496 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 9, 1891. 



at two o'clock we stood on a rock with a cascade falling 

 some ten feet to a deep pool below us, while, a few feet 

 above us, was another deep pool with a boiling sheet of 

 water foaming into the edge of it from the rocks above. 

 Standing on the rocks between these two pools we caught 

 fourteen beautiful trout weighing from i to l^Ibs. apiece, 

 Then eating our lunch of bread and butter and cold boiled 

 trout, we proceeded to dress and coimt our fish. We 

 found that we had forty-five that would average lib, 

 apiece, the largest Iflbs. and the smallest half a pound. 

 The veteran scored one more than me, he having twenty- 

 three. As we had all the fish we could use and did not 

 want to murder the beauties for our pleasure, we con- 

 cluded to quit. So we unjointed our rods, put our fish in 

 our creels and started for "camp, bravely passing by pool 

 after pool where we knew there were fish aching to be 

 caught. The only malignant look that flashed across the 

 veteran's countenance on our tramp homeward was when 

 we passed under the tree where the covey of grouse took 

 shelter in the morning. We reached camp in time for 

 supper, not tired , but very hungry. 



And so passed one of the happiest days we have ever 

 known, full of excitement ardpleasure, with just enough 

 hard work in it to make it enjoyable, but not enough to 

 tire one so completely as to drive sleep from his weary 

 and aching limbs when night comes, and he fain would 

 drop himself into the arms of "tired nature's sweet re- 

 storer." B. C. D. 



Omaha, Nebraska. 



DO CARIBOU EXIST IN OREGON? 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



First let me enter a plea of ignorance. Most sportsmen 

 deny the existence of caribou in Oregon. In fact the 

 burden of proof seems to rest heavily upon those of us 

 that presume to adopt the affirmative of the proposition. 

 Mr. Charles C. Ward, in his delightful chapters on "Cari- 

 bou Hunting" in "Sport With Gun and Eod," edited by 

 Mayer, says: "If the species reaches the wooded region 

 at and west of the Rocky Mountains its presence does not 

 seem to be well attested. * * * A competent author- 

 ity doubts the existence of the caribou in the United 

 States west of the Red River of the North." 



No person can read the twenty-five-page article above 

 referred to without appreciating the painstaking investi- 

 gation given the subject by its writer. A thorough 

 recognition of this fact on my part admonishes me that 

 what I may have to say on the subject must be interroga- 

 tive rather than assertive. 



Two years ago I stopped at the ranch of a Mr. Welch 

 at the foot of Mt. Hood, in Clackamas county, this State, 

 near the old Barlow wagon road. The first thing that 

 attracted my attention was a magnificent pair of caribou 

 antlers adorning the ga-ble end of his rustic abode. The 

 horns were of very great size and perfect in palmation. 

 resembling those of Newfoundland as distinguished from 

 the Labrador caribou, in which latter the palmation 

 seems to be confined to the tines at the top of the horn. 



In answer to my questions he declared that they were 

 the antlers of a funny looking elk killed a short distance 

 below his house. When informed that thpy were un- 

 doubtedly caribou antlers he wrote the word caribou 

 down in order to remember the name and be the better 

 able to enlighten Mcln tyre and others of his neighbors 

 that had also kUled "funny looking elk." It seems that 

 doubts bad arisen in then- minds whether these animals 

 were really elk. 



I had almost forgotten the incident when yesterday 

 two mountaineers, Mr, Floss and Mr. Gray, called at my 

 office on some business matter. A pair of elk antlers 

 hanging on my wall attracted their attention and led to 

 conversation respecting the big game of theii- section. 

 They live in this county about twenty-five miles from 

 Portland, having settled near Gordon Creek in the Cas- 

 cade Mountains, some fourteen years ago. They went on 

 to tell me about a large herd of the same "funny looking 

 elk" that came down to Gordon Creek during a terrific 

 snow storm that raged in the mountains last winter, and 

 added, "but their horns didn't look like those," referring 

 to my elk antlers. It occui-red to me that here were two 

 witnesses for my caribou theory; so I asked them if they 

 thought they could recognize the animal should they see 

 his picture. Of course they could, for they had killed 

 several out of the herd. I took three pictures, represent- 

 ing the elk, moose and caribou, respectively, and laid 

 them side by side, asking my friends if either of the 

 three represented their game. Both instantly recognized 

 in the j)icture of the caribou the animal seen and killed 

 by tihem. Now you wUl very naturally say that if cari- 

 bou are bo plentiful here it is strange that some are not 

 killed. Answering, I would say that hundred have been 

 killed ; but most of those hunting large game here are not 

 so much interested in getting zoological specimens as in 

 getting meat. Go into any fur and hide store in Portland 

 and you will find at least a dozen pairs of caribou antlerS. 

