the foot of the mouQtain. I approached and gave the 
door a volley of raps. My summons was answered by 
two stalwart, kindly-looking, middle-aged men, who 
opened wide the door and bid me a most kindly wel- 
come. Within, what a cheery sight met my gaze? 
A roaring fire of high-piled logs in an ancient-style firi - 
place, betore which was hanging roasting, a ‘‘sp u eriU,” 
now a rich brown, and ready for the evening meal 
which was being laid by a rosy-cheeked, black-eyed 
maiden. These were the main-points that first arrested 
the eye, and held me, for an instant spell-bi and. 
Recovering, I introduced myself, which courtesy was 
returned by my hosts as they assisted me in disencum- 
bering myself of outer raiment, foxpelts, gun and 
equipments, and to my surprise and delight I learned 
I was the guest of the D. brothers, the two most suc- 
cessful bear hunters and trappers in that section, of 
whom I had often heard, and much wished to meet. 
Sure, it seemed, my lines were cast this time in a pleas- 
ant place. Soon I became sufficiently warmed acd we 
drew around the board. And oh, ye Gods, what a 
feast was that to set before a hungry hunter! On a 
primitive earthern platti n rested the above mentioned 
“ sparerib,” now divided into large sections and flanked 
by a mound of floury p )tatoes, a huge stack of brown 
bread, tog ether with relishes in the shape of pickles 
and apple butter, and the usual adjunct, a noggin of 
cider, from which our mugs were replenished. The 
fair maid, a sister and house-keeper for her bachelor 
brothers, smiled radiantly at the ample justice done 
her cuisine. But all earthly pleasures have an ending 
and this delicious repast was not an exception, and in 
due time, we withdrew from the board. 
During the report I had observed great restlessness in 
Music, such as walking about with hair erect, and utter- 
ing low growls. Now. as he was about to receive his 
food I marksd more noticeably his strange behavior 
and expressed my astonishment thereat, which was met 
with the remark from the sister, “I guess he smells the 
panther.” Greatly astonished I turned to the brothers 
for an explanation, and was informed that in the front 
room was a panther that they had captured and taken 
from the trap, the day previous, and so saying, led the 
way to an adjoining room, where, sure enough, stand- 
ing erect, braced up, with iron rods and frozen rigid, 
was a splendid specimen of the Felu ConcoU/r. For 
a time, I was speechless, lost in admiration of its savage 
beauty, but that sentiment was soon displaced by one of 
wonder that so large and fierce an animal hud been 
found in such a thickly settled community. Of course, 
my curiosity was aroused to learn the history of its cap- 
ture, which the youngest of the brothers narrated. 
On returning to the fire-side, pipes and tobacco were 
produced by ray Hosts, after which some stretchers 
were selected, upon <a'hich my fox pelts were drawn by 
them in artistic manner, and hung upon hooks in the 
joists overhead, to iiry. 
Next, one replenished the fire from a stock of wood 
in the nearest corner, while the other produced from 
the cellar a pan of greenings and another nogging of 
cider, then, all being “ snug” for the evening, we drew 
around the broad hearth to enjoy our pipes and listen 
to the trapper’s story, told as it was with frequent 
pauses for the inevitable “puff,” which made it the 
more enjoyable like “lingering sweetness long drawn 
out.” 
I cannot hope to give the story in the exact language 
of the narrator, nor that It will seem as interesting to 
others under different circumstances, but here it is: 
“ We first saw the varmint’s tracks about six weeks 
ago, where he crossed our wood-road, and going south. 
What it w-as, was more than we could make out. We 
knew of no large animals hereabouts but bear and 
lynx, and it was plain to see that it was neither of them 
We turned the matter over a good deal, and came to the 
conclusion that it was some animal that had got loo-^e 
from a caravan. In about a week’s time we saw the 
track again crossing the same road and going north. At 
this we began to think of trapping for him, and set a 
bear trap baited with rabbit. Since then he has gone 
back and forth about once a weeir regularly, but always 
crossing the roaj in a different place. About ten da3’3 
ago as we started to go on to to the mountain for tlte 
day, w’e found his track most down to the house, having 
followed us down the night before undoubtedly, but 
not daring to tackle us both. Well, this put a new 
face on the matter, and we concluded to hunt him. 
