10 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan. 5, 1893, 



THE 



•That Keminds Me.'" 



DOCTOR'S SCORE. 



Washington, D. C.—Ou a reneiit trip to North I'aro- 

 liua after quail and oii tlie day pr'ecediiig my return , Ihe 

 "boys"' kindly voliuiteered to fto out with nie and help 

 make a bag 'that should be the admiration and envy of 

 iny shooting friends at home. To make the success more 

 assured it was determined to divide tlie partv^ of fom- in 

 two. each side to shoot against the other for numbers. It 

 fell to the lot of the writer to be paired with Sheriff Tay- 

 lor, and a, ti-uer sportsman or l^etter shot never pulled 

 trigger, while the other side consisted of Dr. H. and nime 

 host Fowler, of tlie Central Hotel. 



Now. Dr. H.. aside from being the best physician in 

 Chatham county, is by all readily recognized as the very 

 prince of good fellows and has long lieen ccinsiderecl the 

 best shot of that section, if judged I'V tke nnmljer of tards 

 he killed. The result of the day's shoot was tliat tlie 

 Doctor's partv had a fe^v more birds at the close of the 

 day. which seemed but natural. imtH the next morning, 

 when old Aunty Brow n, of ebony hue. presented tlie 

 Doctor in the presence of seA'eral friends a bill for $'S.25 

 for her hen and thirteen chicks, with a demand for im- 

 mediate paxment. which the Doctor was compelled under 

 many protestations to hnnoi-. It tbrally came out through 

 the iimvilling testinionv' of friend Fowler that the Doctor 

 had vowed, on starting, lo beat "those other fellows." 

 and mistaking a I'ustling in the lugh sedge for the move- 

 meut of a covey of quail, cut loose with l)oth barrels with 

 the unfortunate result stated; and as one of Aunty 

 Brown's i-ickauinnies was a A\ itiiess to the murder most 

 •■fowl" the Doctor was urialile to |_>rove an alibi. 



It is needless tcj stal e tliat the hrst costs of_ the good 

 Doctor's mistake is no circumstance to what it has cost 

 him in the effort to keep the tiling quiet, but like Banquo's 

 ghost it win not down. W. T. B. 



THE PANTHER'S "HAND-SPIKE" TAIL. 



Editor Fnrt'!<i ttud Stream: 



There was one sentence in the letter of "Jacobstalf ," 

 printed in the issue of Dec. '32, to which, in the intei-est of 

 courageous sjiortsmauship and science (more especially 

 science). I w ish to again, direel: attentinn. lii telling tiie 

 experience of ■■Old Ral])l-i.'" yoiu- correspondent says of 

 the panther: ••It croucJied d(_>wji. irnrin.g its tail back 

 mul forth, and gave sexeral yells, etc." I have italicized 

 a number of words in order to attrae-t the .special attention 

 of the reader to them, ( if the part of the sentence refer- 

 j-ing to the panthers yells notliing need be said, .so many 

 courageous .sportsmen have AAiitten pieces and essays in 

 yoiu- paper to demenistrate tliat a i^anther does not scream, 

 and ha\ e so often proved, so to speak, that aU who think 

 they ha^ e heard one sci-eam a\ ere merely frightened out 

 Of t'heir wits, that it would l ie trespassing on your space 

 and wearing to the reader (especially Weai'iiig to the 

 reader) tr> odd a shigle word in tlmt line of ai-giiinent. 

 What I desire to do is to prov e liy references lo luy own 

 experience and the mnscrdai- construction of the animal 

 that the panthe]- never w aves its lail. 



This foolish notion, liorn of trembling fear, that a 

 panther waves and hi-shes its tail, has been too long 

 allowed to iioat about in books of natural history and 

 periodical literattu^e of Uke ilk. Let the rising generation 

 of sportsmen, the youth who count it a day lost w lieu the 

 mail that brings Forest .and Stkeam gets stuck in the 

 snow, be taught the truth. The panther's tail sticks 

 Bbraight out beliind like an Adirondack hand-spike, rigid 

 and immovable. 



