228 
lugging my fox and gun home through the big woods, 
when I stopped to Hsten' to something (a bird, I guess). 
I looked up the hill, and there lay a monster big fox 
watching me. I dropped my dead fox, pulled off my 
mittens, cocked the gun, took sight, and the thought that 
came to me was, "Don't shoot; it is too far." We eyed 
each other. I did not move. The fox got up and started 
off on a walk. Now I skinned my dead fox, leaving the 
skull in the skin (which the girl is wearing to-day; the 
head looks as if it were alive, with its teeth and glass 
eyes, and she is proud of it). 
After giving the old fox some time to get settled, I 
started on the trail. I routed it in a weed field, and here 
a chance oft'ered for a long shot, and I would not chance 
it. I then watched him till he lay down in a field. There 
he could see far in all directions. "Now get him if you 
can," thought I. I crept out of sight easy as possible and 
went out around and came in on him on. the opposite side. 
A bank protected me. I walked up within 40 yards of 
him and gave him a dead shot while he lay asleep. He 
was very old and large and awfully cunning. His weight 
was 17 pounds; length, 4 feet from tip to tip; his tusks 
were worn down to the jaw bone. 
On the following Monday another fox hunt took place. 
I went east in the hills and could not find a track where 
I had shot three nice ones last winter and had left others. 
At noon I ate my lunch and was about to turn for 
home, when I saw a large fox cross a hollow. I followed 
the trail slowly to give it time to lie down. Soon a big boy 
came through the underbrush as though hunting cattle. 
"Did you see him?" he called out, loud enough to be 
heard a hundred yards. "Keep quiet. Are you after it?" 
"Yes; I shot at it once, but did not hurt it much." "You 
can't get it; you are following too close. It has to keep 
going. Do you care if I help you get it?" "No, I don't 
care, just so we get it." 
We followed. Not far it stopped in a field and saw 
us and went up the opposite hill. I thought when it had 
come to the fence it would stop to look back; and I told 
Mr. Loafman to sit down. We did; but when the fox 
came to the fence it didn't look back, but leaped clear 
over the top. My hope Avas poor for a shot. We followed 
slowly two miles and came in a wood. The boy kept back 
a distance. The fox slowed up and I turned to the boy. 
"He is in rifle shot of here." "How can you tell? ' I 
showed him the track on a log. "Now look out." Soon 
I saw him go out of a thicket of briers and underbrush. 
Turning to the boy, I said, "We can't get it this way." 
"Well, any way, so we get it." Again I think I have it 
located. "Now, boy, you follow the track and I will go 
in the far end of that old orchard. Give me time to get 
there." I got in the end of the orchard and watched 
the boy come. I saw him throw up his hand to indicate 
its coming. _ Presently it came near to me. Again the 
old gun did- its prompt work. I gave the boy a 
dollar and took the fox, and he was satisfied. 
On Saturday, Feb. 2, I took my last fox hunt. I soon 
found a nice trail of a large dog fox. I saw him lying 
asleep up on a hill, and I went around and came in be- 
hind him. The first shot did not kill him. He came 
toward me and the old left barrel did the work. 
I will not kill the female fox if I can find a dog fox to 
follow. This sort of hunting takes lots of skill and ex- 
perience. F. W. Pherson. 
rV. — Also the Trap. 
Minneapolis, Minn., March 12.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: For the benefit of Mr. Ames, who asks in your 
issue of March 2 for information about fox scent, I will 
say that the farmer was right to a certain extent, The 
perfume from the skunk is good "medicine" for a fox if 
nothing better is to be had. Mephitis himself is con- 
sidered a great delicacy by the fox, and the scent not 
only attracts the attention of Reynard to what may mean 
a breakfast for himself, but it serves to cover "up the 
human taint which may be on the trap. Of course, one 
who is "up to fox" will leave no taint or smell of man 
upon the trap; and I do not myself use any scent what- 
ever on either trap or bait, but I carry in a closely corked 
vial the musk from a female fox or dog (it matters very 
little which), and a few drops of this is sprinkled near 
the trap— in water if possible, as it is not desirable that 
the fox should be able to exactly locate the (to him) 
wonderful fragrance. 
