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( -^ o

THE SPORTSMAN

ANO

NATFEALIST IN CANADA.

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WILD TURKEY.

I.ondonHurG- &BlMKeUla66

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■■»~r3F f'^^ ^■•"■••iaiisafr;

■>■■

THE SPORTSMAN

AND

NATIIUAIJST IN CANADA,

<^r ^oitn

THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE GAME, GAME BIRDS,
AND FISH OF THAT COUNTRY.

MAJOR W. ROSS KING,

Viiattarlieil ,

F,R.O,S,, F.RA.S.

AUTHOR OP

"CAMPAIGNING IN KAFFIRLAND."

ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOURED PLATES AND WOODCUTS.

LONDON :

HURST AM) nLACKKTT. IHTBLISHEliS,

13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.

186fi.

The right of Translation is reserved.

LOKDON :

8AVir,L AND EDWABD8. PRINTERS, 0HAND08 STRHET,

COVENT OARDEN.

.^V2«

PREFACE.

Few scenes so easily reachfd from our own shores better
repay a visit then the fores. , lakes, and rivers of British
North America.

Whether to the sportsman, the naturalist, or the
traveller, nothing can well be more alluring than its
vast tracts of primaeval forest, inhabited by moose and
caribou ; its gamo-stocked prairies of boundless ovfnnt ;
and its broad rivers, filled with silvery salmon and spotted
trout; flowing through grand and picturesque solitudes,
little known and less frequented.

Taking the St. Lawrence route, the traveller from our
own country is landed at Quebec in about ten or eleven
days. He may revel among the salmon rivers below
that city; strike up-country in pun uit of large game;
make a pilgrimage to the Falls of Niagara ; float over
the great Lakes; till his sketch-book with the glorious
views that everywhere attract the artist; may kill his
grouse on the broad prairies; and be back again before
winter, relating Ids adventures by his own fireside.

PREFACE.

The climate is as healthy as it is delightful, at all
seasons: whether in the glorious days of dimmer, when
ruby-throated humming-birds flit from flower to flower ;
in the glowing autumn, when tints of brightness unknown
in other lands invest the forest with their gorgeous
mantle; in the dreamy softness of that wonderful period
called the "Indian summer;" or in the clear Histenino-
winter, with its sparkling fields of pure snow, its cloudless
blue skies, and merry sleigh-bells.

During . sojourji in these regions, extending over a
period of three years, constantly rod in hand or roaming
the woods with dog and gun, I habitually recorded in my
note-book memoranda on the haunts and habits of the
birds and animals which I have endeavoured to describe
in .!.e succeeding pages; and I can only hope that my
jottings may be useful to those who read them, with the
view of themselves enjoying the same pursuits, and
interesting to those who would recal similar bygone days
of agreeable recreation.

In the following cliapters I liave, as far as regards the
Mannnals and Birds, adopted tlio nomenclature of Baird,
(the most recent writer on the Natural History of his
own country,) and in the remaining division of the work
I am personally indebted to Mr. Nettle, the Government
Superintendent of the Fislieries of Lower Canada, for
details of statistical information not generally accessible,

PREFACE.

Vll

and on which his official position enables him to speak
with weight and authority.

Our great works on Natural History, while too bulky
for the traveller, are only within reach of the few;
separate accounts relating to special localities, when based
on personal and accurate observation, are therefore
always of value. I have accordingly attempted to give
an account of the game, and fresh-water fish, of the
Canadas, with notices of their habitats, which, while
possessing some scientific arrangement, shall be suffi-
ciently free from unintelligible terms to make the work
available for the use of those who have no taste for the
systematic study of Natural History.

Tkktowie, Mdij, 1««J6.

GENERAL CONTENTS.

Decrease of Carnivores-The Black Bear-Its Present Haunts-Head
\7aters of the Ottawa— Distinct from Black Bear of Europe-
Period of Hibernation— Its Duration— Female Bear— Cubs— Hunt-
ing— Fui- of Hie Bear— Indian Superstition— Migration in Search
of Food— Bear Killed at Niagara— The Woli^Districts which it
mhabits— Compared with European AVolf— Habits and Cunning—
Wolf-Hunting— Varieties of Foxes— The Ked Fox— Different from
European One— The Cross Fox— The Silver Fox— Trade in Fox
Skins— Great Value of Silver Fox Skin— The Lynx— It.; Inoffen-
siveness— Variety in Colour of Fiu— Flesh eaten by Indians-
Power of Swimming— Pood— The Wolverine— The Puma— Its
Scarcity— Skunks in Forest— Their Odour— The Canadl.ai Otter-
Erroneously described by various Writers— Distinctions between
It and European Otter— Its Habits— Otter Trapping— Trade in
Otter Skins — Young Cubs ^ 22

II W'JKK li

Variety of Hares in North America-Absence of Rabbits-Distinctions
between Hares and Kabbits-The Northern Hare— Weight and
Description-Winter Coat-Cliange of Colour-Natm-e of Change
—Doubts concerning it— Discrepancies of different Writers— Haunts
of Northern-Hare— Its Latitudes— Abundance in certain Districts-
Malformation of Incisors— Habits— Attacked by the Ly.ix— Snaring
and Trapping— When in Season— Poorness of Flesh— The Grey
" Kabl>it"— Its;general Appearance— The Prairie-Hare— Its Northern
Limits— Abundance of Squirrels— Their Variety— Black Squirrels
—Excellence of their Flesh— Grey Squirrels— Chipmunks— The
Beaver— Former Habitations— Its Sagacity— Popular Fallacies con-
cerning it— Formation of Huts— Gnawing down Trees— Compared
with Kur..pean Beaver— Its Skin— Method of Trapping— Excellence
of Flesh— Present Districts of Beaver pp. 25—38

GENERAL CONTENTS.

<ii\iTi;i; II

The Moose-Parts of Canada in which it is found-Derivation of Name
-Compai-ed with Elk of Europa^o-Asiatic Continent-Its early
Distribution _ Pleistocene and Preliistoric Remains - Gradual
Dim.nution of the Moose-Wanton Destruction-Erroneously con-
founded with Ancient Irish "Elk"-Their Antlers compared-Antlers
at Forglen-Form and Dimensions of the Moose, and general
Description -Its Winter Coat -Growth of Antlers in different
Stages-Manner of Feeding-Formation of the Muzzle-Its Food-
PecuHarity of Hoofs-" Cow"-]Moose— Young Moose or "Calf-
Modes of Hunting Moose-" Calling"-now performed-Response
to-"Driving"_Gait of Moose when Pursued-Herding of Moose
m Canada-" Still IIunting"-Its Difficulties-Qualifications neces-
sary-Herd at Rest-Smnmer Haunts-Destruction of Moose by
Indiana and Settlers-" Moose-Yard"-Besieged by Wolves-Winter
Hunting-Snow Shoes-Bivouac in Snow-Rifle for Moose Shoot-
ing-Moose Flesh-Manulacture of Pemmican-Probable Lon-
gevity oi- the Moose-Preparation and Uses of Skins, Hoofs, and
Sinews ...

pp. 41—09

illAI'TKi; IV

The Caribou-Two Varieties-Compared with the Reindeer-Present
Range of Reindeer and it.s former Latitudes-Early Existence in
Western I'h.rope-Remains found in France, Great Britain, and
Ireland— Difference in Si.e between Caril;ou and Reindeer— Intracta-
bility of Former-Dillerence between their Antlers-Efibct of Food
on Antler Growth-Description of Caribou Horns-Not used for
reniov Snow-Antlers in Foniale-Immatnre Horns-General
Description of the Caril,ou-Infested with Uistrus-Districts wlu.re
found-Nature of its Food-Its Call-Stalking_(ireat Fleetness-
Wmter Ilerds-The W..,piti-Its Southern Limits-Si.,., C'oi.mr ..nd
Antlers-Misnamed " Klk'-Its Habits, F<,od, .tc.-Tl.e American
Deer- Antlers and general Description-Colour of Fawns-Quality
of Venison-Abundance of Deer-Where to be found-Their Foo.l
and Habits-Torch and Fire-light Shooting-Driving-Stalkin-r-
Seasons for-Canadian Winter-Sleigh Drive to Forest-Still
Huntmg in Snow -Mode of securing Carcase- Value of Deer
Skins ....

