IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^/^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 If IIM IIIIM 1-4 ill 1.6 V] <^ /A /a ^m// ^' '"■• ods eisure feels auain the jov of I e or Ins < lul and the plains II seeks ihi' solittid e «ill meet iJieri- some old laniiliar i Kuide. or fellow-sportsman, and udeoine it with the ardor of ,r I.f, Me will undergo all sorts of hodil les 111 e in a llowsh in. the w in oil el ami the rold,~and yet lie happ\, I y discomlorts. — (oaist' ioo<| I rough hed. ur words, he has, for the ti me, lie<'onie le. ause lor a liiile spell he is frei li/eK "cast" into tlie surf; smells t|- perusal, also, the v c cries of the wild fowl and the whistle of th c salt marches, whik ic diK ks' wini ounKer reader may be led to si)end his va(at enjoyment of sports which are manly and he:ilth--ivi ions I liy Its n the reliaiii e ai IlL'. wliK id Kooil-fellousliip, and develop a love f ,r Nature. eni'ender sel M> connei lion with this volu Liesled to the editor of 'I'iik ("km liimiing and an-lii me was unexpected. Some I inie ago I s ■111 \vs Willi n h.K leited into a book. At the time I made tins sugi lion or desire to umlertake the editing of uritin-s'""! I KV Mai; m\v. that th I'l'L'ared in ihat periodical should be col le various artides on IIS suggestion, 1 I .game, so varied in habils and to have had the reiiiiisite liaimts that no one |)erson < ould liail no inten- Icsi ribing the pursuit of on tiii.; ^ Shdkk f .Mary Ilallock Foote Hawk on Nkst I'annie K. Clifford Indian- Himkk J. (). ,\. Ward 'Iiii; Black I!i;\r .< Charles C. Ward j { James C. Heartl J A iMEKT AT Xkwpokt Ceorire Inness, fr. I'm; A.MKRicAN liisHN James f. Heard A MnoM.; Im,;iii Henry Sandham In \Wi;sri;RN {'(irkst Julian Rix Hkai.oi Mkkin,) Ram James C. Heard IlKAh oi MisK-Cow James C. Heard J ai'Ankh; KiNcivo James C. Heard I'm; Pki)i.i;sn(ik ♦ , t I.ANDINi; A Ihillil.l.; J .'• "■ <^'3 E. Heinemann 28 l>aviil Nichols 44 Henry N'arley Facing 50 ^y. }. Dana 100 H. K. Schultz Facing 116 'I'. Cole " '36 Charles Ciillen 256 J. H. !•;. Whitney Facing 284 Samuel I'. Davis 318 !•'. S. Kinji 332 II. D.uidson l-'acing 386 1'. S. Rir.iT 395 John Kvar 400 [ohn l-'.\ans l'a( nur 1 1 1 Annie I,. Haywood 448 Henry Marsh ^^ i i6 I 'II II- Page Illiistrntioiis TITI.K';. A I'llKI'dlSK 1)1VIN( \KAK N I.WI'dK'l' A I I,(!\v 'I'liii; Snow li!Nii\c,s I'.lKnl'i: AN (IkW \ I'AklKIIMlKs i S I'liarlcs C. Ward ( ( Dan licard t Henry Sandhani Sieplicn I'arrish Fidelia Bridges James ('. Heard \\'(Kiii(()( K AM' \'()i;\(; James ('. Heard lames C. Heard A \\" I ISDN's S\ii'(., \ l'A\rii,v \ >[a1 l; AN1> I'KMAI.I. \ Kam, ♦ ( >l't 111' Dm Iks A Hiuh N[i;iii,i V James C. Heard Rosier RioKlan FiA<;K Ir.i.usTKATioxs '. . . . Thk Prkm.stok.c IhxTKK Alfred M. Mayer. 20 Illustrations : Axe, Spear-hend, and Knife of Arch.Tolithic ^ ^ age — Skeleton of the (Ireat Irish Klk — Arrowhead from Killarney — Spear-head and Arrowhead found near l'ont-I,ero>— Fish-spear, Rents' (.-avern- Harpoun-Point of hone and nephrite- I'rehistori. tarvnig on Ivory- Fjsh-spears. F.a Madelaine- Arrowhead from Lake Bienne— Tail-piece J^aJT, LARGi: C.AMK. TiiK Black Bkar .... //,..,/ n ,i^ , ,„ , . , Lliarles C. fVard. ±q Illustrations, from sket. hes l.v the autlu.r: Hea.l of ^^ Skull of HIack Bear -Kore-paws- Hind-paws- V Dead-fall Trap /•//.-„-. The Indian, from a sketch l.y the author /p 7;,^,,,,. Sacking a Lumber c:amp, from a sketch by the author A't^'^'T^" ^'"''""' ""'"—■'-'■piece ; ; : : /i^^^Zi A feast on a Log ... ,. „ '^ i\'^{i,r/- RiorJan. i8 Contents. Bear-hunting in the South James Gordon, Illustrations, from sketches by the author : Old Asa Cutting thro-.:i;h the c;anebrake — Bear Hieroglyphics — At Bay — The Death — Old Asa in Triumph . . . W. I.. Shippard. In the Forest Gninville Pakins. A Flight of Wild (leese (Two engravings) Mimes C. Beard, A Hunter's Paradise Thomas Moran, Tail-jjiece F. S. Church, I'AGC 65 Fox-HL'NTiNC. IN New Enclank .... Roiohiud E, Robinson. Illustrations, from sketches by the author : Head- piece Z. Hopkins. "An Honest Fox Must l.ivi" James C. Beard. After a Breakfast — "Holed" — Tantalizing the Dogs . .John W. Bolles. i'he Dog's Dream — The Start — On the Trail — The Run-way Alfred Kappes. Calling the Dogs Walter Shirlaw. Another Stratagem Peter Moran. Bearing Home the Brush lames E. Kelly. A Happy Family — Head of Fox-hound — To Destroy the Scent Rowland E. Robinson. In November Jen'is McEntce. Tail-piece Ifenry Farrer. 79 I: A BuKKAi.o-HUNT IN NORTHERN Mexico .... Lcw Wallace. 101 Illustrations, from sketches by the author : The School of the l.ariat — Now, F'ire 1 — rail-])iece Ia,nes E. Kelly. 'llie"Mozo"* \V. L. Sheppard. The I'atio, from a sketch by the author fohn W. Bolles. The Start — Our First View of the Herd Geori;^ Inness, Jr. On the Road — Juan — Santos — In the Rear Court — " Under the Colonnade" — In the Corridor — A Croup of Vaipieros — .\ Maguey Field JA/rr llalhck Foote. Head of .Vmerican Buffalo lames C. Beard. The Tangle of i'aths Leic Wallace, The North American Cervid.k . . . . George Bird Grinncll. 129 Illustrations : A Moose Fight Henry Sandham. Barren-ground Caribou Charles C. Ward. Head of American Klk — Head of Mule -Deer . fames C. Beard. Tail-piece Ro^er Riordan. Contents. Moose- HUNTING Charles C. IVard. Illustrations, from sketches by the author ; Riding down a 'I'ree — Moose Family — Moose-yanl — Kire Hunting . . HeKry Sijiii/htjtii. riie Moose-call Jtimcs E. Krlly. Moose -Hirds lames C. licit nl. Socotonia — Still Hunting — A Moose-hunter's Camp — 'I'he Old Block- House — Stone Medallion CharUs C Ward. Jay and Cedar Hirds Fiihlia Bridi^is. The Darkening Pines. Kngraved direct from nature . . F./brhlf^e Kin^slex. Returning from the Hunt J/tnn Saiii/ham. 19 PAOE •54 MoosK-iiiNTiNc IN Canada Earl of Diinravcn. 182 Illustration: Tail-itiecx-. I'.ngraved direct from nature . . . I'lllmdi^c Ki)ii:;slr\. CARiitou-iUNriNi; Charles C. Ward. 20S Illustrations, from sketches l)y tiie author: Cariliou liarreiis — Caribou Crossing a I'rozcn Lake T/ioiiuts MiTan, Attacked by a Wolf — Allo;it on a Cake of Ice — Uriiig ing in the C'aribou — A (lood Chance llriiiy .SaiiJ/iani. Woodland Caribou Hoofs — Carii)ou Migrating — I'or- est Hirds — Seli-ta-ga-bo — A Shot from Tomah .... Charles C. liar,/. Cedar Hirds l-'/i/i-//,/ liriili^ts. DKKk-iii xriNc. ON Tin; .\i S.viur. ]]'. Mackay Laffaii. Illustrations: \j\i Saginaw Hay — Camp l'>\vin — On tlie \\\ Sable — Deception — Cnder the Cedars — Hung Cp — .V (leneral Surprise — .\ Torcji of the Au Sable — Sweepers — \ Ton and a half of \'enison . //'. .\fack'ay Laffaii. .\ l.umber-slcd Sol. Eyliiii:;!', '■l^ HiNTiNc TiiK Mi'i.i:-I)i;i;k in Coi.oradd . '/. Harrison Mills. Illustrations: from a sketch by the author, " .\nil Tiny Said he Thought he ("ould " Frcdcrkk DUlnian. The Fall of the Leader, from a sketch by the author . . . Geor/^i- /////ess, Jr. Head of the Mule-Deer — ".\re you Looking for us ? " — .An Attack of Buck Fever — Osborne and his Dog — How Tiny Beguiled them — .\ Pattern in a Net of Twigs — A Dissolving View J. Harrison Mills. On the Orand Thomas Moraii. Tail-piece Julian Rix. •D/ 20 Contents. TuK Wii.i) SiiKEi' OK THK SiKRRA John Muir. 280 Illustrations, after skett hes by the author: Head of Rocky Mountain Wild Sheei)— Ik-ad of thi; Merino Ram (Domestic) The Water-ousel fames C. Bear J. A Feeding.ground //„^, ^,.„„ Snow-Bound on Mount Shasta — Junipinn overa I'rec i- pice— Indians Hunting Wild Shee|i hhi W. Hoiks. Williamson Spruce Tree A". .Suhuh Giffor.l. In a Sierra Forest Thomas Mora,,. t:rossmg a Canon Stream ^v^^,^ /,,„^„^ j^ Thk Antki.oi'I.. licoigc Bird Grinnell. 303 'l''^''-''"-'^'-' George Gibso,,. A MisK-Ox Hunt Frederick Schwatka. 313 Illustrations: Head of Musk-()x_lkad of Musk-Cow . . . Ja,„es C. Bear,/. From sketches by the author: I'arseneuk in a Tight Place-on the Trail- At bay Ueorge /„„ess, Jr. An Lsiiuinio Cami) ,1^ «. , , . , FISH, The Pkimitivk Fish-hook Barnet Phillips. Illustrations: Stone Fish-gorge — Bricole (two cuts) — Double Hook — Prehistoric l-orms — Sharpened Needle used in France — Bronze F'ish-hooks — Double Hook, barbed — Alaskan Halibut-hook (two cuts) — Russian F'ish-hook — Artificial Stone Shrimp Henry W. TVoy. An Alaskan Fish-hook Fra„cis Lathrop. Shell-hooks (five cuts). Tail-piece Z. Hopkins. ill Contents, TROi'.T-Fi.siiiNti IN nil. I<\N(;i;i.KV \.\\^v.s . . luhvard Siymonr Illustrations; The Jiim tion of Ranj,'clev and Kennolmno — Alkrton Lod^f — Stony Hatfc-r — I'lelt Rork . . ('amp Kcnnebiij^o — r|)])cr l)am The Interior of tilt (amp — I'dling Kish-storics . . . Kxpfrimtnt in Natural I'liilosophy — Catihinna I'ivf- pouniler — S|)iritof Mooseliii niaguntic — •' Matchinj;" a Sfvcn-iiouiid I'rout — Itrcakinj,' Cam) Head of Trout /./•'. Rhii:^!-. Thu Damon Ranni-k-v Sinam //'.//. Giliuni. rhu Nut Result A'f'V.v Rioniiiii. Lakes and Mead Waters of the .\ndrosconj;in .ind Kenneliei — llii |a,ttif. lilMK li\ss l-"l.siilN(, yiiiiics .1. lli'iisliall. Illustrations: Large -nHiuihed llUuk Hass — Small- mouthed Hhirk Mass A'. A'. Co/'i/iiiii/. Near the Rivir Tlionias Moniii. Luke lo.u'f>li Pi-iiii,ll. The I'rofessor Landing' a DouMe — An Ideal "Still I'isher" /. //. i'oiki. ;>79 In nii; Hai n is <'i Uukam and Bass (I'oeini . Maurice I'hompsou. 396 S\i.\1()N-1msiii.\(; /. (i. ll'i/kiiisou. 401 Illustrations: On the (lodhoul — I he Restij^ouche anil Matai)edia<; Rivers — \alley of the Matajiediac — In liie Harbor of St. John — A Canadian Kishing River — (Juel)ei' from the River — A Memory of (Quebec — A Half-breed Netting Salmon — River (raft on the St. Lawrence //,)iry Saiulham. Scotch Poacher — (lalhngat Hig Salmon Hole — The Philosophical .\ngler — Our I'.nglish Friend — The Strategic .Angler — My lir>t Salmcm — The Patient . .•\ngler — An Irate .Vngler — The Countess of Duf- ferin Pool — Part of the Fun — Kcpial to the F.mer- gency — " .\ Little o' yer My-ile" — Late to Dinner — One Way Fish are Lost //■./.. S/ii-/kiiison Smith. Map of Some Sea-trout Waters — Running the Lachine Rapids — Kn Route — (lay Hank and Rapids — Cleaning for a (amp — The Home Cami) — (letting Ready for Breakfast — Running a Rapid. 23 PAOR The Halcyon in Canada John Ihtrrouglis. Illustrations: On the St. I>awrence — The tjtadel at (Juel)ec — A Caleche — A Canadian Interior .... Iliiiiy SiXmlham. Hawk and Kingbird • luviinf !•'.. Gifforil. On the Way to the River — Along the Hudson . . . Afary lliillock Fook. Lake Memphremafiog — In the Thousand Islands. 541 Amonc. tiik Thousand Islands Hirn'ord Pylc. 573 Illustrations; Kagle's Head Fnvik Ji. Mayer. Inlet to the Lake — Head of Oeek and Iron Sjiring . . . Thomas Moraii. Flowers from Iron Sj^ring lltUita dc Ka\. The Devil's Oven — Dock where the Steamer /{>•/ was Burned J/tiiry Fariiy. Oeneral View from Bluff Island — River Craft — A Fishing Party — Bonnie Castle f. O. l)a-ridson. Ruins of the Old F'ort — Camping Out — Cooking a Cam]) Dinner — Catching a Muskalonge — Spearing Kels in Eel Bay Howard Pyk. T.. c li u ^ U'illiam Mitchell. SQ7 I Hi; Sim. IT liAMHoo Rod I ^^' ( Laurence D. Alexander. 601 On the Invention ok the Reki Alfred M. Mayer. 603 Relation Between the Weight and Length of Brook-trout W. Hodgson Ellis. 605 a4 Contents, hi^ PAOB Sdmk Amkrican Spoutinc, nf>c;s , . , .William M. Tili's/oit. 615 IllustrUidUM Cri-yhoiiiiil— DccT-lioiiml {hholt II. Tluiyn. I he Mwi ;il tlic •• Harp and I'.ajjU- " /. llon/swort/i Thom[>u>ii. Raliliii-himtiMf,' wilh lU-anlcs /,///// //'. liolUs. Kox lumtinn in tin- South U.I.. S/iiiri/. Rc-<1 Irish Sitter— lUatk and- Whiii' Stttir — (lorditn Soittr — lli-adol' I'ointcr — ULuk-an\vn Chargf lames C. Hiniil. Tail-iiii-cc riuotioir Hohiiisoit. Pointers of I'ifty years a^o — I'Idward l.averaik — (iround I'lan, I'ront Kicvation. and Side \'ie« ol" Kennel. NoKTM Amkkk w (iumsi Cluirlcs li. W'hiUlicad. 639 IlUistratioris : (Iroiise in I'ield — I'liishinti a Covey ol' riiniated (Iroiise hiiUlia lini/i;,s. The l)riiinniini,'-lon — A (irouse I'aiuily — Making themselves at Home — The Fifteenth of August on the I'rairie — (;rr)Useon Nest — Tail-piece Iiiuits C. lidird. Ai>rilf()ol Alfffil Ka/'pts. A Twitrh-U]) — The Coyote Hunting Joliii II'. Holies. Across the Path SdI. Eyliti^e. A Prairie Minuet //. //: ilmick. The (lillie Itov lames E. Kellx. Boil VViiiTK, TiiK Game Hird ok Amkkica. . Alfred M. Mayer. 663 Illustrations: Kuropean (Iray Partridges — "Bob White!" — White Boh White — California \'alley Partridge or Quail — Boh White and Kuropean Quail — Mrs. Bob White and Family — F'uropean Red-legged Partridges lames C. Beard. Con feu fs. 25 I'AtiK Steady, there! To-ho I /''. Tnhfr. |;iil |)ie While Kgg (from the collection ul II. II, ll.iiley). Till. .\mi:ui< .\N W'niijMiKK Inoii^c liini (lyiinnU, 685 llhiNtntiiiDs : WdodcDil ami Yniin^' lamii I', /inui/, l-'.^f^ III' WoodccK k iiriiin thi.' 1 ollci lion ul II. It. Itailey). SMn->iiiHii INC deorj^t' /iinf (iriuni'/L 695 illiistratiiins : .