6 
-A^pril 3 
THE \ORTH-WOODS OF MAL\E.— ^0. 7. 
BY G. T. KIDLOX. 
I had been very successful in mj' trapping, during the 
lOur of which my last and present articles relate, hardly 
a day passing without my bringing to camp some pelts 
of either hsher, martin, mink or muskrat. I caught 
one whole family of the white-throated mink— a mother 
and six young, and one had a white stripe from his un- 
derjaw to his hind legs. There are two distinct species 
of mink along the northern streams; the before-named, 
with white throats, and which are quite small, and long 
in nroportion to size; the second have no white on 
them, are of a brownish color, and shorter, with heavier 
bodies; the former confine themselves closely to the line 
of streams and ponds, while the latter wander consider- 
ably in the swamp lands away from water-courses, and 
are not as valuable. IThat I call the “ martin ” is a 
larger animal than either of the before-mentioned, and 
seems a link between the mink and the fisher-cat, a jet- 
black creature with longer hair than the mink, a longer 
tail, and a rounder head; they have also more pointed 
and longer ears, and are frequently found climbing 
trees, especially after birds’ nests in summer. The 
“ fisher cat” is a still larger animal, and a real cat he is. 
They roam through every part of the forest, but usuaby 
have a den in a hollow tree, or among the mountain 
rocks; their habits are much like the domestic cat. I 
have frequently seen them, while I was w^atching for 
other game, with a live mouse, tossing it in their paws 
and beating it about playfully; they mew at night very 
like the common house cat. I have never known a 
fisher to show fight, except when in a trap or cor- 
nered; but it takes a smart dog to handle one. 
Mink were taken in steel traps set in the edge of the 
water. The bait was elevated on a stick, hanging di- 
rectly over the trap, which, the mink climbing for, was 
caught. The chain of the trap must be made fast, so as 
to lead the mink to jump into deep water and drown. 
I had been setting my traps, and taking out mink, one 
morning, and becoming tired with tramping, I con- 
cluded to sit down awhile, and take off the pelfs of 
those I had taken; while doing so m}’ old dog lay down 
hear me, and seemed to be sleeping. Everything was 
so quiet and still, that for a time 1 forgot uiv situation. 
How long I had been in a brown study Idid not know, 
but was at last startled by a singular noise which seemed 
to come from over a small knoll, on the opposite bank 
of the stream. I grasped my gun, and had not long to 
wait, before an animal which I had never seen before 
came out upon the bank near me. I had just time to 
see that it was not an “ Indian devil ” (panther) as he 
discovered me, and 1 sent the lead after him. He was 
struck too far back, and made an effort to get away. I 
saw that his back was badly injured, and knowing that 
he could not go far, I loaded a..;ain as quickU as pos- 
sible and moving down the bank for a few rods, to get 
a better shot, I sent a bullet through his head. This 
finished him. 1 knew by the behavior of ray dog that 
this creature was one of the cat species, for he refused 
to go near. What this animal was, I have never been 
able to learn, and have only once heard of such a one 
being seen. I have examined every work on natural 
history within my reach and fail to find a description 
according with the animal I had slain. He was about 
four feet long from muzzle to rump ; had long legs and 
along, bushy' tail; his nose was pointed, his eyes large 
and cat-like, and his ears nearly' four inches long, with 
tassels of coarse hair on the ends. His color was a dark 
brown on the back and head, and lighter on the sides 
and belly. When I first heard him, the noise resembled 
the quacking of aduc'K, but after he wjis wounded by 
my first shot, he set up a howling like a wolf. His 
whiskers were nearly ten inches long, and white. I am 
acquainted with the l.st of Xorth American animals as 
published; but this species is not mentioned. It some- 
what resembled a lynx, as also a wolf and a panther, 
and yet differed essentially from either. An animal 
wa.s several times seen, some years since, in a town in 
Cumberland county, which bore the, same deseriptiou; 
but, although fired at, escaped from the place. !Many 
old hunters saw the skin, which was afterward acci- 
dentally destroyed, and no one could identify it as be- 
longing to any animal they' had ever seen. I thought I 
would shotilder the body of this animal, and take it to 
my camp, entire; but found it too heavy for me, al- 
though! am a strong man; consequently' I took the pelt, 
which was rather coarse but quite thick. Having no 
stuffing suitable, I hewed out a broad board and drew 
the skin on over it, which did not, of course, preserve 
the natural form. 
I will here say that I found a species of birds in these 
woods unlike any book-description that I have found. 
The frontiersmen call them “ pheasants.” They* are 
larger than a grouse, but have very close feathers and 
are built more — in body — likeadove. The top-head is a 
crimson red, a white stripe runs from the eye down the 
neck. The body is of a blueish gray. These birds are 
very plump and excellent eating. They are tame and 
easily taken. I took several heads home with me, and 
left some in the windows of gun-stores. I think them 
the handsomest bird in the forests of the State. 
