Sept. 9, i899-1 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
207 
he red squirrel, will not be surprised to hear that he 
xcasionally stoops to eat a fat snail. So far as_ I have 
loted him, however, the red squirrel rarely picks up 
• .nails. They are a bit too terrestrial for such a high 
l>.er. but they come right in line with his humbler 
1 ousin, the chipmunk. For years I have noted how 
; frequently the fresh shells of our larger species of land 
' -^nails could be found lying about upon stumps and 
' rocks, their spires ■ broken into and the animal deftly ex- 
racted. 
Supposing the robber to be a bird, I often wondered 
I why they chose such conspicuous positions for chcir meal, 
uid why I had never seen a bird in the act. While over- 
lurning logs in a wood near Cresson, Pennsylvania, this 
summer, I found the burrow and storehouse of a chip- 
munk which contained a quart of the empty shells, and 
living ones of large, handsome snails of two genera. 
Upon the logs and on stumps in the vicinity were numer- 
ous similar shells, all eaten in like manner, viz., through a 
hole neatly gnawed in the apex, and often so small that it 
was a marvel how the snail could have been thus abducted 
chrough its back door. It then quickly dawned upon me 
that chipmunks, and not birds, were responsible for the 
majority of dead shells lying about the woods in con- 
3picuous places with small holes in them. I once watched 
1 catbird eat a large snail, which it accomplished by beat- 
ing the shell to pieces and devouring both the house and 
its inmate, and it is a fair question whether any of these 
empty shells with small holes in them fell a prey to a 
Feathered enemy. Having had my attention directed to 
these facts, there was no difhculty in confirming them and 
proving by numerous observations that the chipmunk is 
one of the greatest snail hunters in this part of the 
:ountry. 
Besides the mammals above noted, I know of none in 
the region covered by this paper which vary their staple 
diet with molluscan tid-bits. The small amount of at- 
tention given to the subject shows the possible surprises 
along this line of investigation. 
Samuel N. Rhoabs. 
Eagle Crow and Osprey, also Scoters 
There are eagles on Mt. Desert, quite a few, though a 
census has not been taken. A neighbor of mine has one 
half-grown captive which feeds on flounders. Flounders 
are so abundant here that I can fill a big basket in a 
tide with a hand line baited with clams. The gulls come 
up the head of Somes Sound and waddle over the ledges 
it low tide, making much noise with their cat calls; and 
now and then an osprey drops down upon a kelp bed and 
seizes a fish. The other, day I saw one capture a prize 
which he was in the act of making off with, when a big 
eagle shot out from some cleft on Mt. Sargent and gave 
chase. The osprey dropped his fish and the eagle took it. 
It was highway robbery of the rankest sort, but ospreys 
are persevering, and soon afterward our victimized bird 
had another fish; and sure enough, the eagle, Avhich had 
been watching from some point of vantage, gave chase 
again. But this time he failed, for a couple of crows sud- 
denly took wing from some tree tops and headed him 
off. and the osprey had his fish to himself. Was this 
act disinterested, do j^ou think? Was it pure sympathy 
^or the abused and bereaved fish hawk? or did the crows 
stand in with him on a "divy" or a royalty or some other 
sort of reciprocity or a combine? Verily, the ways of 
birds are unaccountable to one who is not versed in the 
motives which prompt them. And do you know, I don't 
think that birds, or any other creatures, act alwavs upon 
impulse. They are prompted by different motives at 
tim.es, according to circumstances. All the same, why 
does the kingbird chase the crow and the crow chase the 
eagle and the eagle chase the fishhawk and the fishhawk 
chase the fish and the fish chase the etc.? 
By the way, shooting coots and scoters over decoys out- 
side of surf which dashes 20ft. high on the rocks on the 
coast is a sturdy and exhilarating pastime in its season 
for the storm-beaten gunners of Mt. Desert. The decoys 
tail in shore from boats anchored just outside of the 
combers which break on the ledges, and the ducks, which 
are searching the landwash in company with the gulls 
;md kittiwakes, pitch down to them naturally, on the 
hypothesis that where the birds gather the food is. It 
takes good marksmen to wing shoot driving waterfowl 
from the crests of bounding billows. Ordinary duck 
.shooting from points along sounds pales into insignificance 
beside this, for a fact. Perhaps I may be able to write 
something more descriptive by and by from my own ex- 
jierience. If the ducks were even fairly good eating 
•sportsmen would swarm here, but they are rank and fishy. 
I would sooner eat a mud hen. 
I started a spruce partridge j-esterday in the woods. 
