66 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
[July 27, 1901. 
grackles. these sacks are quite large and ckalky white in 
color. The old birds have an odd habit of taking these 
sacks to the bird tank and dropping ihem in the water, 
flying some distance in order to deposit them , therein. 
These grackles are the only birds I have seen do this, 
others seeming to be content to remove the sacks from 
the immediate vicinity of the nest. While the young 
grackles occupied the nests one might see the parent 
birds flying to the water with these white things in their 
bills, carefully depositing them and flying off again. 
Abnormal spring weather seems to have encouraged 
the insect hordes. The aphis have swarmed over all 
foliage, infesting the tulip tree (Liriodendron Hilipfera) 
till all the leaves were gummy with the "honey dew" of 
these pests. Millions of gnats and other minute gauzy 
winged creatures that brushed their sticky surfaces were 
trapped and perished in the unwonted supply of sweet- 
ness. I noted hundreds of ants thus caught and done 
to death, in spite of the fact that the aphis and ant are 
such great friends that the latter carefully tend the 
former in order to feast on their exuded sweets. Trul}" 
it would seem in this case that "one could and did have 
too much of a good thing." The little green vermin also 
devoted themselves to the maples, and for many days 
before the heavy rain washed them away the leaves 
grew limp and wilted under their sticky burden, finally 
falling in showers. \Vhen trodden upon they would often 
cling to the sole of one's shoe, as though smeared with 
bird, lime. Of all our native tiees the beech, with us, has 
hitherto escaped all insect plagues to a marked degree. 
But this year they have suffered with the rest. The 
leaves at first turn a light rust color, shrivel slightly and 
flutter down. Examination reveals swarms of aphis in 
every case on the under side. The heavy drenching of 
the trees by the late frequent thtmder showers appears 
■to have checked the defoliation to some extent. I cer- 
tainily trust it will be effectual, for should it continue a 
few weeks will suffice to leave the trees entirely bare. 
There are several broods of seventeen year locusts 
scattered about the country, and the one that has selected 
this part of Greater New York is due this year. Their 
last appearance in 1884 was on time exactly, and the low 
lium of their swarming millions began at dawn, never 
ceasing till -far into the niglit. One chap I captured 
then attracted my attention by his frantic efforts to fly 
with a spiteful scr-e-ek! He would dash into the air, 
gj'rate wildly a few times_, and come down with a thud. 
This crazy performance 1 found was caused by one of 
his wings being full one-third larger than the other. 
A penknife soon remedied the defect, and my friend 
speedily departed with a biz-zz of thanks. 
And now, in closing, though we are rapidly becoming 
so cityfied that the bobolink rarely comes near us, we 
may still find pleasure in watching the sunset gambols 
of a big gray squirrel that lives :n our huge chestnut, 
and listen with some of the old-time emotion to a stray 
whippoorwill that wakes the half-forgotten echoes from . 
their sleep. , _ 
'WiLMOT TOWNSEND. ' 
Bay Ridge, July 18 
]mrie ^ag md 0m. 
Proi)rietors of shooting resorts will find it profitable to adveitisi 
them in Forest and Stream. 
The Little Ermine in New York, 
About the middle of last inonth (June) I visited Ford- 
ham for the purpose of making a few collections for my 
aquaria. The locality I worked in was that patch of 
rough land situated about twenty rods beyond the 
terminus of the street railway. It is a rocky, bush-over- 
grown spot, a few oaks, elms and maples being the only 
trees growing there. It is traversed by a small brook, 
which flows from a reservoir a few rods away, and gur- 
gling down the slight -decline, crosses the street under a 
culvert and is lost in the swamp on the other side. 
As I was busy with my collecting net in one of the 
small pools which abound in the brook I heard a shrill 
twittering, and scurrying about in the bushes near me, 
and in a few moments I saw a striped squirrel, or chip- 
munk, running for his life, closely pursued by two other 
small animals, which proved to be a pair of the little 
ermine, or weasel. The unfortunate chipmunk was 
almost overtaken when he made a detoiir in my direc- 
tion, ran between my legs, and, jumping the brook, 
scrambled up the trunk of an elm tree near by. 