\ Wilsnn's Sni|)i' I'.imily /iinii-s C Hiiiui. IIkK "' ^Vilsoii's Siiipi' (trom tlic 1 ollcction nt' II. I!, U.iilf>). I''ii.i.i» .Si'iiuis i\ MiwKSoiA Charhs .1 . /iiiiiin rimtii. 705 lllustratidiis. from .skcU lies liy the author: A I'luso Shot — .\ Side Shot — Konded (loods in Traiisii — .\ '• Hoiid " in Wet Weather — .\ Cold Morninj,' — Tlie llridne St:in(l — ( loose-, hi )ol inn '•"""i Stulililf I. /i. h'nisl, .\ rifjlit Sliill — Sto|i|iinj{ ,111 liiconuT — Wild (leesi' — Wild Diuks I<,,rl lUiim. Kandiyohi Pass — ( "aiiv.is-iiark and Red-Head — (ioose Deroys i'/iiir/is .1. /.immii iiiiui. C.wv \>-i..\rK .\.M> ri;i;ri|, 'loi,- Icvi-r (lini — I hrci' IwisI liarrcl — lour twist liarrcl — Tuc, Spirals Ui'hk-d Tot;,-!!,, r in tiir Middle — Sian)|i of London (iuinnakcrs ( 'oin|janv — Sianiji of till- liinnin^^iiani rrool-liouse. i'Ai;r. Ol'l" OI" DOORS. Cami's \\I) TkAMi'^ Aiidt I Kr\Ai)\ .1 Htoi fhx. Sor llliislrations : Cros-, Sedioii of ( 'airi|, — ( iroinid I'lan of ('ani|.— A jinM|Mr I. /.. //,i//n: I'roni sludir-, liy !■'. !•:. ('iiunh: \ii;lit \iuw of tlii' r,ini|i — Ktaadn. fnai) tlic Soiiili Shore — '{'lie Trav clir — Wood interior on .\Iotiiii I iimir — A \'ieu in the (;re:it liasiii. p'roin studies liy II. W. Roiiiiins: ■Jlie MissinL; Link — r;ast hraiK h ot the I'liioiisc ot — Ktaadn Lake, troni the Slide- in the I'asin '/'/lomas .]f,ii;in. I'Voni a study iiy L, 1 )e I'orest : Ktaadn from Creek at West I'jid of Lake (7i,ir/,s .1. VnihicrluKif. '''■''' I'i^-' I' /■:/ln „{:■!■ Ktii:-:/ry. I [iiu I KiM.i I) A Hi;ai< Cluirlt's /)i((ilcy W'anicr. .S20 A Imcwii Willi A Tkoi C/iar/i's t)it(ilcy ll'iirncr. ,S2 7 ( Oiilruts 27 }|< <>\\ Ml Mdi \i a I'dkii l-'rcilcrii . I. I. Kins, l-i33 lilNlr.itlnn , : Kc;i'l\ lur Uurk— A I iMilrrinisl > ^,1111 liiiii ■ Miiiili Atncrii .'ii ( io.it- III Isir — \rmi-. I' dr'Ml Auk — .-'I ,irlii llii-. .ni'l NUiiiij,' ('nnndilc — S'oiin^' W ;ilcrf')«l — ()v,li — Idiil 1.1' S,ii;^.i — A SdiiiIi Aiii'Tici!) .Niiiiikry — I iir I'.i II liird — (iuMrn Imi;^!'- — A l.illlr Slr.iiiL;rr Irnin the 'I'miiii s — A I'aiiiilv '4 M reel h ( )u 1 — I'lMcmk Si nrn .I,i„i,s < '. r.cir.l. Iliiw tin; WiiiL' i. Wi inl, \\iMii|)i-i| l-ii,liii, .1. 1.1 Biiw-SiiDoi i\( M.uirur TlinDip IllustMti'Mis : Slriii;;iiiL; lln' I'.iiw— I »i.i\n iiif; tin- linw — sail. Aiming; IHkIi //'./.. SJii/fiin/. A (lodd 'I'Mrni.'l luiiniii- I:, iiijinril. WImI \'ni AiiTK'il Al — \\ lull the Arrow (iut 'riuTr — A SiK ( cs^liil Shot — riiimdcr l'ii?ii|)ir liimrsC. liiiinl. CajMir Mini ('. /iVv/n'rv,/. A Slaid t)|i| l.iriiirr /■.//vvV/c' A'/i/:;.Wit'. Our (.imi) (111 liidi.iii kivcr — ( )ii llir ImI.;;c oI llir Woods — Alunj; the I'.iv — llir ll.iiiiit uf tlir iicroii . . 'I'lumris Muniii. Wailing lor a Shot Aljird k',i/'/',s. 'rail-pici c /■*. Minflitiiil .Inns/roiiy. W ows, Arrows, .1 nd Al 1 oiitrniKiits. 'Jiii; I)l.'i\s -( iuN Ufm/ M. Mavvr. SSi lNi)i;\ KS- THH PR li HI STORK HUNTER. Hv ALFRKl) M. M A Y K R , (< m BY hunting and fishing the prehistoric man obtained his siilj- sistence, and in these pursuits were his greatest pleasures. It may tlien be of interest to the modern sportsman — who, liegging his pardon, is himseU a good deal of a savage — to know something of this ancient brother hunter and angler, from whom he has inherited his love of sport and his savage instincts. Thanks to the wonderful discoveries of quite recent days, we can now give the history of man as a hunter and angler from his first known appearance on earth to the present day. We first find him living in the river-valleys of Europe and of this country, his only weapons of the chase being pieces of flint rudely chipped into roughly pointed forms. Thence we track him to the ca\es in the banks of the rivers, where the fashion of his arms of flint and bone, and his skill in the arts of design and carving, show that he has made a notable step in his progress toward civilization. He is now a fish- erman as well as a hunter. Then we see him as a dweller on the shores of the sea and the borders of the fjords, and the dog first appears as man's companion. Thence we trace him to the lakes, where he dwells in wooden houses built on piles. He wears woven fabrics as well as skins, cultivates the soil, and has herds. He fashions stone into elegantly shaped tools and weapons, with highly polished cutting edges. Later, he replaces these with bronze implements cast in stone molds. The dog now shares with man the perils and excitement of the chase and the comforts of his dwelling. The pile-dweller builds canoes or dug-outs, which he paddles over the lake, and he angles with spindles of bone and finely shaped barbed hooks of bronze suspended to lines spun of flax. I 111 •! i an 30 The Pnliistoric Huiiicy. We will attempt to give mosaics of these primitive hunters and anglers, formed, it is true, out of rather large stones and of few colors ; for the pictures have to he made out of what fragments this prehistoric man has left of his habitations, his feasts, his flint, bone, and bronze implements his sketches and his carvings. .Some- times, however, the arrangement of these fragments will make an al- most accurate picture of him. We can clothe him in his garments, adjust his crude ornaments, place in his hands the arms of the chase, and see him as he once pursued the noble gaiii<; which e\ery\vhere surroundetl him. '';"*! ,.:i^ 'rilK Hi NIK K (IK TIIK Dkll'l. Deep below the surface of the gravel-beds in many river-valle\ s in I'rance, Knglanil, and various other parts of the; world are found stone axes, spe'ar-heads anil knives of Hint, rudely chipped into shape by races of men who were tlie fu'st hunters oi whom we ha\(; any recortl. The records these hunters have; left are these stone implements and their own bones, which are found side by side ^^S--^^iJ:M^S:± "JZ j1 I I AXK or .\RCM;1vnl.ITHIC A(;F ForND AT A DEPTH (iF TEN FKI-,T IN THE r.RAVKI-HEDS (iF THE UII.l VIUM AT Miiri.IN-Ql 1(;N()N, NEAR AHHEVIIIF, VAI.l.EY OF THE SOMME — FROM THE COLLECTION OF ALFRED M. MAYEH. The Prehistoik Ilitiiicr. 31 SPKAK-IIEAD FOUND AT SAMK I'l.ACK As AXK I ROM lOI.I.IXIION OK ALFKKD M. MA^ KK. with the bones of the animals they slew, anil whose flesh was probably their only food. These gravel-beds, forming what is called river-drift, are of great age. Lyell is of opinion that the chipped-flint implements and the bones found in the drift of the river Somme, in I'rance, are at lea.st one hundred thousand years old ; while others hold that two hundred and fifty thousand years have elapsed since these ancient men hunted with their rude arn\s such extinct animals as the great Irish elk, the mammoth, the urus, and the cave bear. With their stone axes and flint spears they brought down the n()l)U; game, and skinned and cut it up witli their flint knives. The gigantic Irish elk. whicli stood ten feet in height and carried magnificent antlers which spreatl eleven feet from tip to tip; the urus, which disappeared in historic times, and which was descriln^d b\ Ciesar as " nearly ecpial to the elephant in i)ulk, but in color, shape, ami kind resembling a bull "; the cwv. bear, longer than our grizzK ; the cave lion ; the hyena; a woolly-haired rhinoceros; a hippo|)ola- mus ; tJK; nianunoth ; the aurochs, or l)isoii ; the musk-ox; the wild horse; tlu!se were the animals huntei,! by these most ancient of prehistoric men. They have all |)asseil away, except the aurochs, which the Russian (iovernmeiit lias saveil from extermination bv strictly guarding them in the fort'sts of Lithuania, and the musk- ox, which, however, now li\-es in the; arctic n^gions and is sel- dom seen below the parallel of sixt\-eight. The rest are only known to us from their bones, exceot tiie mammoth, which has 32 The Prehistoric Hunter. SKKI.F.TDN (IF IMF. (JRF.AT IRISH KI.K — IN THK NFW VOKK MltSKI M OF NATURAL mST NKI'llKiri,. 38 7//<' Pit historic llniilcf. Armed with their hows, and lances and arrows tipped with Hint, and carryinj,' at their siilcs |)()ij,fnarils of reindeer horn, with l)eautirully carveil hantUes, the nun of tlie caves set out in pursuit of the urus, the wiKI horse, ami the reindeer ; and if such forniid- ahle heasts as the inaninioth, the- cave-l)ear, or lion came in their way, they dill not hesitati- to j^ivt; them battle. In one of the caves have been found st:veral incisors of the cavobear and the li{)n, on which (with tlinl-tlakes) are admirably depicted various ilenizens t)f the forest, the stream, and the sea. 'I'hese teeth are perforated at their roots, and no iloubt were once strung in a necklace to adorn some ancient Ximroil, mijj^hty amonj^ thosi- who dwelt in caves. The bones of the larjj^iT animals, like the mammoth and woolly riiinoceros, are rare in the caves. This is easil\ accounted for. The hunters, after brinifin}^ down such lar^e j^ame, would, after the fatit^ue anil excitement of such a j^reat hunt, make a feast on the spot where the hu_i;e victim fell, and cuttinj,^ up the carcass with their flint knives, they would carry what they could to the caves for their wives and little ones. "We can picture to our- selves," says Mr. Dawkins (" Karly Man in Hritain"\ "the camp around the carcass, and the fires kindled not merely to cook the flesh, but to keep away the beasts of prey attracted by the scent of blood. The tribe assembled around, and the ilark trunks of the oaks or Scotch firs liirhted up by the blaze, with hyenas lurking in the background, are worthy of the brush of a future Rembrandt." Tin; Hl'NTEK AN'I) FiSIIERMW oK TlIK SeA-SIIOKK AM) TIIK FjOUI). The arctic climate in which the men of the river-drift and the cave-dwellers lived slowly gave place to a climate more like that of our own age. During this climatic change, the mammoth, the Irish elk, the great bear and cave-lion disappeared, while the reindei^r, musk-ox, chamois and ibex either slowly migrated to arctic regions or moved to alpine heights where they could have the cold suited to their natures. Man changed his habits with the change of climate. He appears now as a dweller on the shores of the sea and an inhabitant of huts built on piles driven into the bottom of lakes. Living near and on the water, he becomes an angler as well as hunter. 1 1 The Prehistoric Hunter. 39 Alonjj the shores of the Danish ishind of Zealand and the fjords of Juthinil are found vast ileposits of shells, the remains of feasts. Some of these shell-heaps are a tlH)usand fiuit lonj^ anti nearly two hundred feet in width. Tlu \ are formeil of the shells of the oyster, cockle, mussel, and periwinkle. Amonj^f these an; found the hones of ducks, s\\;ins, and j^'eese, of the ^reat penjjuin, or auk, and of the larjj;(; jj^rouse known as the capercailzie ( 'I'ctrao urogalliis. ) "This bird, no longer found in Denmark, thou^di still inhabitinjLj the forests of (lermany, deserves special mention. In sprinjjf it feeds chietly on the buds of the pine, a kind of tree not growinjj; naturally at |)resent in Denmark, but very common during the stone aj^e, as has been ascertained by the examination of Danish peat boj^s. Thus it would seem that the disappearance of the pine from Den- mark caused the capercailzie to leave that country." Hones of the sparrow are never found in these shell-heaps. (Happy people!) The ducks, geese, and swans which these fowlers hunteil they may have killed in a manner similar to that described, as follows, by Col. \V\ H. Gilder in "Among the Esquimos with Schwatka " ("Scribner's Monthly," vol. 22. p. 81): " A most novel .ind interesting method of Ijird-catihing is pncticed tUiring the spring .and early summer, while the ducks and geese are molting and unable to tly. The Ks(iuimo puts his Xmv/^' — that is, his seal-skin canoe — on his head, like an immense hat, and repairs to the big lake, or the sea-side, where he has seen the helpless birds swimming and teeding in the water. Here he lauiK lies his frail bark, and when seateil, which is not always accomi)lishcd without a ducking, takes his double-blailed oar in his hands, and at oiue starts in jjursuit of the game. Hefore him, on his kwi/.:. where he cm seize it at the projiermomcnt. lies his(Uick-s|)ear, together with other implements of the chase. Cautiously a|)proaching the featherless tlock, he sometimes gets (piite near before his i)resence is observed; but even then, before he is within striking distance, there is a great spluttering in the water, as the band scatters in e\ery direction, \ainly lieating the water with the curious looking stunijjs that soon will wear their ]ilumage and once more do duty as wings. Some dive below the surfate and tome up a great way off. and always just where you are not looking for them ; but as the lloc k takes alarm, the hunter dashes forward, feeling the necessity for speed rather than for caution. He is soon within fifteen or twent\- feet of the struggling mass, and, seizing a curious- k)oking spear, with three barbs of une(iual length, he poises it for a moment in the air. and then hurls it with unerring aim at the devoted bird, imjjaling it with a sharpened iron or bone sjiike in the center of the barbs. The handle of the sjiear is of wood, and floats on the surface of the water, so that the hunter can recover his weapon and the game at his leisure." 