4 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jai^\ 5, 1898. 



THE GRAY WOLF. 



The large wolf of North America is commonly known 

 as the timber, or gray wolf. It was formerly generally 

 distributed throughout North America, from the Arctic 

 regions to the tropics, but has of course disaippeared from 

 all settled portions of the country. 



Over the larger 'portion of its range this %volf is gray in 

 color, but in Arctic regions it is white, or nearly so, while 

 in Florida and some of the Gulf States and in British 

 Columbia a black form exists. In Texas there are red or 

 bay wolves. 



Except in its color, the large woK of North America 

 (Canis occidentcdis) is every^vhere the same, but in its 

 habits there is more or less ditference. caused hj the. cir- 

 cumstances of its environment. The wolves of the north 

 feed to a consideralile extent on reindeer and caribou, 

 those of the east on deer, svhile those of the south prey 

 on deer and on the wild liogs which rim at large thimigh 

 the pine forests and s^vamps. A few years ago the center 

 of abundance of tlie gray Avolf in America coiTesj)onded 

 very closely Avith the center of abimdance of the buffalo. 

 Great bands of these gaimt and ever Inmgiy animals 

 accompanied the buffalo herds, kiUing calves or old bulks, 

 and sometimes cutting out from the herd strong young 

 heifers, which they had little difficulty hi pulling down, if 

 they could once separate them fi'om the companionship of 

 their felloAvs. 



Notwitlistanding the fact that ever since the settlement 

 of America, the wolf has been pursued with gTms, ti-aps 

 and poison, it is certam that no blow was ever dealt 'this 

 race so severe as tlie extinction of the buffalo. Their 

 natural prey gone, the evolves turned their attention to the 

 herds of the stock men. and for years now their depreda- 

 tions have resulted in verj' serious losses to raisers of 

 horses and cattle on the nortliern plains. They do not 

 attack the herds when they are alai'med and closely 

 btmched together, but prowl about theu' outskirts, trying 

 to cut off tlie young stock, which they can easily pull 

 down. Sometimes a small band of wolve.s wiU round uyj 

 a httle buncii of cattle, which stand in a close circie, their 

 heads outward, prepared for the attack. After chcliag 

 about them for a short time, two or three of the wolves 

 will dash a,t the bimch, and if they can scatter the anhnals 

 it is the work of an instant only to pull dov^m a yearling, 

 or to kiU two or three calves. We have seen two wolves 

 thus destroy a yearhng steei- w\th no greater apparent 

 effort than a setter dog would ase in kilhug a cat. 



Year by year the range of the wolf is gj-oAvi ng more con- 

 tracted, and it is extremely desu-able that Ave should know 

 where this animal is stUl to be found, all about its color 

 varieties, and Avhat we can about its habits. It is there- 

 fore earnestly hoped that such of om- correspondents as 

 are informed on these poiats avQI let us hear from them 

 without delay. It is only a feAv years ago that some of 

 the most eminent natm'ahsts in America beheved that the 

 panther does not scream, but the discnssion recently 

 brought out iu connection with the Forest and Stkbam 

 Supplement of the panther has definitely settled this ques- 

 tion iu the affirmative. Tliis shows how much good can 

 be done by the Forest and Stream constituency if it will 

 take the trouble to contribute to these columns Avdiat its 

 members knoAA- on any subject in natural history. 



LYNXES IN CAPTIVITY. 



Santa Fe, N. M., Dec. 20. — Editor' Forest tuid >St)faw: 

 it is a mistake that the lynx, either the canadensif! or 

 nifus. can not be tamed, for I have tatiied l)oth varieties 

 myself. While in Florida about three years ago I secured 

 •A very young bay lynx and soon haxl it as tame as any 

 house cat, and it was really a A^ery affectionate pet. It 

 dishked to be left alone, and would he on the floor beside 

 my wife's chair and play Avith scraps of cloth by the 

 hour; but if my wife left the room it would soon begin 

 to cry and try to get out the same door to follow her. 

 The sAveet little pet was accidentally injm-ed when it was 

 about f om- months old and died from the effects. 



Last May a little Mexican shepherd boy found a den 

 with three beautiful little kittens {Lynx canadensis) in 

 the mountains near this place and brought them to town 

 to sell. He sold one of them before I saAv him, but I 

 secured the other tAvo. and soon had them very gentle. 