The weather was growing cold, my moccasins were 
becoming much worn, my pelts numerous, and although 
I would gladly have remained longer, I knew that I 
could not do so without suffering. My little camp had 
become like a home to me, and really it looked like a 
Au/ifer’a home. Upon pins driven into the walls were 
suspended my gun and pouches; and arrayed around the 
roof, tied up with strings, were my spoils — the furs I 
had taken. Many' times had I lain there upon my cedar 
bed, my' blanket wrapped about me, and while the owls 
were hooting and the wind sighing among the trees, 
have looked into the glowing embers of my camp-fire 
until my' imagination drew pictures of beauty'. I now- 
set about the work of packing my pelts, and so arranged 
them that I could carry them without encumbering my 
arms; for one never knows what he will be called to 
meet while moving through these wild woods ; some 
animal may suddenly jump across the path, and then 
the hunter needs the immediate use of his hands. 1 
had determined to leave the woods by another route 
from that follow'ed when I entered the present hunting 
grounds; for I knew I should find settlers nearer me if 
I pursued a south-east couise. I started at sun-rise, 
taking up my traps as I went down the stream, and at 
noon found myself at the confluence of this with a 
larger river. Here I kindled a small fire, made some 
“Jones-root” coffee, and took my dinner. Passing the 
stream on a log I struck boldly into the swamp, crossed 
hills and valleys, and en reaching a high eminence, 
could .see two of the Umbagog lakes stretching away 
in the East, some three miles before me. I pressed on 
until nearly dark, kindled a fire on a shelving ledge, fed 
my dog and although the night was chilly, ’was soon 
a.-^leep. Uesuining iny march at early dawn, 1 reached 
an old logger’s road which I had followed only a few 
miles before 1 heard the barking of ^a small dog — an 
evidence that a human habitation was not far away. 
As dearly as I loved the wood, after spending several 
w'ecks in the sojitudes of the lonely forest, I was glad 
to hear the voices of my fellows. I had not expected to 
find any settlers so soon, but was so fortunate as t« 
meet with a hospitable family, who kindly invited me 
to share the comforts of their cabin. This man had 
cleared a few acres of land, from which he raised good 
crops, and in winter, he hunted for a living. His 
house was small, and of logs, but quite convenient. The 
family' consisted of four — the father, mother and two 
boy's. When he found me a regular hunter, he urged 
me to assist in taking a bear that had been killing his 
sheep. I gladly consented to do my best. He spent 
two days in calling hi* neighbors — two and three miles 
away — and made arrangements for a determined search 
for bruin’s head quarters. He requested us to be out 
early in the morning for breakfast, and then we lay 
down to our rest. 
(HAHELEO-\S— TlIErR HABITS WDCOLOR- 
(HAMiES. 
BY .1. KriZ<;KR.\LD. 
In consequence of the incredible stories anciently- 
told of the chameleon, one is hardly disposed to regard 
that animal as a reality; it appears to find its proper 
place in mythology rather than in natural history— 
among fabfed dntgons, centaurs and griffins, rather 
than among the actualities of the animal kingdom. 'I he 
chameleon, however, has a real existence ; and, after 
lictiou and fable are Itnished a'iide, a very t-tirious crea- 
ture indeed remains. It belongs to the Saurian order 
(lizards). The genus ChiunnUi) embraces alrout twenty 
species, none of them American. With one e.vception 
the common chameleon, which is naturalized in Southern 
Spain and in Sicily, these animals are found only in the 
warmer parts of Africa and Asia. The chameleon is 
from ten to fifteen inches in length, w hereof one-half is 
repr. sented by the prehensile tail. The body is rougbly 
joramidal in shape; the skin is covered with papillous 
elevations instead_of scales, and'jthcse, in some of the 
species, assume the shape of spiny processes along the 
ridge of the back and the median line of the chest and 
belly. The toes, five in number, are divided into two 
opposable sets of two and three, the toes of each set 
being webbed down to the claws, w'hich are long and 
sharp. Tlie head is angular, rising into a pyramidal 
occiput. The eyeball is very large, protruding, cov- 
ered w-ith a single lid, which has a minute aperture in 
the centre for the very small pupil. There is no exter- 
nal ear. The tongue is extensible to the length of half 
the total length of the animal, that is, from five to seven 
inches The lungs are large, and connect with aircells, 
underlying the skin. The neck is so short as to pre- 
vent the head being turned from side to side. Though 
the chameleon is arboreal in its habit, it is very slow in 
its movements. It is unpro-vided with any weapons of 
defence against its enemies. The female lays about 
thirty eggs, which arc deposited in a hollow in the 
ground, and covered with loose earth. 
