Feb. 27, 1890.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



ICS 



THE WASATCH FOOTHILLS. 



Editor Forest and Stream; 



During September last and the following antuuin I 

 made a trip by wagon extending from tbe southern part 

 of Utah north along the foothills of the Wasatch and 

 Rocky Mountains, about one tbousand miles. There were 

 two of us, and both were experienced in camp life. Our 

 outfit, therefore, comprised all that was needful for com- 

 fort and nothing more. My feDow voyageur often re- 

 marked after supper, when our tent, well warmed by a 

 stove, was lighted up for an hour's reading, that "we 

 were at home every night." 



The principal canons opening out from the mountains 

 contained streams well stocked with trout, and f urnished 

 pleasant camping ground and resting places on our route. 

 To take what trout we needed for use was not difficult, 

 though in September the fishing season is regarded as 

 over. The streams have then become too low for fishing 

 and frosts begin to appear in these high altitudes, the 

 average being from 4,000 to 6,000ft. above sea level. 



In dressing twenty trout caught at one time in the 

 month of September, eighteen of them were found to be 

 females and contained eggs nearly fully matured. I pre- 

 sume, from the fish laws of Utah, it is regarded as a fact 

 that trout in the mountain streams of that Territory de- 

 posit their spawn in spring; their open season for fishing 

 begins June 15. My own observation is that the trout of 

 these streams spawn in the fall, say from the last half of 

 September to the first of November. It would be of little 

 Use if they did so during the spring months. The melt- 

 ing snows from the high mountains keep the streams 

 swollen to many times their size for the rest of the year. 

 Great boulders go grinding down the creek channels with 

 a noise like distant thunder. The fish themselves are 

 only protected by finding, in the lower portions of the 

 streams, some more level places not subject to the mov- 

 ing rocks or changes in the creek channel, such as occur 

 in the streams for nearly their whole length. Nature 

 makes no mistakes, nor is she guilty of flagrant waste. 

 In the early fall these streams are quiet; the water is 

 warm and filled with a thousand forms of life suitable 

 for the food of the young trout. 



The waters of none of these streams flow into the sea 

 until, coming north, we reach the tributaries of the Snake 

 River in Idaho. Some of these creeks, of perhaps a dozen 

 miles in length, are found well supplied with trout, and 

 all of them, soon after leaving the mountains, are lost in 

 the sands of the valley. It is sometimes a question as to 

 how trout got into these short streams. Standing where 

 their waters sink into the sand, you may see their earliest 

 . beginning in the side of the hill but a few miles away. 

 The shortest answer to this question suits me best, and" I 

 say "just as the fish got into the sea." I cannot believe 

 there was but one time and one place on our globe for 

 li-h creation, or for bird, animal or vegetable creation, 

 and that the whole earth has been supplied by migration 

 from that one place. 



South of the Snake River to the Colorado, the streams 

 contain two varieties of trout, the smaller and most com- 

 mon is the brook or mountain trout, with flesh of a deli- 

 cate flavor and nearly white color. The outside coloring 

 varies greatly in the same stream owing to the accident 

 of living much in sunshine or in deep, shady pools, and 

 black lava rock of the region through which the stream 

 flows. The second variety is a brown trout of much 

 larger growth, having flesh as red as that of the salmon 

 and of a less delicate flavor than the first named species. 

 One of the principal sources of interest in fishing these 

 streams I found in the chances that while your tackle is 

 so light as to be suitable for a 6 or 8oz. fish you are liable 

 any moment to hook one of 21bs. or more of the brown 

 -pecies. Then the question of landing him, with the 

 brush and rocks to be avoided in case of success, is one 

 of immediate interest. My experience is that more than 

 half the time I lose my hooks or break my rod. 



The large brown trout generally has his home under 

 some bank, and is best reached by a live minnow. One 

 day, to catch some minnows and get them into my pail 

 with the least injury, I took a cambric needle and put- 

 ting it into the blaze of a candle to draw the temper I 

 bent it into shape for a hook. A yard of black minnow 

 thread made my line and the tip of my trout rod fur- 

 nished a pole. My bait was stiff dough from wheat flour. 

 With this outfit I sat down on the grassy bank of a creek 

 and commenced business. A bunch of willows grew on 

 the bank two yards above. The stream had worn the 

 earth away under the willows, making a good cover for 

 trout. Soon a mink came gliding past me and disappeared 

 in the willows. I saw she had worn a well-defined path 

 in the short grass leading to the place of her disappear- 

 ance, and had there made a round hole through the turf 

 leading directly into the water. I now understood the 

 matter. My lady had a nest back from the creek a dozen 

 yards or so, and came to the willows to do her fishing. 