■ pp. til — 102

GENERAL CONTENTS.

rilAI'THK V

Silence of the Forests— Interesting Birds— White-headed Eiigle— Variety
of Hawks— Musquito Hawk— Owls— Great Horned Owl— Snowy
Owl— Absence of Birds in Winter— Snow-Birds— Esteemed a Deli-
cacy—Their Kescniblance to Ortolan— Arrival of Birds in Spring—
Blue-Bird, Harbinger of Spring— Scarlet AVar-Bird— Orioles— Hum-
uiing-Birds— Familiar English Birds— Characteristics of Country-
Canadian Forest—" May-Apple"— Woodpeckers-Red-winged Star-
ling— Aljscnce of the Conunon Sparrow— Principal Feathered In-
habitants of the Forest^Gam^ Birds of the Coverts and Plains—
Wcders and Water-Fowl— Game Seasons of the Upper and Lower
Provinces — Their Discrepancy — Its Effects — Proposed Altera-

tion .... !,>«,,_
pp. 107—117

(HAPTKi; VI.

The Passenger Pigeon— Its Periodical Flights— Great number Killed—
Breeding Places— The Wild Turkey— Probable Parent of Domestic
Bird— Its Importation into Spain— Early Accounts of— Misnomers-
Mexican Origin— DifFerences between Wild and Farm-yard Birds-
Nest and Eggs— Cralliness of the Hen— Young Birds— Association
of " Gobblers"— Food of Wild-Turkey— Their Wanderings— Former
Abundance— Present Haunts— Difficulty of approaching them-
Season for Hunting— Their Game (Jualities— Use of the Dog-
Gradual Extermination — The Grouse of Canada — Tla- Spotted-
Grouse— Plumage and Habits— Female— Their Size— The Prairie-
Hen— The Prairies— Fires on Prairie— Weight and Plumage of
Prairie-IIen— Singular Call— Female Bird— Pugnacity of Male
Birds— Breeding Season— Eggs— Young Birds— Season for Prairie-
Hen Shooting— Dogs for— Size of Coveys— Food of Prairie-Hen—
Whiter Habits— Prairie-IIen sent to Engli.^h Market— Flesh not
Poisonous— Questionable Advantages of Acclimatizing— The Ptar-
n-.igan- Plumage in Summer and Winter— Where found— Eggs—
The Ruffed-Grouse— Habitat— Its Size and Appearance— " Drum-
ming"-Manner of Walkinc-Flight-Shooting Season-Unfit for
Food in Winter— American Kalmias— The Colin — Erroneously
called "Quail "-Its Plumage -Haunts- Call Note-Season for
Shooting— Introduction into England pp. 121— 16-i

Xll

GENERAL CONTENTS,

MFAl'TKIi V(!

American Butern-Its general Distribution-Appearance-Eggs and
Nest-Excellent Flesh-The Little Bittern - Golden Plover-
D,fferent fron, P^ropean Bird-The King Plover-IIighly Esteemed
- Kdldeer -The American Woodcock-Distinct from European
one-D:mens,ons and Colouring-Its Range-Locdities-Habit^
Season for Shooting-Coverts-Mosquitoes-Difficulty of Shooting
-Dogs necessary-Migration-The American Snipe-Found in
Bushy Ground-Con.pared with European Snipe-Nest and Eggs-
Mzgration to South-Birds left beh:ud-Shooting Season-Dilu-
tion of Snipe-Retur-n in Spring-Curlew-Esqmmaux Cm-lew-
Saudp:pcrs-The American Rail-Its ExceUence-Plumage. Habits,
and h hsht . . o ; i
pp. 167—181

' II M'Tlvi; VIII
Extraordinary Quantity of Wild-Fowl-Number of Geese annually pass-
ing over Canada-Breeding Grounds in the North-British and
Aniencan Species and Varieties of Anatida>-The Trumpeter Swan
gIIT^T '° Tr' ^»-"— THe An.erican Swan-The Canada
Goose-Annual Migration-Cautious Flight-Lost in Fogs-Domes-
tication of-Return to Wild Life-The White-Fronted Goose-
Genera Distribution of_Plumage-The Snow Goose-Note of-
Its Food-Dehcacy of Flesh-The Brent Goose-Seaward Flight-
The ^^M Duck or Mallard-Driven southward in Winter-Stray
Birds--Change of PJnmage in Male-Metliods of sliooting-The
Shoveller-Flesh highly esteemed-Form and Peculiarities of Bill
-Handsome Plumage-Appearance of Young-AssimUation of
P umage-Similarity to European Shoveller-The Gadwall-Its
Shyness and Cunning-Swiftness of Flight-Signification of " Gad-
^vall -Number and Colour of Eggs-The American Pintail-
Superionty of Flesh-Singular Change of Plumage-Feeding in
he Forest-Sleeping on open Water-IIow to approach- Colour
of Eggs erroneously described-The American Teal-Compared
with European-Difference of Opinion concerning-Plumage of Male
and ieniale-Large Size of Nest-The Blue-winged Ted-Rud
ness of Nest Excellence of Flesh-Dislike to 'cold-Retil L
8pn„g_P euharity of Flight-Favourite Resorts-The American
Widgeon-Different from European-Autumn Migration in Flocks

GENERAL CONTENTS.