40 The Prehistoric Hunter. 'A :i| 511 From the existence in these shell-heaps, or " kitchen-middens," of the bones of the cod, herring, flounder, and eel, we may infer that these fishermen had boats, made like the Esquimo kyak, of seal- skins; or, more probably, they used dug-outs, hollowed by the action of fire and the cuts of their stone axes and gouges. In these they ventured on the sea to take these fish. They also hunted the stag, the roe, the wild boar, urus, wolf, fox, lynx, beaver, seal, and otter, for the bones of these animals are found in the kitchen-middens, split lengthwise with flint tools, whose marks are seen on them. They thus extracted the marrow from the bones and the brain from the skulls. The bones of the hare are wanting. Perhaps like the Laplanders of our day, they had superstitious notions concerning this animal which prevented them fron' slaying him. The bones of the animals of the kitchen-middens are gnav/ed dog-fashion, showing that the dog now first appears as the com- panion of man. He was also man's victim, for his skull is often found split open so that his brain could be eaten. Let us give these people the credit of supposing that they sacrificed one of their own household only on great ceremonial occasions, as is the case with our Indians. The Hunter and Angler of the Lakes. Far more interesting than the remain? m the kitchen-middens are the relics found at the bottom of the lakes of Switzerland, Germany, France, and Italy. During the winter of 1854, the water in the Swiss lakes sank to a very low level, and gave the dwellers along the shore the opportunity of adding to their lands by building walls along the low water-line. During these constructions at Meilen, on Lake Zurich, stone, bronze, and bone implements and fragments of pottery were brought to light. Tlie tons of piles were also found, and this led to the discovery of the habitations of ancient men. They lived in dwellings built on piles, somewhat after the manner of savages in Venezuela and in some Polynesian and Asiatic Islands. Similar dwellings are inhabited by certain African tribes in Dahomey and in Lake Mohrya. Even in our own country there is a lacustrine village at St. Malo Pass, near Lake Borgne, Louisiana, where dwell Malay fishermen from the Philippine Islands.* • In " Harper's Weekly," March 31, 1883. The Prehistoric Huutcr. 41 rwii« 'j ^< The houses forming the villages of the European lake-dwellers were constructed of a framework of wood, interwoven with withes and encased in mud. The roofs were thatched, and a hole in the roof let out the smoke, which arose from slabs of stone on which they built their fires. Many of these houses, of rectangular and circular forms, were erected on one large platform, of two or three acres in area, supported by the piles. A narrow causeway, often two thousand yards and more in length, led from the villajj^e to the shore, arrowhkad from pilf-dweu.- '^ ° INU IN I.AKK BIF.NNK., SWITZER- thus giving them protection from hostile tribes iand-from collection ok ° ° 1^ _ ALFRED M. MAYER. and from the attacks of ferocious beasts. In some of the smaller lakes, mounds were formed of sticks, trunks of trees, stones and loam, with piles driven in their midst to give stability to this foundation. The dwellings on these mounds, with their interwoven withes and encasement of mud, must have appeared like huge beaver-houses. Probably the beaver was their first instructor in lacustrine architecture. From the relics of these people, we can quite accurately reproduce their life. They clothed themselves in skins and fabrics woven of flax, and were armed with axes — no longer roughly chipped, but now handsomely formed and polished — mounted in sockets of elk horn, which were fastened to wooden handles. They carried bows made of yew, and arrows and spears armed with neatly shaped, sharp flints which were fastened to the shafts with asphalt and firm wrappings of the tendons of the stag. It is probable that they were dexterous in the use of the sling. They constructed dug-outs, in which they paddled over the lakes, and angled from them with their bone snigglers, and hooks made of the tusks of the wild boar for the great lake trout and the huge pike. They also fished with nets woven of flax. During a later period in their history, bronze was introduced, and then their arms became more effective and more elegant in form, although similar to the same weapons previously made of stone and bone. The greatest advance the use of bronze produced was in their angling tools, for their hooks of bronze are nearly as perfect in I K 42 The Pycliistoric Hnutcr. Ill %\ i»i H: form and proportion as those used by tlic ani^Icrs of our own day, as is seen from an inspection of the bronze hook depicted in Mr. Phillips's chapter on " The Prehistoric Fish-hook." While the aged men. women, and children were employed in forming weapons, canoes, agricultural tools, pottery, or in weaving cloths and nets, the men set out over the causeway, — some to lead their flocks to pasture ami guard them from the wolves and bears, while others, taking to the mountains and the dells, hunted the elk, the stag, the urus, the bison, the roe-deer, the wild boar, and the brown bear ; while others devoted their time to trapping the fox and the beaver. The hare they did not chase, although they were accom- panied by dogs. Indeed, the dog is now first seen in the history of prehistoric man as a companion, whose friendship, intelligence, and moral qualities were so highly appreciated by these hunters that they would not partake of his flesh. The skull of the dog is found un- broken among the relics at the bottom of the lakes. " When evening draws near, smoke begins to rise from the huts, where the women are baking and cooking, for the men who have been hunting in the woods will soon return, armed with s;>ear and bow, and loaded with the game killed by them. Those who have spent the day in fishing guide their boats homeward ; field laborers, returning from the cultivatetl patches along the shore, are seen to wend their way toward the l)ridge, driving before thum the lowing cattle which were permitted to graz(; on the land during daj-time, and an; now to be stai)led for the- night among the huts, safe from the attacks of wolf and bear." * Whence the lake-dwellers came, what language they spoke, and when they first built their lacustrine dwellings, are unanswered (|ues- tions. We know that men lived on these pile-dwellings many centuries before the discovery of bronze. .\t some stations, only stone imple- ments are found ; at c'diers, bronze and iron arms and tools ov(;rlic those of stone, showing that these places were the sites f)f dwellings during the many ages which must have elapsed from the neolithic, or recent stone age, through the bronze to th<; iron age. Among the coins found in the relics of the pile-dwellings at Marin is one of Claudius, which goes to show that in .Switzerland the lake- * " I''„arly Man in luirojje," l)y Charles Ran. \ work giving, in the most interesting manner, an account of discoveries relating to prehistoric times. Tlic Prehistoric Hunter. 43 dwellers were livinjr in their lacustrine villa.i,fes as late as the first century after Christ ; yet neither Ca-sar nor Plin\- mentions these curious dwellin^rs. 'I"he habitations in th(; eastern lakes seem to In.'lonj^ more to the stone aj^e, while those in the west helont^ both to the a^^e of stone and of bronze. Among these bronze implements we find axes, swords, da,<,fj^fers, spear ami arrow heads, knives, ciiisels, sickles, and fish-hooks, which are as well adapted by their forms to their uses as any implcnu'nts of the period of bronze. With tlie exception of the cross-bow. which they do not appc;ar to have us(;d, tlu;ir arms were as effective as any which preceded the period when L,nmpowder introduced entirely different tyjjes (jf weapons. r;, Vi': HEM } :-llw«.T!n-»-.-.rn-,...,-,- .■.-:., „. J t //. ntiiii,.-', iiwasiov/i'ss as air, X he uL: n is my iiolile game; The bouttiiiiig elk\ whose anileis tear Th' />raiie/tes, Jails be/ore my aim. — Ihyant. ii THE BLACK HEAR. Bv CHARLES C. WARD. THE black bear ( Ursus Anicricanus) derives its name from its fui, which is a rich, warm, and extremely glossy jet black, excejot on the muzzle, where, beginning at the mouth, the hair is a fawn color, which deepens into the dark tan color of the face, and ends in rounded spots over each eye. These color-marks and its peculiarly convex facial outline are the distinguishing marks of the species. The tan color becomes, with age, a brownish gray. The largest black bear I ever saw weighed five hundred and twenty- three pounds, and measured six feet and four inches from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail. One of this species seems to possess the power of transforming himself at will into a variety of shapes. When stretched out at length, he appears very long ; when in good condition, short and stout ; when upright, tall ; and when asleep, he looks like a ball of glossy black fur. The black bear of to-day may be termed omnivorous, inasmuch as fish, flesh, fowl, vegetables, fruit, and insects are all eagerly devoured by him. He mates in October, and the period of gestation lasts about one hundred and twenty days. Two to four cubs form a litter. The cubs are always jet black, and not ash color, as some of the older naturalists afiirm. If, according to Mourens, the natural life of an animal be five times the period of its growth to maturity, 1 should think that the black bear's limit was about twenty years. I knew of a cub which increased in size until his fourth year, when he appeared to have arrived at maturity. Many country people and some experienced hunters have seen, as they believe, another species of the black bear, which they name a ranger, or racer. He is described as being a longer, taller, and f ! 50 The Black Bear. \ thinner animal than the black bear proper, extremely savage, and is (.Hstingiiislied by a white star or crescent on his breast. Marvelous tales are related of his ruthless doings, and any act of more than ordinary ferocity and daring, such as the wanton destruction of a large number of sheep, in daylight, in sight of the farm-house, is always attributed to a ranger. It is also said of him that he never hibernates, but prowls about all winter, seeking what he may Jevour, and keeping the farmers constantly on the alert to protect their stock. I have never had sufficient proof to warrant belief in the e.xistence of a ranger bear, but havt; occasionally met with specimens of the black bear answering in some points to the above description. I'^or instance, I have seen several black bears with white crescents on their breasts. The truth probably is that at times, during mild winters, a .stray black bear may be seen prowling about, when, in accordance with all accepted ideas on the subject, he should be fast asleep. This probable fact, and the variation in size and form conunon to all animals, no doubt account for the popular belief in the existence of the ranger bear. The time when the black bear sc^lects the den in which his long winter nap is taken depends on the openness or severity of the season. In any season, he is seldom met abroad after the first of December, and he is not seen again until the first warm days of March. He does not seem particular as to the character of his den, provided it shields him from the inclemency of the weather. A retreat dug by his powerful claws under the roots of a windfall, a rocky cave on the hill-side, or a hollow log, if he can find one large enough to admit him, will serve for a winter home. When, he is ready to hibernate, he is in fine condition and his fur is at its best. When he comes out in the spring, he is in a sorry condition, and is seldom molested unless he makes himself troublesome to farmers. Numer- ous, and curious beyond belief have been the theories and explana- tions offered by naturalists to account for the suspension of the functions of nature during hibernation. An Indian whom I have found to be trustworthy has often called my attention to fir-trees which had been freshly stripped of their bark, to a distance of five or six feet from the ground, and has told me that it was the work of bears that were after the balsam, large quantities of which, according to the Indian, they eat every autumn before going into their dens. li ■'i IfKAD OK HI.Ai K IIKAR (IKSIS AMKRICANUs) DRAWN BY JAMES C. BEARD, AKTKR A SKETCH BY CHAKLEb C. WARU. '>M 1 I » 1 ■ . i. »- i r I The Hhuk Bear. 53 It was his theory that the balsam prevcntcil bodily waste, and that when the bears came out in the sprinj^ they (Uijjf up and ate large quantities of a root which had the effect of restorinj;- bodily functions that iiad been suspciniled durin<,f the period of hibernation. The den is sometimes revealed by a small opening over the bear's placi; of concealment, where the snow has been melted by his breath. When efforts are made to dislodge him, by makinj^ a fire of bouj,dis and moss at the entrance to his den, he will attempt to trample the fire out, and often succeeds. He has, however, a natural dread of fire, and at the first sij^ns of a forest-fire becomes j^^reatly alarmed, and Hies to the open clearinj^s and roadways, I once passed on horseback through a forest-fire which was burning on each side of the road, and most of thi; distance I was accompanied by a large black bear, that was fol- lowing that avenue of escape. It would seem improbable that the young of the black bear were liable to fall a prey to the fox and black cat, or fisher, yet such is the fact. This happens, of course, when the cubs are very young and incapable of following their dam in her siMich for food. The black cat is the most successful cub-slayer. Tin fox, notwithstandir;g his proverbial .sagacity, is often surprised by the return of the bear, and is killed before he can escape from the den. An Indian hunter, who knew of two litters of cubs which he intended to capture as soon as they were old enough to be taken from their dam, was anticipated in one case by a black cat, and in the other by a fox. The latter paid the penalty of his adventure with his life, and was found in the den literally torn into shreds by the furious bear. The fox had killed one of the cubs, when the old bear surprised and dispatched him, and went off with the two remaining cubs. The Indian overtook and slew her and captured the cubs. Upon another occasion, he was not so fortunate. Stimulated by the large price offered b)- the officers of a garrison town for a pair of live cubs, he was indefatigable in his endeavors to find a den. One day, when accompanied by his little son, a boy of ten, he discovered unmistakable traces of a bear's den, near the top of a hill strewn with granite bowlders, and almost impassable from the number of fallen pines. One old pine had fallen uphill, and its upreared roots, with the soil clinging to them, formed, with a very large rock, a triangular space into which the snow had drifted to a depth of ten or twelve feet. The Indian was about to 4A 1f^ t«!i ^IB • 1 *■• 11' 54 7/ic Black Bear. pass on, when he detected the whininj^ of h(;ar-cul)s. My makinj^ a detour, he reached a place; on a level with tlu; bottom of the bowlder, and tiiere saw the tracks of an old bear, l(;adin.i,f directly into the center of the space; between the tree-root and the bowlder. The; old bear, in her comint(s and goin5,,rs, had tunneled a passajj^e under the snow-drift. (i(;ltin,.-■> "'"'Tfef^ --^ AFTKR HONEY. the falling stone, they had swiftl)- and stealthily gone away. The guide said that the two bears which were on the ledge with us were males, and that, as it was the pairing season, the growling we were treated to was merely the preliminary of a terrible fight. During the pairing season, the males congregate in bands and scour the forest, growling, snarling, and fighting. On such occasions, all pru- dent hunters avoid an encounter with them. The females are savage when suckling their young, and will fight to the death in their pro- tection. At all other seasons, both males and females avoid a meet- ing with human beings, but if attacked and wounded, or brought to bay, the black bear is a foe to be dreaded. Their keen scent and acute hearing enable them to detect the approach of an enemy, and to keep out of his way. Sometimes the black bear is hunted with dogs trained for the purpose. The dogs are not taught to seize the game, but to nip his heels, yelp around him, and retard his progress until the hunters come up and dispatch him with their rifles. Common yelping curs pos- sessed of the requisite pluck are best adapted for the purpose. Large dogs with sufficient courage to .seize a bear would have but a small chance with him, for he could disable them with one blow of his powerful paw. Another way of hunting is to track Bruin to his The Black Bear. 6i of lis i winter den, and either smoke or dig him out, when he may be dis- patched by a blow on the head with the poll of an ax as he struggles out. Various kinds of traps, set-guns, and dead-falls are also em- ployed against him. A very efficient means of capture is a steel trap, with double springs so powerful that a lever is necessary in setting it. A DEAD-KAI.I. TRAP. The trap is placed in runs or pathways known to be frequented by bears, and concealed, care being taken not to handle the trap. A stout chain, with a grapnel or a large block of wood attached, is fast- ened to the trap. Even with this an old bear often manages to escape altogether, his sagacity teaching him to return and liberate the grapnel or block whenever it catches upon anything and checks him. He dies eventually, of course, if unable to free himself from the trap, but in some cases he has been known to gnaw off" a part of his paw and leave it in the trap. This mode of capture is open to the charge of cruelty, as the bear is usually caught by a paw, and sometimes by the snout, and the injury not being immediately fatal, the animal nay die a lingering death of great agony. The set-gun, if properly arranged, kills the bear instantly. The gun is placed in a horizontal position, about on a level with a bear's height ; one end of a cord is fastened to the trigger and brought forward in such a way that when i 6a The Black Bear. the bait is attached to the other end of the cord it hanj^s over the muzzle of the gun, and the least pull on the bait discha»-ges the gun, which is protected from the weather by a screen of bark. The ordi- ary dead-fall consists of a numljer of stout poles driven in the ^;iound in the form of a U. in front of the opening is placed a h^Livy log. The bait is suspended from a string within tiie inclos- ur so that it will be necessary for the bear to place his fore legs ovt: the log in order to reach it. The string has connection with a piec of wooil which props uj) the J.ead-falJ, consisting of a luavy log of be.ch or bircli timi)er weighted with other logs. When tlu- bear pulls t ihc! bait, the prop is drawn from under the heavy timber, which alls across iiis back. It sometimes happens that the hunter, to his liscomfort, fmds that his dead-fall has prov(;d fatal to one of his own or his neiglibor's cattle. In tile autumn, bear-hunters take advantage of Hruin's known partiality for raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, and set traps and dead-falls in thi' approaches to the patches, lie also fre<|uents the beech- forests, and his expertness as a climber enables him to obtain the rich mast, on which he grows corpulent. In the spring, when he first comes from his win- _ ter (juartc;rs, he feasts upon the ants antl grubs he discovers b\ industrious digging, or l)y turn ing over decayed logs. Later in the season, when tiie luirrings and alewives run up the streams to spawn, Bruin turns fisherman, and captures the fish by inter- cepting them as they pass over shallow places, and scooping th<.'m out with his paws. His taste for pork and molasses and such delicacies often encourages him to visit the camps of lumbermen, where In- sometimes makes sad havoc. if captur(;d when very young and carefully trained, the black bear becomes tame, but 1 iloubt if he ought to be trusted as a pet M\ own efforts to tame young bears have not always proved successful. It is unpleasant, on returning from a journey, to find your house sur- rounded by the neighbors armed with old muskets and pitchforks, the windows broken, the gardens troddt^n down, your family impris- I: The Black Bear. 63 SACKINli A I.U.MllKU UAMl'. oncd in the cliniiij^r-room, and to be told l)y jour man-servant, who has prudently kept outside of the house, that the pet bear, in a state of ferocity, is in possession. Nevertheless, if one is \villini,r to endure that sort of thinjr, a vast amount of amusement can be \ha out ol a tame bear. I really think that IJruin possesses the s(;nse of humor ; at ail events, his actions |)oint that way, antl there is no doubt that he is extremely cunning and observing. 1 once had an l-Jiirlish friend visitinij me, who played the flute. He was in the habit of marchinjj;' up and down, while playin_-:*r,y- ^^ ,♦*• .* »^ ■ y. .■■».' lie* .V. -* ' * * ' ***** ' j^AtMl^i~ .-^^ ! i i iol- i ■ Bcai'-I liiiitiiig ill the South. 69 Olil Asa tiinunl fVom tin; lake and i)i)ldly cnUMX'd a canchrakc, wc tollouiiii;'. licrc the ibrcinost horse has the hardest time, for he imist hreak the way tor the rest through cane ami ])aml)oo-\ines. Old Asas hors(,', however, like liis master, was a trained hunter, and would wait the stroke of the hunting-knife which cut tlu; vines, to push on ihrouj^h th.e tangled mass. Going through cane, ever\' one is re([uired to take the cartridge from his gun ; or, if he has a muzzle- loader, to take the cap from the tube. A iii'Nir.n's TARAnisr. .\fler crossing a can<'l)rake ridge of half a mile, we I'ntered a large, open wootl, where wc; found a (]uantity of overcup acorn mast, upon which hear and deer feet! during iiie winter months. ruder the liml) of a i)awpaw we saw a fresh buck-scrape. '!"his is made li\- the male deer, while scratching his antlers amid the branilv.'s ahoxc; he scrapes the earth with his feet, ;is a sign for his tawny mate. .\ little farther on, within easy range, we startled thcanllered monarcli from his lair; Init not a gun was raisi'd to arrest his llight. As the deer lifteil his white llag and hounded off, the Nounger ilogs pric fortl ked 111) vir ears anil loo 1 m lull cr\ II iiut a worn m ked an.xiousl)- forward, read) to burst a harsh tone from old .Asa caused IB !fn ■■■■ li i 1 1 70 Bear- Hunting in the South. ■r^T^ % ■::ui ^1 1 fili,, ,•■» 3> fv ■ /iM^- V',^ '^^ ■f i., '■i ;vi: I?.'-. 'J^^s^' , J r \p " ^%i'j' ^ ^^^■- ■ - •*''i ' '-''H'.S-. * ^^ ■ Ht/.'*' *> / ( a f-t'^ , Cf «d' It ; V m^- M ./ .> ' / .' '^r i ^^ . SV .(|n^|4]| (II.U ASA CUTTING THR ASA IN TKUMIMI. monster's heart. The experienced hunter always strikes a bear from the opposite side to which he stands, as the bear is sure to turn to the side from whence he receives the blow ; and woe to the unlucky hunter caught in his death-grasp. As the bear rolled over and expired, old Asa sprang to his feet and exclaimed, as he grasped my hand, "Bully for you, old pard ! A leetle more an' I would have been mince-pie for that tarnal critter, tryin' to save Greeny, than Hoopee, good dogs!" And, at the voice of affection from their mas- ter, they gathered around him, while the old hunter sat on the carcass of the bear and caressed his battle-scarred pets, examining all of their wounds before he looked at his own. It proved to be an ugly, though not dangerous, bite on the calf of the leg. " Hoys," he said, "we are only a mile from camp, and If I can get to the bayou just outside of this cane, I can walk with less pain than 1 can ride through the brake." Refusing all assistance, the old hunter started for camp alone, Ill 78 Bear- Hunting in the South. and, getting into the bayou, wadccl into the cokl water, as he said, to numb the pain. We skinned and cut up the bear, whicii was no easy task, as a bear's hide does not peel off like a eleer's, but is tight on his body, like a hog's, the removal of every inch requiring the assistance of the knife. We reached camp by dark, and found old Asa with his leg poulticed with medicinal herbs, in the virtues of which he was well acquainted. Wounded as he was, the okl man was the life of the camp. He smoked his pipe and cracked jokes at everybody. Calling Hannibal, he instructed him in the mysteries of making a "filibuster." He first took the caul-fat, or bear's hand- kerchief, and spread it out on the inside of the fresh hide ; then he cut slices of liver and choice bits of bear-meat, in the selection of which he was a connoisseur. Between the layers he placed a very thin slice of bacon, all the time rolling it in the caul -fat, occasionally inserting sprigs of fragrant spice-wood, as he said to give it a flavor, until a large meat sandwich was made. Then, sticking a wooden skewer through it, he roasted it before the fire. And a more sa\ory dish never regaled the palate or olfactories of a hungry hunter. In summing up the casualties of the fight, we found two dogs killed and seven wounded — three severely. Quiet at length settled upon