104 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Feb. 26, 1891. 



of Tenturing out; the sun was shining, and yet half a 

 dozen times a scud of cloud was driven over us and it 

 spit rain. We picked berries and waited, waited and 

 picked berries, until finally, when it had become evident 

 to our unwilling minds that no canoe could cross Nica- 

 towis on that day, we reembarked and worked our way 

 back to the Short Carry, keeping close under the shore to 

 prevent being blown off. 



The Short Carry is not a necessity, but a great conve- 

 nience; it is, tlieretore, more welcome than the long car- 

 ries which we cannot avoid when not inclined to burden 

 bearing. It crosses the neck of the long point which 

 forms part of Mcatowis Upper Narrows, Tbis point is 

 like the Irishman's barn, which was "a thousand feet 

 long and one foot wide," and it swings out into the lake 

 full two miles, like a toll gate across the straight water 

 route to G^ssobeeis, Usually it is easier to paddle around 

 the end of it than it is to ca,rry the load across the narrow 

 neck, with the extra trouble of unloaduig and reloading: 

 but in windy weather the Short Carry, so called to dis- 

 tinguish it from the Long Carry past Nicatowis Falls, is a 

 great convenience. 



It was sunny and quite comfortable on the upper end 

 of the carry — one might think the halcyon brooded there 

 to make such a calm; and only forty rods away, at the 

 other end, the wind was blowing and howling as if a 

 legion of evil spirits were after it. Unfortunately we 

 could not camp on the comfortable end, it was so rocky; 

 and Providence seemed to think us old enough sheep to 

 take care of ourselves, for it made no effort to temper 

 the wind at the other. But we were glad lo be delivered 

 from fear of falling trees; here were only second-growth 

 birches and poplars which no tempest could uproot. 

 Though we searched the woods for several rods on both 

 sides of the carry, the only camping place we could get 

 was a small spot in the middle of the carry near a poplar 

 tree engraved with initials and the significant word 

 *'Windbound," showing that others also had been im- 

 prisoned here without being confined. Even this best 

 place of all was so rocky that we could not pitch our tent 

 with the usual upright fork for a front pole, instead of 

 which we wero obhged to use two forks braced against 

 the ridge pole fi'om either side. It rained a few times 

 while we were getting our tent pitched and our luggage 

 under shelter, and then the draft across the carry caused 

 an eddy round the corner of the tent and drew the smoke 

 into our eyes so that it was unbearable: it was a poplar 

 fire, too — add to previous notes that, for pungency, the 

 smoke of a poplar fire, what little there is of it, will out- 

 rank everything else except the smoke of cedar bark. 



We easily remedied this fault of the fire by making a 

 wind sci-een of green trees which diverted the smoke; we 

 chinked the cracks under the canvas with boughs; we dug 

 the superfluous stones out of our bed; and then I jiicked 

 and laid a great bed of hemlock and cedar boughs, deep 

 and fine, such a work of art that it consumed the better 

 pai't of two hours in the making; for, being permitted to 

 make the beds in ordinary weather, the family sometimes 

 enjoys sybaritic luxury in its cubicular arrangements. 



It still blew, and the wind increased rather than abated. 

 If the best canoeman in the counti'y, in the best canoe, 

 could have come across from Darling's shore to ours, it 

 would have been as much by his good fortune as by his 

 skill. We were snug and comfortable and, in the main, 

 contented to be where we were; for if any one became a 

 little restless in camp, he straightway regained his delight 

 in the land by going to the end of the caiTy and looking 

 out upon the angry lake,- across which, as Jot said, the 

 wind was "blowing enough to bang the apostles." 



Fannie Pear son Hardy. 



FACTS FROM THE NORTH WOODS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I send you the following facts for the benefit of 

 those of your readers who may be interested in the wel- 

 fare of our woods and the proposed scheme for a State 

 park, for which there seems to be the most imminent 

 necessity. 



It was my good fortune last summer to accompany my 

 friend the State Forester on a round trip of some 150 miles 

 by trail, our object being to form as clear an idea as pos- 

 sible of the lumbering and condition of the country within 

 the proposed tract, it being that portion of the Adirondack 

 wilderness lying within nearly a dozen townshi]D3 and 

 containing the source and principal water sheds of the 

 Hudson Paver, besides the Ausable Region and that tract 

 known as the Cold River Country. 



Our route lay from Keene Valley, Essex county, N. Y., 

 through the notch to Van Hoovenberg's, thence to the 

 "Deserted Villa,ge" via Indian Pass, and so on to the 

 Preston Ponds and down Cold River, returning by way of 

 Lake Colden, Mt, Marcy, and the Ausable Ponds, 



Before I attempt a more detailed account of the present 

 condition of the country, a word in regard to the lumber- 

 ing and its effect upon the region may not be out of 

 place. Where they have lumbered around the small 

 ponds we found the water greatly diminished, and in 

 many cases great stretches of marsh have been formed. 

