164 
FOMST ANt) STREAM. 
cling- to the sliding seat, and nearly all of them to the 
small cockpit, with its canvas bag. Those canoes which 
have long cockpits are provided with cockpit hatches, the 
open space holding the bag being merely large enough 
for the skipper's feet. The average sail area carried on 
these cruises is about 65sq.{t. The favofite sails are the 
old and new Bailey, rigged to be reefed from the cock- 
pit. These canoes are cruising canoes in one sense, 
but strictly speaking, they are either converted racing 
machines or converted cruisers, the result being alike in 
all cases, for they are serviceable and safe. When a 
canoe of this class is ballasted with loolbs. or more of 
duffle, it is a steady craft, and capsizes under these con- 
ditions are rare. One of these canoes and its skipper 
then represent Independence with a big I. The skipper 
cruises leisurely along, safe in the knowledge that he 
can handle his craft under all conditions without as- 
sistance. His blankets, spare clothing, provisions, shel- 
ter, cooking outfit, and perhaps a camera or rifle, are 
safe and dry in the compartments. If the wind is at all 
favorable, he sails; if it and the tide are against him he 
paddles; if the opportunity presents itself he takes a 
line from some good-natured schooner captain and gets 
a tow to his destination; if rain comes on, he pulls out 
a waterproof jacket, cap and blanket, dons these, turns 
his pipe bottom up and smiles in a "let-'er-rain" fashion. 
It is great fun, and it is a pity more young men do not 
go into it. The first cost of the outfit is the only item 
that need be considered, for the cost of maintaining it 
and providing supplies is a very small item indeed. 
In other days these Hudsonian canoeists slept in cock- 
pit tents or on the ground, and passed half their time 
in camp in searching for driftwood with which to build 
their fires. Much of the remaining time was devoted to 
attempting to clean the soot off their cooking utensils 
and persons, for with this watersoaked wood the smoke 
anS soot were truly awful. But they now use kerosene 
vapor stoves, which make no soot or dirt; and they 
sleep on comfortable folding cots or on pneumatic mat- 
tresses, saving time, space and their peace of mind as 
well. 
The active season, begins in April and camping in 
May. Its end is decided by the weather, but gener- 
ally camping is kept up until late Octoljer or early 
November by the enthusiasts, and late November sees 
a few of them out for the day if the Sundays are mild. 
At one of the clubs there are a few members who boast 
having camped over night Christmas, New Years, 
Washington's Birthday, and on other wintry occasions. 
But, while they certainly did not enjoy the cold nights, 
it is a fact that they suffered no ill effects, and they 
enjoyed the novelty of the thing. 
Two o'clock on Saturday afternoon at one of the 
large canoe clubs finds confusion where order is the 
rule. Canoes are on the floor instead of in their proper 
berths; dufifle, tent poles; paddles, sails and groceries 
litter the floor, the gangway and the float; members are 
constantly arriving from their homes or places of busi- 
ness down town, laden with supplies or new wrinkles 
picked up during the week. They disappear in the 
locker room and soon return, dressed in old comfortable 
knickerbockers and flannel shirts, or in bathing suits. 
Then they hustle, turn out the contents of their lockers 
and add to the accumulating stacks of odds and ends. 
• But in a surprisingly short time the racks are cleared 
of canoes, the floor of dufifle, and the float becomes the 
scene of confusion for a time, until each_ craft is loaded 
and gets away to give room to newer arrivals. It seems 
impossible that the ten to thirty canoes which are in- 
volved can carry away such a raft of bags and packages 
and boxes, but they do, and in two hours only the mem- 
bers who remain over Sunday at the club are left be- 
hind. 
