224 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 10. 1892. 



so that at a hotel where we had registered before the 

 change we were invited to register again — but then all 

 hotel clerks have not the same powers of memory. 

 | |We remained at Rockport nearly a week, for the strike 

 on the S. A. & A. P. R. R. was on, and no information 

 could he obtained from the outside world either by wire 

 or mail, and then went to Corpus Christi by sail boat, 

 from which point trains had commenced running, and 

 returned home greatly regretting that the uncertain en- 

 forced waiting had not been spent in another short cruise 

 on the beautiful Aransas Bay. 



Probably not many readers of the Forest and Stream 

 are so much enamored with hunting and nature that 

 they would care for a trip in which the necessary labor 

 of cooking, rowing and caring for camp would have to 

 be performed by themselves, but that need not deter 

 them from coming to Texas, for there are plenty of boat- 

 men to be found for a water trip, or teamsters with out- 

 fits who will attend to camp details. 



The season for ducks lasts from October until April, 

 for apparently the ducks in their annual migrations do 

 not linger in the ponds and streams during the flight, as 

 was usual some years ago, but at once seek the points 

 where they are comparatively unmolested, 



Visitors should bring with them (at least some of the 

 first ones) good gunning skiffs, decoys and hip boots, as 

 nothing suitable will be found here, and these articles 

 should be easily disposed of before returning, or stored 

 for another trip which would likely be made. 



Practically all grounds are free to the hunter, especi- 

 ally if in large pastures, for inclosures of 2,000 acres or 

 more are excepted from the laws in regard to ' -posting," 

 and it is only near large towns that the signs "pOsTEd," 

 so obnoxious, especially to the stranger, are found. 



Austin, Texas. J. V. B. 



^j£%tni[rt distort). 



CATCHING WILD ANIMALS.— III. 



YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. 

 [Continued from Page 10$.] 



A DAY or two after getting the antelope, Dolph and 

 I went out again. I had left some one to look after 

 the animals at home, which required pretty constant at- 

 tention, We went upon Specimen Divide, again, and 

 watched some antelope a while, but could not .find any 

 young with them. "We bad Fisher and a pack outfit, so 

 I devoted my attention to elk. I looked the country over 

 with field-glafs, and discovered several bands and lone, 

 animals. Away up on Specimen Ridge at the head of 

 Spring Creek Basin, I could see three cows that did not 

 move far from where they were when I first saw them, 

 so I concluded they had calves, and to watch them, if 1 

 could not find calves by less climbing. 



Close by I found two bands of elk, so we went to a high 

 point where we could command a view of all. There we 

 ate lunch, smoked and rested for two hours, keeping 

 close watch of the elk all the time. I had seen two of 

 the cows in the basin go to quaking asp groves, stay 

 there a while and then come out and feed. It was a very 

 difficult climb to get to them, at least 2,000ft. higher than 

 where we were, and to make the trip the proper way we 

 had to go over a mile west, before we commenced to as- 

 cend, but feeling sure of success, I determined to try it. 

 I had seen a small bunch of cows, near where our trail 

 ran. These I thought good to practice on, to see how 

 close we could ride to them, We crossed a bit of a creek 

 then, keeping a low knoll between us and the game, we 

 rode verv close to them before we had to expose ourselves 

 at all. Even then there were a few small quaking a«ps 

 handy, so we rode plowly forward and were within 20yds. 

 of them before they saw us. They were all lying down 

 sleeping. Seeing no young ones, we turned to the right 

 to pass them. We were now so close that I could have 

 killed any one of them with a revolver. They were too 

 astonished at first to run. 



We rode on about 50yds. further to the crest of a creek 

 bench. Just under the edge of the slope was a band of 

 ten antelope. We were close on them before they saw 

 us. I was as much surprised as they were, but looked 

 them over carefully for kids. They were all full grown. 

 They walked slowly up the bank, while we sat on our 

 horses, the dogs standing there staring at them. When 

 they reached the bench they only ran a few rods before 

 they turned and faced us. We continued on our course, 

 starting up two more bands, but did not get within 100yds. 

 of either. One band of seven took the old game trail we 

 intended to follow up to the top of the ridge. They made 

 much better time going to the top than we did. This 

 trail is a very old one, wide and deep, and can be seen for 

 miles. Any one passing along the Cooke City wagon road 

 — a mile distant — always notices it. 



