168 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
LFeb. 27, 1897. 
MAINE GAME INTERESTS. 
Boston, Feb, 20. — ^After all, tlie fish and game protective 
and appropriation bill is not having the plain sailing it 
started off with early in the present session of the Maine 
Legislature. It seems the proposition to appropriate $40,000 
a year for two years is causing the friends of other appro- 
priations some alarm, since their beloved hosiiital, normal 
school, bridge and other schemes have all been split in halves 
as to appropriations, and they are getting even with the 
friends of fish and game who have dared oppose them. The 
bill has been called up in the House, where it was tabled, 
and amended by cutting the appropriation down to $25,000 
each year for two years, instead of $4.0,000, as first proposed. 
The same amendment has passed in the Senate and the bill 
has been sent to its second reading. So it looks as though 
the Commission would get only $35,000 to spend for fish and 
game instead of the much desired $40,000. For two years 
past they have had $25,000 a year. The guide license 
part of the measure is also meeting with considerable 
opposition, and another hearing has been had before the 
committee, notwithstanding tne House had already passed 
the bill to one reading. James Matheison, president of 
the Eangeley Guides' Association— seventy- five in number — 
appeared before the committee in opposition to the measure. 
He was faced by Commissioners Carlton and Oak, and 
though at a disadvantage is reported to have made a good 
showing. He told the committee that the guides did not de- 
sire to be registered nor to wear badges. It would be de- 
grading and would be of no advantage to them. The law 
would not be generally obeyed, and it would only add tojthe 
work of the Commission to apprehend the breakers of tha 
guide license law. He boldly asserted that Mr. Carlton was 
trying to "run things too fine." Mr. Carlton asked him 
sharply if the by-laws of his Association as first drawn did 
not favor breaking the game laws. Mathieson replied that 
they did not. Mr. Carlton charged that the guides had never 
aided the Commissioners in enforcing ttie game laws. 
Mathieson replied that the guides he represented were will- 
ing to do so, but did not desire to be under the ban of a 
license in their business. Other sections of the State might 
need a guide license law, but Bangeley guides did not. In 
the evening, after the hearing, Mr. Carlton is reported to 
have had several wordy interviews with representatives, 
guides Mathieson, Snowman and others. He intimated that 
threats from the guides would do no good. The measure is 
Btill on the table in both houses. 
Representative Stetson, of Bangor, has presented a bill to 
help provide funds for the protection of fish and game in 
Maine. His bill provides that every non-resident who hunts 
in the State shall pay $35 for every bull moose killed, $15 
for every caribou, and $5 for every deer; the money to be- 
come a permanent fund in the hands of the State treasurer 
for the protection of fish and game, the interest to be used 
only. Violators of the provisions shall be fined $50 and 
costs ; this money also to go to the same fund. Ail game 
shipped shall be' tagged by the Commissioners, stating that 
the law has been complied with. 
Really the Commissioners would have to be numerous and 
present everywhere to put such a law in force. How would 
it do to hang every non-resident who dares to hunt or fish in 
Maine, seeing that his tribe is only willing to pay millions of 
dollars annually into the State, for which he gets a liitle 
game and a few fish? Inside of him there must be a mint of 
money hid, and if hanged by the neck till dead some of the 
money might drop out. 
Some of the Boston lovers of the rod and gun are "swap- 
ping" fish and game yarns this winter in order to get ready 
for the spring campaign. In one business ofiice, wnere con- 
siderable congregating is done, each man's name is posted 
when he tells a story. The biggest lie goes on top; that is, 
the teller's name. One man told the other day of a wood- 
chuck which climbed a tree when frightened and the dog 
got between him and his den. Immediately the teller's 
name went up to the top of the list. But I confirmed the 
truth of the assertion and referred the disputants to the files 
of the FoHEST AND Steeam, where it has been established 
that a cornered woodchuck will take up a tree. Immedi- 
ately Mr. J.'s name came down a peg. But he is not done 
with, the boys yet, and tells of a squirrel, a red, that he 
clubbed in a tree when a boy. The squh-rel's leg was 
broken. The next morning he was encaged in a box trap. 
But behold his broken leg was nicely wound with a tough 
blade of grass and ready to heal. The squirrel was allowed 
to depart and doubtless his leg did heal. Mr. J.'s name is 
up at the very top again. Can any of the readers of the 
FoBEST AND Stheam help him out? Do the squiirels set 
broken limbs? 
