AuGf, 8, 1896.] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
108 
it had to be done, because I had .'my mind [made up to 
make this a charge to fit the occasion. To my satisfaction 
I found out that he did not know anything about that 
kind of a shell. 
I melted partridge shot in a tin cover and poured the 
lead into a small pipe whose bottom I rounded with clay, 
then clipped and filed it until the ball gauged. The 
watching Indian missed seeing me pour out over half of 
the powder from the shell, and to make up the deficiency 
I laid paper pellets between. Then I handed him that 
shell and told him to drop the bullet in, which he did. 
Then I put one wad only on top of the bullet and pressed 
the rim of the paper shell down with my fingers. 
Taking the shell, he answered to my question, "This is 
all right. Our fathers had no better charges than this, 
a.nd they got aU the moose they wanted." But I thought, 
"If you can do so with that shell you are welcome to the 
moose you can get with it." 
■ The night came beautiful and calm, and at 10 we left 
camp to call our moose. Paddling quietly along, I 
watched one of the most beautiful exhibitions of the 
Aurora Borealis I ever witnessed. While the canoe 
rested with the bow on the bank, I listened betwepn the 
calls of the Indian to hear the electric crackling so many 
people imagine they can hear during the display of 
Northern light. They ought to go up to those lakes, 
where perfect silence reigns; there is such a silence that 
they can hear their own hearts beat, but none of that 
electric crackling. 
After a couple of hours' calling we returned to camp 
without having heard a single answer, with the exception 
of the noise comins: from humming porcupines, or musk- 
rats and jumping fish. We repeated calling on favorable 
nights during the three weeks, without receiving a single 
answer. Then the time came when I had to break camp 
and leave this glorious spot. We packed and took along 
in our canoes all we could carry, but had to leave a load 
behind us. 
Early the next morning the Indian, taking my gun, 
left Luce's place to get the rest of the traps. In the after- 
noon, with a few partridges, I came to a clearing near 
the carry. At the same time the Indian reached the 
landing, showing great excitement by shouting at me, of 
which I only could understand at that distance, "Moose- 
stream — ^lost — no good." 
After reaching him he told me that near the inlet of 
Lobster Lake, while paddling quietly around a bend, he 
had seen a, big moose bull come down the bank and step 
into the stream to swim across. The Indian had kept 
quiet until the moose had reached the middle of the 
stream, which is at that place about three or four rods 
wide. The moose must have noticed him, for he began 
to accelerate his movements; but with a few paddle 
strokes the Indian got near him, dropped his paddle, and 
picking up the gun, covered the moose with it, waiting 
to drop him on the bank instead of in the stream. The 
moose had hardly got his forelegs planted on the bank 
when the Indian blazed away at him, but he said to me, 
"The bullet simply rolled out of the barrel and dropped 
between the canoe and the moose, while the moose, 
climbing the bank, slowly trotted behind the bushes, 
from where I could hear him shaking the water 
off." 
We paddled together down the river to the spot, and 
sure enough it must have been a big fellow that had made 
such imprints in the clay. 
Now this stupid moose did not know that the bullet 
fired at him was of the same nature as Mr. Hermann's 
"United States army regulation ammunition." Neither 
did he know that the man who had fired at him was not 
an expert rifleman of the National Gruard. Otherwise he 
would have understood the situation and "grabbed at the 
bullet." Bat was I not glad that this Indian could not 
drop that moose? 
If I had a chance I would devote my entire time to 
loading all the shells in this fashion to prevent the slaugh- 
ter of big and small game that I have witnessed from 
January, 189fe, to March, 1896, up in the woods of Maine. 
Aug. D. Tuknee. 
LABRADOR SKETCHES. 
VII.— An Anticosti Bear. 
[Written for Forest and Strkaji by Count H. de Puyjalon, and trans- 
lated by Crawford Lindsay.] 
At the end of August we went to the island of Anticosti 
and set up our tent on the bank of a little stream, well 
sheltered from the wind. The day after our arrival I 
went out alone with my fowling piece to shoot something 
for the pot. 
After walking on the beach for about an hour my atten- 
tion was attracted by a cloud of gulls soaring above the 
fore shore. The tide was low and the birds were flying 
above a spot which was dry at the time. Therefore it 
could not be a shoal of lansing or caplin, and I soon ob- 
served at a distance of about three miles a large black 
mass which I knew must be a stranded whale or gram- 
pus. 
