•r.ui., * nDr Uollnj-M « Year. 
T»o C'entH u Cnpy. 
NEW YORK, THURSDAY, MAY 23, 1878. 
i Volume 10, — No. 10. 
I No. Ill Kuiio,, ^ y, 
For Forest and Stream and Rod and Gun. 
For Forest and Stream and Rod and Our*. 
HUNTING THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN 
GOAT (Capra montana). 
AN Rocky Mountain clltr and ridge, 
Along tho shelving Western slopes, 
Or In deep valleys at their ba9e, 
Where range the slender antelopes, 
The R icky Mountain prong-horned goat 
Feedeth and gallops o’er the hills— 
Browsing on Juicy grass and shrub, 
And sipping the pellucid rills— 
So wild, so shy, so fleet are they, 
Surpassing speed of horse or hound, 
That scarce the Indian’s shaft may slay, 
Or frontier rifle check their bound. 
Where the Columbia River turns 
Its North Fork, near Its water’s head, 
Their bleating numbers love to feed, 
Cropping the pastures there ontspread ; 
And here the skulking Indian’s spear 
Drips blood, to feast the starving year. 
But seldom do white hunters come, 
Or skin-clad trappers urge the sport, 
Save when from out-post garrison 
Comes wandering soldier from the fort. 
And then for days the cliffs resound 
Wit i gun report and eoholng call, 
With full mouth'd baying of the hound, 
With gailop down the mountain wall ; 
Far then o’er granite peak and ledge, 
O’er gorge and gulch and canyon rude, 
The hunters clamber, climb and cling, 
Alarming all the solitude ; 
And at each day-close, worn with toll, 
Return with wealth of shaggy spoil. Isaac McLbllan. 
S l \ Smynam §yort$mnn iti 
<$ nhdonin , 
T ATE in the month of August, 18—, I was whirled out of 
London by the fast-mail train on the North British 
Railway, at the rate of forty-five miles an hour, which soon 
carried me where I rested my eyes, as I had net lor many 
weeks, by gazing upon a broad expanse of fields that afforded 
an agreeable contrast to tho dirty pavements and solid, be- 
grimed buildings of the city. The constant succession of 
highly cultivated fields and well-kept hedges did not become 
monotonous to me, and the occasional sight of a covey of 
partridges, a cock pheasant, or sportsmen in the fields with 
tlieir dogs, was of especial interest. There are few routes in 
America that will carry the traveler through'such an extent of 
country made beautiful by high cultivation, although the 
country between New York and Philadelphia, for instance, is 
very beautiful iu this respect. Yet the American custom of 
indicating the division lines by fences, which occurs so fre- 
quently, renders the landscape less pleasing than it would be 
were hedges substituted for the fences, even where the latter 
are kept in good repair and neatly painted. But we are now 
on the North British Railway, the occupants of the car being 
English, Scotch, American, Welsh and German. Wo go on 
rapidly and pleasantly, with but one halt ere reaching York, 
about half way from London to Edinburgh. Here wc take 
advantage of tho fifteen minutes' bait for lunch, and then arc 
whirled ou agaiu, stopping only at Newrastlo-ou-Tync and 
Ber wick-on-Twccd, ore arriving at Edinburgh, just nine and a 
half hours after leaviog London. Thirty minutes of this 
time were used in making the four halts m route, so that tho 
running time was but nine hours for a distance of 400 miles. 
If we could travel at this rate of speed, which is nearly 
double the average of American passenger trains, how much 
nearer would San Francisco seem to be to the Atlantic coast ! 
Tho high rate of speed, flno condition of tho railway, relief at 
getting out of London, pleasant traveling companions and an- 
ticipation of the pleasure to be obtained in tho near future, nil 
contributed to make the journey seem a short one ; and aftor 
dining we wore sufficiently rested to cujoy witnessing tho 
opera bouffc of “The Princess of Trobizonde," quite n lively 
play for staid old Edinburgh. While remaining hero enjoya- 
ble visits were made to the Cnstlo, Ilolyrood Palace, tho 
Royal Infirmary, Groyfriar's Churchyard, and other places of 
interest, strolls to the top of Calton IIill, or drives around 
the Salisbury Craigs, onrl a visit to the rille rnnge on tho 
“Hunter's Bog." Climbing up to “Arthur’s Seat" one may 
get a flno view of Edinburgh. Leith and tho Firth of Forth, 
and gather a handful of ihc blue bolls of Scotland on his re- 
turn. Although frequently eating tho nntiouul “pnr- 
ritch," we did not try tho cockles and Bnails that were ex- 
posed for sale iu huge baskets on some of tho streets, and arc 
eaten by the poorer people. 
It was in Edinburgh that John .lames Audubon commenced 
the publication of his great and unequalcd work on ornUhol- 
THE BLACK COCK 
[We are indebted to the “ Scientific American" lor this beautijul out.— Ed. F. and <S.] 
I 