our camp, the hoot of the barred owl alone breaking the still- ness of the night. Hut it did not disturb the peaceful dreams of dogs or hunters, or of Hannibal, snoring to the accompaniment of the kettle, which hummed a lullaby as it prepared the head of Hruin for to-morrow's repast. f ■! F()\-HL'N'riN(i IN Xl'W liXCLAM). Ilv ROWLAND K. ROHIXSOX. In New EnjjjIancI ami sonic of tin: northern and middle States, the fox is hunted with two or three hounds, or oftener with only one, the hunter .i^oing on foot and #; armed with a shot-irun or rifle, his method heinj^ to shoot the fox as ^ _ '-^ it runs before the hounds. The fox is proverbially the most cunnint;- of beasts, often eludinjr by his tricks the most expert hunter and the truest hounds. Lonij walks are required, which take one over many miles of woods, hills, and fields, and this in fall and winter when the air is always pure and bracing. In New England, the hunt is for the red fox and his varieties ; the silver and cross foxes, the gray fox of the south and west being almost, if not quite, unknown. I*"rom the tip of his nose to the root of his tail, the red fox measures about twenty-eigh;. or thirty inches, his tail sixteen to eighteen inches including hair, and his height at the shoulder thirteen inches. His long fur and thick, bushy tail make him look larger and heavier than he is. Ot several specimens which I have weighed, the largest tipped the beam at twelve pounds ; the least at seven pounds. The general color is yellowish red ; the outsides of the ears and the fronts of the legs and feet are black ; the chin and usually the tip of the tail, white ; and 79 t L- • ie» Fox- Hunting in Nciu ling! and. the tail darker than the body, most of its hairs hciii},' tipped with bhick. The eyes are near toj^^ether and stronjjfly express, as tloes the whole head, the alert and cunning nature of the animal. The cross fox, much scarcer than the red, is very i)eautiful. It is thus described by Thompson : " A blackish stripe passinjr from the neck down the back and another crossing it at right angles over the 'AN HONKST 1 OX MIST IIVI:. shoulders; sides, ferruginous, running into gray on the back; the chin, legs, and under parts of the body, black, with a few hairs tipped with white ; upper side of the tail, gray ; under side and parts of the body adjacent, pale jellow ; tail tipped with white. The cross upon the shoulders is not always apparent, even in specimens which, from the fineness of the fur, are acknowledged to be cross foxes. Size, the same as the common fox." The black or silver fox is so rare in New England that to see one is the event of a life-time. The variety is as l)eautiful and valuable as rare. Its color is sometimes entirely of a shining black, except the white tip of the tail, but oftener of a silvery hue, owing to an intermixture of hairs tipped with white. It has probably always been uncommon here, for it is said to have been held in such estima- tion by the Indians of this region, that a silver fox-skin was equal in value to forty beaver-skins, and the gift of one was considered a Fox- Hunting in New England. 8i s;icreil pled^fc. (Jnc often hears of silver foxes bein^' seen, l)iit, like ilie bi},f fish so often lost by anglers, they almost invariably get away. AFIKK A lim-.AKKAST. I'oxes are less rare in settled countries and on the borders of civilization than in the wilderness, for, though they find no fewer enemies, they find more abundant food in the open fields than in the forest. The common field-mouse is a favorite in their bill-of-fare ; and the farmer's lambs and the good wife's geese and turkeys never come amiss therein. These are all more easily got than hares or grouse. In justice to Reynard it must be said, however, that when mice are plenty, lambs and jjoultry are seldom molested. In times of scarcity, he takes kindly to beech-nuts in the fall, and fills him- self with grasshoppers and such small deer in the summer. When these fail, — why, what would you? An honest fox must live. When not running before the hounds, he is seldom seen in day- time, except it may be by some early riser whose sharp eye discerns him in the dim dawn, moving in meadow or pasture, or picking his stealthy way across lots to his home woods. In thest; woods he spends his days, sleeping or prowling slyly about in quest of some foolish hare or grouse. It is doubtful if the fox resorts to his burrows much except in great stress of weather and during the breeding season, or when driven to earth by relentless pursuit. I'or the most part, he takes his hours of ease curled up on some knoll, rock, or stump, his dense fur defying northern blasts and the "nipping and eager air" of the rff t I '•i ■ I •'i i . i I ( tl ! 82 I'ox-Uniitiitj^ ill New /iiig/(Hi(/. A IIM'J'V r \MII.V. (oldest wiiUcr iiij^lit. Slicllcr Iroiii rain or snow-storms In- iiniloiiht (•(lly will take, lor In; is not ovcrronril, the vixen liavn)^ set her house in order l)\ clcarim; it ot ruhhish, hrin^^s forth Ikm' ycjim;^, — irom t!iri:e to sis or more at a litter. I his house is sometimes a burrow in sandy soil with s;vi I'al eutranci s : sometimes .iden in the rocks, and sometimes, in old woods, .1 hollow lon^. In lour or h\<- weeks the (jueer little puj^f-nosed cubs he^in to j'lay alioiit the entranc<' I he i!ioiher hunts faitidully to jirovidf' them witii lood, and ma\' sometimes he siut the eiiirance to the lieu ui.iv he seen the wim^s ol domestic jMinlirs. wihl ducks, and -^rons;-, and tin- lev;s ol lamhs. — the Ira^- inents ol many .1 v'uljiine hast. It is a ( nrious lact, and one I have n<-ver seen mcniloned in print, that wlrle tin- cul's an depindent on the ini-iher, a hound will onl\- l(jilow her for a lew miniilcs. ()i the e.xisteni': ol this ]>rovision lor the the VI \' .III Ih ulle SI II )l Mir I, IS u I'ox-I liiHliiii^ ill Nciu liiiifldini. 83 ilir safely o( the yuww^ foxes I liavtt Iiad ocular proof, confinned hy \\v slalemenis of persons wlioin I helii've. In June, iS''jH, an old vi.N'ii was niakinL; sad havoc with one oi niv nelwhliors' lanihs, and .III old fox hiini'T was rojuesled lo lake the field in their deiiiis<:. \\-- pro( to a nei^hhor. •ilie wa'> put out with the other doi^s, with just the same result. The \i.sen was at last shot, while sin: was chasin;( the hounds, who then iiiriied upon Ik f, hiiin'.; .md sliakintf !ier as is their wont when a. lux is killed helon: theii) ; hut my iiieiid, the hunter, told ni<- tlii-\' were as si( k and | woods u\- on ihe s.ame hill. if slir is mu( h (listiu'hed, or il sh' p':'('i\cs thai lii-r hurrow is discover -d, ,h<- speedily I'emoves her \()un;.; to aiioth'-r ret r< at. I h'- \oim'.; lo\<'s I'llUimie to liaiMlt tin- wooil, where lhe\ were I'lsU'id lor some months alter lhe\ li.i\e ( isasi'd lo re(|uiic the care of their mothir and then disperse. i he hahits ahove mentioned .are eomiiKjn to llx' < loss and silver I:Mw.::. And now for the hunt. I'Voni his hclpl(;ss babyhood in l(;afl(;ss April, Reynard has conn:, by the middle of the aiituinn. to months of discretion and to a lar}^(; and intreasinjf capacity lor takinjr care of himself The \v(;a|»- ons are double-barrel shot-^uns, of such weight and caliber as may suit the individual fancy. A v<;ry li^ht ^am will not do the execution at tin; lonj^f ranj^e som(;limes re(|uired, ' ' on the other hanil, a very h(;avy one will beccjme burdensome ih ilic lon^ tramps that ma)- Ix; necessary ; for a man of ordinar\' slrentali, an S-lb. ;^im will be found (|uit(; heavy entni^h. It should be ol a caliber which will properly chamber its full change <: of a had color"; aiicl tlic color of a hound is nion; a matter of faiH V tlian of cxc^cllcncf;. A loud and inrlocHous voice is a most d(-siral)h; quality, and this man)' of our native fox-do^s pos sess in perteclion. A liound witli a w<:ai\ \()ice is a constant worry, and one with a discordant \'oice vext:s tin- ear. When ti)e j^anie is --*■ -^^'^m^ !h 86 I'ox- 1 hinting in Ni'^o I in gland. It is tin; early morninj^ of one of the pcrrf'rct clays of late Octolxr or <.*ariy Xovcinltcr. In the soft ^n-ay lijfhlof th(; t^rrowinjf day, the herbage of the pasliires and the aft(rrniatli of tiie iiKtadows are pearly with frost which is thick and white on hoards and fence-rails. The air is chill hut iinstirn;d l)\ the lijrhtest ljree/.(!, and if the day k(;eps the j)roMiise of the mornint^ it will he finite warm enough for conifortahh; tranipinj^ wiieii tlv siMi is fairly up. ihehoiinds, called from their straw, come yawnin;.; and limping; forth, stiff from the chase of yester dav,l'ntar<;el(-<- trifled with new life i)\ the sight of the guns. 'I he)- career ,d)r)Ut, soiuiding -'I * 1 «i'n\^\i: < Al r.lM, I M. ll'Ifis. I I'ox-Uiiutin^f ill New I in inland. «7 llicy will ^oblilc it r.tvinonsly ciioii^^rli l.()-nii,flil, it lliarations for breakfast. N'ours has hecn ouncls tiic; pasture iyiiij^f alonj,^ liic foot of the; hill, wl the rank ^^rass, mixed with last y(;ar's j^frowth, is ankh; (Icep, where j,'rass and innumerai)le stimips and joj^s afford harhor for onics of field-mice, you fuid "then; is life in the old dojr yet." halls for an instant and snuffs the air; draws toward a tuft of j^^rass and noses it carefully ; his sensitive nostrils dilate ; his staid and sober tail hej^ins, not to the lerc and col- lie '■W"€» I III'. I KAIL. wa<.(, hut to (lescril)e circles; the; serious lines of his hrow hcconir I frown ; he mounts that lot; and snuffs it froni end to (MkI and hack a,L;ain with studious care. Now liis loud, eai^er snuffmL,r has ^rowii to a suppressed challennri-, and ever\' muscle s(;(.'ms strained to its ulmnsl tension, as lie Iclvcs the Jom- and mak{;s a few lopes toward the v.oods, stops for ui instant as il turned to stone, raises his ^'ood .!L,''ray nuizzK; skyward, and awakeus ,ill the woods and hills wiili his de(-p, sonorous voice! That way has RMr way. When the fox returns, if he crosses to the .south hill, he will come down that depression between the ledges which you face ; then cross the brook and come straight in front of you, toward the wood-road in which \()u stand, or else turn off to the right to cross the road antl go up that easy slope to the south hill, or turn to the left and cross on the other hand. Standing midway between these points, either is a long gun-shot oft", but it is the best place to post yourself; .so here take breath and steady your nerves. * mm Fox-Hiiiiti/ig ill Nc7o Eiiglnnd. 91 How still the woods an;! The hoiimls arc out of hi'ariiii^ a mile awa\. No i)rc(vi; sit^hs ihrouj^h the pines or stirs the fallen leaves, file trickle of the l)rook, the penny-tninipet of a niit-hatch, the lij^dit haiiiiiu'rini^f of a ilown) w()0(lpecki;r are the only sounds the strained ear catches. .\II about rise the gray tree-trunks; overhead, ajj^ainst tlie l)liie-,t,n-a)' sky, is spread their net of branches, with here .mil thertt a tuft of russet anil iroUlen ami scarlet leavt;s caught in its meshes. At vour feet, on every side, lie the fadinj^ and faded leaves, but bcarinj;- still a hundred hue-s ; antl thrououdcr rings the "musical confusion of hounds and echo in conjunction," as the dogs break over the hill-top. Now, eyes and ears, look and listen your shar|)est. Bring the butt of your gun to your shoulder and be motionless and noiseless as death, for if at two gun-shots off Rey- nard sees even the movement of a hand or a turn of the head, hi,' will put a tree-trunk between you and him, and v;uiish altogether and " k'ave you there lamenting." Is that the |)attcr of feet in the dry leaves, or did the sleeping air awake enough to stir them ? Is that the fo.x ? Pshaw ! no — only a red squirrel scurrying along a fallen tree. Is that ijuick, Ili! m 92 I'ox- Hunting in yV<7i' /ing/nntf. \ imifflcd tluul \.\\v. (Inini (if .1 partriilj^c ? No, it never reaclu's tin; final roll of his |)C'rtornianct'. It is only tlu; hcatinjj; ot' your own lu-art. lint now you hear tlu; unmijitakahlc nervous rustic of Riy- TO PRSIRnY TllK SCKNT. naril's footsteps in the leaves ; now hounilinjj;' with lonir leaps, now picking,'' his way; now unheard for an instant as he halts to listen. A yellow-retl spot _orows out of the russet leaves, and that is he, cominy^ straight toward you. A <,am-shot and a half away, he stops on a knoll anil turns half-waj' round to listen for tlu; do/ ^'^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SB0 (716) 872-4503 iV V •^^ ^^ ^\ w,^ '^^ .V -^s i It 94 Fox- Hunting in New England. amonjj the frcsh-turnecl furrows, hut with rapid 1(»|m.'s skirts their swarded border, till, at a far corner, his speed slackens as his keen n»>se catches the scent again in the ilamp jjrass ; he snuffs at it an instant to assure himself, then sounds a loud, melodious noti-, and jfoes on i)ayinjf at every lope till the road is reached. Alonj; this he /ij^zajfs till he finds where the fox has left it. .