 It is, however, difficult to find out from whence they 

 came. 



Fully appreciating the fact that we Portland sportsmen 

 ought to be able tw settle this question, I submit the testi- 

 mony at hand with the hope that some of us may soon be 

 able to add practical demonstration. As an excuse for 

 our ignorance, permit me to say that within -35 miles of 

 Portland, a city of 70,000 people, there are places abso- 

 lutely unexplored— ierra incognita as dark as central 

 Africa. What, then, can be known of the more remote 

 mountain regions? As for myself, individually, I am an 

 angler and wildfowl shooter, and not much disposed to 

 seek larger game and endure the attendant exposure and 

 hardships. 



All of the sporting gentlemen with whom I have con- 

 versed upon this subject, including such experienced 

 hunters as Wm. Curry, George Stuart, H. T. Hudson, W. 

 A. Storey, Capt. Riley and T D Honeyman, while doubt- 

 ful of the existence of caribou in this State, seem willing 

 to qualify their opinions a little in view of the unexplored 

 condition of even this, our own county. 



Several mountaineers have promised to send me por- 

 tions of the next "funny elk" they may kill, even if noth- 

 ing more than the peculiar heai't-shaped hoofs, which, of 

 course, have not heretofore attracted their attention, 



POETLAND, Oregon, June 15. B. H. GBEENE. 



rWe have no doubt that the "funny looking eik" men' 



tioned by the hunters who taJked with Judge Greene were 

 caribou, though so far as we know direct evidence of the 

 existence of caribou in Oregon is as yet lacking. By this 

 we mean nothing more than that we know of no state- 

 ment by a competent authority that he has seen this 

 ppeoies in Oregon, We are confident that our corres- 

 pondent, by a little efi:'ort, can supply the proof of the 

 cariboti's existence in Oregon, and can* thus considerably 

 extend the animal's range to the southward, Mr. Charles 

 C. Ward's article on the caribou, in "Sport With Gun and 

 Rod," was written a long time ago and when much less 

 was known about the fauna of the West than at present. 

 It has long been known that this species, the so-called 

 woodland form, exists in large numbers in suitable hicali- 

 ties in British Columbia, in Washington, probably in 

 Idaho and possibly in Montana, on the western slope of 

 the Main Divide of the Rocky Mountains. Hon. Theodore 

 Roosevelt has killed them south of the boundary line, as 

 have many other persons well known to us. Besides 

 what is stated in Judge Greene's letter, there is reason to 

 believe that they are to be found further south, especially 

 in the higher mountain regions. Captain Charles E. 

 Bendii-e, the well-known naturalist, told us a number of 

 years ago, that he once saw at Boise City, Idaho, three 

 pairs of caribou antlers, which were said to have been 

 killed near that place. We have good reason for believ- 

 ing that a caribou was once killed on the Missouri River 

 not very far from old Fort P(^ck. This animal was shot 

 from the deck of a steamer by Mr R. McGonigrle, a per- 

 fectly trustworthy man, who did not know what it was 

 that he had killed. He described the animal to us in 

 great detail and we believe that it was a woodland cari- 

 bou—a straggler which had wandered across the moun- 

 tains and far to the south of its ordinary range. It must 

 be remembered that, unless they have been examined by 

 a person who has had some training in biology or is 

 familiar with the species, the antlers are not always a safe 

 guide in determining species. No naturalist could mis- 

 take the horns of an elk for a caribou, yet as the horns of 

 the former are occasionally somewhat palmated toward 

 the tips, it is not at all unsual to hear a huntpr announce 

 that he has killed a cross, or hybrid, between a moose and 

 an elk, or a caribou and an elk. We have seen very many 

 pau's of palmated elk antlers, but we have never seen a 

 pair of antlers about which there was any question as to 

 the species to which they belonged. We shall hope to 

 Hear further on this subject from our correspondent before 

 long.] 



PENNSYLVANIA NOTES. 



1"^HE prairie horned lark {Otoeoris alpestris praticola) 

 . is one of the native birds of Lycoming county. 

 Young, one of which was but a few days old, were cap- 

 tured early in June last by State Ornithologist Dr. B. H. 

 Warren, of West Chester, and Prof. August Koch, of 

 Williamsport, in fields.near the city last named. 



The prairie horaed lark breeds sparingly in Erie county 

 near the citv of Erie, in fact nests with eggs are reported 

 to have been taken within the city limits, and young of 

 the year have been obtained in the v cinity of Erie by 

 both Mr, Geo. B. Sennett, of Erie city, and Dr. B. H. 

 Warren. This bird is reported by Dr. Livingston W. 

