Aug. 27, 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
167 
looking man came in and began handling a whip that 
hung in the rack. 
"Is this whip all whalebone stem?" asked the little 
man. 
"I'm sure I don't know," replied Mr, de Lano. "It 
may not have more than a foot of whalebone in it, or 
it may run all the way through it." 
"I'll tell you what I'll do," said the little man, "I'll 
give you a year's subscription to the Spirit of the 
Times (a periodical for which Nessmuk then was doing 
some work) if you'll give me the whip." 
To this Mr. de Lano -consented, and Nessmuk took 
the whip and split it open. The whalebone was found to • 
run entirely through, a very nice strip, at which the 
little man expressed great satisfaction. M I wanted it to 
make a tip for a rod," he explained. From that time 
on he seemed to think that Mr. de Lano was an honest 
man, and he took him into his camps with him. Mr. 
de Lano is the "Bush D " described in the chapter 
on camping out in the volume "Woodcraft." and it was 
he who built the camp-fire that roasted Nessmuk out. 
He says Nessmuk was an odd customer. He was a 
shoemaker by trade, and sometimes he had orders to 
make a pair of wedding boots for some prospective 
bridegroom who needed them for the happy event. 
Suppose Nessmuk got one boot done and the. other on 
the stocks, and at that time got caught with one of his 
fits for going into the woods; down wonld go the un- 
finished boot, and away he would go. The wedding 
might be postponed, or the bridegroom attend with but 
one boot. That was something for others to decide. 
Nessmuk went to the woods. That was the kind of 
shoemaker he was. E. Hough. 
1200 Boyce Building, Chicago, 111. 
Indian Modes of Hunting. 
IV. — Musquash. 
In Canada and the United States, the killing of the 
little animal known under the several names of water 
rat, musquash and muskrat is so well understood by the 
average frontier boy that any information I can give 
would be perhaps a repetition. 
Still there is one way that the Indian practices which 
is certainly not known to the whites, and is at a certain 
time very successful. That is spearing them on the 
ice; and another mode in which the Indians are very 
successful in the fall is digging them out, or "trenching" 
them, in the same way they do the beaver, only with 
much less labor, as it is done before the ponds and 
creeks freeze up. I will describe the latter way first, see- 
ing it comes before that of spearing. 
The resort of musquash (always where they are in 
numbers) is along grassy rivers, creeks, or ponds; for 
they store up large quantities of the long, flat grass for 
winter use, as the beaver does with young birch and 
poplar. The Indian paddling along the shores of such 
places has his eyes fixed on the bottom of the water; 
presently he perceives the entrance to one of the rat bur- 
rows; he stops his canoe and gazes fixedly on the open- 
ing, which is always about a foot under water. At last 
he sees the water ebb and flow in and out of the hole. 
This is a sure sign that the "wash" is occupied at that 
very moment by one or more rats. 
He at once, either with his axe or the blade of his 
sharp maple paddle, chops down the mud bank until he 
has an embankment or dam. This is to prevent the 
musquash from running out to deep water. When all 
is ready, either his wife or the boy who is steering 
the canoe . is sent ashore to prod about the honey- 
combed bank with the handle of his paddle. The little 
animals thus disturbed and thoroughly frightened make 
a rush for the outlet, deep water and safety, but (there 
is always a "but") the Indian, with his upraised paddle, 
has his eye steadily fixed on the water back of his dam, 
and as fast as one makes its appearance the sharp edge 
of the paddle is brought down on its head or back, and 
it is thrown into the canoe, quivering in its death agony. 
From two to eight or nine are not infrequently taken 
f from one hole. When the last one is killed, the Indian 
moves his canoe on until he finds another colony, and 
the same process is gone over again, and he returns to his 
camp with his canoe filled with musquash. I have in 
the fall received from one Indian as many as 2,000 
skins, large, and small. 
Musquash breed twice in the summer, and bring forth 
at each litter from six to eight. In the fall the large 
ones fetch the hunters ten cents, and the kits, or small 
ones, five cents. 