They are seldom seen on Mt. Desert, but the timber 
grouse (Bonasa umbeUus') are abundant. 
Charles Hallock. 
Mt, Desert, Aug. 30. 
Rustic Stands for Specimens. 
The ingenious taxidermists of the Museum of Natural 
History in Central Park have hit upon, a novel way of 
m_ounting their stuffed birds. This new method does away 
with the clumsy wood turnings consisting of a circular 
plate, in the center of which rises an upright- piece of turti- 
ing, surmounted, T-shaped, by a block on which the speci- 
men is stitfl}'- wired. The new stands are made from the 
natural tree, utilizing knotty and tangled root stems, and 
those parts of the branches and twigs where the forked 
character is most decided. The greater number of these 
stands, as, for example, the ones on which the larger birds 
are set, take on the tripod form. To make one of this 
sort, that part of the bough is used %vhere three branches 
shoot out at different angles from the same or nearly 
the same point; the three branches are then cut off at 
equal distances from the crotch, so that when inverted 
the branches serve as three legs, appearing not unlike 
a three-legged milking stool. The main branch of this 
stand affords a seat-like perch on which to mount the 
stuffed bird. In some instances, as in the case of the 
stands for the smaller birds, gnarly bunches of roots and 
distorted meshes of twigs have been used, the diverging 
rootlets and twigs lopped off evenly and making usually 
four nr five legs. 
Birds mounted on these rustic stands are bound to have 
a look of naturalness, as the curved and crooked branches 
afford a varied opportunity for placing them in life-like 
attitudes, Another way in which the natural wood has 
been employed is in the use of old tree stumps on which 
to mount large birds, such as herons, hawks, eagles and 
owls. An effective mount is that of a hawk set on a 
charred and blackened pine tree stump. 
Thus far the only specimens treated by these methods 
are some of the birds in the assemblage known as the 
"seasonal collection of local birds," which exhibits birds 
for the time only that are actually in this vicinity. When 
the living birds leave us in the fall for their southern 
haunts their respective proxies are taken from our view 
and set aside, to be displayed again when they come 
back in the spring, E. LuTZ. 
Nkw York. 
'mtie md 0m* 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST, 
Movements of Western Sportsmen. 
Chicago, 111., Aug. 31.— Mr. Edmund Orgill, of "The 
Cedars," near Memphis, Tenn., is in Chicago to-day for a 
brief stop on the way home. Mr. Orgill has spent some 
weeks in a long trip to the Pacific Coast and Rocky 
Mountains. He has visited the Catalina Islands, tried the 
sea fishing of the lower coast, paid a visit to Portland, 
Ore., and made a tour of the Yellowstone Park. Mr. 
Orgill said the thermometer went nearly to freezing and 
they had 2in. of snow while he was in the park, something 
different from the climate here or in Memphis. Mr. 
Orgill said that everybody in Memphis was well when he 
last heard from them, and adds that he has some very 
choice thoroughbred quail left on his place in Tennessee. 
The old pointer, Rake, over which Irby Bennett, Mr. Will 
Orgill and myself shot when I was at "The Cedar.s" once 
upon a time, is still living, hale and hearty. Mr. Orgill 
himself is now seventy-four years of age, and still looks 
fit for a day afield. As I have often said, there is not 
anything allowed at "The Cedars" which is not thorough- 
bred. 
Mr. Cy Warman, author of "The Story of the Rail- 
road," and well known as a writer of short stories in the 
leading magazines, paid this office a visit this week. Mr. 
Warman was just back from Dawson City, Alaska, and 
did not seem to think he had accomplished so very 
much of a feat in getting there and back inside of six 
weeks. He says that Dawson City is only ten d'dys, distant 
from Chicago, and that getting there is as .simple as 
falling off" a log. The White Pass railroad is to lie ex- 
tended below the While Horse Rapids, and after that is 
done it will be steam transportation all the way. Accord- 
ing to Mr. Warman, Dawson is not a bad plac6 to live, and 
the gold fields are hardly yet prospected. I regret to state 
that Mr. Warman threatens to write a book about Daw- 
son, on the strength of his six weeks' trip. I tried to 
persuade him not to do this, but it was of no avail. As 
it is, I should say that this Avill be a very much better 
book than most of the hurried travel stories. I told Mr. 
Warman that he ought to go up there and live ten years 
before writing his book, but he said that he had not time. 