So firmly rooted is tlie popular notion about the w an ing 

 of the panther's tail tliat no doubt many of yom- readers 

 will either think that I atn joking or insa.ne, liid I beg 

 them to read on and they will see at least that I never was 

 more in earnest than at this writing, and as for my health, 



I am prettv tolerable, thank ye. But of course I must 

 needs bring proof when overturning a popular fallacy, 

 and here it is: * 



During the past five years I have traveled through fifty 

 degrees of latitude and nearly one hundred of longitxide— 

 from the frozen shores of the Arsuk Fiord in Greenland 

 to Panama on the South Sea, and from the Azore Islands 

 to the Golden Gate. I have been among the forests of the 

 C.)bequid Mountains of Nova Scotia, the crags of the 

 T,;tons and the Shoshone j\lountains of Wyoming, tlie 

 desert w^astes of Death Valley and the Avilds of the Ozarks 



II Missouri, and yet in all thai time I never saw a pan- 

 ther's tail wave. To the majority of those who have 

 written von on the subject of the panther's scream this 

 statement will be absolutely convincing on two points: 

 First, and most important, the panther's tail does not 

 wave. Second, and almost as important, I am a man who, 

 like themselves, is never frightened when in a game coun- 

 trv. My nerve is never ruffled by the wad of a loon, 

 while my calm and deliberate gaze is never deceived into 

 supposing that the tail of a iianthei' waves. 



Having thus placed ni3self among those courageous 

 sportsmen who alloAv no shrinking modesty to j^re^'ent 

 their giving their personal experiences in the interests of 

 science, I might well rest satisfied, and I would do so but 

 for the fact that a very large number of your readers 

 know somefhmg more about panthers than can be learned 

 even by following the trad of the beast and shooting it 

 fr nn the crotch of a big birch after the dog-s have treed it. 

 J. here are even readers of FOREST and Stream who have 

 with a scalpel cut the muscles of the Felis concolor apart, 

 have, in short, dissected it from the tip of its nose to the 

 tip of its tail. These people v^ill say that the bones of the 

 panther's tail are so articulated as to move readily one on 

 the other, and that the muscles connected wdth these 

 "oones not only permit but are admiral^ly adapted to make 

 the bones move; the}- find there what they ^votdxl call a 

 baautiful adaptation of means to an end, i.e., the end of 

 "lashing about." 



This I freelv admit, but I am still able to prove that the 

 tail does not wave. In their dissecting did they not ob- 

 sarve certain muscles and pipes, so to sneak in the panther's 

 throat that are known to common folks as vocal organs? 

 They did. Did they not find a larynx— in short, did thej- 

 13. Dt find there means beautif idly adapted to the produc- 

 tions of sound — even screams and yeUs fit to "stop his heart 

 a beating"' as - 'Old Ralph" said to Jacobstaff? And yet 



we who never get scared know it. Q. E. D.: Tlie must-les 

 of a panthei lad n( \ ( 1 make it-^ bones nios e— the p uif In t 

 never wav(-. it-- 1 nl To lhos( w ho s^n the\ baM litnd 

 panthers >ci(. im- w( who au bi i\e--aA tbe% wtK im n \\ 

 frightened bv the owd. the loon or some other teai-iscnne 

 sound-prodncm <i' di^inzen ol the forest. 1 o tllo^,(• w iio ,s[iv 

 they saw the iiantlier wa,ve its tail I rt'|ily: \viu w ere 

 scared out of vour wits. Iiovs. it Avas th(^ wavitig ot a 

 bush, the nodding ol 1 w( d 01 the tiembhng of >olu 

 own feai'-smitteii eyt.' wmkeis. 



Oh foolish Trenibhus timorous feai', 

 Wliat .'^iphts von seel What sounds von hear! 

 A- waving biisli becomes a bear, 

 M hose opt-ii moiirh rtoth raise vour bau-l'^ 

 Of Vulpcs v<m a wolt can make. 

 ^ n\\ i iii ti a worm inri> a snake: 

 On v-akmK from some fearsome dream. 

 Yon think von beai- Concoior scream. 



But w 

 You i- 



NoRTHWOOl) 1)11 



♦Poetic huense. 



i-se ttiaii this— ve fates bewaill 

 -! the panther wave his tail. 



John R. Sph;.vi{S. 



CHRISTMAS GIFT RHYMES. 



FrumJnhii( SilliiiliiJ S Villi CUfI VII pificiifinrju bciik I 

 tainfru/ piiih'!< of troiif ii'ihI Ihiss files. Chnstmas. iJ^Hz. 



SoMF. tishermeti rrom lack of skill 

 BlaiMc poor success to flie.s: 



And some their ill-luck to conce.al 

 Ivesort to telhiig lies. 



This hi HiU- the first fault should reiuovt*. 

 As vou'll see hv its plan: 



Shc.ulrt ill-luck ver, attend vou— well- 

 Well, you're a fisliwuian. 



- „/ 1,11 I 



Acknoii-li'ihi 

 Your bonk and 



And clearly V<>ii iiiuily 

 That fishenneii will be deceived 



If I will onlv he. 