 The effect of lumbering in the case of mountain streams 

 has been to form a sediment upon the stones, the water 

 becomes discolored and often unfit to drink, and this, too, 

 where but a short time ago these streams were in fine 

 condition, the clear water running over moss-covered 

 rocks and a gravel bottom. Where the lumbermen flood 

 the stream and "drive," it not only gullies out the bed of 

 the sti-eam to a great extent, tearing away the banks and 

 otherwise injuring its natural beauty, but, as a rule, since 

 there is no shade left all fishing is desti'oyed, and the sun- 

 light striking the bed of a brook left in such a condition, 

 with even the moss gone, evaporation is so rapid as to 

 so lessen the water supply that unless the stream shoidd 

 head where there was an abundance of green timber it 

 would actually dry up during the summer. 



Where there is an abundance of hard wood timber the 

 cutting of spruce would be hardly noticeable, but himber- 

 ing solely among soft timber is a far difl^rent thing, as 

 soft timber affords a great deal of shade. So much so 

 that there is usually a heavy growth of moss in such 

 places, especially on "the mountain sides. The soil where 

 spruce grows is very light, the roots growing near the 

 surface. The result of cutting heavily in such timber is 

 that the smaller trees left as a rule blow down, and the 

 sunlight let in kills the moss. 



Finally the disastrous effect of dams erected at the 

 outlets of the larger lakes is to raise the water, killing 

 the timber along the shore line, and producing large areas 

 of marsh land. 



Beginning with the headwaters and the great water 

 sheds of the Hudson, no better example of the destruc- 

 tion of our forests can be found than on the tract known 

 as the Calamity Brook Tract, lying on a gore east of 

 Township 47, Totten & Crossfield's Purchase, through 

 which Calamity Brook flows. This once superb stream 

 now lies robbed of all that once made it beautiful. 



For nearly five miles it has been heavily lumbered, and 

 its once green banks are now yawning chasms of sand, 

 giollied out by the driving logs, many of which lie 

 stranded along the dry bed of the brook. 



Continuing by trail through the Calamity Brook tract 

 we reached Colden, a beautiful little lake of some sixty 

 acres in area and one of the highest reservoirs of the 

 Hudson, Lake Colden is situated in the valley between 

 Mt. Mclnfcire and Mt, Colden, and near the divide be- 

 tween the St, Lawrence and the Hudson River. The 

 snow stays later in this portion of the woods than in 

 almost any other. 



The side of Mt. Mclntire heavily timbered is covered 

 with a rich growth of moss holding a large amount of 

 water that gradually filters out, thus keeping up the 

 water supply for the hpper Hudson in case of drought. 



Leaving Lake Colden we continued along a branch of 

 the Opalescent River, which empties into the east branch 

 of the Hudson, draining the water shed of Mt, Marcy and 

 Skylight. There is no finer stream in the woods to-day 

 than the Opalescent, There is something so thoroughly 

 primeval about it. The intense green of the moss, its 

 deep flumes and the sparkling purity of its emerald 

 water make it to me the most charming of all streams. 

 So far it has escaped, but being on this gore it will un- 

 doubtedly fall a prey to the lumbermen. 



In Township 46 and 47, Totten & Crossfield's Purchase, 

 below Lake Sanford, where the limibermen have been at 

 work for some years, the region is almost a barren waste. 

 Through this region the upper Hudson now runs its slug- 

 gish course, half choked up with logs. 



Lake Henderson, but a few years ago in fine preserva- 

 tion, to-day long stretches of green scum and bog land 

 cover about 60 acres of its area, whei-eas its entire shore- 

 line is fringed with the white skeletons of trees killed by 

 the raising of the water by the lumbermen. 



Lake Sanford lies in much the same pHght. A dam 

 has killed its entire shore line. 



Continuing up the Opalescent we get into Township 45 

 and on to Mt. Mai-cy. From the summit of this moun- 

 tain—the highest in the State— a clear idea of the sur- 

 rounding mountains is obtained — Islt. Haystack, Saddle 

 Mountain, The G-othics and Basin Mountain, etc., a superb 

 range, all situated in Township 48. Looking in a northerly 

 direction across a sea of primeval forest we overlook 

 Township 12, known as the Old Military Oract. Big Slide 

 Mountain, Table Top, Bear Mountain and the best part of 

 the Mclntire range are all on this tract. 



The tract is nearly all primeval forest and comprises an 

 area of over 38,000 acres, of which the State owns 19,000 

 acres. As the tract is all primeval forest with the excep- 

 tion of a few hundred acres in the northeast corner and 

 the timber being in fine condition, it would naturally be 

 a fine aqcuisition to the State park. 



