44 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Aug 8, 1889- 



FAUNA OF THE YUKON DISTRICT. 



\\J E quote from the report of Br. George M. Dawson 

 H on an exploration m the Yukon District, North- 

 west Territory, and adjacent northern portion of British 

 Columbia, some interesting facts concerning the animals 

 of that little known region: 



"The fauna of the region traversed by us does not dif- 

 fer notably from that of other parts' of the northern 

 country which are already moderately well known. 

 There are, no doubt, many interesting points yet to be 

 determined in respect to distribution, but our opportu- 

 nities for obtaining information of this kind were very 

 limited, The smaller black-tailed deer (Cariacus col 'nu- 

 bia nits) occurs on the islands of the southern portion of 

 Alaska and the adjacent mainland coast, but is nowhere 

 found on the island side of the Coast Ranges. The moun- 

 tain goat is moderately abundant in the Coast Ranges, 

 and is also found in the mountainous inland regions, pro- 

 bably throughout. The bighorn or mountain sheep 

 occurs, together with the last mentioned animal, on the 

 mountains about the head of the Lewes and other parts 

 of the inland spurs of the Coast Ranges, but does not in- 

 habit the seaward portions of these ranges. It is also 

 found generally in the mountains of the interior, includ- 

 ing the Rocky Mountains. 



"The moose is more or less abundant throughout the 

 entire inland regie , and together with the caribou, 

 which is similarly ubiquitous, constitutes a great part of 

 the food of the Indians. We found the moose particu- 

 larly plentiful along the Upper Liard River, and it is 

 stated that the country drained by the White River is 

 noted among the Indians as a moose and beaver region. 

 The caribou is everywhere common, but is scarcely seen 

 in the valleys or lower country during the summer, 

 when it ranges over the high, alpine moors and open 

 s1qp©3 of the mountains. 



" The black and grizzly bears roam over the entire 

 region and are often seen along the banks of the rivers in 

 the latter part of the summer when dead or dying salmon 

 are to be obtained with ease. Wolves are not particu- 

 larly abundant, but the cross-black-and silver fox are 

 more than usually common. 



"The smaller fur-bearing animals, being similar to 

 those found generally in the northern parts of the con- 

 tinent, do not require separate enumeration. The entire 

 upper Yukon basin, however, yields furs of exceptionally 

 nigh grade. * * * Among a few skins brought back 

 by us is that of a mouse, which Dr. C. H. Merriam has 

 found to be a new species, and has described under the 

 name of Evotomys dawsoni* 



"The salmon ascend the Lewes River as far as the 

 lower end of Lake Marsh, where they were seen in con- 

 siderable num bers early in September. They also, accord- 

 ing to the. Indians, run almost to the headwaters of the 

 streams tributary to the Lewes on the east side. Salmon 

 also run up the Pelly for a considerable distance above 

 the mouth of the .Lewes, but their present limit on this 

 river was not ascertained. The lakes and rivers generally 

 throughout the country are well supplied with fish, and 

 a small party on any of the larger lakes would run little 

 risk of starvation during the winter, if provided with a 

 couple of good gill-nets and able to devote themselves to 

 laying in a stock of fish in the late autumn. 



"As might be anticipated from the interlocking of 

 streams tributary to the Mackenzie and Yukon in this 

 region, the fishes in both drainage areas appear to be 

 identical, so far as I was able to observe, with the excep- 

 tion of the salmon, which is, of course, confined to the 

 Yukon tributaries. The principal fishes noticed are 

 whitefish (Coregonus nelsoni), lake trout (Salvelinus na- 

 mayeush), grayling {Thymallus signifer), pike (Esox lit- 

 eius) and sucker (Catostomus catostomus). 



"The names above given are on the authority of Dr. T. 

