72 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 28, 1892. 



YELLOWSTONE PARK NOTES. 



Yellowstone National Park, July 18. — Editor For- 

 est and Stream: The weathei- here is very hot during the 

 day, flies and mopquitos, dust and heat add to the tourist's 

 discomfort, but the nights are cool and refreshing. It 

 has not been hot long enough yet to dry out the forest, no 

 fires have been rei:)orted, neither is there any smoke drift- 

 ing in from fires outside the Fai'k. 



Owing to the late spring the snow did not begin to 

 melt rapidly until about June 15, when our hot weather 

 began in earnest, sending down the snow so fast that all 

 the streams rose as high as ever before known. The 

 bridge across Lamar River and one across the Yellow- 

 stone was carried off. Only one person was drowned in 

 the Park so far as known: that was a stranger on his way 

 to Co )ke City; his body was seen going down the river 

 below Gardiner, 



While on a trip with Scout Burgess and three soldiers 

 in June, we fouod that the buffalo had moved but a 

 short distance from their winter range. As late as June 

 30 their summer range was under from 2 to 10ft, of snow. 

 They had not crossed to the west side of the Madison 

 River and only a few had moved as far south as the west 

 bay of the Yellowstone Lake. They are not in the least 

 danger from poachers as long as they keep on their pres- 

 ent ranare. 



All the ice did not go out of Yellowstone^ Lake until 

 June 15. Even at that date the shore foi miles along the 

 south side was lined with immense drifts of snow. All 

 the higher plateaus were covered with a very heavy body 

 of snow which in places reached as low down as the lake 

 shore. We found the roads in veiy bad condition owing 

 to the late season. Now they are all open and tourists 

 make the round trip. 



Camping parties are very numeroiis, nearly all travel- 

 ing with wagons, some of them coming from States as 

 distant as Colorado, Iowa and Oregon. On July 2 Capt. 

 George Anderson, superintendent of the Park, was called 

 East on business. Capt. George L. Scott is acting super- 

 intendent during Capt. Anderson's absence. 



Charles Pendelton, who was ordered to keep out of the 

 Park for catching young buffalo, was arrested on Slough 

 Creek. He is held in the guard house at Fort Yellow- 

 stone by the commanding officer, who is awaiting instruc- 

 tions from Washington. Pendelton had permission to 

 travel the wagon road between Gardiner and Cooke City, 

 but not to leave it. He was arrested three or four miles 

 from the road. 



The "tramp" bears that usually hang around the hotels 

 during the summer, living on waste from the kitchens 

 are back, some bringing their friends. The guests find it 

 quite an attraction of an evening to walk out and see 

 them feeding around the pig pens and corrals. So far 

 they have been amusing scavengers. H. 



THAT GAME POCKET. 



Kearney, Nebraska.. — Editor Forest and Stream: 

 Your correspondent, "O. O. S," in your issue of June 30 

 is very enthusiastic for such a little thing as an ol¥er to 

 assist brother sportsmen in finding good locations for fall 

 shooting. Indeed, I had no idea that my simple offer 

 would be estimated "sublime" and was inclined to look 

 on the letter from friend "O. O. S." as sarcasm. On 

 second reading I believe that he means it, so "shake, old 

 man." 



Now, my experience has been that none but the 

 "whitest kind of men" take up with such invitations as I 

 issued, and that the true lover of field sport, the dog and 

 gun is invariably a "white man." Ooce in a while 

 one runs across a grumbler or a chronic kicker, but when 

 the circumstances arise to show him in his true color, he 

 always pans out what "0. O. S," calls "the whitest kind 

 of a man." I have no fears but that the gentlemen who 

 work out my game pocket this fall will be courteous to 

 the farmers who kindly give their consent to hunting on 

 their farms, equally as courteous and polite to those who 

 deny their consent. That they will carefully close ga es, 

 damage no fences or live stock, drive over no grain or 

 hay fields, and in case of accidental damage that they 

 will call upon owner and settle for it. Upon their good 

 behavior depends the continuance of the friendly feeling 

 at present existing between the farmers and myself, and 

 furthermore, it remains for them whether the parting 

 words shall be "Come again next year," or a simple, 

 polite, "good- by." 



