Aug. 15, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
ardent naturalist and collector, who for 
more than fifty years resided in the far North, 
and who probably knows more about its old- 
time and modern fauna than any living man. A 
very large proportion of the material which 
he collected is in the Smithsonian Institution 
or the National Museum of Washington, and 
he has been a long-time friend and correspond¬ 
ent of all the most eminent of our older natural¬ 
ists who quote him freely. He still lives in 
Winnipeg, honored by all. An excellent portrait 
of him introduces his portion of the work. 
There is something pathetic in the statements 
and suggestions which everywhere appear in Mr. 
Mair’s narrative of the swift change which is 
taking place throughout all the North. On one 
page in his preface he refers to the time—only 
a few years ago—when to go to Peace River 
seemed like going to another world where life 
was supposed to be lived very differently from 
that of civilized men. Here he says was “a 
region in which a primitive people, not with¬ 
out faults or depravities, lived on nature’s food 
and throve on her unfailing harvest of fur; a 
region in which they often left their beaver, 
silver fox or marten packs—the envy of fashion 
—lying by the dog trail or hanging to some 
sheltering tree, because no one stole, and took 
their fellow’s word without question because no 
one lied. A very simple folk, indeed, in whose 
language profanity was unknown, and who had 
no desire to leave their congenital solitudes for 
any other spot on earth; solitudes which so 
charmed the educated minds who brought the 
white man’s religion or traffic to their doors 
that, like the Lotus-eaters, they, too, felt little 
craving to depart.” 
Such was the condition of things up to the 
time when the free trader entered the country, 
up to the time when the finding of gold in the 
North brought the half crazed gold seeker on 
the scene. The irruption into this country of 
the horde of lawless whites made necessary the 
establishment also of government and a means 
of enforcing it. Therefore, the expedition of 
1899 was sent out to treat with the Indians for 
the transfer of their* territorial rights in the 
land and also for the consequent right to pro¬ 
tect them. What this commission saw is most 
interestingly told by Mr. Mair, who gives a 
spirited account of that vast and unknown 
country which reaches from Edmonton almost 
up to the Arctic circle and whose northern 
boundary is Great Slave Lake. 
Mr. MacFarlane’s notes deal almost altogether 
with the animals of the further North, the 
country of the Mackenzie Basin. The Southern 
deer, like the elk, Virginia deer and the mule 
deer, are not named, while to the moose, caribou 
of two sorts, muskox and wood buffalo much 
space is given. More than 130 pages are given 
to the mammals of the region and there are two 
pages of an extremely interesting bibliography 
of the mammals. 
The list of birds and eggs covers about 200 
pages and the volume closes with an extremely 
interesting account by Mr. MacFarlane of the 
expedition of Sir John Franklin, the search for 
which had not ended at the time when Mr. Mac¬ 
Farlane went north in 1857. 
Sportsmen or naturalists who are interested 
in the game mammals or birds of the North 
or in travels in that little known region, should 
certainly possess this interesting volume. 
Grouse and Other Game. 
It is now time to get out the gun or rifle, ex¬ 
amine it and see if it lacks anything that the 
gunsmith can supply. If it is in good condition 
but needs cleaning, a pleasant evening can be 
passed in furbishing lock, stock and barrel tn 
preparation for the opening of the shooting sea¬ 
son, now near at hand. 
Naturally the sportsman is anxious to know 
what his prospects are, and to inform him we 
have asked a number of well-informed corre¬ 
spondents to express their opinion concerning 
the abundance or scarcity of furred and feath¬ 
ered game in their respective localities. These 
will appear from time to time, and a general in¬ 
vitation is extended to all our friends to add 
their mite for the benefit of their fellow shoot¬ 
ers. 
Easton, Pa., Aug. 5 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Referring to the probable increase or 
decrease in the number of ruffed grouse over 
trouting excursions which I have made this sum¬ 
mer, including one camping trip of ten days 
through the wilderness south of this place. 
Having followed with interest the discussions 
in your columns concerning the unusual scarcity 
of the birds last season. I have tried to keep an 
eye open for evidence for or against it in this 
locality. I have spent perhaps twenty entire days 
in the woods about here this summer and have 
rarely failed to see one or more full grown 
grouse a day whenever I was in cover at all 
suited to them. In one stretch of almost a mile 
along Cold Brook, about six or eight miles away, 
I saw three birds in one hour while walking 
along the trail in the brook bottom. I have also 
seen several coveys of young birds, but not more 
than two or three. Comparing this summer with 
the two preceding it, which I also spent in this 
neighborhood, I should say that I have seen 
quite as many birds as usual, although in the two 
previous years I took no special note of the 
birds. June and most of July were very dry 
here, and conditions were right, I should say, for 
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THE EFFECT OF INVESTIGATING THE TRACK. 
From Millais’ “Newfoundland and Its Untrodden Ways.” 
that of 1907, I have to report that the replies to 
my inquiries, which were confined to Pike and 
Monroe counties, Pennsylvania, seem to indicate 
that, while the birds will not be as plentiful as 
in former years, an increase over that of last 
year may be counted on. 
Summer woodcock are reported as being very 
plentiful, and while my information does not 
cover as wide a territory as with the ruffed 
grouse, they were spoken of as being in unusual 
numbers. R- K. Buckman. 
Saranac Lake, N. Y., Aug. 7.—Editor Forest 
and Stream: In the approximate census which 
is being taken of the ruffed grouse throughout 
the East, perhaps some facts about conditions in 
this neighborhood may be of interest. Premising 
that I have never been here in the open season 
and so do not know how plentiful they may be 
at that time, I will simply state the result of my 
observations taken during the many tramps and 
the growth of the young birds. My observations 
have been made chiefly while fishing or tramping 
along the brook, and I have made no search for 
the birds. While camping over in the Cold River 
country more birds were seen, as is natural, than 
within a radius of from three to ten miles of 
the town—the distance to which most of my 
trips have been limited. 
While on the camping trip alluded to we saw 
six deer—four at Ampersand Pond chasing each 
other up and down the beach, one at Preston 
Ponds, and another at Henderson Lake. I infer 
that the deer are doing well. A. L. W. 
Clayton, N. Y., Aug. 7. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: I am unable to find from the several 
parties I have been talking to, and who ought 
to know about ruffed grouse, that we have more 
birds this year than we had last. 
R. P. Grant. 
