122 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Feb. 11, 1898. 



THE ADIRONDACKS.-II. 



Recollections and Sketches of the Great Forest. 

 BY. GEN. D. H. BRUCE. 



THTS chapter will be composed of a medley of subjects 

 and a general jingle of anecdote and observation, 

 together with some brief notes on the birds of the great 

 forest. The matter will be thrown together in a chatty 

 manner, hoping that it will entertain readers* of Forest 

 aud Stream even on a winter's evening, though the 

 general subject has reference to quite another season of 

 the year. But we all find pleasure in reviewing the ex- 

 periences of the last outing and in anticipating the one 

 which we hope is to come; so what follows will refresh 

 recollections and sharpen determinations for the future. 



A chapter might be written on the doings and sayings 

 of Adirondack guides and their knowledge of natural 

 history, acquired mainly by observation, partly by listen- 

 ing to the conversation of gentlemen who have made it 

 more or less'a study. Many of these woodsmen are not 

 only close but also very intelligent observers, and have 

 been possessed of much valuable information not found 

 in books, which often positively and undeniably contra- 

 dict statements made by professional writers. They 

 turn their knowledge to good account in being better 

 able than the more ignorant guides to give their employers 

 good success in hunting and fishing, thus making repu- 

 tations for themselves which render their services 

 specially desired. Such an one was Sim, at Loon Lake. 

 But he was prone to mingle some fiction with much fact 

 as lie would sit by the campfire and relate experiences 

 and tell stories. Speaking at one time, of the habits and 

 intelligence of animals, he illustrated the sagacity of a 

 bear which he once trapped and which escaped in a 

 peculiar manner. The bear, according to Sim, dragged 

 the trap to the trunk of a large tree up which it crawled 

 with its forefeet until it could rest its free hind foot upon 

 the heavy spring of the trap, but bruin was surprised to 

 find that his weight was not sufficient to work the spring, 

 "and under such circumstances what do you suppose that 

 fellow did?" said Sim, answering his own question by 

 saying: "He actually stuck his claws into the bark of 

 the tree and pushed downward hard enough to supply 

 the needed power to open the trap, and if you don't 

 b°lW^ it come with me and I'll show you the marks he 

 made." 



To illustrate how an observing guide draws conclusions 

 from his surroundings, this incident may be related of 

 John Hitchcock, a guide at Number Four. He was care- 

 lessly shot near the hotel one rainy day by a man from 

 Springfield, Mass., who was practicing with a pistol. The 

 ball struck Hitchcock on one side of his neck, passed 

 through his windpipe and lodged against the inner side 

 of his jaw. Of course much excitement followed and 

 most of the people lost their heads. The writer of this 

 and his wife came to his assistance, however, and he was 

 laid upon a bed, his wet clothing changed and bis con- 

 dition made as comfortable as possible, while a messenger 

 was sent post-haste for a surgeon, twenty miles away. 

 After Hitchcock had somewhat recovered from the shock 

 he whispered quite assuringly, "Don't be afraid this will 

 kill me; I've shot deer many a time through the neck and 

 it never seemed to hurt 'em much." In the course of a 

 week he walked to his home in Lowville. 



The habits of panthers are not fully understood even 

 by the most observing hunters. They are so exceedinglv 

 stealthy that they are difficult to study. Hence, thev 

 are not easy to capture, and then, too, their habits change 

 according to their appetites. When suffering from hun- 

 ger they will shun a human being as quickly as when 

 well fed; but they become much bolder among the ani- 

 mals upon which they feed. A lean and hungry panther 

 will jump from a considerable height in a tree to the 

 back of a deer, while one better fed will lie secluded in 

 the bush near a trail and await the passage of a deer. It 

 is remarkable, too, with what speed they can pass from 

 tree to tree where the forest is dense. When they spring 

 upon the back of a deer and fix their teeth in its throat 

 there is no escape; but if such a hold cannot be secured 

 until the deer can run under a fallen tree resting a little 

 distance from the ground, then the panther is likely to 

 be disappointed in his hopes. I have killed deer whose 

 skins have shown the scars of wounds made by panther's 

 claws, extending from the shoulders to the tail. In pass- 

 ing under the log, the deer would literally tear its enemy 

 from its back. Did you ever read Headley's exciting tale 

 of the race between a deer and panther? And did you 

 recall the fact that having very small lungs, the panther, 

 like a cat, can run rapidly but lictle distance? 



