Sept. 6, 1902.J 
FOREST AND * STREAM. 
187 
Mr. Drummond, of Dr. Richardson's party, who 
traveled west over the Rocky Mountains, killed several 
of these animals near the head of the Elk or Red Deer 
River. Of them Dr. Richardson says: 
"Mr. Drummond informs me that the little chie_f hare 
frequents heaps of loose stones, through the interstices of 
which it makes its way with great facility. It is often, 
seen at sunset, mounted on a stone, and calling to its. 
mates by a peculiar shrill whistle. On the approach of a 
man, it utters a fseble cry, like the squeak of a rabbit 
when hurt, and instantly disappears, to reappear in a 
minute or two, at the distance of twenty or thirty yards, if 
the object of its apprehension remains stationary. On 
the least movement of the intruder, it instantly conceals 
itself again, repeating its cry of fear, which, when there 
are several of the animals in the same neighborhood,, 
is passed from one to the other. Mr. Drummond de- 
scribes their cry as very deceptive, and as appearing to 
come from an animal at a great distance, while, in fact, 
the little creature is close at hand ; and. if seated on a 
gray limestone rock, its color is so similar, that it can 
scarcely be discerned. These animals feed on vegetables, 
Mr. Drummond never found their burrows, and he think.s 
that they do not make any, but that they construct their 
nests among the stones. He does not know whether they 
store up hay for the winter or not, but is certain that 
they do not come abroad during that season." A near 
relative of the little' chief hare is found in Europe, and 
others in Asia. 
Possible Origin of Animal Folk-Lore 
One of the great functions of modern biology is to re- 
veal the truth and by so doing to clear away the dense 
clouds of ignorance, superstition and needless fear that 
for centuries have befogged the human mind. It is a fact 
that the most superstitious persons are those who are the 
most ignorant. This may be in part because they are the 
most ready victims of intriguers, sorcerers and "healers" 
who would accomplish their ends by taking advantage of 
the mental condition of their victims; but it is also due in 
part to the tendency of the human mind to perceive a 
"sign" in whatever is mysterious. Whatever is not at 
once understood is mystifying and liable to be considered 
as supernatural. Uneducated persons understand but 
few of the observed phenomena of nature, and they but 
imperfectly observe that which they think they see. Hence 
nature is a fertile field for the origin of "signs and won- 
ders," such as form the basis of folk lore and super- 
stitions. 
Omens must be for either good or evil, and as money 
and marriage are generally associated as blessings, and. 
death is regarded as the greatest calamity that may iDefall 
' man, we see why so many signs are associated with 
money, marriage and death. The more radically any oc- 
currence departs from apparently normal conditions, the 
more remarkable is the event supposed to be indicated 
thereby. For example, there is a common saying, "Wlien 
a cat refuses to kill a mouse there Avill be a death in the 
family." This may arise from the fact that shrews are 
sometimes caught in mouse traps, and although a shrew 
closely resembles a mouse, it has a strong odor which 
gives it effective protection, and cats and dogs rarely at- 
tack it. An uneducated person may catch a shrew, and 
when the trusted family cat refuses to kill the supposed 
mouse there appears a basis for the popular belief. 
We must relegate to the field of folk-lore many of the 
common erroneous suppositions that are based only upon 
ignorance. We have been much interested in the possible 
origin of these common fallacies which are really consi- 
dered true by most persons. Let us examine several 
specific examples; applying only to the higher or verte- 
brated animals : 
It is commonly believed that lampreys attack man, prob- 
ably from the mere fact that they are at times so very de- 
structive to fishes. The idea that they produce a new gill 
opening each year may have arisen by analogy with the 
wrinkles on a cow's horn, the rattles upon a snake's tail. 
etc._ The idea that sharks turn upon their backs to seize 
their prey may have originated from the ventral or in- 
ferior position of their mouths. The common sale of eel 
skins in most of our drug stores as cures for rheumatism 
is doubtless connected with the agility of these fishes, 
which is the opposite of rheumatic stiffness. 