• ••

Xlll

—Spring Return in Pairs— Habit of Feeding by Day— Fondness
for the Valisneria— The Dusky Duck— Peculiar to North America—
Non- Migratory — Description of Female — The Wood-Duck —
Singular Habit of frequenting Tree*— Nest and Eggs— Carrying
Young— Latitudes of— P]asily domesticated— Oceanic Ducks— The
Eider Duck— Plumage-Female— The Surf Scoter— Peculiar to
America— The Velvet Scoter— Difference between Male and Female
—The Ruddy Duck— Colour of Plumage— Peculiar Form of BiU—
Different Colour of Female— The Pied-Duck— Inferiority of Flesh-
The Scaup— Nature of Food— Origin of Nam.- -Difficulty of ap-
proaching-The American Scaup-Not mentionea by Naturahsts-
Difference between this and former Bird— Comparative Scarcity—
The Ring-necked Duck— Confounded with Tufted Duck— Colour
of Plumage-The Buffle-headed Duck-Instantaneous Diving of—
Difficult to Kill— Colour and Markings— Irregular Migration— Dif-
ference in Female— Found in Great Britain— The Harlequin Duck
-Abundant in Gulf of St. La^vrencc-Breeding Places-Neatness
of Nest-Incubation— Males in Flocks— Excellent Flesh— Beauty of
Appearance— Size of Female— Seen in England— The Canvas-back
Duck— WeU-known Delicacy-The Valisneria favourite food-
Resorts of Canvas-back-Colour and Markings-Compared with
Pochard— Appearance in Canada— Numbers killed— Methods of
Shooting— Accompanied by Widgeon— The Red-headed Duck—
SimiLirity to Canvas-back-Tlie Long-tailed Duck-Irregular Ap-
pearance of-Inferiority of Flesli-Tail-feathers-Common in Scot-
land in Winter-The Smew-Handsome Appearance - Hooded
Merganser -A North American Species - Strikingly marked-
Smaller Size of Female-Red-breasted Merganser-Goosander-
Its wary Habits-Diving pp. 185-230

AI'TI

i.\

The Fisheries of Canada-Imperfectly known in this Country-Their
great Extent and Value-Number of Salmon Rivers-Large Trade
in Dried and Salted Fish-Their ExporMtion-Immense Takes-
Importance of the lesser Waters-Variety of Fish in the Lakes and
Rivers-Former greater Abundance of Fish-Causes of the Diminu-
tion-Legislative Protection-Revival of the Fisheries-Great Con-
sumption of Eels— Torchlight Spearing . . pp 245—252

XIV

OENEKAL CONTENTS.

U t*

OltAPTKIi X

The Salmon— Distance found from the Sea— Its Ascent of the Rapids-
Breeding in Fresh Water— Scarcity of Salmon in Ontario— Its
Irregular Distribution— Preference of Salmon for cold Rivers-
Proposed Restoration of Rivera of Ontario—" Open Season"— No
Rod-fishing in Upper Province— Beautiful Sail down the St. Law-
rence—The Thousand Isles — Tlie Rapids — Quebec — Fishing
Licences— Rentals of Fisheries— Government JIanagement of Rivers
—How taken— The Jacques Cartier— Rivers near Quebec— Mode
of reaching lower Salmon Streams— Salmon Flies— Fislieries of
Northern Shore of Gulf— The Saguenay and its Tributaries —
Principal Salmon Rivers below the Saguenay — Fine Scenery —
List of Fish killed in the Godbout and IMoisie— Mischief done
by Spearing— Salmon Rivers of Southern Shore of the Gulf— The
Gaspd District— Its Rivers— Size of F:sli— Tl,e Trout— Variation
of Colour-Instanccis of Transformation-Fishing Season— Average
Size of Trout— Trout not to be netted in Canada— Artificial Flies-
Falls of Mor.tmorenci— Trout Streams in NeighlDourliood of Quebec
—The Lake-trout— Its Sluggishness— The Mackinaw Trout— Peculiar
to Northern Lakes— The Sea-trout— Artificial Fly for— Where to
be found -Good Sport -The White-fish - Peculiar to North
America— Description of White-fish— Numbers ttiken— Supposed
Food of White-fish-Delicious Flesh-Worthy of Introduction into
this Country 265-297

( IIAl'THR M

The Canadian Shad— Compared with that of Europe— Excellence of its
Flesh— Confined to the Lower St. Lawrence— Its Size and Appear-
ance—The Pike— Specifically identical with ours— Native of North
America— AVidely distributed— IMethods of Trolling— Habits of
Pike— Their Presence in isolated Water.s-Ancient Ideas concerning
—The Masq'allonge— Derivation of Name— Its Resemblance to the
Pike— Its enormous Size— Habits— Capture of— Waters inhabited
by— The Carp— The Chub— The Bream— Bait fishing for— The
Dace or " Shiner"— The Roach— Fishing Parties— The Sucker—
The Cat-Fish — Its ugly Appearance — Prescience of comin-
'■^^"^"^^ 301-312

GENKRAL CONTENTS.

CIlAl'TMli XII

The " Tom-Cod"-Ita annual Arrival in the Gulf of St. Lawrence-Pish-
ing through the Ice— Freezing and Resuscitation— The Yellow Perch
-Varieties-The Bhick-Basse-Fly.fi«hing for-Excellence of Sport
-Black-Basse pecuUar to North America-Its Colour, Form, and
Weight- Where found-Gregarious Character— Worthy of Acclima-
t.zation-The Kock-Basse-Its Weight and Colour-Qualities-
Abundance-The White-Banse-Common in Upper Lakes-A bold
B,ter-The Striped-Bass*,— Common to Salt and Fresh Water-Its
Great Size-Markings and Appearance— The Oswego Basse-Errors
concerning it-The Common Lake Sheepshead-The Black Sheeps-
head-Confined to the Upper Lakes-Its Resemblance to the Perch-
An excellent Pish-The Sturgeon-Its immense Growth-Abun-
dance in Lake Ontario-Absence in Northern Rivera-Sturgeou
Meat— Trade in Sounds 315--326

ERRATA.

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%e 85, Lne 2 fro. bottom. /„..., f„,,.^^^,.. '

" ««.i-]6../....h„,.,^,..^.^^., ^'^-.,.artersofafoot.'=

ILLUSTRATIONS.

COLOURED PLATES.

W WILD-TURKEY FrontUpiece.

'the PRAIRIE-HEN to face pag. l^

THE CANADA, AND RUFFED-GROUSE xM

"the white-fish 290

S-HE MASQ'ALLONGfi g^g

THE BLACK-BASSE .... »,-

WOOD ENGRAVINGS.

FALLS ON THE OTTAWA „

CANADIAN LAGOON 88

THE MOOSE ....

• • • .09

THE CARIBOU

AMERICAN DEER .... ^^

THE THOUSAND ISLES ^yj

FORT MISSISSISAUGUA .

164

FALLS OF MONTMORENCI j..

WOOD -DUCK

EEL SPEARING, LAKE ST. FRANCIS jfiS

THE CEDAR RAPIDS ^^

NIAGARA RIVER, AND LAKE ONTARIO . , . . . . jjj

LOWER NIAGARA RIVER gjg

DrVTSION f.

iHammalfi,

CHAPTER I.

DECREASE OP CARNIVOUES-THE BI.ACK BEAR-ITS PRESENT nAUNTS-
DISTINCT FROM BLACK BEAR OF EUROPE-PERIOD OF HIBERNATION
—ITS DURATION— FEMALE BEAR— CUBS— HUNTING-FUR OF THE
BEAR-MIGRATION IN SEARCH OF FOOD-BEAR KILLED AT NIAGARA
—THE WOLF— DISTRICTS WHICH IT INHABITS -COMPARED WITH
EUROPEAN WOLF — HABITS AND CUNNING — WOLF-HUNTING —
VARIETIES OF FOXES-THE BED-FOX-DIFFERENT FROM EUROPEAN
ONE— THE CROSS-FOX— THE SILVER-FOX— TRADE IN FOX SKINS-
GREAT VALUE OF SILVER-FOX SKIN— THE LVNX-ITS INOFFENSIVE-
NESS-VARIETY IN COLOUR OF FUR-POWER OP SWIMMING-FOOD-
THE WOLVERINE-THE PUMA-THE CANADIAN OTTER-ERRONEOUSLY
DESCRIBED BY VARIOUS WRITERS— DISTI.NCTIONS BtrWtEN IT AND
EUROPEAN OTTER-HABITS-OTTER-TRAPPING-^TRADE IN OTTER SKINS
— YOUNG CUBS.

