BIO 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 16, 1894. 



STORIES OF EZRA.-II. 



Shooting a Loon. 

 Some time after the wood duck episode we went up 

 North 'Coon after squirrels and saw a speckled loon on 

 one of the still reaches of the river. As he was a new 

 bird to us, we determined to get him, and he afforded us 

 a great deal of sport, for we shot at him twenty-one 

 times, at distances varying from 35 tn 50yds. It looked 

 as if the loon enjoyed it as well as we did, for he made no 

 effort to get away, but swam about in a most tantalizing 

 manner, keeping his body submerged, and when Ezra 

 fired at him I plainly saw that the neck and head were 

 under the water before the shot got there. Ezra finally 

 killed him by hiding, while I kept in sight and acted as 

 though trying to get a shot. Ezra said it was taking a 

 mean advantage of the loon, but it had been having lots 

 of fun at our expense, now it had to furnish us some. 



The Sandhill Crane. 

 It being nearer to go home across the prairie than to 

 follow the river, we went that way, and came across four 

 boys who had winged a sandhill crane, which they had 

 driven into the corner of a field. After looking at the 

 crane a few minutes Ezra laid down his gun and said, 

 "I'm going to catch that animal." After a good deal of 

 maneuvering for a good opening he caught the bird by 

 the neck, but did not have time to let go before it planted 

 both feet in Ezra's face and threw itself 10ft. from him, 

 leaving his face with three or four furrows plowed in it, 

 from which the blood ran in streams. Wiping the blood 

 from his face he picked up his gun, and making a bow to 

 the crane said, "Excuse me, but I don't think it will be 

 profitable to continue this interview with you," and 

 walked away. 



In the high grass down in the sloughs we stumbled on 

 to a young "sandhill" not quite able to fly, but able to 

 make very good use of his legs in trying to escape, and 

 good use of his bill after we captured him. By the time 

 we got him home he seemed to realize that we were not 

 going to hurt him, and the next day was willing to eat 

 grasshoppers and various kinds of leaves and roots from 

 a near-by pond, and within a week was, as Ezra said, 

 "well broke" to eat wheat and corn. 



He staid with us for three years, having the liberty of 

 the town, and living in peace with everything except the 

 country dogs, who generally had a go at him, as they were 

 trained at home to chase the wild ones off the newly sown 

 wheat fields. A dog never went for him the second time, 

 for Dick, as we called him, didn't take a back seat for any- 

 body's dog, and as the dog rushed at him Dick stood his 

 ground, and when the dog got near enough, that sharp 

 Gin. bill of bis was aimed at the dog's eye. and most 

 always got near enough to send the dog howling for his 

 master's wagon. 



In the summer Dick spent most of the day walking 

 about the village, very much like a policeman; but in cold 

 weather his favorite position was standing on one foot, 

 with his head tucked under his wing, and his standing 

 places were where the wind blew strongest. I thought 

 perhaps he selected the windy places because they re- 

 minded him of his native prairies, but Ezra said he 

 stopped in the windy places because there was where he 

 got cold, and stopped right there to warm his head and 

 one of his feet. I've often seen him standing thus at the 

 corner of a house where the wind came in irregular and 

 wicked puffs, but have never seen him blown off his bal- 

 ance, although standing on one foot, and doubtless fast 

 asleep. 



In the spring many wild cranes flew over the village, 

 and Dick saluted them with loud trumpetings and many 

 grotesque dances and wing flappings, occasionally taking 

 short flights as if to join them, but never leaving town. 

 The wild ones often answered his call, but never made 

 any move to decoy to him. 



The second spring, Dick was very much excited over 

 the arrival of the wild ones, and was watching for them 

 most of the time. We expected he would go, but did not 

 feel inclined to prevent him, as we knew his life with 

 us was lonesome. We feared, though, he would be shot 

 if he went with the wild ones, and we put a band of red 

 flannel round his neck, hoping it might protect him. One 

 moonlight night he was heard trumpeting at a great rate 

 and m the morning he was gone. Two weeks later a boy 

 came in from the prairie, saying he had shot a sandhill 

 that "had a piece of red flannel round its neck and hadn't 

 a darned bit of sense." "Poor Dick," said Ezra, "you 

 found that captivity was irksome and liberty was death 

 I don t blame you; death is preferable to captivity." 



O. H. Hampton. 



Woodchucks in Trees. 