I know from observation that frogs are cannibals. I 

 once rescued an unfortunate specimen from the jaws of 

 death, and later I demonstrated the fact that a frog can 

 live under water only about ten minutes. But I have 

 never believed the story of a fisherman catching bull- 

 heads which he threw on the grass upon the bank, that 

 he was victimized by a frog which took pity on the fish 

 and adroitly rolled them back into the water. 



To fully know the habits of trout is worth more than 

 the best of tackle to the angler, and Warren Bullock 

 proved this one day at Cranberry Lake. A dozen of the 

 "sons of Izaak" bad spent all day in almost fruitless en- 

 deavors to fill their creels, and returned home quite 

 empty-handed. They were much chagrined to find that 

 Bullock had spent an hour with a "chalk line" half a mile 

 away about sundown, and had taken a dozen pounds in 

 a small number of fish. They were caught at the ' 'dam,*' 

 the conditions being exactly right, for none like them 

 were taken afterward, though plenty of effort was made. 

 It is altogether probable, too, that Bullock was the only 

 man who could beguile them when he did. He is a thor- 

 ough woodsman, and is well versed in the habits of fishes 

 and animals. 



A professor of Cornell University and his brother-in- 

 law were once engaged in studying natural history at 

 Squire's, near Loon Lake, when a strange animal which 

 they had no time to study came unexpectedly upon them 

 and they took to trees. " Then they compared notes and 

 concluded they had been chased by a bull, which with 



gleaming eyes, erect tail and bellowing throat undertook 

 to throw dust in their eyes; but they were not deceived, 

 an hour later tbey were rescued, and to this day they 

 wonder whence the animal came. 



In some respects deer are very cunning, in others they 

 are wanting in that degree of animal intelligence which 

 would protect them from harm under most circumstances. 

 When their trail is followed, and one is at rest, it will 

 always be "looking backward." They have been known 

 to double their trail to confuse a hunter. Their sense of 

 smell is keen, and when to the leeward of a person they 

 will detect him when a long way off and speedily make 

 their escape. They are also keen of sight, but do not seem 

 always to have understanding. Motion seems to be their 

 principal warning of danger. Any woodsman knows 

 how easily you can drift in a boat very close to them, if 

 you remain motionless. So in the night time they seem 

 dazed by the light of the night hunter and will suffer him 

 to approach very near, often within a boat's length and 

 even closer. When a deer is run by dogs, the hounds and 

 deer may pass very near to one standing by the course 

 they are running, and it will stand perfectly still ard 

 witness the race. They will visit the same place almoBt 

 daily for food and water, thus exposing themselves as no 

 other animal that I think of will do. But wisdom in- 

 creases with age; these statements apply more particularly 

 to deer less than five or six years of age. An "old buck" 

 is a most difficult subject to kill. Experience has taught 

 him that the chances are against him and he will contri- 

 bute little or nothing in aid of his own destruction. He 

 is familiar with every device and trick of the hunter, and 

 only seldom is it that his judgment is at fault and he 

 suffers the penalty. During the mating season, however, 

 when nobody cares for the flesh of a buck, he becomes 

 half idiotic and risks his life in the most reckless manner. 



WHY? 



Deer are of a very domestic nature. They can scarcely 

 be driven permanently from the homes of their selection, 

 not even by dogs. Their greatest enemy is the panther, 

 and where panthers are the most plentiful the most deer 

 are usually to be found. Nothing will startle them more 

 than the scream of a panther. It is surprising that many 

 fawns escape these beasts, for they are utterly without 

 protection further than that which their weak and slen- 

 der legs supply. It is a curious fact that while dogs can 

 readly scent a deer's trail, a panther cannot do so. but 

 must watch his opportunity to spring upon his victim. 

 The liquid which oozes from the little opening just above 

 the hoofs of the hind legs gives the scent which so often 

 leads to their destruction. It is commonly supposed that 

 this scent was given to deer to enable them to seek the 

 whereabouts of each other; but this supposition was long 

 ago proven untrue. The purpose of it seems to be no bet- 

 ter understood than are the functions of tbe Bpleen in 

 human beings. The agility of this animal is wonderful. 