The spearing of musquash is done in this wise: The 
rats throw up little mud-cone lodges, or houses, out 
from the shore, in about a foot of water. They are 
not unlike beaver lodges. The inside is hollow and the 
entrance is under water. In this resort the rats sit, 
huddled together, during most of the severe winter 
weather. The hunter, therefore, as soon as the ice will 
bear his weight, slides up to the rat houses, armed with 
a sharp, barbed, steel spear, about a foot long, let into the 
end of a small tarnarac handle. This handle is generally 
about 8ft. long. Arriving close to the lodge, he poises 
the spear in mid-air for a moment and drives it down 
through the lodge with all his might. If he pierced a 
rat, he feels it wriggling on the spear, and keeps it fast 
there until he has torn away the mud and grass. He 
then seizes it by the tail and draws it with a jerk from 
the spear and knocks it on the ice, which finishes Mr. 
Rat. At times, when there arc a number of musquash 
in the same lodge at the same time, the spear often passes 
through two, or even three, at one stroke. This is 
great sport where the lodges are numerous. 
Musquash killed under the ice are worth two or three 
cents each more than in the fall, and the hunter makes 
frequently two to four dollars a day while it lasts. 
The flesh of musquash killed under the ice is highly 
esteemed by the Indians. It has then its winter fat 
on, and is free from the objectionable odor which prevails 
in the spring. 
The skins of the large ones, when dressed, make strong 
and durable lining for cloaks, coats, etc., and are made 
up into caps also. The "kit skins" are used in large 
numbers in the manufacture of kid gloves. The Hud- 
son Bay Company exports annuallv about 3,000,000 
skins. j , ■ . , , Martin Hunter, 
The Teton Timber Reserve. 
Valley Home, Wyo., July 29. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: A bill is now before Congress to nave the 
Harrison reserve or timber reserve put under the con- 
trol of the Yellowstone Park syndicate. The columns of 
your paper frequently contain articles endorsing this 
bill. I want to say, as a settler, that I consider this 
bill both unjust and useless. As a game preserve the 
reserve would be less useful than other land near the 
Park line that does not come under the survey. As a 
timber reserve it is the most useless piece of land, as 
there is positively no merchantable timber that can be 
cut, except what is naturally reserved and cannot 1 be 
gotten out at any reasonable cost; consequently it will 
never be disturbed by timber merchants. 
I am sure that in urging the closing of this strip of 
land to settlers the advocates of the proposition cannot 
know how much vital harm they will be doing to good, 
honest settlers. Because we are so unfortunate as to 
have a few poachers here is no reason why we, who have 
taken homes here and worked hard to til! our land, build 
our houses and in fact made ourselves beautiful homes, 
which we have learned to love with the honest love 
and pride that only an American can feel for his home, 
should lose our all. Now, sportsmen one and all, can 
you see any justice in this— that for your own pleasure 
we should lose our homes? We have learned to love 
and reverence our grand old mountains; and we protest 
most earnestly against having them taken from us. We 
are genuine Americans, not poachers and law breakers, 
as we have been represented; and some of us will lose 
more than any one of you can ever realize — in losing our 
homes. I tell you that taking our homes from us witl 
not be conducive to preserving the game. You sec, 
our homes were taken up and made before President 
Harrison ever issued his proclamation, and should we 
submit to laws passed (taking our all from us) by men 
who do not know anything about the country they are 
thus closing to settlers? I tell you it is wrong, it is un- 
just, it is decidedly un-American. 
This strip of land contains ore that would make the 
State of Wyoming one of the richest States in the Union 
if it were developed, and long before Harrison's procla- 
mation was ever issued our prospectors had discovered 
and located mineral claims, and developed them to such 
an extent that their dreams of wealth seemed near 
fruition, when most unjustly Harrison issues a proclama- 
tion that dampened their ardor. Now others would take 
hold, and try to have us robbed of our homes, merely to 
preserve game for their own pleasure. I protest that it 
is both unjust and selfish. You would say: "You'll be 
paid for your claims!" and I tell you that we never will 
be paid the value of what we will lose. To those who 
read this I will make an earnest appeal. Please do not 
try to influence the Government to take our homes from 
us. We love our homes, and this land will make better 
homes for honest settlers than any other use Uncle Sam 
can put it to. I am not eloquent with my pen, but I 
want to make a plea for my rights, and I know all 
hOme-loving sportsmen will sympathize with my senti- 
ments. Jas. L. McLaughlin. 
