144 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
tAtic. to, 1H9H. 
■-■ — ■ ■ • — — — 
hope to be spared, but the lawlessness of the lumberman, 
the poacher, the plumassier, the oologist and the small 
boy with a gun is an ever-present menace. Against 
these wasteful tendencies of a lusty young nation, revel- 
ling in the careless wealth of boundless possessions and 
of "natural resources which once seemed inexhaustible, 
we rejoice to observe a growing protest. The Agassiz 
Association, the Audubon Society, the A. O. U. com- 
mittee on the protection of birds, the changing game 
laws of our States, the forestry associations, the boards 
of public instruction, the natural history societies and 
writers of to-day, and above all the national and state 
departments of agriculture in their bureaux of economic 
zoology, are a mighty and providential power for the 
reversal of the brutal misconception of nature which 
grew apace with the young life of our nation. Fortunate- 
ly we have called a halt before our losses were irre- 
trievable. We are getting slow to believe what the 
prophets have told us, and are relying less on what 
may be termed the feudal instinct of self-preservation 
than on hard-pan facts of zoology. We are giving 
beast and bird and creeping thing the benefit of the 
doubt. We are telling the panic-stricken farmer to keep on 
going slow when he sees a snake in the grass, a crow 
in the cornfield, a hen hawk or an owl in the meadow, or 
a weasel in the woodpile. But we must go further, striv- 
ing to teach not only the economy which adds to wealth, 
but that also which adds in a larger sense to the sum 
of human happiness. Who can calculate the benefits, 
mortal and immortal, which accrue from the mere pres- 
ence of created things among us? The song of bird is 
not more cheering, more instructive, than hum of bee 
or low of kine to many a soul. Can we not recall the 
delight and surprise of a nearer acquaintance with some 
shy, outlawed creature of the woodlands, which pre- 
judice or mistaken economy has put under the ban? 
In the serious problems of extermination and prevention 
which confront him, it is undoubtedly the province of the 
economist of the future to carefully weiglr these con- 
siderations. 
It is argued by some that nature contains within her- 
self remedies for her own deliverance, and that when 
man unreasonably oversteps the bounds there is sure 
to be a healthy reaction. In other words, that we will 
learn the best economy by our mistakes, and the sooner 
the mistake is made, the better. As a result of precise- 
ly this happy-go-lucky policy some of the noblest and 
most useful native mammals of America are practically 
exterminated, our forested mountain lands have been 
transformed into a rocky, fire-swept wilderness, our 
water supply into an uncontrollable menace, and the 
useful songsters of our towns and villages are now evicted 
by a pert, voracious horde of English sparrows. The 
fast-and-loose economy which once permitted such 
abuses in America, we rejoice to say, has had its day; its 
results, alas, will outlive many generations. 
Samuel N. Ritoads. 
Some Animal Pets.— III. 
San Francisco, July 28.— You will find you have 
struck a very responsive chord in your suggestion that 
your contributors should write of their experiences in 
animal pets,, and you will be obliged to set aside special 
space, for people who have owned domestic pets and 
like to talk about them. The theme is a pleasant one, and 
the proneness to recount instances of their intelligence is 
like unto that of the young father of the first boy to 
entertain his bachelor friends with the smart sayings and 
doings of the wonderful child. My friends have been 
spared this infliction for the best of reasons, but I 
confess my equivalent weakness for almost anything in 
the way of animals, and in studying their habits and 
peculiarities, and "that reminds me" that some day 
I will tell you the story of my first and only appearance 
on the race track as an amateur jockey; but as Kipling 
says, that is another story that may come later. 
When I was living in Texas, a Mexican brought me 
one day a little Mexican leopard cub or kitten, about 
four weeks old, that he had caught. It was about, the 
size of a half-grown cat, with soft, spotted fur. At 
first it refused all sustenance, but by perseverance I at 
last persuaded it to take milk, and it thrived wonder- 
fully, and became very tame, and would play with a 
ball or spool for hours, the same as a kitten. It would 
crawl up into my lap and take its nap, at night sleep- 
ing on my bed. It grew rapidly, and in a few months 
attained its full size, and was allowed to roam about 
the house. It showed great aversion to strange dogs, but 
was sociable' with my old pointer, who tolerated it as 
simply one of the family, though not displaying any great 
partiality for it. However, there were no ruptures be- 
tween them, but if any strange dog came about "Jimmy," 
as I called him, would make it warm for him. 
