OCT. 23, 1890. 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



267 



the trees, arid on the open lake, which is ten miles long, 

 we had to give our whole attention to the management 

 of the canoes. It had ceased raining, but the wind did 

 not abate, and the clouds were drifting swiftly across the 

 sky. If the wind, strong as it was, had blown in any 

 direction except the way we were traveling wo should 

 have been obliged to go ashore, but as it was we kept on. 

 We paddled steadily and took the waves "quartering," 

 crossing the trough diagonally, having, now and again, 

 to hold back as some large wave went by. 



It was not a matter of going too slowly; the danger 

 was in going too fast, and we had to avoid getting ahead 

 of these great waves and thereby taking water over the 

 stern. Sometimes, almost in spite of us, the wind would 

 take the bow or stern about, but there were strong 

 skilful hands on the stern paddles, while we in the bows 

 bent to with energy. And whether we were paddling 

 with all our strength or holding back poised on the crest 

 of some foaming wave, which was sliding under us, there 

 was a glorious exhilaration in it, which sent the blood 

 tingling through our veins, and enough spice of danger 

 to call for whatever coolness of head and steadiness of 

 hand we possessed. We avoided taking in any water 

 except as an occasional wave would dash us with spray, 

 but after two or three miles of this work we landed in 

 the lee of a high, rocky point on the windward shore, to 

 wait till the wind should go down a little. 



The woods in the vicinity had been burnt and blueber- 

 ries were growing thickly where the fire had run. We 

 took two views from the top of the bluff, and after wait- 

 ing a while and seeing no prospect of a change, resumed 

 our journey across the wiud-swept water, and pushed 

 ahead through the white caps and spray to the narrows, 

 half-way the length of the lake. A strip of sandy beach, 

 on which grow a few stunted, weather-beaten bushes, 

 divides Long Pond at the narrows. 



This bar puts out from either shore, leaving a passage 

 through, and it broke the wind so that in its lee we had 

 comparatively smooth water. We went through the nar- 

 rows and a few rods further to an old head works, and 

 there we stopped for dinner and to spend the night if the 

 wind should continue to blow. 



There was a good shanty on the raft with a stone and 

 sand fireplace before the door. We lifted the canoes out 

 on to the raft, placed an anchor against the door to shut 

 out the wind, and then sat down on the edge of a bunk to 

 rest a bit before getting dinner. The headworks was 

 anchored several rods from shore and in such a position 

 that we could see up and clown the lake on both sides of 

 the narrows. Bill procured some wood and we soon had 

 a good fire going and a kettle boiling, and it was not long 

 before the odor of ham and eggs and the aroma of coffee 

 whetted our already keen appetites. After our meal we 

 sat in the shelter of the shanty and enjoyed a siesta which 

 we considered well earned. The sun was shining and the 

 wind seemed to be decreasing hi violence. We puffed 

 away at our pipes and listened to the lapping of the waves 

 against the raft, and watched the geese and fish hawks 

 which were circling over head, thinking, the while, that 

 this was a good comfortable world to live in. William 

 went ashore to photograph the headworks, and afterward 

 he and I climbed to the top of the cross beam which sup- 

 jiorted the capstan, in order to fpcus on the narrows and 

 the view up the pond. 



"Well," exclaimed William, "this is photographing 

 under difficulties, and no one other than a couple of 

 cranks like you and me would be up here." This after a 

 number of fruitless attempts to secure the focus. 



"High art!" observed Harry sententiously, 



"About ten feet too high," I added as I made a frantic 

 grab at my hat, which a gust of wind was dallying with. 

 I was sitting astride the cross beam holding the camera 

 steady as best I could, while William, with his legs 

 twined around an upright, hung on with one hand and 

 clung to the flapping focus cloth which enveloped his 

 head, with the other. At last he announced that he had 

 the focus and I retained the camera in place, while Harry 

 passed up the plate holder to him. William placed the 

 holder in the camera, drew the slide and flashed the drop 

 shutter ; but before he could replace the slide a saucy puff 

 of wind whisked it off into the water. It was rescued with 

 a landing net, but was soaked so that it could not be used. 

 William reversed the holder, and this time the exposure 

 was made, attended by no accident. 



"That picture ought to be a good one after our efforts 

 to get it," said he, and so it x>roved when developed. 



After a while we went on down the lake; the paddling 

 was not so hard as in the morning, though the waves still 

 broke with force against the rocky shore. The forest on 

 either hand was unbroken except where a ledge of white 

 rock jutted into the lake far ahead on the left. We plied 

 our paddies steadily, our object being to reach Lower 

 Churchill Stream and camp there for the night. 