The Ausable Ponds lie below us in Township 48, a re- 

 gion famous for its wild picturesqueness. The eastern 

 part of Township 45 is still in a fine state of preservation. 

 This includes many brooks and the headwaters of the 

 Ausable River. The western half of Township 45, par- 

 ticularly around the Boreas Ponds, is not only unatti'ac- 

 tive but unhealthy, owing to the flooding of the country 

 by the lumbermen. 



In the northern part of the toATOship lies an important 

 watershed of the Hudson. The greater part of the 44th 

 -Township is a barren waste from Tumbering. Continuing 

 in a southerly direction to the 30th Township we find that 

 two-thirds of it has been so heavily lumbered that no tim- 

 ber of any kind except scrubby "popples" and bird cher- 

 ries will thrive. The Boreas R'iver, one of the important 

 branches of the Hudson, rims through this township, and 

 the lumbermen are already building a big dam on this 

 river within this township and wiU endeavor to get out the 

 few logs still in existence. East from the 30th Township 

 we have Township 27— Totten and Crossfield's Purchase- 

 containing a group of lakes, all of them reservoirs of the 

 Hudson. 



This township has been heavily lumbered, and is in 

 fact a lumber center. There is an abundance, however, 

 of hard wood in this ti-act. 



North from Township 27, Totten & Crossfield's Pur- 

 chase, lies Township 28, Totten & Crossfield's Purchase, 

 on which a,re Newcomb Lake, Catlin Lake and Rich 

 Lake, besides several small ponds, all of them reservoirs 

 of the Hudson, On this township can still be found 

 white pine that in most parts of the woods has become 

 extinct. 



The timber here is principally hard wood — birch, beach 

 and maple— very large and of fine and majestic growth, 

 with here and there a mixture of soft woods, such as 

 pine, hemlock and spruce. 



In the southern part of this township the Adirondack 

 Railroad Company has been getting out the merchantable 

 timber— spruce, pine and hemlock — and have heavily 

 lumbered this section. All other parts of the township 

 are still in a primitive state. 



Northwest from here lies Township 50, Totten & Cross- 

 field's Purchase. Here there is also an abundance of 

 hard wood, with a mixtm-e of spruce, hemlock and pine. 



The easterly portion of this township is still in a fine 

 state of preservation. 



The westerly portion has been lumbered some, but is 

 still in an attractive condition. In the Cold , River 

 country there is an abundance of white pine and spruce 

 in the strip of land between Macomb's Purchase, taking 

 in the side of Mt, Seward and the valley of Cold River, 



This section of the country is one of the most secluded 

 and wildest tracts in our northern wilderness. 



Perhaps no section of our North Woods at the present 

 day contains more deer or better fishing — around Mt. 

 Seward what few panthers that remain find a safe re- 

 treat, I have it on good authority that the lumbermen 

 are now negotiating to lumber this Cold River country. 

 If this happens this now wild and beautiful tract will in 

 a few years be a thing of the past. 



F. Berkeley Smith. 



A Book Abottt Indians.— Tte Fobtist and Steeam will mail 

 free on application a descriptive circular of Mr. Grinnell's book, 

 "Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-Tales," givlnc; a table of contents 

 and HT>eoimen UlnBtratlona from the volume.— 



PELICAN AND CATFISH. 



COCOANUT GROVE, Biscayne Bay, Fla., Feb. 8.— I 

 don't know whether this incident shotdd be recorded 

 under the head of "Angling Notes," "Bird Notes," "The 

 Sportsman Tourist," "Fisbculture," "Natm-al History," 

 "Sea and River Fishing," "Economic Ornithology," 

 "The Trap," "Big Horns" or "Obituary Notices," and I 

 expect that nothing less than a convocation of depart- 

 mental editors can decide the matter. However, the 

 pelican, a bird of sporting proclivities, interested in 

 angling as a fine art, went a fishing, and set an economi- 

 cal trap. In it he caught a catfish with big horns. Or, 

 possibly it was the catfish that caught the pelican. At 

 any rate, each had the other when 1 found them, and the 

 result was fatal to both. 



For several years a couple of patriarchal pelicans have 

 fished for a living just off the end of my wharf. I have 

 repeatedly begged their lives of sporting tourists, and so 

 accustomed them to my presence that I could row within 

 an oar's length of them withoxit their taking flight. I 

 have often watched their operations with curious interest, 

 and was really much attached to the solemn looking 

 couple, who, with their smooth pates and beard-like 

 pouches, reminded me of feathered caricatures of Father 

 Time. Yesterday, on going down to the beach, I dis- 

 covered one of my pelican pets drifting helplessly toward 

 land. When he came within reach I found that he was 

 dead, while in his pouch, with its head completely closing 

 the bird's throat, was a catfish still alive and measuring 

 fourteen inches in length. Its horns stuck out through 

 each side of the pelican's pouch, and thus the unf orttmate 

 bird had been unable to either swallow or reject its un- 

 welcome prey. The pelican's pouch was also torn and 

 perforated in a number of places, showing that the strug- 

 gle between would-be-swallower and wouldn't-be-swal- 

 lowed had been a long and desperate one. The fish died 

 a few minutes after being removed from the trap into 

 which he had fallen. The bird measured 7ft. Sin. from 

 tip to tip of his extended wings, and, from his general ap- 

 pearance, was evidently a partriarch of his race. 



