444 



J^OREST AND STREAM. 



[Nov. 24, 189'2. 



SWAMP RABBIT vs. MINK AND WILDCAT 



DUEiNG the highest rise of Red River in the great over- 

 flow of last summer, it was my misfortune to be an eye- 

 witness of a scene that is rarely ever presented to a 

 hunter. 



In May the river warned the planters of the parishes on 

 both sides that it was necessary to move their stock to the 

 hills for safety. Barelv bad we time to drive our stock 

 of mules and cattle from Gold Dust Landing to the foot 

 of Indian Hill, on the Bossier Parish side, before the 

 levees around Navigator Point broke, and the raging 

 waters rushed under the residence of my son-in-law, 

 Lawson K. Hodges. A delay of six hours would have 

 drowned our entire stock, 



Mr. Hodges remained in hie house to take care of it, 

 while my daughter and granddaughter went to Shreve- 

 port. 'From Indian Hill I drove the stock to the hills bor- 

 dering on Lake Bisteneau. There I remained for several 

 weeks, until my anxiety to learn the condition of my 

 friends on the river determined me to take a skiff and 

 row over to Gold Dust. 



It was a Sunday morning, about the first of June, when 

 I stepped into an excellent skiff at the foot of Indian 

 Hill to go to Gold Dust. I had four good oaismen to 

 pull against the racing waters. This hill, named after 

 the Caddo tribe of Indians, who had a village on its sum- 

 mit as late as the first settlement of Shreveport, was a 

 splendid site for those dusky aborigines. Nowhere was 

 game more abundant. The" finest trout and perch liter- 

 ally filled all the bayous and lakes. Four large springs 

 boiled up along the foot of the hill, thus affording the 

 tribe the best of drinking water; and to this day do many 

 families along the banks of Red River camp during a part 

 of the summer at these springs, and enjoy themselvt>s in 

 hunting and fishing. It is only four and a half miles 

 from them to Knox Point or Red River. A public road 

 leads from the hUl across the bottom to the river, and no 

 doubt it had been an Indian trail for hundreds of years 

 before the first white man traveled it. Half a mile from 

 the hill runs Red Chute, which was crossed by a good 

 bridge. In not many places is Red Chute fordable. At 

 the bridge the bayou is some 400ft. wide, and just below 

 it widens into Swan Lake, that is from half a mile to a 

 mile or more in width, and over ten miles long. Red 

 Chute takes its rise way up in Arkasas, where it is called 

 Bodceau, which expands into a long, wide lake of the 

 same name about thirty miles north of the bridge. From 

 this lake it takes the name of Red Chute. During the 

 summer Swan Lake goes dry, while Red Chute cuts its 

 way above the bridge by a bayou known as Cross Bayou, 

 which is two and one-half miles long and empties into 

 Piatt River, about a mile from Knox Point. My route 

 would take me to the bridge and thence up the chute as 

 far as the plantation of- W, H. & C. B. Hodges, thence 

 across that into a road that lead from my own place to 

 the river at Gold Dust. 



On the Sunday morning that 1 started I found twenty 

 or more skiffs and canoes tied at the foot of the hill, 

 with not less than a hundred negro men, women and 

 children, some anxious, like myself, to learn the safety 

 of their friends, others assembled for curiosity, and not 

 a few to wait for the return of a party sent to rescue a 

 cow that was reported to be standing on the gallery of a 

 cabin on the Hodges plantation, with the water nearly 

 over her back. Most of these negroes were refugees 

 from the river and had now camped on the hill in brush 

 tents for several weeks. The negro does not believe he 

 is free unless surrounded with a number of worthless, 

 mangy cur dogs. The rade tents were swarming with 

 chickens, cur dogs and hogs, which they had brought 

 with them from the river. 



Before starting, the party arrived with the cow tied to 

 the skiffs and her head pulled on the stern to prevent 

 her drowning while being towed along. Great was the 

 shout applauding the rescuers when the skiffs struck the 

 land. I could but smile as the old negress who owned 

 the animal deliberately hugged and kissed her poor 

 favorite, that looked its gratitude, even if it could not 

 ■ express it, but in a long mournful low. 