It is commonly believed that toads cause warts. This 
is based upon the following combination of facts : Toads 
are the only common animals that are naturally covered 
with wart-like lumps. They eject a clear liquid. This is sup- 
, posed to do something. Warts appear mysteriously, and 
no one is able to explain the causes of their coming and 
going._ It is erroneously inferred that they are produced 
by this wart-bearing nocturnal creature with peculiar 
habits, upon the basis of the doctrine, as with the eel 
skin, that, "like produces like." The common belief that 
tadpoles shed their tails has for its origin the facts that 
vvhile living in water each possesses a swimming tail, but 
when it metamorphoses into a frog or a toad it becomes 
tailless. In fact, the tail does not drop off, but it is ab- 
sorbed and disappears in the body, just as a swelling from 
a bump on the head disappears. How often do we hear 
that frogs and toads have fallen with rain, and almost 
every July we may read accounts of such phenomena. 
These may have for their basis the fact that during the 
month of July toads change from the tadpole stage and 
aquatic habitat to the adult form and terrestrial habitat 
;ind then migrate landward in great numbers. They are 
active only at night or during wet weather, effectually con- 
cealing themselves in the most common places doiring the 
clay time. However, when a rain falls at sudi a time 
they appear by thousands, as if by magic, and give the 
impression of having fallen with rain. The assertion 
that to kill a toad makes cows give bloody milk mav have 
originated in a laudable effort to protect these beneficial 
animals. 
There are doubtless more superstitions concerning 
snakes than any other creatures. This arises in part from 
the traditions of the form Of the original tempter, and in 
the part that but very few persons are willing to calmly 
observe serpents for themselves and learn the truth direct- 
ly. We have met persons who believe that all snakes are 
venomous. This doubtless comes from the old Roman 
rule, "Ab uno disce omnes." How prevalent is the be- 
lief that horse hairs turn to snakes. There is no other 
foundation for tliis error than the resemblance of the sg- 
called hair snake (Gordius) to a common horse hair. 
Snakes are often supposed to charm birds, but the facts 
are that the feathered songsters are paralyzed by fright 
when they suddenly see the reptiles at close proximity. 
The common erroneous belief that snakes sting or bite 
by means of their tongues may come from the scriptural 
quotation, "It stingeth like an adder." The supposition 
that snakes bite themselves and die is doubtless based 
upon the actions of certain species, like the hog-nosed 
adder, which, when teased, will act as though dead and 
thus sometimes find protection. It is very commonly 
thought that snakes' tails "live" or are active until sun- 
down. This arises from the prolonged activity of the 
tail, due to the reflex action of the caudal nerve centers, 
wliich may continue for a longer or shorter period, 
owing to temperature and other conditions. Many per- 
sons believe that there is a glass snake or joint snake 
which may be broken to fragments when struck, but can 
rcjoint itself and live. This may come from the fact that 
a certain lizard (Ophiosaums veiitralis) readily loses its 
tail, and while the body escapes the caudal member wrig- 
:gles and attracts the attention of the pursuer. 
It is generally thought that all lizards are venomous, yet 
the only one that is so is the Gila monster (two species 
•of Hclo'dcrma) found only in the extreme; southwestern 
.United States and Mexico. This error may arise from 
ithe fact that lizards and serpents are closely related in 
appearance, structures and habits; and because some ser- 
pents are known to be venomous it is inferred that all 
:snake-]ike creatures are so. 
The erroneous idea that turtles breathe under water, as 
ido fishes, is derived from the observations of their hav- 
ing remained submerged for some hours. But this is 
made possible by their large lung capacity, the repeated 
luse of the air therein, their limited need of oxygen com- 
pared with that of warm-blooded animals, and their ability 
to store oxygen in their tissues and use it as needed. 
Both species of American cuckoos (genus Coccyzus) 
1)uild nests, contrary to the popular belief. The error 
•comes from the fact that the European cuckoo {Cuculus) 
1?uilds no nest, but is parasitic, laying its eggs in the nests 
■of other birds, as does our cowbird (Molothrus). The 
■old idea that "A sight of the oriole cures jaundice," 
•doubtless is connected with the yellow color of the bird 
and the homeopathic doctrine, "Similia similibus curan- 
tm-" — Like cures Hke. Nuthatches are wrongly accused 
■of sucking sap merely because they slightly resemble the 
;so-called sapsucker (Dryobct>tes) , and the latter is thought 
to be a sucker of sap because it makes holes in the Ijark 
■of some fruit trees. This is nearly always done to obtain 
insects. Swallows are thought to hibernate in mud, be- 
■cause in damp places is where they are seen last in fall 
:and first in spring. They of course migrate, as do most 
lother birds. 