I started off toward it, walking without any precaution. 
When I had got within thirty paces of it I halted quite 
stupefied, A bear had just come round from the other 
side of the whale's head and appeared in sight. As soon 
as it perceived me it swung around at once and trotted off 
toward the wood. When I recovered from my surprise 
he was 60yds. away, and as I had only my fowling piece 
Ipaded with shot it was useless to fire at him. 
Disgusted with myself, I continued on my way to the 
whale's carcass, and had just got around its head when I 
again halted , qu ite petrified with surprise. A second bear, 
a huge one, was there, a few feet from me, tearing at the 
flesh of the whale. When it smelt me it suddenly lifted 
its head, opened its jaws, showing a formidably array of 
teeth, and after looking at me for some seconds without 
either of us moving, it seemed all at once to make up its 
mind to attack me, I did not hesitate, but raising my 
gun I fired both barrels at its chest. It was so close that 
the shot did not scatter, but made a hole into which I 
could have put my fist. The animal fell heavily and 
died. 
The tide was rising, and I had barely time to flay it and 
to get away with the skin, which was very fine and 
weighed 201bs. I tried very hard to get some more shots, 
but the bears were too wary to allow of my getting near 
them. Thomas, however, got three in dead-falls which he 
vut up, and on ►Sept, 6 we started to come home, 
H. DE PuTjALpiir, 
WOLVES IN THE NIGHT. 
Ashland, Wis., July 21, — It was pitch dark save only 
where the faint glow of the camp-fire — burned to the 
embers — ^penetrated the gloom for a few feet and seemed 
to intensify the wall of utter blackness which hedged it 
round. The balsam limbs extending their feathery ex- 
tremities into the small circle of light seemed supported by 
invisible means as they swayed and vibrated in the quiv- 
ering heat that rose from the hot firebrands. A rising 
wind swept the summits of the lofty pines, sounding 
sweet and soft and far as a child's lullaby. Our teams of 
mules and Canadian horses stood perfectly silent a rod 
away, where they had been secured for the night. 
We were dozing, Ernest and I, soothed by the almost 
insensible harmonious vibrations. Ernest was curled up 
like a hibernating deer (and indeed that is the name the 
Indians gave him, or "Moqua" in their language), his 
head pillowed on his immense driving boots; and he 
seemed to be about to fall into a sound sleep, when sud- 
denly he sat bolt upright, stared wildly at the fire, and 
before I had time to inquire the cause of his sudden move 
had leaped to the pile of wood we had prepared for the 
morning, and commenced heaping it with feverish haste 
on the nearly extinguished fire. 
"What's the matter, Ernest? I say, have you the night- 
mare or are you crazy? It isn't time to build morning 
fire yet," 
"I know dat," he replied, in his French-Canadian 
jargon, "same tam me hear wolf in de swamp; come up 
here pretty quick." 
"Heard a wolf in the swamp?" I repeat, incredulously. 
"Get out, I've been awake the whole evening and every- 
thing has been still as death." 
"Same tam Ah'U heard it wolf," he persisted, and in no 
way relaxed his efforts until the light wood was piled 
high and the under billets had burst into flame; then 
without losing a moment he sprang to the horses and 
began unfastening the halter straps, calling to me mean- 
while to get "dem mule close up de fire." His earnest- 
ness had the effect on me he desired, and in a few 
rnoments we had the animals tethered to an overhanging 
limb between our fire and the wagon, which we had 
pulled juat outside the road for the night. 
"Naow, keep still you hear yourself," Ernest said as he 
sat down and began pulling on his boots. "Dey come 
leetle more near next tam howl," 
We waited in silence a few moments, when sui"e enough 
away in the swamp to the east came the long, low wail, 
rising and falling in cadence almost imperceptible to the 
ear, so faint, yet suggesting something so fierce and sin- 
ister that if once heard it can never be forgotten. 
"Do you think they will be ugly?" I say to Ernest, 
"No, teenk not. Bes' be ready, teenk only come look, 
dance leetle, make heeg howl, run off." 
"Let 'em come then. You get the axe and stand where 
you can best guard the outside; mule and I will do the 
same for the outside horse." 