 H. Bean, of the U. S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, 

 who has very obligingly examined for me the photographs 

 of fishes which were taken. No photograph, unfortu- 

 nately, was obtained of the salmon seen on the Lewes, 

 etc., but Dr. Bean informs me, from my description of its 

 size, that he has little doubt it was the king salmon 

 (Oneorhynehus chouicha)." 



* American Naturalist, July, 1888. 



Delaware Notes.— Nearly every farm in Kent county 

 has its covey of partridges. The partridges which were 

 purchased in the South and freed in this State last year 

 by the Delaware Game Association have certainly come 

 up to the expectations. The Association will endeavor 

 to get 4,000 more partridges this season. This is an excel- 

 lent year for squirrels and nuts, and in a few more weeks 

 the squirrels will be in prime eating condition, when our 

 sharp rifle shots may treat themselves to a delicious 

 squirrel pie. This has been a disastrous season for cot- 

 tontails (rabbits), as it has been so rainy many of the 

 young were drowned in their nests. The employes of 

 the Delaware Railroad have a pet. Near Blackbird sta- 

 tion a wild duck has built her nest in a dead tree within 

 a few yards of the railroad, where undisturbed by the 

 roar of passing trains she is sitting contentedly on a 

 clutch of nine eggs, much to the curiosity of passengers 

 and watched with interest by her railroad friends. — Del. 

 A. Ware. 



Woodcock and Worm.— Montreal, Aug. 2.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream: I was ah interested reader of the 

 late article concerning the woodcock's method of getting 

 a supply of worms for food. I once had a brood of ducks 

 led by a favorite drake that had been a pet around the 

 farm several years and had evidently gained some 

 kno wledge from experience. After a rain the brood would 

 go out on the lawn and employ tactics very similar to 

 those of the woodcock; i. e., they would go through just 

 the same movement a man would in stamping the ground 

 alternately and rapidly with either foot, then place the 

 ear close to the ground and listen. A worm deftly billed 

 from the ground usually followed this move, or the old 

 duck sampled another spot a few inches distant. I have 

 watched the performance by the half hour and laughed 

 at the knowing way it was accomplished. I have great 

 faith in the woodcock story, — Latjrejs tides. 



fame Jjf#g and 



PATTERN AND PENETRATION. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



With the completion of the test of the Greener gun on 

 the 24th inst, , your trials of shotguns had reached ten and 

 gave an opportunity for some comparative figures which 

 I have made. Of course, shooting as you do, each gun 

 with the charge most likely to bring out the best points 

 of the weapon, there id a seeming variation which to 

 some may appear confusing, but bringing each result down 

 to a basis of percentage of results from charge used and 

 there is at once a fair basis of comparison. I have made 

 a table of these percentages for each barrel of each gun 

 and for each gun as a whole. In doing this, in order to 

 eliminate all the uncertain and variable factors of wind, 

 bad aiming, etc. , I have taken the figures for pattern 

 from the average of the struck circles instead of from the 

 average of aimed circles. This is better for the gun- 

 makers, but shooters and buyers must remember that it is 

 the aimed circle wich tells the story of how the gun will 

 act in the field and not the circle struck for best patterns 

 on the sheet after the shot is fired. 



40yds. patterns. 



Right Barrel. Left Barrel. Whole Gun. 



Names and Portraits of Birds, by Gurdon Trumbull. A 

 book particularly interesting to gunners, for by its use they can 

 identify without question all tlie American game birds which 

 they may kill. Cloth, 230 pages, price $2.50. For sale by Forest 

 and Strea m. 



Gun. Gauge. Charge. Pellets. Prct. 



Pellets. Prct 



Pellets. Prct. 



