July 15, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



25 



ANIMALS IN CAGES. 



Tacoila., Mich., Jtme. — Some time ago I read in your 

 paper that the wolverine was very diificult to keep in 

 captivity, coiild not be tamed, etc. Edwards Bros, of 

 this city, have one caged which has been in their posses- 

 sion for several months. I went to their place a few days 

 ago. The wolverine was curled up in some hay in an 

 iron lined box, some 3ft. wide by 5ft. in length, "and 4ft. 

 high, with bars in front. Edwards, Sr. , poked him with a 

 stick at which he growled and got up in rather a slow and 

 lazy manner. He did not show fight or offer to bite at 

 the stick, and when let alone immediately resumed his 

 form. The old man said he expected Iiim to get very 

 tame. The animal I should judge to be about half- 

 grown. While looking at the various cages of small 

 mammals, Edwards pulled aside a screen and asked me 

 to name a fierce-looking creature which stared and blinked 

 at us in a very feline manner. It was a lynx, but no bob 

 cat like the kind so abundant hei'e, nor was it Hke the 

 gtay species of Canada and northern New England. It 

 Was gray but had tufts on its ears and its feet were differ- 

 ent. I called it a Canada lynx but Edwards said it was 

 not, and that it was called "the fink cat," whether mean- 

 ing ^'connecting link" or lynx cat, I know not. He told 

 me it was "roped'* in the Palouse country by some cow- 

 boys, that it was a new species; that? the Crescent 

 Creamery of this city has got one and had it moimted 

 and sent to the "World's Fair; that it was found in Cali- 

 fornia and Oregon and rarely in Washington. The 

 creature was savage and met any advances half way with 

 a vicious dig. 



Among other animals an anteater from South Amer- 

 ica evinced a desire to cultivate a close acquaintance with 

 every dog that came near its cage; although a small 

 creature, its formidable clS-ws boded no good to the un- 

 happy canine that came within its reach, and Edwards 

 said it had used up several dogs. 



I read with pleasure the arrival of the capercailzie, this 

 is the coimtry for him, Walter B. Savaby. 



Five wolverines, one living and four dead, have been 

 brought into Tacoma since Feb. 20, The dead ones were 

 killed, in the valleys and foothills of the Cascades, ad- 

 jacent to Tacoma. The living specimen fell a victim to 

 the wiles of a sly old Willapa trapper, and now lies curled 

 up in the corner of a metal-lined box at the ofiice of 

 taxidermist Fred Edwards. His faculty for gnawing out 

 necessitated the riinc -lined box. The woolly old sportsman 

 Who Captiu-ed him, did the trick with a No. li steel trap, 

 knd brought his prize out of the brush inextricably mixed 

 up in blankets and old grain sacks. The animal is full 

 grown, uneducated to the refinements of public society, 

 and weighs 40 to 50 pounds. The wolverine is probably the 

 unregenerate customer which his biographers agree in 

 portraying him. I oifer nothing in defense of his char- 

 acter, nor in extenuation of his face when he smiles. In 

 repose he displays no ivory, but wrinkles his nose with the 

 promptness and grace of a social snob upon the approach 

 of a person who does not belong td his set. Seen in front 

 kis face looks like that df the bear. In profile the strong 

 likeness to the Weasel family is seen in his snout, his flat 

 head and low set "ears. His beady, glittering, restless 

 eyes complete the resemblance. His feet seem plantigrade, 

 his tail and carriage remind one of a skunk. 



We have a "what is it?" here in the cat line. An enor- 

 mous gray cat, barred black, exactly after the pattern of 

 any old domestic Tommy, pointed ears, big, honest round 

 head, yellow eyes, and aU the well known characteristics 

 of the house cat, except an abbreviated tail. He is more 

 than twice the size of the "bob-cat" (or lynx), with which 

 we are aU so familiar, and does not resemble that animal. 

 He weighs 75 to 80 pounds, and would crowd a big mastiff 

 for height and square build. He was lariated by a cowboy 

 near EUensbiurg, and brought to Tacoma in good health 

 and spirits. 



Speaking of bears, by way of a change, Tom Dean killed 

 a large black one ii miles west of the city, and 1^ miles 

 south of the electric car tracks; April SO; and Wm. Meers, 

 T)v. j. S. Wintermute and "tom Dean killed another in 

 the same place Jiay 6. Dean's hounds are beagles; Meers 

 put three deerhounds into the pack, and the doctor con- 

 tributed one small harrier. WiUock, of Kitsap, hunts 

 bear with two hoimds and a setter, and says the setter is 

 the best of the lot. 



Henry Spence hunts bear with deerhounds. Last faU, 

 while Henry and I were deer hunting up on the Nisqually 

 with old Crusoe alone, the hound nosed a big black bear 

 out of his nest under a fire-hollowed log, and by cutting 

 off his retreat toward a near-by bottom, w© captm-ed him 

 in ten minutes after the dog first gave tongue. 