 With a foreleg broken, a deer will outrun a dosr, and is 

 almost equally agile with a hind leg disabled. This fact 

 gives some idea of how nimble they may be when not 

 disabled. I have heard guides declare "upon their honor" 

 that they have known of deer jumping thirty feet into 

 the air, and making leaps covering fifty feet of gixrund, 

 but I am strongly inclined to discredit such statements. 

 No thicket seems to offer any obstruction to their uas- 

 sage; they will scramble over floating logs in water so 

 deep that their feet cannot touch the bottom, with 

 amazing speed. The greatest and almost only hindrance 

 to their speed is a crust upon snow through which their 

 small hoofs break and make them easy prey to panthers. 

 If the State would offer a large bounty for dead panthers, 

 deer would multiply with great rapidity. What is more 

 handsome than a fawn? What is more innocent? Many 

 times I have come upon one of them in the spring or 

 early summer while passing through the woods or fishing 

 along the banks of a stream. So tame and gentle were 

 they that they seemed inclined to make my acquaint- 

 ance. They are beautiful animals, their spotted coats 

 being more interesting than that which Joseph wore. 



I believe that trout, like the deer, prefer a particular 

 home, from which they do not often roam. Indeed, I 

 am convinced that, except under extraordinary circum- 

 stances, tbey confine themselves almost to one spot, and 

 then wait for their food to come to them, either on the 

 surface, in the water/or on the .bottom. You may cast 

 your flies all over a pool without a "strike," except at 

 one place near a rock, a log or a treetop. Then you in- 

 stantly find "luck" and perhaps send several fine fish to 

 creel. Your flies must drop in the same place every 

 time, else no electric shock comes to you through your 

 line and rod. Fish the same pool as often as you please, 

 but only in this particular place will you catch a fish . 

 This, I think, is equally true of fly or halt. Yet. there 

 are times when nowhere in the pool can you get a "rise." 

 But I must disagree with all who declare that the direc- 

 tion of the wind has anything to do with their inactivity. 

 Doubtless the cause may many times he found in the 



fact that the trout are already gorged, sometimes in the 

 perfect smoothness of the water they can be witnesses 

 to the would be attack upon them; sometimes by great 

 changes in atmospheric pressure, which throws them 

 out of their normal condition. The explanation of an 

 Old angler was eminently practical, even if it did not 

 sbed any scientific light on the subject, "There are 

 times when they don't want to bite and. that's the most 

 I know about it." Certainly his reason is not to be dis- 

 puted. Trout feed whenever they desire food, be it day 

 or night, and we all know that if the water affords a 

 plentiful supply of food they will only lazily attack our 

 hooks, if at all. We know too that they are not dainty 

 feeders, that when their appetites are keen they will eat 

 almost anything which comes in their way. 



It is disgusting sometimes to hear a "man clad in an 

 outfit embracing everything which human ingenuity can 

 devise to empty his purse, tell of the many times and 

 with what persistercy he changed his flies before he 

 could "get a rise." The remark at once reveals his inex- 

 perience, if his outfit has not already done so. There is 

 no doubt that certain flies are best adapted to different 

 seasons, times of day, and conditions of weather; but a 

 dozen flies of different names will fully answer all of 

 these requirements. An angler's flies resemble nothing 

 when cast upon the water. They are simply a something 

 which attracts the trout. Color has more allurement 

 than form, and as there are not so many colors there is 

 no use for many flies. The general. rule is for light flies 

 on dark days, and dark or darkish flies on light dajs. 

