&4 
i^OMSSl 1 AND STMEAM. 
t Jtrttf 30, 1898. 
out by a higher tribunal, as the mart was "rotten with 
disease," and only had a short time anyhow to live. 
How Storms are Brewed. 
The Taku or Big Windy Arm of Tagish is estimated 
to be thirty miles in length, or nearly twice' as long 
as the so-called lake. It runs between bare walls like 
ranges of limestone which are absolutely devoid of 
vegetation, and which are appallingly steep and lofty. 
Looking at the sheer descents one holds his breath and 
imagines how it would feel to fall from the summit down 
into the absymal voil below. 
While looking - at the mountains an irrelevant incident 
occurred to memory that had no connection whatever 
with the Yukon. In one of the New Y ork shooting 
galleries those present' were discussing the case of a 
man who had fallen from a high factory chimney, 
breaking through scaffolding and glancing off house 
roofs in his descent. When found the man was still con- 
scious and had strength to ask how far he had fallen. 
Bubb Rosenbaum, who won high honors at the recent 
National Schuetzenfest, in a moment of quiet that fol- 
lowed remarked, "If that had been me I'd have asked 
the distance to the nearest morgue." It takes an 
original genius to rind humor in matters that terrify 
the average run of mankind. To me there is nothing 
more frightful than the nightmare idea of a fall from 
some great height. 
Our worst forebodings of the night before were real- 
ized when we came to cross the Taku Arm. We were 
favored by quiet water until nearly across, when of a 
sudden we heard a noise in the distance like an ap- 
proaching railroad traim Far off, next the horizon, an 
inky line appeared. The surface of the lake began 
undulating with a ground swell, which momentarily in- 
creased till before we fully realized its import our boats 
were tossing in a wildly agitated sea. We were directly 
opposite the Arm and on a lee shore, and to cap our 
troubles a snow squall came up which, combined with 
the approaching night, completely blotted out from 
sight the shore. 
In less that five minutes from the time we saw the first 
indications of storm, or rather heard them, the white 
curling waves were washing completely over our decked 
freight boats, which appeared to be more under water 
than out, and we were drenched to the skin by the spray. 
There was only one way of escaping the waves, and 
that was to row across the lake to the lee of the point, 
marking the' northern boundary of the Arm. The further 
we continued on in our present course the rougher the 
water threatened to become, and a retreat was out of 
the question. The lake is nearly two miles wide at 
this place, and our only guide for the greater part of 
the distance was the wind. The water was a tumbling, 
scathing chaldron, the waves apparently coming from all 
directions at once, instead of in regular swells, and as 
we could see no landmarks we had to depend entirely 
upon the wind for direction, keeping our course ac- 
cording to the angle at which it struck our cheeks and 
backs. 
The most soul-harrowing part of the performance was 
the way in which the freight boats acted, at times jerking 
back as if they would pull the stem and stern pieces of 
the combination out, and at other times running ahead 
as if intent on ramming the towing boats and sending 
them to perdition. One had to be constantly on the 
alert to meet the blow when it came. This Avas ac- 
complished by throwing the leading boat a trifle side- 
ways, so that the rear boat would not hit squarely, but 
glance aside. 
I felt for Mac, and gave him what encouragement 
I could. It was a hard experience for a man who knew 
nothing of the water. 
The latter part of the time we had a beacon light to 
guide us. As the snow began slackening we could see 
the fitful flashes of a camp-fire on the shore we had left, 
and this gave us a good stern mark to row by. 
Eventually we ran into a little cove with gentle lap- 
ping waves, and soon after located a small stream, giv- 
ing us an ideal landlocked harbor. To reach this we 
had to jump overboard and wade and tow our boats 
through a narrow channel in a bar 50yds. or so out in the 
lake, and when we reached the stream we had to break 
ice that would bear our weight before we could get 
the boats in. 
When they were tied up to the bank we felt we could 
sleep easily in the assurance that they were perfectly 
safe from wind and wave. As the snow was again fall- 
ing heavily we carried our tent ashore arid pitched it a 
few yards back from the boats. 
J. B. Burnham. 
Ransacker's " Bees/' 
• St. Augustine, Fla. — Editor Forest and Stream: I 
have a wife who enjoys a streak of real wit as an epicure 
does an oyster, but who can wade through the funny 
things (so called) of Twain without so much as a loud 
smile affecting her stoical face. She hasn't the sporting 
tastes of her husband and seldom wastes a glance at the 
numbersome Forest and Streams that are always lying 
loose about her, but one evening- as we were reading the 
table began to shake like* an infant South Carolina earth- 
quake, and I wondered what was up. 1 looked at my. 
wife and saw that she was shaking and hiding her face as 
if ashamed of her weakness. 
A new number of Forest and Stream was in her 
hand, and I asked her what she'd found to do her 
up like that; but it was some time before she was calm 
enough to utter "Bees!" I asked her to read it. but 
she couldn't do it, and handed it to me. I immediately 
looked for "Bees" and found 'em, and before many 
minutes had gone the way of all time I was in the same 
convulsive condition that she was in. 