The selection of a camp ground is a matter of much 

 importance to the traveler in the woods, and unless one 

 knows of a good site which may be reached before sun- 

 down, watch must be kept for a suitable place. There is 

 considerable work to be done in the process of pitching a 

 camp, and enough daylight must be reserved to enable 

 the guides to erect the tents, cut wood for the night, 

 build the fire and get the supper before the darkness of 

 night closes in. We arrived at Churchill Stream in ample 

 season, and a more charming location for a woodland 

 camp might be sought for many a day. We turned 

 toward what appeared to be simply a little cove in which 

 reeds and grasses were growing, but as we entered it a 

 winding passage was descried, up which we went into a 

 X>ool of quiet water. Above this pool a grassy island 

 nearly blocked further progress, but we paddled through 

 another narrow canal of only a few feet in width, into 

 another pool whose peaceful, sylvan loveliness will never 

 be forgotten. Great forest trees drooped over it and were 

 reflected in the deep, still water whose Calm bosom was 

 unruffled by the slightest ripple. The only sound was 

 the murmur of Churchill Stream, which came flowing- 

 down through the woods and emptied in over a little fall, 

 whose rim of shining foam sparkled in contrast to the 

 dark surface of the pool. In the woods to the left was 

 the deserted cabin of some hunter, and on the right bank 

 a flat rock made a natural landing place, beside which 

 the chaste, sweet blossoms of a wild rose bush perfumed 

 the air with their ft tgrance. 



We landed at the big rock and pitched our tent at the 

 foot of a great pine, Big Pine Camp we called it. Afire 

 was built and supper was shortly under way. Dennis 

 made: a loaf of bread,- and while "it was baking in the 

 Dutch oven before the fire, we whipped the pool with our 



flies and caught trout enough for supper. They were all 

 small, though the pool had the appearance of promising 

 better things. A fir tree was felled, the top of which fur- 

 nished material for our beds, and wood was collected for 

 the night. 



Francis said he and Dennis would sleep in the hunter's 

 cabin; so we only pitched the largest of the three tents. 

 The. balsam boughs were spread on the floor— the ground 

 floor Harry called it; the rubber blankets laid over them 

 to keep out the dampness, and then the woolen blankets— 

 and we were ready for the night. By the time these 

 chores were done our meal was ready, and after discuss- 

 ing it we enjoyed that pleasantest part of the day to the 

 camper, the social hour around the camp-fire. Pipes 

 were lighted, and, as we stretched our feet toward the 

 genial warmth, we talked over our plans and recalled 

 reminiscences of other days spent in the woods and by 

 the streams. But suddenly our quiet chat was inter- 

 rupted. 



What was that? Was it the scream of a loon or the cry 

 of a wild animal? Our ears were on the alert. Hark! 

 There it is again. A shrill scream came over the water, 

 grating harshly on the stillness of the night. 



"It's a man," said Francis, who never wasted any 

 words. "Listen!" 



It came again from the west, a long distance off, but 

 sounding clearly. 



"It must be some one in trouble on the lake," said Cy, 

 and he, and Bill, and Dennis, in less time than it takes 

 to tell it, were in the canoes and flying over the water as 

 fast as their muscular arms could wield the paddles. 



They called again and again, but only once was the cry 

 repeated, and after searching in vain for the owner of the 

 voice, they returned to camp. We were not disturbed 

 again, and never knew who or what it was. 



William and I bad one more duty to perform before we 

 turned in, and that was to remove the exposed plates 

 from our holders, and replace them with fresh ones in 

 readiness for the morrow. 



This is a simple operation in a photographer's dark 

 room, but in the woods it is a different matter. 



We took the holders and plates and a small red lantern, 

 and sought the seclusion of a dense thicket of spruce and 

 cedar, far enough from camp so that no stray gleam from 

 the fire would penetrate our retreat. Then, kneeling on 

 the ground with our heads so close together that we were 

 in momentary danger of bumping them, we went through 

 the operation, Harry holding the lantern for us. If any 

 person, ignorant of the mysteries of photography, had 

 stumbled upon us crouched there in the darkness of the 

 thicket, and heard us muttering by the dim, red light, 

 which shed a baleful glare upon our faces, his only con- 

 clusion would have been that we were plotting nothing 

 short of murder. 



I slept that night next the entrance to the tent, and as 

 the flaps were turned back that the heat from the fire 

 might enter, I lay for a long time en joying the peacefulness 

 of the scene. The lover of nature who would enter i nto full 

 companionship must woo her by night as well as by day, 

 for in the hours of darkness does she exhibit some of her 

 most charming phases and teach some of her most inte- 

 resting and instructive lessons. 



The evening was cold but clear, and I lay there wrapped 

 in my blankets listening to the voices of the night. I 

 gazed into a land of enchantment. Out of the dusky 

 shadows which lurked under the bushes rose the trunks 

 of the great pines and spruces: and overhead their 

 branches, through which the night whispered its soft 

 monotone as a mother might croon her lullaby over her 

 little ones, were drawn in sharp pencilings across the sky. 

