Forest and Stream, 
A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 
Copyright, 1904, by Forest and Stream Pubushing Co. 
T ^*ta5^8 1,ACopT 'f NEW YORK, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1904. {sKiSiLESSn&ii*. 
The Forest and Stream is the recognized medium of entertain- 
ment, instruction and information between American sportsmen. 
The editors invite communications on the subjects to which its 
pages are devoted. Anonymous communications will not be re- 
garded. While it is intended to give wide latitude in discussion 
of current topics, the editors are not responsible for the views of 
correspondents. 
• Subscriptions may begin at any time. Terms: For single 
copies, $4 per year, $2 for six months. For club rates and full 
particulars respecting subscriptions, see prospectus on page Hi; 
A WELL OF THE DESERT. 
Those of us who were brought up on the literature 
provided by Mayne Reid, no doubt remember that some 
of his heroes, when traveling over the desert, were saved 
from death by thirst by opening the stems or fruit of the 
cactus and drinking the water which they contained. 
For many years this has been regarded as a mere 
traveler's tale ; yet those who live in the desert know well 
that the story, is true. Only the white man who goes 
around with his eyes shut has been ignorant of this. 
There is water in the desert, and those who dwell there 
know how to find it. 
Some years ago, in his interesting article entitled, "The 
Gulf of Cortez," published in one of the Boone and 
Crockett books, Mr. Geo. H. Gould described how, on a 
barren mountain side in Lower California, he found the 
stems of cactus with the hard rind broken in and the 
moist interior gnawed away. His Cocopah Indian guide 
told him that this was done by the wild sheep, which 
broke the hard spiny rinds with their, horns and ate the 
soft contents. 
It is well known that animals inhabiting the desert 
often go a long time without water, and there are people 
who maintain that they never drink at all. The camel 
has long been famous for the length of time during 
which he could abstain from water, and has been credited 
with carrying around with him an extra supply, on which 
he may draw if ever he really becomes thirsty. An extra- 
ordinary statement concerning this beast is that made by 
D. W. Carnegie, who tells that, while traveling in the 
desert of Southwestern Australia, his nine camels went 
without water for a period of twelve days, at the end of 
this time drinking each about seventeen gallons. Again, 
a little later, two camels traveled for thirty-seven days 
on thirteen gallons of water each, distributed in three 
drinks. 
• But our own animals, such as peccaries, deer, various 
mice and other rodents, appear to get along without 
water, a,nd in a recent paper on this topic, Mr. F. V. 
Coville has brought together a number of interesting 
facts on this general subject. Some of these rodents do 
not appear to know what water is, certainly as it is 
offered them; but it will be remembered that nearly 100 
years ago Audubon the naturalist, when making experi- 
ments to learn whether a prairie chicken would drink 
or not, discovered that while the bird would not notice 
water offered to it in a dish, it eagerly sipped from the 
bars of its cage drops of water that had been spilt and 
clung to them. 
As we have said, the Indians and the animals of the 
desert recognize very well that some of the great cactuses 
which grow in their home contain water and in abundance. 
Chief among these are certain plants — locally called 
bisnaga — belonging to the genus Echino cactus, the juice 
of which is sweet and pleasant. The plants stand up 
three or four feet high and 18 or 20 inches thick, looking 
at a distance like tremendously stout posts. If the top 
be sliced off horizontally, the white soft flesh of the in- 
terior of the plant is seen, but water will not flow from- it 
of itself; there is merely a moist surface. If, however, 
a club or pestle be used to crush this white flesh lying 
within the outer rind, a bowl will be formed in the top 
of the cactus, partly filled with wet pulp, and from this 
pulp water may be squeezed back into the bowl. In a 
case witnessed by Mr. Coville, the crushing proceeded 
until a bowl had been made about 8 inches deep, and in 
this bowl were about three quarts of very pleasant water. 
It was slightly salty to the taste, but good enough water 
for any thirsty man. 
