36B 
Pon^BT^ ANtJ _ STREAM. 
The Alaska moose is still numerous, but apparently 
not long to remain so. In winter mo6se meat is the 
staple diet for both Indians and whites, and the price 
paid— from $i to $2 per pound in the mining camp — 
naturally stimulates hunting. Sheep are abundant at cer- 
tain points on Lake Bennett and Lake Tagish, and Mr. 
Osgood's remarks show that we have still a good deal 
; to learn about the sheep of the North. White goats are 
not uncommon in the coast mountains. _ Mr. Osgood 
describes in his paper several new forms of mammals. 
Dr. Bishop's paper on birds includes 171 species, and 
'on many of them the notes are full and interesting. He 
observes that of 42 species of migratory birds — exclusive 
of those with a continental range — which occur as sum- 
mer residents of the Yukon Basin above Fort Yukon 
31 per cent, have their center of distribution in eastern 
North America, 33 per cent, near the Pacific coast, and 
36 per cent, in western North America, not far from the 
Rocky Mountains. Of the bird fauna of the route as a 
whole Dr. Bishop says: 
"The country we traversed between Skagway and 
.Circle divides itself into three quite distinct faunal dis- 
tricts. The coast of southeast Alaska belongs to the 
Sitka district of Nelson, White Pass Summit, and the 
heights above Glacier belong to the Arctic-Alpine zone, 
and the Yukon Valley belongs to the Canadian and 
Hudsonian zones. In the last the Canadian element is 
most pronounced in the lake region, with a very slight 
infusion of Sitkan forms, the strictly Hudsonian species 
increasing and the others decreasing as the Yukon 
winds north toward Fort Yukon. Beyond this point 
Hudsonian forms predominate, giving place to Arctic, 
where the Yukon loses its identity in the tundra of the 
delta. The upper Yukon Valley may be divided faunally 
at Fort Selkirk, where the Pelly from the Rocky Moun- 
tains and the Lewes from the Coast Range unite to form 
the Yukon proper, fifteen species of land and shore birds 
occurring above this point which have not been found 
between there and Fort Yukon, and twelve having been 
recorded between the Pelly and Fort Yukon which have ' 
not been taken above. Of the 128 species and sub- 
species found between Dixon Entrance and Fort Yukon 
22 per cent, were common to the coast of southeast 
Alaska and the Yukon Valley, 19 per cent, confined to 
the coast, 55 per cent, to the Yukon Valley, and 4 per 
cent, found only on White Pass Summit and at similar 
altitudes." 
The Pheasant and the Farmer. 
We hear a great deal concerning the usefulness of the 
English pheasant to the sportsman and of the bird's abil- 
ity to take care of itself during our Northern winters, but 
very little is said or printed about the value of this 
species to the farmer. Yet, like most other birds of the 
group to which it belongs, the pheasant is extremely 
useful to the agriculturist, and most so at the season 
when insects are most numerous and are engaged in 
the function of reproduction. 
It is in spring, summer and early autumn that the 
broods of ruffed grouse wander through the swamps and 
along the edges of the open fields, devouring all the in- 
sects that they can capture, and the quail, with her 
brood, journeys backward and forward through the 
open lots, where grow grain and potatoes and vegetables, 
destroying each day myriads of flying apd creeping 
things which, if allowed to live and breed, would next 
year destroy farmers' crops. In this good work the 
pheasant takes its part, and where numerous they ac- 
complish a vast deal of good. Nearly twenty years ago 
nineteen pheasants were turned loose on Vancouver 
Island, B. C, and protected for a term of years. They 
have greatly increased and have spread up and down 
the island, and this is the testimony borne in their favor 
by Mr, W. B. Anderson, the editor of the Cumberland 
News : 
"A bird often execrated — and this most unjustly — is 
the English pheasant, or its cousin, the cross pheasant, . 
more common here. This is one of the most useful birds 
to the farmer of all. He sometimes eats a bit of grain, 
but pays for this tenfold by the number of predatory in- 
sects he destroys. Farmers there are who condemn him 
and hound him off for his grain-eating propensities, but 
these are the ones who do not pause to think before rush- 
ing to conclusions. The insect-eating habit is strong 
in all the birds of the order gallinje, to which belong 
the pheasants, grouse, partridges, quail, fowls, etc., and 
the good they do in insect destroying was well exempli- 
fied this season, when certain persons, preferring to let 
their fowls have the garden crop in preference to the 
cut worms, turned in their chickens. Those in Cumber- 
land and Union who did that are the only ones who now 
have any cabbages or other soft-fleshed vegetables. 