We rode up slowly. To our right was the celebrated 

 fossil forest, standing among the green timber. Some- 

 times there will be seen a petrified and living fir tree 

 side by side, one can scarcely tell them apart a distance 

 off. We saw a few lone elk in this timber, but none of 

 them petrified, though one stood still so long watching us 

 climb that I was in hopes he would turn to stone, so that 

 there would be another attraction for those tourists who 

 are never satisfied. 



As we came to the last part of our climb, I saw one of 

 the cows we were after chasing a bunch of antelope away 

 from the quaking asp grove, where she had her calf 

 cached. Sue would make a short run in among them, 

 scattering them in all directions. She appeared to be 

 trying to strike them down with her feet; they would run 

 off a ways and then unite on the trail. When she had got 

 them well away she turned and walked back toward the 

 grove. We soon reached a grove, looked it over carefully, 

 without result, then went to the next; Dolph to the left 

 and I to the right. 



We had not gone far before Dolph called "Here's one," 

 and got off his horse. I told him to wait until I came up. 

 He paid no attention to what I said, but started to pick 

 it up. He had on a pair of woollen mittens much too 

 large for him, and the first time the calf made a struggle 

 it slipped through his hands, and away it went down the 

 steep mountain side, bawling with fright, much like a 

 domestic calf, only in a higher key. Bobby started with 

 it, thinking she was going to have a splendid race, a 

 trick she had learned at honaa. I followed on after it as 

 fast as my horse could go down hill, until the ground 



became too steep, then off my horse and away down the 

 mountain at a breakneck pace. As the calf disappeared 

 in a grove of fir timber Bobby stopped at my call. The 

 calf had been running very clumsily, its legs flying 

 about in the most awkward way. At every jump I ex- 

 pected to see it fall. I ran on down through the grove, 

 the dogs and Dolph following, on into the open ground 

 on the other side, but saw nothing of the calf. We 

 hunted the ground over carefully, went down to the 

 creek bottom, but found nothing there. I was sure it 

 had not stopped in the grove, because I was too close 

 after it. It was useless to try to get the dogs to hunt it 

 up. They could not smell it, even if it were under their 

 noses. Once out of their sight they would have walked 

 all round it without noticing it. Concluding that I 

 would call that a lost calf, I started back for my saddle 

 horse. I was completely winded, and could not get up 

 the hill faster than a very slow walk. What made it 

 worse was that I had had my run for nothing. I was 

 making a direct line for the pony, and was passing tin 

 grove through which the calf ran, when I saw something 

 red under the last one of the small firs; turning aside to 

 get a better look at it, I saw some spots on it. Enough! 

 I had found the calf or another one. Its head was close 

 to the tree trunk, and had it been a large tree I would 

 have passed it by thinking it was a large root. If it was 

 the same calf, as I think it was, it had turned to the left 

 and cached itself very quickly. I walked along as 

 though I were going to pass it, until I could make sure, 

 and then made a grab for a hindleg, which I secured. 

 He struggled a good deal, but I would not let go, and 

 soon had him quiet with a rope around his neck. Then 

 I carried him in my arms to where the saddle horses 

 were. 



I left the calf tied to a sage brush, sent Dolph after 

 Fisher, while I jumped on Dandy to ride up to the place 

 where 1 thought I might find one more calf, I rode back 

 and forth through the grove until I saw the calf, a large 

 one, in a bunch of small dry quaking asps. Riding out 

 of the grove, I dropped my bridle rein, got a small rope 

 and started for the calf. It was in a difficult place for 

 me to reach it, and I was sure that it would start up long 

 before I got near, unless I was very careful. Once on 



CAL-F ELK. 

 Prom a photograph by E. Hofer. 



its feet I had small hope of ever getting hold of it. I 

 walked zig-zag up to within six feet, when I saw it mak- 

 ing a motion as if it would run, and I saw that my only 

 chance was to dive head first through the dry brush. 

