Feb. 16, 1898.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



13B 



confidence that there would be no lack of bounty, another 

 table stood near containing piles' of plates and other plat- 

 ters of uncarved tm-key and coon, the latter lying length- 

 wise with head complete and legs turned imder, much 

 after the manner of a roasted pig, deliciously browned 

 and garnished ^^-ith imrsley. 



After all were seated and while the attendants were 

 taking orders, Jonas was fllhng- the plates with hands so 

 trained and quick that it was all the waiters could do to 

 take theui away fast enough. Some had their preferences 

 and others didn't care. Jeremiah Wixon said he "wanted 

 nothin' but coon. He had all the turkey he wanted to 

 home." Pretty Cynthia StoU, Hank Bender's partner, 

 would take a httle of the dark meat, but, with a little 

 shudder, "didn't want no coon." "AVell, ye needn't hev 

 any if ye don't want it," said Jonas, who overheard her, 

 "but I tell ye it's good," dextrously slipping apiece of the 

 animal in with the turkey, as, in fact, he had been doing 

 with all the other orders, and as an excuse for so much 

 dark meat put upon the plates he added to Mrs. Askem, 

 who stood beside him, "1 tell ye what, Phoebe, these tur- 

 keys 's oncommonly dark this year; wonder what they 

 been feedin' on." And Mrs. Askem, who had observed 

 the sleight of hand performance, fearful that some might 

 be offended if they discov^ered the trick, could only say, 

 "I d'no, I aint fed 'em nothin' but corn and buckwheat; 

 maybe its on account o' runnin' wild so much." 



"Well, wild meat 's better 'n' tame meat anyway," said 

 Jonas, driving his fork into another piece of the coon 

 which he placed beside the turkey on Mrs. Wixon's plate. 

 But no one did take offense and many plates were refilled 

 with as manj^ comijlinients on the goodness of their con- 

 tents, and before the supper was over Jonas was obliged to 

 . cut into the uncarved turkeys and coons held in reserve. 



When all were sufficiently served and there were no 

 more calls for anything from his (quarter. Jonas filled 

 plates for himself and wife, and they seated themselves in 

 the two vacant chairs kept for tlie'm, Jonas remarking, 

 "Ye'll hev to eat fast naow, Phoebe, fer we've got a long 

 ways to go to ketch up." 



As an indication that the company were about satisfied, 

 they were now more daintily picking at the remains on 

 their plates and there was more time for talking, which in 

 , the beginning was not thought of. Some one said in the 

 hearing of Jeremiah that "he never eat coon before and if 

 it was always as good as this he wouldn't mind haviu' it 

 ; every day." "Wal 1 guess ye wouldn't," said Jeremiah, 

 " "n' 's for me, I'd rather have it 'n' any meat 't I ever e't, 

 onless it might be mushrat 'r possum, but the' ain't no 

 possum in York State 'n' ye hev to go down south 'r to 

 Pennsylvany 'f ye want 'em, so, I guess I'U hev to be satis- 

 fied with mushrat 'n' coon." 



"Did you ever eat muskrat?" inquired his neighbor 

 across the table. 



"Yes, once, 'n' I'd eat 'em. agin 'f I hed the chance." 



All the ladies shuddered and gave a little "ugh" as his 

 questioner inquired Avhen. 



' 'Ye know old Shack 'at comes 'round here 'most eveiy 

 fall trappin'? Wal, two three year ago 1 was huskiii' 

 corn down in the field near his camp, 'n' as it was a 

 good ways from home, I had a basket o' dinner with me. 

 So at dinner time I went over to the old man's shanty 

 jist for company like, 'n' found him ready to set down to 

 his own dinner. He had a kettle full o' sumthm' 't smelt 

 mighty good while it was cookin' 'n' he asked me to hev 

 some. He said they was rabbits, 'n' give me a plate full, 

 "n' I e't it 'n' it was so good 't I e't some more. I give 

 him a piece o' pie 'n' some cake out o' my basket 'n' we 

 had a real sociable kind o' dinner; but somehow I thought 

 't his rabbits didn't taste hke them 't Ave got 'round home, 

 "n' I said sumthin' 'bout it, 'n' the old f eUer grinned 'n' 

 asked me to have some more, but I'd e't all I could 'n' 

 then he told me they was mushrats.. It didn't make no 

 bad feelin' between us, only I didn't like to be tricked 

 that way 'n' like Jonas 's been a trickin' yer all to-night, 

 giviu' ye coon meat when ye asked for turkey. I got 

 only one thing agin ye, Jonas, 'n' that's because ye put 

 that piece o' turkey on my plate when I didn't want noth- 

 in' hut coon." 