B 2

■- ?'.!":'<MI!r.M'U« m um. '

CHAPTER I.

€nxmboxn.

r\F all the mammals of the Canadas, few perhaps have
receded before the advancing strides of civilization
more rapidly than the Carnivores, which— though com-
mon enough but a few years ago— exist only at the
present day in the most remote wooded tracts, and are
yearly decreasing in numbers.

The most important and valuable among them,
namely, the Black Bear (Ursm Americanus), has pro-
bably diminished less than other species, and is still not
uncommon in the country lying between the southern
side of the St. Lawrence, and Gaspc; and also in the
district at the head-waters of the Ottawa, the scenery of
which alone, with its foaming falls, rugged rocks, and
noble timber, would well repay the journey thitlier.
The motionless forests of stately pine, the still lakes, and
the solemn silence of an utterly wild country, convey the
impression of a land unchanged since the Deluge. A
few Indians, or a stray lumberer with equally dark skin
and even wilder locks, are the only signs of life; but the

iSP*!

URSIDiE,

woods that stretch
all inhabitc

away north, east, and west, are

by bears, wolves, foxes, and herds of

deer.

The Black Bear of North America has been confounded
with that of Europe, but it is a distinct species, and
may easily be distinguished by its smaller head and
the greater height of the forehead; its ears are also
longer and its feet smaller than those of the latter
animal. This Bear appears to be peculiar to North
America, and no remains of it, as far as I am aware,
have ever been found either in Europe or Asia.

Its usual winter retreat is in some hole among the
rocks, or under the trunk of a faUen tree, and here it
sleeps away the long cold months. The period of its hiber-
nation varies in length in different latitudes, and also
according to the variation in the seasons of particular years,
commencing and terminating with the continuance of the
snow upon the ground. With the she-bear this period
is also that of gestation, which lasts for four months, and
with a view to the future safety of her young, she gene-
rally selects for her retirement the hollow of some trunk,
broken off by the wind at a sufficient height from the
ground to render approach difficult. The cubs vary
in number from one to four.

As may be supposed, the bear, when deeply covered
by the snow, is not very liable to discoverv; but in the

THE BLACK BEAR.

summer and autumn months it has a habit of scratching
the trunks of the trees with its claws, by frequently stretch-
ing itself, as the cat often does ; and even without this
indication of its proximity, the well-worn path which it
makes between the nearest water and its bed in the
tangled thicket or tall reeds soon betrays it. A mongrel
pack of dogs, trained to the work, is employed to track
and bring it to bay, afterwards teasing and attacking it
while the hunter watches his opportunity for a deadly
shot at the breast or behind the shoulder. On the dis-
cretion and pertinacity, rather than on the courage of
these dogs, depends very much the safety of the
hunter; for though naturally timid and inoffensive,
the bear, when wounded or attacked, is a formidable
antagonist to encounter, a full-grown animal standing
about three feet high, and measuring frequently five
feet in length.

The colour of the fur, with the exception of a light
brown patch on either side of the muzzle, is of a uniform
deep black over the whole body. The hair being very long,
straight, and evenly laid, gives the coat a remarkably
soft and sleek appearance, and the skins (though they do
not fetch so much as they used to do) are always in re-
quest, whatever may be the fluctuations in the demand
for other furs. They are especially in esteem as Avraps for
sleighing. Nothing can be richer and more handsome in

""^TiiiiiBir.^

■raai

URSIDiE.

appearance, especially when in contrast with the sn w,
than a set of " sleigh- robes " of black-bear skin, trimmed
with scarlet. The summer hides are cut by the Indians
into cords, which are used for a variety of purposes; and
the claws are highly valued as necklaces. The flesh, which
is much eaten by these tribes, is white, devoid of flavour,
and rather greasy than fat. Mr. Ross, of the Hudson's
Bay Company's Service, alluding to the extensive use of
the fat as a pomatum, does not coincide with those who
esteem it as a hair renovator, but on the contrary, says
that when used pure, it is more likely to cause the hair
to split and fall out.

The principal food of the bear consists of roots,
wild fruit, acorns, nuts, masts, and berries of different
kinds, chiefly that called the " blueberry;" and it is also
in the habit of eating various kinds of insects. Though
less carnivorous than vegetarian, it will, when pressed
by hunger, occasionally carry off a young lamb or pig from
outlying farms, but commits more serious depredation on
the fields of young maize, thereby bringing on itself the
wrath of the settler, by whom it is always remorselessly
hunted down. The Indians are more superstitious in this
respect, for as Sir John Richardson* says, "Many of the
native ti-ibes of North America will not join the chase till

* Fauna Borcalis Americana.

THE BLACK BEAR.

they have propitiated the whole race of bears by certain
speeches and ceremonies, and when the animal is slain
they treat it with the utmost respect, speak of it as a
relation, offer it a pipe to smoke, and seldom fail to make
a speech in exculpation of the act of violence they have
committed in slaying it, although the hunter at the same
time glories in his prowess. This veneration for the
bear seems to have arisen from the ability and pertinacity
with which it defends itself; and it is interesting to
observe in how similar a manner the same feeling mani-
fests itself in tribes speaking diverse languages, and
widely separated from each other by geographical posi-
tion."

Scarcity of food sometimes compels It to migrate
from one part of the country to another, and even to
venture into populated neighbourhoods. I saw one
brought in to Niagara, which had been killed within a
mile or two of the town, but it was in very poor condition,
and had evidently got lost in searching after the food
which its own forests no longer afforded.

The Racoon {Procyon lotor) tliough much more abun-
dant in the United States than in Canada, is not unfre-
quent in some parts of the country, as in the districts
of Argenteuil and Ottawa.

Not unlike the badger in general appearance, though
with longer legs, it has a sharp, pointed nose, short

. ;

URSIDifi.

round ears, and a bushy tail. In point of colour
it varies a good deal, but is generally grey and
different shades of brown, the hairs being tipped with
blade. Of two skins in my possession, obtained in
Upper Canada, one is grey and brown mixed, the other
entirely brown, with very dark extremities to the
longer hairs. Along each side of the face is a brown
stripe; the under parts are whitish, and the tail is marked
with alternate black and yellowish-brown bars.

The Racoon preys upon wild ducks, for which it
watches among the thick reeds at the edge of swamps, and
also greedily devours their eggs; it has no objection to
mussels and frogs, and like the bear, is very partial to
fields of growing maize. As soon as its presence is
thus discovered in the neighbourhood, the farmer takes
advantage of the first moonlight night to compass its
destruction by the aid of dogs trained for the pur-
pose, which, casting about till they strike the scent,
chase the animal to the foot of some large tree, in which
it is its invariable habit to take refuge. The barking
guides the party to the place, and the only difficulty
then is to discover the object of their chase, which
is sufficiently cunning to lie flat on the large branches
and keep as much of its body out of sight as possible, so
that mthout the aid of a blazing fire it is not easy to get
a shot at it. The flesh is said to be excellent.