There are no regularly bred bear dogs here. All our 

 hunters require of a dog is nose, courage and ability to 

 stay in a hot chase through rough countrj^. 



J. A. BeeBe, M,D. 



SPITTING SNAKES. 



Miss HoPLEY's article in Forest asd Stkeam of June 

 S9 is mteresting and valuable. Incidentally she refers to 

 toy criticism of Prof. Cope. I think she does not quite 

 Understand me. I imderstood Prof. Cope to say that it 

 Was a common or invariable natural habit of the rattle- 

 snake to hold his mouth open with erect fangs dribbling 

 poison into the open mouth, which by violent blowing 

 the enraged reptile thi-ew upon his enemy keeping beyond 

 the reach of his fangs. This I thought scarcely compat- 

 ible with the proverbial wisdom of serpents. Why should 

 natm-e bestow a deadly armament and then impose a 

 foohsli and useless habit of self -disarmament? Prof. Cope 

 explained that he was describing what he observed in a 

 specimen he had teased for an hour and a half on a very 

 hot day. Miss Hopley explains that "a snake can no more 

 control the excitement or stimulus of its sahvaiy apparatus 

 than we om-selves can." She concludes that the snake's 

 poison is only a modified sahva. And so also Prof. Cope 

 said in his rejoinder to me. I am aware that from the 

 standpoint of the comparative anatomist the term "mod- 

 ified" covers everything. 3Lin, for example, is a "modi- 

 fied" monkey, in individual cases perhaps not much 

 ''modified." 



Now snakes, yeupinpus and i^on.-ven.omous,Jhave saH- 



vary glands and true saliva, which is a lubricant assisting 

 deglutition and a digestive fluid doing important work in 

 the digestive process. Let us agree, then, that the poison 

 gland is a "modified" saU vary gland and its secretion a 

 "^modified" sahva; it is not a salivary gland and its secre- 

 tion is not saliva. Does Miss Hopley contend that we pos- 

 sess any evidence that the secretion of venom is stimu- 

 lated or increased by the efforts of deglutition, or by the 

 effects of rage or excitement, or even the act of biting? 

 On the contrary, the evidence seems to be that the con- 

 tents of the gland are nearly exhausted by the act of 

 biting, qiuckly repeated a few times, and are not replaced 

 until after the lapse of a considerable interval, during 

 which the snake is comparatively harmless. Therefore I 

 say the snake would not be that wise creature it is held to 

 be if it spat away its terrible armament at an enemy out 

 of reach, in impotent rage. The reputation of Prof. Cope 

 is very high, the charm of Miss Hopley's writings very 

 great, but I fail to be convinced. I admitted that a ven- 

 omous snake striking with intent to use its poison fangs, 

 yet missing its mark, would forcibly eject its venom and 

 spurt it into the air several feet. I stated that I had seen 

 the copperhead do this repeatedly, but I have never seen 

 the rattlesnake do it. I have no doubt he does do it under 

 the same circimastances. I have no doubt that some of 

 the stuff seen frothing in the motxth and blown at the 

 enemy by snakes sometimes happens to be saliva, and not 

 poison; spit, so to speak, and not venom^or "modified" 

 saliva. 



Most important and most interesting are Miss Hopley's 

 remarks on the striking power of snakes. She seems to 

 confirm an opinion I have always held that they can 

 strike from any position in any direction ; and that the 

 "kilhng circle" occupies the full sweep of a radius equal 

 to the length of the snake; and in exceptional cases reach- 

 ing even beyond it. 



I have no doubt from what I have seen them actually 

 do, that a f uU-sized diamond rattler could strike a man of 

 fuU stature between the eyes while standing erect. To 

 strike at a reptile so active, so powerful and so frightfully 

 armed from a position within possible reach of his fangs, 

 is a thing most foolhardy and perilous. Those who be- 

 lieve that the rattlesnakes are sluggish in all their move- 

 ments have repeatedly lost their lives in this very Way, 

 sometimes laying down a loaded shotgun to attack one of 

 these dreadful creatures with a short slight stick or buggy 

 whip, only to be fatally bitten. The extraordinary skill, 

 precision and suddenness with which one of these deadly 

 a,nd powerful reptiles will dodge a blow aimed at them 

 with a stick, and strike back at the assailant, can not be 

 imagined by one who never saw them do it. The rule 

 should be invariable — shoot them on the spot or keep 

 Without the deadly circle. M. G. Ellzey, M.D. 



A Black Snake and his Prey. 