Ishawood, Big Horn County, Wyo. 
[The Hansborough bill in the Senate would extend 
Park control over the Teton timber reserve and to 
the south of the Park limits, as shown in the sketch 
map in our issue of May 7, 1898. See also the letter from 
Mr. Nowlin in that issue.] 
Snipe Shooting at Currituck. 
Just as the sun came peeping up out of the ocean 
with a balmy south wind fanning our brows, and a 
mocking bird sweetly singing on an island near by, we 
placed our decoys in a sandy pool about 2in. deep, where 
we had seen countless thousands of them the evening 
before, and knew that the only question of a fine bag was 
how we held the guns. My companion, Eddie Johnson, 
is a fine shot, while the writer thinks he knows it all 
(or did). Well, we are all ready, and here they -come — 
three winter yellowlegs. They seem to have no fear 
and swoop down among the decoys, we stood up, put 
them to flight, and bagged the lot. The next flock, five 
minutes later, was nine dowitchers; they decoyed beau- 
tifully. Eddie killed three with the first barrel, two 
with the next, while I killed two with each. We hardly 
had time to load when three large willets came hovering 
over the decoys. We gave them four barrels, scoring a 
clear miss. "Mark north," called Edward. Looking up, 
I saw about fifteen yellowlegs just sweeping the tops 
of the grass; they were soon within easy range, and 
four of them lay fluttering on their backs. 
"Look out behind, Jack." It was a long shot, but 
they flew very thick and four summer yellowlegs re- 
sponded to the discharge of the two barrels. It was 
keen sport, and when breakfast time came, about 8 
o'clock, we counted out eighty-nine yellowlegs, willets, 
plover and curlew. 
After breakfast we took it easy until 5 o'clock in the 
afternoon, when we returned to our blinds. The shoot- 
ing was even finer in the afternoon than it was in the 
morning, but we had lost the knack of doing it, and I 
am no longer proud. We bagged eighty-seven, how- 
ever, making a score of 175 for the day. 
I have been shooting for about thirty years at all 
kinds of game in America, but I know of nothing I 
would rather shoot than bay birds at Currituck. Some 
of my readers will complain, I know, that the bags are 
too large, but there is not one bird wasted, all of them 
go to friends who are not fortunate enough to get away 
at the right season. 
How to keep birds: 
I give below the best way to keep them. Cover the 
bottom of a box with fine ice, sprinkling over it a little 
salt, then a layer of birds, placed on their' backs; then 
another layer of fine ice, then salt, then another layer 
of birds; and so on until you come to the top. Then 
make the top layer deeper, placing an old bag over it 
before the cover is placed on. Birds packed 111 that 
way will keep for three days perfectly, and the hottest 
davs in August. If one is away for a week or ten days, 
repack, as above, every two or three days, and they will 
keep for three weeks nicely. This is a good thing to 
know; for the refrigerators we have in our houses are 
really only good for a day or two at best, while birds 
may be kept as above stated perfectly for a month. Do 
not pick nor draw the birds, but pack just as shot; to 
pick or draw them spoils the flavor. 
The flight of hay birds seems quite as large as usual 
at Currituck, and they were never in finer condition. 
There is an abundant quail crop in eastern North 
Carolina this season. 1 have had an occasion to drive 
through much of it recently, and never saw more of 
them. More Anon. 
Shore Birds in Massachusetts. 
Boston, Aug. 19. — Shore bird shooting off the coast 
of Massachusetts has not yet been a very marked suc- 
cess for the season of 1898. L. W. de Pass has tried 
for summer yellowlegs off Plum Island several times, and 
has obtained a few birds, but such gunning has not been 
satisfactory, though affording a great deal of satisfac- 
tion to his son, a boy of twelve — his father allowing him 
a shotgun for the first time this season. The boy has 
actually given his father a hard pull as to the number 
of birds shot. 