THE WOLF,

The Wolf, in certain districts, is more abundant
than the bear, as on the St. John River, and in
many of the northern parts of the country. A
considerable difference of opinion exists among natu-
ralists, as to whether or not there is any real difference be-
tween the European and American animals. Richardson*
distinguishes the latter as having a thicker fur and a
more robust form than the other; a nose less pointed,
and profile not so straight; with shorter legs and
ears, and a more bushy tail. Bairdf considers it
difficult to occupy a middle ground between consider-
ing all the American wolves as one species with many
varieties, or making all the varieties into as many distinct
species. -Until better means of comparison and determi-
nation indicate otherwise, he prefers t consider them all
as one species, and assuming this to be distinct from the
European one, which however is not yet proved, employs
Richardson's provisional name of Canis occidentalis for it.
The variety now under notice {C. occ. var. griseo-
albus), which is the only one found in Canada, is fre-
quently observed to exhibit very different shades of
colour; generally speaking, however, it is of a reddish-
brown tint, grizzled with scattered white hairs. The tail

* Fauna Borealis Americana,
t Report on Zoology of Pacilic Routes : WaMngton, 1857.

OANIDiB.

is bushy, and the liair round the nock is considerably
longer than on the rest of the body. It is gregarious,
and also very uncertain in its movements, sometimes
suddenly deserting a particular district without any
apparent cause; or, after having long forsaken the neigh-
bourhood, as unexpectedly reappearing, probably to the
great loss and terror of some luckless settler's sheep.

Wild and cunning as the Wolf appears to be in its
mature age, it is nevertheless easily tamed if taken
young; instances are on record of its associating with
common dogs, and learning from them the habit of bark-
ing; but its sagacity later in life renders its capture very
difficult. Most other animals fearing danger from a trap
would cautiously avoid it altogether, but the Wolf, with a
perfect discrimination of its exact nature, carefully under-
mines it, so as to remove the bait from beneath, unhurt.
With set-guns also they have been known to bite off the cord
close to the trigger, and then devour the tempting morsel
placed in front of the muzzle ; and Mr. Ross, H.B.C.S.,
writing in the " Canadian Naturalist and Geologist," men-
tions the fact of a wolf having on more than one occasion
hauled up the fishing lines set in a hole cut through the
ice, and helped itself to the fish. They are in the habit
of following the camps of hunters and Indians for the
sake of the scraps and refuse; they also form them-
selves into bands, and systematically hunt the deer and

^ '^M

THK WOLV.

young moose with cxtraordinnry cunning, and a display
of what can only be termed forethought.

They are killed in considerable numbers by means
of traps and pit-falls. The latter are holes about
seven feet in depth, wider at the bottom than at
the mouth; these arc overlaid with sticks and grass
at the beginning of winter, and when the snow has
entirely covered them, the bait is carefully laid over
the centre of the nit, falling into which the animal is
easily despatched. On the prairies they are sometimes
killed by large parties of Indians, who form a circle
extending over many miles of country, and gradually
approaching in a lessening ring, enclose frequently
a number of wolves together, when they are de-
stroyed with heavy clubs, tomahawks, and stones, and
occasionally with guns ; though there are palpable
objections against shooting from opposite points of
a small circle.

Among the several distinct types of Foxes belonging to
North America one species only is found in Canada, which
species {Vulpes fulvus) contains three varieties, viz., the
Eed Fox, the Cross Fox, and the Silver Fox.

The Red Fox ( V. fulvus) was till quite lately con-
sidered as identical with our common fox (F. vulgaris),
but they differ considerably, the Canadian animal
being a good deal larger, and its colour a much

CANIUifl.

' \

brighter red, while the coat is also far longer, softer,
and more silky. As with the wolf, its muzzle is not
so sharp as in its European congener; the feet, too,
are stronger and more completely covered with hair
beneath. Lastly, the brush is darker and very much
fuller, and is composed of ai. under fur, having long
hairs growing through it; the tip being pure white.
The chin is also white, a dark grey stripe runs under
the throat and chest, and the anterior faces of the legs
are black.

The Cross Fox (V.f. var. decussatus), so called from a
dark mark across the shoulders, not unlike that in the ass,
is perhaps rather larger than the preceding ; the sides and
neck are a reddish yellow, and the legs and under parts of
the body are black; the tail, which is very full, is of a
blackish hue, the extreme point being white.

The Black or Silver Fox ( V. f. var. argentaiiis) is a
shining black, grizzled with silvery grey on the back, the
loins, and the thighs, and less conspicuously on the
shoulders and along the tail, the extreme tip of which is
perfectly white, as are also the under parts and feet; they
vary, however, a good deal in colour.

An important trade is carried on in foxes' skins, and
large quantities are annually sent to England of all
descriptions, those of the Cross Fox, and Silver Fox being
exceedingly valuable ; indeed, so g^eat is the beauty of the

THK LYNX,

fur of the latter variety, and the rarity of the animal itself,
that a superior skin is worth as much as from 20/. to 30/.
Many of the remote forests, especially those on the
southern shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, are inhabited
by the Lynx, or, as it is generally called, Catamount-
Lynx Canadensis. Xituralists are now inclined to return
to the opinion of Pennant, thai the Lynx of Northern
Euroi^ and this are identical. Though rather a large
animal, measuring nearly three feet in length, with thick
and powerful looking legs, it is harmless and inoffensive,
and flioa from man rather than face him ; nevertheless,
when brought to bay or met unexpectedly at close quarters
it will set up its back and spit like a cat. It is, however,
so easily killed, that an ordinarily severe blow with a stick
is sufficient to despatch it.

Its appearance is too well known to need descrip-
tion : its disproportionately large hind-quarters, round
head, and long ears tipped with tufts of black hair,
being familiar to all. It varies a good deal in colour;'
sometimes it is a hoary brown, at others n'^arly grey,'
and often of different intermediate shades. The coat
is very thick and close, and the under hair lead
colour. The throat is white, and there are several very
dark marks through the whiskers and on the sides of
the neck.

The Lynx is hunted chiefly for the sake of its skin,

I' *

FELIDJE.

which, however, is not very vahmble, and the Indians eat
the flesh, which, though white and tender, would not, as
may easily be imagined in an animal of i he cat kind, be at
all appreciated by a European. It has a veiy unfeline pro-
pensity of taking to the wnter, and swims remarkably
well, sometimes crossing rivers of more than tAvo rniles in
width. On land it i.^ " singularly free bounding gait.
It preys on birds, f . L?irre';' or any other small animals
that come in its wa_ it is a deadly enemy of the so-
called "rabbit," and is said to be very destructive to
young lambs.

The name " Carcajou" is erroneous as applied to
this animal. It is used chiefly in the United States, to
designate the glutton or wolverine,* which belongs to
another family, and is at the present da}' seldom heard of
in either of the Provinces, inhabiting more generally
the higher latitudes.

I have only seen, in Canada, one specimen of the
Puma (Felts concolor), and that was shot a few miles
from St. Catherines by Dr. Maitland, R.C.E.

It is a much larger animal than the lynx, though the
head is smaller in proportion, while the tail, which is
slightly tufted at the extreme point, is very long. The
colour of its fur is observed to change at diff'erent periods

* Qiilo Lusctts.