With the exception of now and then a touch in the 
Pickwick Papers, the wit of Dickens is dull compared to 
"Bees," and leaving- out Bret Harte nothing in our 
language is spicier, and should such a fountain of wit be 
shut up in the dull recesses of the Shasta Mountains ? Never ! 
Let Ransacker go out in the world where frolic and 
fun abound, depict every little incident in his inimitable 
way, and he will cast the reputation of Mark Twain into 
darkness that may be feh Didymus. 
Florida Otter Pets. 
That Florida is a fur-producing State will strike many 
readers with surprise. Such nevertheless is the case. 
It is the home of the otter, whose fur is valuable and 
always commands a good price in the market, quota- 
lions on Florida otter skins, cased, ranging from 
to $8 each. 
The. otter is a quaint, attractive, cunning and decidedly 
affectionate little animal. Terrestrial and aquatic, he is 
an interesting anomaly. In his native haunts he is 
one of the shyest and most timid of wil'd creatures. In 
the domain of civilization he is bold, venturesome and 
ever ready to investigate and make acquaintance with 
friends and foes alike. He has a type of beauty dis- 
tinct and wholly his own. His exquisite glossy coat 
is a rich seal brown; his face is quaint and winsome. 
Has eyes are small and jet black, and set forward in* 
his head. The nostrils are large and open, and a consid- 
erable portion of the muzzle is bare. His ears are small 
and set on the side of the head, giving him a cunning- 
appearance. The mouth is large and full of snow-white 
teeth — the front teeth are small and set close to each 
other; four large tusks and twenty peculiarly shaped 
grinders complete the set. His whiskers, though not 
so pronounced, greatly resemble those of the seal. The 
body is long and flexible, the legs short and stout. The 
paws have each five toes, with sharp claws, which 
enable him to dig, climb or hold his prey. The otter 
when grown is about 4Hft. in length, of which i^ft. is 
the otter s haunt. 
tail. The tail is flat and very broad at the base — tapering 
to a point. The weight of a full-grown otter varies from 
20 to 2Slbs. The female has young once a year, the 
number varying from three to five, although instances 
are known where eight young have been found with the 
mother. Very little, if anything, of the habits of the 
Florida otter is known to science. Every effort has 
been exhausted in attempts to collect useful data on 
the character of this artful little denizen of the swamps. 
Florida is the natural home of the otter, but like the 
American bison of the West, and the alligator of the 
South, he is fast being exterminated. In the swamps of 
the Everglades, where few but the stealthy footed Sem- 
inole wander, he is still found. 
For years it has been an ambition to possess a pair 
of these animals, in order to study the habits of so timid 
and wild a creature. All the trappers of the section had 
been solicited for their aid, while the Seminole Indians, 
who know every nook and corner of the great swamp, 
have been untiring in their efforts to obtain a pair 
of the young, word frequently coming from the chief, 
"Me hunt, hunt. Little otter no find. Little boys hunt; 
no find." 
After piany efforts two very young otters were se- 
cured, but of such a tender age as to render it necessary 
to rear them by hand with the bottle. As soon as they 
passed the infant stage, when they ate and slept, and 
slept and ate, they became a continuous study, de- 
veloping into most interesting pets, showing quickness 
and affection both surprising and gratifying. 
The study of these little creatures, fresh from their 
native haunts, and whose wild instincts for countless 
generations have been affected by no human influence, 
has resulted in many interesting developments as to 
their character, intelligence and acute perceptions. 
Scarcely possible would it be to find a more playful 
animal than the otter; he is never still except when 
asleep, buOis ever rolling, tumbling or chasing some 
moving object. Occasionally this rollicking pair have 
been allowed to come into the house, when the spirit 
of discovery has displayed itself strongly. Curtains and 
rugs would be investigated, and buckets and pans thor- 
oughly examined. Their love for bright objects was 
one of the first characteristics observed. A silver dol- 
lar was a delight; picking it up in his mouth, the one 
would carry it away, the other closely following un- 
til a quiet nook was reached. Lying on his back, with 
the silver piece upheld by the forepaws, he would chhp 
and chatter over it like a playful child, the mate dodging! 
and tumbling, awaiting her turn at the coveted play 
thing. After playing until they were tired, the}' would 
seek the fur rug, twist and turn upon it for a while, then 
like a restless, nervous child, gradually grow quieter 
and quieter, until the little black eyes would close. A, 
few more turns and rolls, a few more nervous quivers, 
and the. young otters were asleep, as limp and uncon- 
scious of the surroundings as if they were dead. As 
drowsiness came on each would hunt a paw, and the, 
two otters, curled into a circle, sucked their paws and! 
dreamt the hours away. 
The affection displayed by the otter for his mate is in-j 
deed full of poetry. Sleeping or waking, playing or 
eating, they are never separated. Should one in rolling 
or tumbling stray away, unseen by the other, quickly 
the "chirp, chirp," a call only used for the mate, is 
heard, and the lost one returns, and the rejoicing is' 
as great apparently as if the separation had been for a 
length of time, caressing, leaping, sporting, into the; 
water and out, as joyous as it is possible for two creat- 
ures to be. 