Many people suppose the fox depends for his living 
upon the poultry yard; but such is far from being the 
case. Br'er Fox will thankfuly accept a chicken or a 
goose if opp9rtunity presents itself, but it is only an inci- 
dent with him, his main dependence Deing the skunks, 
woodchucks, rabbits, mice and feathered wild game. He 
will also go to very great trouble to capture the family 
cat (wild ones he has no use for), of which he is ex- 
ceedingly fond. Many times have I found in a fox den 
the remains of some poor tabby whose owner will re- 
mark to her callers that she had a nice cat, "But she has 
gone off somewhere." In fact, I always use the meat of 
the house cat as bait when trapping foxes, and I may 
add, at the risk of being considered boastful, that I nearly 
always get the fox. 
Yes, the fox walking into a bear trap was certainly 
an accident (for the fox at least), and would not happen 
often, although if the trap had been covered by a light 
fall of snow after the trapper had left, it would not be a 
strange occurrance. 
If Mr. Ames has any foxes running loose that he really 
wants to catch, he might Avrite me, and I will be pleased 
to tell him a lot of things about trapping this wisest of 
animals, or if Forest and Stream would care for it, I 
would write up the result of my observations on the prince 
of poachers. I have caught and shot hundreds of them, 
and it is like most everything else— easy enough wheii 
you know how. Trapper. 
Death of Charles B* Lapham. 
Canandaigua, N, Y., March 16.— Charles B. Lapham, 
Esq., of this place, Chairman of the Law Committee of 
the State Association for the Protection of Fish and Game 
died suddenly last evening. Mr. Lapham was a son of 
Hon. E. G. Lapham, formerly U. S. Senator, and has 
been for years deeply interested in fish and game protec- 
tion- He w]]\ be greatlv mi'^'^ed bv rrianv friends 
A, S-:, 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Mf, Fttllefton Seizes Some Baggfagfe* 
Executive Agent Sam F. Fullerton made a seizure 
of 100 wloite grouse yesterday morning at the Union 
Depot. They were shipped as baggage and came from 
the northern part of the State. The shipment was con- 
fiscated and will be sold for the benefit of the State. 
Mr. Fullerton was elated yesterday at the ease with 
which the seizure was made. H'e received a message 
early in the morning advising him to watch for a ship- 
ment of grouse which had been checked as baggage. The 
number of the check was given in the telegram, and 
obviated all difficulty of identification. 
The executive agent did not waste any time in hunting 
up a deputy. He decided to have the job well done, and 
went in person. Besides, there was no time to be wasted. 
The box arrived at the depot on schedule time, shortly 
before noon. It had evidently been timed so that it 
would reach here on Sunday. It was thought that the 
executive agent's deputies would not be on duty at that 
time. 
The grouse were packed away carefully in a pine box 
with handles attached. The baggageman was informed 
that it was contraband goods, and in order that there 
might be no question, Mr. Fullerton tore the paper away 
from a hole in the box and exposed the feathers of a 
bird. The package was taken into the station and pried 
open. It contained an even himdred white grouse in 
splendid condition. 
Mr. Fulle rton left last night for* Crookston to be pres- 
ent at the preliminary hearing of the men who were 
arrested several days ago on the charge of killing deer 
and caribou. He was unable to ascertain, before his 
departure, the point from which the grouse were shipped, 
but he will make further investigation. — St. Paul Pioneer 
Press. March it, - • ■ 
The Man and the "Weapon* 
A SICK man lay on a big brass bed in a beautiful room. 
Between the two-hour intervals of the little white tablets 
he mostly slept. When he awoke, his lung felt as if it 
were in a bear-trap. Twice a day the doctor came, and 
listened through a machine Hke a little telephone. Once 
the man heard him tell the nurse that the infusion was 
spreading. Everything seemed so far away. It was tire- 
some to breathe. The bear-trap never let go. 
The man's wife came noiselessly into the room, as 
women come in dreams. The man opened his eyes and 
smiled faintly. 
^ "Dearie," said the woman, /'sfee'what has- come for you. 
George Hcivens says you admired his iiew rifle so jnuch 
that he ordered one just like it for you.'* " '■ 
And there it was. The man said nothing, but looked. 
The fancy walnut stock seemed to shine of its own light, 
and to give out little phosphorescent waves. The short 
barrel looked dull and soft, and the man thought it re- 
minded him of a tailor-made gown. The flat place on the 
.'^ide was engraved with curly lines, framing an impudent 
bear. The ivory fore-sight was hke a puppy'g tooth The 
man put out his hand and patted the stock. 