 Far above them, the evening star shone with a pure, 

 sweet light as it floated among the myriads of shining 

 worlds in the jeweled firmament. The pool lay black 

 and still, and in the soft glow of its surface the serrated 

 line of the tree tops was reflected. From far over the 

 lake came the wild laughter of a loon, the strange, un- 

 earthly scream being softened by the distance: and then 

 the answering call of its mate, in weird uncanny cadence, 

 came wailing" across the water like the despairing cry of 

 a lost soul. 



The faint odor of the wild roses tinged the air with the 

 mere suggestion of a perfume, and the gentle murmur of 

 the stream over the stones and its soft, gurgling plash as 

 it pntered the pool stole soothing to the tired senses. 



The regular breathing of my companions told me that 

 they had preceded me to the land of dreams; and 1 closed 

 my eyes and slept, with the assurance that here in the 

 wilderness as in town, we were safe with Him who holds 

 the winds in the hollow of His hand. 



William Austin Brooks. 



NOTES ON THE WOODCOCK. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In the exercise of an inalienable right, the pursuit of 

 happiness, I have spent many hours perusing the Forest 

 and Stream, and many days around the forests and 

 along the streams pursuing the gamy woodcock. I am a 

 lover of both, as the former entertains and interests me, 

 and with the latter lam fascinated. I have for many 

 years devoted most of my leisure hours, during the 

 proper season, to this my favorite sport, hunting the 

 woodcock. I have noticed the opinions and arguments, 

 presented from time to time in your columns, on the 

 question whether the woodcock make3 the whistle that 

 is music to the sportsman's ear, with his wings or bill. 

 Also as to his habits in securing his food. I wish to give, 

 as briefly as possible, my recent observations on these 

 points. 



While hunting yesterday, with neighbors George and 

 Henry, I witnessed an actual and conclusive demonstra- 

 tion of the source and manner of this whistling, about 

 which so much has been written. Henry, by a long shot, 

 brought down a woodcock. I sent my pointer, Nell, to 

 retrieve. As she delivered the bird to hand I found it a 

 very large one, with but one shot mark and that in its 

 head. George, observing its unusual size and plumage, 

 took it by its bill and held it up for a closer examination. 

 The bird began fluttering, making the flying motion of 

 its wings, and surprised us with as perfect whistling as 

 when started from the ground. - 1 was delighted by such 

 -a demonstration and said to my-cbniparrions,' '-How did 

 he do it?" Both replied, "With his wings." I continued. 



"There is much question how this noise is produced. Let 

 us test the matter carefully." George placing thumb and 

 finger at base of bill, pressed both mandibles closely to- 

 gether and again held up the bird. It attempted to fly 

 and again the whistling occurred, which we could locate 

 in each wing, beyond a doubt. The movement of wings 

 was not simultaneous, but one following the other 

 quickly; thus giving the whistle its click, click, character. 

 We three are now positive that we know how he does it, 

 for besides our certain location of the sound at the wings, 

 the bird was held in such a manner that it was impossible 

 for it to make any sound with its bill. 



1 learned a while ago that a boy living near me had 

 captured a slightly injured woodcock. Having in mind 

 the feeding controversy, I soon had it in my possession, 

 with the object of seeing how he does it. I placed the 

 bird under a willow crate on the ground, and putting 

 some earth worms on a thin layer of fresh earth in a dish, 

 I set it before him. Several hours after I found the 

 worms undisturbed. At night I covered them in a depth 

 of several inches, but was disappointed in the morning to 

 find that he had not bored for them. I found the bird 

 greatly weakened and stupid from inanition, and feared 

 he would not survive long. Procuring a pitcher of water, 

 I commenced pouring it on the dish of earth containing 

 the worms, and was pleased to see the woodcock move 

 quickly to the dish. He pushed his bill full length into 

 the dirt, and bringing out a worm swallowed it. He 

 eagerly continued until the last worm had made the pass- 

 age of his long bill. After this there was no trouble 

 about his feeding: but there was great trouble about pro- 

 curing worms enough. His appetite demanded at least 

 half a pint of solid worms both morning and night. He 

 would often come to the dish and feed' as soon as placed 

 where he could see it, and was undisturbed by my watch- 

 ing him. It was amusing when he occasionally'brought 

 out a worm seized in the middle, as he would put up his 

 foot and deftly straighten it out, so that it would go 

 down easily. I repeatedly left the worms before him un- 

 covered, and I could not discover that he ever touched 

 one. But cover them with earth, and their fate was sure. 

 They were bored to death. Several weeks of observation 

 and study of this bird afforded me much pleasure and sat- 

 isfaction, giving me many points, the half of which I 

 have not yet told. D. S. S. 