Many persons believe that owls, cats, and other noc- 
turnal animals can see in absolute darkness. This error 
■arises from the fact that in these animals the pupil of the 
•eye is very large or dilatable, and in subdued or very 
feeble light they can see much better than can man. One 
■can readily deriionstrate the fallacy of the supposition by 
■faking an owl or other nocturnal animal into a perfectly 
■dark room, as we have done, and touching it with the 
hand. It does not inove, even though it be an untamed 
ranimal. 
Cats and other nocturnal animals are erroneously 
thought to emit light from their eyes, because when look- 
ing toward the light the crystalline lens of the eye pro- 
duces a glaring reflection. The ideas that swans sing 
when dying and moles open their eyes at the time of 
-death, are handed down from the writings of Pliny, and 
reoresent ignorance of the facts of zoology. Skunks 
afford the basis of many odd superstitions, because they, 
like serpents, are not studied deliberately, and therefore 
the truth about them is generally not known. There is 
sometimes justification in haste when near such animals, 
but generally the danger is more assumed than real, 
do the little lambs' tails drop off?" He had accurately 
We were once seriously asked by a teacher, "At what age 
observed that the tails of the lambs are long, while those 
of the old sheep are short, and he had obtained a false 
idea, which is, however, prevalent. Of course, he was 
shocked to learn that sheep raisers amputate the tails to 
prevent the soiling of the wool. 
H. A. Surface, Professor of Zoology. 
Pb«wsylvania State College, Department of Zoology-, Pa-, Sept. 1. 
Bay Birds at Sea* 
Newark, N. J., Aug. 27.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
While on the steamship Philadelphia from Southampton 
to New York, in longitude 67 degrees north, latitude 42 
■degrees west, about 10 A. M., Aug. 22, I noticed several 
fiocks of small sandpipers flying close to the water, going 
in a southwesterly direction at the rate of about twenty- 
tfve miles an hour. I could gauge their speed by that of 
the ship. The course they were taking would approxi- 
mately correspond to a line drawn from the southern 
part of Nova Scotia to Cape Hatteras, and at the time 
they were about 200 miles from Nova Scotia and 600 
miles from Cape Hatteras. They were at least 200 miles 
distant from Nantucket, the nearest point on the Atlantic 
coast. I write you this as I do not remember hearing 
that bay birds have been seen that far from land. 
Howard W. Hayes. 
[The occurrence is interesting and well worth noting. 
In this connection should be read Mr. W. Hapgood's in- 
teresting chapter on "Range and Migration of Bay Birds " 
pubhshed in the little pamphlet "Shore Birds" (Forest 
and Stream Pub, Co.).] 
Vipers and their Yottngf. 
The London Field, having offered a reward for the 
production of a viper which had swallowed its young, 
makes this interesting report of a snake which had been 
sent in for the prize : 
A viper has been forwarded to us by Mr. H. Win- 
chester, of Backsteep Manor, Dallington. as entitled to 
the reward offered for a viper that had swallowed its 
young. In order to insure an examination by an impartial 
and competent observer, the reptile, without being re- 
moved from its box, was conveyed by Mr. Tegetmeier to 
the College of Surgeons, and carefully dissected in his 
presence by the conservator in charge. After cutting th? 
string round the neck, the skin of the under side was 
carefully slit down the whole length of the body, and then 
the ribs were divided, disclosing the whole of the viscera. 
The gullet and stomach were perfectly empty, nor was 
there any trace of food even in the intestines. No young 
viper had been swallowed. There was in the lower part 
of the abdomen four unhatched eggs or embryos, which, 
when opened, disclosed four immature young that in the 
course of nature would not have been hatched for 
several days. The young vipers that Mr. Winchester 
saw had probably been recently expelled from the mother, 
and, escaping, as they do, in the herbage, had given rise 
to the impression that they had gone down her throat. 
Under these circumstances we are unable to pay the 
promised reward for the body of a viper that had been 
secttred after having swallowed its young, but the offer 
still holds good, and will immediately be paid on the pro-^ 
duction of such a specimen. 
The Spreading Adder. 