The favorite camping places are from three to seven 
■ miles distant, and the time required to reach them is 
from one to three hours, depending on the wind and 
tide. For a while, then, the river is dotted with white 
buterfly-like sails and paddle blades that flash in the 
sunlight, all making for some favorite spot at the foot of 
the Palisades. One by one the canoes disappear on 
. shore and tents appear to mark the place. Often the 
members of one club camp together, but generally they 
scatter somewhat, while on days life the Fourth of July 
and Labor Day some of the camps assume large pro- 
portions and are composed of members of a number of 
clubs. Fifteen, twenty and even forty tents are not 
uncommonly seen on these occasions, with perhaps five 
persons to every three tents. Last Fourth there were 
at one place sixteen palmetto tents of similar design 
and a number of others. 
After one reaches the place where he intends to camp, 
a few minutes suffice to pitch the tent, blow up the air 
mattresses or rig up the cots and make everything 
snug. Then, if the tide is well up, a swim is in order, 
and a long rest in the shade while other friends are 
arriving-or passing by to other places. Some sail along 
wing-and-wing before the prevailing southerly breeze; 
others paddle indolently, as though they had no destina- 
tion nor a care, while some of the truly lazy ones get 
.a tow behind some creeping schooner or wheezing 
jttaphtha launch, often called a headache machine. All 
a^ithey pass hail those in camp cheerily with their club 
war cries or some outlandish yawp of their ovvn inven- 
•don, and by which they are identified at a distance. 
Sometimes one or two swing in and stop at the beach be- 
'.lOiXe the tents for a chat; others «»pnclude that they will 
■-riot go any further anyway, and come ashore; but all 
'•are happy, for have they not a night and a day in which 
to breathe pure air, drink crystal spring water and rest 
their Aveary bodies and brains? 
Dinner time comes and the vapor stoves are put into 
commission, while the legs are attached to the grub 
box, its hinged lid is braced back, and there is the table. 
A piping hot meal puts all hands in rare good humor, 
and with the pipes comes the daily procession of night 
boats en route to Albany. Some of these boats are seen 
to the best advantage after their lights have been lighted, 
for they are ricketty old hulks that creep along like 
huge beetles. One wonders how they manage to keep 
afloat. A few are trim enough, however, but after their 
searchlights are turned on they all present a magnificent 
sight until the haze of the Tappan Zee swallows 
them up. . 
Sometimes there are camp-fires, and all hands sit 
around and spin yarns of other days. Often friends 
camping at other places come along for a visit, and 
now and then one of them brings a mandolin or 
guitar, with which to enliven the gathering. Generally, 
however, all hands turn in early tor a long and refreshing 
sleep: Any person who wakes the camp before 7 o'clock 
finds himself in trouble, and often it is 8 before all 
hands turn out for the morning swim and a substantial 
breakfast. There are many paths along the hills and 
cliffs, and often a number of persons make up a party for 
a climb and a walk in the woods on the summit of the 
Palisades. In season there are wild flowers, raspberries, 
blackberries, apples, grapes and other wild and tame 
fruit to be found here and there. The clierries, apples 
and other fruits are all that is left to mark the one-time 
homes of persons who lived there when villages were 
numerous all along the Palisades. 
Luncheon is a seriovis meal in these camps, for it is 
not difficult, after SAviming or climbing, to feel hungry 
as a bear. And afterward, if the sun is out, the shade is 
sought while one watches the fleets of river craft which 
enliven the view. They are of all sorts, from the great 
sound steamers to the trim bay boats, with here and there 
a catboat, a sloop, a working schooner carrying brick 
and the numerous steam yachts en route to and from 
the homes of their owners in the Highlands and on the 
New York shore near Sleepy Hollow. 
The day wanes and breaking up time comes all too 
soon. Down comes the tent, duffle is stowed in the 
canoe, and all hands push off together and loaf along the 
shady shore, where the air is laden with the perfume 
of flowers and trees. But one must cross at last and 
return to the club, where members are constantly arriv- 
ing and packing their duffle away in the lockers until 
the next Saturday, and get into the stiff armor-plate of 
civilization before returning home. 
Perry D. Fr-azer. 
Lake Manawa* 
Behold a tiny inland sea ! 
Pale beryl set in paler gold: 
King's ransom does this jewel hold, 
The price to set the spirit free. 
With zest the trackless path we seek. 