One of the little carnivora instantly disappeared from 
sight, but the other paused for a few moments on a 
boulder in the brook and looked at me with evident 
resentment, his eyes glistening like little black beads, as 
he stood regarding me. As soon as i recovered fr9in 
ray surprise I made a dash at him with my net, which 
was. of course, futile, the little scamp darting away like 
a flash. , . , - • , I i 
Now, that a pair of the little ermme should be lett 
among the ferce naturce of Greater New York seems to 
me rather remarkable, and the fact should go on record- 
There can be no mistake as to their identity, for I had 
a godd opportunity for examining them. 
Of course the chipmunk, together with his family, have 
long since been gathered in, for hungry weasels make 
short work of those unfortunate rodents, whose burrows 
vhey can find, Edward A. Samuels 
Collection of 30,000 ligfp. 
John Lewis Childs, of Floral Park, L. I.. -who pur- 
chased the Jean Bell collection of eggs in Philadelphia m- 
tends to add it to his own collection, which will give him 
wh^t is supposed to be the most complete collection of 
native North American birds' eggs m the world. The 
collection will number between 30,000 and .35.000 eggs, 
ranging in size and value from that of the great auk to the 
common crow. With the collection of eggs comes about 
400 nests of the rarest birds.— New York Evening Post. 
Like Picking Up Money. 
In every city, town and village in the United States where there 
?s shooting or fishing or yachting we want agents to canvass for 
subscriptions for Forest and Stream. Every sportsman is deeply 
interested in its subjects, and every sportsman is glad to discuss 
his doings afield and to hear of the adventures of other sportsmen. 
Money is to be made by canvassers for Forest and Stream, 
and those who wish to take advantage of the opportunity we off« 
should send for premium list^and circular.-Forest and StfeaiB 
Publishing Company. 846 Broadway, New Yorfc 
The Three Stages of It, 
MoRGANTOWN, W. Va. — Editor Forest and Stream: In 
reading reminiscences of sportsmen and noting the 
fondness with which they^ dwell on the different stages of 
the hunt 1 wonder sometimes which aft'ords the greatesi 
pleasure, the anticipation, the realization or the recollec 
tion. 
Some dwell long and fondly on the anticipation; the 
getting ready for months before the time of starting; 
getting together each needed article as its use presents 
itself to mind, time and again taking down the gun and 
looking through its sights, reviewing the proposed plans 
with our companion, and dreaming by night of the buck 
that we failed to kill because at the critical moment the 
gun wouldn't work right, and then consoling ourselves 
next day with the maxim that "Dreams always go by 
contraries." Then comes the realization, with about a 
dozen disappointments for every success, until we are 
led to wonder sometimes v.'hy the craving should be so 
-.nong and persistent for a pastime which is so productive 
of tired legs, discouragements and disappointments, and 
yields so little, apparently, in return. Coming into camp 
in the evening wet, tired and unsucces.sful in so much as 
seeing anything, we think before supper that we really 
wouldn't care if we never saw a gun again, and wonder 
why we- were ever so enthusiastic over the trip. As we 
sit by the camp-fire and eat as only a hunter can eal, and 
exchange notes of the day, our feelings gradually change; 
we know not just when or how. but l)y the time supper is 
oyer and pipes loaded we are filled with that .same en 
thusiasrn with which we slarted out. 
The pleasure which is experienced in ihc realization of 
.'I successful hunling trij) is of a mure intense degrt-e than' 
lliat of anticipation or recollection, Inil il is of such verv 
^hort duration. The joy of standing over the fallen bit; 
jjame after all the anxiety and uncertainty of the rmrsuil is 
supremJ for the moment. One man whom T guided 
when he killed his first buck deer was so overjoyed al 
iinding it lying dead after thinking he had missed it that 
fie got down on the ground and hugged it. After the 
intense wave of pleasure pas.ses, then it is that we are 
confronted with the laborious task of taking care of the 
game, which is sometimes of such a nature as to almost 
make us wish we hadn't killed it. I have figured out to 
my satisfaction that it is after the fun is all over and 
we are going about the regular duties of life that the real 
and lasting joy of a hunt begins. 
Time can dim the memory along some lines, but to tlie 
man who has inherited a strong passion for the gun and 
the woods — for such things are inherited, not cultivated— 
the recollection of the hunt becomes more vivid as tim<- 
goes on, and other occurrences are forgotten; and we 
have found the old pioneer in his last days wax warm and 
in spirit become young again in relating his hunting ex- 
periences, the relating of which was a never ending 
source of pleasure and gratification to him. 