Welles ley, M ass. 



GAME BIRDS FOR LYNN, 



THE public-spirited citizens of Lynn, Mass., having 

 secured title to an area of forest land , and having 

 with commendable forethought set it apart as a perma- 

 nent public possession, are now turning their attention to 

 enriching it with game birds. The following letters ex- 

 plain themselves; and do credit to all concerned. The 

 first is addressed to Chairman John Tuttle, of the com- 

 mittee on acclimatization, of the Massachusetts Associa- 

 tion, and the second is a reply from Mr. Thayer of the 

 same committee: 



Dear Sir— There is hi Lynn a public forest of 1,500 

 acres in area , which has been obtained partly by purchase 

 and partly by gift, a considerable amount of the purchase 

 money having been contributed by subscription, the re- 

 mainder having been furnished by appropriations of the 

 city. These woodlands are within easy access of the city 

 and around the ponds furnishing the water supply for 

 Lynn. It appears to me that this park affords an oppor- 

 tunity of extending the work of yourself and associates 

 on the committee of the Massachusetts Fish and Game 

 Protective Association relative to the introduction of 

 game birds in this State. Last Monday I had a confer- 

 ence with the Mayor upon the subject, and he agreed 

 with me in regard to the matter, and said that if your 

 Association would furnish a suitable number of such 

 game birds for the public park there was no doubt but 

 that the city of Lynn would pass an ordinance forbidding 

 all sliooting or trapping on this tract, and furthermore, in 

 connection with this, action would be taken to enforce 

 the ordinance by means of giving to one or two of the 

 men employed in the forest authority in order that they 

 may act as game wardens. Trusting that this matter 

 may meet the favorable consideration of yourself and 

 associates, I am, yours very truly, 



C. J. H. Woodbury. 



Dear Sir — I have been instructed to notify you that 

 your letters relative to introducing game birds "into the 

 Lynn Park have been considered by this committee. In 

 reply, the committee will agree that there shall be an 

 ample number of suitable buds furnished from those im- 

 ported to amply stock the park with game, in case the 

 city of Lynn shall see fit to pa°s suitable ordinances pro- 

 hibiting shooting in the Lynn Park, and shall assure us 

 that the ordinances shall be properly enforced, also that 

 the birds shall be fed whenever it may be necessary, and 

 protected as may be otherwise needed. This committee 

 has decided to expend the present season over §1000 as a 

 preliminary movement; and if the public, sentiment sup- 

 ports, and proper protection to the game loosed is forth- 

 coming to encourage the Massachusetts Fish and Game 

 Protective Association in its work, the present season's 

 work will be but a beginning of more extended move- 

 ment and larger expenditure in the immediate future. 

 An early action (if desirable) on this would be agreeable 

 to the committee, as we are expecting within a few 

 weeks at the furthest to receive large consignments of 

 birds, consisting principally (at first) of California moun- 

 tain and valley quail. Later in the season we shall re- 

 ceive prairie chickens, sharp-tailed grouse, Virginia quail 

 and possibly wild turkeys. Very truly, 



Henry J. Thayer, Sec'y. 



Regent Arrivals at the Philadelphia. Zoological Gar- 

 DES.- Purchased— Three wild boars (Sua scrota), two European 

 badgers (Mete-- taxva), three pine martens Olimtclo niarte). one 

 European h irn owl (Stri.c flarnmca), one European roller (Coracias 

 garruj/us), one blank-bellied weaver bird (Euplectcs afer), two 



li riches {Euplectcs ), two yellow-headed eonures {Conurus jeu- 



daya), two west African love birds (Aqaporius puUaria), two yel- 

 low-winged parakeets (Brotogcrys vircscens), two golden-headed 

 parrakeets (Brotogerys tui), two St. Thomas conures (Commix 

 xantholcemus), one cayenne rail, (Aramidcs cayenne nsix), one 

 courlan (Ai'umusvitjaidcnx). two turkey vultures (Catliartc* aura), 

 one rough-eyed eaim m [Ca&ihail nclerops), one emperor boa (Boa 

 impcrotor), one tree boa (Epicratrx rniyulifer), otie common boa 

 (l^oa constrictor), one anaconda (JSureCtes minimis), two nanded. 

 rattlesnakes (QrotcRus UorrWm), one dusky rat snake (SpUotes 

 pldlatus), sixteen slow worms (Anguis fragilis), two agile lizards 

 i Laci.rta agilis), twenty European salamanders (Salamandra mac- 

 ulosa), five salamanders (Salamandra. ). five salamanders (TrY- 



ton crtstatus), twenty-six lire-bellied toads (Bombinator iguriib), 

 and fifty-three newts. Exchanged— One tree boa (Corallus hortu- 

 la nvs), two thick-necked tree boas lEpicrotes cenchria), and one 



