254 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Moose and the Adirondacks. 
Through the kindness of John D. Whish, 
Secretary of the New York State Forest, Fish 
and Game Commission, and of the writer of 
the letter, we are permitted to print M. F. 
Westover’s views on the failure of the attempt 
to restore moose to the Adirondacks. 
Many theories have been advanced to account 
for the refusal of this animal to remain in the 
North Woods. One of these theories is based 
on the supposition that the moose is a solitary 
animal, much averse to civilization, and that it 
left the Adirondacks as soon as the country was 
opened up by lumbermen and summer visitors. 
Mr. Westover does not agree with this theory 
been cut and which are so isolated as to be 
agreeable to the moose. 
There may be the other reason of the gre¬ 
garious instinct of the animal, and they may 
have been seeking more company. Of course in 
the rutting season bulls will go tremendous dis¬ 
tances in search of cows. 
I am very sure from the experience I have 
had with moose that they are not driven out by 
the proximity of mankind. 
Yesterday I got a letter from a gentleman 
living in a village of several hundred people on 
the Miramichi, in which he stated that the morn¬ 
ing before there had been a moose around the 
schoolhouse in the village. I have hunted from 
that village five separate times, and I have never 
FOLLOWING THE BOAT. 
ROUNDED UP AND PHOTOGRAPHED. 
for reasons that he gives. Moose, although 
supposed to be very shy qnd wary, nevertheless 
readily adapt themselves to the presence of 
people in the woods, whether those people are 
campers, lumbermen or railway men. 
Mr. Westover’s letter and the pictures which 
accompany it will prove of special interest to big 
game hunters and naturalists. 
Schenectady, N. Y., July 22.—Mr. John D. 
Whish, Secretary, Forest and Game Commis¬ 
sion, Albany. N. Y.: My dear Mr. Whish— 
Since we had our meeting I have thought sev¬ 
eral times of what you said about moose hav¬ 
ing left the Adirondacks and the supposed rea¬ 
sons therefor. 
It is so long since moose # were in the 
Adirondacks that I do not think the guides in 
that region know much about their habits. It 
may be that my suggestion as to the want of 
satisfactory food is not sufficient explanation. 
Certainly there must be plenty of young maples 
and birches in tracts from which the forest has 
gone more than three miles from the village, 
either north or south of the river, without find¬ 
ing moose tracks, and within five or six miles 
abundance of moose tracks. 
It is notorious, too, that moose will yard 
within hearing of the axes of woodsmen who 
are logging all winter long. One of my friends 
early in March several years made a snowshoe 
trip along Cain’s River, about ten miles. He 
passed through three moose yards and counted 
in all approximately forty moose (I have for¬ 
gotten the exact number), and yet logging was 
going on on the opposite side of the river dur¬ 
ing the entire winter, and not two miles 
distant. 
Recently I visited Sebec Lake, three or four 
miles north of Dover, Maine. A cow moose 
came into Dover a few days before, though 
Dover is surrounded by a farming country. 
Sebec Lake has a great many cottages on its 
shores, yet two moose were killed at the edge 
of the lake last fall. Last summer I went with 
a companion to look at a slate vein within two 
[Aug. 15, 190,1 
miles of the lake, and within a mile of sevcl 
farmhouses we met a moose in an old loggl 
road. It is true that there are quite extensl 
forests north of the lake, but they are all cut 
with intersecting roads and trails which 
traveled constantly by men. 
I received a letter in June from a friendl 
mining engineer, who was back in the woods! 
the Cobalt region. The occurrence happeil 
that week, and I quote his words exactly: 
“One evening we came upon a cow mol 
and two calves crossing the lake. We rusll 
our canoe between the cow and calves, so tj 
I could get a photo of the little fellows. T 
we managed to ‘shoo’ them together, anc 
got a snap. Hanged if the little beggars did 
try to follow us. We tried to scare them j| 
ward the shore, where the old cow was oral 
ing around, but it was of no use. 
“Finally C. took one by the ear and I 
other, and Le H. paddled us in. The p<J 
little things were so tired they would h 
drowned. We rubbed them down and with! 
few minutes they were tame as kittens. Al 
taking a couple of ‘group’ photos we padc 
off, leaving them lying down in a shelte 
place. We waited a while to see if the c 
would come out in the open, but she would 1 
The next morning we went down to the ‘n: 
but they were gone, and evidently there 
been a happy reunion shortly after we left, 
is certainly a paradise for moose.” 
M. F. Westovei 
Value of Game Birds to Farmers! 
The farmer who raises objection to a la- 
head of game properly preserved and contro 
upon his land is an enemy to his own intere 
Of course, at certain periods and under cerl 
circumstances partridges; but more particul; 
pheasants, undoubtedly consume a portion ! 
the seed corn, but it is extremely doubtful 
the tax which they. thus levy in any way 
ceeds, if it equals, the toll taken by wild b: 
upon farmed land on unpreserved man 
Exaggeration plays a large part in the pla 
of the anti-game preservation agriculturist, 
we are convinced that, if the shooting ter 
or owner offered him an extra gallon or 
of seed corn to drill in as against the so-ca 
ravages of game, he might accept it, but wc 
not alter the set of his drill at seed time. 
It is precisely those small weeds to which 
have alluded with which the farmer has 
greatest difficulty to contend, and upon w! 
the stock of game .birds exercises such a n< 
worthy check. Most of them are flowering 
seeding during the period when young win 
game is hatching out and being reared, anc 
requires little force to bring home the ar 
ment that birds which mainly and for prefere 
feed upon the buds and soft weeds of such p! 
life out of place—weeds, we call it—cannot 
other than beneficial to the farmer, and m 
than adequately reward him for any loss tl! 
kind may cause at seed time. It is an at 
tional reason for regret that the quail no Ion- 
favors us as it used to do, because it is a pj 
sistent enemy of the common dock at evj 
stage of its existence.—British Sportsman. 
The Forest and Stream may he obtained ft 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer 
supply you regularly. 