 She could from her hole in the turf plunge directly upon 

 the trout under the bank. A good trout breakfast for a 

 couple of men could be made from what this one mink 

 would use every evening for herself and family. My 

 shotgun lay beside me, and when the mink returned from 

 her fishing, some ten minutes later, she met with an acci- 

 dent. Minks on these streams are numerous and very 

 destructive to trout. Toward evening one can hardly 

 find a good pool for trout but he will find a mink there. 

 I have often been tempted to strike one with my fishing 

 rod, and refrained only because it was more likely my 

 rod would suffer than the mink. A single otter will kill 

 more fish than many mink, for he, like the wolf, kills for 

 the sake of killing. 



My mink disposed of, I sat down again to my fishing. 

 But just then I saw the head of a trout protruding from 

 the root of an old stunip on the bottom of the pool and 

 immediately under my hook. I had about me only a 

 very large hook, and that I put on to my thread line 

 and baited with a live minnow. Sinking my bait as I 

 had before, the trout seized it and had it quite in his 

 stomacli in a few seconds. I managed him as well as I 

 could, but soon my tip broke, and I took the thread in 

 my hand. Finally I ventured to lift him out, and, when 

 nearly high enough to swing on to the bank, my thread 

 broke and my fish, not half killed, ran up and down the 

 pool, diving his head into the mud bottom so often as to 

 make the stream very muddy, and at last went to his house 

 under the willows and remained there. The next day I 

 found him there, lying with his head in the sand and 

 several small trout beside him. The second day, with 

 three large hooks on a stiff pole, and a boy to helpj I got 

 him. I recovered my hook and found my trout weighed 



two pounds, an unusually large size for that stream. For 

 half an hour before hooking that trout he had been in 

 his place under the stump, and within ten inches of any 

 quantity of minnows, from which I had caught a dozen 

 or more. He could have caught a minnow at any mo- 

 ment, but only showed a disposition to do so when I 

 offered one in distress from my big hook. 



A friend of mine, and one of the best hunters I ever 

 saw, told me this: He had followed the tracks of a doe 

 until he saw where she was lying. At the same time he 

 f ound that a large gray wolf was also hunting the same 

 deer, and was then in a cedar thicket near by. The 

 hunter could not stalk the wolf so as to get a shot before 

 discovery. He therefore concealed himself and began 

 to bleat rapidly in imitation of a deer seized by wolves. 

 The wolf at once sprang from his cover, so as to be not 

 only "in at the death," but to get his full share of the 

 venison. He got the hunter's bullet and the doe ran 

 a way. I wonder if the cases of the fish and the wolf 

 illustrate a law of pretty general application among men? 



It was near this scene of my fishing exploit that I ob- 

 served in a dog an unusual instance of inherited intelli- 

 gence. There was a broad plateau used as a cattle range, 

 upon which my tent was placed, and in sight, ranged by 

 themselves, some twenty-five calves. The ranch build- 

 ings and the rest of the stock were two or three miles 

 distant. For several successive nights I found that this 

 bunch of calves were being driven about, sometimes 

 much against their wills, by some animal acting much 

 like a dog. The calves were made to keep well together 

 and forced to "move on" to many fresh feeding grounds 

 in a night, getting little or no time to lie down. During 

 the day they were less disturbed. But I often saw a dog 

 in then- vicinity, moving through the sage brush and sly 

 as a wolf. I went to the ranch house and told the herders 

 what I had seen. They explained that a bitch, belonging 

 to the ranch and famed for her good herding qualities, 

 had littered in the chaparal and that they had not found 

 her nest until the pups were well grown, and of course 

 wild; that they succeeded in capturing all but one of the 

 pups. It was that one, they believed, that I had found in 

 charge of the bunch of calves. I then engaged the two 

 herders with their horses to try and catch the pup for me 

 by running it down. They did their best one day with 

 some little help of mine, but with no success. The pup 

 had to get a living, like a fox or wolf, by hunting; and 

 this it did in daytime mainly and spent the night herding 

 the calves. 



As dogs mix readily with wolves, it might occur that 

 these wild hybrids would be found protecting some stray 

 lambs, though for such a case the progenitor must be 

 trained to sheep herding. These incidents are related 

 here only, because in this way a more perfect knowledge 

 may be had of the life and habits of animals coming 

 under the observation of writers and some further ad- 

 vance made in natural history. 



One morning, as we were driving through a sage brush 

 region, we saw a large coyote stop suddenly, as if he had 

 met something which required his serious attention. He 

 had arrived within a yard or two of the hole of a badger. 