A dozen little feminine screams and a loud shout of 

 laughter from the men folks attested the fact that Jonas's 

 little joke was understood as he intended it should be — 

 after the supper was over, only lie wanted the satisfaction 

 of telling it himself; but Jeremiah had thought it out so 

 nicely that he could only sit and chuckle heai-tily, as one 

 of the ladies said: "I thought there was something 

 funny about that turkey all the time," and another added 



■ "So did 1, but I didn't want to say nothin', 'n' it was 



I prettjf good after all." 



I "Wal, there's more of it if ye want it," said Jonas, but 

 they all had enough, and so had Jonas, for, seeing that 

 he was the only one avIio was stiU eating, he arose from 



I the table, followed by the rest, and preparations were 

 begun to clear the room again for a continuance of the 



I dancing, for country dances never end Avith tlip finishing 

 of supper, usually continuing till the gray of the morn- 



l ing, and as this AA'as no exception, thei-e AA^ere seA^eral 



( hours of merriment for the conipany and hard Avork for 

 the fiddlers to be had before the final breaking up. Only 

 a few of the elder ones, Avho hA'ed at a distance, shoAved 

 any inclination to leaA^e, and as their teams and three- 

 seated wagons Avere brought around for them they Avere 

 bidden a merry good-night b}^ those who remained. So 

 many promises were made to have "a party at aour hou-se 

 soon," that frequent good times were assured for the 

 whole coming fall and Avinter season, but no one would 

 promise as much as Jonas had furnished, only Jeremiah 

 Wixon said: "When ye come to our house I'll get Old 

 Shack to ketch ye some mushrats." J. H. B. 



McKee's Rocks, Pa. 



"Nessmuk." 



1 Avant to make a suggestion. How Avould it do to 

 limit the amount of each subscription, make it small, so 

 that a greater number may have an opportunity to ex- 

 press their loA-e and appreciation of our dead friend"? 

 You haA^e fixed the cost at S300. ^Vhy not call for 200 

 subscribers at $1 each? The money is no consideration, 

 but the priAnlege is OA-erything. " F. 



Inclosed find draft, Avhich please add tathe "Kessmuk" 

 subs^-riy)tion. 1 A^ery often look over the litttle book 

 "WiiOilcrafr/' and though I have no o])porl;unicie.-^ of fol- 

 io Aving its tfachings, it always hruigs back to me plea.-iant 

 thoughts of the woods and lakes and I feel grateful to 

 the kind, gentle "Nessmuk." E. E. Mir-r.ABD. 



AN ADIRONDACK DEER HEAD, 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



While I was on the headAvaters of the West Canada 

 Creek, Hamilton county, N. Y., in September, 1890, my 

 guide told me of a wonderful buck which he had seen at 

 Deer Lake or pond, in the same county, just before the 

 season opened. He said that when seen it was feeding in 

 the edge of the lake, and near it stood another deer, Avhich 

 their party supposed to be a fawn on account of the great 

 difference in size, but upon near approach they found the 

 smaller one to be a full-sized deer, the difference in ap- 

 pearance being accounted for by the great size of the 

 larger deer. 



The horns, which Avere in the velvet, he described as 

 the largest he had ever seen, and palmated. While not 

 very positive about it, he was evidently of the opinion 

 that it was a cross of our common deer either Avith the 

 moose or caribou. 



After my resurn to civilization I visited the gentlemen 



A NOTiVBLE ADIBONDACK HEAD, 



who composed his party and had seen the deer, but got 

 no further information. They Avere both of the opinion 

 that they had seen a caribou, though neither had ever 

 seen one before, or, at the very least, that it was a cross. 

 Very shortly afterward I read in the dallj^ press of the 

 killing of a supposed caribou at North Lake, in Herkimer 

 county, by Mr. M. M. MayheAv, and that the head Avas at 

 a taxidermist's in this city. Havhig no doubt but it was 

 the same animal I went at once to see it. I Avas there in- 

 formed that the deer weighed 3251bs. . but I could not dis- 

 cover that it AA^^as CA^er actually Aveighed, and I have no 

 doubt it Avas "estimated." I liaA'e taken photographs of 

 this remarkable head, Avhich I send you herewith. 