Everything being arranged to my satisfaction I ordered 

 the skiff to be imtied, and a few strokes of the oars bore 

 us to where the water was 17ft. deep over the public road, 

 a rise of 5ft. higher than in 1890. When we got to Red 

 Chute, the bridge had been washed away and could now 

 be seen knocked to pieces and lodged a tfuarter of a mile 

 below against some trees, swaying back and forth like 

 the gigantic sawyers of the Mississippi. The current 

 thus far had been slack and easy to row against, but 

 when the skiff entered the chute it was running like some 

 mountain torrent. With the greatest difficulty could my 

 four oarsmen pull against it. Many logs were rushing 

 by us, and I dreaded lest we should be struck by one 

 and all hands sent full fifty feet to the bottom of the 

 bayou, We were compelled to hug either side and keep 

 close to the trees that fringed the banks, not only for 

 protection, but to render the rowing easier. We were on 

 a sea of water stretching for fifteen miles from the hills 

 of Bossier to those of Caddo Parish. Soon after we 

 passed the mouth of Class Bayou one of the oarsmon re- 

 marked, "What ails that big swamp rabbit?" All eyes 

 turned to the direction he was pointing, and we saw a 

 very large rabbit sitting on a big cottonwood log, with 

 its head turned partly on its shoulders, intently watching- 

 something behind it. ° 



"Look at that mink," another rower exclaimed, and we 

 saw a mink slowly creeping down the log, evidently with 

 the intention of catching the rabbit. 



"Bless my soul, if there is not a huge wildcat swimming 

 across the Chute, and it is coming right to that cotton- 

 wood log. Stop, boys, there is going to be some fun, you 

 bet, and that pretty soon," said another oarsman. 



The skiff was pulled to some overhanging branches of 

 a tree and there stopped for us to observe the maneuvers 

 of the three animals and await the result of the tragedv 

 that was about to be enacted before our eyes. It was a 

 struggle for food, mastery and life. 



The rabbit paid no attention to us, while the mink so 

 intent on getting a breakfast, to break its long fast,' no 

 doubt, either had not observed us, or, if it had, did not 

 care worth a cent. The wildcat, too, was intent on get- 

 ting to the log, or to take shelter in the lofty pecans that 

 were left standing in what was known as the "Hodgps 

 Cane Deadening. ' 



When the mink got within distance to make a spring to 

 catch the rabbit, pussy dived into the water and under 

 the log, and rising some distance up the Chute eluded the 



mink, that ran down the log with the expectation of 

 seizing the rabbit as soon as it should come to the surface 

 at the foot of the log. Waiting a short time and not see- 

 ing the rabbit, the mink ran back and catching a sight of 

 its intended victim, plunged into the water where pussy 

 had been, but she was not there then. She had again 

 dived under the log, and did not come up until very near 

 its lower extremity, where she hid herself in the broken 

 projections of the end of the log. 



In the meantime the mink ran back and forth, in vain 

 endeavoring to secure a sight of the rabbit. Coming 

 down to the very extremity of the log it scented its prey, 

 and made a quick plunge into the water to seize it. But 

 the rapid current carried the mink some distance below; 

 before it could recover the lost space, and the rabbit div- 

 ing the instant the mink made its spring, came up on the 

 opposite side of the log, and swimming low down in the 

 water with only nose out up to the top of the log, con- 

 cealed itself in the roots that were hanging down. 



"Just see that wildcat," exclaimed some one. "He is 

 going to have a finger in this pie, but if I had my gun I 

 would make pie out of him. You bet, wildcat is good 

 eating, better than coon, a big heap." 