 Tliey are quite difficult to raise, though I don't see why 

 they should be. We fed them on fresh goat's milk for a 

 tew days, gradually working on to raw meat. They 

 grew very rapidly but after a f cav weeks begun to liaA^e 

 fits, and one of ti lem died. The other one got better and 

 was the prettiest pet Ave ever had, being more gentle than 

 the average house cat. She was A^ery fond of lying in 

 my wife's lap, and another favorite pastime Avas to chmb 

 on the bed and playfully pull our hair with her shai-p claAvs. 

 She always had her full liberty; and never showed any 

 desire to leave the place, nor any signs of her AvUd nature. 

 She lived on the best of terms Avith my numerous dogs, 

 although she never seemed to fancy the foxhoiuids. Her 

 especial favorite Avas a black cocker si)auiel; and they 

 Avere fast friends, playing together foi' hours at a time, 

 the spaniel enjoy mg the romp as Avell as the lynx. 1 am 

 sorry to say that last month she Avas taken again AA'ith fits, 

 although she had been in the best of health foi' over three 

 months, and after liaAmig two or three a ery seA ere (jnes 

 she died. She Avas then about six months old and about 

 tAvice the size of a house cat. 



While stationed in Florida I tamed a full grown bay 

 lynx, that is tamed it so I could handle and pet it, but of 

 course could not turn it loose. I beheve it was the most 

 Adcious animal Avhen first captured that I ever saw, but in 

 eight or ten weeks I had it so that I could put my hand 

 in the cage and pet it, open its mouth to show its teeth to 

 my friends, and in fact handle it very freely. It seemed 

 quite fond of haAdng its head scratched, and that was the 

 first thing I was able to do with it; but after that I made 

 rapid progress in taming it. 



The Canada lynxes are quite numerous m this Adcinity, 

 but A^ery difficult to kill Avithout the aid of hounds. I 

 have killed three fine specimens AAdthin the past month, 

 my hounds haA^ing treed them for me. I haA-e neA^er seen 

 a bay lynx in this part of the country but I think that 

 there are some here, as the old hunters speak of killing 

 tvp-Q kinds of "wild cats" here. 



I don't think that the ocelot is ever seen in this part of 

 the TeiTitory, as diligent inquiiy among the old nunters 



fails to draAv out a description of it. I woidd like to learn 

 more of them and of the country they recover. Why 

 cannot some of our friends in southern Texas Avrite us 

 about their experience Avith the beautiful "leopard cat," 

 as they surely are found there. There are a great many 

 of then- skins on sale here in "curiosity stores," made up 

 in rugs with the head half mounted, a,nd of all the cat 

 family they must be the most beautiful. Tradition telLs 

 lis that the' ancient Aztecs trained them to hunt and used 

 them to catch antelope and deer. Gen. Lbaa^ Wallace, in 

 that beautiful Aztec tale, ' The Fair God'' makes his hero 

 the po-ssessor of one of tliese Avonderfully trained animals. 

 The most of the skms on sale here come from southern 

 Texas and Old Mexico. I shall make an effort to seciu-e 

 some young ocelots next spring and try tsiniing them, 

 also some young panthers, AA-hicdi are quite common in 

 the mountains in this country, H. B. Hersey. 



DEER AND SHEEP. 



CoMMENTiN(i on the statements in a recent issue of For- 

 est and Stream on "Vermont Deer and Sheep," Isaac 

 KeuAA^ell, of Indian Lake, Adirondacks, Ngaa- York, Avrites: 



"Deer wih not kill sliee}) nor molest them in any AA^ay. 