- The woman opened and shut the action a few times, 
to show how smoothly it worked. She knew about rifles, 
top, Placing a pillow by the man's side she laid the gun 
where he could see it. Then she kissed the man, and 
went away. 
Fifteen minutes later she looked in. The man was 
fast asleep with his hand lying on the walnut stock. 
Frederic Irland. 
Decf in Connecticut. 
New Haven, Conn., March 16.— A 'deer Was recently 
captured within four iniles of the center of this city. It 
was caught while swimming in the water, at Morris Cove 
—a rendezvous of the yachts of the New York Yacht 
Club, on their annual cruise through the Sound. The cap- 
ture has occasioned considerable stir among .sportsmen; 
as there have been rumors of an intention on the part of 
the captors of compelling the State to prove its property 
before they will release the deer'; but it is now said that 
the captors will release it. 
But, then, another question arises— what right had these 
persons to capture the deer when the law distinctly pro- 
tects deer until Oct. i, 1903? AVhy are they not liable to a 
penalty of $100, which the law, if it amounts to anything 
at all, is supposed to impose for hunting deer out of sea- 
son? 
The claim is made by some cranks who are antagonistic 
to all game laws, and who can give no rational or faintly 
mtelhgent reason for being so, that the deer mav be a 
tame one, escaped from some preserve. On these grounds 
they argue that the State has no right to interfere. Some 
of us are looking on interestedly to sec whose argument 
will prove the heaA'iest, that of people of such caliber or 
that of the State. And we are banking our lucre on the 
latter! William H. Avis. 
Vancouver Island Notes. 
Cumberland, B. C, March 6.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: An effort is being made to induce Mr. Mounce, 
our member of the provincial Parliament, to introduce 
a game law amendment at this session to prohibit 
the sale of a'l game birds. The prohibition of the sale 
of ruffed grouse was a wise step, and has resulted in the 
perceptible increase of these grand game birds. The 
blue grouse, once so numerous on Denman and Hornby 
islands, are now nearly exterminated on those islands, 
owing to persistent shooting, for sale, in season and 
out, bv a few loafers who are too lazy to work. The 
amendment will meet with the approval of every fair 
minded man, and will certainly be popular in this district. 
Such few as would oppose it are those who make a prac- 
tice of shooting game for sale, and are not worth con- 
sidering—worthless plugs, lower than the Indians whose 
ancient rights they are usurping. 
The Cumberland Game Association have sent to 
Wichita, Kan., for six dozen Virginia quail, which they 
expect to arrive in a short time, and which, should they 
do well, Avill prove a great acquisition to our game birds, 
it is to be hoped that Mrs. Carrie Nation, wlH not take \\ 
into h?r licad tn nymV the crftl^"?- ^ Y^. B» A. ' 
[March 23, igoi. 
Weights of Game* 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
When camping at what was then Smiths Lake, now 
Lake Lila, in the Adirondacks, during the fall of 1886, I 
took a stroll to a bay where ducks could occasionally be 
found, taking with me my Winchester .38, and accom- 
panied by March, a favorite spaniel. As I neared the 
shore I saw four black ducks on the water about thirty 
rods away. Calling the dog to heel, I approached some- 
what nearer, and selecting the largest as a target, aimed 
at its head and cut loose. The others flew awaj', but 
this one, having the top of its head shaved off, gyrated 
about until captured by March, who, after its struggles 
ceased, brought it to shore, and I at once cut its throat 
to allow it to bleed freely. I was struck with its weight 
as unusual, and having a spring scale in my pocket I 
weighed it, and it was even 3^ pounds after having bled 
profusely. I am sure that 4 to 4>^t pounds would 
have been the "live weight." 
I wi.sh to express my pleasure in the perusal of the 
spicy articles from the pen of your correspondent, 
Fayette Durlin, Jr. Long may he continue. 
E. S. Whitaker. 
' — • — 
Camp-Fire Stories from Canadian 
Woods.-n. 
! Scoop-Netting on the Trent. 