 That the proprietor was at home was certain, for we could 

 see his head protruding from the front door. After a 

 little hesitation the coyote stepped forward and at the 

 same time the badger advanced quite out of his hole and 

 stood with his nose close up into the face of his visitor. 

 We now regarded them with interest. I expected in a 

 minute or two to see a well whipped wolf. But not so. 

 The badger remained firm but the wolf turned away . I 

 had once seen a large dog under just such circumstances 

 as with this wolf. The dog's self-conceit forced a col- 

 lision, and in a minute he discovered his mistake. He 

 returned to his master with nose and side well slashed. 

 The badger is the most industrious of animals. Often he 

 digs half a dozen holes in one night, and from one to two 

 feet in depth, in the hardest clay and gravel, and as often 

 in the road as elsewhere. These pits become traps for 

 bugs, crickets, lizards and other insects, and furnish the 

 badger with the food he expects when he digs the pits. 



I had hoped to mention some other animals and fishes 

 met with on this trip, but cannot do so without taking 

 too much room in your paper. I found a very rare ani- 

 mal called the skunk bear, which might more properly 

 be called "musk bear," and would be glad to learn if it 

 has been described by naturalists. I have heard of but 

 three individuals of the species having been met with. 

 One in the Wasatch and two in the Ocpiirrh Range of 

 Mountains. Geo. H. Wyman. 



Boise Crrr, Idaho. 



[The "skunk bear" is the wolverine (Qulo luseus), not 

 a very rare animal in some parts of the mountains of the 

 West, but one very seldom seen.] 



THE EVENING GROSBEAK. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



While making a professional visit one mile from the 

 village on Feb. 14, my attention was called to the piping- 

 note of a strange bird" by a lady patient, w r ith the request 

 that I do something to keep it still, as it had annoyed her 

 all the morning. On leaving the house I heard the sharp, 

 shrill note repeated at intervals of about one minute, and 

 saw a stranger sitting in a maple tree. After some delay 

 I secured a gun and shot the bird. Great was my sur- 

 prise when I picked it up to find I had secured a fine 

 female evening grosbeak. The bird was evidently alone, 

 as the lady who called my attention to it informed me 

 that she had heard the bird since daylight, and it had 

 been constantly piping its single note, until I came to the 

 rescue about 11 A. M. A careful search failed to detect 

 the presence of any other birds. I mounted the specimen, 

 and it will hold a conspicuous place in my cabinet. This 

 is the second instance of the capture of this bird in Che- 

 mung county, as far as I know, the other one having 

 been reported by Edward Swift, of Elmira, in December, 

 1887. J. W. Gee, M.D. 



Van Ettenvtlle, N. Y., Feb. 15. ■ 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The evening grosbeak, which has attracted so much 

 attention of late,*made his first visit here this season Dec. 

 15, a second flock Jan. 15 and another flock of six Jan. 23: 

 in fact I have seen them almost continually since their 

 arrival until the present, my boy having seen them to- 



day feeding upon the red cedar berries as usual. I have 

 preserved in all twelve fine specimens, males, females 

 and young. I dissected all of them carefully and found 

 their stomachs to contain only the berries of the red cedar. 

 I also noticed that the flesh smelled very strong of the 

 same. Generally these birds were very tame, allowing me 

 to approach within a few feet without causing any alarm, 

 and then again, at first sight they would all leave the 

 tree in a body, uttering a rather loud whistle, flying high 

 in the air, to return again in the course of a half hour. 

 They seem to be a very restless bird. 



I do not think the heavy snow in the West (as reported) 

 has anything to do with their migration here, as you 

 know they have very heavy snows there every year. 

 This is, I believe, the second appearance of this species 

 here in Ohio since 1860, when Dr. Kirtland took several 

 specimens. Albert Hall. 



Lake Woon, Ohio, Feb. 11. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Sometime during the winter of 1886-87 I secured four 

 specimens of the evening grosbeak, one full plumaged 

 old male and three females. I shot them all at one shot 

 and they comprised the entire flock. I did not know 

 then what I had killed, but surmised it was the pine gros- 

 beak. 1 mounted the male and two of the others and 

 have two of them in my collection yet. The other I gave 

 to a friend. The birds are the only ones I ever saw 

 either alive or dead, and I do not know as they have 

 been taken in this part of Ohio before. I described the 

 male to a taxidermist of Cleveland and he said it was a 

 pine grosbeak, but when I saw the cut of the evening- 

 grosbeak in Coues's "Key" I discovered the mistake. 