 Through I went, tumbling along, smashing the dry twigs 

 and limbs. The calf started, but I fortunately got my 

 hand on one hind foot, and as soon as it found I had it, it 

 lay down again. I was slightly disfigured by a deep cut 

 under one eye, a gash two inches long on the back of my 

 left hand and a hat with the rim torn off, but this had 

 saved my eye. My "sbaps" had protected my legs. I 

 did not care for torn clothing, I had secured the calf, and 

 the cuts would soon heal with a little pitch for salve. 

 When I got my rope around its neck, and out of the 

 brush, I looked up, my attention being attracted by a 

 noise I had heard when I was in the bush. There was 

 the old cow coming after her calf. She was followed by 

 a two-year-old heifer. She looked ugly. Every hair 

 stood on end and pointed forward. The calf cried in 

 answer to her call. She came up once within twenty 

 feet, and I think had I been there without a dog or horse 

 she would have attacked me. She ran back and forth, 

 calling for the calf, but it could not come, and the heifer 

 getting frightened ran up the hill, and at last the cow 

 followed. Poor thing, I disliked to deprive her of her 

 little one, when she showed so much distress, but 1 

 wanted calves and thought it was just as well hers as an- 

 other's. This calf was a heifer, quite two weeks old, 

 large and strong. The other.was a bull, the only male 

 we had caught. 



Dolph now came up, so I had him hold the calf while 

 I went to a snow bank just above to wash the blood 

 from my face and hands. By this time I looked as 

 though I had been in a nest of wildcats. The cow 

 came back and hung around just above me, calling 

 again for her young. This made me feel uncomforta- 

 ble, so I hurried away with the calf. We were on such 

 steep ground that I did not try to pack the calves on 

 the horse, but led them down the mountain. We had 

 our hands full with them and the horses. On the first 

 favorable piece of ground I stopped the outfit. Not 

 having the panniers I took a long strip of canvas and 

 made a bag-like arrangement at each end, threw this 

 across the Baddies, put the calves in gunny sacks, then 

 in the bag, an elk on either side. As one cannot la^h 

 a live animal with the diamond hitch, I had to invent 

 a hitch to hold the canvas in place. Besides this, one 

 calf was twenty pounds heavier than the other. I 

 packed the large one high, the other low, so that they 

 would balance properly. It took half an hour to get 



them on Fisher. Then home we started, Fisher present- 

 ing a comical appearance. He looked like a horse with 

 three heads, one large and two small ones. The large 

 calf's neck was 'way out of the sack so that its head 

 stuck up in the air. The other calf put his head across 

 Fisher's neck very soon, but the big one rode almost 

 home before she would rest her neck on the horse's. 

 Fisher paid no attention to their familiarity but jogged 

 along as unconcerned as usual. About dark we reached 

 home with this addition to our family, which was about 

 as large as I could properly provide for, Mr. Yancey 

 having but three cows and only a part of their milk to 

 spare from his own wants. When we released the calves 

 in the pen Bobby came in to see her old friend, but she 

 came near getting killed in response to her offers of 

 friendship. One of the calves jumped on her with all 

 four feet, and commenced to dance on her; I pushed it 

 away, when Bobby escaped. After that I could not coax 

 her inside the gate. 



In handling the elk, antelope and deer one had to be 

 very careful not to grasp them by the hair. It takes but 

 a little to hurt them severely. Yet they are tough and 

 will stand a lot of hard usage of the proper kind; but one 

 rnmt not pull their hair. About this time our first elk 

 died. The change of milk was the cause. 



One evening Mr. Yancey came in from a fishing trip 

 and said that there were some young foxes about a mile 

 from the house. Next day we went out armed with sacks 

 and a pick and shovel. Upon investigation of their quar- 

 ters, we found they had but one entrance to their den. 

 This we filled with rocks, after getting the direction in 

 which the hole led with a long willow. Then we dug 

 down to the hole where the end of the stick was, Bv 

 shoving the stick along, we located the turns, plugged 

 the new hole, and sunk an open cut lare enough to take 

 in a considerable length of hole when we should reach it. 

 By changing off we made good progress, and in a little 

 while could hear the foxes digging, too. While I was 

 cleaning out some dirt I had picked loose my heel broke 

 through into the den, and looking down there I saw a bit 

 of red-gray hair. Taking a gunny sack, we carefully 

 worked around until we had pulled out a young fox, and 

 in a short time we had three. We cleaned the hole, but 

 could not find more, old or young. They were bright- 

 eyed little fellows, gray and black, with a tinge of red. 

