Sept, i, 1906.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
333 
A Moose in the Water. 
Worcester, Mass., Aug. 21 —Editor Forest and 
Stream: I wrote you in June that I should re¬ 
turn to Roach River about the 20th of July for 
a month’s fly-fishing, and that I hoped at that 
time to find that the moose, the photographs of 
which I sent you and which you published to¬ 
gether with my letter, in your issue of July 21, 
was still there. I did not see him, however, as 
a few days after I left in the spring, he dis¬ 
appeared, and so far as I know has not been seen 
again. 
On the other hand, moose are very much more 
in evidence this year than in any year since I 
have been in this region. I saw ten different 
moose around Roach Lake alone, two of them in 
one day while fly-fishing in the north inlet, within 
a half hour of each other, and I saw one im¬ 
mense bull (the largest that I have ever seen, 
and one of the largest ever seen by my guide) 
whose antlers, although not more than two-thirds 
grown, are already superb. But I propose, if my 
photographs turn out well, to have something 
further to say about this fellow later. 
What I started to write about, however, was 
something further about the habits of moose, and 
while it is true that what I am about to say is 
commonplace with guides and woodsmen, and 
with many sportsmen, still I think that it is a 
good idea for men who go into the woods, to call 
attention to the habits of wild animals they see, 
even if these habits are familiar to many people, 
especially if this is done through the medium 
of a periodical like the Forest and Stream, 
whose circulation is large and whose readers, 
very many of them at least, are so situated that 
they would not have the opportunity of studying 
the animal in question in his natural haunts. 
There are several ponds in Maine which bear 
the name of Mud Pond. Two of these I am 
perfectly familiar with; one of them is a short 
distance northwest of Little Joe-Mary Lake, and 
the other is about a mile and a half south of 
Ragged Lake, and about nine miles from Roach 
River. The water in these ponds is very shallow, 
in the deepest place not more than two feet, and 
there are areas through which it is difficult to 
force a canoe, the water not being more than an 
inch or two in depth. On the other hand, the 
mud in these ponds is very deep, and yet it is 
a very common thing to see moose and deer out 
in the middle of these ponds feeding, being able 
to go in many places where a horse or ox would 
become mired and finally drown. I have sat on 
the shore of these ponds sometimes for hours, 
watching the deer and an occasional moose feed¬ 
ing on the lily pads and lily pad roots, where it 
would seem to be impossible for any animal of 
any size to stay for an instant. 
It is astonishing how rapidly a moose or a 
deer can half swim and half wade through this 
mass of mud and water when they have become 
alarmed, and I inclose four photographs which 
illustrate, to a certain extent anyway, the char¬ 
acteristics spoken of above. 
A party of us went from Roach River to 
Ragged Lake to spend the night and to get the 
evening and early morning fishing. In the morn¬ 
ing after the sun came up, the breeze went down 
and the trout stopped rising, it being a very hot, 
still day, so it was decided to go over to Mud 
Pond to look for game. When we reached the 
pond, we carefully pushed aside the alders fring¬ 
ing the shore and counted thirteen deer at 
various points feeding, some upon the shore and 
some out in the water and mud. We could not 
see a moose at first, although we looked care¬ 
fully for one, but finally I noticed that what I 
had thought was a stump near the head of the 
pond had disappeared, and suddenly it appeared 
again, and so we knew that it was a moose feed¬ 
ing. He was perhaps two hundred and fifty feet 
from the shore and only his head was visible. 
As there was only one canoe available, and as 
that was a very old one, it was decided that one 
of the ladies who was very desirous of going, 
should sit in the bow and one of the guides 
paddle her out to see if she could obtain some 
photographs of this moose. I worked along the 
shore until I got nearly opposite the point where 
the moose was feeding, so that I had a good view 
of all that occurred. What little wind there was 
stirring was blowing from the moose toward the 
canoe. 
It had been arranged before the lady went out 
that if possible, she was to take a photograph 
of the moose feeding, to take another one as he 
started to go toward the shore, and then to follow 
it up with one or two more, getting as near as 
possible, so as to show what actually took place, 
as I was anxious to study as far as possible the 
actions of the moose under conditions similar to 
these. 
The canoe approached the moose cautiously, 
and he paid no attention to it until they were 
within perhaps thirty-five feet. In the meanwhile 
he had been quietly feeding. He would plunge 
his head into the water, being entirely out of 
sight, and after having obtained the lily root, he 
would raise his head clear from the water, and 
would chew with apparent relish, as I could hear 
him grunt as he was eating. He discovered the 
canoe after the first photograph had been taken. 
At first he paid no attention to it, but went on 
feeding, but finally in order to start him along 
I spoke to the lady and said, “Be ready to take 
a second shot after he starts toward the shore.” 
He then started, and the second photograph 
shows him well under way. The third and fourth 
photographs show him partly swimming and partly 
wading. You will see that his back is well out 
of water; he left a wake that was about the con¬ 
sistency of thin paste. When he reached solid 
footing, he seemed to have lost his anxiety to 
get away, for he walked quietly to the shore and 
then stood and watched us, having apparently no 
fear whatever. Charles A. Allen. 
Fox, Weasel and Mink. 
I have hunted foxes for nearly three score 
years, and have yet to see where they have ever 
caught or killed a domestic fowl or a ruffed 
grouse, or young lamb; though I have in the 
winter often seen where they have tried to catch 
grouse that were roosting under the snow, but 
never saw where they had succeeded in catching 
one. I have very often seen where they have 
caught our common northern hare, and only once 
have I ever seen them in the vicinity of the 
numerous flocks of geese and turkeys that are 
roaming about our fields. 