 Sizes are more to be considered than form and mixture 

 in make up. A large trout wants something worth his 

 making an effort to secure. It is doubtless true that an 

 arbitrary cast of flies cannot be made up which will be 

 adapted to all waters. It is also true that there is much 

 difference in the trout of different waters of tbe Acliron- 

 dacks, a difference which, I suppose, cannot wholly be 

 explained. I have in mind a lake in which the trout 

 are very broad, with short heads, like bass, with only 

 darkish coloring and very bright spots. Not far away is 

 a lake in which the trout are quite different, being long 

 and slender, with black coloring and faint spotB. There 

 are other waters in which quite as notable differences in 

 other ways are found. It is also certain that there is 

 much difference in the feed of various lakes and streams 

 which must be studied, and hooks and flies adapted from 

 absolute knowledge of conditions. There is vastly more 

 skill to be exercised in approaching and fishing a fishing 

 ground than in making up a cast. The boy with the 

 "chalk line and bean pole" knows this to be true. The 

 habits and surroundings of the fish we would capture 

 must be known and understood if we would succeed in 

 taking them. It certainly is folly to suppose that there 

 is any one of the hundred flies displayed in sportsmen's 

 shops that will take a trout against his will. They are 

 of quick, keen sight, and hear readily in some manner 

 (eminent authorities to the contrary), and these facts 

 must be remembered. Their taste is not at all acute and 

 their appetites variable. Digestion is rapid and they 

 feed almost constantly if possible, unless there is such 

 an abundance of food that they become gorged. They 

 are a very wary fish generally, ready to take fly or bait 

 when they are certain that no danger lurks in their way. 

 Unless you can be quite hidden from their sight, either 

 by position or a ripple upon the water, large trout will 

 not often come to your creel. 



It is commonly supposed that there is but little bird- 

 life in the forest, because so few birds are seen or heard. 

 But this is not the fact. A large number of families are 

 represented, though not many songsters waste their 

 sweetness in the solitude. The forest is so dense and the 

 undergrowth so thick, that the smaller birds easily hide 

 themselves from sight, and if they utter a beguiling note 

 or two, you will look for them in vain. To study them 

 one must choose proper localities and wait patiently for 

 opportunities. One class of birds will be found in the 

 thickets, another in the clearings, others in the ever- 

 greens and hard wood, near streams and on and about 

 lakes. The casual observer will see the eagle, and 

 the loon, but will fail to notice the shy grosbeak or 

 the indigo bunting. The raven , too, keeps well out of 

 sight, except in the fall, when he will loiter in the vicin- 

 ity of a hunter's camp. Though he breeds in the North, 

 he is somewhat rare. He resembles the common crow, 

 but has a much more glossy plumage and makes a cleaner 

 selection of food, such as grain, grubs, berries, etc., and 

 especially enjoys a bit of fresh meat. The bluejay is a 

 beautiful bird, and is seen singly or in pairs in secluded 

 places. It is as mischievous as it is elegant; it will not 

 hesitate to rob tbe nests of other birds, of both eggs and 

 young, and has been known to appropriate nests to its 

 own uses. Sweet soft nests, tender insects and carrion 

 alike pleases its sense of taste. The Canada jay is related 

 to the bluejay; is of leaden gray color with white mark- 

 ings, a little smaller than its cousin, and having its habits. 

 It is most often seen in the Saranac region, I think. The 

 pine bul finch is also a pretty bird, red, with wings and 

 tail dark brown. It is most often seen in autumn and 

 winter, and is said to be most plentiful in Maine, where 

 it breeds. It subsists on seeds, berries, buds, etc. The 

 oriole is sometimes mistaken for it. Its eggs are pure 

 white. The white-throated sparrow is a lively and rather 

 pretty bird, most noted for its peculiar, somewhat plain- 

 tive notes, nearly on one key , except that a flat and a sharp 

 are introduced to vary the tones of the five or six notes 

 which it repeats at intervals. 



Most of the many woodpeckere are seen, particularly 

 where evergreens are interspersed with hard wood, for 

 in such places grubs, their principal subsistence, are 

 thickest. The white-winged crossbill is well known to 

 every person who has camped in spring time. They are 

 very familiar morning visitors, sometimes disturbing the 

 sleeper by their chippering when thpy appear in consider- 

 able numbers. They take their name from the action of 

 their bills. They are carmine-reddish in color, with 

 wings and tail very dark brown or black. They feed on 

 seeds and buds and are specially fond of camp crumbs. 

 The American crossbill is much the same in color and 

 habits as its cousin and also often frequents spring 

 camps in search of delicacies. In the summer months a 

 linnet is occasionally seen in the clearings, but not often. 

 During a month spent at Cranberry Lake last summer I 

 saw but two. Owls and hawks are seen in most of then- 

 kind, that is, those habituated to the North. They per- 

 form excellent service in destroying vermin, and are the 

 worst enemies of the bird creation. Whippoorwills are, 