Kern. (Sell. Pdr.)..l6 



489 



219 



.447 





.488 



Z29 



.463 

 .605 



Rem. (Bl. Pdr.)...16 



387 



240 



.653 



205 



.558 





Parker 10 



595 



433 



.726 



426 



.715 



429 



.721 



Parker 12 



546 



371 



.679 



354 



.648 



382 



.663 







326 



,809 



888 



.725 



357 



.667 



Parker , 12 



536 



364 



.679 



3(55 



.680 



364 



.679 



Colt (Merrill) 12 



573 



237 



.415 



278 



.487 



257 



.450 

 .496 



Colt (Moss) 12 



570 



274 



.480 



292 



.512 



283 



Greener ( Eng. crt.)12 



376 



229 



,601 



220 



.585 



225 



.599 



Greener (Am. crt.)12 



580 



348 



.621 



345 



.616 



396 



.707 



Average 



514 



304 



.591 



311 



.605 



312 



.807 





60yds. pattern. 











Rem. (Seh. Pdr.>..16 



489 



102 



.208 



100 



.204 



101 



.208 



Rem. (Bl. Pdr.)...16 



367 



105 



.286 



94 



.256 



100 



.271 



Parker 10 



893 



214 



.358 



224 



.376 



219 



.367 



Parker 12 



546 



160 



.293 



189 



.346 



175 



,319 



Parker 10 



535 



181 



.338 



178 



.332 



179 



,333 



Parker 12 



536 



151 



.281 



176 



.328 



163 



.304 



Colt (Merrill) 12 



570 



103 



.186 



90 



.157 



96 



.166 



Colt (Moss) 12 



570 



81 



.159 



114 



.200 



97 



.153 



Greener (Eng.crt.) 12 



376 



80 



.212 



108 



.287 



94 



.219 



Greener (Am. crtjl2 



560 



183 



.238 



115 



.205 



124 



.219 





514 



131 



.255 



138 



.269 



134 



.259 



THE PENKTRATIO.N RECORD. 



















40yds. 



80yds. 



Guu. 



Remington (Sch. pdr.)..16 

 Remington (Blk. pur... .16 



Parker 10 



Parker 12 



Parker 10 



Parker.., 12 



Colt (Merrill) 12 



Colt (Moss) 12 



Greener (Eng. cart.). . . .12 

 Greener (Am. cart.) 12 



Charge. 



Gauge. Par. Shot. tion. 



Right Loft Right Left 

 Proper- liar. bar. bar. bar. 



Sheets. Sheets. 



4 4 



8 7 



9 10 

 10 9 



91 684 1 to m 

 89 010 ] to Wa 



Average , 94 543 16 15 7% 7 



Regarding the results in the way I have indicated, we 

 find that the average percentage of shots getting into the 

 circle at 40yds. was about 60, and that curiously enough 

 the left barrel showed a slight advantage. The best 

 record is that made by the 10-gauge Parker gun at its 

 first trial, running up to 72 per cent. Yet the same gun 

 with another charge on another day ran only up to 66 

 per cent. The lowest per cent, on the list was that of the 

 Colt gun as treated by Dr. Merrill, with the Schttltze pow- 

 der charge in the Remington gun coming in a close second 

 for low place. The Greener gun in its double test struck 

 very near the average. What there is in careful loading 

 and skillful manipulation of the arm is shown in the 

 high percentage of the Parker gun, shot as it was by an 

 expert from the factory and provided with cartridges 

 specially loaded for exact w^ork. I am surprised at the 

 poor showing made by the Schultze powder cartridges, 

 but as they were loaded by the gun owners and perhaps 

 not in a manner to bring out the best points of the pow- 

 der, perhaps it was not an altogether fair trial. It should 

 be good enough, however, to convince the gentleman 

 who owned the gun that his best policy would be to use 

 black powder instead of the expensive imported patent 

 article. 