THE PUMA.

of the year, but is perhaps most commonly a yellowish
brown, darker on the back, and greyish white on the
belly.

This is the same Puma as that of South America, and
in both continents is very widely distributed. In the
United States it is styled a "Painter!" It is a most
destructive enemy to sheep, killing sometimes scores in a
single night, in apparent wantonness, and on this account
has always been systematically hunted down by the
farmers, so that it is not to be wondered at that it should
have so greatly diminished in numbers in Canada of late
years that at the present day it is only to be found in
the largest tracts of Avood, and at rare intervals.

Any one who has roamed much in the Canadian forest
must have often come across the sickening trail of the
skunk,* called by the French Canadians Enfant du diahle.
This horrid little animal, which is of the weasel kind, has
a beautiful coat of jet black, broadly marked with two
lateral stripes of white ; and on account of its extreme
softness, as well as beauty, the fur is much sought
after by dealers. But so disgusting and powerful is the
odour emitted by this creature, that nothing can with-
stand it: no dog can be induced to approach the track it
leaves behind, still less to attack the animal itself. I

Mephitis mephitica.

MlJSTliLlD.li.

have more than once, when shooting, been obliged
to rush with suspended breath past the spot where a
skunk had crossed, and on one occasion was compelled
to beat a hasty retreat from a small inn near Chippewa,
in consequence of one of these animals having been killed
in the cellar several hours previously. In similar cases,
it is said that any food in the place, even though not
actually touched by the aninuil, is so infected by the
penetrating scent, that It has to be thrown away. Not-
witlistandiiig this offensivencss, its own flesh is said to be
excellent. The odoiu-, which the skunk emits as a
means of defence from its enemies, proceeds from a liquid
..ocreted in two caudal glands ; these having been removed,
the animal may be domesticated without fear, and cases
are known in which it lias become as tame as a cat.
Its food is young birds, mice, frogs, and the eggs of
ducks or poultry. Its strong and sharp claws enable it to
burrow or to climb with equal facilitv; in winter, for
instance, it lives entirely underground, but forms its
nest in summer and brings forth its young, which are
six or eight in number, as often high up in a tree as
in its hole.

The Canadian Otter {Lutra Canadensis), though com-
mon enough in all parts of the country, has for some
unaccountable reason been singularly misrepresented by
various naturalists.

THE CANADIAN OTTKR.

Goldsmith, contrasting it with the European animal,
actually informs us that "it is usually found white,
inclining to yellow !" According to Sir John Richardson,
Cuvier has confounded it with the otter of Brazil; while
Pennant* considers it identical with the common Eurojjean
otter; and BufFon describes it as differing from the latter
in its size and hue. In the " Fauna Borealis Americana "
its length is correctly given as " five feet, including the
tail, wliich measures eighteen inches;" but in another work
we are told that it measures only two feet in length, and
that the tail is not more than ten inches Ion"-

The principal distinctions between it and the common
otter of our own country are its superior size, and the
very much darker colour of its fur. This is a very
deep brown, which in summer, and if the animal is
in good condition, is often nearly black on the back,
the upper side of the tail and on the legs; the under
parts are lighter in their hue; and the sides of the
head, the throat and breast are grey with a brownish
tint. They are found to increase in darkness and
depth of colour further north. A peculiarity also, which
is not found in the European otter, is that tlie fur
on the under parts presents the same glossy appear-
ance as the upper. In point of size, the Canadian

* Arctic Zoology.

MUSTELID^.

■

Otter is considerably larger than the other, and its tail
is also less taper.

In habits the two are precisely similar ; they live in
holes in the banks of lakes and rivers, preferring those
waters where the bottom is stony; when unsuccessful
in procuring fish will take almost anything that comes
in their wa}^, not refusing even a vegetable diet occa-
sionally; but are dainty enough when their favourite
food is plentiful, selecting only the choicest portions of
each fish, and leaving the rest in disdain.

The Otter is sometimes shot at a considerable distance
from the water, being in the habit of travelling during
the winter from place to place in search of unfrozen
streams, and for that reason is then most commonly found
at the foot of waterfalls, or in the proximity of rapids.
AViien surprised, away from its retreat, and especially in
snow, it is very quickly overtaken; but it has an un-
pleasant habit of snapping savagely at anything ap-
proaching it, and its bite is very severe. I have heard
an instance in which one, after being mortally wounded,
left the marks of its teeth deeply indented on a gun-
barrel. If it succeed in seizing a dog incautious enough
to have come within range of its fangs, nothing will
induce it to relintiuish its hold, and even after death it
is sometimes with difliculty that its jaws can be parted
to release the victim. Notwithstanding this apparent

-t

THE CANADIAN OTTER.

ferocity, the Otter is in reality an animal of a naturally
gentle disposition, and if taken young may be rendered
so tame as to follow its owner. This I have seen in
India, and there are, I believe, instances known in which
the European animal has been trained to catch fish for
its master.

In its own holes or in tlie water it is not easily
attacked; there is no such sport as our otter-huntino-
practised or known in Canada, and the animals are
generally taken by means of the trap. This is one size
smaller than that used for taking beaver, and very
strongly made; the ordinary method being to set it
just under water at the foot of the "slide," or place
which the Otter uses for getting into the stream. In
setting this, the trapper is especially careful not to
allow his hand to touch the bank or trees near, as
otherwise the cautious animal would at once detect the
danger, and carefully avoid the spot.

A great number of otter skins are annually im-
ported into England, where they are always in request
on account of the softness and beauty of the fur, which
is exceedingly close and fine; they are also largely
employed in the manufacture of the military caps and
gauntlets which form a part of the officers' winter
costume in Canada-the warmest and most service-
able articles of . the kind I ever wore. The best

MUSTELID.T,.

skins are now selling at Quebec at not more than six
dollars each.

The cubs, or young Otters, Avhich never, I believe,
exceed from two to three in number, are generally born
in the month of April, they am -non able to shift for
themselves and take to the water v ; y early.

FALLS ON THE OTTAWA.

I i

( !i

i !

CHAPTER II.

Iiobcnthr.

VARIETY OP HARES IN NORTH AMERICA — ABSENCE OP RABBITS DIS-
TINCTIONS BETWEEN HARES AND RABBITS THE NORTHERN-UARE

WEIGHT AND DESCRIPTION — WINTER COAT— CHANGE OF COLOUR —

NATURE OF CHANGE DOUBTS CONCERNING IT— DISCREPANCIES OP

DIFFERENT WRITERS HAUNTS OP NORTHERN-HARE ITS LATITUDES

ABUNDANCE IN CERTAIN DISTRICTS — MALFORMATION OP INCISORS

HABITS — ATTACKED BY THE LYNX — SNARING AND TRAPPING

WHEN IN SEASON — POORNESS OP FLESH — THE GREY -" RABBIT "

GENERAL APPEARANCE — THE PRAIRIE-HARE NORTHERN LIMITS

THE BEAVER — FORMER HABITATIONS ITS SAGACITY — POPUI,AH

FALLACIES CONCERNING IT— FORMATION OF HUTS — GNAWING DOWN
TREKS— COMPARED WITH EUROPEAN BEAVER— ITS SKIN— METHOD

OF TRAPPING EXCELLENCE OF FLESH PRESENT DISTRICTS OF

BEAVER.