Villi (Jif.cr. 



loth received. 



In olden tinier 



\\hii\ I 

 .lhad no JM 



Whxtt . 1 rn 

 l< or then on e 



^Ij < 1 . . 1 \M 

 \Nhih n..^\ u 



>Iv creel 1 



th^ 



the netting, etc. . of suckers, etc. , in Warren county wavs 

 advocated to tbe (Jommission bv Albert H. Thomas, and 

 IS m the interf^st ot those opposed to iirotect ion ;uid m 

 I i\oi of netting in the lu-^h wateis The I omini-sion 

 oi>poses this iirovisKui. At the recent meetmu' ot the 

 Board of snpervisiors ot W arren cotmtv a. petition ad- 

 dressed to the Legislature and askme for the repeal ot So 

 iimch ol I I 111 Ik d to Liki (t( oi_( w 1- -,i^in d by 



all tlu Snp< 1 \ i>( \( I ot 1!k one lioin (In low n in w hit h 

 Ml Thiimas 11 ~.id( (1 md Ik wa-, nol i^Ki d to -^uii it for 

 obvious rea.sons. 1 niiniit saA' ]")arenthetically that 1 do 

 not thmk tlie petition should be granted until it is changed 

 so that it asks tor the release of all the w-aters m the 

 (.ounly tiom that ohnoMou-- -.pt n ii,iui and n( t m ( tioii 

 It tht --et tion 1-^ idmutidh Did loi 1 dsi Geoi^t liien it 

 surelv is bad for the other waters m the countv to which 

 it applies, and the other waters m. tliti county liave not 

 such powertnl irieiids to look after 1 lie weli-bcmg i t the 

 fi.sh in them as Lnkr deortic tijipears to iiave. 



(.ana I'lolutoi Win I! Biuni tt pi <>( iiu d the ^igtia- 

 tm-es to the petition I have mentioned, and alter it w^as 



completed one ot the snpe)-\-isor 

 quested that his iiaiiie I k- reiiKivetl tri_>.i 

 as to the reason tor Ins sudden change 

 \ isoi tinilh admitted th it la --tdl Ik 

 itl.ttuu lo \\ aiK n ( ounl\ in N < I Ki 



mil' to li] 



d 



that 



but he h HI 



the Fourth 

 pait ot E-^si 

 State Fisli ( 

 for fish tr V 

 me as \'er\ 

 ]n otecloi 

 nii->si(ni( 



n informed by the btate gam 

 )istrict. Avluch embraced all of 

 : coiintv. that if he signed such 

 iinrni>.sioners would not grant ; 

 or t]i(j .-.iipervisor s town waters 

 ueer liidld'izmg on the part 

 do not lK;lie\' 

 iich threat a 



mad 



ind re- 

 Asked 

 super- 

 e law 

 he reiiealed, 

 proti-rtor for 

 ;iiraltiiii and 

 |ietititiu, the 

 1 aiifilicntion 

 This strikes 

 1 ,^tat(' ijame 

 that the Fish (Jom- 

 )V the 



, gotieljy, 



lis weiv lull offish, 

 id tell a lie 

 ghtljc the wish: 

 ■erv lislnng bout 

 s always filled with trout, 

 len stream.s aregettmgjfliiy. 

 rarely lill: 

 In vam 1 often cast the fly. 



In vain exert my skill. 

 But now. alas ! the day's gone by 

 When I could learn to tell a lia 



ANGLING NOTES. 



The Man Who Tells the First Story Is Not In it. 



When 1 wrote tiie article. "LeapiuL; salmon and 

 Swimming Ti out " m Four^r vm) Stfi \ \i , \o\ 1, ind 

 this jonraal reproduced ni half tone the phologriiph ot 

 the modest ShelMug Rock Kails to i((ompin\ iheailulc 

 I had not the sli^hliM idi i ot vsliit thitaitidt might 

 lead to. I told ot some little trout swuniuing up m the 

 sheet of water of some little falls, and told mv storv 

 rather lialtinglv and with doulits as to how it would lie 

 received for on aiiotiier occasion w hen 1 tohl ot salmon 

 jumping ten feiit I was iinmerhateh- lumped upon with 

 more feet than the salmon .iiinq.ed. Isov . I -am tenqited 

 to blush for having told such a modest little story m siicli 

 a shrinking, diffident manner, and 1 expect thaf. Forest 

 AND StrE\M will regret having spent .uo.mI. hard, money oJ 

 the Republic m re]irodnemg that rather pretty j.ieture i.i 

 falls of the size, judging tnmi recent mtormation. ti-at 

 are suitable for a remnant counter. I can now see ihat I 

 made the fatal mistake ol lelhng my storv iirsi. Why.-' 