[ We took our rifles, an ax, blankets and food; so if we 
^ had to stay out over night we could be comfortable. 
We hadn’t anj' doubts but that ho was our mutton and 
'"eat warily along, but at a good smart pace on our 
•;iio\v shoes, till about noon, when we came to a steep 
l(-.Jge some fifteen feet high that the critter had cleared 
ai one bound. Well, we stopped to light our pipes, and 
a hen we concluded to start we just took our back tracks. 
We haled to do so, but this evidence of the critter’s 
power kinder took the grit out of us, although we have 
had several pretty rough and tumble fights with bears 
and lynx before now. But last Saturday we saw the 
tracks again, and determined on one more trial with 
the trap. In casting a I out for something new fora 
lure, I bethought mys If of a wild duck. Knowing 
foxes and some otl.-er animals to be very fond of it, and 
just then there happened to be a pair down in the creek. 
I was lucky enough to shoot one, and towards night we 
set the trap. Next day being Sunday we didn’t go on 
to the mountain, but yesterday we started up. Far 
ahead with my rifle and axe, brother following with 
the cattle, as I got in sight of the place where 
the trap was set, I saw the varmint’s head peering 
over a root right at me, with its glaring, fiery eyes. i 
sprung behind a large tree that was near me, and mo- 
tioned my brother to move off in another direction to 
draw his notice. He did so, and after a while the varmint 
stood up to look. That was what I wished, and I gave 
him the lead near the heart. He made terrible efforts 
to get at brother, thinking, I suppose, that it was him 
that shot. But he couldn’t stir beyond the length of 
the chain, as after we set ih - trap a deep snow fell, then 
thawed, and afterwards roze, so the clog was fast. I 
commenced to reload, but before I got the ball home he 
was dead. AVe tied his feet together, slung him on 
a pole, and shouldered him home. AVe set him up out 
of doors while he was yet warm, and he froze as you see 
him. He seems pretty poor, and bled like a stuck hog, 
as I shot off both the veins of the heart; but he weighfi- 
100 pounds, and measures 7 ft. Sin. from tip to tip.” 
After the foregoing narration others of a kindred 
nature, relating to hears and lynx, filled out the time 
till the old kitchen clock struck for “ low twelve;” then 
with a night-cap from the noggin, I was shown to 
the downiest of couches, in a well warmed room off 
from the kitchen, where, despite the fierce blasts and 
whirling snow without, 1 soon slept the sweet sleep of 
the tired hunter. 

History of A Great and Disastrous Battle. 
BY LATE DR. LINCECCM. 
The small black, crooked running ant, ao common in everybody’s 
yard, and on almost every growing twig In spring time and summer, 
is called, in my catalogue of species, the erratic, or craay ant. He 
is No. 5 In my notes on the various types of ante. In this spesies, 
the formic acid odor is very strong when the ant Is crushed. He Is 
quick in his movements, does not make paths, but travels In 
scattered flies, in the same direction, sometimes several hundred 
yards. Moves quickly on a general course, running very crooked 
the whole route, giving his path a broad range, traveling two or 
three times the distance to his place of destination. All along the 
range of their path, at unequal distances, are depots or station 
houses, at which they often call as they pass along, giving the whole 
affair quite a business aspect. Or it may be that what I have de- 
nominated depots or station houses, will turn out, on a more care- 
ful investigation, to be a line of regularly constituted and well or- 
ganized confederate cities, among which there is carried on a rapid 
and extensive commerce. At any rate, there can be no doubt of the 
fact that they are engaged in an extensive and well-established, re- 
ciprocal intercourse throughout the entire line of their cities. Crip- 
ple one of them on the route of his travel, you produce the wildest 
excitement, and the invalid will be visited and examined by per- 
haps 600 of the traveling throng In the course of two or three min- 
utes. If the ease is a curable one they work with him until he is on 
foot again, when ne moves onward with the crowd as before. If he 
dies, they remove him from the range of the great thoroughfare, 
and business rolls on again. 