9. '

H'f

CHAPTER II.

rPHOUGH the continent of North America furnishes
numerous species of hares, it is nevertheless en-
tirely without the true rabbit, notwithstanding that
many of the above are invariably so called.

Such confusion of two species, so plainly separated
one from the other, by external characteristics, can only
have arisen from the most careless observation.

Independently of size and cuiour, the hare is easily
distinguished from the rabbit by the greater comparative
length of its ears and feet, in which latter, by the way,
there is also a slight osteological divergence. The rabbit
burrows, while the hare always makes its "form" above
ground ; the latter is solitary, and the former gre-
garious; and the young of the hare are born with their
eyes open and their bodies clothed with fur, while
those of the rabbit are blind for nine days after their
birth and are during that period entirely destitute of
hair.

The common Hare of Canada, or Northern Hare

r.RPORID^T,.

{Lepus Amerlcanus), though one of those generally de-
nominated througliout th'? country a "rabbit," is in its
habits and anatomy a true hare, nnd presents the follow-
ing very distinctive characteristics of the species :— its
legs arc much longer than those of the common rabbit;
there is a greater disproportion between the length
of the fore and hind legs; and tlic eye is yellow.

In summer its general colour is a yellowish-brown,
darker along the back and on the crown of the head;
the throat and under parts are white, tlie sides of the
muzzle are greyish, and there is a light patch or circle
round the eye; the ears being tipped with black, which
also extends doAvn their edges. On close examination
it will be found that the greater part of the hair is of
three colours, viz., grey at the roots, brown in the
middle, and very dark at the extreme points. The tail
is white underneath and brown above.

The winter coat is rather longer than the ;ummer
one, and, with the exception of the ears, which remain
unchanged, presents a uniform white appearance; though
on blowing aside the fur it will be seen that the change
goes no further than the surface, the grey roots and yel-
lowish-brown centre remaining as in summer. In this
respect it difters from the Polar-hare, the finer and
softer fur of which is in winter pure white to the
roots.

THR NORTHRBN HARK.

Waterhouse* is of opinion that the white of the winter
coat is not always due to change of colour only, but in
some cases, as in the present instance, is accompanied by
a partial shedding of the summer fur. Sir J. Richardson,
however, attributco it entirely to a lengthening and
blanching of the summer coat, but is of opinion that the
change in beginning of summer consists in the winter
coat fulling off during the growth of the new fur. This
can only be decided by examination of specimens at both
seasons in their transition state.

The winter coat is gradually assumed in November,
the head and shoulders being the last parts of the body
to change their colour, and it remains unaltered until
April, when it is shed. The young are later at both
seasons in changing than the old ones are.

Dekay,f among other writers, affirms that this
change of colour does not take place in the Northern
Hare at all, and I have a letter now before me from
Canada, in Avhich the writer, a known sportsman, also
states that io does not turn white. This contradiction
may probably be explained by the fact that the change
is dependent on the effect of climate as influenced by
latitude. The animals in the States, doubtless, as Dr.
Dekay says, undergo no change whatever, while those

* Nat. Hist. Mam,

t Fauna of New York.

1 1

liEPORID.fl.

m latitudes removed a little further north exhibit it in
a partial degree, and the complete assumption of the
white coat commences only in Canada.

Other discrepancies, met with in various Wters as to
its size, weight, number of young, and so on, which are
so puzzling and contradictory, may be traced to the
adoption of different methods of measuring, and to the
use in one instance of stuffed specimens, in another of
freshly killed ones; to weighing at noa-corresponding
seasons of the year; and to the mixing up in various
accounts, of this hare with the " grcy-rabbit" or others,
a confusion increased by the indiscriminate application
of the term - Lepus Amerkanmr Hence it is that we
find one author stating its length to be thirty-one inches,
and another only half ^hat; one informing us that it
never weighs more than ^ .ree pounds, another that its
usual weight is between six and seven pounds. In one
work we are told that it breeds four times in the
"season, while others affirm that it does so only thrice
in the year; one says that it has not more than from
two to four at a birth, and another, that it has from
five to seven. The true length of a full-sized, freshly
killed specimen, measured from the point of the nose to
the root of the tail, is, according to the " Canadian Na-
turalist," nineteen inches and a quarter, and of smaller
animals often only sixteer inches. Its weig .ari'-s

THE NORTIIKRN HARE.

at difforent seasona from three, to six and a half pounda
but five and a half pounds in the average weight of a
fu]l-groA\7i one.

It is probable that the doe produces two families in
the season, the young numbering from four to six each
time, and the period of gestation is about six weeks;
but this species is said to be subject to failures tl u"h
a disease which is of periodical occurrence.

This Hare is found in pine-woods and in thickets on
rocky hill sides and in undisturbed districts, preferring
dry and rather high situations; and is generally to be
met with, in greater or less abundance, wherever there
is any quantity of dwarf birch or of willow. In the
summer the chief part of its food consists of grass
and the leaves of various plants. It is said to be very
fond of the young twigs of the Laurus beyizoin or wild
allspice; and in winter scratches up the snow to feed on
the berries and leaves of various species oi Pyrola.*

It ranges as for north as latitude 68°, and, according
to Dr. Bachman,t its acuthern limit is 51°; but I have
myself seen and shot it at the Short Hills, in the
Western Province, which is about 43° 15', and it is com-
mon still further south in many parts of the State of
New York, to my own knowledge. It is very abundant

• Can. Nat. Geo., Mont.

t Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil.

H .

r >

■

LKPORID^.

in many districts of both Provinces, and in those of
Rimouski, Gasp^, and Bonaventure, is the commonest
animal in the woods.

I have seen a specimen of this hare presenting an
instance of a malformation of the front teeth, or incisors,
which is not uncommon, namely, a growth of several
inches in a circular direction. This, in the case of a single
tooth, is owing to the absence of the opposing incisor, the
constant friction of which, when in its proper place, keeps
down the growth intended by nature to supply the daily
wear to which the teeth are exposed. When, as is often
the case, both an upper and lower incisor are similarly
lengthened and distorted, it will be found to be owing to
a divergence of their points.

It is not the case, as has been stated by some writers,
that these animals when pursued take refuge in a hole, or
in hollows under old roots ; on the contrary, they are not
easily run down, even by dogs trained for coursing. They
never burrow, and are generally to be found lying out
among the long tufts of grass, though in cold wither
they keep under the shelter of close bushes, or the
foliage of fallen trees. Their hours of feeding are
during the night, but a curious and wonderful instinct
teaches them to foretell the coming of storms hours
in advance, and to go forth at mid-day to procure the
.subsistence which they may, a little later, be unable to

THE GREr-"EABBIT.'

obtain. In the spring and summer it is not unusual to see
them out early in the morning, or at sunset.

Great havoc is caused among their numbers by their
natural enemy, the lynx, which subsists almost entirely
upon them. As the runs or paths that they make
through the woods are even more marked and permanent
than those of our own hare, they are also very exten-
sively snared in the remoter districts by the Indians,
who make use of the skins in the manufacture of their
winter clothing, and are also taken by means of a trap
of thick pieces of bark, which, being saturated with salt,
the animal attempting to gnaw, brings down on itself.