\nd now c«)mes the puz/ling hit of fence. The old ilojr thinks the fox has ^roni- throujjh it ; he goes through it himself, hut fimls no scent there ; puzzles about rapidly, now tryinj^ this side, now that; at last, he he- thinks himself of the top, to which he claml)ers and there finds the missing trail. Hut his big feet cannot treail the " giildy footing" of ti>e rail as could Rey- nard's dainty pads, so down he goes and tries on either siile for the point where the fox left th(! fence. Ranging up and down, too near it to hit the spot where Reynard struck tin- ground, he fails to recover the scent, stops, raises nis nose, and utters a long, mournful howl, half vexation, half despair. .Now he climbs to the top rail further on and snuffs it there. " No taint of a fox's Fox-Hiiiitiiig in Ncto Eiiglamt 95 toot is here," so he reasons, "anil he must have jiinipecl from the Icncc hctwciMi hereantl the phice where I found it," and actinj^on this lt)i,Hcal conchision. he circles widely till he has picked up the trail once more, and j^oes merrily on to the sheej) pasture. Here satisfying him- self of the character of this trick, he adopts the same plan employed at the i)lowed field, antl after a little finds the trail on the other side and follows it to the hill, but more slowly now, for the fox has been i,fone some time : the frost has melted, the moisture is exhalinjj. and the sc(;nt j^rowinj^r cold. The fox has long since reacheil the hill and half encircled it. antl now hearinj^j the voices of the houmls so far away and so slowly nearinj^j. has bestowed himself on the mossy cushion of a knoll for rest and cojj^itation. Mere he lies for a half hour or more, but always alert and listeninv^. while the doj^^s draw slowly on. now almost losinj^^ the trail on a dry ledj^e. now catchinjf it in .1 moist, propitious hollow, till at last a nearer burst warns poor sly- hoots that he must ajj[ain up and away. He may circle ai>out or "play." as we term it. on this hill, till you have reached a run-way on it where you may jjjet a shot : or, when you have toiled painfully up the steep western pitch and havejust reached the top, blown, lej;- weary, but expectant, he will probably utterly disappoint and exas- perate you by leavini^ this hill and returninjr to the one he and you have so lately tpiitted, — yea, he will even intensify the bitterne>-,s of your heart by takinj.; in his way one or two or three; points where you were standiu)^ half an hour ai^o ! What is to be done? He may run for hours, now on the hilif where he was startetl. or he may be back here ajjain before the hunter can have rei^ained that. 'I'o hesitate may be to lose, may be to j,Min. the coveted shot. One must choose as soon as may be and take his chances. If two persons are huntinjf in company, one should keep to this hill, the other to that, or while on the saim; hill, or in the same wood, each to his chosen run-way, thus doublinij the chances of a sh(»t. At last, the hounds may be heard bayinjj continuously in one place, and by this and their peculiar intonation, one may know that the fox. nndini^ his tricks unavailiniL,^ has run to earth, or, as we have it, " has holed." (iuided to hi;, r<;treat by thn voicc.-s of tlu; hounds, you find them there, by turns, bayinjj; an^jrily and impatiently and tearinjf away, tooth and nail, tlv; obstructinjjf roots and earth. If in a sandy or loamy bank, the fox may. with pick and spade, be tluj^ It i \ ,r 96 Fox- Hunting in NcTi> England. ignominiously forth, but this savors strongly of pot-huntinj;. If he has taken sanctuary in a rocky den, where pick and spade avail not, there is nothinj; for it but to call the dojjs off and try for another fox to-day, or for this one to-morrow, when he shall have come forth aj^ain. This is the manlier part, in either case, for Reynaril has fairly baffled you, has run his course and reacheil his j^^oal in safetj. Sometimes an old fox, when he hears the first note of the hounds on the trail he made when he was mousinjij under the jjalinjj^ stars, will arise from his bed, and make off at once over dry ledj^^es, plowed fields and sheep pastures, leaving for the dogs nothing but a cold, puzzling scent, which, growing fainter as the day advances and the moisture exhales, they are oi)liged, lunvillingly, to abandon at last, after hours of slow and painstaking work. A wise oKl hound will often, in such cases, give over trying to work up the uncertain trail, and guessing at the direction the fox has taken, pu.sh on, running mute, at the top of his speed, to the likeliest piece of woodUuul, a nnle away perhaps, ami there, with loud rejoicings, pick up the trail. When after a whole day's chase, during which hope and disappoint- ment have often and rapidly succeeded each other in the hunter's breast, having followed the fox with untiring zeal through all the crooks and turns of his devious course, and unraveled with faultless nose and the sagacity born of thought ami (.-xperience his every trick, — the good dogs bring him at the last moment of the gloaming within range, and by the shot, taken darkling, Reynard is tumbled dead among the brown leaves, great is the exultation of hunter and hound, and great the happiness that fills their hearts, .\iter tramping since early morning over miles of the likeliest "starting-places" without finding any trail, but cold ami sci;ntless ones made in the early night, and so old that the dogs cannot work them out, as the hunter takes his way in the afternoon through .some piece of wood- land, his hounds as di»;couraged as he, with drooping tails and increased sorrow in their sad faces, plodding, dejected at heel, or ranging languidly, — it is a happy surprise to have them halt, and with raised muzzles and half-closed eyes, snuff the air. then draw slowly up wind with elevated noses, till they are lost to sight behind gray trunks and mossy logs and withered brakes, anil then, with a crashing flourish of trumpets, announce that at last a fox has been found, traced to his lair l)v a breeze-borne aroma so subtle that the •^ 1 :i- Fox- Hunting in New England. 97 HKAKINc; IIOMK TIIK tlRl'sM. sense which detects it is a constant marvel. A fox started so late in the day seems loath to leave his wood, and is apt to jilay there till a shot gives to the hunter and hounds their reward. When one sees in the snow the intricate windings and crossings and recrossings of the trail of a mousing fox, he can but wonder how any dog by his nose alone can untangle such a knotted thread till it shall lead him to the place where the fox has laid up for the day ; yet this a good hound will unerringly do. if the scent has not become too cold. To .see him do this, and to follow all his care- ful, sagacious work, are in nowise the least of the pleasures of this sport. It is a favorite season for fox-hunting when the first snows have fallen, for though the walking is not so good, and hounds are often much inclined to follow the track by sight as well as by smell, the tell- tale foot-prints show pretty plainly which way the fox has gone, how Vil n 1 1 1 1 t 1 H'' s ; Fox -I full ting in Nciv England. lon^ lu' has hocn jL(t)ne, and whether it is worth jour while to allow thedoifs to follow his trail ; ami you are enabled to help the hounds in puz/linjf places, tht>uji;h a doj^ of wisdom antl experience seldom neeils TANIALI^INU THE DuliS. help, except for the saviujij of time. A calm ilay is always best, ami if warm enouj;[h for tlu; snow to pack without beinj^ at all " sposhy," so much the better. Thouj^h it is diBicult to " start " a fox durinj^ a heavy snow-fall, if you do start him. he is pretty certain to " play " beautifully, seeminj^ to reckon much on the obliteration of his track by the falling snow. At such times he will often circle an hour in the compass of two or three acres. Cilare ice liolds sci-nt scarcely more than water. This, no one knows better than the fox, ami you may be sure he will now profit by this knowledge if naked ice can be found. He will also run in the paths of the hare, pick his way care- full)- alonij rocky ridges swept bare of snow by the wind, leaving no visible trace of his passage, and, at times, take to traveled highwa\s. If the snow is deep and light so that he sinks into it, he will soon, through fatigue or fear of being caught, take refuge in den or » . . tMtM Fox -Hunting in New linglami. 99 hurrow. If the snow has a crust which boars him, hut throuj^h which thi- hravier hounds break at every step, he hiu^^hs them to scorn as he trips leisurely alonj^ at a tantaiizinj^'ly short ilistance lufore them. Hunting in sucii seasons is weary work, and more desiraljle then is tlie solace ol' book ami pipe by the cozy rtreside. wluTt- the hounds lie sleepiny^ ami dreaminj^ ot' j^lorious tla\ s of s|>urt, alreaily past or soon to come. In winter as in autumn, the sport is invi}.joratinj.; ami exciting, and Nature has now, as ever, her endless beauties ami secrets for him who hath eyes to behold them. To such ihi-y are manifoKl in all seasons, and he is feasted full, whether from the balil hill-top he looks forth over a wide expanse of «^rt)ri^eous wotuls and fields, still <:reen under October skies, or .sees them brown and sere throu«rh the dim November haze, or spread white anvi far witii I )ecember snows. The truest sportsman is not a mere skillful butcher, who is (|uite imsat- isheil if hi! returns from the chase without blood upon his tjarments, but he who bears home from field and forest somethinjj^ better than }^Mine anil peltry and the triumph i-f a slayer, and who counts the da\ not lost nor ill spent thouj^h he can show no trophy of his skill. The beautiful thin.ijs seen, the ways of beasts and birds noted, are what lie treasures far lonjj^er than the luunber of successful shots. in wk Hi I It Iff ' I) i li ■:'' A MKKT AT NKWI'ORT. A^ttm A HUI-FALO HUNT IN NORTHltRN MliXICO. Hv C.KN. I.KW. WAl.LACK. AUTIIllK tis- tiiras of I )urango and Chihuahua, vast enough and rich enough to feed and fatten all the herds of whatever kind owned by men. The resting-places on the way to the desert are Parras. celebrated for its sweet red wines and the wonderful beauty of its site and sur- roundings ; Alamos, most rural of Mexican towns, dominating the great Laguna district, once so coveted by the dead president of the Latter Day Saints; and Mapimi. whence, off the road right or left, lo, the dreatled wilderness ! The towns named are two and three days apart, with certain ranchos between them, but for which the .wayfarer would be com- pelled to bivouac where the night found him, on the ojjen plain or /A ! I02 /t Buffalo Hunt in Northern Mexico. iiiuler some j^rcat rock, anil I am not certain l)ut the plain or the rock woiiKI furnish |)referal)le loiljjinjj. The peon, however, to whom the sunhurnt anil perishinj,' habitations have fallen, is of simple soul, full of eas) content. He anil Nature live close nei^'hhors, and what with much horrowinjiT from her. he has few neeils unj^ratifieil, anil no e.xperience of better thinj^^s to iloj^ him with vain wishes. Of these places of torment — 1 speak as somewhat useil to civilized ways — there rise vividly to mind .Sejfuein. Hocarilla, Tierra Leon, and Salitre. Should my reader be of the class sometimes smitten with a lonj;inj,f for a home in a desert, let me recommend to him a day and nij^ht in Salitre. Besides the solitude of the waste place it is squatted in, the flavor of tmiscit/, in constant distillation, hanj^^s round it all the year. Superb specimen of a low-down rancho, nothinjif need be said of it as a hotel. But these midway stops are not all Bocarillas and Salitres. The hacienda of Patos was the residence of the administrator of the %W; >. » ^ ^,»^gVj^. ^«r, .