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FOREST AND STREAM 
The Panther of Pioneer Days is Not Such 
Believe. This fellow is Shortly to be 
travellers out of curiosity.” But, says the 
same authority, he is less to be dreaded 
than a savage dog. The panther’s reputa¬ 
tion for ferocity did not extend to the 
West, where under the name of mountain 
lion he was much hunted. John B. Goff 
killed 300, “only two of which fought 
courageously.” 
The lions killed by Colonel Roosevelt 
in Colorado in 1901 were our own panthers 
under another name, and the Colonel used 
to administer the quietus with his knife. 
He got one that was eight feet long and 
that weighed 227 pounds. Bully! 
If the puma’s numbers are growing in 
the Adirondacks there will be so much 
more game for the rifleman. But as a peril 
he is of more danger to deer than to man. 
Compared with other hardships of the great 
outdoors, cold, hunger and hotel bills, the 
tawny cat is negligible. 
A BANDED WOOD DUCK. 
The “Biological Survey” desires to re¬ 
ceive information about the point of origin 
and any other matters of interest con¬ 
nected with a specimen of wood duck 
bearing a band inscribed “Berlin Zoo, No. 
127.” The duck is reported to have been 
killed about a year ago near Henryetta, 
Oklahoma. This town is in eastern central 
Oklahoma, about a dozen miles south of 
Okmulgee, and, of course, on the Cana¬ 
dian River watershed. Banded wild fowl 
have several times been captured and 
recorded, but usually nothing has been 
learned about the history of the birds. It 
was perhaps a dozen years ago that a 
banded redhead was killed on the New 
Jersey coast, and a search of the files of 
a Ferocious Beast as we Were Taught to 
Subjected to the Ignomy of a Lasso. 
Forest and Stream would reveal several 
other records of the kind. 
The lettering on the band would seem 
to suggest that it had been put on the 
bird in the United States or Canada. 
There are about twenty-five towns here 
and two in the Dominion known as Berlin. 
Which of these, if any, possess zoological 
gardens or collections of wild fowl? Can 
any reader throw light on this occurrence? 
WHEN DEATH SEEKS THE MONARCH 
OF THE WOODS. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I receive many letters concerning the 
habits of the big game of the North 
woods. Among other inquiries I am fre¬ 
quently 'asked if there is anything un¬ 
natural when old age comes apace in 
connection with their death and I take 
this means through Forest and Stream to 
answer many requests on that particular 
point by the following extract from one 
of my articles: 
“In unfrequented recesses in the jungle 
of the Pine Tree State lie the mouldering 
bones cf the monarch of the Maine woods 
—the moose. As old age comes apace, 
instinct tells him of approaching dissolu¬ 
tion and t from fear of attack he seeks 
some secluded spot. Struggling on he 
finally falls to the ground to rise no more. 
Not like man, during those last sad mo¬ 
ments, surrounded by every comfort, he, 
prone on the ground helpless and alone, 
with that constant fear of approach, midst 
the forest and streams he loved so well, 
with the sighing wind as a requiem, pa¬ 
tiently waits for the inevitable end.” 
G. Smith Stanton. 
New York, October 30, 1916. 
BIBLICAL AUTHORITIES CLASH. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Criticism of the practices of the indi¬ 
vidual variously designated as hunter, 
sportsman and sport is not uncommon, and 
is chiefly advanced by those whose motives 
may not fairly be impugned. However, 
the logic of the criticism is so uniformly 
monotonous that I, at least, feel indebted 
to the communication of “Switch Reel” in 
your October number, for a variation 
thereof that is unusually interesting be¬ 
cause of its novelty. 
My first impulse, after reading the com¬ 
munication mentioned, was to ram a 
charge of disingenuousness down the bar¬ 
rel of the old, smooth bore, and let that 
off at Switch Reel, but, lacking an ac¬ 
quaintance with him, I concluded such a 
course would be unjust and might, also, 
be unsafe. This world is not so large that 
I might not some day run across him; 
and having graduated into the “aged” 
class, my legs are not so supple as they 
once were. I accordingly shall merely 
charge him with being but a superficial 
Bible student, since on sober, second 
thought, I concluded that to be the case. 
Apparently he was not spiritually fed on 
Calvinistic doctrines in his tender years 
and compelled willy-nilly to devour com¬ 
plete chapters of the Scriptures that need¬ 
ed much patetnal peptonizing to be made 
digestible, as was my experience. Indeed, 
I think it may fairly be concluded from 
the limited scope of his authority that he 
got no farther than the first chapter of 
Genesis; for surely he could not have been 
familiar with Leviticus, chapter XI, in 
which is disclosed the Almighty’s permis¬ 
sion for the consumption ot animal flesh 
by human beings, as directly and plainly 
conveyed to the Children of Israel through 
Moses. 
These are the living things which ye 
may eat among all the beasts that are on 
the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof 
and is clovenfooted, and that cheweth the 
cud, that ye may eat. 
Again, in Leviticus, chapter VII, may be 
found additional proof of Divine sanction 
of flesh eating. Therein, not alone the 
priests but also members of the laity are 
commanded to eat of the flesh of animals 
offered in sacrifice; while such an inter¬ 
minable slaughter of beasts and birds 
in sacrificial ceremonies, is enjoined by 
Jehovah, that an individual of Switch 
Reel’s convictions must be appalled. 
I respectfully submit • that the passage 
Switch Reel presents is not so clear that 
it does not require an hypothesis from 
him to make it fit his convictions, while 
the old Mosaic law is so simple and plain 
that even one of immature years can 
readily comprehend it. Nevertheless, should 
he by chance stray round the old Maine 
camp when I am there, he will be wel¬ 
come, and may stick his feet under the 
table and dig to the bottom of the bean 
pot without once being annoyed by offers 
of venison chops and breast of grouse. 
He may rest assured that all the latter 
mentioned articles of diet will be kept at 
my side of the table and that he may 
browse on any kind of organic substance 
the camp affords without being called on 
to defend his habit or being chased off 
the premises. W. H. Bentley. 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 
