486 
FOREST AND STREAM:' 
'{June 21, 1902. 
this animal, and all of these were accepted by Buffon, the 
great French naturalist, who described the wolverine as 
a ferocious beast, which did not fear man, and attacked 
the larger animals. Tt was stated that it was accustomed 
to climb trees, and throw down the moss from them, to 
entice the elk and reindeer to pass beneath it, when it 
threw itself on the back of its prey, and held itself there 
until it had destroyed the animal. 
As a matter of fact, the wolverine is a small beast, not 
very unlike, a badger in shape, but larger, and with a 
longer tail. It is found from the Middle United States, 
as far north as the borders of the Arctic Ocean, and its 
hones have been found in Melville Island, in latitude 75, 
degrees. Dr. Richardson says that the wolverine feeds 
chiefly upon the carcasses of beasts that have been killed 
by accident, and Mr Warburton Pike, in his "Barren 
Grounds of Northern Canada," tells us that when in the 
range of the musk-ox, he used to watch these beasts feed- 
ing on carcasses that had been killed, and that he was 
greatly impressed by the enormous power exerted by the 
little animals. 
Dr. Richardson says: "It has great strength, and an- 
noys the natives by destroying their hoards of provisions 
snd demolishing their marten traps. It is so suspicious 
that it will rarely enter a trap itself, but beginning 
behind, pulls it to pieces, scatters the logs of which it is 
built, and then carries off the bait. It feeds also on 
meadow mice, marmots and other rodentia, and occasion- 
ally on disabled quadrupeds of a larger size. I have seen 
one chasing an American hare, which was at the same 
time harassed by a snowy owl. It resembles the bear in 
its gait, and is not fleet; but it is very industrious, and no 
doubt feeds well, as it is generally fat. It is much abroad 
in the winter, and the tracks of its journey in a single 
night may be often traced for many miles. From the 
shortness of its legs, it makes its way through loose snow 
with difficulty, but when it falls upon the beaten track of 
a marten trapper, it will pursue it for a long way. Mr. 
Graham observes that, 'the wolverines are extremely mis- 
chievous, and do more damage to the small fur trade than 
all the other rapacious animals conjointly. They will fol- 
low the marten hunter's path round a line of traps extend- 
ing forty, fifty or sixty miles, and render the whole un- 
serviceable, merely to come at the baits, which are gen- 
erally the head of a partridge, or a bit of dried venison. 
They are not fond of the martens themselves, but never 
fail of tearing them in pieces, or of burying them in the 
snow by the side of the path, at a considerable distance 
from the trap. Drifts of snow often conceal the reposi- 
tories thus made by the martens from the hunter, in 
which case they furnish a regale to the hungry fox, whose 
sagacious nostril guides him unerringly to the spot. Two 
or three foxes are often seen following the wolverine for 
this purpose/ 
"The wolverine is said to be a great destroyer of 
beavers, but it must be only in the summer, when those 
industrious animals are at work on land, that it can sur- 
prise them. An attempt to break open their house in the 
winter, even suppopsing it possible for the claws of a 
wolverine to penetrate the thick mud walls when frozen 
as hard as stone, would only have the effect of driving the 
beavers into the water, to seek for shelter in their vaults 
on the borders of the dam. The wolverine, although it is 
reported to defend itself with boldness, and'success against 
the attack of other quadrupeds, flies from the face of 
man, and makes but a poor fight with a hunter, who re- 
quires no other arms than a stick to kill it. 
"It brings forth from two to four young once a year. 
The cubs are covered with a downy fur, of a pale or cream 
color. It is found throughout the whole northern parts 
of the American continent, from the coast of Labrador 
and Davis' Straits, to the shores of the Pacific and the 
islands of Alaska." 
A friend, many years ago, captured in Colorado, a 
wolverine, which he transferred, uninjured, to a stout 
box. It several times ate its way through the side of its 
prison, but was watched so closely that it never succeeded 
in escaping. A wager was made between the owner and 
an acquaintance who possessed a captive Canada lynx, 
each believing that his animal would be the victor if the 
two could be induced to fight. Finally, the lynx was in- 
troduced into the wolverine's box, but there was no fight, 
for the wolverine promptly proceeded to eat up the lynx, 
which it did during the day, having killed it with very lit- 
tle difficulty., 
The Fauna Boreali- Americana* 
New York, June' 12.— Editor Forest and Stream: Your 
editorial of June 14 issue is incorrect in stating that 
"Fauna -Boreali-Americana" of Richardson and Swainson 
consisted of only two volumes. There were four — i. e.. 