 Hartman, of Pittston, to breed in Luzerne county; and it 

 is also believed to breed in Beaver county. 



Mr. W. Clyde Todd reports golden-wingpd and cerulean 

 warblers to be breeding in the neighborhood of Beaver 

 city. 



The common cro=!8bill (Loxia ait^rostra minor) is fre- 

 quently seen, singly or in small parties, in May and June 

 m the vicinity of Williampport. This species breeds 

 regularly, but is not abundant, in the fortsts about 

 Renovo, Clinton county, also in Cameron county, and Dr. 

 L. W. Hartman, of Pittston, has taken nests and eggs in 

 March in Luzerne county. 



Hooded, chestnut-sided, pine, black-throated green and 

 black and white warblers, also the American redstart, 

 are common summer residents on the Bald Eagle Moun- 

 tains, along the West Branch (Susquehanna River) near 

 South Williamsport. In the same locality rattlesnakes, 

 which have doubtless been driven from neighboring 

 mountain ranges by recent forest fires, are much more 

 numerous than for "manv years past. 



Dr. G. A. Scroggs, of Beav<^r, reports quail and ruffed 

 grouse to be quite abundant in Beaver county. In Caes- 

 ter county quail are much more plentiful than for sev- 

 eral years past. 



Several broods of wild turkeys have been seen recently 

 in Huntington and Clinton counties. It is stated that a 

 good many of these noble game birds have bred this year 

 in the southern part of Bpdford county. 



The snowbii-d (Junco hyemalis) is brepding in consid- 

 erable numbers in the vicinity of Bradlord, McKean 

 county. 



D . A, D. Johnston, of Allegheny City, during the last 

 of May and early part of June, spent a week in Arm- 

 strong andButler counties, where he reports rope-breasted 

 grosiseaks, chestnut sided warblers and Wilson's thrushes 

 to be breeding, „ , 



The eggs and young of nighthawks are frequently 

 found on roofs of buildings in the cities of AUegheny 

 alad Pittsburgh, 



Dr. T. L. Hazard, a naturalist of Allegheny City, has 

 specimens of the hellbender (ilfe«opowa aneghaniensis)m 

 an aquarium with a view of making a caivful study of 

 the liie history of these ugly reptiles which are so com- 

 mon in the Allegheny River. H. 



Breeding of the Teal Duok,— Geneva, N. Y„ July 

 2.— I had a conversation with a man this morning, who 

 told me that yesterday he saw a teal duck with nine 

 young ones, and that "a boy caught three of the little 

 ones, but released them on being told to do so. This 

 proves that the blue wing teal will breed in this part of 

 New York; and yet there are men calling themselves 

 sportsmen who will insist on open season for ducks to 

 May 1.— J. G. S. 



Frog vs. Ssake.— Editor Forest and Stream: I have 

 just witnessed an incident so novel that I d- em it worth 

 recording in your interesting pappr. On going to the 

 boat landing this morning I saw a common s'rippd snake 

 of about 20m. in lentrlh in the act of swallowing the 

 head of a recently caught trout. I confess to an anti 

 patby to the reptiles, and as this one's bead lay invitingly 

 on a flat stone 1 dealt it a blow that crushed it to a pulp. 

 It w«is thw tossed into the water, where it floated, when 



an immense school of small fry attacked the bruised and 

 bleeding part. The water was boiling under the attack. 

 At this juncture a frog started from the shore toward it, 

 stopping within two feet. I was wondering what the 

 attraction wap; was it to see the circus, or did he think to 

 gobble up some of the fry so near to the surface? Pres- 

 sently I was enlightened, when he leaped clear of the 

 water and pounced upon the snake near its middle. With 

 it he started for the shore, making slow progress, as the 

 ends of the snake fouled his legs. With his hindlegs 

 resting in the water he made slow progress swallowing 

 his prey, as his feet did not get a good hold. I went up 

 the bank a few yards, when he came out on dry land 

 and got on faster. With every effort to swallow he 

 pulled the snake with his front feet, making such efforts 

 once in about two minutes. At length he was so full he 

 could eat no more, and with about 3in. of the snake's 

 body and twice that length of tail still protruding he 

 crawled to the shady side of a rock near the water, seem- 

 ingly content to let appetite wait on digestion.— Clay- 

 ton Brook. 



ANinjAL Report of the American Museum of Nat- 

 ural History.— The annual report of the trustees of the 

 Museum for 1890-91 is just at hand, and shows the insti- 

 tution to be in a flourishing condition, the year which has 

 just passed having been one of growth and prosperity. 

