and readers to remember the decision of famous Sancho 
"Harkee, honest man, either I have no brains, or there 
is as much reason to put this passenger to death as to 
let him live and pass the bridge; for if the truth saves 
him, the lie also condemns him ; and this being so, you 
may tell those gentlemen M^ho sent you to me that, since 
the reasons for condemning and acquitting him are equal, 
they should let the man pass freely; for it is always more 
commendable to do good than to do harm ; and this advice 
I would give vou under my hand, if I could write. Nor 
do I speak thus of my own head, but on the authority of 
my master, Don Quixote, who on the mght before the 
da'y I came to govern this island told me, among many 
other good things, that when justice was doubtful 1 should 
lean to the side of mercy; and God has been pleased to 
bring it to my mind in the present case, in which it 
comes pat to the purpose." Ransacker. 
Shasta Mountains, Cal. 
Fishing Hog and Mousing Hen. 
Does the reversed negative make an aftirmatiive? If it 
does, as may seem to be true both figuratively and alge- 
braically, which we might say is the same as literally, 
then we should reasonably expect to have real fishing 
hogs, as hog fishers, and if my memory does not mislead 
me, I think our ancient poet, Shakespeare, wrote of a 
mousing hen. But while the discovery of these — scarcely 
lusce natures — in the hitherto unexplored locality known 
as Kansas, is nothing new, yet it is interesting to know 
that animals as well as we may change the place, but not 
the natural laws of creation. For the mousing hen is to 
my knowledge a native of several States, and these so 
widely apart that now we know she is found in Kansas 
we may consider her to be an established fact. I first 
saw her hunting along the sweet flowered hawthorn 
hedges of an English meadow; again I saw her a short 
time after at home in Pennsylvania, at the same sport, and 
since then she has been doing the same useful work in 
every country place in which I have lived forty years since 
that' time. Indeed, I can improve on Mr. Pine Tree's 
story, given on page 45, Forest and Stream, July 15— for 
I have witnessed a battle royal between a game rooster and 
a rat, in which the bird come out a victor and the carcass 
of the enemy was eaten by the hens. More than this, for 
while at times I have been lying — physically, not verb- 
ally, I assure you, notwithstanding the provocation here 
given for such a supposition— I have seen a small wood 
mouse chased and caught and carried off, I suppose for 
food, "by a pheasant. 
Birds are omnivorous, and exceedingly energetic in get- 
ting their food. Seeing my fowls busy on the bank of one 
of my fish ponds, I investigated and found they were 
wading into the shallow water for the eggs of the frogs 
and toads lying there, and since then the hens have 
hunted there for the little pollywogs which line the banks 
in hundreds. Just here I would diverge to this pollywog 
subject, and ask your readers if they know when a polly- 
wog becomes a frog or a toad, and for how long these 
creatures go about like little alligators. The present year 
I have seen hundreds of them some rods from the water in 
the grass, and catching flies, and 4in. long. Going back 
to the hens, these birds are exceedingly omnivorous, as 
will be shown by the many true stories told of the strange 
things found at times in their crops. It was through the 
enterprising hen that the California gold was first dis- 
covered, for long before Sutter found it in his milk race 
the women of his boarding house found nuggets in the 
hens' gizzards as they dressed them for the table. Other 
stories of similar discoveries of gold and precious stones 
in the gizzards of hens, or in their crops, have been told 
in mining camps, and similar stories in more truthful 
places. 
When I was a boy it was a common story- that pigs could 
not swim, because their sharp hoofs cut their throats ; but 
here in North Carolina I find our native razorback, or 
rail splitter, is an excellent swimmer, for he navigates my 
ponds and rivers here, and I suspect him of actual poach- 
ing for fish. I have seen him make a grab at something 
in the water and dive after it, apparently with the swift- 
ness and agility of an otter. Anyhow, I have had to shut 
in both sides of my ponds with a 2in. barbed wire fence 
to keep tlie hogs from doing something in my ponds akin 
to fishing, quite as much as to guard against fishers who 
emulate the hogs in this respect. 
Mr. Pine Tree talks of these ravenous brutes of fish- 
ing hogs, four-footed of course, but a whole drove of them 
will not do as much harm as one two-legged one. One 
of this breed I have seen, when he struck a shoal of 
trout so thick that the whole of the three flies on his 
leader frequently took a fish each, still keep on taking 
fish after his I2lb. basket was full, and when I fortunately 
came across him and stopped him he had a big heap on 
the bank, as well as a respectable string on a forked twig. 