As Jimmy grew older he became stouter and heavier, 
and at night would claim more than his share of the 
bed, and would lie across me until, his weight becoming 
oppressive, I would roll him off on to the floor. I tried 
to make him sleep on the rug alongside of the bed, but 
he would crawl upon the bed again during the night. 
One night, after pushing him off repeatedly, I gave him 
a good cuffing, whereupon he growled and showed 
fight. I got my riding whip and punished him severely. 
He crawled under the bed and sulked. I determined to 
conquer him, and hauled him out and made him lie on 
the rug, though very unwillingly. In the fracas he 
scratched me severely. From that moment there seemed 
to be a suspension of cordial relations. He gradually be- 
came sulky and cross, and began to show the natural 
characteristics of his nature, and seemed only awaiting 
a good excuse to test the question of supremacy. It 
was evident that he was rapidly asserting himself, and 
that it would be dangerous to attempt any further pun- 
ishment. He had always taken his meals from the same 
dish with the dog, but now would snarl and show his 
teeth if Ponto came near where he was eating. He 
still had the run of the house, and dragged the rug off 
into a corner to sleep on, and never essayed to get on 
the bed again. . "j 
He was now about two years old and a beautiful 
animal, but it became apparent that he was rapidly re- 
suming his natural characteristics, and it would be only 
a question of time when he would be a dangerous com- 
panion, and serious consequences might come from the 
association, so I determined to dispense with his so- 
ciety. An opportunity occurred soon after. A traveling 
showman offered me $100 for him, which I accepted; 
and we parted without any manifestations of regret on 
either side. It was only another illustration of my theory 
that it is universally the case that all animals redeemed 
from a wild state develop their natural characteristics as 
they grow older. How long this one might have re- 
tained his amiability had not our little difference < f 
opinion occurred, I cannot say; possibly months, but it 
was bound to come sooner or later, and probably not 
much later. The treacherous nature of the cat family 
was sure to crop out eventually. 
I am not dead sure that even in mankind there is not 
a suspicion of this similar disposition to become dis- 
agreeable as we grow older, for who of us have not a lit- 
tle experience with old aunts and uncles who get crabbed 
and cross as they run to years. We are unfortunately 
limited in our disposition of them. We caift set the 
dog on them, nor sell them for $100 as curiosities, the 
prejudices of polite society in these days not permitting 
such methods, more is the pity. 
PODGERS. 
the Mississippi bottoms, where little or no undergrowth 
grows and the woods are called "open swamp," the phe- 
nomenon of moss on the northern sides of trees, with 
clean bark on the southern side, is quite marked. The 
rule is not invariable, but the preponderance of trees 
coming under it is quite decided. The woodman, casting 
his eyes to the northward, will see light colored tree 
trunks, as characteristic of that view, and per contra, will 
see dark color looking southward. 
In drizzly weather he will also note that the north 
sides of the trees are damp, while the south sides are 
dry. . , 
There is great sameness in the topographical features 
of large areas of these flat swamps, and I have occa- 
sionally availed myself of the "moss sign" to direct my 
course. 
On the higher grounds, where canebrakes or thick 
underbrush prevail, I have found it difficult to detect 
any marked difference in the growth of moss on the 
different sides of the tree trunks. As to the other dis- 
tinctive features mentioned by Mr. Dearborn, as pre- 
sented by the north and south sides of trees, I am in- 
clined to regard them as fanciful or theoretic only. 
Coahoma. 
About Bears. 
I have been much interested in all of Mr. Mather s 
articles, as he evidently tells what he has seen and 
knows. In his last he speaks of wishing he had been 
able to see how bears pick raspberries and catch ants. 
