempt to cross it on a clear 

 day at any season of the year, with the aid of a light 

 strong rope and alpenstock. Stanstkad. 

 Victoria, B. C, Sept. 24. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, 111., Dec. 1.— There is weeping and lamen- 

 tation among the shooters of this section, for it 

 begins to be forced upon even the dullest comprehension 

 that the duck season of 18S8 is a thing of the past. Mem- 

 bers of the different clubs look glum, and have only the 

 same story to tell of marshes with little water, of frozen 

 ponds, and ducks most conspicuous by then absence. 



Last week a few members of the Mak-saw-ba Club met 

 at their club house near Davis Station, Ind. Mr. Kinney, 

 vice-president of the club, was down, also Messrs. Sloau, 

 Randall, Brown and Miller, accompanied by Mrs. Sloan, 

 Mrs. Brown and Mrs. F. P. Taylor. As guest of the club, 

 I had the pleasure of meeting all and sharing the sports 

 of the day. Mr. Ira Pease, the club superintendent, in- 

 sisted that there were no ducks on the ma'sh, but when 

 the boats got out in the morning we found quite a num- 

 ber of mallards working around. Mr. Kinney brought in 

 four that day, Mr. Miller eight and myself eight. Mr. 

 Sloan was credited with a rabbit, Messrs. Brown and Ran- 

 dall got a few quail. The latter three gentlemen went 

 out after ruffed grouse, of which there are a few on their 

 grounds. 



This week the Mak-saw-bas hold a big trap-shoot at 

 their grounds, and it will, I warrant, be a successful and 

 enjoyable affair. 



I was much interested last week by a personal confir- 

 mation of the statements made in last week's paper by 

 Mr. F. A. Howe, president of the Tolleston Club. I do 

 not think I exaggerate when I say that there were thou- 

 sands of ducks on the Tolleston Marsh on the 26th and 

 27th of November. They were mixed ducks, mallards, 

 bluebills, ringbills, a few redheads and widgeons, and a 

 great many teal. The marsh was very low. It is only 

 twenty-eight miles from Chicago. It is not, on the face 

 of it, any better marsh than those of the Kankakee. Yet 

 here were numbers of ducks, when elsewhere the com- 

 plaint of scarcity was general. The efficacy of protection 

 and feed for the wild ducks became very apparent to me,, 

 at least. 



English Lake, Ind., Dec. 3.— Yesterday a German 

 came down from the big prairie slough and reported 

 thousands of mallards hanging about in the rushes. This 

 morning Mr. John Taylor, the superintendent, and I 

 investigated, but the ducks had departed. We saw only 

 half a dozen. Mr. Taylor yesterday made a run up 

 Bogus Creek, and saw only two. The season seems 

 ended. The water is rising rapidly on the marsh, and 

 the latter is higher now than it has been all season. I 

 shot a squirrel which poked its head out of a knot hole 

 in an oak this morning. It fell back, and lodged 4ft.. 

 down, inside the tree. Fishing for it blindly with a split 

 stick, I caught it fairly by the tail, and pulled it out of a 

 crack barely big enough for its passage. 1 should think 

 one might try a thousand years before he could repeat 

 the performance. 



There are three bevies of quail here, but members of 

 the club do not shoot at them. Five years ago a very 

 severe winter nearly put an end to the quail of this sec- 

 tion, and their gains have been very slow since then.. 

 There are a few rabbits and squirrels' here, and a num- 

 ber of woodcock in season. On Thanksgiving day Mr. 

 C. E. Hayden bagged three raffed gruse. There would 

 seem to be a good many in the woods not far from here. 

 There were three otters near here last season. I saw one 

 on the Mak-saw-ba grounds last week. Hathaway, my 

 pusher there, killed one last winter with an axe, by the 

 aid of an old hunting dog. 



Mr. Taylor tells me the fish are being exterminated, 

 here by constant netting, seining and spearing. Pickerel 

 nearly exterminated by gill nets. Dynamite has also 

 been used by law-breakers below here." The club should 

 see to such violations, equally with duck trespassers. 



The F. P. Taylor party in the Indian Territory are 

 having a grand time. The last letter from them showed 

 that they were leaving the Cimarron, and working down 

 to the Canadian. They have sent in about 100 wild tur- 

 keys. Billy Pierson sent in 40 last week. 



In the interval between now and extremely cold 

 weather the tendency will be toward trap-shooting. A 

 few shooters will go out after ruffed grouse, and a few 

 others have already gone or will go further south in pur- 

 suit of the fleeing wildfowl, which appear to have no- 

 tice of some impending storm. 



The weather at date is mild. The water is running 

 everywhere here, and no signs are apparent of any im- 

 mediate freeze. We saw two gangs of Canadian geese 

 on the meadow skirting the marsh to-day. 



Dec. 4.— Mr. W. N. Lowe, president of the Illinois State 

 Sportsmen's Association, tells me that they are doing 

 everything that can be done to further the interests of 

 game protection in this State, and can see marked ac- 

 knowledgment of the effectiveness of the work. Game 

 Warden Billy Minier is on South Water street, the great 

 game market of the city, nearly all the time, with a 

 sharp eye to violations of the law. It is to his patient 

 efforts in ferreting out evidence that the association relies 

 for success in a certain big test case, which it is hoped 

 will now be readied on the docket very soon. This is the 

 case of the Sta te vs. Fred Smith, a South Water street 

 game dealer, in whose possession some $2,000 worth of 

 quail and prairie chicken were found during close season, 

 February last. The defense set up that they purchased 

 the game in season and held it over into the close season; 

 they further claim that the game once lawfully purchased 

 became their property, and as such was not subject to 

 subsequent investigation. A case has recently been de- 

 cided, in Michigan, I believe, which gives good color to 

 this defense, and leaves it necessary only for it to be com- 

 petently proven that lawful ownei ship has boon acquired. 

 The Michigan case is quite against the association. The 

 prosecution, however, rely upon what is known as the 

 Magner case of the Illinois reports. In the Magner case 

 the Supreme Court held that the only title which can be 

 acquired in game is a quasi or trust title, and one subject 

 to any conditions the State may see fit to impose: it being 

 the theory, as held in this ease, that game is the property 

 of the State, and not subject to private control except as 

 permitted by the State. It will at once be seen that there 