There is another form of bisnaga, approximately 
Tpiierical in form, which is said by the Indians to furnish 
a better water than the upright one. This, if we recollect 
aright, is the sort described by Mayne Reid in those 
stories of many years ago. 
This water is commonly drunk by the Indians, is used 
to mix with flour to make bread, and is commonly de- 
voted to any camp use. 
There are other very large cactuses — those, for exam- 
ple, known as the saguaro, the pitahaya and the sina — 
which do not provide good drinking water because their 
juice is very bitter and even nauseating; and it is inter- 
esting to note that these cactuses, so unpleasant to the 
taste, are but slightly protected by spines, while on the 
other hand the visnaga and their agreeable tasting allies 
possess an almost impenetrable armor of hooked and 
rigid spines. ' 
A NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY. 
As earlier stated in the Forest and Stream, it is pro- 
posed immediately to incorporate a National Association 
of Audubon Societies, the purpose of which is to do 
work similar to, but broader than, that undertaken by the 
State Audubon societies, and whose membership shall 
cover the whole country. 
It is nearly twenty years since the Audubon idea was 
first formulated by Forest and Stream, and the first 
Audubon work undertaken and for several years carried 
on at its own expense by the Forest and Stream Publish- 
ing Company. Of recent years that work in other hands 
has grown and strengthened, and largely through the 
energy of Mr. William Dutcher, of this city, with the co- 
operation of the American Ornithologists' Union, has 
done great good. The time has now come to extend the 
Audubon work so as to make it cover more than the pro- 
tection of birds. Moreover it is time, we believe, that 
more emphasis should be given to the economic import- 
ance of the work while the sentimental side should have 
less prominence. If the management of the National 
Association of Audubon Societies should share this view, 
the new association would have as a part of its work 
the protection of birds, the protection of mammals, the 
protection of forests, and generally, so far as possible, 
the protection of the natural things of the land. 
The proposed association will be incorporated in such 
form that it may hold property, and may legally receive 
gifts and bequests for carrying on its work. Large sums 
annually are already contributed to the purposes of the 
various Audubon societies, and we have recently been 
told that a New York man, whose name is not given, has 
made a bequest of $100,000 for the uses of such a 
National Association. With this as a nucleus, efforts will 
be made to raise from people interested the sum of 
$1,000,000, the income of which should be used for wild 
bird and animal protection in North America. 
It is understood that . the management of the pros- 
pective association has made arrangements to secure the 
services of Mr. T. Gilbert Pearson, of North Carolina, 
to explain by talk and public discussion the objects of 
the new society. Mr. Pearson, in his work in North 
Carolina, has shown great enthusiasm and capacity, and 
the selection made seems a very wise one. 
MONOLOGUES OF KIAH. 
The sun glowed in gorgeous colors through the soft 
haze, and the air was in a state of perfect calm. The day 
was Sunday, and the hour was late morning. The morn- 
ing meal had been leisurely eaten, after which the dishes 
had been hurriedly and scantily washed after the peculiar 
manner of men who, without wetting or soiling their 
fingers, assume to be expert cooks and scullions. Each 
had breakfasted according to his best judgment or his 
cubic capacity, therefore repose and contentment pervaded 
the camp. All was inaction in observance of the day. 
The impressive mellow peals of a far away church bell 
could be faintly heard carrying its message through the 
still air to a militant people. The expression of each 
camper's face indicated that the mind of each was far 
away in other associations, or dwelling on retrospections. 