Willington, Conn.— While driving one September dav 

 through a strip of woodland, our beagle, Sancho Panza 

 surprised a woodchuck sunning himself in the wheel rut' 

 and the little creature bounded out of the road and 

 scrambled up an oak tree some loft., well out of the war 

 of the dog, and as he clung by his funny little toenails he 

 turned Ins head first on one side and then on the other 

 and looked down at the barking dog, and then at us as 

 we sat in the carriage, in an appealing way, as much as 

 to say, 1 have done my best to escape from peril now 

 have pity. . In telling of this remarkable incident several 

 old farmers said that although unusual, as a last resort 

 when hard pressed, a woodchuck would run up a tree' 

 but when the impetus gained by running was lost thev 

 seemed unable to climb further. Anna A. Preston 



Buffalo in Texas. 



San Antonio, Texas, June 9.-There is no longer anv 

 doubt about the existence of a large band of buffalo in the 

 hills ; of Val -Verde county, for they have been seen for the 

 third time this j^v This time it is Mr. Philip Thornton 

 a ranchman of Val Verde, who arrived in San Antonio 

 on the morning of June 2. Hearing of his arrival and the 

 news he brought, your correspondent had a personal in 

 temew with the gentleman, which developed the fact 



?n a n i e iw^°v? S f A^^ e a large herd of huf & l ° last week 

 in a valley ot Val Verde county near the Rio Grande bor- 

 Sf r< Taction is a very wild one and the fertile vallevs 

 thereof afford excellent pasturage for the animals and the 

 hills afford them protection from the cold northers ijk The 



herd was grazing in one of the valleys which is com- 

 pletely inclosed by hills. 



Mr. Thornton says that the herd numbers fully fifty 

 head, and noted quite a number of calves. He was very 

 careful to fix the location definitely so that he can make 

 a more thorough investigation of the matter at some 

 future time. °- c - G - 



Babes in the Woods. 



. The following pathetic incident was told to your cor- 

 respondent by Doctor Weis, of Central City, W. Va.: 

 John Evans, of Howard county, Mo. s had a hen that made 

 her nest in the woods and hatched a brood of chickens. 

 She was left to bring up her family without human aid. 

 as all sensible hens in the forest can do. But the kind 

 mother was taken sick or was killed soon after maternity. 

 She was found dead, nearly a skeleton. The chicks, quite 

 well feathered, were playing around her. At night they 

 sought shelter as best they could under and around their 

 dead parent. For many days and nights they must have 

 done thus, procuring their own food, and perhaps wonder- 

 ing why mamma slept so long. The chickens were caught 

 and taken to the farm yard. N. D. EltinG. 



" That reminds me." 

 A Remarkable Duck. 



A party of us were sitting around the camp-fire after a 

 day's trout fishing, when the conversation turned on the 

 remarkable tenacity of life exhibited by some animals, 

 and some stories were told of wounded deer which ran 

 miles after being shot through and through. 



"There is no animal which exhibits such wonderful 

 powers after receiving a death wound as a duck," said a 

 well-known judge of one of the inland Counties, who was 

 familiarly known as "Rusty.*' "Why, some time last 

 fall while hunting on the Montezuma Marshes with a 

 companion and two boatmen, we found long shots so 

 much the rule that one of the men loaded with buckshot, 

 and shortly afterward fired into a flock of pintails passing 

 high overhead, so high in fact that the other man re- 

 marked, 'What a fool; them's a mile high.' But presently 

 we noted one duck falling behind the flock and beginning 

 to slant downward in his flight. We kept our eyes on 

 him and marked him down a mile away in an open field. 

 We had no difficulty in finding him, stone dead, with his 

 wings spread, and it is almost beyond belief , but that duck 

 had flown a mile with a No. 3 buckshot right through his 

 body just behind bis forelegs. " 



The cheersi, shouts and laughter with which this state- 

 ment was received may better be imagined than described, 

 and the expression of surprise, doubt, confusion, and 

 finally comprehension, which chased themselves across 

 "Rusty's" countenance would have made the fortune of 

 any painter who could have reproduced them. S. A. C. 



An Adventure with a Lynx. 



Granby, P. Q. — I have been going to tell you about an 

 experience with a lynx for some time past, but b.ave only 

 now found the time. Some of your many readers may 

 have had somewhat similar e&periehces and written it up 

 in a less truthful manner; as I have read som'e pretty tall 

 stories from time to time in old Forest and Stream. 



The fact of a iynx being in this part of the country is 

 enough to scare a good many of the rural inhabitants, as 

 it is only the "oldest inhabitant" who can remember when 

 they were at all numerous. 