I have letters from the following gentlemen, some of 

 whom have already signified their intention of coming 

 here: Mr. A C. Peterson, Homestead, Pa.; Mr, Wni. W. 

 Tracy, Pittsfield, Mass.; Mr. R. C. Ferguson, Knoxville, 

 Iowa; Mr. P. Moeller, Nyack, N. Y,; Mr. Wm. H. Wild, 

 Jersey City, N. J, ; Mr. D. R. Anthony, Leavenworth, 

 Kan.; Mr. F. C. Hand, Atlanta, Ga. Most of those who 

 come will bring friends with them. 



Last week I found nine coveys of chickens within a 

 half mile of each other. On an eighteen-mile drive I 

 scared up six coveys along the road. Quail are more 

 plentiful than ever before, and November will be the 

 grandest month for sport this section has ever seen. 



C. P. Hdbbard, 



Some Eddying Oddities. 



The Portland Aryuii tells of a Maine genius who captures seals 

 by kookingthem. He takes a p de several feet in length, to which 

 Is attached a numbei- of common codQsh hooks with lanyards 

 several feet in length. Tbe hooks are baited with herring. This 

 contrivance is anchored and buoyed, the hooks being jusr. below 

 the surface. The seals in swallowing the herring become hooked 

 and are caught. 



The steamer Henry DumoiR, which arrived at Boston from Port 

 Antonion. Jamaica, on July 13, 9 A. JVI., when about forty miles 

 southeast of South Shoal Lightship, p'cked up a fisherman in a 

 dory that had gone astray from his vessel. He liad bet^n sword - 

 flsbing and was towed several miles to sea by a .swordfish, which 

 he harpooned about 7 o'clock on the morning of tbe 121 h. He was 

 towed until dusk. He managed to hang on to the Hah, whicli 

 weighed about SOOlbs., and on the arrival of the Dumois at Boston 

 he disposed of it to the market men.— IVci'j I'or/c Times. 



Aslmus has on exhibition a monster bear trap, which is interest- 

 ing on account of its proportions. Billy Clark and hi« father, who 

 was then blacksm'ihing at Olympia, con? trur-ted it about tweuly- 

 flye yeare ago for an Indian nampdMowitoh Man, who was unable 

 to pay for it. O'ark afterwards loaned it to a hunter named 

 Tucker, who lived at the head of tbe bay, and there it has re- 

 mained until recently, when Asimus learned of it and had it 

 brought to Shelton. The trap is enlarged on the scale of the com- 

 mon steel trap, but is nearly 5ft. long, and is all one man can 

 carry. Every part is made of heavy iron and the springs of the 

 best ateel, which makes the cost; the pedal is big enough for an 

 elephant's foot and the trap strong enough to be u.sed in trapping 

 elephsbata—Shelton (Wash.) Journal. 



m\d ^iv^r ^kiting* 



DAYS AT MOOSEHEAD LAKE. 



KiNEO, Me,, July 15.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 Since June 18, when 1 arrived here, fly-fiehmg has not 

 been as good as usual. I am told it was good in May. 

 But few trout are now being taken with fly in the lake. 

 I have killed a few large brook trout with fly, btit I have 

 had to work hard for it. Much rain has fallen and the 

 water in the lake is high. The weather has been cool, 

 but on the whole pleasant. Lake trout, a very fine fish, 

 have been taken lately in abundance. Fishing for lakers, 

 as they are called, is usually done here in nearly the same 

 places year after year. These places are near the hotel, 

 near the middle of the lake, where the water is DO to 60ft. 

 deep. The fish are found on the hard bottom, or among 

 rocks there. Drop lines and minnows are used. Their 

 weight usually is from 3 to 4lb8. One was lately taken 

 which weighed iS^^lbs. Occasionally one may be taken 

 very much heavier. On all pleasant days several small 

 boats and canoes are seen anchored out engaged in this, 

 the most usual way for guests to fish. A good many 

 parties for camping out make their start from here. 