 Because a fiiend h c^ M nt nil 1 < lipping 1 1 < m 1 h. \lhnn 

 Journal and funu il 1 h im that li-li swim o\i 1 \i i_ n 1 

 Falls, and tin man who ~i\-so]^ Pioi 1 1 pn \l n a 

 Pliinni, a professor ot Laval Ulllvel•slt^ ot ynebec, wdio 

 has estabhshed a verv remarkalile observation at the base 

 of thethunikiing lloiM slioi I ill- on tin ( in idi in -^u'c 

 of the Nidgai.i Rnei Pioi Fhinni (th.it is tin w i\ thr 

 name is spelled but I piesunK it i'- pi onoiint i d linn\) 

 "who, by the w a-s is a Jellow (not of inhmh |( -^t i-tin 

 fishy promuu ution ot Ins nann mi^iit p -ihU I iI(m 

 to suppo'-e) ol hilt 1 do/tn loy d indn.iti nil 1 nti ~ 

 including the National Institute of France, has made it 

 his object to elucidate the question as to ho\s' t/ertain fishes 

 known to be of the salt-water species get into tlie iqiper 

 lakes. "This has lieretotore been exjilamed on the .'-round 

 of as.snmed subterranean currents, or the aclioii oi storms, 

 or of buds (aiiym„ tin spaw n tioni the loy\ t 1 waKis to 

 the upper. 



The unscientific man may suggest that the most com- 

 fortable route for the certain salt-water flslies to reach the 

 upper lake is liv way of tlie W elland Canal, thus a voiding 

 the falls of Niagara', but Prof. Phimii apparently yvill not 

 have it so. He admits that it is not to be supposed that 

 fishes, even the largest oi them, are endowed with power 

 sufficient to overcome a. force strong enougii to crush the 

 strongest ships and bend and twdst the heaviest iron rails 

 like straws. •'Their power is rather an adaptalality to 

 elude the impact of the on-ru.shing water." By the aid 

 of a powerful electric seai-c-li light, fisli have been seen and 

 photographed in their apiiroach to the base of the falls, 

 and then, a.s they boldly enter the cataraet itself. In 

 making the ascent to the' top the Professor calculates that 

 the fish SAvim a distance three times tlie height of the 

 falls. 



Section 1 40. 



This is the number of a section of the New- York Fish 

 and Game Code that in its intent opens the tloor to all 

 kinds of poacliing in the watei-s of Warren county. It is 

 an abominable law, inasmuch as it legahzes the use of 

 spear and gtm and net to take and kdl certain fishes at 

 any time. Long ago I iiointed out in this journal the in- 

 justice of such a law, and referred to Deputj- Attorney 

 Gen. Whittaker's condemnation of it, speaking as one of 

 3Ir, Whittaker's note to Sec 



game protector. Tt seems rather ofhcioiis^at best lor a 

 game protector who does not li^ e 111 the c(amty tt) take 

 such an interest 111 waters in which he eaii Iuia e no jier- 

 sonal concern antlwlueh are outside of his olhcird district. 

 One would think that wdien tlie countv law makers are 

 moTOig to get rid of the sjiear. the ti'im and the net that 

 threaten the extinction of their food bshes. that tlie uthcer 

 paid bv the state to jireserve tlie fisli anil name w ould, be 

 tlu tiMto idtlumli tht I \tt-)U ot his pow( I Uont(ss 

 to a ciii iosit v to know jiist where thi^ African is located ui 

 this particular wood pile. 



Is It the voice and tlireat of Mr. Kenwell. and the ••slick 

 work" of Mr. Thomas? Whatever it niiiv be. a htate 

 line iirotecfor has 110 hiismess w hate\ er to attempt to 



clieek the repeal of an 

 interest oi flir>se o[i])osi 

 such a thing liy uiefln, 

 lent man to be reniov ( 

 old fish commi.ssionei-.- 

 ( lo'^e --tasoii in I d I 1 

 pla.ntmgs ot front m 



law that is •'in the 

 1 id pniieetii.ir." and if he attempts 

 s nt intimidation he is an e.-ccel- 

 froiQ (.fnce. 1 1 1 link one i.f tlie 

 lid sa V tliat if ].)ike wej-e given a 

 orge he was not in favor of further 

 ■ same watei-. hut thiit is t|Uite a 

 difbu-ent matter Iroiii wliat I have -stated above, and I 

 question it the new commissioners have said anythmg 

 a Ijout it one way or another. 



Title in Fish. 