The immobility of the chameleon distinguishes it 
markedly from the rest of the lizard tribe, which are 
generally active and quick in their movements. Alfred 
Brehm.who received as a present from the African ex- 
plorer, Schweinfurth, a number of these animals, states 
that the chameleon never moves at all except from 
necessity; it will remain in one position on a branch or 
tw-ig for hours at a time, firmly grasping with tail and 
paws the object on which it is perched. The eyes, on 
the contrary, are nearly always in motion. The chame- 
leons sent to Brehm reached their destination in indiffer- 
ent condition, the skin dry and flabby, and the animals 
utterly' apathetic. Water having been showered upon 
them in fine spray, they began to recover, and to lick 
the drops from one another’s backs; their skin assumed 
a better color, and soon they w-ere clambering up and 
down the branches which stood in their cage, and even 
enf..aging in combat. In their battles they use their 
teeth, but without doing serious injury; and they have 
a curious wav of solemnly lashing one another with 
their tails. Ilut such activity as this is exceptional in 
the chameleon: it is to be seen especially in the 
pairing season. When preying on wingeu insects, the 
chameleon is seen occasionally to protrude the knobbed 
end of his tongue, and in an instant that merabei is shot 
forth and again retracted, bearing the prey' into the cap- 
tor’s mouth. The extremity of the tongue exudes a 
sticky substance on which the prey is caught. When 
flies and other winged insects are not to be had, the 
chameleon’.s sw'ivel-ey'es scan the trunk of the tree, and 
the branches, above,' below, and on all sides around, 
to see if any' creeping thing may be caught. If any such 
creature is approaching the spot where the chameleon 
is lying, he waits until it comes within striking distance, 
and then “discharges” his tongue at it But if the 
creature is travelling away from him, he pursuts, though 
with grave deliberation. If the prey comes very near 
to his muzzle, the chameleon retreats a little to increase 
the distance, and then darts out his tongue. In perform- 
ing this act, the chameleon displays very great activity; 
otherwise, all his movements are the reverse of precipi- 
tate. Thus, if he w-ould change from his normal position 
of absolute quietude — his belly resting on a horizontal 
branch, which he grasps as firmly' as he can with all five 
hands ( for his tail is a fifth hand) — he first advance* 
one of the fore paws one step; then the tail i* relaxed' 
advanced an equal distance, and again coiled tight; 
next the other feet are advanced a step, one after another; 
and so on. It is not easy to recognize the propriety of 
the name little lion (chamaleon) given to this reptilian 
tardigrade by the ancient Greeks. And the animal is as 
harmless as it is slow- of movement, though the ancients 
supposed that in the dog-days it assumed some of the 
lion’s ferocity. 
The large, projecting eyeballs of the chameleon are 
capable of a great variety of movements; and, what is 
ve -y curious, each of them may, and usually dots, act 
independently' of each other. This circumstance com- 
pensate* for the fixedness of the head, enabling the 
animal to direct its glances on all sides, without the 
necessity of calling into play any muscles save those of 
the eyeballs. Still, w-hen about to strike, the chame- 
leon brings both of its eyes to bear upon the object. 
“ Notw-ithstanding,” says Wis^enbaum, “the strictly 
syinmetricaljconstruction of the chameleon as to its two 
halves, the eyes move independently of each other, and 
convey' different impressions to different centres of per- 
ception: the consequence is that, when the animal is 
agitated, its movements appear like those of two ani- 
mals glued together. Each half wishes to move its 
own way', and there is no concert of action. The 
chameleon is, therefore, not able to swim like other 
animals; it is so frightened when put into the w-ater 
that the faculty' of concentration is lost, and it tumbles 
about as if in a state of intoxication. Xay, more, the 
chameleon may' be asleep on one aside and aw'ake on 
the other.” 
The chameleon is often seen to inhale air, gulp after 
gulp, with great avidity, thus inflating its body enor- 
mously, even to the feet and tail. As has already been 
stated, the animal’s lungs are very large — so large, 
indeed, that it was supposed byPbny' (w ho simply tran- 
scribes the accounts given by Greek authors) that the 
lungs almost filled the entire cavity of the body; these 
lungs connect with the air-cclls beneath the skin. By 
taking air into the lungs, whence it passes into the air 
cells, the chameleon is able to inflate itself as much as 
twice iis ordinary size; and often it remains so in- 
flated for a long time, now- slightly collapsing, again 
swelling out, till the skin becomes as tense as the lieatT 
of a drum. Xo do-’bt it W'as this power of self-inflation 
which led the ancients to suppo.-ie iliat. “alone among 
animals, the chauieleoiis neither eats nor drinks, its 
only sustenance being air.” — {Pliny.) 
But the color-changes of the chameleon form perhap* 