 Through the energy of the trustees the long desired en- 

 dowment fund has been spcured, and the total subscrip- 

 tions now amount to $301,500, The interest of this sum 

 will do much to provide additions to the collections in 

 the future, and it is probable that the fund itself will be 

 increased by further subscriptions. Among the import- 

 ant gifts received during the year is a magnificent collec- 

 tion of cut and uncut gem material known as the Tiffany 

 collection of gems, which was on view during the recent 

 Exhibition in Paris. This gift to the Department of. 

 Minerals is due to the generosity of Mr. J. Pierpont Mor- 

 gan. Mr. John J. Croske's collection of land shells, which 

 includes 2,300 specie?, was presented to the Museum dur- 

 ing the past year. The increase in the collections of birds 

 and mammals are important, numbering over 1,500 speci- 

 mens for the former and 490 for the latter. An import- 

 ant start has been made in the establishment of an ento- 

 mological collection. The library is growing rapidly and 

 is annually becoming more valuable. On the whole the 

 report is most encouraging. 



Grouse and Quail in Confinement.— J5d?Yor Forest 

 and Stream: The little grouse previously mentioned 

 have one and all succumbed to the inevitable and gone 

 over the divide. They refused persistently to the end 

 to notice their foster mother in any way, neither noticing 

 her call nor £ llowing her to cover them at night. Their 

 run was enlarged and everything done to en courage thena 

 to make a success of it: but they grew despondent and 



?itifully turned up their little toes, cetat three weeks, 

 he quail eggs responded to the seductive wiles of the 

 incubator on the 36th of June, and produced eight wee 

 quailets, as large, possibly, as bumble bees, which Mr. 

 Dyer placed with a couple of bantam chicks three weeks 

 old, in a brooder, where they are now, appai-ently pros- 

 pering. The chicks hover the quail, or do the best they 

 can at it; and one of them flew at ]VIr. D. the other day in 

 a funny little rage when he put his hand into the brooder. 

 When ! saw them, there were three or four attempting 

 to cover themselves with one chick, and as a concealment 

 it wasn't an unqualified success: but the little biddies were 

 patiently standing on tiptoe and playing mother in a very 

 conscientious way. Long may they all prosper.— O. O. 

 S. (Vineland, N. J., July 3). 



Bulletin of the American Museum.— The Bulletin 

 of the American Museum of Natural History, signatures 

 of which appear at frequent intervals, contains a great 

 deal of interesting material on North American mammals. 

 We have received pages 337 to 306, inclusive, of No. 2, 

 Volume III., of the Bulletin, which includes papers by 

 Dr. Edgar A. Mearns describing a new subspecies of the 

 eastern chipmunk from the upper Mississippi region, 

 a new species of weasel and a new subspecies of gray fox 

 from Arizona, giving the results of bis observations on 

 the American badgers and on the otter and skunks of 

 Arizona. Dr. Allen contributes a series of highly inter- 

 esting notes on North American mammals, in which he 

 describes a number of new forms and treats of a number 

 of interesting points. The Bulletin of the American 

 Museum of Natural History has become a necessity of 

 every student of American birds and mammals. 



A TYPICAL NOTE. 



Forest and Stream PuUisMng Co.: 



GentiiEMen— Plcise contiDue my paper for another six months, 

 for which please find Inclosed $3. I long for my paper every 

 week, as it takes me (or rather mnkes me feel as if I were there) 

 over and over the good old times of years gone by. 



Of course I am tied down to work very mnch, but still I find a 

 little time once in a whUe to slip out with old Dash and the gun 

 and fool a few chickens. 



There is promise of a good harvest of both quail and chickens 

 liere ihis season, and also law breakers. J. T. P. 



Coralvxlle, Iowa. 



I love to lie in sylvan shades, 

 And watch the line that falls 

 Into the stream, so still a^d calm, 

 And wait for fish in heavy hauls. 

 1 love to lie and watch all this, 

 Beneath the azure, summer sky, 

 And when to tovra I hurry oft, 

 With not a fish, and people scoff, 

 I love— ah then, I love to lie, 



— Boston Neivs. 



A gentleman suggests a way to get rid of wood chucks 

 which are doing a great deal of damage to meadows in this 

 county. His idea is to smear a slice of turnip with strychnine, 

 turn another slice over it and drop it into the woodchuck's 

 liole and then close up the hole with a stone. The wood- 

 chuck gets hungry, eats the turnip and his home becomes 

 his grave without any tm-ther tvoxihle.— Exchange. 



Forest and Stream, the favorite paper of those whp 

 hanale rod or gun, never fiags in interest, but keeps one in 

 tune with wood and field, lake and brook, all the year round. 

 The current issue tor this week is an 'Adirondack Number," 

 and is in itself worth as much as many a book of travel py 

 adventure,— BalWwo?"e M&thodiat. 