"No. No need do that. Just keep still, not move 
where wolf come up, that best way." 
"But what about the horses? won't they try to break 
away?" 
"No, you see they get near the fire, keep still too." 
"Well, get the axe anyway; there they go," 
Again, and this time we could hear the yip! yipl yipl 
which preceded the chorus sounding much nearer, and 
the horses and mules sure enough at the sound of it 
crowded nearer the fire, straining slightly at their fasten- 
ings, but making no violent demonstrations whatever. 
I involuntarily reached for my Winchester and held it 
across my knees. Ernest hurriedly piled fresh wood high 
on the fire and with a final warning word to keep still 
sat like a statue. Again the yip, yip, yip and chorus and 
then continuous howling, increasing in volume as they 
drew nearer; then the concert opened in earnest, and in 
a few moments we were saluted from all sides. I gripped 
my gun tightly, but made no move. Billy, the outside 
horse, had backed up against a ground pine in his efforts 
to get near the fire, and now with pandemonium sound- 
ing on all sides stood without making a sound. I saw 
the little pine tremble like a leaf. Suddenly all was still. 
Down the road, after a moment of silence, there sounded 
a single howl, and with a yip, yip, the whole band seemed 
off in that direction. 
The clouds which had caused such Egyptian darkness 
gradually rolled away. The stars became visible through 
the interlacing branches. The night wind seemed to 
slumber. The snapping fire intensified the stillness. 
The horses and mules sank one by one to repose, I 
looked across the again dying fire at Ernest. His rude 
pillow was again adjusted, the camp spread pulled 
up to his chin, and as I looked the sUence was broken by 
a good old-fashioned snore. The grip on my gun relaxed. 
Almost unconsciously I straighten out on the blanket and 
pull part of it over me. Unconscioug of danger, we 6leep 
the sleep of the just. 
The sun shines. The frost on the pine tops glistens as 
though they had been dusted over with diamonds. Billy 
whickers for his oats, as Ernest after much stamping 
gets his feet into his stiffened boots and starts for the 
wagon, saying, as he stops to pat the shaggy head, "He 
laugh and feel good because wolf no get him last night," 
I went out in the road and saw plenty of wolf tracks. I 
paced from the fire to the tracks; it was fifteen paces. 
a. W. M. 
The Big- Bass of the Perkiomen. 
The large black bass, the monarch of the Perkiomen, 
which for over two years was on exhibition in a large glass 
tank in one of the windows of Hoff & Bro.'s hardware 
store, reports theIi3ading(Pa.) Times of July 32, was found 
dead in the tank yesterday morning standing perpendicu- 
lar with its head on the bottom. It is supposed the bad flavor 
of the city water killed it, but a physician, who is also well 
versed in fishculture, says it died of fatty degeneration of 
the heart from over-feeding. The fish was taken from 
the tank to the scales, and weighed 6f lbs. and measured 
23fin. It was caught by Augustus W. Hoff in the Perki- 
omen Creek near Greater Ford, a few days after the open- 
ing of the basa season in 1894, and was brought here alive 
after great difficulty. The fish had several narrow 
escapes during its captivity, owing to low water, but was 
uuable to cope with the present supply. His place is filled 
by another whopper caught by Mr. Hoff also in the Perki- 
omen below SohwejiksviUe, Jfc pleasures glin, an4 
^ -'-'isillbs, 
HOW BIRDS AFFECT THE FARM AND 
GARDEN. 
BY FLOEENCE A, MEEUIAM. 
It is said that two hundred millions of dollars, that 
should go to the farmer, the gardener and the fruit grow- 
er in the United States, are lost every year by the ravages 
of insects — that is to say, one-tenth of our agricultural 
products is actually destroyed by them. The ravages of 
the gypsy moth in three counties in Massachusetts for 
several years annually cost the State $100,000. Now, as 
rain is the natural check to drought, so birds are the nat- 
ural check to insects, for what are pests to the farmer are 
necessities of life to the bird. It is calculated that an 
average insectivorous bird destroys 2,400 insects in a year; 
and when it is remembered that there are over 100,000 
kinds of insects in the United States, the majority of 
which are injurious, and that in some cases a single indi- 
vidual in a year may become the progenitor of several 
billion descendants, it is seen how much good birds do 
ordinarily by simple prevention. 