Seville, Ohio, Feb. 15; Chippewa. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



While strolling on the banks of the Des Plaines River, 

 on Jan. 28, about eight miles from the city hall, Chicago, 

 111., I saw a single bird in a large elm near the water's 

 edge. Having a .32cal. Stevens pocket rifle, with shot 

 cartridges to match, slung to my shoulder, I collected 

 the bird and found the poor unfortunate, as I had thought, 

 a stranger to me. Upon returning to my den I looked 

 up his antecedents and identified him as the evening gros- 

 beak. He was an adult male in very fine plumage. When 

 shot he was alone in a very large piece of timberland 

 along the river. Although I remained in the same vicini t v 

 for several hours and searched with all the eagerness of 

 the "skin butcher," I saw none of bis kinfolk to share hia 

 untimely taking off. He was very suspicious and restive, 

 giving me the impression at first sight that he was out of 

 his customary element somehow. Although not caught 

 in the act, I am inclined to mistrust from his position 

 when first seen and other circumstantial evidence, that 

 he was trying to crack the ice with his ungainly great 

 bill and drink from the river. Another evidence that he 

 was a stranger, for no bird "to the manor born" would 

 attempt to drink from a Chicago river, summer or win- 

 ter! His digestive apparatus contained but little food 

 and that little too nearly digested to permit of its identi- 

 fication. It was evident he had breakfasted early and 

 been too busy for lunch up to the time of our meeting. 

 I believe the birds are not uncommon visitants of this 

 State, yet their presence just now in connection with 

 their appearance further east, is interesting. Just what 

 brings them so far east and south this wnnter, is a ques- 

 tion for your ornithologists to decide. 



Apropos of "ornithologist," I wonder if your corre- 

 spondent, Dr. A. K. Fisher, will forgive me if I take ex- 

 ception to a remark in his article of Feb. 8. He says, 

 "The gentleman who observed the bird was presumably 

 not an ornithologist, and hence mistaken in his identifica- 

 tion." 



Now, it seems to me that "the gentleman," being, as I 

 imply from the name, a man of intelligence and edu- 

 cation, and enough of an observer to notice a strange 

 bird in a season of the year when birds of any kind were 

 not over plentiful, would be fully as apt to reach, with 

 habits of handling books of reference, the correct iden- 

 tity of the bird as is necessary to establish the fact of its 

 presence in the State; especially since proof of its return 

 thither is indisputable. I have seen many men, without 

 "book larnin" and making no claim to be "ornitholo- 

 gists," at whose feet some of our so-styled "scientists" 

 might with becoming grace sit for some time very advan- 

 tageously. I object to this "stand-and-deliver" way of 

 demanding the dead songster's paltry dermis, and, lack- 

 ing in this, of rejecting as "unauthentic" the results of 

 observation; observations, too, often times as carefully, 

 and who shall say less accurately, made as those of the 

 skin-plundeiing, nest-rifiing sort. Ah, Science! "What 

 crimes have been committed in thy name!" An illustra- 

 tion in point. While walking to-day on the tracks of the 

 Chicago & N. W. R. R. , returning from my work, I saw 

 and eagerly conversed with a bluebird (Sialia, sialis), 

 that demure, bay-breasted herald of spring, from the blue 

 skies of the sunny South and bearing their banner. Now 

 do not rise in your benches, oh, learned judges! and de- 

 mand the herald's bonny blue armor as evidence of his 

 presence in the stern camp of winter. I assure you, 

 though I am not an "ornithologist," and did not slay the 

 trusting rhessenger to spoil him of his few square centi- 

 metres of azure and leave his mutilated body "a prey to 

 dogs and all birds," still do I demand that it be recorded 

 as a matter of history that on Feb. 17 Sialia sialis was 

 observed and identified within the city limits of Chicago. 



Korax. 



irvt:ng Park, HI. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The appearance of the evening grosbeak in the Eastern 

 States prompts me to make a few remarks on some 

 other birds which I have observed for the past ten years. 



A notice of the taking of the evening grosbeak has 

 been sent to Forest and Stream by your old correspond- 

 ent, Dr. E. Sterling. I may say in addition that when I 

 killed one of the birds the others would follow their 

 wounded comrade to the ground. I have also heard of a 

 great many more being taken along the Lake Erie shore. 

 They have migrated to our northern borders in large 

 numbers, but in scattering flocks. They are seen only 

 in orchards and dooryards, where the red cedar abounds. 



I took a specimen of the pine grosbeak (Pinicola enucle- 

 ator) Feb. 15. It was perched upon a larch tree near the 

 house. This is the second occurrence in this vicinity 

 since 1860, when it was recorded by Dr. J. P. Kirtland. 



I notice that the tufted titmouse (L, bicolor) is exceed- 

 ingly abundant this winter, more so than I have ever seen 