One who has lived for some years amid nature's wild 
domain, where he can steal out quietly some morning 
before breakfast, or start out at daybreak some morning 
on a fresh ti'acking snow, when everything is mosi 
favorable for a little hunt, and kill a good fat deer, and 
be home before dinner, hang up the gun in the corner 
on the rack of antlers, and feel that he has a supply of 
meat to last for a while, and is constituted as to enjoy 
every minute of such a life, obtains a richness and full- 
ness of experience and opportunity for observation, 
which, compared with that of him who takes a couple 
of weeks' vacation from his regular work each y^ear and 
goes oft' to some hunting camp, with the weather per- 
haps of the most unfavorable kind, and trails around with 
a guide, after his quota of game, is like riding a merry 
go-round on a wooden horse as compared to riding a 
good saddle pony over the trails and through the parks 
of the Rocky Mountains True, to the person who only 
has opportunity to ride the wooden horse it beats no ride, 
but to one who has ridden the real live horse, and then 
is forced by circumstances to straddle the wooden horse 
or get no ride, the words of Ransacker in the close of his 
excellent article ^'There's Enchantment There" appeals 
most strongly. iTe says, "A man may live such a life 
for ten years, and possibly break away, but I do not 
know that it is worth the effort," 
Where one has broken away from such a life against 
tiie cravings of an unsatisfied nature, such a one lives 
not in the present, nor the future, but in the past, living 
and feasting on the recollections of the past. He thinks 
of the morning he started up the creek on a fresh little 
snow to get venison, and after going about a mile crossed 
what was supposed to be a fresh deer track, leading back 
toward home How queer it seemed to walk, trailing its 
reet in the snow, as no well-bred deer would do; then 
further puzzling him by walking straight over the top ol 
a large fiat rock, where any polite deer would have gone 
around it, and then suddenly lifting the cloud of mystery 
by jumping on top of a high log and off at the other side 
in crossing it, as no deer would do. It's a mountain 
sheep! Of course. Why didn't I think of that sooner 
And headed straight for a high rocky point close to 
and overlooking the meadow. There was no other likely 
place for it to be. Leaving the tracks and circling 
around the point and out of sight of it to see if it had 
gone by, I found no tracks. After coming two-thirds 
of the way around and climbing through a nearly im- 
passable mass or rocks, logs and jack pines, i saw it 
away on the highest peak of rocks, standing like a 
statue. I must get nearer, and so scrambling under logs 
and keeping out of sight, 1 came within fair range, and 
fired a careful shot at the shoulders. Nothing was seen 
or heard after the shot, and after a hard climb I got there 
and found it had been shot dead, and had fallen ten feet 
down between two big rocks, where 1 had a hard tussle 
to get it out. Oh! such meat. After it was skinned, it 
was as white as snow, being covered all over with tallow. 
After the hide was dressed it made a most excellent rug 
for several years, which was a grateful thing for the bare 
feet to touch when' getting out of bed on a cold morn- 
ing, where carpets v/ere unknown. 
Success did not always attend efforts to get venison, 
even if.it was needed badly, or I might- rather say "es- 
pecially'' if it was needed Isadly. T went out one morn- 
ing on a deep, soft snow, greatly hoping to run afoul of 
a deer without going far. i tramped steadily through the 
snow till noon without seeing a track. I came to a little 
stream of water, and thought to quench my thirst, then 
eat my lunch. I stood my gun against a tree, lay down 
and drank my fill, and then looked about for a suitable 
place to sit. A log about 30 feet away looked inviting 
If.l would scrape the snow oft" and lay my hat on it for a. 
cushion, as was my wont. 
Just as I reached the log, I looked up^ and there, nof 
50 yards away, stood an immense buck, broadside, not 
a twig between us, and looking hard at rae. Directly 
beyond and within s feet of him stood a doe so exactly 
Hi range that one shot could hardly have helped killing 
l>oth deer— an opportunity nf a life time, and one which 
I had many times wished for, Jsut which I never had be- 
fore nor since. Oh, fool! Where is thy gun? Standing 
back there 30 feet, but might as well be thirty miles. J- 
rhought fast, and decided quick what I would do. They 
saw me, and to tiy to sneak quietly back was folly. I 
Gpuld see only one chance — make a rush for my gun 
and rely on a running shot. I did so, and haven't seen 
the deer ,since. But It is fittting to draw the curtain 
ovf.r such a scene. It makes me tired to think of it, 
Emerson Carney. 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
Illinois Qwail Law. 