There is no doubt it is om- common deer, and I haA'e 

 seen larger heads, but ncA^er such a pair of horns. At the 

 Avidest part of the palniation a rule may be placed diag- 

 onally so as to touch the horn for ten inches, and the 

 s.ynimetry of the entire horns is Avonderful in such an 

 abormal pair. 



Many people here, including the taxidermist who 

 mounted the head, called it a caribou, but such is not the 

 fact. It is a Virginia deer vAdth a remarkably developed 

 pah of horns, such as occasionally occur in all of this 

 family. " Egbert BACui. 



Utica, K. Y. 



"Vizcacha and Praii'ie Dog. 



Denver, Col. — In reading Mr. Edward A. Robinson's 

 interesting article of Feb. a in Forest akd Stream, I find 

 that he makes reference to the vizcacha. From his de- 

 scription they must be of the same genus as our prairie 

 dog, so common on the plains. Aside from the thieving 

 propensities credited to the vizcacha. their habits seem to 

 be identical with our little rodents. The latter, howcA-er, 

 are rarely found in the immediate vicinity of a ranch 

 house, and this may account for their integrit}^. 



L. B. France. 



[The vizcacha {Lagostomus trichodactylus) is not A-ery 

 unlike the prairie dog, and bears much the same relation 

 to the delicate chinchillas of South America that the 

 prairie dog and the spermopliiles of North America do to 

 squirrels. The A'izcacha, howeA'er, is much larger than 

 the prame dog. being nearly or quite 2ft. long from nose 

 to root of tail. Darwin, in his journal, says: "In the 

 evening the A-izciichas come out in numbers, and then sit 

 quietly on their haunches. They are at such times veiy 

 tame and a man on horseback passing by seems only to 

 present an object for tlieir graA-e contemplation. They do 

 not Avander far from their bnrro\\s. They i-un veiy 

 aAvkwardly, and wlien hurrying out of dangei'. from their 

 elevated tails and short front legs nnich resembln great 

 rats. Their flesh when cooked Ls w liite and good, but it is 

 seldom used." Much of this uuotatjQn would apply very 

 Avell to the prairie dog.] 



South Shore Notes. 



The Cedars, Oak dale, I.. I., Feb. A.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: We haA'e been visited during the past AA^eek hj 

 a gxeat many robins and tiny little yellow birds, whose 

 cheerfid notes soimd so welcome, and yet so in contrast 

 to the fearfully cold Aveatlier Ave have passed through and 

 are still liaAdng. It is reaUy wonderful how the little 

 fellows keep alive. The yelloAv birds sing from tree and 

 bush as SAveetly as if it were summer time. Where can 

 they have come from, that they have hA^ed through such 

 a seA^ere Avinter. 



There Avere a large number of larks here during the 

 cold spell, but every one has disappeared. A .gi-eat many 

 have been foimd dead and the crows feeding on them. 

 Could they all have died froin cold and hunger, or did 

 they leave us for Avhat Avas once the Sunny" South? I 

 think they must have perished, as they Avere too weak to 

 make a long flight. We miss their sweet notes, as Ave 

 always had them Avith its all Avinter. 



My neighbor. Mi-. F. G. Bourne, of the Singer Co.. is 

 the OAAmer of over four hundred acres of land, on M^hich 

 he has a kennel of St. Bernards. The dogs are fed on 

 stale bread sent in barrels from the city. When the dogs 

 are being fed a bevy of nineteen fine large quail come 

 every day to the kennel to get their share of the crumbs. 

 One day Avhile his superintendent, Mr. McKenzie, was 

 feeding dogs and quail a full grown possum climbed over 

 the sides of the kennel to get a share of the feed, Avhen 

 he was quickly despatched by one of the big dogs. He 

 must have been very much in need of food to enter the 

 kennel in presence of man and dogs. 



The bay here is breaking up, many large holes having 

 fonned in the ice. The gunners have been eagerly look- 

 ing for the ducks to return, now that there is plenty of 

 Avater, but the ducks do not show up. I think the feed- 

 ing grounds further south haA-e greater attractions for 

 them and I don't look for much shooting until they 

 return in the spring. A few half -starved black ducks sit 

 off on the ice all daj^ and at dusk Aving their Aveary way 

 to the spring holes at the head of some creek, Avhere 

 they are forced nightly to Avitness an exhibition of fire- 

 works. Alfred A. Eraser. 