Capt. F. C. Barker, proprietor of the Bemis and Birches 
camps, is always interested in keeping up the fishing at the 
Rangeleys. He has a spring, a couple oi miles from Btmis, 
that is a natural trout hatchery. Naturally great numbers 
of trout thread their way up a little stream, through a mead- 
ow, to this spring to spawn. The stream and spring are 
closed to fishing, and over the spring Capt. B. has erected a 
building. During the breeding season hundreds of beautiful 
trout gather there and the eggs are deposited in the white 
sand and gravel in the bottom of the spring, which is some 
15 or 20ft. broad. This is surely a natural hatchery, and is 
of great benefit, doubtless, to the fishing in Mooselucmagun- 
tic Lake. Formerly net and spear fishermen were accus- 
tomed to carrying off the trout by bushels every fall. But 
now the spring is carefully guarded, a man staying in a little 
cabin there night and day. Capt. Barker was in Boston the 
other day with the matter in mind of buying 100. 000 trout 
eggs of some one of the Massachusetts trout hatcheries, and 
putting them into his own trout hatchery. He is aware 
that many thousand eggs were deposited there lust fall, but 
is quite certain that the capabilities of the spring and stream 
down to the lake are equal to many thousand more. Not- 
withstanding that the State is doing something for the 
Rangeleys in the way of landlocked salmon, he believes 
thoroughly in keeping up the supply of brook trout, the fish 
that are natural to those lakes and have given them so 
wide a name. 
Mr. Fred 0. Billings, Supt. of Buildings, of Somerville, 
had the good fortune to shoot a white fawn last fall in the 
Maine woods. He is having it mounted, and believes that 
he has a specimen that is rare. Certainly there is nothing 
of the sort in any of the museums in Boston, though one or 
two others have been captured in Maine in former seasons. 
Now they are telling of a newspaper man, an amateur 
sportsman decidedly, who has just returned from a rabbit 
hunt among the hills of New Hampshire. He fired dozens 
of shots, banging away all day long at the cunning little 
■white heads, but always just after the game had passed. 
I^ot a rabbit was secured for his bag, and he returned to his 
stopping place much disgusted. The next morning, as he 
was dressing, he happened to glance out of the frosted win- 
dow into some trees in the lot. Great heavens! there were 
a couple of handsome birds right in the tree, in easy gun- 
shot! He would not have to go back to Boston empty- 
handed now. Down stairs he rushed in his stocking feet, 
but with trusty shotgun in hand. He opened the siied door 
and bang! bang! went both barrels. One of the birds tilted 
slightly on its percb. and then fell with a dull thud to the 
snow below. The other boldly stood his ground without so 
much as rufliing a feather. The hunter was only prevented 
f n m jumpicg into the snow barefooted to secure his prey 
by a laugh behind him. He had shot at a couple of old de- 
coy ducks the boys had perched up in the trees. Already 
they were pretty well loaded with shot from other amateur 
sportsmen. Special. 
POISONING WOLVES. 
Though never a wolfer by profession, I have learned a few 
things concerning the art of preparing poison baits for wild 
animals which may be of interest to those who live in the 
regions infested by gray wolves, and who are not already 
better posted in the business than I am. 
The methods of the wolfer of the old days are unsuited to 
present conditions, for reasons which I will endeavor to give, 
and yet it is quite necessary for many a stock grower to un- 
derstand the best method of procedure in his endeavor to de- 
stroy the ferocious brutes which prey upon his herd. The 
wolfer's business was to get wolf pelt?, and his methods 
were not only very wasteful, but in the long run prejudicial 
to the business itself. Still we must give him credit for in- 
genuity and skill, for his plan of operations was the best for 
his time and circumstances, while we must look for a belter 
one. 
When a buffalo carcass was prepared for wolves by a skill- 
ful operator it was indeed a deadly affair, and a drove of the 
prowlers of the plains were sometimes turned toes up thereby 
in a single night. 
But among other difficulties it was found that' while some 
got just the requisite dose for quickly fatal results, others got 
their medicine on lop of a gorge of good, nutritious food, and 
the poison being consequently a longer time in operating, the 
stricken animals galloped off over the plains, sometimes miles 
away, before death ensued; while, worst of all, some got only 
half enough to kill, andrecovering therefrom were ever after 
shy of the wolfer and all his host. Some hunters were quite 
confident that these half poisoned brutes had a way of influ- 
encing other wolves to avoid the poisoned baits; so that the 
business seemed beet on virgin soil and among unsophisti- 
cated wolves. The best plan for perfect work under present 
conditions seems to be to give each wolf just the necessary 
dose and on an empty stomach. This is a thoroughly prac- 
tical scheme, though a laborious one. The best time is dur- 
ing cold weather, when food is scarcest. 
The poison should be crystallized strychnine, first pulver- 
ized, and then an amcunt about equal in bulk to four or five 
grains of wheat placed in the center of a ball of lard a trifle 
larger than a hulled walnut. This should be done very care- 
fully, not touching the lard with the fingers, in order that it 
be absolutely free from human scent. 