On last Good Friday I drove out a few miles to visit a 

 brother, and while there a couple of farmers dropped in 

 to talk about the lynx. 



It appeai-s that a week or so previous a niah they Called 

 Lively took a short cut one night through pasture and 

 woods for a couple of mileB to reach his home> and the 

 next day had a big story to tell of how he had been fol- 

 lowed by a big animals that from his description was set 

 down as a lynx. Although he Was not molested he Vowed 

 it would be a long time before he would go back on the 

 old adage that ' the longest way round is the shortest way 

 home." 



His story was not generally believed, but a few nights 

 later a respectable farmer with his wife and child in the 

 Bleigh were driving home, and passing a small strip of 

 woods they were startled by an unearthly yell. The wife 

 was much scared, but the husband said it was Ben (a half- 

 witted fellow that makes his home wherever night over- 

 takes him), trying to scare them, but that he would show 

 him him he could not scare him; so he answered back the 

 yell as nearly as he could imitate it, and you can imagine 

 their consternation when "almost immediately the lynx 

 bounded into the road a few feet ahead of the horse. 



It was a bright moonlight night and they at once re- 

 membered Livery's story. The man grabbed the whip 

 and stood up in the sleigh and made the horse do his level 

 best for home, which was only about 300yds. The wife 

 clasped the child to her breast, expecting every minute 

 that the lynx would be bounding into the sleigh to take 

 it from her, but when they arrived at the house with no 

 lynx in sight the man's courage came back. He called 

 bis brother-in-law, and one taking a rifle, the other a 

 shotgun they set out to the edge of the woods to challenge 

 the brute. It was but a short distance and our two heroes 

 bravely went along until near the woods, when the hus- 

 band said he would give a yell, and when the lynx showed 

 up they would both shoot him so as to make sure. He 

 accordingly gave the yell and immediately it was an- 

 swered from behind a brush heap a few feet to one side 

 This so surprised them that without stopping to think' 

 much less shoot, they both started for the house and as 

 they remarked after, they had no idea they could run 

 so fast. 



The lynx track was seen from time to time after and 

 they were talking about several of them getting together 

 some night and watching for him, after havino- put out 

 some carcass for him to feed on. 



A few nights afterward I found myself at the east end 

 of the village and having an errand at my father's 

 thought I would cross lots through a pasture coming out 

 at the back of the barn. It was a dark, cloudy night 

 threatening to snow, and before I got half way acrots it , 

 commenced to blow hard with a fine sleet driving into mv 

 face, which caused me to pull my cap well down anH 

 stooping forward I breasted the storm. P ' 



The lynx story must have left an impression bn ni$r 

 mind, for when within about a hundred feet of the last 

 fence I thought if he now turned Up all 1 had to defend 

 myself with was a jack knife, and almost at that instant 

 I heard an unearthly yell coming from a sand knoll a 

 hundred yards or so to my left. I made for the fence on 

 the run, my heart thumping fearfully and a cold sweat 

 breaking out all over me, my hair seeming to stiffen out 

 and stand on end, and was just straddle the fence 

 when the lynx came running after me. I saw him 

 plainly about ten feet from me, where he stopped up 

 as if waiting till I got down off the fence. You can 

 imagine my sensations better than I can describe them. 

 I can remember making a move to bring my other leg 

 over the fence to run for it, when that terrible lynx up 

 and barked. I immediately recognized him as my 

 father's dog, when I made the remark, "You blamed fool 

 dog, how you did scare me." And then I awoke with a 

 cold sweat on me and my flesh feeling like No. 3 sand- 

 paper. J. Bruce Payne. 



§trni* §a% mti §u% 



A MEMORY OF CAMP YOCUM. 



On Oct. 27, 1887, fifteen hunters with a complete outfit 

 left Duluth, Minn., on the tug Rambler, Capt. YocUmi 

 and were landed on the south shore of Lake Superior, at 

 Cranberry River, 40 miles east of Duluth. The bompafay 

 was mostly from Grand Rapids and Ionia, Mich. On the 

 first day's hunt the patty had venison for sUpper, and the 

 club had as good a Cook as could be foUnd in MichigAni 

 The party were iff camp 17 days and killed about a dozen 

 deer, nearly all large ones ; , besides ruffed grouse and hares; 

 The gray timber wolves vised to serenade us at night at 

 times, and not far away there were bear, lynx and other 

 fur animals there and brook trout in the river, and pick- 

 erel at the mouth of the river. We killed bucks that 

 would weigh 22olbs.' 