 I have spent my Avhole hf e in the Avoods and had great 

 opportimity of studying the habits of deer, both iu this 

 State and the backwoods of Upper Canada. So far as 

 deer yarding, as they always do during tfiat part of the 

 winter Avhen the snow becomes very deep, they AA^ill yard 

 all kinds together; that is, bucks, does, old and yoimg, and 

 five in perfect harmony. Bucks A%-ill not mate AAdth ewes, 

 neither AviU deer kiU sheep. No\v- I can furnish any 

 amount of eAddence to substantiate the above; First, David 

 Keller of this county is an old p]one(?r fnrnier and hunter; 

 to my knoAvledge lie keeps sheep. He also kept a female 

 deer for seA'en years that had the liberty of his place, 

 ran Avith his shee)) or eattle just Avlien and AA^here she 

 chose. Now during the rutting season in the fall 

 this doe would take to the Avoods, sometimes 

 for a week at a time, and on her return to the clearing- 

 she would he accompanied by a buck, and sometimes by 

 two hucks. Now, these bucks never intejfereil with the 

 shee]), eA en though it was in the rutting season. Keller 

 has killed as many as five bucks that had followed the doe 

 home during one faU. 1 can also give you tlie names of 

 several others tliat have had like experiences Avith deer. 

 Wm. Pashley is iiuother larniej- oi' pioneer of the Adiroi:- 

 dacks. Robert Manes, of Hastings county, Ontario. Can., 

 keeps sheep in the hack woods of Canada, wliere deer fre- 

 quently avou Id feed in tlie pa.sture with tJie sheep, and I 

 can produce jiu;>re than .fi fty similar ilhistr.-itions As-hei'e 

 wild deer frequented the sheep pasture: hut in no place 

 or case did deer harm slieep in any way. It is something 

 else that destroys yom- farmers' sheep. Surely deer Avill 

 not do it. 



Therefore, you caai sum it up in this wayr bucks will 

 yard with bucks alone, also bucks aviU yard Avitli bucks 

 and does; backs Avdl not mate AA'ith sheep; bucks will not 

 kill slieep. 



I have seen deer yards that contained more than 100 

 deer, and found tiiem of or including old bucks, old does, 

 yomig bucks and young does; in fact, all kin<is and of all 

 sizes, liAing in perfect harmony. 



A NEW MEXICO COLLECTION. 



Eddy, New Mexico, Dec. 26.— Is there such a tlimg as 

 the "cactus deer?" I met here an old frontiersman avIio 

 for many years has been collecting the Avild animals of 

 New Mexico, upon Avliich lie practices, rather roughly, 

 the art of taxidermist. His coUfction no\\- embraces 

 every wild beast kiii iwn to the Terriiory. usually several 

 specimens of each. Among these is wha.t he calls the 

 ■■cactus deer." In place of the antlers it has a number of 

 protuberances gToujjed togetlier in two oi' three clusters, 

 Avhich look exactly lil^e a variety of cactus common in 

 NcAv Mexico and Texas. Indeed the resemblance is so 

 striking that I had a suspicion that the old man had 

 played a trick by deantlermg the animal and fixing the 

 A^eg'etables on his head. In a moment, hoAvever, I per- 

 ceiA^ed that the cactus-like thing Avas a true ontgroAAi;h 

 from the head. He claims that it is a distiiiL-t \ ariety of 

 the deer Avhose horns are always like the cactus. Can 

 this be sor Truly, I ncA^er heard of sucti a lieast before, 

 and I thought niyself well read as to lieascs. I hope 

 Forest and Stream and its Ncav Jlexican corr espondents 

 Avill turn tlieir fights on the subject. To me it seems 

 nothing but a common lilack-tail deer Avhich has shed its 

 horns, and that the cactus-hke things are the new horns 

 sprouting out. But it* color is darker than that of the 

 other black-tail deer in the coUection. 



He has a noble elk in his collection, killed in the Gua- 

 dalupe Mountains, about sixtA' miles west of here. It 

 weighed 7001bs. and stands almost as high as any horse. 

 HoAA^ this animal could get alon,g or be at all comfortable 

 Avith the prodigious antlers which he carried is what 

 causes me to marA-el. Their Aveight must be near a hun- 

 dred pounds, for tliey are as stoue and about as hard as 

 the hardest. Was he proud of them or A\-as he continually 

 sad under the biu'den of the great Aveight? The upper 

 surfaces of the antlers of this one are pohshed as smooth 

 as glass by friction against tlie Inrush. The old man tefis 

 me they hA'e in the dee]jesL I'ecesses of the moimtams 

 where the bmsh is ahnost imijeuetrahle. Hoav can they 

 manage their great homs in such a place? Evidently the 

 elk was intended for the open coimtry. and he noAV seeks 

 the mountains and Inrush, not that he likes them, but that 

 he wotdd hide. Poor fellow, he is now but a prisoner, and 

 the days of his race in this world are neai'ly numbered. 



