Dec. io, 1904.] 
PUREST AND STREAM. 
4 91 
"Monarch, the Big Bear" 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Western does not agree with my defense of Ernest 
Thompson Seton in Forest and Stream for November 
19. He says : "Dr. Morris' letter on the subject of Mr. 
Seton, Mr. Kelly and Monarch, does more credit to his 
genial cheerfulness of nature and his tolerance of human 
frailty than it does to his ethical sense." 
Now, what are these books of Seton and of Kelly? 
They are nothing but literature, anyway. Some of us 
have been brought up in the hard school of science, 
where the slightest deviation from truth is a fly in the 
milk ; but we love to step down into the garden of litera- 
ture, where the fly is a butterfly, spreading its gorgeous 
wings over a single drop of milk just long enough to get 
potential for a new flight. It is a short step from 
biology down to metaphysics, from that to history, and 
then to pure literature. People who are fooled by litera- 
ture .would not get things straight anyway, so what is 
the difference so long as literature is enjoyable? Let it 
go at that 
Concerning my Redruff ideas that pleased Mr. Seton, 
Western says : "It happened that the proceeding did not 
touch Dr. Morris in a sensitive spot, so he doesn't mind." 
A man on earth has little time for bothering with sensi- 
tive spots. In factj some of us hold that a sensitive man 
is a most dangerous element in society. Mis feelers 
come out like the daws of a basketful of crabs whenever 
a finger is pointed at him admiringly or in caution. Sensi- 
tive men are apt to reach out and pinch at anything that 
attracts their attention. Put your sensitive men in a 
basket and cover them up with sea weed where they can 
nab at each other, but out of sight of useful folks. 
Western says further ; "Suppose Mr. Seton had heard 
Dr. Morris give a detailed account of his treatment of a 
ease of surgery, and had set himself up as a surgeon 
* * * and if he should happeh to achieve brilliant suc- 
cess, would that make any difference Concerning the doe- 
tor's convietiohs about the moral status of the affair } h 
Why, bless your soul; my gOod Western, do you not 
know that that is just what happens every day in our 
professional life? Whenever I spend time, money, and 
labor in developing a new procedure, the first thing that 
comes out of it is a ferocious attack from colleagues who 
have not as yet given the matter attention. That is not 
only right, but desirable, because so many fanciful things 
are foisted upon the public by well-meaning doctors that 
the only -safeguard lies in batting every head that bobs 
up with a new idea. The idea when let loose will care 
for itself if it is sound. The next result is that after the 
fighting is over my product is appropriated by men who 
have not had to bear the onus of the contest, and they 
make all of the profit. It may Cost a surgeon thousands 
of dollars and loss of prestige and of friendships to bring 
put an idea, the eventual profits of which go to others. 
What are we all working for, anyway, for ourselves or 
for the crowd? There is no doubt a certain sort of satis- 
faction in working for one's self; but it is twice as much 
fun to work for the crowd. Give me the fun, and let the 
losses go. But does appropriation of ideas in literature 
mean loss ? I bought both of the books in question on 
aecouht of the plagiarism charge, and that meant at least 
thirty Cents added to the incomes of the authors. 
L. F. Brown also says that it is naughty for one writer 
to take materia] that has been painfully gathered by an- 
other. Oh, it is not such a painful process ! Life is a 
struggle and a fight, like a game of football or any other 
healthful amusement, and it is good sport to play both 
games. 
Where does a widgeon get his fine flavor? By snatch- 
ing dainty roots of valisneria that are brought up from 
the bottom by other ducks. Is it a painful process for 
other ducks to pull up the valisneria? Not a bit of it; 
they do it for exercise after they have had a fill. The 
widgeon knows just what it wants for developing an 
exquisite flavor, and that is why so many people are after 
Selgeons. Human nature craves romance. The best of 
real things are not good enough for us. Down on the 
South Bay there are two gunners living in the_ same 
village, with whom I go after ducks. At the opening of 
the season one will write : "Some ducks in the Bay. 
Flocks not yet broken up properly for decoying. Weather 
not good ; wait until I send for you." The other gunner 
writes on the same day : "Never saw so many ducks here 
before. Thousands in sight from the window as I write. 