The Hard Winter in Iowa. 



Fort Dodge, la. , Feb. 8. — Game in this section of loAva 

 is having a hard time this winter. Heavy snoAv fell on 

 Dec. 7, and has lain on the ground ever since, with occa- 

 sional additions to the seven or eight inches which fell on 

 that date. Quail were plenty during the season, and 

 eveiybody, from the sportsman who ptrrsued them in 

 legitimate manner to the game-hog pot-shooter, AA'ho 

 "found four flocks of 'em along one hedge and got all but 

 one quail at foiu- shots," had good shooting. It will be 

 many years before such quail shooting as we had this fall 

 will be seen again in northwestern Iowa. The intense 

 cold and difficidty of obtaining food and Avater has left 

 many a fine btmch of birds imder a pall of snow. 



Prairie chickens have wintered Avell, and where safe 

 from trappers, will come out all right. I saw over one 

 hundred of these bhds along the I. C. ti-ack, just west of 

 this place, apparently filling their crops with gravel for 

 "millstones." It takes a well equipped gizzard to grind 

 Iowa corn, and the chickens have not yet learned to take 

 theirs in liquid shape. 



Eabbits are scarce from some reason or other, though 

 there is generally an abundance of the cotton-tailed pests. 



Iowa needs ncAv game laAvs, some that will "hold wa- 

 ter," and a rigorous enforcement such as is given in 

 Illinois and Michigan. She needs it noAv, not twentj' 

 years hence, when a woman with a broomstick can pro- 

 tect all the game that will be left imder the present sys- 

 tem. CONVIS. 



A Phillippine Snake. 



Minneapolis, IMhin.— One of the largest snakes has been 

 mounted at the State University. It is 35ft. long and OA-er 

 2ft. in circumference. The snake AA^as killed in the Phil- 

 lippine Islands by Profs. Woorchester and Burns, of the 

 Menage expedition. The explorers Avere told by the natives 

 of a large snake in a holloAv log. They closed up the ends 

 of the log, chopped in the center, put rattans around the 

 snake's body and pulled. Then the ftm began. The snake 

 had no idea of coming out of the log, but it Avas either 

 come out or come into. After a fierce struggle the natives 

 and explorers succeeded in getting him out of the log, and 

 then it was nip and tuck. The snake AA^as at last crowded 

 into a stream of water, where the men had the advantage, 

 and at last the snake Avas stretched on the bank Avith a 

 rifle ball through his body. The skeleton is being mascer- 

 ated, cleaned and motmted by Mr. James Hobson, of Ann 

 Arbor, who came here for the purpose of mounting the 

 specimens secured by the Menage expedition. 



W. F. D. 



Fur Seal Migration. 



Mr. W. A. Wilcox Avrites from San Francisco that fur 

 seals are uoaa^ between Cape IMendocino and Point Reyes, 

 the fleet not being over 100 to 200 miles from San Fran- 

 cisco. 



The unusual occurrence of the seals in large numbers 

 so far south at this season is supposed to be due to a pro- 

 tracted and uncommon cold spell and rough weather. 



A large sealing fleet has been fitting out and continues 

 to leaA'-e daily toT the grounds. Most of the vessels are 

 prepared for a nine months' A'oyage, and Avill not follow 

 the seals north as heretofore, but Avill go to Japan, where 

 the seals are taken from 125 to 3o0 miles from land. 



Pinnated Grouse in Western Massachusetts. 



Fish and Game Commissioner Lathi-op, of Massachusetts , 

 recently distributed 100 pinnated grouse or prairie chicken . 

 in the neighborhood of Springfield. They Avere brougl t 

 from Dakota by the Massachusetts Game Association. 

 W. Colburn and R. O. Morris took forty of them to Long- 

 meadow, Hampden and Wilbraham to be set at liberty. 



North Carolina iQuail and Snow. 



A Salisbury, N. C, corre3))ondent reports that in the 

 recent snows quail haA'e been caught by the hundreds. 

 "I think that if the snow had rejnaiued a Aveek longer 

 there Avould not have been a bird left in the county." 