Looking in the direction the negro was pointing I ob- 

 served an extraordinary large wildcat of the catamount 

 species, leaping from a pecan tree to a water oak stand- 

 ing near the roots of the cottonwood log. No doubt the 

 cat had observed what was going on, and hunger had 

 emboldened it to make a dash for a breakfast, though his 

 deadly enemies were watching it. By this time the mink 

 had returned to the log, and was slowly creeping forward 

 to the roots, closely scanning both sides for a sight of the 

 rabbit. Before it could get in catching distance the rab- 

 bit again dived, with the mink in rapid pursuit. By 

 some means it managed to elude its pursuer, and the 

 rabbit screening itself by the side of the log sank with 

 nose only out, while the mink crawled on the log to 

 observe where the rabbit should rise. 



During this part of the struggle the cat had leaped 

 on the log and crouched so low as to escape the eyes of 

 the mink, and there waited for further developments. 

 The mink heard the slight noise the cat made on leap- 

 ing, and supposing it to be the rabbit, ran rapidly for- 

 ward and right into the mouth of the cat, whose vora- 

 cious jaws closed on its victim with a snap quite audible 

 to us. Rising in an instant with the mink in its mouth, 

 the cat sprang on the oak, and running out on a large 

 limb, leaped into the pecan and was lost to sight. 



Pussy was saved and came out of the contest conqueror, 

 and I was glad of it. The negroes wanted to catch her 

 for their dinner, to which I positively objected. A rab- 

 bit that could elude and out-maneuver a mink and a wild 

 cat was certainly entitled to its life, and I devoutly 

 prayed it might live through the ravages of the overflow 

 until the waves subsided. 



Had I not been an eye-witness I could not have be- 

 lieved that a poor, innocent, helpless rabbit could have 

 escaped the attacks of two such ferocious enemies. By 

 no means could a cottaintail have gotten away from 

 them. But the swamp rabbit loves the water, and is as 

 much at home in it as on land. It generally makes its 

 form either in water or in open marshy land with little 

 or no grass around it. 



This was the only incident worth relating on my route 

 to Gold Dust. The current ran so fast that it required 

 five hours of rapid rowing to land on the levee that was 

 not swept away, a mile below Gold Dust. We anchored 

 the skiff on the third step of the residence of Sir. Hodges. 

 Water 3ft. deep was under it — water around it — water 

 everywhere, and not lees that 13 to 15 miles wide. Chick- 

 ens and young turkeys were cooped on the galleries, safe 

 from drowning, but dying from long confinemtnt. 



I found Hodges, Mr. Willis Graham, the cook and a 

 couple of nego men, the sole tenants. I ought not to 

 omit that my fine setter, Bruno, was also there. My 

 daughter and granddaughter had gone on a steamboat to 

 Shreveport. 



The next morning I bade all adieu and returned to In- 

 dian HiU. Only one hour it took to row with the current 

 to our point of starting. 



This great, disastrous overflow has disgusted me with 

 all rivers that overflow their bottoms, and I have vowed 

 never to live on the banks of any overflowing rivers. 



George D. Ales a nder. 



A MINK TRAGEDY. 



WriiiilAMSBURG, Ind.— It was my good fortune to wit- 

 ness a tight to death between a couple of male minks a 

 fortnight ago, one of the most fearless as well as silent 

 struggles I ever saw. In one of the largest stone quarries 

 in western Ohio a small clear brook grows larger, deeper 

 and wider by the help of the clear, sparkling water of 

 many a spring, issuing from the crevices of the lime- 

 stone, and flowing through little hollows and around 

 pieces of stone that have been thrown out as worthless. 

 In the course of years the accumulation of the rubbish 

 or "dump," as it is termed, has made a perfect retreat 

 for minks, weasels and rabbits. Having considerable 

 amount of dirt in it the quarry affords a paradise for such 

 animals that are in the habit of burrowing close to small 

 streams. One afternoon as I was on my way to another 

 block to give some instructions to my men I accidentally 

 glanced toward a small sandv spot running out into the 

 stream, forming a peninsula or cape by the junction of a 

 httle brooklet and the main or larger brook. The spot 

 was bare with the exception of a few Spanish needles, 

 and was overhung with small willows. Standing within 

 six or: eight feet from me were two large male minks 

 eyeing each other intently, their small eyes looking like 

 coals of fire, and with mouth slightly open, their backs 

 arched, necks stretched forward, theii- hindlegs close on 

 the ground, they looked very much like miniature tigers 

 waiting an opportunity to spring toward each other. 