All breaking up nicely. Weather just the thing. Come 
right down." Both gunners are looking at the very same 
ducks, only they state the matter differently. Which 
gunner's advice would you follow? 
Robert T. Morris. 
P. S. — We have many more widgeons in the medical 
profession than in the profession of literature, and the 
public actually fosters them. They not only take the best 
that is brought up, but not content with that, seek to keep 
the real workers obscured for fear that they will obtain 
credit that is their due. If the workers are truly altruistic, 
they let everything go, and get their joy out of seeing the 
public get the benefit of their work, even though it means 
loss to them. If a writer in general literature is truly 
altruistic, I think he can maintain a similar attitude when 
others make use of his facts. 
Naw York, Dec, 2. 
Did He Mean It— of Didn't He? 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I read Dr. Morris' remarks re Seton Thompson's ap- 
propriation of Allen Kelly's "Monarch Bear" stories. 
And then I read them again. They reminded me of the 
Hibernian barber who shaved me a few days ago at the 
'Southern Hotel in St. Louis. My mind was a thousand 
miles away, and, influenced by strenuous thought, I 
Ibudged a little. "Am I hurtin' of yez, sohr?" said Pat. 
'"Gwan," said I, "I didn't know you were shaving me!" 
And with uplifted razor in one hand and meditatively rub- 
bing his chin with the other, said he: "Well, sohr, I 
don't know but that's a compliment, begorra!" 
And that's the way I feel about Dr. Morris' article on 
Mr. Seton Thompson — "begorra" it's complimentary. At 
first I imagined Dr. Morris was a rubbing of it in to the 
A-hide^f Mr. Thompson with a velvety hand, just as one is 
wont to rub in croton oil with a soft rag; but I am afraid 
"I have it not," like the Irishman who, when asked by 
his friend had he a light, Pat replied, as he pulled on his 
stogie, "I have" — a draw, a puff of wind — "1 have not," 
and out went the match! Now, when I imagined Dr. 
Morris was just laying open Mr. Thompson with a keen- 
edged scalpel, "I had not" his intention at all. 
It's all right for Dr. Morris to complacently watch the 
water in his brook meander to beautify the grounds of 
Mr. Thompson, but that water cost Dr. Morris effort of 
no kind; for do not the springs gush unaided from some- 
where on Dr. Morris' estate to run their watery course 
free and untrammeled to the sea! 
In the commercial world the confusion of meum et 
tuum is looked upon with a less lenient eye. Witness an 
electrical sharp, who, finding that his water pipes were 
undergoing an attack of electrolosis, just simply wires up 
his house and warms and lights his rooms from current 
drawn from his water pipe by means of properly arranged 
wires. The lighting company learned of it, and at least 
threatened all sorts of things. They called it robbery 
because they had produced the current at the expense of 
coal and labor. But there was no labor involved in the 
flowage of the springs; but there was labor — brain work 
—involved in the production of Allen Kelly's stories so 
deftly utilized by Mr. Thompson. 
As I stated above, I was completely fooled when read- 
ing Dr. Morris' supposed strictures on the literary stra- 
bismus perpetrated by Mr. Thompson. I for one would 
like to hear more from Dr. Morris upon this subject. It 
is a most interesting one, to say the least. 
Charles (Sristadoro. 
St. Paul, Minn , Dec. 2. 
Montreal, Dec. 2,-— Editor Forest and Stream: The 
correspondence anent Mr. E. Thompson Seton is, I think, 
one which will warrant an expression of opinion from 
one who knows him pretty thoroughly, inasmuch as two 
of the letters published might lead the public to think 
that Mr. Seton is not a close and appreciative student of 
nature. I know very well, indeed, much of the country, 
its fauna, and its Indians, about which Mr. Seton writes, 
and I must say that he has enlarged my horizon although 
interested in these things myself. Mr. Seton is a thor- 
ough investigator, he is a scientific authority upon the 
habits of many wild animals, he is a student of human 
nature, and an artist and naturalist. I have never wasted 
any of the hours that have been spent in his company, but 
have always come away with the feeling that 1 had learnt 
something, and that the good-natured part of me was 
working more actively. 
I do not wish to pronounce upon the subject of 
"Monarch the Big Bear" and Mr. Kelly; but there are 
tens of thousands of Mr. Seton's friends who may be 
misled by the controversy into exaggerating Mr. Seton's 
fault — if fault there be — in connection with the story. 