Those who depended on paris green to accomplish the 
work, lost more or less, especially cabbages and cauli- 
flowers. The pheasant was working in the fields just 
as the bantams and other fowls were working in the 
gardens. Many of them fell victims to the poisoned 
bran placed in the fields to destroy the worm. We 
believe, however, that most of our district farmers 
are fully aware of the fact that these birds are of far 
greater benefit than of harm, and accordingly deplore 
the untimely and unintentional destruction of so many of 
them." 
That the pheasant is a destroyer of insects by whole- • 
sale and so is useful to .the farmer is a fact well worthy 
the consideration of sportsmen and agriculturists, -when 
its introduction is contemplated, and should induce 
farmers and land owners to do whatever may lie in their 
power to prevent the destruction of the birds and to 
protect them at all seasons. While the matter as yet is 
one which possessess a -practical interest- .chiefly fbr 
portions of. the West and the South, where only p.hea.sants 
are abundant, the growing irit-erest in this. birid and the '- 
increased attention ndw being- given, to its ..intrqductidn- 
Justifies-, a consideration of this phase of its.a^se^vt^n^ss.'■■■-■" 
Treatment^i for ESnake Bites.l 
Having spent over a year among the native hunters and 
farmers of the most primitive mountain region of south- 
western Arkansas, where the number of poisonous snakes 
was uncountable, including the copperhead, mountain or 
timber rattlesnake and rock or diamond-back rattlesnake, 
upon the uplands or mountains (and while I write I can 
lift my eyes to the skin of a diamond-back upon the \yall 
of my office, 4^4 feet long without the head or tail, which, 
sporting seventeen rattles, fell before the muzzle of my 
Winchester j\ist as he was about to spring at me, which 
speaks for the size of some of the larger specimens of the 
upland regions), the bottoms along the streams are 
plentifully supplied with cottonmouths, water moccasins 
and various kinds of adders, it follows as an axiom that 
many persons are often bitten by a snake, and the native 
simple way of treating it I learned in this way : 
One of the natives and I were hunting mineral out- 
crops on the Boar's Tusk Mountain in June, 1896, when 
we came upon a huckleberry patch and began gathering 
and eating the ripe berries. My guide cautioned me to be 
on the lookout for snakes, saying, "Them cussed varmints 
hide under the huckleberry bushes to ketch the birds when 
they come to feed on the berries," and I was very careful, 
but he was not, for I soon heard a sharp cry from him, and 
on looking at him saw him throw his left hand and arm 
in the air and shake off and throw to some distance a 
diamond-back which had struck him midway of his left 
forefinger. While I was scared as badly as if I had my- 
self been bitten, the hunter drew his knife and made two 
quick cuts on the finger so that it bled freely and began 
stripping his finger to force the blood out of the cuts. He 
then took a piece of common alum out of his pocket and 
bit off a piece as large as a large-sized chestnut and 
chewed it up and swallowed it, and then he bit off and 
chewed fine another piece of alum, which he placed upon 
his cut ■finger and tied up with a piece of rag torn from 
the bottom of his homespun cotton shirt, and then he 
hunted up and killed the snake and again began gathering 
and eating berries, to my surprise. 
In answer to my question as to the need of going to 
town to consult a doctor, he said, "The blood runnin' 
from the cuts took out all the pizen, but if it didn't all 
get out, the alum will fix it, but them cuts will give me a 
sore finger for a day or two." The result was no swelling 
of even the finger, and he said that if a man would always 
cut through the bite and let the blood out and take alum 
there was no danger from the bite of any snake. 
W. F, RiGHTMIRE. 
nn(^ ^ag mid 0m 
Proprietors of shooting resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
them in Forest and Stream, 
"The Seaboard 'Air:Untr- • ■;, 
'Editor Forest and Sfreatn: 
tn my report of "Seaboard Air Line.— W." I wish to-.- 
makt correction. For "cerulean warblers" kindly sub- 
stitute "indigo birds" and oblige. 
. _ WtLMOT TOWMSEND. 
The Massachusetts Association. 
Boston, Oct. 13. — Editor Forest and Stream: Th€ 
Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective Association held 
its first meeting of the season on Thursday evening, Oct, 
II, at Young's Hotel. 