Boston, July B. — Editor Forest and Stream: Eecently 

 while tramping through the covmtry, observing the birds 

 and their nests, I was somewhat startled by a buzzing 

 noise in the grass at my feet, and leaned over to investi- 

 gate, finding the commotion was caused by the tail of a 

 large black snake rattling among the leaves. We were 

 mutually surprised; he (or she) reared its head very high, 

 and with mouth open and toilgue darting north and south, 

 eyes set steadily upon me, body squirming at contracting, 

 my specimen looked formidable. Blood was in his eye, 

 he wanted fight, but being unarmed, I hesitated. I did 

 not want to look for a stick, being afraid of losing liim. 

 I called to my companion telling him to bring on the 

 clubs, as they were to be trumps pretty soon. I was 

 forcibly impressed by the almost hmnan manner and 

 peculiarly cunning motion the head and eyes presented 

 while turning from one to the other of us. 



A blow below the belt finally stopped that look in his 

 eye; we cautiously tied a handkerchief about his neck 

 and brought him home, feehng real proud. He was 4ft. 

 Tin. long and 6in. in thickest part of the body. Took 

 him to the taxidermist, who pulled a snake about loin, 

 long out of his mouth. I presume it was Ms supper from 

 the night previous. 



The taxidermist was greatly surprised, he never knew 

 of a like case before. Perhaps some of our observers of 

 snakes can enlighten us on this habit. 



I have wondered if this species of snake Were poisonous, 

 but have been unable to ascertain. 



I am looking forward to September with pleasm-e, not 

 that I expect to bring home great bags of gi-ouse or quail, 

 because they are things of the past, but for the sense of 

 freedom one feels when tramping about through thicket 

 and upland. 



My shooting partner dropped a fine great horned owl 

 last fall, measm-ing 251in. from horn to tail. He is at 

 present looking at me from on top of my book case. 



While out through the Blue Hills yesterday we found 

 partridge or ruffed grouse fairly plentiful; young ones 

 fine and strong. The quad were merrily whisthng on 

 either side of us, So that we may hope for a joUy day oc- 

 casionally this coming fall. 



I like the idea of "oiir paper" going to press earher, for 

 you cannot get it here too soon to suit us lovers of Forest 

 AND Stream. J. P. W. 



[The black snake is not venomous.] 



Chuckor Partridges in Illinois. 



;Macomb, 111., July T.— Editor Forest and Stream: I am 

 very soi-ry to inform the readers of the Forest and 

 Stream that the Governor of our State vetoed the bill 

 that passed both branches of oui- Legislature without op- 

 position, protecting our foreign game birds. You wiU 

 see by his veto message, he has no use for law and jails. 

 If is quite discom-agmg to try to introduce birds without 

 laws to protect them. 



The caccubis chuckor partridge I impoi-ted from India 

 last winter are doing nicely. One of them has laid forty- 

 seven eggs and is still laying, and shows no symptoms of 

 sitting yet. We set the eggs under bantams. One 

 bantam hatched out ten little spotted beauties a few days 

 ago. They are very smart and could fly when only one 

 day old. We have two more bantams sitting on ten eggs 

 each and have about twenty more eggs to set. It now 

 looks as if we shall make a grand success in importing 

 these beautiful game birds, and the whole coimtry has 

 become interested in their intrgduction into America. 



W. O. Blaisdell,, 



ADVENTURES IN THE FOG. 



I HAD been mining all summer on the Columbia River, 

 running a grizzly (not a bear, but a machine for saving 

 fine gold) ; had made my last clean-up for the season, 

 piled up my boxes, covered up my grizzly, dried and put 

 away my burlaps, and had gone down to the post ; sold 

 my dust, bought my winter's grub, except meat, and for 

 that article I substituted a few boxes of cartridges. I had 

 my provisions hauled to the opposite side of the river, and 

 fen-ied them across in my skiff, having plenty, such as it 

 was, and good enough, what there was of it. 



On the 24th of November it snowed a very little, and on 

 the night of the 25th the snow feU six inches. I got up 

 early, shouldered my little rifle, and started to the high 

 mountain for meat. The fog was very thick up above 

 me. 



After a while, following the alarm bark of my dog, 

 Frank, I came to where three big bears had gone along. 

 They were either very large bears, or had very large feet. 



It was nearly a mile to the top of the mountain, and 

 the probability was that the fog was half a mile thick 

 now. If I could come out of the fog only a little way be- 

 hind them, I would have the best of it. I kept on. In 

 less than fifty yards the fog got so thick I could not see 

 the grotmd. I was compelled to stoop down, and then I 

 coiild discern a tunnel which the bears had made. The 

 fog got so dense that I could not leave the tunnel. I was 

 in hopes that every step I would emerge from my prison, 

 as it were, to open daylight. The mountain was very 

 steep, and I was compelled to imitate the bear by crawl- 

 ing. I had gone but a short distance when I bumped my 

 head against an obstruction. I put my hand forward, and 

 there was a bear sure. I poked my rifle through the fog 

 until I could tell it touched the back of his head, and fired. 