 They visually go on further north, where lakes and 

 streams and wilderness abound. 



A party of six married couples from New York lately 

 left here to camp on Indian Lake, some 60 miles north. 

 They took with them 23 guides and 88 c iinoes. They are 

 expected to return here not long hence. 



MooFchead is a beautifitl lake. It is the largest in 

 Maine, near forty miles long north and south, and one to 

 four miles wide, very irregular in. its shape, and it ap- 

 pears to be about half filled up with islands and peninsu- 

 las. Its margin is everywhere covered with dense woods 

 of dark wildwood gi'een. Back of this margin are high 

 ridges, and still back of these are knobs and quite high 

 movmtain tops, a dozen or more of these, of ornamental 

 cone-like shape, may be seen at one view in every direc- 

 tion, except Mt. Kineo near the hotel masks the distant 

 northern view. The lake is on high ground, a thousand 

 feet or so above Portland, and lies about 150 miles north 

 of that salt-water city. The lake has not that sunken 

 look that lakes frequently have. This, to me, adds mvich 

 to its beauty. Theau- here is very invigorating. The water 

 is cold and good. The neat lawn around the hotel is now 

 covered with the sweetest white clover. Dust and mud 

 and hay fever are unknown here. So are roads and 

 plowed fields. 



The great original growth of pine in this part of Maine 

 was mostly cut ofi' forty to sixty years ago. Now much 

 spruce and a dense growth of more than half grown 

 Northern trees make the forests everywhere around as 

 dense and wild as they ever were. 



When the State of Maine was first invaded by specula- 

 tors in pine, somewhere about fifty years ago, not a single 

 deer, I am told by an old resident, could be found any- 

 where. A vast number of wolves had then kept them 

 out or destroyed them. Soon afterward the State gave 

 large bounties on dead wolves. The wolves soon disap- 

 peared entirely, with the aid (mainly) of poison applied to 

 the carcass of a moose or the like. Now deer abound 

 everywhere in the wild woods, by thousands and thous- 

 ands and thousands Dogs that can chase a deer are now 

 not allowed by law, as you know. Dogs have not been 

 seen by me in Maine. A gentleman, while camping out 

 from here a few weeks last year saw and counted 104 

 deer. They apijeared mostly at the water's edge for 

 drink or for" water protection from flies. Last week two 

 small deer were taken (for taming ) in the lake not far 

 from this hotel. An angler for trout when a little way 

 north of the hotel last week pushed his canoe so near to a 

 swimming deer that (angler like) he cast for it, and 

 hooked it, but he hooked it foul— by the tail— audit broke 

 away, as trout often do (you know) when hooked foul by 

 the tail. [This story was told by the angler's guide."] 

 Some moose and some caribou are yet in the Maine woods. 

 Much pains has been taken by Maine to preserve by law 

 her game and fish. Ifc may be stated (I think) that hunt- 

 ing and fishing in season in Maine are generally good. 



At the water's edge only a score of rods over the lawn 

 in front of my window stand three stately pine trees. 

 They seem to have been left to live as samples of the 

 original growth here or to show what good pine trees are, 

 as some men are said to "live to show what good men 

 are," 



Only a short time ago, amid clouds and rain and 

 thunder, lightning struck the top of the tallest one and 

 ruthlessly made bare a large bleeding wound, reaching 

 from its top all the way down its aged body to its very 

 root. The "good man of the house" here feared it would 

 pine away (no pun intended) and die. A few mornings 

 since I saw from my window two fearless men in the 

 very top of that pine. They were nearly hidden from 

 my view by its den^e foliage. I first saw a movement, 

 and then I saw a man, and then another man there. I 

 wondered and looked, and wondered more, not seeing 

 any person about the tree or in that direction. I could 

 not make out what it all meant. My first thought was 

 of that thrilling historical event about an Indian in a 

 pine tree top, which occurred near Saratoga long ago, 

 and at about the same time and not far from the same 

 locality (if I remember right) when that other thrilling 

 historical event occurred connected with Jane McCrea. 