An invitation had been extended to a dozen or more 
of the outlying clubs to send some member who would 
speak upon the "origin, history and work of his club," or 
if it should not be feasible for any one to be present to 
send to the secretary a written account. The responses 
were very gratifying. Many of those invited came to the 
meeting and others sent letters or manuscripts to be read. 
In the absence of the president, Vice-President Rockwell 
conducted the meeting with his accustomed grace and 
ability. 
The fii-st to be called upon for a few remarks was Mr. 
A. B. F. Kinney, of Worcester, who referred briefly to the 
work of the Central Committee last winter. He spoke of 
that organization as the "offspring" of the Massachusetts 
Fish and Game Protective Association, and said he should 
wish to be informed soon whether the Association had 
further use for the committee. 
Chairman Collins, of the State Commission, spoke 
briefly of the work of his Board. He said it now has 
twenty-three paid deputies in the service of enforcing the 
game laws. He suggested that gray squirrels and rabbits 
should not be shot prior to Oct. i, as men go out pretend- 
ing to be hunting those animals when they are really after 
birds. ,4 
Mr. John Fottler, Jr., president of the Rod and Gun 
Club of Massachusetts, complimented the Association and 
Central Committee for its work in securing the passage 
of the bird bill, and said that in his opinion it was "the 
most important step for game protection that had ever 
been taken by the Legislature of Massachusetts or of any 
other State." 
Probably that opinion will not be called in question by 
those' of your readers who are familiar with the history 
:>f game legislation in the various States of the Union. 
VIr. Geo. H. Hassam represented the Needham Gun Club. 
He gave an outline of its history and pledged its members 
to the support of any measures that should be favored by 
the State Association. Mr. Geo. G. Tidsbury. president 
of the Ashland Gun Club, spoke entertainingly of his 
club, and said he believed every man who was a mem- 
ber of such a club was almost sure to be interested in 
game protection. He therefore recommended the Massa- 
chusetts Fish and Game Protective Association to en* 
courage such clubs and make it a part of its work to start 
such clubs in every town. 
Secretary C. F. Chamberlayne gave an outline of the 
-Old- Colony C'ub-and its efforts tti abolishing the use of 
seines, nets, weirs arid pounds in. the .waters of Buzzards 
■'Rayy- v; .-■ •'■[ ' 
•..-^The jcn'enjbers es^hibited great interesj: in the account 6t 
.the^'N.orth Attleboro-;Fish aiid'G Association, is giveil' 
•by ttaevprfesident^-. ,^ir.\ A...'. C. Sylvester,'/ this" tjelng the' 
yxjungest of thpse-on our list, organised Jari;/ i; i960, and 
■now^ numbering 140 merrifcer-s. Mr, Syjve.ster attriblites - 
the-"rema?kable growth ..and success of the club to th«!^ 
fact that, while the -club Secures' leases pi woods and 
streams and puts out birds and filsh, it does not reserve 
exclusive privileges to club members, but it admits the 
public at large to its territory when it is open to club 
members. Representative . H. D. Hunt would have b««ii 
with us if his notification had reached him m time. We 
all wish success to our enthusiastic friends in North Attle- 
boro, and hope all sportsmen who can will attend their 
sportsmen's exposition, which is to open Nov. x6. 
Others speakers of the evening were L. Frederick Rice; 
of Brookline; C. J. H. Woodbury, of Lynn; Hon. R, S. 
Gray, of Walpole, and Mr. C. G. Gibson, of Boston, The' 
time was so fully taken up by the large number of speakers 
that the reading of manuscripts was necessarily postponed 
to some future meeting. The secretary has valuable 
papers from Geo. H. Palmer, Esq., of North Bedford, 
upon the Southern Massachusetts Fish and Game Leagrfe, 
and from Mr. C. W. Walls, on the Worcester Sportsmen's 
Club. Mr. M. El Hawes, president of the East Wey- 
mouth Fish and Game Association, and Mr, Wm. B. 
Phinney, of the Lynn Fish and Game Protective Associa- 
tion, expected to be present, but were unavoidably pre- 
vented. The next meeting of the Association will be on 
the second Thursday of November as fixed by our b-" 
laws. 
Considering that it is a little early yet for evening din- 
ners, the attendance of our own members was fairly good, 
and all went away with the feeling that our own Associa- 
tion is not "the only pebble," and that we had received 
many valuable ideas and suggestions by hearing how other 
clubs do things. D. T. Curtis, the nestor of anglers; Col, 
Enos Stoddard, Col. E. B. Parker. Dr. B. V. Howe, Dr. 