^ A GROUP OF VAQUEROS. pot, the final preparations were made was like a charge of untrained cavalr\' ; nor might one have said which were most excited, the horses or the men. For a mile or more, after the exit, there was furious racing through a dense cloud of dust. When at last we drew together and halted to let the guide front, we found the party, about twenty in number, all Mexicans but the colonel and myself Mr. Roth had declined the sport. " Who are these people ? " I asked. Don Miguel glanceil over the motley crowd. " Oiiicn sabc, sc/ior/" ("Who knows, sir?") I called Santos and asked him the question. The good fellow immediately rode here and there amongst them, and returned with this answer : "//ay vauclicros — todos." ("They are all rancheros.") A raiic/icro is an independent son of the Mexican soil, generally a renter of lands, always owner of a horse, on which he may be said to live and have his being. To-day a cattle-herder (vaqncyo), to- morrow a soldier, this week a gambler, next week a robber : with all his sins, and they are as his hairs in number, he has one supreme -7 Buffalo Hi nit in Nortluni Mexico. "5 excellence — you may not match him the world over as a ruler, not thoiigli you set against him the most peerless of the turhaned knij^hts of the jcrcciL Once it was my fortune to see a thousand rauc/icros, in iiuliilay jj;arb and mounted, sweep down at a run to meet President Juarez, then en route to begin his final campaign against the hapless 1 lapshurger. They literally glistened with silver — silver on saddle and bridle, silver on jacket and trowsers, silver on hats, silver on heels ; and, as with X'izuts long and shrilly intoned, anil stabs of rowel merciless and maddening, they drove their mustangs — the choicest of the wild herds — headlong forward, the spectacle was stirring rnough to have made the oldest hetman of the Cossacks young again. Xo wonder Kleber never ceased admiration of the Mame- lukes who charged his scjuares over the yellow sands under the Pyra- initls. These, my com pane ros of the hunt, were not in holiday attire, riieir clothes were plain tan-colored leather, yet they rode like the thousand, and when I looked in their faces there was no mistaking the tribal relation. The rancheros of the desert of Durango are lineally akin to the rancheros of Tamaulipas and their brothers of Sonora. My friend and I were well mounted, — Don Miguel had dealt fairly by us, — yet we could not ride like the Mexicans. Their system is essentially different from ours; whereas we use the rein for every movement of the horse, — forward, right, left, backward, check, — they will ride all day keeping it loose over the little finger; a press- ure of the knee, an inclination of the body, a wave of the bridle hand, in extreme cases a plunge of the spur, are their resorts. A pull on one of their bits, one pull such as our jockeys are accustomed to at the end of a race, would drive the beasts mad, if it did not make fine splinters of their jaws. In connection with the excellences of my comrades, it may be well to add that their arms were of every variety, from a Sharpe's repeater to an escopcla, some of the latter being iilentical with the bell-mouthed blunderbusses of good Queen Hess. I noticed one which hail on it a stamp of the Tower ; it was smit with a devouring leprosy of rust, and looked as if Raleigh or one of the later bucca- neers had taken it from the old arsenal and dropped it overboard, as he sailed and sailed. \'erily, I had rather been a buffalo fired at with such a piece, than the hunter at the other end to do the firing. ^i ' k i " ii6 ^/ Buffalo Hunt in Northern Mexico. Wo moved rapidly i\\on\f a plain roatl ; after a leaj^iie or more, the road faded into a dim patii ; anotiier leaj^iie, and we were in the mid-desert. Moved i)y the novelty of the situation, 1 let the party pass me, tliat I might he alone, Afira / \ work! of j^rass, each blade brown or yellowinj^ on the stalk, not dyinj^ so much as curinj; itself — just far enouj^h j^one to rustle at the touches of the winnowinj^ winds ; a world of j^rass with- out a flower, nor even a wee anemone. The trees are few in number and variety. Off yonder is a solitary cabbatje-palm, tall, shajj^gy, crowned with a shock of green bayonets ; it stanils motionless, the image of a listening watchman. Here and there groves thinly fleck the broad brown face on which they endure, in the distance wear- ing the air of neglected apple- orchards. The)- are mescpiite trees, for whicii 1 confess partiality, not for their beauty, but for their coiiraor. The idea and the word, as applied, may startle the reader ; yet I sometimes please myself thinking that in the kingdom of plants there is a degree of the royal (piality. The lichen, up in the realm of the reindeer, and the willow, which survives long burial by the snows everlastingly whitening the echoless shores of Lincoln Sea, must be braver than the palm on the Nile or the redwood on the Amazon. .So with the mesquite of the desert. .Ah, here is one of them close by, — knotted, gnarled, dwarfed, brittle, black of bark, vaster of root than top, yet with a certain grace derived from its small, emerald green leaves, so delicately set on trembling fronds. I have only to look at it once to recognize a hero, not of many tilts with storms, but of an endless battle with drought and burning sun, living sometimes years on nothing but faintest dews. Is it wonderful that it grew branching from the ground so low as to be trunkless? Or that its limbs separated in the beginning, and did their feeble climbing wider and wider apart each day of life, as hate- ful of each other and the humble stem which generated them ? Or that at last, when full grown, yet comparatively a shrub of low degree, thin and wan of foliage, its shade ill suffices to cool the gophers nestling down deep amongst its sprawling roots, or the crickets, panting as they .sing in the gray mosses of uncertain life, stitched like prickly patches on its weather side ? Nevertheless, the tree was disposed to serve me. As I looked at it, thinking of its struggle for life, I was conscious of a warning, — what if I should get lost ? gri*jg»/ <^.^ii< y*t illiAU OV .\Mi;kH\N lIL'l'IAl.H (lllSdN AM1.KIC AMs). IlKAUS in lAMKS t. IIKAKl). S.v ^ !l It S c P P k k P d tc Ol hi V( hi t I 'sssssssmm A Buffalo Hinit in Northern Mexico. 119 I glanced at the sun, that first compass of the first hunters, and rose in my stirrups essayinj,' to single out the direction to the house of Zuloaga. To point the locality of the Spaniard's I<'ountain of Youth had been as easy. Oh, you say, tiie path of coming was plain ! Yes, but — as I found before the day was done — that path was one of millions winding in and out, never a skein of silk so hope- lessly tangled, in and out as impossible of straightening by a novice like me as some sail lives we all have known ; paths worn by wolves galloping in howling packs through the South moonlight ; deer paths; and paths known only to the unlovely red children of Uncle TIIK TANGLE OK PATHS. a. — HoiiHe of Zuloaga. h. — KNUnqtie. Sam, who perennially tear down that way for scalps of women and children and the loot of undefended ranchos ; paths now along the prairie, now through the chaparral, devious and past following and past finding when once lost as the flight of swallows. Oh, if I did know the right one amongst the multiplied zigzag many, and could keep it in shade and shine — keep it truly against the tempting promises of this and that other so friendly and familiar-looking, then doubtless I could make the house. Not caring to make the trial, or to be put to the necessity of making it, I snatched the rein and gave spur to my willing horse. The gallop was over a great pashira, one of the sheep-ranges of our little guide. I did not like the life of the lad. — following the flock as he does day after day, without other companionship except of his dog and donkey, must be lonesome, — yet it is not altogether void of charm. The glories of the enchanter Distance are about him everywhere. If from grasses crinkling under foot, and dwarfed I20 A Buffalo Hunt in Northern Mexico. i I A MAGUKY FIKLD. trees scarce vigorous enough to cover their nakedness with the sug- gestion of fohage, he gazes off over them all, who ever saw a horizon with a span so very, very wide ? If he looks higher to the sky, nay into it, how the blue inverted bowl widens and deejiens as the clear eye shears on, on, through depths to other depths immeasurable ! And looking, lo ! out of them, by some deft magic, — out of the remove of horizon or the added depths of sky, illusions most likely of atmos- phere absolutely purified, or out of them all, it may Ik;, — the; En- chanter evolves for me all the effects of space. Did it the same for him ? And did he feel them as I did ? W'e came at length to a body of water, in the Mexican, an cstamjiic ; in English, a pond. Off a little way a herd of sheep and goats, A Buffalo Hunt in Northern Mexico. 121 f^i M. i^ thousands in number, having slaked their thirst, were wending slowly to fresh feeding-groiinds. A man, joint keeper with our guide, sat by the shore preparing his humble breakfast. Then I knew how the pond made life possible out so far in the afflicted land. The radius of the migration of herd and herdsmen might be wide enough to take in the mountain showing off to our right, like a dab of purple pigment. Whatever its boundarj-, however, this was its center — this rippling sheet, clear and bright enough to live in my memory another Diamond of the Desert. While the horses drank, and some of the more careful ranchcros refilled the water-gourds they habitually carried at their saddle-bows, Don Miguel and the colonel interviewed the herdsmen, whose re- plies were very satisfactory. Our game had spent the night in the vicinity ; the water the other side of the pond was muddy with their wading ; he had even made fires to drive them away, and they left about sunup, going toward the mountains. "You see the trees yonder?" he said; "well, two bulls were there not an hour ago, fighting ; they may be there now. Ouicn sa/h\ sc/lon's/" " It is but a minute's ride — shall we go?" said Don Miguel to the colonel. The latter called to me ; ne.\t moment we were off, leaving the party to follow as they severally made ready. I remember yet the excitement of that ride, the eagerness and expectancy with which we neared the knot of trees, our dash through, ])istol in hand. In quiet hours I hear the shout with which the colonel brought us together. In an opening scarce twenty yards square lay a dying bull. He was of prodigious girth, and covered head and shoulders with a coat of sunburnt hair to shame a lion. Long, tangled locks, matted with mud and burs, swathed his forelegs clown to the hoofs. The ponderous head of the brute rested help- lessly upon the rotting trunk of a palm-tree; the tongue hung from his bloody lips ; his eyes were dim, and his breath came and went in mighty gasps. The death-wound was in his flank, a horrible sick- ening rent. The earth all about bore witness to the fury of the duel. Long time he confronted his foe, and held him with locked horns ; at last, he slipped his guard — that broad forehead with its crown of Jove-like curls — and was lost. Who could doubt that the victor was worth pursuit ? ' ; i 122 A Buffalo Hunt in Noytlicrn Mexico. We helped the unfortunate to a speedier death, and Hngered to observe him. His travels had been far, be""l ,'•->'" «''^,- '^^^^?!^'^^^^^^*^*^'-,^«,|^U- !,, '^ .-^'^anapwgjr^ 1 'Tf If 11 "■*• ii'v"'"Ti 'm!^^^ ■~~^^;7 " -Ij^" -a ^-'.r:"^" ^jSiP-^**^^ \, OUR FIRST VIEW OF THK HERD. flying fur. He alone kept his place motionless and with full front toward us, the perfect picture of confidence, self-collection, and power of toujrhened thews in wakeful repose. In every flock of living things there is a sentinel who watches, a philosopher who thinks, a law- maker who ordains, a king who governs ; and there they were all in one — and more, he was the victor of the morning's duel. I knew it all with the certainty of intuition. The exceeding peacefulness of the scene was not lost on me, and the monitor of the low voice did some whispering ; but — my blood was running races. The heart was beating in my throat, and the hot parch of the hunter's fever was on my tongue. Pity there is no gauge for the measurement of a man's excitement of spirit ; some- thing of the kind should be our next great gift from the wiseacres ; and then, if the invention should happily be simple of reference and easy of portage like a pencil or a knife, we could have with us always a doctor to save us from apoplexies, anil a guardian to say stop at that point in our pleasures where conscience is in the habit of obtrud- ing, like the ghost at the banquet. We had no thought of strategy — scattering, flanking, heading off had no places in our heads, and without an inquir)- from us the wind continued to blow as it listed. A common impulse seized every man and communicated to every horse. ;\ shout, some fierce gouging with rowels, and away we dashed pell-mell, guns in hand, *-i^ m ' ! f 1 \k '' 5 . ! Iill !n i 124 A Buffalo Hunt ill NoH/icni Mexico. Don Miguel in the lead. The startled herd, executing a volt to the rear, stood a moment at bay. The king under the tree shook his crowned head, and viewed us askance. Ha! ha! was he scared? Or, like a veteran general, was he coolly counting the odds before resolving on battle.'