 They would open their mouths and cough at us, showing 

 quite an array of very fine sharp teeth. We carried them 

 home and shut them up in a wire-covered box. When 

 any one was about they would neither eat nor drink, but 

 would fight and make considerable noise over their food 

 when no one was looking. We put a chain on one and 

 fastened him to the corner of the house. He was very 

 quiet during the day, but lively and noisy enough at 

 night, barking a greater part of the time. E. Hofer. 



Eagles and their Nests.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 In his article on the bald eagle, published in your last 

 issue, Captain Bendire quotes from Dr. Wm, L. Ralph, as 

 follows: "I not only saw them (i.;e., these noble birds) in 

 great numbers, but found, with the help of an assistant, 

 nearly one hundred occupied nests, and took thirty-five 

 sets of eggs. I concluded from the great number of 

 deserted nests found, that they must have been more 

 abundant formerly, and on inquiry among the inhabi- 

 tants, found this to have been the case. From what I 

 could learn, these birds invariably lay two eggs, as I 

 never found a larger set, and where I found a single egg, 

 it was always fresh. One peculiarity of the bald eagle 

 that I have never noticed in other birds of prey is, that 

 when a pair are robbed of their eggs or young, they will 

 not Jay again until the next season." One of these days, 

 someone will be wondering where the rest of "these 

 noble birds" have vanished; and for his satisfaction, I am 

 glad that Dr. Ralph is on record as having taken thirty- 

 five sets of eggs. What under the canopy of heaven any 

 man wanted of so many sets of eagle's eggs, only the 

 man himself can tell. But up our way it is a crime to 

 take even one eagle's egg, except it be for strictly scien- 

 tific purposes, and the exception is so hedged about with 

 safeguards against abuse, that he who should take such 

 a number of the eggs of this noble bird, would be de- 

 prived of his collector's certificate by any self-respecting 

 society of natural history which should have issued the 

 same 'to him, and probably would be punished by the 

 authorities whose duty it is to enforce the game Jaw. Dr. 

 Ralph has accounted for the decrease in the number of 

 bald eagles in the vicinity which he visited. If two or 

 three persons had visited the spot before him and done as 

 he did, well might the number have decreased. I wonder 

 if he realizes that he is responsible for a decrease of just 

 seventy of "these noble birds." the season after his whole- 

 sale robbery of their nests? These so-called scientific col- 

 lectors ;had better be called off, and the eagle and a few 

 other birds given a chance. Perhaps some scientific per- 

 son will tell us just how much and wherein science has 

 been benefited by this and other similar depredations 

 among the nests of the "noble birds." — F. D. Hall, 



Bluebirds in New Jersey.— New York, March 3.— 

 While out snow8hoeing yesterday I was rather surprised 

 to see a number of bluebirds, and their pleasant and fa- 

 miliar note seemed strangely out of keeping with the 

 winter landscape. By the way, it seems queer that 

 within twelve miles of New York we should have excel- 

 lent sleighing and the best snowshoeing and tobogganing 

 we have had since the great blizzard. — Wareman Hol- 

 berton. 



Words of Appreciation. 



I want to congratulate you, and especially Mr. Yred Baker, on 

 that photograph of the family of mule deer, It is the most mae- 

 niilcent thing in wild animal photography thar. I ever saw in my 

 life, and I would a thousand times ratherhave taken it than have 

 killed a thousand deer with my rifle. You are peculiarly happy 

 in having been able to ornament your first number of the new- 

 issue with such a plate. I hope we are to have more of such 

 work.— Ernest E. Thompson (Paris-). 



Or course I like Forest and Stream extended. I misc— a little 

 —the fam'liar green tint, but I shall soon become used to the 

 white paper. I am fond of the paper, becau?e I like its tone, and 

 read in it what plain, common health-seekers, like myself, fee 

 like telling one another. That is the only reason for me intrud- 

 ing on its columns; the feeling that after the day's outing is over 

 the boys sit around the fire and ohat, and whether we express 

 ourselves in a way to interest one another or not, good will is 

 there to guide observation,'if not experience. 