Impressed by the spirit of the moment, Ruben gently re- 
marked : "A good man, in good luck and striving for the 
public weal can confer inestimable benisons upon a people 
by heart-to-heart — " "Just the idea I had in mind this 
very moment," Kiah exclaimed eagerly, "and if all people 
would, but recognize that fact more pa * mtly and respon- 
sively, with a devout purpose, to humanejy know 
themselves and their fellows, a only heart-to^ 
heart talks will reveal, they would discover inex- 
haustible mines of goodness and nobility of which 
they now are in profound ignorance. You, Ruben, 
find everyone repellant because you meet them in a satur- 
nine way, while I, on the contrary, sunny and cheery, 
treat them so sweetly that their hearts then beat with 
pleasure if they were ever so heavy and sombre. You 
attribute much to luck when it is not luck at all. It is a 
clear case of cause and effect in nine cases out of ten 
whether we hunt or fish, or work or play. Now, I can 
catch more fish than you can, and I can shoot birds better 
and in greater quantity than you can, or than you can 
reasonably hope ever to equal. You always urge that it's 
pure luck. I make friends right and left wherever I go, 
and you say I am lucky. Luck is a term more misused 
and abused than any other of the language. Even in our 
sports it holds a conspicuous place. You prowl around all 
day with rod and gun and return empty-handed many 
times. When I can break away from the popular assign- 
ment to do the camp work while my good friends enjoy 
themselves, I sally forth and return with game in plenty. 
That, too, is a case of cause and effect. It is not luck at 
all. The results are consequent to industry and intelli- 
gence. When seeking, I am constantly alert. I note every 
little sign which may be appropriated to my advantage. 
Within my field of vision, every object is scrutinized care- 
fully. Yon, Ruben, poke along with about the same alert- 
ness that you would display if you were really made of 
wood. You always have a crop of excuses. All these 
things are consequent to your taciturn disposition, I 
know that you say a lecture is not a heart-to-heart talk, 
but I judge you charitably in the many things which you 
do not understand. No man should be derided because 
some ideas are beyond his mental grasp. If you would 
engage in heart-to-heart talks oftener, the results would 
be much to your advantage. I am sure you will agree 
with me in this, will you not? Hey, Ruben, I said you 
would agree with me in that, will you not ?" "Agree with 
you in what?" queried Ruben, sleepily. "Why, in what I 
j ust said," Kiah replied wonderingly. "Excuse me," Ruben 
answered, "I have not been listening. Would you mind 
repeating it ag ain ?" 
THE SHIRAS BILL. 
We have printed letters from almost all the game com- 
missioners of the United States in comment on the 
measure introduced in Congress by Hon. George Shiras 
3d to put wildfowl under Federal control in so far as the 
shooting season is concerned. The plan has been received 
with approval which is practically unanimous. No one 
reading these communications can doubt that Mr. Shiras 
has with him the support of the game protectors of the 
country. We believe that individual sportsmen are alike 
a unit in the indorsement of the bill. As we have said, 
there are details in the several sections of the measure 
which may be subject to suggested change, but the gen- 
eral proposition, that the Federal authorities shall 
prescribe the close season and enforce the law, is a step 
of such advantage that criticism of it must be restricted 
only to a consideration of the technical principles' in- 
volved; that is to say, as to the jurisdiction of Congress 
in the matter. This is the one point which in the past 
has restrained action at Washington; but it is a point 
which Mr. Shiras has considered, and which, he has said, 
is not an insuperable obstacle in the way of attaining the 
law, provided only, and provided always, that the sports- 
men of the country want such a law. 
We are convinced that they do ; and we shall watch 
with very earnest interest the progress of the Shiras 
bill in the House. 
The pros and cons of the merits of shooting sitting 
ducks have had more extended consideration than was 
anticipated when the subject was first brought up. It has 
given a new illustration of the many-mindedness of those 
who' call themselves sportsmen, and who profess to prac- 
tice only such methods as are sanctioned by the approval 
of sportsmen in general. However diverse may be the 
views held, and however earnest the expression of 
opinion and belief and disbelief, so long as good nature 
prevails the discussion cannot be otherwise than enter- 
taining and more or less profitable. It would perhaps be 
unreasonable to expect all : : a to agree on such sr' iects, 
when it is a common thin§ ij% disagreements to \ :" nn, 
points far weightier. 