In cjld weather a mouthful of fat, lard or beef tallow is to 
the wolf what a piece of pie is to the urchin; and if there is 
nothing suspicious in the scent of it he will, urchin-like, take 
his dessert first. Consequently, when this little ball of frozen 
lard is dropped into his hot and empty stomach it is very 
quickly melted, and a fatal dose of poison has instant connec- 
tion with the naked coat of the stomach. No fear of his eat- 
ing now. 
When everyihing is done just right it is really surprising 
how quickly this will kiU. He must not have two doses, 
and it the bait be placed near open water it is best for the 
wolf which may have already eaten a hearty supper, there- 
by hindering quickly fatal results, for in that case a raging 
thirst is produced, the slaking of which is a death warrant. 
. Now take a fresh Ijeef hide or a quarter of a dead horse or 
steer (if meat is used scorch it over a fire — it will smell 
fuither), chain it behind a light wagon, and travel. A few 
shreds of meat dropped occasionally — nottoo much — and the 
baits distributed along just so that each wolf will get but 
one, and where the bail is to be left let the hide or meat be 
diaggtd around a little extra, that the wolf will stop and 
smtJl around and not miss the bait, and you can rest assured 
that if your work is well done there will be mischief afoot. 
In the Christmas number of Foeest and Streajj: such an 
expedition is mentioned, resulting in the death of twenty- 
eight wolves and cojotes, but the plan of operations was not 
explained. 
I was taught this plan, and witnessed its working upon 
red foxes in northtrn Minnesota about forty years since. 
The fate of one red fox is distinctly recollected. A light 
fall of snow kept record of his every movement. 
He had taken the bait and apparently stood just long 
enough to lick his chops and pat himself on the shoulder 
over his good lunch when grief overtook him. Starting off 
for a dozen steps on a trot, his pace changed to three or four 
sidewi e jumps, developing into a race of 300yds. in length 
and in the direction of a half circle, finishing with a few of 
the most prodigious leaps possible. 
His last jump was his longest, and into this he threw all 
his soul. 
This carried him across the road and head first into a big 
snowdrift, where stretched to his fullest length and buried 
to his hips, with hindlegs and brush projecting into the open 
air like the blaze of a camp-fire, we found him frozen soUd. 
Orin Belknap. 
A Fox Hunt that Ends in a Iiawsuit. 
Pike Falls, Oot,, Feb, 17.— On Monday morning last, as 
M r. John Best was going to the woods to chop, he heard Red 
Tom Code's dog running a fox, so concluded he would take 
a hand in It himself. Retm-ning to the house, he called his 
hound, and procuring his gun, started for the chase. The 
fox was running in Tom Moore's swamp back of the village, 
and in a vtry short time had no less than seven hounds after 
him, including Best's. Everybody keeps hounds around 
Pike Falls, as they are all fox hunters. After taking a 
couple of large circles the fox came Best's way, when he 
got a shot, wounding the fox, which by this time was hard 
pressed, as the running was good, about Sin. of soft snow 
on top of a crust. The fox on being wounded started 
directly for the village in hopes of something turning 
up so be could baffle the dogs. He had circled around the 
schoolhouse a couple of times when a son of Red Tom 
Code's silting in a back seat heard the voice of Sport, his 
father's-dog; and being a chip of the old block, could not 
restraiii himself, but immediately, to the teacher's con- 
sternation, vanished out of the door, followed by the 
rest of the boys in school. The racket now began in 
earnest, and in less time than it takes to tell it the whole 
village, men, women and children, all joined in. The fox 
by this time had taken refuge in Ham Dunham's yard, where 
Miss Dunham eventually killed it with a pitchfork. Best M 
came up and claimed and took the fox on account of having M 
previously wounded it. When Ham Dunham came homer 
his daughter related the circumstances of the killing, and he 
immediately started for Best's and demanded the fox, which A. 
Best refused to give up, and in consequence Dunham is tak- I' 
ing it to the courts to find out who legally owns it. 