I am inclined to think him guilty of a trivial plagiarism 
only (if guilty at all), and one which the thousands to 
whom he has given pleasure and profit will readily 
forgive. 
Let us, at all events, keep an unbiased mind until we 
hear from Mr. Seton, who is now in Europe. 
L. O. Armstrong. 
How Do They Do It? 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Three things are puzzling to me — yea, four : 
1. The partridge drum. I used to think I knew all 
about it, and whether the bird smote the log or not. If 
so, many of your communicators could not tell what they 
know — half of them knowing quite the opposite of what 
the other half knows — I would still retain and maintain 
and defend against all comers my conviction that the 
bird does strike the log; or does not — I am not prepared 
at this moment to satisfy myself as to which one of the 
two theories I am just now holding._ 
2. How does the hummingbird maintain itself perfectly 
still in the air when it is sipping sweets or extracting 
insects from the flowers? I can understand how the rapid 
movement of the wings which produce the hum can drive 
the bird forward in its darting movements, but how that 
same hum can be kept up and the bird go neither forward 
nor backward nor up nor down, is too much for me to 
comprehend. 
3. How does a flying fish fly? Does it by moving its 
"wings" propel itself through the air by fin movement, or 
does it get its entire momentum before it emerges from 
the water, and simply use its fins to steer by, or to 
support itself by their planes while in the air. I have 
spent hours in trying to determine this point by watch- 
ing the actual fish as seen from the deck of a sailing ves- 
sel or steamer. I do not know any more about it now 
than I did before. Your Santa Catalina Island readers 
perhaps can give me some light on the problem. 
4. Another question as to fin work, flow does the por- 
poise propel itself through the water? From the bow of 
a swiftly moving steamer I have looked down into water 
so clear that it was practically as transparent as the 
atmosphere, and have watched a school of porpoises play- 
ing along the bow, swimming at equal speed_ with the 
steamer, and now falling behind, and then darting ahead, 
and ever and anon emerging from the water to blow. 
Every part of the body of the porpoise was visible, but 
look as closely as I would, I could not detect a movement 
of the flippers. All I could see was the upward movement 
of the tail which drove the porpoise head down, and the 
downward movement of the tail which drove the creature 
up out of the water. The specific question I wish to ask 
is, does a porpoise propel itself by its flippers? Presumably 
the movement of the porpoise is analogous to that of 
fishes, and some of your students of the fish in the water 
may solve this puzzle. Geo. A. Bent. 
In Jordan and Evermann's "Fishes of North and Mid- 
dle America," the flight of the flying fish is described as 
follows : "Observations on the flight of these fishes, and 
especially of Exocoetus calif ornicus, have been several 
times made under most favorable conditions^ by Dr. 
Charles H. Gilbert and the writer. The flying fishes 
ljye in the open sea, swimming in large schools. They 
will 'fl/ a distance of from a few rods to more than an 
eighth of a mile, rarely rising more than three or four 
feet. Their movements in the water are extremely rapid ; 
the sole source of motive power is the action of the strong 
tail while in the water. JSTo force is acquired while the 
fish is in the air. On rising from the water, the move- 
ments of the tail are continued until the whole body is 
out of the water. While the tail is in motion, the pec- 
torals seem to be m a state of rapid vibration, but this 
is apparent only, due to the resistance of the air to the 
motions of the animal. While the tail is in the water, 
the ventrals are folded. When the action of the tail 
ceases, the pectorals and ventrals are spread and held 
at rest. They are not used as wings, but act rather as 
parachutes to hold the body in the air. When the fish 
begins to fall, the tail touches the water, when its motion 
again begins, and with it the apparent motion of the 
pectorals. It is thus enabled to resume its flight, which 
it finishes finally with a splash. While in the air it re- 
sembles a large dragon-fly. The motion is very swift, 
at first in a straight line, but later deflected into a curve. 
The motion has no relation to the direction of the wind. 
When a vessel is passing through a school of these fishes, 
they spring up before it, moving in all directions, as 
grasshoppers in a meadow." 