The good they do in cases of insect plagues, like that of 
the grasshopper scourge in Nebraska and Kansas, is still 
more marked. Then, as self- constituted militia, they fly 
to the scene of action and make away with the rioters. 
An interesting case of this kind was seen in an old or- 
chard in Illinois. The cankerworm had so taken posses- 
sion that the orchard looked almost as if overrun with 
fire. Forty different kinds of birds assembled in the 
place to feed upon the worms. One hundred and forty- 
one of the birds were shot and the contents of their stom- 
achs examined; more than one-third of their food was 
found to have been cankerworms — ^the feathered army 
was simply wiping out the horde of worms. A similar 
case occurred in Massachusetts, and after the visit of the 
birds a good crop of apples was raised in the orchard 
which had been devastated. 
It is well known that of the various groups of birds the 
majority live upon insects. Among the insect eaters are 
the flycatchers, warblers, woodpeckers, nuthatches, ori- 
oles, goatsuckers, hummingbirds, tanagers, waxwings, 
gnatcatchers, kinglets, vireos, thrushes, wrens, titmice, 
cuckoos, swallows, shrikes, thrashers, creepers and blue- 
birds. 
It is not generally known, however, that the so called 
seed eaters feed their young largely upon insects, and eat 
a great many themselves; nor is it realized how much 
good they do by eating weed seed. Prof. F. E, L, Baal 
has calculated that the little tree sparrow in Iowa alone 
destroys l,720,0001b8. of noxious weed seeds every year. 
Moreover, in summer seed eaters eat blueberries, huckle- 
berries, strawberries and raspberries, and distribute their 
seeds unharmed over thousands of acres which would not 
otherwise support such growth. 
These facts show how important it is that the birds 
should be protected and encouraeed, except in the ex- 
ceedingly few cases where for a few weeks they eat some 
one cultivated crop to such excess that the loss is not 
compensated by the good they do in destroying pests the 
rest of the year. The Department of Agriculture, realiz- 
ing the losses that might result from the ignorant sacri- 
fice of useful birds, constituted the Division of Economic 
Ornithology a court of appeal where accusation! against 
the birds could be received and investigated. 
The method used by the division is the final one — th« 
examination of stomach contents to prove the actual food 
of the birds. A collection of 26,000 stomachs has been 
made by the co-operation of hunters and collectors who 
have shot the birds for other purposes, and a reference 
collection of 800 kinds of seeds and 500 beetles and many 
other insects has been brought together for comparison 
MAPLE CATEBPILLAR- 
iu deterinining the character of food remains found. Al- 
ready about forty different kinds of birds have been ex- 
amined and reported upon. The examinations have been 
made chiefly by Prof. Walter B. Barrows, Prof. Otto 
Lugger, Mr. E. A, Schwarz, Dr. A, K, Fisher, Prof, F, E. 
L, Beal and Mr. Sylvester D. Judd, with the assistance of 
the late Prof. C. V. Riley and Mr, L, O. Howard, now 
chief entomologist of the Department of Agriculture. 
The reports already printed or about to be issued by the 
Division of Ornitholoay are the reports of the ornitholo- 
gist for the years 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1892 
(with notes on the Food Habits of the Cedar Bird and 
Horned Lark), 1893 (with notes on the Food of the King- 
bird), 1894 (with articles on the Crow Blackbirds and their 
Food, and Hawks and Owls from the Standpoint of the 
Farmer); Bulletin No. 1, The English Sparrow, by Walter 
B, Barrows; Bulletin No, 3, Hawks and Owls, by Dr. A. 
K. Fisher; Bulletin No, 6, The Common Crow of the 
United States, hj Walter B. Barrows and E, A, Schwarg 
(1895); Bulletin No, 7, Preliminary Report on the Food of 
Woodpeckers, by F, E. L. Beal (1895); Four Common 
Birds of the Farm and Garden, by Sylvester D. Judd; The 
Meadowlark and Baltimore Oriole, by F. E. L. Beal; The 
Food Habits of the Kingbird, by Walter B. Barrows; The 
Cedar Bird, by F. E, L. Beal. 
After the examination of about forty birds, the only 
one actually sentenced to death is the English sparrow. 
QE all the acciased hawks only three have been fown^ 