One evening, years ago, driving in the town 
of Highgate near the Canada line, as I ap¬ 
proached a farm house, I saw down in the pas¬ 
ture some three hundred yards away a group of 
horses standing with their heads together and 
heels out; and near by was a flock of geese and 
goslings waddling up toward the house. Very 
soon the horses broke ranks and with heads 
down started along toward the geese; and I then 
saw that they were following a fox. The fox 
stopped and.faced the horses, which immediately 
whirled with their heads together with heels out 
as though to repel the attacks of an enemy. The 
fox then trotted along after the geese and the 
horses broke ranks again and followed it. I 
called to the people in the house to come out and 
get their geese which were then near the road, 
The fox heard me and of course bolted for the 
woods. 
Now regarding weasels. They may kill 
chickens, but if so I have never had positive proof 
of it. A friend who raises chickens was losing 
a chicken or two every day and he laid it to 
the weasels. His barn and out-buildings were 
overrun with rats, and a couple of weasels had 
come in among them; one of the weasels he 
found in the yard killed, bitten through the 
head. One morning he saw a strange cat jump 
out from the yard with a chicken in its mouth. 
He shot this cat and lost no more chickens, and 
the remaining weasel soon cleaned out the rats 
and is evidently now living on mice, as it does 
not molest the poultry. 
A near neighbor of his was also troubled with 
rats about the barn. A mink came in and cleaned 
them out, and last fall the farmer foolishly shot 
the mink for its pelt. Before spring the rats 
were back again as thick as ever. _ He now 
wishes that he had let the mink remain, as the 
price that he received for the mink skin does not 
pay for the damage done every month by the rats. 
Any observing farmer in this vicinity will 
admit that it is only during the years that foxes 
and weasels are scarce, that their fields and or¬ 
chards are overrun with mice, and the damage 
the mice do amounts to far more than the value 
of all poultry on their farms. Again take the 
much maligned skunk; he can be classed among 
the friends of the farmer. While we have seen 
instances of his taking eggs, and even poultry, 
his principal diet is grubs, grasshoppers, crickets, 
wire-worms, and when near a potato field, potato 
bugs. But for all this let him be caught in a 
potato field, he is surely dogged or stoned to 
death, and perhaps by the very farmer he is be¬ 
friending. Then this same farmer will pay out 
dollars for paris green and in hired man’s wages 
to destroy the very bugs that the skunk would 
have eaten if left alone. 
We are living and learinng, though some of 
us learn slowly; and it is hard for us to get 
over early prejudices. Nevertheless we may ex¬ 
pect at no very distant date to see laws made 
and enforced to protect as the farmer’s friend, 
each of the above named animals. 
Among the large number of dogs that are in 
the country there is an occasional one that will 
kill sheep, so there may be a few foxes and 
weasels that have a fondness for poultry and 
young lambs. Though if so, they have never 
come under my personal observation. 
Stan stead. 
Gifts of a Bird Lover. 
Mr. Albert WiLLCOxj whose bequest to the 
National Association of Audubon Societies was 
mentioned last week, was a member of the firm 
of Albert Willcox & Co., sucessors to the old 
firm of Willcox & Son, which had been es¬ 
tablished for many years, and whose business 
was fire and marine insurance. He was the 
brother of David Willcox, president of the Del¬ 
aware & Hudson R. R. Co. 
Mr. Willcox was deeply interested in the work 
of the Audubon Societies, and was very much 
opposed to the killing of any kind of birds or 
game. He has been quoted as saying that he 
was almost a Brahmin in his reverence for the 
lives of the lower and helpless creatures. 
Mr. Willcox was one of those men who did 
good in secret. Nearly two years ago he 
promised to give the National Association an 
annual income of $3,000, but only on the under¬ 
standing that while he lived his name should 
not be known as a donor* Thus, every quarter, 
beginning Jan. 1, 1905, Mr. Willcox sent to the 
Association $750. On the death of Mr. David 
Willcox the Association will receive one-half of 
the residuary estate, which will probably give 
it several hundred thousand dollars additional. 
Ever Since the Centennial. 
Trenton, N. J., July 24.—I first commenced 
to buy the Forest and Stream in the little old 
log cabin at the Centennial, and I have been buy¬ 
ing it ever since. 
In all those years no article or series of 
articles that you have ever published has ap¬ 
pealed to me so strongly as “In the Lodges of 
the Blackfeet.” 
Although a little late, I also compliment you 
upon the new size and “get-up” of the paper. 
It is much more attractive and convenient. 
Fred. B. Yard. 
We had sat around the fire for some time and 
the boys were speaking of fish—of very large 
fish—when George finally said: “Well now, boys, 
I don’t want you to think I’m lying, and I never 
did believe in telling big yarns, but your speaking 
of the big pike reminds me of a catfish they 
caught up near Des Moines last year. You see 
the river had got very low and this big yellow- 
head climbed out at a low place in the bank and 
was chasing a two-year-old around the field when 
they saw him, and as the farmers were afraid of 
losing their stock they clubbed together and killed 
him.” After an awe-struck silence of some time 
L. ventured to remark in a low tone: “How 
big was he, George?” “Well, by the great whale, 
I’d like to know if you suppose any small fish 
could tackle a two-year-old steer?” 