We did not see a white man from the outside world 

 nor hear a Word from the Outside world for the seventeen 

 days that we were there, and there was no One living id 

 that valley at tliat time. There is a, dam at the moUth Of 

 the river how, and the Cranberry Lumber Co. have cut 

 more than a hundred million feet of lumber there since, 

 and everything has changed in that vicinity. 



Two logs about 1ft. in diameter and about 30ft. long 

 Were put in the large tent and small saplings about an 

 inch in diameter were nailed across about 6ft. long, then 

 fine spruce bars were put on about lOin. deep and three 

 bedticks filled with hay (the tug brought down a half ton 

 of hay for that purpose) and then the bedticks put to- 

 gether made a bed say 30ft. long, and three heavy woolen 

 blankets were spread on top of that. DoUglass had his 

 music with him and he can discount any brass band in 

 the country- he was the life of the camp. There was dne 

 hunter dubbed Leather Stocking; he could QutruU a 

 moose, and when he gok in a shot with his .38-55 you 

 could bount bn game. The last that I heard of him he 

 was out on the Bitter Root Range in the Rockies, and if he 

 has not got old Ephraim's scalp in his office I am mistaken. 



We saw one buck with a head on him, like an elk, and 

 he must have weighed 300, but he was a little too smart 

 for us and carried off his rocking chair. Capt. Billy was 

 in command of the squad and he was a royal good fellow, 

 Nov. 14 at sunrise, Capt. Yocum's old tug Rambler blew 

 her whistle, while we were eating our breakfast, and then 

 all was hustle and hurry until the tug was loaded. But 

 the Rambler sleeps on the bottom of Lake Superior, and 

 the old captain that ran her so many years has crossed 

 the river. A more generous and accommodating royal 

 old fellow never turned a wheel in a pilot house. The 

 writer has spent hours with him in the pilot house plow* 

 ing our way through the dark night and storms on old 

 Lake Superior. Peace to Tlis memory* There never Was 

 a more jolly company of hunters camped on the shores of 

 Lake Superior, and they voted it the best hunt of their 



fiVeS; &ENlTrt. 



"COME TO MONTANA." 



Billings, Mont. — In perusing the article of "F. W. G." 

 in the issue of May 12, and comparing it with others that 

 have appeared at various times in the past, wherein the 

 writers have given a description of their outing, the 

 questions arise in my mind, "Are people divided into 

 separate and distinct classes, as are the fowls of the air? 

 Are some constructed with webfeet, that water and mud 

 in unlimited quantities are essential to the thorough 

 enjoyment of a pleasure trip, and where good shooting 

 and fishing is a secondary consideration, a fair bag the 

 exception, and pure air and beautiful scenery are not in 

 it? Or is it ignorance of a better locality that confines 

 them to the watery, game-deserted districts, and enables 

 them to extract only a very small amount of pleasure 

 from a long, tiresome attd generally expensive trip? 

 Should my first query be correct to those I will say, 

 remain with your proper element, derive all the enjoys 

 ment from it yoU can, we have no place for you, and a 

 waterfowl is neither graceful nor a thing of beauty when 

 transferred to dry land. 



To those of the second class I extend a hearty invita- 

 tion to come and try an outing in some one of the many 

 beautiful camping and hunting grounds of Montana. 

 This is an ideal country for the pleasure and health 

 seeker. In the autumn our climate is unsurpassed; rain 

 seldom falls, the air is balmy and health-giving. Our 

 ever green mountains abound with game of all kinds and 

 in every tumbling stream trout in unlimited numbers 

 can be taken. One need not move camp to keep the 

 larder well supplied with venison, bear, grouse and 

 trout. Our scenery, while not so grand and rugged as 

 that lower down the range in Colorado, is all that one 

 could desire, beautiful enough in detail to satisfy the 

 most exacting, and the supply and change is inexhaust- 

 ible. To those who are consumptive or run down and 

 debilitated through close application to or "chained to busi- 

 ness," I say come to Montana, take a few weeks sojourn 

 in her mountain retreats, and when you return to your 

 Eastern homes 'twill be with the feeling that you have at 

 last made the discovery for which De Soto searched in 

 vain. Outfits and guides can be hired very reasonably, 

 or, should one prefer there are oftentimes opportunities 

 of joining local parties making up for a few weeks in 

 the hills, I will endeavor to reply to all correspondents ' 