 In 1^*^! All V\ L Hillman ot Uobokm N I bought 

 a farm \u the town ot ■Wilton. Saratoga eounlA . liv corj- 

 ti i< I ol Ri( Inid K'oix n-> Mi MillnMu ul 1 Moi^tin 

 HiUm.ari- rtwided on the (arm lor some \eais. Imuu veaiS 

 ago ('. T. Barrett. s..n-ui-law of yioraau lldl man, with 

 the consent of W. N. Hillman and hi-, lather, made an 

 artificial jiond on the lariu ov damming a si ream winch 

 tlow s through it. Tins [lond Mr. Barrett stocked with 

 (Ternnin carp. Last: spi insi' Hurhard Rohens hrouulit an 

 action in the Supreme '. ourt aaamst hotli ot the llillnuuis 

 for the possession ot the farm, and at tlie same time he 

 bi-uiiaht nn at'tiou auainst Barrett tti restrain hmi troni 



1- , 1 - 



h 



Ijealed. am 

 Potters dC' 

 costs. 



it the lish troni the pond, Kohens tdanmng that 

 art of the larm. At the trual ot tlie case ,luilge 

 IT sustained Ro)>eus s claim. l]ie<:ase was a]i- 

 now tbe deiieral Term has reversed Judge 

 :isioii and Hives judgment against Rolums toi- 

 A. I\. ClIliNEY. 



lowuig interesting letter: 

 ' -'I iust tlrt)i> von a line to let 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST; 



fifV'om w iituff Vl}n■<'„'qJlmdenl.^ 



CiucMio. 111.- Dec. 31.— Mr. Car] Gumniitte. ol Kansas 



Citv has made the most remarkable double shot vet on 

 record His dot;- pomted a turkev. winch Mr. (TUiiinotte 

 killefl as it rosi'. liirnint; as hew-as about to open his 

 e.-an. he saw a fine large deer crouchmu in tin - - rass nearby 

 him on thi' left, and fins be slew with las unns.Ml left bar- 

 rel- All fliis hapiiened down 111 the ijier, .k.-e , -strip, this 

 month where a great maiiv other deer and tnrke\'s antl a 

 1 ira-e ininiher ol qii.ul were killed b\ Mr. (nnnnofte and 

 friends The partv was composed furl Iter bv Dr. Henry. 

 j\lessrs W in Hrown and John Chamliers of Jacksonville. 

 Ill Frank .Tolmson of ( hicaeoantl W m. Peters tif Kan.sas 

 Citv- Thev hunted .It and below the —i\ camp on ( ,i-eever's 

 ranch where T\lr. M. E. Alhson. .Mr. D. R. Streeter and 

 some others of us hatl our grevhound hunt on ileerin 

 hss:_ Mr. Gumnotte brings up Mr. Srrecters reinem- 

 1/ ranees from Kiowa, town. Quad shooting was superb, 

 and the turkevs weri' abundant in the hlack jacks. The 

 partv had a great hunt. 

 Mr. Fred Slieldon, of Chicago, writes me to-day the fol- 



a Deatmg as •■uta itaipn saiu to jacoostaii. .- .^i.jiu vt-L the coditying commissioner; , ^ • . 



we- know that those vocal organs are never used— that is 1 tion 140 reads; ' ^The provision m this section a,nthoijzmg 



. ]ust tlrt)f> von a line to let you know that J. Triggs, 

 of No. 1U2 .N. Ad.ams street, has a box of trout (brook) on 

 sale. Is it not illegal'.-' 



"Yesterday a fresh buffalo hide was brought into Mr. 

 Taylor's harness and leather goods store, on Washington 

 street, near Fifth aN enue. and had a lining jjut in it. It 

 mav be the one that was recently shot in the Yellowstone 

 Park." 



I cannot find in the Boole of iJie Game Laws anything 

 prohibiting the sale of trout in Illinois in the Avinter, 

 more's the pity! It is easy to tell where they came from. 

 Their capture is easy at this time through tlie ice of the 

 iiorthein lakes and streams, and the market-fishers know 

 it very well. :\[any- are taken, from the spawning beds in 

 October and November. 



There is not time at this writing to look up the history 

 • of this buffalo hide. ' rat next week I will try to find out 

 atMDut it. It may be one from the Jones herd, where an 

 animal may have been slaughtered for holiday sale. 

 Angling Bookts. 



Wednesday s ''I'ribvne of this city contains the following 

 noticeable mention: 



■■The noted collection of books on fish, angling, etc., 

 belonging to Robert Clarke, of Cincinnati, comes to tiie 