The Colonel. ' 
INTERCOMMUNICATION OF WOLVES. I 
Portland, Ore. — Foeest and Stream, always replete i 
with good things, presents something of unusual interest to I 
sportsmen in its issue of Jan. 23 | 
I have reference to the remarkable paper by Mr. Ernest A 
Seton Thompson on Intercommunication of Wolves. It is afl 
subject jf great importance to all thoughtful sportsmen, ^odH 
Mr. Thompson shows such a masterly knowledge of details* 
and such a thorough study and investigation of the subject* 
that 1 hope those of your readers who passed it by becauseH 
they were not particularly interested in wolves will turnfl 
back and read it. ■ 
The fact that the paper is ostensibly devoted to an investi-: 
gallon of the instincts, habits and senses of wolves is not, 
to me at least, its most attractive feature. It is an able and 
scholarly introduction to the whole subject of intercommuni- 
cation between the world of animate nature. For ages the 
learned have sought the "missing link" in the problem of 
life — the link next to man. For my part, 1 think there is no 
link missing in the matter of intercommunication between 
animals, and that it is not confined to varieties, species, 
classes or orders. From the oyster to mankind there is in- 
tercommunication, and those of different species and orders 
can and often do communicate, not by words or significant 
articulate sounds, nor by oral utterances, which usage has'; 
made ttie representatives of ideas among men, but by a 
more subtle, if more crude, method, which might be denomi- 
nated a sixth sense. And while proud man, with his thou 
sands upon thousands of words representing ideas, may com - 
municate with bis fellow man and even with some of the 
lower orders, he has no right to presume that he alone 
monopolizes the blessing of ability to communicate his ideas. ■ 
It is my belief that without the ability in some form to com- 
municate ideas, even among the lowest orders, life on ^ia^ 
mundane sphere must soon cease to exist at all. ] 
Who that has hunted and fished and observed will for one 
moment deny that he ha^ discovered among all animate cre- 
ation with which he has come in contact methods of inter- 
communication by which they are enabled to disclose to each 
other love, pleasure, fear, hunger, anxiety, desire and all the 
other sentiments and sensations fish, flesh and fowl are heirs 
to. Charles Darwin, Sir John Lubbock, Dr. McCook and 
others in their investigations of the ant discovered marvelous 
methods of intercoTnmunication. And that daring professot 
who caged himself in the forest among the gorillas even diS' 
covered a language, not of words, it is true, but of sounds,) 
which with the various inflections, intonations and accentfi 
enabled them to communicate their wishes and sentiments. 
Some of the Indian tribes are but little further advanced in 
their methods of intercommunication. There is the sign 
language by which nearly all tribes are enabled to communi-i 
cate with each other. And too, among the Indians one word 
or articulate sound is made, by accent, intonation, etc., tc: 
express different ideas or modifications and variations of th^ 
same idea. 
In the Chinook jargon, for example, the word S'i-dJi-ma^ 
may be so pronounced that it will indicate either near, fsa 
or very far. ; 
Among the lower orders instinct plays a most wonderful 
part. In fact, instinct is a higher faculty than reason in 
many respects. But who can define instinct in that flnei 
sense to which Mr. Thompson has called our attention? Ii 
has been cefined as "the operation of the principle of organ, 
ized life by the exercise of certain natural powers directed tc 
the present or future good of the individual," but I think 
that Mr. Thompson has shown us that an element of reason 
is mixed in with the instinct that enables wolves to inter- 
communicate. That being true, it is probably likewise true 
to a greater or less degree in the intercommunications of al, 
other animate existence. S, H. Greene. ' 
[As to "the daring professor," it is stoutly denied by per. 
sons cognizant of the facts that he did cage himself amon| 
the gorillas.] 
MAm^.— Editor Farestand Stream: In regard to my belief 
of intercommunication of animals, I think the ideas givei 
by Mr. Thompson are quite correct in many instances, al' 
though I should very much doubt the ability of an anima 
that scented danger at one point to communicate it al 
another. But even in that he may be right, as oftentimes ii 
still-hunting deer you will find that when a deer in companj 
of one that is killed passes through a section where there arc 
others, all will be on the alert. Many instances that h( 
mentions are quite correct, although a man in the wood* 
thinks nothing about it, as it gets to be as common an occur' 
rence as the street car passing is to the city man. I do noi 
think the power of intercommunication applies to animali 
alone, but the birds and fishes have to some extent the same 
power. R. A. S. 
Texas Notes. 
Petty, Tex,. Feb. 11.— Editor Forest and Btream: Th« 
presence of an unusual quantity of small birds in this local 
ity during the winter has been noted with much pleasure b^ 
me. 
Among those most abundant is the slate-colored junco oi 
snowbird. He is a jolly little fellow and may be seen al 
times when all of his feathered kindred have disappeared tc 
find shelter from the raging storm. He is rightly called 
"the winter king." There are also an unusual amount oil 
chipping sparrows here this winter; also I notice a certair 
kind of small bird which I am unable to locate, in size he if 
between the junco and meadow lark, and very much resem- 
bles the latter in color and marking; he has the same olivf 
bolsters, black crescent in breast, and walks one foot at & 
time, same as the lark or quail. The males have a smali 
tuft of black feathers growing out of the sides of the hea^ 
back of the eyes and about ^in. in length. I have observec 
these little fellows in bunches of from ten to thirty or fortj 
in number. I would be pleased to know what their correct 
name is. [? Shore lark.] 
We also notice an unusual number of crows this winter. 
There are great flocks of them, and their familiar cawing 