Mr. A. M. CoRBiN, 'Secretary of Ihe Galcsburg (III.) 
(jun Club, asks for information regarding the status of 
(be present Illinois quail law. For his benefit it may be 
••igain- stated that the State Game and Fish Commissioner 
believes the omission to have been through an error of a 
clerk in tlie committee room. Quail and woodcock, under 
Hie reading of the new .statute, have no protection — that 
is to say, they can't be shot. They cannot, however, be 
held in possession between the old dates of the closed 
season, which were for quail Dec. 20 to Nov. i, and for 
woodcock Dec. 1 to Sept. i; It will therefore be hard 
lines for any one found with a quail in his possession 
before Nov. i, or a woodcock before Sept, i. There is 
talk of an attempt to call an extra session of the Legisla- 
ture, but there is not the slightest likelihood that any- 
thing will come of this talk. There is also talk of con- 
testing the cases of possible violation of the old game 
law under a somewhat obscure technicality, which might 
give the protectionists a chance to carry the case to the 
Supreme Court. Very little faith should be put in this 
either We have to face the fact that our game law is a 
very imperfect and dangerous one. 
About New Brtmswicfc. 
1 am not quite clear whether New Brunswick ought to 
come under "Chicago and the West" or not, but every 
Western man who met the New Brunswick guides at the 
Sportsmen's Show here last winter will be interested at 
hearing anything about them. Mr. Adam Moore, of 
Scotch Lake^ New Brunswick, writes that he is back from 
his spring bear trapping expedition, and that he got an 
ev^en dozen bear. He says: "We went down through the 
Bathurst lakes i\lay 20, and put our traps along the Nepisi- 
quit River. We found the trout hungry, and it took but a 
little whj^le to catch .all we could use, and ye gods, what 
trout! from ?. to 4 pounds each. Three hungry men can 
eat a lot" of trout in three days, but there is a limit, and I 
had to stop fishing or waste fish, and Ave don't do that. 
"We saw as many big bulls as ever, both moose and 
caribou, and far_ more deer. I saw one moose with a 
five- foot head, very heavy and even, and several of four 
feet or better. It was a pleasure to look at -them and telf 
them to meet me later. But- it was bears we were after, 
and we got a nice bunch of them — in fact, I have formed a 
nasty habit of getting what I go after " 
£. Hough 
Hartford Building, Chicago, 111. 
The Adirondack Deer. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
An article m your is-sue of July 0, written by a Mr. 
Hull, relative to the game law as governing the killing 
of the Adirondack deer, prompts me to send the follow- 
ing, trusting it may receive similar recognition. When- 
ever I read articles of this sort I can scarcely refrain 
from sending an immediate reply, for they seem, in the 
main, to be absolutely so inconsistent vvith the situation 
at ha,nd. I repeat a statement I made, in an article you 
once published a few years ago on this same subject, 
viz., "That those who lived in the mountains steadily 
from year to year, being in consequence thrown in con- 
tact with these guides and natives,' were the only ones, 
strictly speaking, who are competenl to form a satis- 
factory opinion in the matter of a just form of law 
relative to the protection of Adirondack deer." 
I can thoroughly appreciate every statement Mr. Hull 
makes, for I have done some hunting myself, having 
Ireen obliged to reside in the heart of the North Woods, 
owing to ill health, for twelve years past, almost con- 
stantly, so naturally feel I arn entitled to a little recogni- 
tion of this subject. I quite, agree with him when he 
says that, "Many whp write on game protection in the 
North Woods have never been nearer their subject tliaa 
Newspaper row"; also that the "administration of the 
game laws is a farce," at least 'in many cases. When he 
says a dead, deer 15 worth but $3 to a giride, he should 
qualify his statement I have known guides to get $2u 
and $25. for a carcass, including head of course, and noi 
try very hard either. 
To sum the condition tip in,^i nutshell: Our Adiron- 
dack deer will never attain that number they ought until 
the guides take a different course both as to reference to 
themselves in the matter of breaking the law and also in 
using their influence with the sportsmen, and particularly 
the novice. Take as an illustration the State of Maine. 
Sportsmen tell me who have visited there, that it is im- 
possible to bribe a guide to give one a chance at a moose 
or deer out of season, and in fishing just the same. The 