The first motion was a quivering of the bodies fol- 

 lowed by increasing rapidity in breathing. Then slowly 

 each advanced toward the other until 18m. apart, when 

 each seemed to be gathering all the strength possible to 

 make a final leap. After standing motionless for a full 

 minute, one of them turned his head a little to the right 

 and instantly the other did the same. Probably ten 

 seconds elapsed while in this attitude, when quicker 

 than the eye could follow they sprang toward each other 

 and catching by their throats just back of the lower 

 ,]aAv. held to each other with a grip that meant death to 

 the one that should let go his hold. With a determina- 

 tirn to conquer or die, they wound each other round and 

 round until exhausted from loss of blood, wlien spread- 



ing their fore feet to brace themselvep, they stood per- 

 fectly still until one of them staggered, then fell, pulling 

 the other with him, laying them both down on the sand, 

 growing weaker and weaker umt'l they ceased to breathe. 

 When they were dead, I picked one of them up, and the . 

 jaws of each were so set that it was with difiiculty I 

 pulled them apart. The battle was probably of a min- 

 ute's duration, in which time the animals never noticed 

 my presence, or if they did they made no signs of their 

 knowledge of it. I presume the object was for one to 

 catch the other so close to his lower j-aw that he could 

 get no hold upon his enemy's throat, when a very short 

 time would decide the battle. 



AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION. 



The tenth annual congress of the American Ornithol- 

 ogists' Union was held in Washington, Nov. 15, 16 and 17, 

 in the lecture hall of the United States National Museum. 

 There were present of active members the following 

 gentlemen: Dr. J. A. Allen, Prof. W. B, Barrows, C. F. 

 Bachelder, Capt. C E. Bendire, U. S. A., Frank M. Chap- 

 man, Dr. Elliott Coues, D. G. Elliott, Dr. A. K. Fisher, 

 Dr. Theo. Gill, Dr. C. Hart JVlerriam, H. Nehrling, Robt. 

 Rirlgway, John H. Sage, Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, Dr. L. 

 Stejneger, L. S. Foster, Dr. D. W. Prentiss and Mr. Geo. 

 B. "iSennett. The associate members present were Vernon 

 Bailey, Job Barnard, Prof. F. E. L. Beal, Dr. L. B. Bishop, 



B. W. Everman, Dr. W. H. Fox. Henry Hales, E. M. 

 Hasbrouck, T. S. Palmer, Wm. Palmer, Witmer Stone, 

 W. E Clyde Todd. 



The sessions of the first day were devoted to business 

 and were not open to the public. 



The report of the secretary showed the jiresent member- 

 ship of the Union to be as follows: Active 45, honorary 

 23. corresponding 74, associate 416, total 557. 



The report of the treasurer showed the finances of the 

 Union to be in excellent condition. 



Mr. D. G. Elliott gave notice that he was not a candidate 

 to re-election to the presidency of the Union. 



The following gentlemen were elected officers for the 

 ensuing year. Dr. Elliott Coues, President; Wm. Brew- 

 ster and 13. W. Henshaw Vice-Presidents; John H. Sage, 

 Secretary and W^m. Dutcher, Treasurer. Additional 

 members of the council were elected as follows: Dr. J. A. 

 Allen, C. B. Corey, C. F. Bachelder, Dr. C. Hart Merriam, 

 Robt. Ridgway, Dr. L. Stejneger and D. G. Elliott. 



The result of the ballots cast for active members of the 

 Union showed the election to membership of Frederick 

 A. Lucas, Witmer Stone and Leverett M. Loomis. 



Sixty-six associate members were elected. 