Now let us take a look at the 60yds. test. Perhaps you 

 are giving the arms too severe a test in requiring them to 

 do work at this range, yet we always hear so much of 

 the extra long shots which sportsmen are making, and 

 the dealers are so glad to quote them and claim so much 

 for the arms on the strength of them, that it is well to 

 have an exact showing of just how the weapons do act 

 at the distance of 180ft. It will be seen that about a 

 quarter of the shot manage to group themselves in the 

 selected circle, and in some cases the run is far below 

 that. Here again the Parker with its careful manipula- 

 tion and care in shooting leads the list and makes a very 

 creditable showing at the long distance. It would be in- 

 teresting in view of your showing- of just where the shot 

 does not go at this range, to see where it does scatter, and 

 if a sheet of paper could be secured large enough to 

 mark off a pattern, showing just where every shot of the 

 entire charge did go. 



In studying the penetration pads, the comparison can 

 only be by seeing how such and such an arm carries 

 itself as compared with the average of all the guns. 

 There is less exactness about this, because just why the 

 Dennison pads run fight and heavy, with their tough 

 sheets and heavy porous ones intermingled, is one of the 

 things I have never been able to discover. However, 

 they are as fair for one gun as another, and so they are 

 useful in making comparisons. I have made a table of 

 the proportions of powder and shot by weight. Of course, 

 the proportions run high in the case of the white powder, 

 but the black powder charges run very even. The little 

 Remington 16-gauge held its own here', as on the pattern 

 sheets, and the English-loaded cartridges in the Greener 

 gun proved to be hard hitters. The tables tell so much, 

 and tell it so well, that I will leave them for tbe examin- 

 ation of your readers, convinced that if rightly studied 

 they will be of large value in telling not only how to 

 load, but, more important still, in acting as warnings 

 what not to use in the charging of a shotgun. Nick. 



[A typographical error last week made the Greener 

 gun 40yds. total for left barrel 368 pellets, when it should 

 have been 253.] 



NOTES ON THE WOODCOCK. 



r T , HE spring budding yellow pea green was cast all over 

 J. growing nature on Good Friday, and the charming 

 sun rays and delightful temperature, with summer 

 zephyrs, were truly a fitting recognition of the holy clay 

 at the gates of Easter. As evening fell, in the dreaming 

 twilight shadows of that glorious day, we stood spell- 

 bound, watching the towering love movements of the 

 cock of the wood. 



Arden and the writer walked over to the homestead of 

 my wife, on the brow of the hill near Turners, and took 

 to the low meadows of its broad acres, skirted by the 

 backwoods, wherein runs a babbling brook, tributary 

 from Rumsey Pond to the Ramapo River, forty-seven 

 miles from your office sanctum. There for upward of 

 an hour we stood spell-bound, entranced by the love 

 movements of some woodcock domiciled in the lone, 

 secluded woods. 



Here for years and years have we watched and studied 

 the habits and nature of this grand, delicious game bird; 

 at this season of the year mated and happy indeed in the 

 same towers of love and contentment as seen by us this 

 beautiful spring eve, forty years ago, the hermit of the 

 wood which in due season fell to our old Joe Man ton 

 (blessed be the name, for great indeed was his sporting 

 bore above all others of his day in penetration and range) 

 in years passed, that have now, alas! left old "Canoni- 

 cuj." a wreck of his former self in the field and covert 

 side — 



Time is passing on, John. 



Yes, years are telling on; 



Eyes are growing dim; 



And alas! we do not shoot with former vim. 



In the month of July the old birds, with their voung, 

 resort to dells and glades where the dense foliage" of the 

 trees excludes the scorching rays of the sun. In such 

 places there are generally found springs and small 

 streams not absorbed by the heat of the season; these 

 keep the ground moist and afford places at which the 

 young birds can procure their natural sustenance with- 

 out quitting their concealment and security. Living 

 springs are found to be their natural resort in dry, sultry 

 weather; equally so during frost, and for the same good 

 reason the ground contiguous, Deing kept open and soft 

 so as to make the birds prosecute their natural search for 

 worms. Tne interior depths of large pieces of woodland 

 will seldom be found the resting place of the young 

 brood of woodcock, or indeed of scarcely any of the 

 feathered game birds. It may be their place of refuge, 

 but not of general abode. 