Thk pickerel or saudre is one of our most valuable 
food fish, and is only inferior to the lake trout on account 
of its inferior numbers. It shares the habit of other 
lacustrine species of retreating to deep waters in the 
heat- of summer, but swarms to the rapids and shallow 
water when it spawns. It is at this time of the year that 
a great many are caught with scoop nets, in spite of the 
fishery inspectors. In the lake or deep waters the trick is 
to catch a female fish and trail her behind the boat. The 
other fish follow and are easily picked up. Of course, a 
good many are taken with the jacklight and spear, but this 
is too conspicuous and therefore too risky business. But 
in the rapids, in shallow water, in the rivers, are the 
more favorite localities, because it is impossible for the 
inspector to be almost everywhere, and, moreover, the 
netting can be plied during the dark hours of night. 
The River Trent is a large volume of water, draining 
a large portion of central Ontario on the southern 
watershed lying between Lake Ontario and the Ottawa 
waters. From a mile above its junction with the Bay 
of Quinte there is a continuous rapid for the distance of 
.seven miles to Frankford. This river, affording un- 
limited water power the year round, is the seat of many 
large manufacturing interests. 
A few years ago two farmer's sons, Marsh and Milton 
v., 'along with one K., went one evening to the rapids 
above mentioned to catch pickerel. They were just be- 
low the raceway of a large mill. It was just dusk. 
Marsh was handling the net in about two feet of water. 
Suddenly the hoop of the net, as he supposed, caught on a 
large log, and the force of the current was dragging him 
out in the stream. He called to his brother, "Come 
quick. A log is drawing me out." Milton rushed to his 
brother's assistance, and by the time he got to him the 
water was up to their armpits. (K. was only a specta- 
tor, not daring to go into the water.) Both being sturdy 
young men, they tugged the object in near shore and 
found it to be a very lively log indeed. When in about 
a foot and a half of water. Marsh grabbed him in the 
gills. While Milton attempted to stand astride of him, and. 
as he endeavored to raise him. Marsh pulled. Marsffs 
hands were bleeding, but he never thought of letting go. 
Their cries for help brought a dozen or so men out of 
the mill, whose excitement was, perhaps, intensified when 
they found the boys struggling with a monster fish in- 
stead of the treacherous waters. But, with all this 
help, the work was not easy. Four or five would throw 
themselves on to grapple with the fish, no sooner than 
to be thrown yards away, when their places were taken 
by others, only to receive like treatment. The hoop of 
the net just nicely fitted over the gills of the monster, and 
this circumstance assisted to crown their efforts. They 
finally landed him safely, high and dry upon the bank. 
By this time a large crowd had gathered to swell the 
excitement. After taking a long breath, and when 
assured of their capture, a ringing cheer went up, which 
was caught up and echoed and re-echoed from the sur- 
rounding hills, such as was never heard here since the 
days when the Indian war whoop disturbed the wild 
solitudes of this river valley. The writer has^ often 
thought what would he not give to have witnessed this 
scene. The next day the monster sturgeon was ex- 
hibited in Trenton and brought to the city of Belleville. 
He measured over seven feet in length, and weighed 
170 pounds — the king of all fish ever caught in the Bay 
of Quinte waters. 
The catching of this large sturgeon revived a .story re- 
lated by the "oldest inhabitant," but discredited by the 
younger generation. It appears that in the early days of 
the settlement at the foot of the rapids lived an old 
man named Simmons. The story goes that he was seen 
one morning out in his canoe spearing fish, and shortly 
afterward the settlers along the river were startled by the 
old man's cries for help. He was floating down stre''m. 
apparently astride of a log. while his canoe was glidTng 
over the water some distance away. Parties went out to 
his rescue and found the old man astride of a very large 
fish. The old man had struck his spear into the back 
of the fish. A sudden movement of the sturgeon threw 
the old man off his balance and out of his canoe. Having 
hold of the spear handle, there was nothing for it but to 
jump on the fish's back. The fish having the spear into 
him and the old man on his back could do nothing, and 
they floated down with the current. The old man was 
rescued and the. fish towed to the shore and captured. 
This relation of the former generation, like all other 
fish stories, whether true or false, was discredited, but the 
sight of the large sturgeon, caught by the two farmer's 
boys, afforded a reasoTi<\bk possibility of the truth of the 
Sininioir^ nHrr;ilIvp, ]^VJf§9?| ^. ^RA^<B$t\' 