One or two remarkable flights of birds have passed 
along the coast, however, and some of the gunners have 
been on hand. C. H. Tarbox and Oscar Noyes begun 
early to try, as often as time and weather would permit, 
for summer yellowlegs at the flats along Essex River, but 
without any success till last Thursday. That day they 
were out without much luck till nearly noon. The 
weather was stormy — has been stormy for a couple of 
days — and Tarbox was sure that there should be a flight 
of birds. Noyes got disgusted and sat down to rest. 
His partner pulled on toward a good inlet or marsh, and 
got sight of what appeared, to be a great flock of birds. 
He called to Noyes to come with the decoys and help 
pul them out. He declined, somewhat in disgust with the 
whole business. But Tarbox put them out alone, and be- 
gan to whistle. Soon the flock of birds, almost out 
of sight, wheeled around and made for the marsh and the 
decoys. Tarbox got a couple of fine shots and a num- 
ber of birds. By this time Noyes had waked up and 
came to the shooting ground. To the surprise of both 
the flight wheeled about and settled in the marsh again. 
Both gunners got good shots with each barrel and lots 
of birds. Whistling again drew the birds back, with 
chances for more shots. This sport was kept up till 
the gunners had over seventy birds, and stopped from 
sheer exhaustion. 
The next day Senator C. O. Bailey, with Noyes and 
Tarbox. came to the same marsh and secured forty birds. 
On Saturday the same gunners were at them again 
and secured about thirty birds. The birds were chiefly 
summer yellowlegs, though a few "winters" were taken. 
Senator Bailey says that the flight has been the best 
one for ten years in that section, and he has gunned 
about every year. 
-■ Special. 
Animal Ways and Rules. 
Morgantown, W. Va., Aug. 12.^— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The writer of the article in Forest and Stream 
of Aug. 13, "Only One Way to Trap Coons," should be 
more liberal, and at least allow that there may be ex- 
ceptions to any acknowledged habit or custom of ani- 
mals. There are general laws which govern the habits 
of all animals, and it is only by studying them when 
finding them in their natural state that we determine 
what these habits are. 
Heated controversies often arise from different results 
obtained in the practical study of wild animals. As it 
is only by persistent effort or mere chance that we are 
afforded opportunity for noting the actions of wild 
animals, and then only to a very limited extent, we 
should, when making any statement, however clearly it 
may have been demonstrated to us, give our knowl- 
edge as gained by our observations, and leave at least a 
little room to justify the statements of others, who per- 
haps have had equal opportunities to observe, with re- 
sults entirely different. 
The item referred to says: "If any one ever told you 
he. trapped a coon in the woods, he told you what never 
happened! Coons can't be trapped except in one way," 
etc. 
On one occasion I found a coon in one of my traps 
which I had set for other animals, on dry ground in 
the woods, and I am not "telling what never hap- 
pened." , : 
I have also known of coons being taken m steel traps 
set at their holes. We must ask the "Pohcuck coon 
hunter" to moderate his theory a little and allow the 
poor coons a chance to deviate the least bit from their 
regular habits, in extreme cases, giving them a chance 
to° repent of their "unvarying" habits of "staying in 
their hole and starving, rather than conie out over a 
trap." We are not disputing the statements made as to 
general habits, but only suggesting moderation. 
We know of no system of actions laid down for any 
wild animals, however well founded or carefully studied, 
which are not violated by them. on certain occasions. 
Amy of us who have spent much time in the woods and 
are directly interested in the habits of wild animals 
have observed most unaccountable actions, so 'different 
from their usual way of doing as to cause comment, and 
an explanation of which we never find. Some of the 
oldest and most experienced woodsmen have told me 
of queer and unaccountable actions of animals which 
came under their observation but once in all their ex- 
perience. Therefore it is scarcely prudent for us to 
say that certain animals "never" vary from certain 
habits. Emerson Carney. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Some time ago a writer in the Florida limes-Union 
asserted that a coon could not be caught in a steel trap, 
however skilfully set, and now that Forest and Stream 
has copied a repetition of it from the Fur Trade Review, 
I think it time for me to take the other side and scotch 
the nonsense. 
If they can't do it, it is simply because they are not 
smart enough and not because the coon's too smart. 
Three or four years ago I found that a coon, or 
skunk, was making a mess of the eggs in my chicken 