"And this," said my old friend, pointing to another 

 great beast Avith AA^iJd. protuberant, flaming eyes, "is the 

 Mexican or Rocky jMotmtain lion." I looked and saw that 

 it Avas nothing in the Avorld but a tremendous puma, or 

 cougar, or panther, about 8ft. long, counting the tail. 

 There Avas another laeast of the same kind in the assem- 

 blage Avhich he caUed a panther, but it was in no wise to 

 be distingxiished from his fion excejat in size. The one 

 Avas a big puma and the other a puma of ordinary size, 

 and that A\'as absolutely the only difference. I suggested 

 to my old friend that Ins ''fion" was only a panther. 

 "Oh,, no," said he. -'this is the female of the moimtatn 

 hon. The male is much larger and has a mane on his 

 neck. And he roars." That may be, but the panther, 

 cougar or puma also roars when he feels like it. Put it 

 down Avhen you hear of the Rocky Mountain lion that it 

 is nothing but the cougar. But the Mexican or mountain 

 lion, as knoAvn in Texas, is quite another thing and much 



more formidable. Indeed, he is a terrible beast and more 

 to be dreaded than any other that Avalks on American soil. 

 However, I choose not to discuss lions uoav, but may do 

 so some other day. 



My old friend Riggs is an enthusiast as to wild beagts; 

 and" that is not strange, seeing he has associated with 

 them all his life. Yet he has not imbibed any of their 

 ferocity. On the contrary, no cooing dove could be gen- 

 tler or more loA^able than he. He has a world of anecdote 

 touchhig them, Avhich it is delightful to hear him recite. 

 Like all enthusiasts, howeA^er, he has a tendency, I think, 

 to stretch the blanket a little. He told me some things 

 about his friends which I do not find mj'-self swallowing 

 very readily; but I lay them aside for future thought. 

 His coUection is the best in New Mexico, or probably any- 

 where else outside of the musemns. I am very partial to 

 men who are enthusiastic over Avild beasts. 



Eddy is in the valley of the Pecos River. I caUed this 

 river, the first time I saw it, "the betAvitched river," and 

 the more I see of it the more I think it is bewitched. It 

 is twice as big here as it is a hundred miles beloAv, and I 

 suppose if I go to its head I shall find it, too, tAvice as big 

 there as it is here. OA-er tAA^enty years ago, Avhen there 

 was not a human being liAung on it — except mm-derous 

 Apaches and Comanches — I predicted it A\^oifid become 

 the seat of a great community. The prediction is iioaa- 

 verifying beautifuUy under m,y eyes. Wealth is pouring- 

 its abundance into the vaUey. The strange river is used 

 for irrigation and the Avhole region is rapidly becoming 

 a great garden, orchard and vineyard. One man here 

 has a vineyard, of the finest Euroiiean grapes, of nearly 

 700 acres, which, when the Adnes liaA^e on their summei- 

 attire, is a glory to behold. I have always called the 

 river "my Pecos" and I'll stick to that claim. N. A. T. 



^nie ^ng mrd ^uif. 



THE GREENSBORO SPORTSMEN. 



Chattanoooa, Tenn., Dec. 10. — I have had splendid 

 sport quaff shooting in Virginia and North Carolina. I 

 .shot oA'er well traiued dogs and in company with several 

 rei;>resentatiAre Southern sixirtsmen, than Avhom none can 

 be better companions either afield or at their own fii-esides. 

 My httle .16 Parker was a trifle too much of a fine thing 

 (I'eiug full choke) for bu.sh and thicket shooting, still I 

 ga.A-e a fair account of myself after I settled ou. a load that 

 dill not smash things and gave me a little more marghi. 



I Avas inA*ited to go on. a turkey hunt at Greensboro, 

 N. C, and was almost alhired, but Avhen I discovered that 

 I probably would have to run a dead heat witli the dogs 

 of a mile or two, Avade a few belt-high sAvamps, tramp, by 

 wa.y of rest, twenty-five or thirty miles, and, percliance, 

 ff f ortime favored me, lug home a couple of 201b. gobblers. 

 I discreetly refrained, as rimning Avas never my forte. 