 The Indian event was this: It was war time. An In- 

 dian enemy had hidden himself with his rifle during the 

 night in the top of a large pine tree which overlooked 

 his enemy's military fort. Shot after shot was faintly 

 heard at long distance in the fort and at long intervals, 

 when every time a soldier would fall. For a long time 

 no one in the fort could tell where the bullets came from, 

 but it was finally discovered that the Indian did the 

 firing, when of course his time to fall came. 



You will pardon me (I know, Mr. Editor) for alluding 

 to this Indian story when 1 declare to you that ever since 

 the time of my boy-reading, now long ago, I have never 

 seen a lone pine with a large top anywhere in any of my 

 travels but I have instantly thought of that Indian story. 

 But I must also, as a truthful chronicler, declare to you 

 now, that with the Indian story again youthfully in my 

 mind, and seeing, too, that this pine directly overlooked 

 my window, I was not frightened. 



1 went out to investigate. 



The two men were silent but active, and carefully at 



work. They were near together. The lower man with , 

 a broad chisel was very carefully cleaning the wound, as. 

 if preparing for some other's treatment. The upper man, ^ 

 with a large pail on his arm and a large brush in his? 

 hand, was applying coat after coat of healing tar over the 

 wound. 



I watched their silent working for a long time as they 

 slowly worked their way downward among the limbs 

 until they reached the lowest one, which was yet near; 

 fifty feet from the ground, when they used a dangeroua-i 

 looking ladder leading them to the ground. That vener-' 

 able old pine now appears to be cured of its fearful 

 stroke. 



Shall we not soon have among us Doctors of Trees or 

 Doctors of Lightning as professionals emanating from 

 colleges? Who knows! And the good they might do! 

 For here we see that two fearless, astute citizens of the- 

 Pine Tree State have used the best Southern blood of the 

 pine of North Carolina to heal an elemental wound of its 

 Northern kindred. N, M. 



MAINE TROUTING. 



The recent very high water has begun to fall in the 

 New England trout and salmon lakes and streams, and 

 the result is better fishing. Several reports speak of re- 

 markably good fly-fishing in the Maine lakes since the 

 water began to subaide. Mr. J. A. French writes from 

 the Upper Dam, Richardson Lake, that the fly-fishing for 

 the past week has been the best for the season. Several , 

 of his guests have been ha^dng excellent success. Dr. 

 Buckland and his wife have been taking from twenty to 

 thirty trout a day in the pool below the dam. Good sue-: 

 cess is also reported from the Middle Dam. Mr. Edgar 

 W. Curtis, of Meriden, Conn., has been having his usual 

 good sport there. He is credited with a string of twenty- 

 eight trout in a day, with one or two weighing 4lb8. and* 

 over. Mr. Curtis has long been a regular visitor to the' 

 same lake, and he is an expert fly-fisherman. The fact, 

 that he has taken trout always signifies that they were 

 taken with the fiy. 



Eeports of late have made His Excellency, Gov. Ru8- 

 sell, of Massachusetts, go down to Maine fishing again, 

 and he ia located by gossip at the beautiful camps of the; 

 Messrs. Thayer— Birch Lodge— at the head ol Richardson 

 Lake. Well, the Governor did not tell everybody where 

 he was going, and it is more than probable that he has, 

 really joined Mr. Joseph Jtfferson, the renowned actor, 

 and Mr. A. H. Wood, of Wood, Pollard & Co., at Mr. 

 Jefi'erson's salmon preserve, on the Miramichi. Mr. Jef- 

 ferson left Gray Gables, the summer home of ex-Presi-; 

 dent Cleveland, last week for his salmon pool, with Mr. 