* If, at a signal, his army had closed cii viasse and charged us horns down, what a hurry-scurrying rearward there would have been on our part! But no — he had heard the whoop of assault before, and knew all its significance. The pause was from curiosity, as natural to his kind as to a high-bred lady. We heard his bellow, ragged as the mot of a Mexican trumpet ; then he went right-about; whereat there was a general stampede — a blind saitvc qui pent, which, interpreted literally, means, may the devil take the hindmost. Away they went, all alike, the king forgetful of his dignity, and all the queens for once at lea.st self-dependent. Now, if the reader will resolve a buffalo into a machine and make study of his locomotive capacities, it will be seen he was not made for speed. He is too weak in the hind-(iuarters, too jjonderous in the fore ; and as if the fatted hump on his shoulder were not a suffi- cient handicap of the j)oor brute. Nature fashioned his head after the model of a pork-barrel, and hung it so low as to be directly in the way of his forefeet — the very reverse of a horse or a deer. .1 for- tiori, as the lawyers are so fond of sajing, he does not leap when in flight, but rolls and plunges, like a porpoise at pla)-. In short, there would have been shame everlasting in the house of Zuloas^a if our mustangs, outfliers of the desert winds, had failed to overtake the lumbering fugitives in less than a half mile. I do not know what my companions did — a quick concentrating of self seized me, insomuch that I became to the world else the merest husk of a purpose ; the circumstances of the charge, those the eye catches and those the ear hears, looks, actions, words, yell ; even the stirring rataplan of the horses' drumming hoofs and the deep )ass earth-rumble of the game in multitudinous flight — all failed my perception ; for as we drew near the chase one straggler claimed my attention — a heifer, clean built and clean of hide. She was running freely, and could have made better speed but for the slower hulks in her way. I had a thought that she might make better meat than the bigger specimens, and yet another, she might be more easily killed ; and to kill her I bent every faculty. iiji ■luj*:'"'!*." fci m i> - ww < ■ " ■ ""P ■■ A Buffalo Hunt in Northern Mexico. NOW, iikk! 125 The mustang caught the spur; forward — close — closer — by bending in the saddle I could have laid hand on my prey ; then, fully conscious that she was singled out, how she struggled to get away ! How the muscles of her flanks swelled and knotted in des- perate exertion ! The time came to use mj- Winchester. I selected the place to shoot at, just behind the shoulder, and brought the rifle down. Goodness ! 1 was left of the game, when, being right- handed, I should have gone to the right. Three times 1 tried to get aim, but in vain. I laid the gun across the saddle, and drew my pistol — a Smith & Wesson, the best of revolvers then, yet not near so good as now ; for that 1 was in place. T'orward again, and closer in — closer — now, fire ! The bullet lodged in the shoulder. Again, and in the heart; hurrah! INIy horse shied; the rifle fell to the ground ; I barely escaped tumbling after ; the victim moaned, stag- gered, stumbled, fell. Aye, count me one ; and, better yet, count me the KiKsr (JNK ! •-1 4 m ! i ^ t^ i h' 126 ^ Buffalo Hunt in Northern Mexico. Upon coming to, — observe all the words imply, — I was dis- mounted, and in the act of picking up my gun. The conduct of man was never more purely instinctive than mine had been throughout. I make the confession without shame, for 1 am not of those who believe thought must govern and direct what all we do, other- wise there is no credit. In cases of peril bullet-swift, to wait on reflection is to die. Instinct moves us ; we obey, and live. Thought implies conditions, and a final judgment upon them ; instinct implies instant action — something dull men are incapable of. Let me pass the pride and happiness of that triumphant moment. The fisherman who has landed the traditional trout of a famous brook, or a ten-pound golden salmon from the golden beds of the Kankakee, can tell you my feelings ; and to enable a hunter to inter- pret for me, it is only recjuired that he should have bagged a wild goose, flying full-quilled from the Arctics. The mustang was at last reduced to (juiet ; then I looked about. The huntsmen and the herd were out of sight in a trough of the land ahead ; yells and frequent shots signaled their whereabouts. Not another carcass was to be seen ; I had made the first capture ; what if it should be the only one ? While so thinking, — the faintest semblance of a selfish wish lurking under the reflection, — suddenly the noise ceased. Strange ! Something had certainly occurred. I swung into the saddle ; then up from the hollow rode a ranchcro, coming to speak to me, I supposed ; he went by like a ricochetting shot. Others appeared ; the same haste possessed them, only they shou jd : '' Pricsa, scnor ! Los Indios, los Iinlios f" (" Make haste, sir! Indians, Indians!") Ah, the cursed Apaches ! The interruption was not an agreeable one ; in fact, the effect was decidedly chilling ; yet I managed to control myself and ride forward. The last of the mnclicros passed in flight ; only the colonel, Don Miguel, his friends, and Santos and Teodora, remained. " What's up now?" The colonel answered coolly: " The fellows say they came upon Indians in the grass down yonder. I think they are lying." Don Miguel shrugged his shoulders nearly to the top of his head, and fairly hissed : ,iiitfli6SSS^ A Buffalo Hunt in Noyflicni Mexico. 127 " It is nothinir, sir," with an expression of contempt without an cMiuivalent in Entjlish. Santos touched his hat, indicating a wish to speak. " What is it ? " I asked him. "There are no Indians there." "No?" " I stopped one of the men long enough to have him show me where the amijush was, and " he laughed heartily. "Well ?" 1 said, impatiently. "And the buffaloes had run right over the place." We looked at each other curiously. Don Miguel suggested we go see for ourselves, and the colonel supported him with a round declaration that they had taken eight or ten good fat cows, and he didn't like to run away from them to accommodate anybody, much less a thieving Apache. A reconnoissance was determined upon. We rode into the hollow and up it, cautiously following the trail of the herd. " Hist ! " cried .Santos, a little in advance. " Look there ! " We looked, and were startled. Not twenty yards away stood a sorrel pony rudely housed in Indian style. At sight of us it raised its head and whinnied pitcously. Santos went to it, and stooped to catch the lariat about its neck. "■ Jesu C/irisiof" he yelled as if shot. I thought he would roll out of his saddle. " For love of God, gentlemen, come and see," he next exclaimed. We stood not upon the order of going. " Caramba ! " said Don Miguel, reining back. Then the colonel blew a long whistle of disgust, as well he might. An Indian warrior was lying face downward in the grass at the fore- feet of the pony — dead I The stampede of the nuichcros was explained. A worn knife, butcher's pattern ; a hatchet, such as plasterers use ; a redwood bow, short but broad, and variously painted on the back ; a (piiver of arrows : a lance, of the Mexican sort ; a dirty clay-pipe, in a dirty bag of raw tobacco — were the assets of the dead man. In the division of spoils, my friend the colonel took two feathers found in the scalp-lock, indicative, as he was pleased to believe, of ( ., I !l ^li |-1 Hi 128 ^ Buffalo Hunt in Northern Mexico. the hij^h rank of the deceased. A pair of moccasins, taken from the saddle, fell to me ; they were unworn, and soft as a castor j^love. I have them )et. and keep them because they were beaded b)- the warrior's love, the daughter of an arrow-maker who lives in a painted tepee off over the Sierras, by the loud-singing, but lonely, Gila. A visitor now and then comes and casts a doubt upon the tale of the moccasins ; but he always leaves me in disfavor. We agreed to attribute the end of the savage to ugliness, compli- cated with original sin. When the shepherds were told about him, they turned pale and crossed themselves. They knew why he was in wait where death found him. mercifully for them. It remains to say the discovery finished the hunt. The Indian's pony, seven superb buffalo hides, and any amount of meat, were our trophies. The bivouac by the cs/atupic that night was savory with the smell of roasting joints, and ne.xt day. when we bade adieu to Don Miguel and his friends at the door of the house of Zuloaga. all the patios were beautiful with festoonery, which, at the end of a week, was taken down, weighed, and divided. No one ever tasted better canic scat. j If 1 ., : ■»'■■ ' V ii: V !ii ii ! .1 THE NORTH AM1':RICAN CHRVTD.H. (IKORC.K BIRD C.RINNKl.l,, I'll. 1). THl'' deer family includes the most important of our larjje j^ame animals. Deer, of one species or another, are found throuj^h- out the whole of North America, from within the Arctic circle south to Mexico. They are most numerous in the northern United States, where the Arctic forms and those inhahitinj^ more temjjerate reyions overlap, antl here two of the most mairnificent represen- tatives of the family — the moose and the elk — are found. The value of the deer to the aborij^nnes of this continent can scarcely be over-estimated. In many sections of country, the natives formerly depended for animal food almost wholly upon the deer at certain seasons; and at the present day the ICsciuimaux rely, for several months of the year, entirely upon the reindeer for subsistence. L'ntil some time after the settlement of this country by the whites, the clothinj;^ of the natives was manufactured chiefly from deer-skins. Shirts, lei;gings. and moccasins wt;re and are made from the dressed skins of the red, the mule, and the black-tail deer ; while the coarser antl heavier hides of the moose and elk were used for coverinj^ lodj^es, for robes and blankets, and for moccasins, as well as in the manufact- ure of ropes and lines and for a variety of other purposes. At present, blankets antl cheap cotton cloths ha^•e, to a considerable extent taken the place of buckskin in the manufacture of Indian garments. But to-day, the clothing of the Innuit is made almost entirely from the skins of the reindeer, dressed with the hair on, the garments worn next to the skin being made from the summer hides, on which the hair is short and fine, and the outer ones from skins taken later in the season, and therefore; coarser. 9 I : mm 130 T/ie North Amcncan Ccrvidcc. Six unquestioned species of deer inhabit North America. These are the moose (Alec ^Imcricaiui — Jard.), the barren ground caribou ( Rangijcr Granlandiiiis — liaird), the elk { Cciviis CanaUitisis — Erx- leben), the mule deer ( Cariactis macivtis (Say) (.jray), the black-tail dear ( Curiae Its Colitmbianns (Rich.) Gray), and the X'ir^nnia deer (Cariaciis I'irgiiiiauits (Bodd.) Ciray). Heside these, thert.' are several geographical races or varieties, the zoological status of some of which is, however, doubtful. The woodland caribou is a distinct race of the Arctic reindeer, and the California form of the mule deer api)ears also to be a good variety. In the several supposed races of Caiiacus Viri^iuiaiiiis, such as macrnnis, Iciiciirits, Mcxiciviiis, and Coucsi, size appears to be the distingJiishing varietal characteristic. In the six species already mentioned, we have every variety of size and form, from the gigantic moose, which is taller than the largest horse, down to the little dwarf deer of Arizona, which at the withers meas- ures scarcely thirty-two inches in height. Not less is the difference in grace and beauty of form between the various North .\merican mem- bers of this family. On the one hand stands the Virginia deer, whose very name is symbolical of elegance and beauty of motion ; on the other, the moose, huge, ungainly, and, in most of its movements, awkward. With a head more hideous than that of a mule, a neck so short that it cannot reach the ground, legs of immense length, and huge horns shaped like coal shovels, it is as far as possible from being graceful or attractive. But regard it with the hunter's eye, as, when startled, it dashes along with swinging trot, crashing through the forest and making the dead sticks snap and fly in its impetuous career, taking in its stride without any apparent effort the great fallen logs that lie in its course, and in a moment disappearing shadow-like among the bare tree trunks in the distance, and it will be acknowl- edged that, if not a graceful, it is at least a grand animal. Most of the North .\merican deer, however, are beautiful and graceful. Before speaking in detail of the various species of Cctvidtc found in North America, it is desirable to explain just what a deer is. Roughly speaking, all hoofed animals are contained in the order Ungnlata. This division of the Mavnualia includes, therefore, the formerlv accepted orders Pachydcrniata, Rnminaniia, and Solidtin- gtila, which have been discarded by modern naturalists. The group is a very large one, its families being the horses, tapirs, rhinoceroses, ' I KSmUHWW i riiv North ^tmcrican Cerviihe. »3i hippopotami, hoj^s, camels, musk-drcr, ilcer, jfiratTc, ami tlu- Jiovid