Of the two breeds of this sus scrofus, I must say I prefer 
the quadruped variety as a fisher. H. Stewart. 
Highlands, N. C. 
Note. — But I have forgotten the real object I had in 
view when I sat down to write. This was the wild hog of 
this locality. I happen to possess z tract of possibly a 
hundred acres in about the center, nearly about 4,000, 
mostly all forest, but surrounded in part by a few small 
farms, the owners of which keep their half-wild hogs in 
my woods range, in which the mast is, of course, very 
abundant. This hundred acres is a sort of bay made by an 
ancient bend of the river, now filled up and covered with a 
thick growth of laurel, among which is a large quantity of 
big timber. This thicket, as it really is, is densely shaded 
by the tops of the laurels 20ft. or more tall, but below it 
is easy to thread one's way among the undergrowth. A 
few years ago I was exploring this thicket, called by the 
people here the Devil's Peach Orchard, on account of the 
wildness of its thickets and the fact that a solitary peach 
tree is growing or alleged to be (I have not seen it) in the 
center of this tract. But the wandering razorbacks, rail- 
splitters and other so-called hogs of the locality seem to 
have hidden in this solitary retreat, and have multiplied 
to a considerable extent. On my only visit of exploration 
of the one-tree orchard, I found numerous hogs, some 
of which would have put to shame those of the noted 
Black Forest of central Europe, in which the Kaiser is 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
said to shoot his wild boars. One of these beasts lying in 
a mud hole in a branch, and aroused by my appearanc», 
ran furiously at me and my companion. The brute had 
great sharp tusks fully 6in. long, and as he came at me 
with gnashing teeth, the foam fell from his jaws. His 
bristly mane stood up stiffly and I remember well his little 
keen eyes as he came rushing at me. Fortunately, I vras 
carrying in my hand, ready for use a Colts navy, which 
enabled me to disable the big savage brute so that he re- 
treated, and I must say I let him retreat with good will. 
From the abundant sign of hog wallows in this wild 
place I am sure there must be a large number of old 
stagers who would tax the courage and enterprise of an 
experienced hunter of wild boars. I am sorry to say that 
I have so far been too busy to visit this part of my farm 
since. But if any Forest and Stream reader wishes to 
try some of my pork in this pasture, I cordially invite 
him. H. S. 
The Canadian Lynx. 
The Canadian lynx {Lynx canadensis) is most abun- 
dant in Canada, reaching as far north as timber is found, 
and extending south into the northern parts of the United 
States, where it chiefly, inhabits the high mountains of 
the West, but is frequently met with along streams m 
the valleys. , 
In the foothills and lowlands of the Rocky Mountains 
of northern Alberta, Canada, I found them common, or 
perhaps I should say they seemed to be common, judging 
from the number of tracks seen and large quantities of 
skins brought out by trappers and traders. Although I 
spent nine months in this locality for part of each summer 
and fall of the years of 1895 and '96, our party saw but 
,two "pissues," as the Cree Indians call them. The locality 
was favorably adapted for their concealment, however, 
being a continuous expanse of timber. 
Its long, thick hair is ample protection from the winter 
blasts, and the huge feet being also provided with long 
hair, which cover the naked soles, make excellent snow- 
shoes for traveling over the deep snows. When not 
alarmed, or hunting, it stands erect, and walks about with 
the air of a common cat with its short tail erect. Its long 
legs and thick fur make it appear much larger than it 
really is, and the hunter is often surprised upon killing 
and skinning one to find at what a sm^U mark he has 
fired. 
The Hudson's Bay Company ships thousands of the skms 
to Europe yearly, and we often see them dyed black and 
made into muffs, and I have seen several natural and full 
length skins as boas. 