Although I have been nearly as unfortunate as he in my 
experience with bears, I can tell him how these two 
things are done. ; . 
I used to have a dear friend, Mr. Henry Clapp, ot 
Brownville, Me., who in many respects was like Mr. 
Mather's friend, Port Tyler. Once when I visited his 
place to get him to take a woods cruise with me he 
had two young bears, which he had taken in the spring, 
and whose actions he had been carefully studying. He 
told me that he had often led them to the woods and 
watched them obtain various kinds of food. He said 
that in picking raspberries they stood up and drew the 
bushes toward them with their paws, but picked the 
berries with their mouths. A hunter of my acquaintance 
told me of seeing one pick blackberries in the same 
way. I once, in coming around a turn in a narrow stream 
in a canoe, came suddenly upon a bear engaged in 
picking a black, shiny berry, commonly known as bear 
berries. The bear did not wait for me to take any ob- 
servations, but it was plainly to be seen that the bushes, 
which reached over the water, he had drawn with his 
paws I have often seen where they have been gather- 
ing beech nuts before they fell; they would draw one fork 
of a limb toward thein and split it off, and then reach 
out and draw in the other fork, often breaking limbs 2m. 
or more through. 
Mr. Clapp told me that his bears showed a great deal 
of judgment in catching ants. They did not tear a stump 
or log to pieces at random, but on finding a log which 
looked likely they would strike it hard with a paw, and 
lay an ear close to the side. If there were no ants there 
they left it, but if they could hear the ants running along 
their passageways thev would at once tear the log in 
pieces and quickly run their tongues along the grooves 
and catch many of the ants before they had time to 
scatter. He said that they were extremely quick in 
their movements while any ants were in sight. 
I had the pleasure of seeing these bears eat their first 
green corn. They had never seen corn before, and 
when a husked ear was given one he turned it over 
and over, and looked curiously at it, very much as a 
coon will look at a strange thing. Then he held it with 
one paw and scratched it lengthwise with the other. 
On seeing the milk start (for the corn had not hardened) 
he carefully lapped it, and as soon as he got the taste of 
it ate it, very much as a pig would have done. I saw one 
eat freshly cut oats. He held a bunch with one paw and 
let the heads drop between the spread claws of the other 
paw, as a person would between his fingers, and then 
shutting the claws stripped the heads off and conveyed 
them to his mouth. 
Mr. Clapp told me of often seeing them do a thing 
which I have never known any one to see done by a 
wild bear, but which they undoubtedly are in the habit 
of doing, or else these would not have done it. They 
would climb a tree which had a limb running out at 
right angles and walk out on the limb, then would lower 
themselves down by their forepaws and bite hold of the 
limb and swing back and forth, holding by their teeth. 
Then they would catch with their paws and draw them- 
selves up. They would repeat this performance a great 
many times. 
There is a mistaken idea that a bear cannot climb a 
small tree. Mr. Clapp had a cedar pole some 15 or 16ft. 
high and not over 6in. in diameter at the butt set up- 
right in the ground, and both of these would climb it as 
easily and quickly as cats. 
They refused fish when fresh, but ate them greedily as 
soon as they began to grow tainted. 
In regard to eating honey. I think that our Maine 
bears seldom get any except from domestic hives, which 
they frequently plunder in the night, and what they get 
from bumble bees. Jock Darling once shot a bear in 
July, which, as he told me, had strawberries and bumble- 
bee honey in his stomach. A friend who was bee hunting 
told me of finding a bee tree which showed where bears 
had tried to gnaw in it several different times, but the 
wood was so thick that they had been unable to get at 
the honey. I have seen where they have torn stumps 
in pieces to get at nests of wasps, but probably all they 
obtained was the grubs. ' . , . , _ ... 
There are many things which bears do which I, like 
Col. Mather, should like to see them do, but I fear that 
my wishes will never be gratified. M. Hardy. 
fog mt d 
The "BriefY' Pictures. 