Editor Forest and Stre'am : 
Last June while putting in my vacation at the "Little 
Bresh Cabin" on Oakledge Tract, up in Woodstock, 
Conn.. I was surprised to see the number of broods of 
partridges there. Of the scores of broods that I came 
across I think that not one was seen with less 
than a dozen chicks and many of them had at least fif- 
teen. I was also amused at the antics displayed on 
different occasions by the mother birds in protecting 
their broods. 
Quail were very plenty on the Tract and also on the 
neighboring farms. Gray squirrels, both old and young, 
were often seen in the woodlands; all pointing to a first- 
class game season this fall up there. 
While there I solved the problem about rattlesnakes 
being found in that part of the State, as several of the 
neighboring people claimed. 
Instead, one day I came across a goodly-sized spread- 
ing adder — a species of the hog-nosed snake — which I 
showed to a farmer, who declared it to be a young 
rattler, as it was just like other rattlers occasionally 
found there, and he would not be convinced to the con- 
trary. 
Although the spreading adder is perfectly harmless, 
its fierce look while distending and flattening its body 
and hissing would make one not versed in ophiology 
think it was a venomous serpent; and it being mottled 
or blotched something like a rattler, would also tend 
to make one think it was a half-grown rattler. 
The spreading adder is the only snake that I have 
seen that will "play 'possum." At several different times 
I have seen it after having been struck or slightly 
wounded, turn upon its side or back and feign dead, and 
the simulation would be so perfect that one would think 
the reptile's life was surely gone. 
Although I have come across many snakes of the hog- 
nose species in South Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, 
I was surprised to know that they are also to be found 
up in northeastern Connecticut. A. L. L, 
§^ni^ §^g »nd §mu 
Proprietors of shooting: resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
them in Forest and Stkeau. 
A Reminiscence with a *Coon in It. 
I BELIEVE I have hunted most kinds of game from a 
reed bird to a wild turkey that has feathers, and every- 
thing from chipmunk to black bear that has hair on it. 
But never did I find my experience thoroughly ripe until I 
went 'coon hunting. 
'Coon hunting is like some people, very much in a class 
of its own; be they liars or be they saints, they are so 
pre-eminently below or above others of the human race 
that they just hold a little position all by themselves, and 
to my mind 'coon hunting is in a class all by itself, and 
deservedly so, too. Yet some people are fond of it. I 
don't know why, but just because they are; and they 
never miss a chance of going. Perhaps they see some- 
thing weird in it that appeals to their weird natures. I 
did once, and I would not have missed it for a farm, but I 
would not go again for two farms with a hayrake 
thrown in. 
A party going 'coon hunting should consist of six 
beings — i. e., two good woodchoppers, one pig-sticker, one 
telegraph lineman and two 'coon dogs that are "onto" 
their job. Experience in other lines of hunting is not 
necessary. One need not know anything about a shot- 
gun or rifle in 'coon hunting. A good stout club and 
butcher's knife are about the requisite weapons. Some-^ 
times the ax may be hand}', or the lineman's climbers can 
be used to beat a 'coon to death. Then, too, this sport should 
be indulged in at night, when most honest folks are in bed 
or ought to be, which means that one should wear armor 
as a protection against bull-briers, rhododendrons, old 
stumps, broken rocks and various other inconveniences of 
the swale and mountain-side, that knock the breath out 
of you and bark your shins. The 'coon hunter should 
be a "soft mark" for an accident insurance agent. He 
needs it worse than a full-fledged burglar, and my experi- 
ence dictates that one should have a "pull," a real political 
inside well-greased pull, too, with the land owners in the 
county in which you find yourself ; and if near the line, the 
adjoining county, too. Then 'tis wise to send out notices 
ever the country-side of the impending foray. It prevents 
at least one little danger, that of having your well- 
groomed 'coon dogs ambushed, or chewed up by some 
badly behaved dogs that are jealous because they don't 
know enough to run even a 'coon — dogs whose specialty 
seems to be passing dogs of good manners, and human 
hams and shoulders and tender calves— and who regard 
night as the proper time for chewing. 
However, my experience was so long ago that it occurs 
tc me now as a reminiscence only, though there are some 
things in this life that have long since agone that have 
their mark. It may be a tender heart throb or it may be 
a broken nose. And that's the way with me; it marked 
jne for life, not seriously, only just enough to remind 