They sometimes wage 'var with the red-headed tree-ant, (he is 
the No 4 of my catalogue, and may be fully described in some fu- 
ture articia,) and the conflict is generally quite disastrous. 
Notwithstanding the fact that they are always able to bring to the 
field mure than ten times the number of their red-headed foe, they 
often meet with defeat. 
I was spectator to a battle, or rather field fight, between these two 
species of ant, that continued four or five hours. Small parties 
were engaged in the deathly conflict at sunrise, when I flrst ob- 
served them. They were lighting In the wagon road, and their num- 
bers wera rapidly increasing. At the time I was called to break 
fast, they were in considerable force on both sides, and when I re- 
turned I found both armies greatly augmented. Reinforcements 
were constantly arriving, and the battle was raging over an area of 
eight to ten feet in diameter. The discipline and modes of battle, 
of the two species, are entirely different. The method of attack, 
by the little black ant, is aimed altogether at the feet and legs of the 
foe; and as they greatly outnumber the red heads, by engaging 
them, two or three to one, they succeed In maiming and rendering 
large numbers of them unfit for service. The red heads seem to 
aim only at decapitation, and this they accomplish uitb dexterity 
and surprising facility. Reinforcements were momentarily arriving 
to both armies. Thousands were already engaged, and tha bloody 
strife was raging over tha entire area of the battle-field. 
Being controlled only by two forces — desperation and death — the 
scene was terrific beyond my powers of description. In all direc- 
tions, everywhere, may be seen the dire effects of relentless war. 
The battle field was already thickly strewn with thedeadand dying; 
over whom, in regardless tramp, swept the furious antagonists. 
Here Indeed was, for once at least, full manifestations of the unmis- 
takable, genuine “tug of war” Violently struggling and gnashing 
their teeth; clinging together and wallowing on the ground, in com- 
jianies, in squads and single combat, the direful contest fiercely 
raged. Dispatches had been sent off by the black ants for their en- 
tire reserve to be forwarded immediately, and they were pouring 
out by the million from the gates of their great city— distant about 
sixty feet— and hurrying toward the battle-field. They were evi- 
dently making a forced march, and their numbers were so great that 
by the time they bad progressed twenty or thirty feet, their line of 
march suggested the idea of a broad black ribbon trailing on the 
ground, and there seemed to be no end to them, for they were still 
flowing out from the city In countless thousands. 
At this crisis their army on the battle-field gave way and were 
routed, and in a general panic commenced a retreat. Soon in their 
disorderly flight, they met their reinforcements and communicating 
to the ft-ont ranks their total and disastrous discomfiture, the panic 
became universal, and reinforcements and all fled precipitately into 
the city. In five minutes there were no black ants to be seen above 
ground. The news of the great battle and its disastrous results, 
seemed to have been spread around to those even, whe had not been 
engaged In the battle, but who were busied in their daily avoca- 
tions. At all events, from some cause the black ants Immediately 
disappeared entirely from the top of the earth in that vicinity. 
Not so on the battle-ground. The visitors oceupied the ensan- 
guined field, and were busily employed for several hours. Many of 
them were attending to the wounded, which were numerous, and 
whom they carried into the shade of a large clod of earth, that bad 
been turned up by some heavy road wagon, to get them out of the 
scorching sunshine, which was pouring down in great force, it being 
now near 11 o'clock . Much the larger portion of them were gather- 
ing up and packing off the decapitatad bodies of the black ants, and 
carrying them op a post oak tree. In which they had their city, and 
which also stood near by. Upon these headless victims of the 
bloody strife, they intended, as I supposed, to have a grand feast. 