E. C. Norton, Dr. A. R. Brown, H. F. Colburn, L. 
Crocker, Mr. N. Le Roy and Mr. Hewson were some of 
those in attendance. 
Henry H. ICimball, Sec'y. 
A Wet C oon Hunt. 
The Hunt in Prospect. 
I SPENT the summer of 1896 in my native village in 
western New York. September was creeping on apace. 
A prospective coon hunt for my special benefit had 
been discussed for a number of days. While the season 
was hardly propitious, still I was desirous of partici- 
pating in one hunt at least before my vacation ended, 
necessitating my departure from boyhood scenes. Of 
course, the hunt could not go on without having Jack 
Rumsey along. He was perfectly willing to go almost 
any night, but he would not promise much success, 
because his old hound from a summer's period of 
inaction had grown fat and lazy. An attempt could be 
made at any rate. 
Jack Riimsey, 
It would be a pleasure for Mr. J. B, Bumham to meet 
Jack Rumsey. The result would be a chapter in his 
delightful "Gens des Bois" series. He is such a char- 
acter, so filled with the lore of the woods and waters, 
and few in his section of country know the hatints of 
the wild creatures better than he. Successful as a fox 
hunter, he is also equally skillful in following the wild 
honey bee to its hidden store of sweets. Coon hunting 
is his special delight. The performance of a hard day's 
work on the farm is no drawback to this pursuit when 
the season is at its height. Fatigue and loss of sleep 
in this case are not to be reckoned with when the 
right party desires him and his famous old hound as 
companions. A man of medium height, powerful 
frame, kindly mien and unfailing good humor, : the 
passing years have dealt gently with old Jack, for now 
at past sixty he is as active as most men of half his 
age, and as "tough as a pine knot," to use his own 
expression.. 
Our Destination. 
The long-looked for evening arrived. Rumsey had 
made arrangements to take his team and wagon and 
drive us to a stretch of woods about seven or eight 
miles southwest of the village, but the weather looked 
so forbidding that he deemed it better to go afoot and 
explore Finn Gully anfd contiguous woods, nearer by 
three or four miles, and where he had secured several 
coons the previous fall. 
The Party. 
There were seven in the party, including Phillips, an 
enthusiastic young nimrod and general roustabout, who 
had often accompanied Rumsey on his various hunting 
expeditions; Dowling, a jolly son of Erin, who would 
be "in at the death," come what will, arid "the tiniid* 
. one," who proudly claimed the distinction of carrying 
the lantern. Hunting and fishing yams from Jack be- 
guiled the way until the gully was reached. How dark 
and frowning its defiles looked! The moon, which, 
occasionally beamed forth through rifts in the clouds 
the fore part of the night, was now totally obscured 
in an inky sky. We were fairly launched. 
In Coonland. ' _ 
Silently we stole along like so many dumb shapes. 
Here and there along our path the glowworms showed 
their miniature light, and the mysterious "fox . fire" 
danced and hovered in the dark shadows. To break 
the silence, a screech owl gave forth its doleful w;ail, 
and "the timid one" fell gently over a questionable foot 
bridere that crossed the path. 
Trouble Begins. 
True to the prediction of his master^ the hound did 
not feel inclined to do any work. His actions were, if 
anything, exasperating. After disappearing for a few 
minutes, reviving foiYd hopes that we would eventually 
liear the- music of his .voice in -his triumph- of-_treeing 
the' q'uarry,. he would -suddenly--, ret-urn. panting. Jo the 
■path;^ e^'idently-'feeling' miDre - contented to .follow..-in hisn 
■master's footsteps. '■ Jarck^s-asual-'^erenjty-wa.s., ruffled. 
■The faine of his:•hourid^waff..st^.stafee^^•.r''Bc)yi. 1 
-tdltye?" he flnaliy satd. '^Before I-^o-eoori-bflritr^^ 
you 'Hgaih; I'll" .=ifta-ke-. several' trip's by: m^gelf.- arid wear 
'off sorrre of the -old f sllow's let, ; ,ati(f ,/ thea fie'U be all 
-•rlfehf'- X-''* o." :.?.r< f-.-' - 
' "The. end" of vthe -gulf^ :-was-;fiijall3r -.reached. After 
scrambling"' up a* steep • hillside, - we - emerged- into a 
freshly plowed field. The hound was there before us, 
acting as a sort of reception committee of one. Seeing 
