Oct. 13, 1893.] 



311 



huge rock rounded and waterworn, of an entirely differ- 

 ent character. The "bed rock" is a seamy, quartz-veined 

 mica slate, the boulder gray, or lichened outside, but dark 

 bottle-green, where broken, is granite, and Prof. Hitch- 

 cock, the State Geologist, says came from Mt. Ascutney, 

 eighteen miles to the north, brought down in. the glacial 

 drift of the "great Ice Age." 



It is perhaps twenty feet long, by sixteen wide, and as 

 many nigh, and rests, as I have said, on the very edge of 

 the terrace, 200 feet above the meadows, just caught 

 against the projecting spur of seamy slate. ' The top of 

 the botilder is about on the same level as the top of the 

 spur, and its base is buried in the thin, sheep-nibbled turf 

 some 200 feet down the slope to the north. 



What a force it must have been to bi-ing this mass of 

 stone some 400 tons weight down eighteen miles and land 

 it high on the hillside! Unless, as is more probably the 

 case, the whole valley below has been cut away since this 

 boulder was dropped there. 



The view from it in both ways, up and down the river, 

 is superb. The bold shoulder of the "Fall Mountain" at 

 Bellows Falls, cuts off the prospect to the south, six 

 miles below, while the lookout to the north passes the 

 precipitous cliff of "Skitsiwauke" and is closed by the 

 great dome of Ascutney, whence the big boulder started 

 on its travels. An easy and delightful walk from the 

 village of a mile and a half along the terrace overlooking 

 the meadows, it is a favorite resort of the young people 

 of the village as well as of the summer visitors. 



How long this huge rock has rested here, poised on. the 

 brink of the terrace, I leave for the geologists to decide; 

 certainly thousands, probably tens of thousanda: probably 

 millions of years. It no doubt lay here bedded in the 

 primal forest, while the Egytian sculptors were carving 

 the Sphinx, as we are on the edge of the oldest known 

 rocks in the world. The Waubenakee hunter has no 

 doubt often hidden behind it, as he lay in wait for the 

 deer, picking his way down the little rivulet which 

 slowly trickles through that low swale a few yards to the 

 north on his way to the meadows to feed, 



Had it hearing and speech, it might tell of the Indian 

 war whoop and the answering musket shot when old 

 Captain Phonehas Stevens with his thu-ty pioneers "held 

 the fort" in the valley below for two days against 200 

 French and Indians, and finally repulsed them, baffled of 

 their expected prey, 150 years ago. 



It might have seen the gathering of the New Hampshire 

 militia, which General John Stark mustered at the same 

 old fort, ere he marched them across Vermont to fight 

 the battle of Bennington and crown Molly Stark's name 

 with glory instead of widow's weeds. Our friend Row- 

 land E. Robinson has told all this in his graphic history 

 of "The Foundation of Vermont." and I will dwell no 

 longer on the subject. 



|1 1 satiate my eyes, as often before, with the prospect, 

 and again start for the village, but instinct leads me in 

 to the woods again under the shadows of the oaks, and 

 although I find many trees under which the ground is 

 strewn with shells or half-eaten, wormy acorns, I see or 

 hear no game. To be sure, it is still to early for the squir- 

 rels to be out to supper, but I am not bloodthirsty enough 

 to wait for them, I have had my tramp, delivered my 

 message and cheered the heart of an old "comrade," and 

 as I start down the lane from the woods, I empty both 

 barrels in a long waking shot at a brace of knots" in the 

 fence, fairly chipping one with the No. 8's from my left, 

 while the less numerous charge of No. 6's in the right 

 only groove long, slanting splinter-furrows in the hard 

 hemlock boards around the other. Von W. 



THE PANTHER'S SCREAM. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



. Is "Stanstead" correct in his statement in your issue of 

 Oct. 8 that the scream of the panther is all a myth and 

 that this cat is so unlike all the other cats that he "has no 

 voice except a growl and a short, spiteful 'yik' "? I have 

 never met the panther ia the open but seem to remember 

 distinctly hearing a caged one at Central Park cry loudly 

 after the manner of the domestic cat. If the panther has 

 no voice and what has so often been taken "^for his was 

 "made by other beasts or owls," the realists among story 

 writers ought to know it. I never hear of the cry of the 

 panther, which has time and again been reported to be 

 of wonderfully human quality, but I remember Charles 

 Dudley Warner's story of hearing, as he supposed, a 

 panther's cry at night upon the mountain side in the 

 Adirondacks. Josepth Cook had said that the voice of 

 modern culture was but "an infant crying in the night 

 and with no language but a cry," and from the sound 

 Warner concluded that the panther and modern culture 

 must be the same thing. C, H, Ames. 