There was a great running to and fro by those who were attending 
the wounded. Tehy seemed to exert themselves greatly and to 
manifest much sympathy foi them. In the coarse of an hoar maay 
of the wounded were so far recovered as to be able to travel, while 
those who remained Invalid were carried up the tree by their friends. 
Althongh great numbers of the red-beads were wounded, and some 
of them serioasly, there were but few dead ones, and these were 
carried up the tree with the headless trunks of the conquered foe. 
After the vietoriona red-beads had left the battle-field, the only 
signs that remained to mark the place of the destructive contest was 
the dissevered heads of the vaaquished. Of these there were so 
many that they suggested the Idea of gunpowder strewed on the 
ground. 
The food of this Inseot Is various. He Is quite fond of both vege- 
table oils, sweet saps and honey. He collects bis sweets from the 
tender buds and glands and blooms of plants, and in great quanti- 
ties from the aphis— vine fretter or plant louse. These plant lice 
have their inflected beak inserted in the tender bark of the buds and 
twigs of the growing plants, vices and the like, where, in dense 
crowds they cling, sacking the sweet sap. Among these masses of 
plant lice, are ever found great numbers of the erratic ants, carefully 
and gently walking through the ranks of the sap-sucking pasts; 
busily engaged in licking up the honey dew, which is nothing mors 
than the transparent excrementitious fluid, that Is momentarily 
dropping from the countless aphides. To facilitate the process of 
collecting these precious sweet drops, the ant caressingly applies 
long antennae tMhe bloated sides of the paceron,or plant louse, who 
kindly and obli*nely turns op hit tail and delivers the sweet little 
transparent drop, which is thankfully received and licked up by the 
polite little teaser. 
From observations on thia peculiarity In the character of the er- 
ratic ant, have originated the oocaaional accounts we have seen pub- 
lished In the newspaper about the ants' milk cows. As far as my 
observation goes, the erratic ant, is the only tribe in the genus, that 
visits and collects the excrementitious droppings of the aphis. Al- 
together, this is an interesting tribe of ants and I may find time to 
say more about them. 
The Montreal Gazttte gives a sad account of the brutal and 
wanton manner in which deer are slaughtered by lumbermen; also 
by settlers allowing dogs to range around. A correspondent says: 
"I suppress names until their producliou can be of service," and 
adds, "There are lots of deer running through the hush with part 
of the flesh torn from their bones and some with their entrails 
hanging out, on account of the dogs being too small to kill them 
outright; and w-as I able by pen to tell you of the fearful slaughter 
practised on the poor dear, it would. I think, almost draw a tear; 
and all this is done for the sake of the sport it affords, as they call 
it. The worst time is «till to come as the deer are just leaving the 
‘yards’ and will soon begin to cluster on the banks of the streams, 
off which they will be driven in among the logs and timbers and 
slaughtered without mercy. Our game laws, for all practical pur- 
poses, are virtually a dead letter; they might as well have been pro- 
claimed in the legislative hall.s of Japan as in those of Canula, so 
far as it is possible to judge by the lack of results. Deer and other 
game are killed in season and out of season in every conceivable 
way; does heavy with fawn arc pitilessly brained with the wood- 
man’s axe and their carcasses left to rot.” The formation of so- 
cieties to look after these matters is urged, also the appointment of 
respecta’ole persons throughout the country to collect evidence.” 
The Cecil Whig urges on the Maryland Fish Commissioners the 
expediency of stocking the w aters of the state. The Susquehanna 
river is perhaps the best shad river in the United States. "It affords 
an abundanee of sweet cold w ater, which comes tumbling tow ard 
the bay in a succession of rapids over a rocky, gravelly bottom, 
with no artificial obstruction, or navigation by boats to disturb the 
fish. The shad caught five, ten and fifteen miles above the mouth 
of the river, are the largest, finest and best flavored shad to be found 
anywhere in the world, and will compare with the far-famed aalmon 
and white-fish of the lakes in delicacy.” 