In the northern parts of Alberta, about the foothills 
of the Rocky Mountains, large tracts of burnt timber are 
found, the fallen trunks of which lie in a perfect network 
on the ground. After a few years have elapsed, young 
pines, spruce or poplar trees spring up, covering these 
places with a thick growth to the height of 10 or 15ft. In 
such places as this, the snowshoe rabbit, northern or vary- 
ing hare {Lepus americanus) , is found in large numbers, 
and as this species under consideration preys chiefly upon 
them, it too is found most abundantly in such localities, al- 
though it is frequently met with in higher altitudes. That 
the Indian thinks the lowlands its favorite home is proven 
by the number of snares found along the trail. While 
hunting in such places the Canadian lynx can either lie in 
wait on a log near a rabbit trail until his prey comes 
along, or from behind the fallen timber it can creep 
stealthfully within reach of and spring upon it withotit 
being observed. In addition to the snowshoe rabbit, it 
also feeds upon various species of grouse, ptarmigan and 
small mammals and birds, occasionally feasting off a 
freshly-killed deer that some hunter has left out over 
night 'in the forests. Audubon and Batchman ("Quadru- 
peds of North America") relate an incident of this kind, 
in which the animal refused to leave the carcass, and was 
killed. The thick willow, alders and poplars along the 
banks of streams is another favorite hunt^ing place of the 
lynx, where it lies in wait or still-hunts his game. 
During the day it usually remains quiet, taking refuge 
in a hollow log or stump, or under the low and overhang- 
ing limbs of spruce, but is frequently seen out on dark 
days. It is very shy and cowardly, and flees at the least 
alarm. When pursued by dogs, it proceeds in great 
bounds, throwing its hind parts high in the air at each 
leap, and on being pressed, soon takes to a tree, where the 
hunter finds it seated on the first limb with its back 
against the trunk. I have been told by Indians that when 
driven into close quarters by a dog it spits and snarls, and 
strikes whh its four paws, and as a last resort seizes its 
adversary with its front feet, draws him close and dis- 
embowels him with the claws of the hind feet. 
Large numbers are annually snared by the Indians, but 
not a few are poisoned, caught in steel traps, or run down 
with dogs, but the most favorite way of capturing them 
is with the snare. This is done in the following manner: 
A small inclosure of sticks is made and an opening left 
on one side, the" snares usually being set along a trail. 
A snare is then placed in the opening and some scent 
bait daubed on a stick and stuck in the back of the in- 
closure, the other end of the snare twine being fastened 
to a pole 6 or 8ft. long and about as large around as the 
wrist. The scent bait is made of beaver castors, livers of 
wildcats that have been hung in the sun till decayed, nut- 
megs, cloves and root from a small plant known as love 
root, ground and mixed, to which may be added cinna- 
mon, oil of cloves and rum. This is stirred together and 
allowed to stand a week or ten days before being used. 
The smell of this mixture draws the cats from some dis- 
tance. When they arrive at the snare and try to enter 
the opening, they push their heads through it, and while 
rolling in the stench get entangled in the cord, and as 
the snare tightens they become alarmed and try to escape. 
The pole soon gets fast in the brush, where the trapper 
usually finds them either strangled to death or dead from 
exhaustion. I am told that they seldom get very far from 
the place where the snare is set. Occasionally a spring 
pole is attached to the snare and the animal, while 
struggling to escape, frees it and is swung into the air, 
where death soon comes to its relief. 
The Indians of the North esteem its flesh very highly, 
and the eyes are considered a great delicacy. They are 
very superstitious about different parts of the meat. The 
women are never allowed to eat the eyes, and they believe 
that should a dog secure a piece of the meat he would be 
ruined as a wildcat hunter forever. Although I have, 
frequently had an opportunity to eat lynx meat, I regret 
to say that I did not do so. It is light in color, and is said 
to taste like veal. 
While camping in the high mountains of the locality 
mentioned above, niy attention was attracted one morning 
by the loud barking of my dog. On going to the tent and 
looking out, I saw a large Canada lynx hunting mice in 
the middle of a muskeg (a sort of swamp) about 200yds. 
away. As he bounded away I fired a shot after him, 
which had the effect of hurrying him along. The dog 
pursued him, and in a few minutes I heard him bark- 
ing, and on arriving found the cat perched on a low 
limb of a pine spruce. In one of the barrels of my gun 
was an auxiliary, which I used in shooting small speci- 
mens. It took a .38 extra-long rim-fire shell, loaded with 
No. 12 shot. Taking a position where I had an open' 
shot at his shoulder, I aimed a little back of it and fired. 
He kept his seat about five seconds, and then fell, and in 
ten seconds more was dead. On skinning him I found 
that the shot had spread a little more than a person's 
hand would cover, and had eater their way to his heart.' 
He was about 15ft. away when I fired. Another that I 
found in a trap by the side of the trail was killed likewise. 
I serve all the coyotes, foxes, coons and skunks that I 
catch in the same manner, and if I am careful and can, 
place the shot where it should be, it is always effective. 