ANOTHER TAME MOOSE. 



Halifax, Oct. 5.— Knocking about the country last 

 week T was asked if I would like to see a live moose, and 

 said yes, by all means. The owner of the house stepping 

 to the door sang out, "'Nellie, Nellie; here, Nellie;" and 

 in a few moments I heard the sound of a cowbell tinkling 

 elf in the woods, and directly there came trotting toward 

 us one of the prettiest little creatures I have ever seen. 

 Sure enough it was a moose, about four months old and 

 as tame and gentle as could be. 



It came right up and allowed us to pat its neck, rub its 

 nose, etc. The owner gave it a slice of bread, which it 

 ate with great relish, and then he put a piece on the 

 ground, when I was astonished to see that before it could 

 pick it up it had to kneel down on its front legs. This 

 was a new feature to me, and I spent some two hours 

 watching its movements. Whenever it went to crop the 

 grass or pick up food (that was on a level bit of ground) 

 down it would flop on its front knees, and standing on its 

 hindlegs it did look too comical for anything. 



I was surprised that it was allowed to roam the woods, 

 and remarked that some fine night it would disappear. 

 But the owner said, "Oh, no; it always comes back to 

 the house, and sometimes it spends two and three nights 

 in the woods at a time, but shows up again all safe and 

 sound." 



It ia a beautiful animal, and I felt tempted to buy it, 

 but not ^having a suitable place for keeping it in I re- 



frained from doing so; but it does seem a pity not to own 

 it, and if any of your friends would like it I will be 

 happy to give the address of its owner. H, Austen. 



Migration of Hawks. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Mr. J as. L. Smith, of Hackettstown, N, J., speaks of 

 an unusual flight of hawks on Sept. 31. It is an an- 

 nual occurrence and was evidently made up of migrat- 

 ing birds. I secured on Sept. 27 (on which date the 

 flight occurred with us) a half dozen specimens, as fol- 

 lows : Two broad-winged {B. imtmylvanicus), two sharp- 

 shinned {A. fuscus), one Cooper's (^4. cooperi) and one 

 sparrow (vP' sparverius), the latter a male, fine plumage. 

 I had them put up, and while green took them from the 

 taxidermist and have posed them to suit myself. I have 

 grown tired of the conventional style of mounting all 

 my birds on perch or panel and find that a very satisfac- 

 tory effort is produced by fixing them in a death-like 

 position, and when dry hanging them by the feet to a 

 picture nail. It gives an opportunity for the display of 

 plumage and, being a decided departure from the ortho- 

 dox methods of taxidermists, makes a pleasing contrast 

 with other specimens mounted in the usual way. I 

 would say that the annual migration of hawks with us 

 varies but a few days from year to year, although of late 

 there seems to be a steady falling off in numbers. The 

 main flight passes with a northwest wind from Sept. 10 

 to 28, coming from east to southeast against the breeze. 



Bat Ridoe, L. I. WiLMOT TOWNSEND, 



Another Panther Incident. 



NoEEis, Texas, Sept. 28.— Rather an interesting panther 

 combat took place on the banks of Devil's River, near 

 here, in which an old lady, sixty years, two dogs and a 

 panther took an active part. The house and kitchen are 

 about 15 or 18ft. apart with a brush arbor connecting 

 them. "Grandma Neil," as she is called by her friends, 

 was standing under the arbor washing her face and hands, 

 when something ran against her with considerable force. 

 Turning to see w-hat it was, she found a 9ft. panther 

 standing against her skirts. At the same instant one of 

 the dogs made a rush for it, when it sprang into a live 

 oak that stood near the door. The commotion attracted 

 the other dog and they kept the beast up the tree for a 

 few minutes, when it sprang out with the dogs in hot 

 pursuit. They caught it as it attempted to jump the 

 fence and pulled it back. At this stage of the fight Mrs. 

 Neil ran up, and by a well-directed blow killed it in- 

 stantly, splitting its head open with an axe. In telling 

 me the story her grandson expressed my sentiments when 

 he "wished Ihad Grandma's sand." Rio Diablo. 



Land Birds at Sea. 



Hudson, N. Y,, Oct. 10.— On Sunday, Sept. 25, a large 

 number of high-holes appeared on their way south. On 

 Monday, Sept. 26, T took the steamer Richmond from 

 New York for Norfolk, Va. The next morning while out 

 of sight of land the ship was visited by a number of high- 

 holes, one kingfisher, one woodpecker, some yellowbifda. 

 Some of them remained on and around the ship until we 

 landed at Norfolk the next night. They appeared to be 

 very tired, and had evidently been blown ofl' shore in the 

 night as there was a strong west wind blowing all night. 