"Quadrupeds," 1829; "Birds," 1831 ; "Fish," 1836, and 
"Insects " 1837; but like many out-of-date publications, 
separate volumes occasionally turn up for sale. 
Jonathan DwicriT, Jr. 
Does the Bluebird Mimic? 
I hah always supposed that the bluebird was such a 
shy, retiring, sentimental bird that it was quite incapable 
of mimicry. Indeed, until a recent occasion, I had never 
heard it utter notes that were not peculiarly its own — 
delicious, lisping notes that sounded somewhat like the 
fretting of silk with one's fingers. On the occasion re- 
ferred to, however, I received what I may properly term 
a shock of surprise, i 
I was walking in Prospect Park imthe evening, just be- 
fore nightfall — having it practically all to myself, for 
at that hour, the most beautiful of'the day, with possibly 
the exception of dawn, our aesthetic people never think of 
walking abroad — well, as I was strolling along in peace- 
ful enjoyment, suddenly Sialia sialis began to sing. For 
a few bars all went as usual, but then there was an abrupt 
intrusion of part of the yellow warbler's litjle Jay, and 
again of the robin's broken melody, and yet '^gain of the 
vireo's persistent sermon, with others ^iot „so familiar. 
Can it be a mockingbird? I asked myself, and began peer- 
ing among the leaves. In a few moments all doubt was 
set at rest, for my eye rested upomah unmistakable blue- 
bird, ic did not seem to mind my presence in the least, 
but kept on singing and mimicking", and, a,s I thought, 
with a roguish or mischievous sense of enjoyment. Pres- 
ently it stopped and made a dive within a neighboring 
thicket — probably to have a word with the missus, patient- 
ly brooding her eggs--but reappeared in a little while and 
resumed its vocal amusement. It may be noted that the 
mimicry or imitation in each case was almost perfect. 
Now I confess I am not thoroughly familiar with the 
bluebird, being, unfortunately, city pent most of the year, 
and especially in the spring; therefore, I do not know 
whether my experience was new or unusual. Perhaps 
some of the learned ornithological readers of Forest and 
Stream can enlighten me. 
Francis Moon an. 
Brooklyn, N, Y., June 10. 
Mountain Lion and Strychnine. 
Kettle Falls, Wash., May 29. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: A letter from my son, Byron A. Belknap, com- 
ing from near my old home at Valley. Wash., records the 
action of strychnine on a mountain lion, which may be of 
interest to your readers. 
He writes: "Julius Fisk put out some poison (strych- 
nine) for coyotes and got instead a cougar. He had a 
cow die, so he took a quarter of it, dragged it down below 
the house and filled it with poison. Next morning they 
went down to harvest the crop of coyotes. But instead of 
finding any dead coyotes, they found that the quarter of 
beef was gone and the track of a cougar leading off down 
the canon. 
"She had lifted that quarter of beef clear of the snow 
and carried it about 200 yards, though she sank to her 
belly in the snow at every step. After eating her fill, she 
had gone on. They followed her trail a short distance 
and came to where she had become sick and vomited up 
what she had eaten. The next night the fool came back 
for another dose, and this time got ;i good one. They 
found her dead a short distance from the bait. Ellsworth 
Cosner said that the Indians told him you could nut kill 
cougars with poison, for they would vomit it up, and that 
was all the hurt it would do: bttt it got this one. any- 
way. She measured six feet from tip to tip. and weighed 
eighty some pounds." His letter is dated March 9 last. 
I ant curious to know if others have the same difficulty 
in killing mountain lions with strychnine. 
Orin Belknap. 
The Song: of the Bobolink. 