Mr. E. W. Nelson ("Natural History Collections Madej 
in xMaska"), in speaking of this animal, says: "Mr. Mc- 
Quester, a fur trader living in Fort Yukon, witnessed one 
winter day a combat between a lynx and a red fox, which, 
he described to me as follows: 'The lynx sprang upon 
the fox in comparatively open ground, evidently trying to, 
capture it for his food. The fox instantly made fig'ht, and 
for a few moments the fur flew right and left. Then a| 
short pause followed, and the fight was renewed. A' 
second pause ensued, and after the two had glared at each; 
other for a few moments they slowly withdrew in oppo 
site directions, the hair on each bristling defiance, buli 
each evidently satisfied to close accounts.' This lynx 
was probably "weakened by hunger,_for a vigorous lynx is 
certainly more than a match for a fox." 
The fur traders and Indians of the upper Yukon claim 
that the lynxes sometimes unite in parties of five or' 
six and make rabbit drives on the small islands in the 
Yukon. They claim to have heard the lynxes utter a. 
sharp, whistling noise, and to have found their tracks 
in the snow where the line had swept the island, until eacl 
secured its prey, near the further end. 
When rabbits increase in a district for a number oi 
years, the yield of lynx skins is large, until, suddenly, an 
epidemic breaks out among the rabbits and they are almost 
exterminated. The succeeding seasons are marked by a 
heavy decrease in the number of lynx skins secured by tb 
natives, and until the rabbits become common again th^ 
lynx become scarce. 
The last paragraph is substantiated by the' Indians 'in 
the country in which I traveled. 
Dr. C. Hart says in his "Mammals of the Adirondacks'^ 
that the number of young brought forth at a litter is two 
J. Alden Lortng. 
OWEGO, N. Y. 
A Robin as a Mock Bir<3. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The communication of Mr. Chill in a late number oli 
Forest and Stream, telling of a robin repeating the Call oi! 
Bob White, reminds me of a somewhat similar eircum 
stance in my own experience, or, rather, observation. One 
spring, when I was a boy, in Ohio, many years ago, ir 
corn-planting time, a robin took his position on a deat 
elm tree on the edge of the cornfield, every day for some 
two weeks, or perhaps longer, and sang his regular songj 
interspersing it at not infrequent intervals with the crj 
"Whip-poor-will," as distinctly as the bird that bears 
that name could utter it. As I say, this was kept up for t 
considerable period of time, and the cry was heard no) 
only by those on our farm but by the neighbors : but, ex> 
cept those persons, I never met any others that ever hear< 
or knew of a similar case. Long afterward, however, ' 
read in some book on natural histpry that it was not un 
usual for a robin to imitate the whippoorwill or othe 
birds 
Does any other reader of Forest and Stream know o 
a like case? K 
Camp Percy, N. H. 
Does the Loon Prey on Ducks? 
Lake Clair, P. Qt> July ro. — Editor Forest am 
Stream: By the great indulgence of my friend 
Greenough, I have been permitted to enjoy, for the firs 
time, the natural beauties, the entertainment and tin 
health-giving excursions which Lake Clair_ and its pic 
turesquc surroundings afford. This lake is a gem se 
among forest-clad hills which rise 300 and 400ft. abov 
the level of the lake, while the lake itself is some 750ft 
above the level of the St. Lawrence River. Within soofl 
of Lake Clair, on its western side, lies the southern end o 
Lake Long, the level of which is some 200ft. below ih 
level of Lake Clair. One of the wonders is why th. 
waters of Lake Clair do not percolate through to Lak' 
Long; but Lake Long is here separated from Lake Clai 
by a magnificent cliff of solid rock rising sheer som 
300ft. Close at hand is Black River, a rushing, turbulen 
stream — the outlet of Lake Long — and scenery not onl. 
picturesque but grand. 
Of course trout abound in these waters. Our host in 
dulges his guests so far as the taking of trout is con, 
cerned, and in every seasonable way; but promiscuoui 
shooting he does not look upon with favor. He likes t 
see game in its native state about his domain. So it is, fo' 
the most part, unmolested here. The cry of the loon is ; 
common sound, and this bird is always present^ about th! 
lake. One species, the great Northern diver, is a hand 
some and powerful bird. A. pair with a young one ma' 
be seen daily in the vicinity of the_ camp, 
A wild duck with fifteen young lives near by. A 
days ago. in a pouring rain, and while we were all in 
doors, this little family was discovered close in under th, 
windows of the camp, feeding. 
The loons — or some of them-^seem to be very hostile t 