The experience of many years has taught us to look for 

 game in the skirts and outlets of woodlands. On being 

 disturbed the birds may retreat to the intense shades and 

 shadows of the dense wood; but they will otheiwise 

 seldom be found there, more especially in the early part 

 of the season, on being routed and shot at. Detached 

 pieces of woodland, where the ground is broken in 

 ridges and undulating hollows, the rougher aud more 

 uneven the better, where water springs ooze out of the 

 hillsides, will be found the haunts of the woodcock, and 

 the surest finds and trysting places of this most delicious 

 bird at all seasons of the year and through all winds and 

 weathers. The reason for this is obvious. A choice of 

 almost every kind of ground is offered him in his hunt 

 for food, be the weather what it will, without traveling 

 any distance in search of it. If the season is dry, parched 

 and sultry, cool springs and moist shady glades are at 

 hand; if the wind blows hard from any quarter the op- 

 posite side of the knoll affords a screen from its blast; 

 should rain descend in such quantity as to inundate the 

 low bottoms between his chosen little hills, a shift of 

 ground can be had at once by taking post on the side or 

 even top of the ridge; if the weather become cold and 

 tempes uous, there are thickets for shelter and protec- 

 tion ; and if frost should bind and render obdurate the 

 general surface of the ground, that which borders upon 

 the springs will remain open and penetrable. 



Although we cannot too much reprobate the custom of 

 beginning to shoot in the early part of July, even when 

 allowed by law, yet if this must be acceded to, low, 

 moist, mellow ground bordering upon a copse of wood 

 will prove a sure find, provided the grass has not yet 

 been mown for hay, nor recent rain rendered the low 

 ground too wet. 



We have frequently fallen in with numbers of young- 

 birds congregated in like situations upon the farm at this 

 stage of the game season, when the adjacent woods and 

 bottoms afforded few to the working of a well-trained, 

 sensitive-nosed dog of high breeding and true field blood. 



Now, so strong has ever been our detestation of July 

 shooting, that in 1858 we had our old friend, the late 

 Henry William Herbert, draft a bill to put a stop to it 

 and place the open season so far back as October. We 

 presented the draft to the Sportsmen's Club, and by dint 

 of strong talk had it indorsed and approved and sent to 

 Albany in care of Mr. Van LSuren, the member from 

 Oswego county; and passed. The July shooting of that 

 year the unfortunate Herbert did not live to partake of, 

 nor to participate in the defense of ''the Herbert g-ime 

 law." Yet so determined had the sportsmen of Orange 

 county become against July t-port, and so assured of its 

 necessity, that when on the 4th of July of that year, the 

 then president of the "New York Sportsman's Club" was 

 detected in shooting in the confines of the county and 

 over grounds adjacent to my county home, this necessi- 

 tated my presenting the facts to the club at its next 

 monthly meeting, then held at the old "Woodcock Inn," 

 situated on the north side of Houston street next to Bel- 

 low's stables, between Broadway and Crosby street, 

 which presentation forced his resignation from the high 

 office and his deposition from the club. 



When the long meadow grass is all raked up and 

 cleared off, the shady nooks of woodland standing on 

 bottom or moist ground somewhat springy, covered with 

 long coarse grass or bog wood and skunk cabbage, will 

 be found to afford the most sport. Toward the first of 

 Septembi r, or soon after maize corn becomes in bloom 

 and tas^eL out, it affords a field of good cover. The wood- 

 cock then takes to the cornfield for the double purpose of 

 shelter and feeding ground ; if there should be frequent 

 falls of rain or if the soil is sufficiently moist to permit 

 worms to approach to the surface he will quarter there; 

 if otherwise he is seldom found there. Here he will con- 

 tinue for several weeks or until the tops of the stalks are 

 cut ; this operation so much alters and diminishes his pro- 

 tection that he in his wisdom immediately deserts the 