The illustrations in the current edition of Game Laws in Brief, j 
Mr. Charles Hallock says, well represent America's wilderness 
sports. The Brief gives all the laws of the United States and 
Canada for the practical guidance of anglers and shooters. As 
an authority, it has a long record of unassailed and unassailable 
accuracy. Forest and Stream Pub. Co. sends it postpaid for 25 
cents, br your dealer will supply you. 
Brewer, Me. 
Nature's Compass Signs. 
Clarksdale, Miss. — Editor Forest and Stream: I have 
read Mr. Dearborn's notes on woodcraft and some dis- 
senting comments upon them. In the lowest grounds of 
The Vermont League. 
[Read before the American Fisheries Society by John W. Titcdmb.] 
Nature liberally provided the waters of the world 
with food for man, and has been lavish in allowances 
for waste both from natural and artificial causes and 
the improvidence of man. With the progress of civili- 
zation, the increase of population and the change in 
natural conditions caused thereby, with the consequent 
increased demand for fish food, the lavishness of nature 
is set at naught. It will be conceded that the fish in the 
waters are intended for the use of man. Their protec- 
tion, then, is simply a safeguard to prevent the supply 
from being exhausted, and to make the production, 
whether artificial or natural, as useful to man as possible. 
It will be conceded by all members of this society that 
the artificial propagation of fishes has passed beyond the 
experimental stages, and that it is political economy 
for States to engage in fishculture. It will also be con- 
ceded that nearly all fish must be protected at certain 
seasons of the year, and that immature fish must be 
protected at all seasons if they are expected to reproduce 
their kind and nature is to assist m the work of the 
hatcheries. How many of our State legislatures are 
convinced as to the desirability of propagating and pro- 
tecting fish to the extent that wise laws prevail which 
are not subject to radical changes or repeal at each re- 
curring legislative session? Nearly, if not all, the States 
have some kind of protective laws; some wisely drafted, 
and more that have no reason for existence. Protective 
laws so called, often defeat the very object for which 
they are enacted. It is a common custom for legislators 
who want 'more liberal laws, which, for example, provide 
for the use of nets in waters where nets 'should be ex- 
cluded, to draft a bill reading somewhat as follows: 'An 
act for the protection of fish in Lake — , and then 
follows a bill providing for the extermination of fish in 
said lake. , . ^Vm 
In listening to manv valuable papers read during the 
National Fisheries Congress at Tampa last January, efc 
interest to both sportsmen and commercial fishermen, 1 
was impressed by the fact that almost every paper, scien- 
tific or otherwise, alluded to the question of legislation 
and the condition of public sentiment. If the paper did 
not allude to legislation, the discussion which followed 
its reading would do so. Examine the laws of any State 
and many will be found which are practically void. I do 
not refer to fish laws in particular, although this class' 
of legislation will be found in the above" category quite 
as frequently as any other. Two reasons will be found 
for the lack of observance of void legislation. First, the 
laws may not be wise ones and have no good reason, 
for existing. Second, public sentiment is opposed to 
the laws, either because they are unwise or because, 
the people are ignorant of the real reasons for their 
enactment This "public sentiment may or may not ex- 
tend throughout the State, and it may be limited to one 
town or one county in the State. If public sentiment, 
throughout the State is opposed to the observance of a 
law its enforcement is practically void. If one town or 
county is opposed to the law, it is for purely local, selfish 
and short-sighted motives, but it tends to make the law 
ineffective if its enforcement is left to local officers. 
It frequently occurs that the small section of a State in 
which the law is unpopular can send a strong enough 
representation to the Legislature to obtain its repeal 
against the best interests of the State at large. All such, 
work injures or weakens the efficiency and popularity 
of protective laws in general. The average legislators be- 
comes disgusted with the frequent introduction of bills 
for the propagation and protection of fish, and pays lit- 
tle attention to them unless such bills are called to 
his attention as directly affecting the interests of his 
constituents. He often goes to the capital with certain! 
objects in view and interests himself in executing those 
objects by the passage of certain bills regardless of other, 
interests. I do not intimate that he is dishonest, but his 
energy is exerted in the interest of his own constituents: 
He has not time to investigate proposed legislation on 
the fisheries, for instance. 