The song of no song bird is more unique than that of 
the male bobolink. Fortunate are they who have attended 
the rollicking concerts of this virtuoso of feathered song- 
sters as he hovers near his mate over dewy meadows of 
waving grass. He needs no scientific name nor technical 
description to aid in his identification. Every schoolboy 
knows him by his romantic, gaudy dress and wealth of 
joyous song. He may not know that he disguises himself 
by changing his apparel before his journeys to the sunny 
South before the approach of winter, nor that he further 
endeavors to preserve his incognito by changing his name, 
nor what ignominious fate there awaits his coming, but no 
bird is more quickly recognized or better known, and to 
no bird does he give a warmer welcome. 
It is very common practice among school children in 
many parts of the country to imitate his roystering song, 
not knowing and caring less that some of the greatest 
minds in the world of literature have done likewise. 
Turning to a fly leaf of an old school book now yel- 
low with age, I find my youthful attempt put into words 
as follows: 
"Will you see, will you see, here I be — early spring and 
me, hover over field of clover, jolly lover; that's me; that's 
me. See. Good by." 
A list of similar attempts would prove interesting read- 
ing as showing how similarly or different the same song 
fell upon different ears, and the different degrees of suc- 
cess attained in recording its phonetic interpretation. 
Geo. McAbeer. 
Worcester, Mass, 
Breeding 1 of Scoters. 
Milford, Conn., June 4.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
During the afternoon of May 30 the air was filled with 
"coots" (scoters and velvet ducks, presumably) flying 
northward. An old gunner in this neighborhood, who 
has probably killed more of these birds than any other 
single gunner in this State, informs me that he has neve? 
killed a female "coot" in the month of May. Do these 
birds mate before leaving our waters and the females 
start north for breeding a month ahead of the males ? If 
this supposition is untenable, how can the birds find time 
between early June, when they arrive at their northern 
breeding grounds, and early September, when they re- 
appear in large numbers in Long Island Sound, to rear 
their young? The period of incubation is four weeks. 
In September the young could be but a little over two 
months old. On the last day of May at dusk the air 
resounded with the music of the migrating "south south- 
erly" long-tailed duck. 
I caught a young ruffed grouse a week old on the 1st 
day of June. This seems very early. 
Morton Grtnnell. 
A Ncrth Dakota Wolf. 
The Dickinson, N. D., Press says last Wednesday Col. 
Alf. White came in from his Cannon Ball ranch, where 
he had been for a few days looking after his cattle. While 
out Mr. White saw one of his men, Martin Nelson, ride 
down and rope a gray wolf. The chase covered a distance 
of four or five miles, and was exciting for the short time 
it lasted. The animal measured six feet arid eight inches 
from the tip of his nose' to the tip of his tail, and was the 
sixth wolf Mr. Nelson had caught on horseback during 
.the past year. 
Massachusetts Deer. 
Southboro, Mass., June 3. — A remarkable sight for this 
part of Massachusetts was witnessed yesterday within a 
mile of the center of the town — two does and two fawns 
unconcernedly feeding with cows In a pasture. If the 
dogs will only let them alone, we won't be obliged to go to 
Maine to get a camera snap shot at a deer. J. W. B. 
gtajf* §*8 mi §ntu 
— $ — _ 
Proprietors of shooting resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
them in Forest and Stream. 
Importation of Eggs of Game Birds. 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Secre- 
tary, Washington, D. C, June 9, 1902. — An Act of Con- 
gress, approved June 3, 1902, entitled "An Act to Regu- 
l.ile the Introduction of Eggs of Game Birds for Propa- 
gation," provides: "That from and after the passage of 
this act the Secretary of Agriculture shall have the power 
to authorize the importation of eggs of game birds for 
purposes of propagation, and he shall prescribe all neces- 
sary rules and regulations governing the importation of 
eggs of said birds for such purposes." The object of this 
law is to modify the prohibition against the importation 
of eggs of game birds which has existed since Aug. 28, 
1894, by allowing the entry of eggs intended solely for 
purposes of propagation or for stocking game preserves 
with new or desirable birds. 
Jn accordance with the authority vested in the Secre- 
tary of Agriculture, the following regulations are hereby 
prescribed : 
(1) Permits Required. — Permits will be required for all 
eggs of game birds imported under this act. 