 I noticed two high-holes start for shore and fall in the 

 water exhausted. H, 



ktJi^ §Hg mid 0uti. 



"Game Laws in Brief," United States and Canada, 

 illustrated, 25 ecnts. "Book of tlie Game Laws" {fuU 

 iext)i do cents. 



IN NEW ENGLAND WOODS. 



Boston, Oct. 8.— Boston gunners are active, and they 

 are being fairly successful. For this success they may 

 reasonably thank the Massachusetts Fish and "Game 

 Protective Association for its eftbrts in restocking with 

 game birds. It seems that this restocking is beginning to 

 show more fruits, game being relatively more plenty than 

 in Maine and New Hampshire, where no restocking has 

 been done. Understand that 1 say relatively, and I am 

 sure that gunners who have tried both sections of the 

 country will agree with me. Mr. L. W. DePass, assistant 

 secretary of the Boston Chamber of Commerce, with his 

 friend C. W. Hodgkins, of Reading and of the Boston and 

 Albany Freight Oflice, has recently returned from his 

 annual gunning trip to the Cape. They had excellent 

 success with shore birds, bringingdowna plenty of winter 

 yellowlegs, grass birds, and some winter snipe. They 

 found the quail very plenty, but these they did not dis- 

 turb, for the open season does not begin till Oct. 15, They 

 saw several coveys with [at least twenty birds in each. 

 They found these bu-ds much more plenty than they were 

 in the same location a year ago. They were also informed 

 that snaring is not being practiced in that section, as it 

 was last year even. Partridges they found to be fairly 

 plenty also. The universal opinion in that section is that 

 the restocking done by the committee ©f the Fish and 

 Game Protective Association is bringing up the shooting 

 from almost nothing to very respectable proportions. 



Mr. Claud H. Tarbox, of the Baston Chamber of Com- 

 merce, with his brother-in-law, J. Orin Bailey, has made 

 a number of short gunning trips this fall. They both live 

 in Byfield and they usually gun together. Mr". Bailey is 

 lame and obliged to depend upon a crutch for one leg, 

 and yet he manages to get around in the fields and woods 

 about as well as most men with two good legs. His love 

 for shooting is great, notwithstanding that he must follow 

 it under difficulties. The other morning they drove four 

 or five miles down into Newbury to hunt for gray squir- 

 rels. That morning they secured twelve squirrels and a 

 partridge. On several occasions they have secured a 

 partridge apiece. They report partridge fairly plenty for 

 Massachusetts, and gray squirrels very plenty. 



Mr. E, M. Gillam, with his friend Mr. Bacon, both of 

 the Boston Advertiser, started for the Cape on a gunning 

 expedition on Saturday evening. They go down to Sand- 

 wich and will be quartered in a farmhouse owned by Mr. 

 Henry Pinkham, financial editor of the Advertiser. Mr. 

 Pinkham has lately bought the old homestead, and he 



proposes to make a summer resort of it and a gunning 

 resort for himself and friends. The hoys will go into 

 camp there, by invitation of Mr. Pinkham. Reports 

 mention game as plenty there. 



It is not in good taste to speak of one's self in a news- 

 paper ai'ticle, and the best writers rarely use the pro- 

 noun I. But on this occasion I hope that the readers of 

 Forest and Stream will excuse me if I mention what 

 has fallen to my lot to observe. I have just returned 

 from my autumnal trip to the Maine woods and waters. 

 I have visited the old camp at Richardson Lake and, 

 permit me to say right here, that had I been aware of 

 the absolute scarcity of game in that section, I might 

 have been tempted to have staid at home. I have had 

 the outing and seen nature in her most beautiful au- 

 tumnal robes, and that ought to satisfy me. But it is a 

 fact that I had hoped all the season to find some grouse 

 shooting. But these hirds are most remarkably scarce 

 in the Rangeley Lakes region, and I hear the same story 

 about other sections of that State. We tramped wood 

 roads and followed carries for many miles, where on 

 former seasons dozens of birds have frequently leen 

 the reward of a day's outing, and for two days of this 

 work we did not see a single partridge. We obtained 

 now and then an old grouse, it is true, but we saw not a 

 single flock; only solitary old male birds — very hard to 

 get. 



On my trip, and especially on my way out, I inter 

 viewed dozens of guides and hunters, and obtained the 

 same verdict from all, though it came out rather unwill- 

 ingly in cases where the persons interviewed are inter- 

 ested in guiding or transporting hunters: Partridges are 

 most remarkably scarce, I also asked for the cause. 