 As soon as I was satisfied that it was dead, I cut away the 

 fog sufficiently to allow me to get past. I had crawled 

 not more than ten feet when the tunnel was blocked. 

 This proved to be the second bear, which in like manner 

 I killed. That done, the air in the tunnel was not of the 

 very purest. I concluded I would crawfish back. I cut 

 away the fog sufficiently to allow me to turn aroimd. 

 But my rifle being like the panther's handspike tail, re- 

 fused to be turned around. I had to take it along breech 

 foremost. When 1 got back to my first bear, there was 

 Frank. He was afraid to crawl over the dead bear, and 

 the fog was so thick he could not turn around. I had 

 some difficulty in passing him, but when I got past, I took 

 him by the tail and dragged him back thi-ough the tunnel, 

 and soon had the satisfaction of coming from midnight 

 darkness to open dayhght. Being very well satisfied with 

 my day's work, I kept on down the motmtain toward 

 home, which I reached at 3 o'clock, tired and hungry. 



That evening I began figuring out the profits of the day's 

 hunt. The bear skins, should they prove to be grizzHes, 

 would be worth $25 each. The gall of the last one I sold to 

 the Chinamen for $4.50. The oil should turn out four gal- 

 lons, worth $1.75 ; the skulls ,$1.50 to the Smithsonian 

 Institiition ; the deer skin 75 cents; making $69. The price 

 might go down a little. Say aU was worth $60. Very 

 good for a piece of a day's hunt, with one day thrown in 

 aringing^ in the game. 



The next morning early I saddled my horse, and with a 

 light heart Was on my way for the game. On the way I 

 saw a coyote on a little mound distant about 250 yards. 

 I raised the rear sight on my rifle, and fired. I had good 

 aim, but had imderguessed the distance. The ball struck 

 just under his forefeet, and it was laughable to see him 

 scamper up the mountain. Then I started for my bear. 

 I had no difficulty in following the tracks in the snoW, 

 for the fog had lifted. I soon came to the end of the track. 

 There was blood and the entrails of the two bears I had 

 killed, but where were the bears? After looking all 

 around, and not being able to account for their mysterious 

 disappearance, Hooked up at the bottom of the fog. There 

 were my bears in the grip of that fog, and not more than 

 ten feet from where the second one was, hung the third one 

 by the ears. It was kicking and pawing the fog all to nc 

 pirrpose.- The fog hung on to that bear's ears like death 

 to a dead duck. I raised my rifle, and fired at the head. 

 Down came the bear. I thought that this was pretty good ; 

 one bear out of three without a scratch or having to chmb 

 a tree; 1 could not see the ground w^here it struck. I 

 seciurely tied my horse, and walked over very cautiously 

 to the spot. There was no bear in sight. 



I went back disgusted to where the entrails of the two 

 bears lay, and cleaned off the grease, and started for 

 home, which I reached quiet early. While meditating on 

 my bad luck, I heard the clatter of a horse's hoofs, and 

 upon looking up, saw an Indian coming as fast as his 

 horse could carry him. 



There had been a time when I should have run for my 

 rifle, and hidden behind a tree or stump, and fired as soon 

 as he got in range ; but being at peace with the Indians 

 and the rest of mankind, I let him come up. It was 

 Indian Pete. "I want you to come up to my house," said 

 he ; "I want to show you some thing. A little while ago 

 Christine was playing out doors, and was leading that 

 httle dog, when a dead grizzly bear fell down out from the 

 cloud and killed the dog. She screamed like a laanthei , 

 and her mother ran out, and just then another bear fell, 

 and came near striking her. She ran back into the house, 

 scared nearly to death. I went out, and two bear's ears 

 fell down right by my feet." Peter had picked them up, 

 put them in his pocket, and brought them down to show 

 to me. I examined them. There was a bullet hole in 

 each. Then I kne^v how I had lost that thkd bear. When 

 I shot at the coyote I had raised my sight, and had forgot- 

 ten to turn it down, and when I shot at the bear's head I 

 had shot a little too high. I told Peter about my hunt, 

 and showed him in proof the sack of grease. 



"Well," said he, "come; go up; you can have one 

 bear, and I will take one, for if it had not been for me, 

 you would have lost both." 



I went up; and Avhen he told his wife she was much 

 pleased, yet she sympathized with Christine in the loss of 

 her pet dog. 



After stretching my bear skin and eating my supper, 

 I revised my memorandum by knocking 50 and 10 per 

 cent, off the estimated profits. 



Taken all in all, this was one q£ the most memorable 

 hunts Pve had since 1857. LEW WlLMOT. 



I OKANOQAfj CouNTX, Wastington. 