The natives of tireensboro are thoroughbreds; they hunt 

 foxes at breakneck speed through eA^eiything, with rat- 

 tling good liDises under them and swift foxhounds ahead, 

 to say nothing of very fleet and cmming foxes in the fore. 

 They follow avcU bred l:)eagles afoot, racing and tearing 

 through and oA er anything that comes along, cheering on 

 the dogs and making bunny think a pandemonium has 

 suddenly overtaken him and usurped his tranquil and 

 happy home. And AA-hen it comes to shooting quail, Avhy 

 they fire their rights and lefts Avith .such simple yet snijerb 

 re.gtdaritw that they made me positiA-ely euAuous, and 

 almost renounce niy oA\ n dear native land. A genuine 

 North Carolinia n ioA-es a dog right next to h is Avif e and 

 children if he has any; if not, then his OAvn parents and 

 sweetheart. So if I have any clioice in the ujatter when 

 the transmogrification occms. 1 will a]iiil>' for a pass to 

 Greensboro, N. C. , for, alive or dead, that is a sportsman's 

 paradise. To be fully appreciated in Green.sboro he sliould 

 stand about 5ft. lUm. . weigh 160 to IHOlhs. nieasuie 42 to 

 44in. around the chest, be swift as a deer, tough as a. 

 l)ear, have the pluck of a buh-terrier, ride like an Indian, 

 shoot by inspiration, haA^e the eye of an eagle, the wind 

 of a race horse, and be a general liang ui) .good feUow, 

 open-heaited, hospiitable and true to his colors; m other 

 Avords. a man. 



I could not close without mentioning that grand old dog 

 Dash, formerly OAvned by Wm. Jordan, who trained him 

 and noAv the pride of Mi'. Gil m er. Dasli is a Laverack — 

 a. dog that tliough years are teUing on him is still fleet- 

 quite fast enougli to giA'e any man all lie can con\'eniently 

 do to follow him. He is staunch, true as steel, sa.gacious 

 to such a degree that to interfere Avith his course is proof 

 jiasitive of ignorance, for no living dog can have more 

 bird sense or a more lev^el head. Aside from this he is an 

 all day dog — and furthermore a several consecutiA'e day 

 dog. " In fact, after Avorking hard for six or seven days he 

 seemed to be just at his best. What must he have been 

 three or four years ago'? I shot over Mm two whole days 

 and an afternoon and neA^er once did he lag or sIioaa" signs 

 of distress, albeit he had worked just as hard for several 

 days before. One had better shoot over such a perfect 

 animal Avith a, flintlock than OA'er an inferior one with the 

 finest breechloader, for after all the birds must be found 

 to be bagged. Briers, tliorus. tangled vines, nothing stops 

 bun; lie launches out at early morn and keeps upi a rat- 

 tlin.g pace until daylight ceaseis, then comes to lieel. 

 junipis in the A\'agon and is apparently obhA'ious of eA^ery- 

 thing until he cheerfull,>- resxionds to the "Hie on, Da,sh," 

 on the folloAving day. Faitliful, magnificent fellow — 

 ribbed of steel, hghtning geared, of A-ast inteUigence — ^Iioav 

 fondly I Avill remember the many times Ave lost you in 

 those great stubble fields or intricate thickets, then to 

 find you, staunch as a rock, quivering Avitli a heAy oi- 

 single bu-d nafied fast to the .ground! Who Avoidd not 

 tramp and plod on Avith such a leader? Docile as a lamb, 

 yet Avith the tiTie courage that never says fail. 



AA^ell, he is only a dog: but when his honest eyes shall 

 close to open no more — ^Avhen the muscular, Avell-knit legs 

 shaU lie stiff' and cold in death— I fain must feel sorry for 

 the man avIio lias known him, coidd he contemplate him 

 then A\dth tearless eye or feel, indeed, that he had not 

 lost a devoted, brave and noble friend: for .such to me is 

 Dash, But he has a kind master and a lovely mistress, 

 and siu-e is he'of kinrlest ^treatment iAvlien age creeps on, 

 and that is more than many a human being can claim, 

 percliance because he never earned them, perhajis because 

 he neA^er deserved them. So, grand old dog, adieu. May- 

 time deal kindly with us all, and rest a,ssured that no man 

 can with impunitv disparage thy noble traits in the hear- 

 ing of GrAUCHO. 