 Generally the person interrogated expressed his inability 

 to fathom the mystery, but in several cases the reply was 

 emphatic that the scarcity of partridges is due to a great 

 increase in foxes. One guide of long experience says 

 that he has never known the foxes so thick as at the 

 present time. They are very bold, even coming near to 

 houses and barns and carrying off poultry. The guides 

 and hunters express the idea that the young birds especi- 

 ally have all been destroyed by foxes. The idea is also 

 expressed that the utter extermination of the ruffed 

 grouse in Maine is likely to be the result of this increase 

 in foxes. It is also suggested that the Maine Legislature 

 at its next session should offer a bounty for the destruc- 

 tion of the fox family. It is possible that later more 

 partridges may appeaj-, even in the sections of Maine 

 where they are not to be seen at this time; but it is 

 scai'cely probable. The guides claim that in some seasons 

 they are not seen till late. 



But there are moose and deer in Maine. It is possible 

 that moose are more abundant than usual this fall. One 

 has heen tracked down between Mount Aziscohos and 

 Observatory, in the Richardson Lake region. He was a 

 big fellow and followed the bog for several miles. By the 

 way, Dr. Haven, of Boston, with the Thayers, owners of 

 Birch Lodge, has leased the right of flowage on this bog, 

 and has a gang of men at work putting in a dam about a 

 mile and a half above where the brook that drains the 

 bog joins with Beaver Brook. He will raise the water 

 four or five feet and make of the bog a private trout pond. 

 The Doctor has built a beautiful camp on. Beaver Island 

 in Richardson Lake the j>ast season. 



But to return to the moose. He made tracks down the 

 road and past the dam where the men were at work, and 

 it is pretty plain that he was then somewhere between 

 Aziscohos and Richardson Lake. It will be remembered 

 that one came down over about the same ground a year 

 ago, but that he was soon after killed when attempting 

 to swim the lake just above the narrows. A moose has 

 recently been killed in the vicinity of Enfield, Me., and a 

 big one. Mr. Walter Hill, of Jo"hn P, Squire & Co., the 

 well known Boston pork packers, says that he had the 

 pleasure of dining off a moose steak at Enfield the other 

 day. A big moose has also been seen in the neighbor- 

 hood of Kingfield, or rather toward Eustis several miles 

 above. 



Deer are really quite plenty in Maine, and the open 

 season for them has well started. I had the pleasure of 

 seeing probably the first one killed in Maine in the open 

 season, Pie was put on board the Sandy River baggage 

 car at Strong on the morning of Oct. 8. The gentlemanly 

 conductor of the Sandy River train called my attention 

 to a crowd in the depot at Strong. This conductor is a 

 good deal of a sport himself, and he takes great delight 

 in such matters. His salutation to me, as he touched my 

 shoulder, was: "There he is! The first one of the sea- 

 son! But it is only one of the dozens that will come down 

 over this road." The deer was labeled A. J, Pettigrew, 

 Livermore FaUs, Me. Soon after I found Mr. Pettigrew, 

 a very modest young hunter, but proud of his success. 

 The deer, about a two-year-old buck, was killed fairly on 

 the first day of the open season. He was taken at a pond 

 some eight miles from Eustis. Mr. Pettigrew says that 

 the sport of lugging one end of the pole to which the 

 deer was lashed, six miles through the woods was some- 

 thing to be remembered. 



It may be stated that the Harry Moore party, to the 

 camps of the Inglewood Club, already mentioned in the 

 Forest and Stream, has returned, much in love with 

 the country and with the Inglewood camps, but they, 

 too, found partridges remarkably scarce. They had some 

 good duck shooting, though rather early in the season for 

 the best of that sport. They also failed to secure any 

 trophies in the shape of deer. 



The woods of old Plymouth county were about as thor- 

 oughly scoured by Boston gunners and other gunners on 

 Oct. 9 as they have been for many a day. The day 

 proved to be unfavorable, however, a disagreeable rain 

 setting in about noon, and only poor success is reported. 

 A gentleman left Boston Saturday evening for these 

 hunting grounds. He does not wish me to give his name 

 in the Forest and Stream for the reason that he did 

 leave Boston on Saturday evening. He went down on 

 to the Cape, getting off the cars at Bourne Station, He 

 found a farmhouse where he was made welcome, and 

 some of the boya would gladly have gone a-gunning with 

 him but for the fact that there was a funeral in the vil- 

 lage that day, and it would not look well to be out shoot- 

 ing. But our friend was well started in the woods by the 

 people with whom he stopped, and he went obliviously on 

 the way he knew not of, he being only happy to be in the 

 woods with dog and gun. His dog, a beautiful Irish set- 

 ter, seemed to enjoy the outing as well. But partridges 

 were very scarce. Only one flock was started, and 

 they proved to be remarkably wild birds. Soon 