(2) Eggs Admitted. — Until further notice permits will 
be issued for eggs of the following game birds: The 
Gallinie, commonly known as wild turkeys, grouse, caper- 
cailzie, pheasants, partridges, and quail; the Otididce, com- 
monly known as bustards; the Rallidce, commonly known 
as rails and crakes; the Anatidce, commonly known as 
swans, geese and ducks; and the Tinamidce, commonly 
known as tinamous. 
(3) Form of Permits. — Permits for the importation 
of eggs will be issued upon application in the same^form 
and subject to the same general regulations as those now 
in force for foreign birds and animals (Circular No. 29, 
Biological Survey). Applications should state (1) the 
number of each kind of eggs to be imported, (2) the port 
of entry, (3) the date of arrival of the shipment, (4) the 
name and address of the owner or consignee, and (5) the 
purpose for which the importation is made. In order to 
avoid delay at the custom house, the permit should be 
obtained in advance, so as to be in the hands of the col- 
lector of customs on arrival of the shipment. In case the 
permit is not at hand at the time of arrival, the importer 
will be allowed a reasonable time in which to secure one; 
but if the permit be not produced at the expiration of the 
time designated, the eggs will be destroyed or returned at 
the expense of the owner or consignee. 
(4) Marking. — All packages of eggs imported under 
this act must be clearly marked "Eggs of game birds for 
propagation." 
(5) Inspection. — Eggs, like other imported goods, are 
subject to inspection at the custom house and should be 
carefully packed, so that they can be examined readily 
and without injury. Officers of the customs or of this 
Department cannot be held responsible for any damage 
resulting from the examination of packages closed against 
inspection. 
The Department reserves the right to modify the list 
of game birds without notice, to withhold permits for any 
shipment in whole or in part, or to cancel permits already 
issued if investigation shows that the contents of the 
packages or the purpose of importation are not in accord- 
ance with the statements in the application. 
James Wilson, Secretary. 
Moose. 
September the ninth came and found us ready for the 
long-talked-of trip to New Brunswick. By considerable 
corresponding and telegraphing, arrangements had been 
marie for us by R. P. Allen, the gentlemanly secretary 
of the Fredericton Tourists' Association, with one of 
the oldest and best-known outfitters in the province for 
two of his best guides and a cook to pilot us from Boies- 
tewn to the moose and caribou country of the little sou'- 
west Miramichi, about fifty miles north and west. 
Mr. King left on the early morning train for Detroit 
on business, and incidentally to make the acquaintance 
of the custom official, into whose hands our baggage, 
guns and other impedimenta would pass for inspection. 
We followed on a later train, and were surprised to 
learn that the inspection would not take place until the 
boat, which ferried our train over to the Canadian Pa- 
cific at Windsor, had left the Detroit dock at 11.30 P.M. 
No trouble was experienced in satisfying the inspector 
that we were good and law-abiding citizens of the great 
republic, who neither drank nor smoked more than we 
could carry r in our pockets. Our Winchester and small 
Marlin rifle fared well at his hands, but when my 
Hauael-Mannlicher was brought forth, he said, "I can 
pass it in all right, but you may have some trouble get- 
ting it back into the States. Sometimes there is trouble 
in getting foreign-made guns back into the country 
after you have taken them out." At some one's sugges- 
tion, the numbers of the guns were added to the descrip- 
tion on the manifest, and we did not have any further 
trouble. If this were done in every case, it is easy to 
see that much trouble and annoyance would be avoided, 
as the name and number of a gun furnish a positive 
identification of it when one leaves the country and 
wants the deposit back that has been made. In our case 
it was three dollars ($3.00) on each gun. Our receipts 
were recognized by both Custom House officers between 
Windsor and Detroit. On our return we were instructed 
to send them to the chief of customs at Windsor, and 
our deposit was promptly returned. 
It was 1 o'clock when we rolled into our berths in 
the elegant and commodious sleeper "Calgary," of-the 
Canadian Pacific line. We had breakfast at Toronto, 
and a good one it was, too. In thirty minutes the train 
pulled out for Montreal. After, a long and tiresome 
ride we reached there about 6 o'clock — the three hours' 
stop gave time for supper and to walk the kinks out of 
our legs. For some reason the sleeper from Detroit 
does not go further than here, while the Chicago sleeper 
