July, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM 
353 
LYNX IN THE ADIRONDACKS 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream : 
A pparently the “big cats” stm in- 
habit the Adirondacks. A dispatch 
from Upper Jay, dated May 10, has been 
forwarded to me by an old friend who 
says he got it from a New York paper. 
It records that Asher Winch caught a 
Canadian lynx in his trap. It was about 
three feet long. 
Available references say that the 
Johnstown Republican of December 23, 
1908, recorded the killing of a large lynx 
by hunters in Nine Mile Swamp, near 
North Brookfield; that the Randolph 
Register of December 25, 1908, told of 
the killing by hunters of three lynx in 
the Quaker Bridge region by Lockport 
hunters; that the Cooperstoum Journal 
of September 4, 1909, reported the kill- 
ing of 5 lynx by a party of hunters in 
a den near Lowville. The last report 
adds: “All were large animals and had 
killed considerable farm stock before the 
den was raided.” 
I have not kept any records since 1910, 
but doubtless the Conservation Commis- 
sion can easily tell what, if any, the 
killings have been since that year. 
John D. Whish, New York. 
CAMOUFLAGE IN BIRD NATURE 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream : 
C AMOUFLAGE, protective coloration 
or mimicry as it exists in bird life 
is one of the most interesting features 
in the study of natural history. 
The ruse is applied to advantage by 
many wild creatures in order to deceive 
the eyes of their enemies. They bring 
into use the natural markings of their 
feathers or the contour of their bodies 
in such a way that they harmonize with 
their immediate surroundings. This 
peculiar trait is not confined to birds 
alone but exhibits itself in striking in- 
stances among animals, reptiles, insects 
and even fish. 
Two distinct and noteworthy examples 
of camouflaging in birds appear in the 
regular habits of the Least Bittern and 
the Great Horned Owls. They excel 
many of their feathered kin in this 
means of deception, not entirely on ac- 
count of the concealing color value of 
their feathers but due to the plan of 
posing in positions that simulate the 
objects by which they are surrounded. 
The Least Bittern’s reed-like color pat- 
tern not only matches his environment of 
the swamps but in addition he imitates 
in pose the vertical growth of the cat- 
tails in the swamp by stretching his 
neck high into the air and remaining 
in this attitude until all danger of his 
being detected has passed. The accom- 
panying photosrraph gives an idea of 
this position. The little Bittern especial- 
ly makes an amusing picture, trying to 
present the appearance of a reed in the 
marsh, with its elongated neck and bill 
pointing directly heavenward as if im- 
ploring the powers above for protection. 
However the trick is usually so cleverly 
executed and the color markings of the 
bird conform to its surroundings in such 
a natural manner that it is easily mis- 
taken for a reed even within a few feet. 
The Great Horned Owl has a similar 
means of making his form take on the 
aspect of a dead branch of a tree. By 
half closing his eyes and tightening 
down the feathers on his body, he can 
so distort his bird-like outline that he 
can readily pass for almost anything but 
the wise and alert bird that he is. 
I have paid particular attention to this 
means of disguise while using one of 
these owls as a lure for attracting crows. 
If the owl is tied fast to a stake and is 
not annoyed for a considerable time he 
will make frantic efforts to escape, but 
if any one happens to approach him he 
immediately assumes a rigid pose, 
stretching his body, half closing his eyes 
and tightening down all his feathers. 
Note the almost perfect camouflage 
there he will remain until he finds the 
trick has failed, then he again assumes 
his natural position waiting to see what 
will happen next. 
Robert H. Rockwell, New York. 
WATSON THE OUTLAW 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream : 
H aving known Edgar Watson and 
his mother before he began his life 
of outlawry, I am prompted to write this 
letter. 
His dear old mother was a lady of high 
character, education and refinement, and 
he had a sister, Mrs. Collins, also a re- 
fined lady. I have been in her home 
times without number as a child and 
a young man. They have long ago 
passed away. His father was a wild, 
fighting character, called “Ring Eyed 
Lige Watson,” so named from a scar 
around one eye, received in some fight. 
They lived at Ridge Springs, South Car- 
olina, and both Edgar and Mrs. Cobins 
were born there. When Ring Eyed Lige’s 
conduct had become unbearable to Mrs. 
Watson, she took the two children an 1 
moved to Florida to live with relatives 
in the southern end of Columbia County, 
where Mrs. Collins was married to a 
man of high character. Edgar Watson 
also married his first wife there. Ed was 
wild and rowdy, fighting on the least prov- 
ocation. He became deeply involved in 
debt here and as a child I remember, on 
a bright moonlight night, seeing him pass 
my home with all his belongings, jump- 
ing his debts. This was in the summer 
of 1886. Nothing was heard from him 
for some time until we heard that he 
had broken jail in Indian Territory 
where he was under sentence of death 
for the murder of the famous outlaw 
Belle Starr. It seemed that she had just 
visited him and after leaving his home 
she had to pass around his field. He 
crossed the field and killed her, was ar- 
rested, tried and convicted, but escaped. 
No one heard any more from him for 
several years, when it was rumored that 
he was in the Ten Thousand Islands of 
Florida. His first wife died in the mean- 
time. 
Some time, about 1904, he moved back 
to Columbia County and he w'as living 
as a good citizen again. It was not long, 
however, before he was being seen with 
men of not very good reputation. Fin- 
ally he had a difference with Sam Tolan 
over a will in which Mrs. Tolan had 
willed Watson’s niece some property and 
Tolan would not deliver it. So one day 
Sam Tolan was found murdered in the 
road and his horse was killed also. Wat- 
son was suspected but no direct evidence 
was obtainable and he was turned loose 
again. 
Watson married again and had several 
small children during his stay in Colum- 
bia County. About 1908 Mike Tolan, 
Sam’s brother, was waylaid and mur- 
dered at his mail box and WastDn, a 
young boy, his last wife’s brother, Lester 
Cox, and a negro were arrested and put 
in jail at Lake City, Fla. As there were 
rumors of lynching they were brought 
to Jacksonville for safe keeping. Their 
lawyers got a change of venure and the 
case was tried at Mathison, Fla. They 
were again set free. 
He was told to return to the Ten 
Thousand Islands and stay there, which 
he did. 
Lester Cox, his brother-in-law, later 
murdered an old negro his wife and son- 
in-law, and was arrested, tried and con- 
victed. He was sentenced to life im- 
prisonment, but he escaped and went 
to Watson. Later he was killed by Wat- 
son, who shot him in a boat and dumped 
him overboard. Watson then reported 
to the sheriff that he had killed Cox and 
the posse went to view the remains. 
For some reason I don’t know just 
why, Watson was killed. They discov- 
ered blood in the boat in which it was 
suspected Cox was killed. It was sup- 
posed that Cox and a negro, who con- 
fessed that they had been hired to kill 
some one to whom Watson owed a debt, 
were also meant to be murdered bv Wat- 
son, but the negro got away. This is 
true — I remember the facts, and I have 
always wondered why a man who had 
had the chances Watson had, could bring 
himself to do the number of cold blooded 
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