To speed us on the waters sing, 
•The sail sighs like a living thing 
And to the north wind leans her cheek. 
'Neath screening fingers soon we spy 
A feathered fleet that hires each gun. 
Little live boats a-bob in the sun, 
Rocking at anchor under gray sky. 
The rustling silks of ladies fair 
Who trail in grace o'er ballroom floor, 
Charm less than when the wild ducks soar 
And music tingles all the air. 
In spite of weeds that would restrain 
We near the beckoning bevied teal, 
The sting of sport our pulses feel. 
Our guns are mad and mercy vain. 
At length, deep-laden with our spoil, • ■ 
We seek the boat house on the shore, * 
Exultant count our treasures o'er 
And are well paid for pleasant toil. ^. 
"Belle" greets us with her melting eyes ^ 
And "Dan" gives praise with eager tail — 
Reflects his aid was no avail 
And sniffs disdainfully each prize. , 
Sleek teal with wings barred green or blue. 
And lordly mallard emerald-trimmed 
Who erst the lake's thick fringes skinned 
Or shrilled the air with wild haloo ! 
Soon cosy in the upper room ^ 4 
We bar the weather from the door. 
And from the stove rich odors pour. 
Announcing rice-hen's juicy doom. , i. 
We little heed the knocking blast. 
We care naught for the world outside, 
To frolic feast our hearts are wide 
We only pray this joy may last! .§ 
Potatoes shaking in their skins .\, 
Shall lend fresh mirth to every jest, # 
And canvasback on buttered nest i i 
Will set a-quiver all our chins. i 
. 4. 
And what rare wine to ruby nose t I 
That sniffs ere sated mouth sips up, 
Like fragrance that a huge tin cup ' . % 
Brimful of steaming coffee shows? i.- 
We seek the stove and slight the storm ^ I 
And sing old songs and tell old tales, ^ 
And lapped in blankets mock the gales. 
When all within is snug and warm. 
Until in dreams strange fish we take \ 
And shoot a curious monster duck — t: 
We wake to bid the world "Good luck!" s 
With hope fresh-gathered from the lake! 
M. R. Nixon, 
Wild Animals of the North. 
From Richardson's "Fauna Boreali-Americana; or the Zoology of 
the Northern Parts of British America." 
Some Smaller Mammals. 
The white-footed mouse is one of the commonest and 
most widely distributed of our Eastern mammals ; and 
it is quick to take advantage of the comforts which ci^•ili- 
zation offers it. Indeed, Dr. Richardson says that, no 
sooner is a fur post established than this little animal 
becomes an inmate of the dwelling houses. In the same 
way. as soon as a cabin is built on plain or mountain, by 
ranchmau or miner, the white-footed mice move in and — 
especially at night — make themselves very much at home. 
Dr. Richardson says: "We observed it as far norih a^ 
Great Bear Lake ; and if the synonyms prefixed to this 
article are correct^ applied, it is not uncommon in the 
United States. It also extends from Hudson's Bay across 
the continent to the mouth of the Columbia River. The 
gait and prying actions of this little creature, when it 
ventures from its hole in the dusk of the evening, are so 
nuich like those of the English domestic mouse, that most 
of the European residents at Hudson's Bay have con- 
sidered it to be the same animal, altogether overlockhig 
the obvious differences of their tails and other peculiar- 
ities. The American field mouse, however, has a habit of 
making hoards of gi^ain or little pieces of fat, which, I 
believe, is unknown of the European domestic mouse; 
and what is more singular, these hoards are not fcrmed 
in the animal's retreats, but generally in a shoe left at the 
bedside, the pocket of a coat, a nightcap, a bag hung 
against the wall, or some similar place. It not iinfre- 
quently happened that we found barley, which had been 
brought from a distant apartment, and introduced into a 
drawer, through so small a chink, that it was impossible 
for the mouse to gain access to its store. The quantity 
laid up in a single night nearly equalling the bulk of a 
mouse, renders it probable that several individuals unite 
their efforts to form it. This mouse does considerable 
mischief in the gardens, and in a very few nights will al- 
most destroy a plantation of maize, by tracing the rows 
for the purpose of collecting the seeds, and depositing 
them in small heaps under the loose mould, generally by 
the side of a stone, or piece of wood. From the facility 
with which it seems to transport the substances it preys 
upon, I suspected that it had cheek pouches, but none 
were found on examination. The ermine is a most in- 
veterate enemy of this species, and pursues it into the 
sleeping apartments." 