Ex-Congressman Spooner, of Madison, Wis., with his 
son, Mr. Charles P. Spooner, outfitted in Chicago this 
week on their way to a trip to the Yellowstone National 
Park. They visit this wonderland at a very pleasant time 
of the year, and in common with all who have ever been 
there, will be glad that they made the trip. 
Mr. Westinghouse, of the Westinghouse Air Brake 
Company, Pittsburg, Pa., is at present in Wyoming on a 
hunting trip east of the National Park. 
Mr. H. O. Wilbur, of Philadelphia, with his friend, Mr. 
Edward A. SeUiez, of the same city, paid the Forest and 
Stream office a pleasant visit here this week on their way 
west for an extended hunting trip. They go into the Jack- 
son's Hole country after elk, and will have a trip of a 
month in that country, thence returning east to shoot 
quail for a time in Nebraska. 
Col. Dudley Ward, late of the Fourteenth Hussars, of 
the English Army, passed through Chicago this week in 
company with Mr. C. B. Sterling, of New York City, on 
a hunting trip in Montana. Nothing else but grizzly bear 
will satisfy Col. Ward, and I am sure I hope he may find 
one, though they do not grow on every tree. 
Mr. Elmer E. Critchfield, of the Frank B. White Com- 
pany, this city, came into the Forest and Stream office 
to compare notes for a while to-day. Mr. Critchfield was 
on the Prairie River in Wisconsin last spring, and had 
very good success with the trout. He usually hunts deer 
each fall from Mann's Place, on Trout Lake, and is lay- 
ing advance plans for his annual campaign at this writing. 
Mr. Oswald von Lengerke, of this city, with his friend, 
Mr. J. L. Jones, also of Chicago, start to-night for St. 
Anne, 111., where they will shoot chickens for half a 
day to-morrow. 
Mr. Douglas Charnley, of this city, left this week for a 
trip of some duration at Lac du Flambeau, Wis. 
Mr. N. B. Bortvin, of New Albany, Ind., outfitted this 
week for a trip at Woodruff, Wis., for which point he 
departed a few days ago. 
Mr. George H. Gurley, of De Kalk, 111., left this week 
for the Devil's Lake country of North Dakota, where he 
will shoot chickens and stay for the fall flight of ducks 
and geese. 
Mr. F. B. White, of this city, returned this week from 
an outing at the Thousand Islands. St. Lawrence River. 
He had good sport with muscallunge and bass, and 
says he would rather catch bass than 'lunge. 
"Mr. R. F. Seymour, a young but able artist of this 
city, is just back from a trip to the Yellow Dog River 
Club near Marquette, Mich. Mr. Seymour had very good 
fishing in Lake Independence, and caught in one morn- 
ing more flsh than he could carry-— pike, bass and muscal- 
lunge, according to his story. This lake drains into Lake 
Superior, and though Mr. Seymour says that his guide 
told him he had taken muscallunge, it is fair to hold 
the question in doubt, for the supposition is there are no 
muscallunge in the Superior waters. Mr. Seymour had 
never before seen any muscallunge. 
Mr. R. B. Organ, of Chicago, on a trip to Maksawba 
Club this week, caught twenty-three bass and one big 
wall-eyed pike. He reports the water low, but the fishing 
pretty good. 
Mr. W. P. Mussey and wife, at Maksawba Club last 
week, caught fifteen black bass, one of 3lbs. and one of 
4lbs. ^- . 
Messrs. W. H. Haskell* W.- P. Mussey, Jack Wiggins 
and one or two others leave to-morrow for Maksawba 
Club. 
Mr. F.. M.. Peet, of the Chicago Fly-Casting Club, re- 
turned this week from a successful trouting trip on the 
Pere Marquette, Michigan south peninsula. 
Contents of a Frog, 
My friend Mr. Organ, earlier mentioned as having been 
fishing on the Kankakee River, tells me quite a frog story. 
It seems that Mr. Organ and his pusher discovered a 
very large bullfrog sitting in aldermanic quiet under the 
shade of a' tree which overhung the river. This creature 
Mr. Organ managed to hook under the chin with his bass 
hook, and after something of a struggle got him into the 
boat. An examination of this frog, which was about half 
as long as a man's arm, showed what appeared to be a 
couple of horns sticking out of the corner of his mouth. 
Meantime a faint squeaking was heard coming from 
the interior of the frog, and it was discovered that the old 
fellow had swallowed another frog, one big enough for 
good bass bait, and that the latter was not yet sufficiently 
acquainted with his surroundings to like the place. In the 
stomach of the bullfrog there was found yet another 
frog, partially digested, and a great quantity of grass- 
hoppers, flies, crickets, etc., which showed that the big 
one had been very industrious in his time. A little 
further along on the bank they captured the mate of this 
frog, and in the stomach of this one there was also a 
partially digested frog. It need hardly be said that Mr. 