The otter is a methodical little animal, and a very,, 
cleanly one too. In his domestic state, and especially, 
after a heavy supper, lie sleeps late. When all nature! 
is asleep he crawls from his nest, stops to yawn, then 
a few steps and another long, open-mouthed yawn, till 
he is fully awake. Into his bath he goes, head first, when, 
he dives and swims, stopping frequently, as if by instinct, 
to peer out and see that no enemy is near. As his little' 
head is seen above the pooh with the glimmer and gloss ■ 
of the water upon him, he might easily be taken for a, ; 
young seal. Coining from his bath, he is miserable' 
and uneasy until he has dried off, which he can do so, 
thoroughly by rolling in the sand, looking in a few 
minutes so slick and dry that one is surprised. After 
the bath he is ready for his breakfast, and the grotesque 
little face appears at the wire-netted fence begging with 
all the seductive entreaty an animal could show. No 
other animal, lest it be the squirrel, feeds in such an 1 
attractive, fascinating manner. Taking a bite daintily, 
he throws his head backward and his paws forward, 
and with an expression depicting supreme satisfaction on 
his face, shows two rows of white teeth at each move- 
ment of the jaw, and chews and chews the most tender 
morsel as if his life depended upon the proper masti- 
cation of it. 
Few animals equal the otter in agility and address; 
his long flexible body is enveloped in >a skin so loose 
that he almost seems able to turn himself over in 
it. His forebody is like the seal's, his paws are webbed 
and fitted for swimming, which he does with the greatest 
' celerity. The fur is short, glossy and closely set to 
the skin, so as not to interfere with his move- 
ments in the water, where he displays the greatest 
grace — floating, swimming, gliding, circling or diving. 
Encyclopedias describe the*, otter as awkward on land. 
Far from it, as has been demonstrated in his romps 
with the setter dog, where he is quick and agile, and 
every movement is full of ease and grace. In this he 
differs from the seal, while in many other ways his 
physical characteristics are very similar. He can dart 
or turn himself in the water with as much celerity as 
a fish, and is therefore an expert fisher. Small fish he 
eats while in the water, while large ones he brings out 
on dry ground, where his first act is to break every 
bone in the body, then beginning at the tail he eats 
toward the head. 
The otter in a domesticated state is easily taught to 
fish for his master and to retrieve to hand, for in 
bringing captive fish to shore he is only following his 
natural inclinations. In his native haunts he feeds on 
fish, turtles, frogs, snakes and young birds, but in captiv- 
ity soon learns to prefer cooked food as well as fruits, 
often refusing raw fish to dine on bread and milk, eggs, 
cabbage, sweet potatoes, peaches and watermelon or J 
oranges. 
In his Everglade home the otter is a lazy little animal; 
he inhabits some hole in the bank of a lake, generally | 
choosing one which already exists, seldom if ever bur- 'I 
rowing for himself. In his domesticated state he has 
progressed enough to make his own bed, carrying mosfl, J 
shavings or paper to the spot which suits him best. 
With the instinct of the woods clinging to him, he \ 
continually changes his sleeping quarters, often mak- 1 
ing three or four moves in a day. 
A gentleman of Florida, who once owned a family of | 
otters, says of them: "They played about the house 
with the dogs, were petted by the children and indulged 
in all sorts of cunning antics. They were great climbers, 
climbing for the mere pleasure of it. During the heat 
of the day they would go off to the lake to bathe and 
to fish, returning after a. few hours," 
Frequently they would wander to the field back of the i 
house, and when their owner thought it time for them 
to come home he would send his dogs after them — ot- 
ters and dogs playing along the way as they returned. 
Were any strange dogs to attack the home dogs, the 1 
otters rushed right into the fight, making the bravest 
allies. 
The Florida otter, while native to a tropical climate, 
can endure but very little exercise in the sun, as was 
learned while attempting to get them in focus of the 
camera. They were very hungry and eager to go to 
eating, but could not endure the warm rays long 
enough to be gotten into position. No amount of force 
or coaxing could keep them in place, and they would 
retire to the shade panting and exhausted. 
A few years ago, before the hunter and the trapper 
had made such sad havoc with the wild animals of 
Florida, it was no uncommon sight to see a family of 
otters playing along the banks of the Kissimmee River. 1 
At the first sight of the boat, down they would glide 
into the water, occasionally raising their heads above 
the surface, but so alert were they that the rifle balls 
passed over them. Some hunters have a superstitious 
belief that the otter possesses some magical power, by 
which he dodges shot and ball. Sportsmen tell of the 
spell of an otter's eyes — a pathos, a tenderness which 
make gun murderers hesitate. A noted huntsrnan,' after 
describing the sensation ' produced by the gaze of an 
otter's eyes, says: "The otter, I think, hypnotized me, 