The curious animal known as the sewellel, or moun- 
tain beaver, after having been two or three times de- 
scribed with more or less vagueness, was at .last fully 
characterized by Richardson under the name Aplodoiitia 
leporina. Although quite a large asimal' — fourteen or 
fifteen inches long — it is very seldom seen, as it spends all 
the daylight in its burrow. ' It bears a fine fur, and robes 
made of the skins of a number of the animals sewed to- 
gether were formerly used by the Indians of Washington 
and British Columbia. Of its habits, Richardson knew 
little or nothing, and not very much more is known to- 
daj', although some notes on this species have been fur- 
nished by members of the United States Biological Sur- 
vey. It is now known that there are two or more species 
of Aplodontia, described in recent years by Dr. C. Hart 
Merriam. 
Richardson tells us that the Canada porcupine "is found 
on the banks of the Mackenzie, as high as latitude 67 de- 
grees, and, according to American writers, it ranges as 
far south as latitude 37 degrees. It is said tO' be very 
rare in Virginia, but to be numerous in some parts of 
Kentucky. * * * Jn. the fur countries, it is most nu- 
merous in sandy districts covered v/ith the Pinus hank- 
siana, on the bark of which it delights to feed. It also eats 
the bark of the larch and spruce firs, and the buds of 
various kinds of willow. In the more southern districts 
it is said to feed chiefly on the bark and leaves of the 
Pinus canadensis and Tilia <rlahraj and to be fond of sweet 
apples and young maize, which it eats in a sitting posture, 
holding them to its mouth with the forepaws. It travels 
slowly, and Hearne remarks, that -the Indians, going with 
packets from fort to fort, often see them in the trees; but 
not having occasion for them at the time, leave them until 
their return, and should their absence be a week or ten 
days, they are sure to find them within a mile of the 
place where they had seen them before.' Mr. Hutchins 
observes that 'in walking, the tail is drawn along the 
snow, making a deep track, which is often the means of 
betraying the animal ; but its haunts are most readily 
divScovered by the barked trees on which it has fed; which, 
if done the same winter, is a sure sign that the porcupine 
is near the spot. They are usually found on the branches, 
and on approaching them, they make a crying noise, like 
a child. The tree, being cut down, the animal is di.;- 
patched by only striking it on the nose.' It is readily at- 
tacked by the Indian dogs, and soon killed, but not with- 
out injury to its assailants, for its quills, which it erects 
when attacked, are rough, with minute teeth directed 
backward, that have the effect of rendering this seemingly 
v/eak and flexible weapon a very dangerous one. Their 
points, which are pretty sharp, have no sooner insinuated 
themselves into the skin of an assailant than they gradu- 
ally bury themselves, and travel onward, until they cause 
death, by wounding some vital organ. These spines, 
which are detached from the porcupine by the slightest 
touch, and probably by the will of the animal, soon fi'l 
the mouths of the dogs, w^hich worry it, and unless the 
Indian women carefully pick them out, seldom fail to kill 
them. Wolves occasionally die from the same cause. 
The Canada porcupine makes its retreat among the roots 
of an old tree, and is said to pass much of its time in 
sleeping. When disturbed, it makes a whining or mewing 
noise. It pairs in the latter end of September, and brings 
forth two young ones in April or May. Its flesh, which 
tastes like flabby pork, is relished by the' Indians, but is 
soon nauseated by Europeans. The bones are often deeply 
tinged with a greenish yehow color. Like other animals 
which feed on coarse vegetal)le substances, it is much in- 
fested by intestinal worms. The quills or spines are dyed 