 Pollard, and Mr. C. W. Walker, the celebrated scenic 

 artist, as guest. It was also understood that the Gover- 

 nor was to accompany them. But His Excellency did 

 not leave the State House till several days after. 



Mr. Leroy S. Brown, of Blaney, Brown & Co., is a 

 prominent member of the Tnglewood Club, the extensive 

 preserves of which are located in New Brunswick. Mr. 

 Brown is much interested in the success of this club. Hel 

 is a very active member of the house committee, having! 

 been secretary for several years. He left Boston lasti 

 Wednesday evening for the home of the club. His wifel 

 is to accompany him on this trip, the club houses andi 

 privileges being open to ladies and children during July 

 and August. Mr. Brown received a letter just before 

 leaving Boston that there were some thirty guests at the 

 clubhouses, and it bethought him that his attention might 

 be desirable, and especially some ten or fifteen more were 

 to follow him on Friday. The letter also so stated that a 

 bear weighing GOOlbs. had just been killed on the club's 

 pre.oerve. 



Mr Eugene E. Patridge, of the North American Insur-i 

 ance Co., has gone bass fishing to Lake Annebessecook.! 

 (I am not at all sure about the spelling of this name.) It 

 is the lake below the village of Winthrop, Me., and is 

 perhaps better known as the Lower or Long Pond. Mr., 

 Patridge is a part owner of the island in the lake, and he 

 expects good sport. ' 



That there is actually good trout fishing in the near 

 vicinity of the celebrated Bar Harbor may be news to the! 

 many. But such is the case, to those who are fishermen; 

 and are acquainted with the locality. Mr. A. S. Haskell,, 

 of Waltham, Mass., with his friend "Skipper" Somes- 

 (everybody calls him Skipper or Skip), have been spend-f 

 ing their vacation at Somesville, very near to Bar Harbor.' 

 Mr. Somes comes from Somes' Sound, or Somesville; in 

 fact the place was named for his ancestors. His father 

 kept a hotel there for years, and indeed I believe that his' 

 mother is there in the hotel to-day. At all events, Skip 

 is a great lover of the rod and line, though he is now a 

 machinist in the Waltham watch factories. He told his 

 friends, when he left the Hub, that he should take some 

 4lb. trout, but they were inclined to laugh at him. On 

 Saturday evening Mr. Al Tompkins, of the firm of 

 l^'oster, Weeks & Co., received a dispatch that there would 

 be a box of trout on the Bangor steamer for him on Sun- 

 day morning. Mr, Tompkins went to the steamer and, 

 the box was there, but the steamer people informed him 

 that the box came by express and that they could not 

 deliver it. The express people would not have an open 

 ofiiGe till Monday morning, and in the meantime the trout 

 would not be growing any better. Mr. Tompkins told the 

 officer in charge what was in the box, and he also added 

 that the box he was going to take. After some palaver 

 and taking of names he obtained the coveted box and 

 took it home. It contained two trout that weighed about 

 4lbs. each and two that weighed 81bs. each. Skipper had 

 kept his word. The trout were lakeu in Long Pond, or a 

 tributary of that pond, in Somesville. Special. 



Lake Champlaiu Fishing. 



Albany, N. Y., July 30.— Fishing on Champlain at the 

 present writing afi'ords poor returns. The water ia higher 

 than ever before in the memory of the residents there- 

 abouts, and so roily that the only places worth trying are 

 the bays and setbacks. Even here only perch, rock bass 

 and an occasional black bass are taken. The pike and 

 pickerel are beyond the reach of spoon or fly among the 

 weeds close to the banks. A party of us who had in- 

 tended spending some days there returned after a couple 

 of days' stay, convinced of the uselessnees of remaining 

 longer. Good sport is expected with the falling of the 

 water, and parties contemplating a trip to the lake would 

 do well to defer ifc until that time. Naiitra, 