Complaint has been made that during the sessions of 

 the Union there is not time enough for the reading of 

 the papers offered to the Union. It was therefore voted 

 that hereafter there shall be a session of the members of 

 the Union held during the evening of the day on which 

 the stated meeting of the council takes place, at which 

 session the officers of the Union and members of the 

 various grades shall be elected and whatever business 

 may be brought up shall be transacted. As the meeting 

 of the council takes place on the day preceding the open- 

 ing of the general meeting of the Union, and as the first 

 day of this general meeting is usually altogether given 

 up to business, this change will add to the session a full 

 day to be devoted to the reading of papers. ' 



A resolution was passed that on the decease of any ac- 

 tive member of the Union the president shall appoint a 

 committee of one to prepare a suitable memorial of the 

 life and work of the deceased, to be read at the first stated 

 meeting of the Union, and to be published in the Auk as 

 an expression of the sense of the Union. 



On the last day of the session twenty-one associate mem- 

 bers were present. 



A resolution was passed thanking the Board of Regents 

 of the Smithsonian Institution for use of the lecture hall 

 of the National Museum. 



A resolution was passed thanking the Washington mem- 

 beris for courtesies extended to the visiting members. 



The old Committee on Nomenclature and Classification 

 of North American Birds, consisting of Messrs, Allen, 

 Brewster, Chapman, Coues, Cory, Elliot, Henshaw, Mer- 

 riam and Ridgway, was reappointed. 



It was voted that a committee on communications, con- 

 sisting of three members, shall be appointed by the presi- 

 dent each year, which shall receive from the secretary 

 all papers sent to him, fz-om which said committee shall 

 select those to be read at the annual meeting, Mr. D. G. 

 Elliott, Dr. .J. A. Allen and the secretary were appointed 

 such committee. 



The question as to where the next meeting of the Union 

 shall be held was finally decided in favor of Cambridge, 

 Mass. The session to begin on the third Tuesday of 

 November, 1893. 



The programme of papers read before the LTnion on 

 Wednesday and Thursday, which sessions were open to 

 the public, is as follows: 



1. Birds of Lewis ami Clarke in 1893. Elliott Coues. 

 3. hummer Birds of ladiana and Clearfleld Counties, Pennsyl- 

 vania. W. E. Clyde Todd. 



3. The Geograpbical Distribution of the Genus MeQmc.o{)& in 



North America. E. M. Hasbrouck. 



4. Summer Birds of Prince Edward Island. Jonattian Dwipht, Jr. 



5. A Partial List of the Birds of White Head Island, Maine. 



Arthur H. Norton. 



C. The Origin and Geographical Distribution of North American 



Birds. J.A.Allen. 



7. The Life Areas of North America considered especially in Re- 



lation to their Classification and Nomenclature. J. A. 

 AUen. 



8. The Fly-catchers of the Myiarchus meximneus and M. cineras- 



cens groups. J. A. Allen. 



9. Notes on Birds observed in Cuba. Prank M. Chapman. 



lU. Remarks on the Origin of West Indian Bird Life. Prank M. 

 Chapman. 



11. A Review of the Faunal Literature of North American Orni- 



thology. Prank iVl. Chapman. 



12. Some Eccentricities in Geographical Distribution. D. G. El- 



liot. 



13. Habits of the Knot (Ti^Pnga ddmitus) in Massachusetts, George 



H. Mackay. 



U. Migration of CharadHus domMcUs in Massachusetts in 1893, 

 George H. Mackey. 



15. The Autumnal Plumage of the Hooded Warbler. Wm. 



Palmer. 



16. Pood-habits of the Common Crow. Walter B. Barrows. 



17. A Preliminary Investigation of the Pood-habits of Ampel/is 



cedronini- F. E, L, Beal. 



18. Notes on HelminthoijliUa clrnjsopU'ni, viniui, JeiiciilirmcliUilis 



and lawrencei in Conneetleui. .iohn H. Sage, 



19. Additions to the List of Manitoban Birds. Ernest E. Thomp- 



son. 



20. Feeding and Breeding habits of tlie Manitobaa Icteridse, 



Ernest E, Thompsoo. 



21. Peeding-habita of the Pinewood Woodpeckers. Ernest E, 



Thompson. 



23. The Distribution of the Genus Harporhynchus. T. S. Palmer. 

 ?3. Exhibition of Bpecimens of the .Imperial Woodpecker. T. S, 

 palmer. 