Organ revenged this death of good bait frogs by frying 
the legs of the cannibals which had eaten them. 
Chkkeas* • 
Chicago, 111., Aug. 31.— To-morrow is opening day in 
Illinois and Wisconsin, and I presume that the trains out 
of the city to-night will carry several hundred people 
bound for shooting trips. The sale of guns and ammuni- 
tion at the sporting goods stores for the past week has 
been phenomenal, and I think that there are more shooters 
going out this fall than at any time for the past six years. 
From all available reports it seems that this is a very 
good chicken fall, though later reports may not bear out 
this supposition. In Illinois there are certainly very fair 
mmibers of these birds at this writing. In Lee county, 
about seventy miles west of Chicago, a good many birds 
bred this year, and there will be good shooting there, 
though that country is pretty hard to get into on account 
of the Farmers' League. 
Near Bloomington, near Springfield, and other points 
in the central part of this State, there come quiet tips 
that there are birds enough for sport, and Champaign, 
111., also reports a decent showing. Near Davis, Ind., 
along the Kankakee marshes, I hear of a few coveys. 
Some birds are reported near Aurora, 111., and along the 
Illinois River bottoms at different points the number of 
chickens on opening day will be in direct proportion to 
the activity of the sooners. A good many birds have bred 
in this State this year, and the season is thought to have 
been favorable. 
In Wisconsin I am told that there are more chickens 
than at any time during the past ten years. The Horicon 
Marsh country has had a good head of game this summer, 
and near Berlin, Princeton and other Wisconsin points 
there should be decent . grouse shooting. Wherever the 
wheat country runs up into the joining line of the hard- 
wood and pine country there are some prairie chickens 
and very often sharp-tailed grouse in Wisconsin, with 
once in a while some ruffed grouse in the covers about the 
farms. Mr. Neal Brown, of Wausau, Wis., a gentleman 
whom I have never met, but who I am confident is the 
best kind of a man to meet, invites me to meet him at 
Babcock, Wis., to-morrow morning to properly celebrate 
opening day, and this I think I shall do. I have wired 
the Secretary of State for a shooting license, and if every- 
thing connects I shall probably have killed forty or fifty 
chickens by noon to-morrow, or anyhow maybe two or 
three. Good chicken country is more precious than much 
fine gold in these days. I have confidence that Mr. Brown 
knows what he is about in going to Babcock. He is to be 
accompanied by his wife, also a very good field shot. 
Out in Minnesota the chicken crop, so near as I can 
learn, is about what it .was last year. I wrote to Mr. Fee, 
General Passenger Agent of the Northern Pacific Rail- 
road, for any possible tips on chicken country, and Mr. 
Fee replies, "Information comes from P. O. Stevens, 
game warden, that chicken shooting will be good along 
our line, from Lake Park west as far as Hawley, and up 
our Manitoba Division as far as Red River Falls." - 
I also wrote to Mr. Callaway, General Passenger Agent 
of the Soo line, at Minneapolis, and from him have ad- 
vices which make me think that Fessenden. N. D., or 
Bordulac, N. D., or Valley City, the same State, are 
more than usually good chicken points for this fall, 
Barrett, Minn. ; Kensington, Minn., or Elbow Lake. 
Minn., arc all points about 150 miles from St. Paul, and 
the shooting at all of these points is said to be good on 
chickens and ducks. Fingal, N. D. ; Wimbledon, N. D. ; 
Courtenay, N. D. ; Kensal, N. D., and Lidgerwood, N. D.„ 
are all good points for mixed shooting. From all I can 
learn, I would rather chance Bordulac or Fessenden than 
any of the points named. 
A Worthy Dakota Official. 
I was looking around this week, naturally, for chicken 
news, and also naturally it was pretty hard to get, for 
nowadays if a fellow has any good chicken country, he 
mostly doesn't like to tell any one else about it until he 
comes back, and the Forest and Stream has the reputa- 
tion of sending a good many people to the good things 
which now and then it uncovers. Being shy of a good 
chicken story, arid somewhat perturbed in mind, I 
sauntered into my club, flung my hat and stick carelessly 
into the arms of the nigger, and asked the girl to fry me 
two eggs on top of the stove. ^ As I turned to sit down 
at the table, I saw a friend sitting on the revolving stool 
next to me, and expressed to him my anxiety to get a good 