The Sleeping, Smelling Black Duck. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Mr. L. F. Brown's invitation to take me to Pamlico 
Sound, a place where I have long wanted to go, is most 
generous and kind. Unfortunately, however, I can- 
not, like the black duck," get away." 
From Mr. Brown's description of the places to be 
visited, I feel sure that I would see no flock of black 
ducks all asleep at once. Unlike Mr. Brown, I can- 
not say that I would not see such a thing; but I would 
be willing to gamble my last dollar on it. After re- 
reading the descriptions of the places and the con- 
ditions under which Mr. Brown has observed black 
ducks, it is no wonder that he has never seen a pair 
asleep. I have made a specialty of dusky mallards all 
my life, and I have never "caught them napping" under 
such conditions. So far so good; but if I went on to 
say that no man ever did, then my observations be- 
come valueless. So far as my observations go, the con- 
ditions for a pair of sleeping black ducks are as fol- 
lows: In the spring, say in middle March, a soft, 
dark day with the snow falling fast from the south, 
no wind, the river full of drifting ice, no shooting 
going on, a pair of newly mated ducks, quarter or half 
a mile from shore, on an ice floe. Nor is it every 
day or every such day that one would find a pair 
sleeping. I have never seen three ducks asleep at 
once — it is always a pair, which, newly mated, seem to 
be "two minds with a single thought, two- hearts that 
beat as one." 
A neighbor of mine, Mr. Hudson Covert, who haa 
also hunted black ducks several springs gone past, 
says he also has seen a pair of black ducks asleep. 
"But," he says, "if the boat happened to hit a cake of 
ice as I paddled up, away went the ducks. Also, one 
day I had a friend with me who could neither paddle 
or shoot. When I got within easy range, I turned 
the boat sidewise to shoot, and then, too, the ducks 
always jumped. Another time on Black Creek, when 
not hiu>ring, I found a pair of black ducks asleep On 
a strip* of ice outside the fringe of willow-herb and 
doddar. They heard my paddling just as I saw them. 
By the very comical but startled way in which they 
stretched their necks and 'rubbered,' I knew they had 
both been asleep. As soon as they saw me they sprung 
into the air. More tellingly to the point, however, is 
an experience of mine one spring, when I was using 
a new-fangled boat I had just built. The boat was long, 
narrow, and low, and being painted white, needed no 
battery. I lay flat on my back in_ it, making it go by 
a device of my own, of which I will say no more than 
that it worked 'by hand,' and therefore was not in 
violation of law. f found it did not work, however, for 
though I could get near the ducks, I could not raise 
up, seize my gun and aim quick enough to catch the 
swift-flying black ducks before they were out of range. 
I got hardly any ducks with it, and returned to the use 
of a battery. But owe day I saw a pair of blacks 
asleep. It w<ls snowing and raining. I came up to 
within thirty yards of them, rose up, adjusted myself, 
raised my gun and aimed, the ducks remaining motion- 
less. They were asleep, ajid when they awoke, they 
found themselve; in the next world. The reason I 
remember it so distinctly, was from my trying out the 
new boat. It was a mile below Judge Parker's, off the 
end of Esopus Island." 
Mr. John Burroughs, in his article in Outing, also 
says he has seen four black ducks asleep. If he says 
so, I believe him; had he gone on to say that there was 
no man who had not seen a pair of black ducks asleep, 
I would have been sceptical. 
Mr. Hardy, the famous Maine woodsman, has also 
seen a pair of" black ducks asleep under just the con- 
ditions that one would expect to find them. 
Maybe black ducks can smell cheese, but those that 
I have seen can't smell a man. I have paddled up close 
to black ducks with a gale blowing from me to them. 
Mr. William Brewster, of Cambridge, Mass., says 
they can't smell at all. A fox can smell you, but if 
you stand or sit motionless, he cannot see you. A duck 
can see you ten miles away (I sometimes believe), but 
can't smell you. 
To Mr. Otto Keim I will say, that last spring was the 
first time the law has been on ducks in March. I shot 
no ducks then. James Ackertk, Jr. 
The New Yofk State League. 
The annual meeting of th'e New York State League 
was held in Syracuse oil Thursday of this week. Among 
the subjects discussed was the fjoposed law forbidding 
the sale of grouse and woodcock. A report of the pro-, 
ceedings will be for;:d in our issue of next week. 