Now, Mr. Forest and Stream, as you know all about 

 fowls and fishes, please tell me if catfish always prove 

 thus fatal to the pelicans that catch them? Also, can a 

 pelican, plunging down from his aerial observatory, dis- 

 criminate between the many kinds of fish swimming 

 beneath him? If so, why did not my pelican thus dis- 

 criminate, and shun the pernicious cat? O. K. Chobee. 



SONG SPARROWS REARING KINGBIRDS 



ALTHOUGH it is a common breeder I did not have 

 a set of eggs of the kingbird {Tyranniis tyran- 

 nus) in my collection. So, knowing of a nest of this bird 

 my brother and I repaired to it about 9 P. M. , June 24, 

 1890. After a good climb my brother reached the nest, 

 which was placed in the fork of a horizontal limb about 

 35ft. above the bank of the Menominee River. As it was 

 quite dark, he could not decide as to how far incubation 

 had advanced, so we took the nest and eggs, and with the 

 sotmds of night in our eai's and the gloom of a hot sum- 

 mer evening hanging over us, we returned. The eggs 

 were placed in a cigar box to be prepared the next day. 

 At noon I opened the box intending to blow the eggs, 

 but to my surprise saw before me a gaping, squirming 

 young kingbird. Wishing to save the "bhd if possible, I 

 decided to hunt up a suitable nest in which to j^lace it 

 when evening came, but did not do so until the next day 

 at noon, when I found another youngster had bui-st his 

 pi'ison walls. The weather was very warm, the temper- 

 ature of the room, which had no fire, being about 80 Fahr. 



That evening I searched for a home for my charges, 

 but found nothing better than a song sparrow's nest 

 which I was watching, the eggs of which would hatch 

 in a few days. So the little waifs were consigned to the 

 tender mercies of foster parents and, fortunately, were 

 accepted. On June 27 a cowbird egg that was in the 

 nest hatched. One sparrow egg did not hatch, the other 

 hatched June 29. As I needed them as specimens, and 

 considered it best for the kingbirds, I removed the spar- 

 row and cowbird. The old birds found abundant food in 

 some currant bushes and a couple of straw bei-ry beds 

 near by. I noticed that much of the food consisted of a 

 yellowish green larva about lin. long, which they found 

 in abundance on the currant leaves. 



By July 10 the yoimg kingbirds were very fat and well 

 fledged. As animal life was too abundant in theh home, 

 I sprinkled sulphur over them and about the nest; and as 

 I raised one to put sulphur under it, both flew out of the 

 nest with a little cry to the opposite bank — the nest being 

 in the side of the bank of a brook. With a little care I 

 succeeded in inducing them to stay rmtil I had gone; but 

 the next morning I found that they had left home to see 

 the world. I saw nothing more of them until the morning 

 of July 33, when I found both parents and the kingbirds 

 near their nesting place. I first saw the kingbirds (now 

 fully feathered) sitting on the top board of a fence crying 

 for food, while both parents were busily trying to supply 

 the demand. One parent flew upon the fence near a king- 

 bird, which, with gaping mouth, rushed up so fast that 

 the little sparrow had to retreat until the big baby paused; 

 when the little parent stood up on tiptoe, as it were, and 

 deftly deposited a fat grub in the big yellow throat and 

 then darted away to the strawberry beds. I was very 

 much amused to see how busily the Httle sparrows worked. 

 They would run rapidly about, stopping here and there 

 to scratch nimbly, and finding something about every two 

 or three minutes. Once one flew up between the two 

 kingbirds, which flew up so close that it had to fly to one 

 side of them or be knocked off the fence. 



While I was watching them, a kingbird that had a nest 

 in an orchard near by came down several times and, with 

 angry cries, attacked the frightened youngsters so fiercely 

 that they had to beat a hasty retreat: although they would 

 come back in a few minutes. 



Several times they flew up into the air, capturing in- 

 sects in true fly-catcher style, and showing that they had 

 become expert in the use of then- wings. After watching 

 them for over half an hour, one sparrow flew off out of 

 sight, followed in a minute or so by the other. In a few 

 minutes the kingbirds went in the same direction, as if 

 they knew where to go or were in the habit of going 

 to some particular place. They went at least eighty 