A friend in Canada informs me, that » among the
country people it is not considered fit for food till after
the first frost, but that the flesh is, at the best, in
poor repute in the cuisine, being hard and dry, and
is looked upon with disdain as a dish, except in a
2J0tage with plenty of other ingredients."

The -Grey.Kabbit" {L. sylvaticus), which Desmarest,
Harlan, Audubon, Thompson, and Bachman call L.
Americanns, in general appearance very much resembles
our common rabbit. Its back is a yellowish-brown, mixed
with grey and black ; the sides being much greyer, as
well as the loins and thighs. The under parts are white,
and the sides of the head reddish grey. The fur is full
and close, and especially so on the under parts of the feet.

The Prairie Hare {L. campestris) is one of the largest
hares of the continent, weighing from seven to eleven
pounds, and is of a grey colour tinged with yellow, the
entire under parts dusky white. It does not burrow,
and is found by the sportsman, like the two preceding
kinds, either with or without the use of doss.

The forests in most parts of Canada abound with
squirrels, which are perhaps more abundant and in greater
variety in North America than in any other part of the
world, widely distributed though they are. A large
black oi.e,* fully double the size of our common red
squirrel, is so numerous at times, that scores may
be seen leaping from bough to bough. The flesh of this
kind, especially after the hickory nuts come in, is not
to be despised, being very white and tender, and of deli-
cate flavour. 1 have occasionally killed them when on
short commons, and consider the flesh, either stewed or
made into a curry, as equal to rabbit, and have passed it
off as such; on one occasion eliciting the highest com-
mendations of a brother officer, who had often expressed
his disgust at the idea of eating squirrel.

Black-squirrel shooting ranks as a field-sport among
the Yankees, whose aspirations, however, do not rise
very high in such matters ; and there are authenticated

* Sciurut iiir/er.

SMALLER FOREST ANIMALS.

instances of two guns having killed upwards of one
thousand head in a week. The grey-squirrel,* which
is even" larger than the above, does not appear to be so
common, though I have seen it in tolerable abundance,
and it is much sought after for the sake of its beautiful
skin, which is used in the manufacture of caps, muffs,
and other articles of winter attire. Both these squirrels
are migratory, and move to the south when the cold
weather sets in. The black one is a capital swimmer, and
does not hesitate to cross the widest rivers in his course,
though I cannot bear out the report which gravely states
that "they are accustomed to cross the great lakes, using
their tails after the manner of a sail, and choosing a
favourable wind."

An exceedingly pretty and very interesting variety,
which is familiar to all who have been in the forest, is the
ground-squirrel, or "chipmunk,"t which maybe seen in
almost every wood. It is smaller than the common
British squirrel, with a tail much less bushy in pro-
portion. A specimen that I brought home is of a bright
fawn colour, inclining to grey on the back, along which
run three parallel stripes or bars at a little distance apart,
the two outer of a light cream colour, w'th a border of
deep brown, and the centre one of the latter colour only.

• Sciurus leucotis.

t lamias striatus.

SCIl'HID^.

The eyes, which are very prominent, arc black and piercing.
Its nest is generally to be found at the root of a tree or
in the hollow of some fallen trunk, and is neatly and very
firmly built of small twigs and dead leaves, the interior
being warmly lined with abundance of dry moss, and so
ingeniously coverpd in is to be perfectly protected from
the heaviest rain. The chipmunk, I believe, rarely
climbs like the squirrel, for I have often, when lying in
wait for ducks or posted at some deer run, watched their
amusing gambols, and observed them continually leaping
on and clinging to the trunk of a tree, now and then
scrambling a few inches up it, but dropping to the ground
again without ascending higher.

The Beaver {Castor Canadensis) perhaps barely comes
under the denomination of game, being more usually
trapped than shot; but an animal so interesting de-
serves more than a mere passing notice.

Though once spread over the whole of Canada it is
now found only in the most northern districts, and would
doubtless ere this have become altogether extinct but for
the fortunate stop put to the demand for its skin, by the
introduction of other materials in the manufacture of hats;
indeed, since this change, the beaver is said to be rather
on the increase.

Traces of their former habitations are still visible
in many of the most cultivated and populous parts

THE CANADIAN BEAVEU.

of Canada. In one of those interestin<r remains near
Niagara, called '' Beaver Town," the dam— which they
invariably erect across streams in Avhich the supply of
water is liable to bo cut off— is of such large dimension
and regular Avorkmanship that at first I could hardly be
persuaded it was not the work of human hands.

The skill and sagacity of these animals in the erection
of their dwellings can hardly be over-rated ; for the
ingenuity shown in the prosecution of their labours
appears to be rather the result of thought and reflection
thfin of mere instinct. But many plans and devices
have been attributed to them of which they are
perfectly innocent. For instance, it is a fa:'acy to
suppose, as many do, that the Boaver drives in stakes,
or that it first forms a framework of wood, and then
plasters it ; neither is it a fact that its hut is made with
back and front doors, or that in finishing its house it
uses its tail as a trowel, constantly dipping it into the
water, and smoothing the clay surface like a plasterer.

The flapping of the tail, which has given rise to this
vulgar on-or, is a habit which the Beaver indulges in as
much on the dry ground or tree-trunk as on its own
house-top. The extenor of the hut is certainly most
neatly plastered over, and the wonderful sagacity of the
animal teaches it annually to rcplastor the structure
before the sotting in of winter; but the original build-

T im T' l tT'-^T^a

SCIURIDjE.

ing is all made at one time, and is done entirely by the
paws, which are also used in carrying both mud and
stones. Wood is usually brought in the teeth, un-
less large logs are required, in which case they are
floated down stream to the desired position. Beavers
are popularly supposed to fell large forest trees, but
they never attempt one above two feet in circum-
ference, at the utmost: and this is sufficiently won-
derful, especially considering the extraordinary neat-
ness and celerity with which the work is done.
It is a curious fact that they thus fell and prepare
the wood required for new huts, early in summer,
though they do not use it till the autumn.

The greater part of their building operations are
carried on at night, and their unity of purpose and
labour, and mutual assistance are not the least interest-
ing traits of the animal which has been so weD chosen as
the national badge of the Canadians.

In the summer the huts are deserted, their inhabi-
tants wandering about in search of food; before the
frost commences, however, they reappear, and prepare
their dwellings for the winter as above.

The cleanliness of their habits is most remarkable,
and they are also exceedingly playful, the young ones
especially gamboling like kittens.

The North American Beaver is probably rather larger

THE CANADIAN BEAVKR.

than the European one, and the coat is generally darker,
though the colour varies considerably in different indi-
viduals, even from the same colony; the form and position
of the nasal bones also constitute an important osteo-
logical distinction between the two. Numerous fossil
remains of the American Beaver have been discovered
in different parts of the country, which do not differ at all
from the existing species. The ear of the Beaver is very
curious, being so formed as to lie flat when the animal is
diving, thereby covering the orifice so completely as to
exclude the water.

The "pelt" or fur is still in request among the trappers
and Indians, Avho kill a great number of these animals
in the course of the year. Some of the native tribes use
the skins in the manufacture of their winter clothino-.
others merely as an article of barter and commerce.

The trap is baited, not with food, but with a scented
oil, taken from the animal itself, and is set under water,
fastened, like a common rabbit trap, by a chain to the
bank, and having a float attached, by means of Avhich,
in the event of its being carried off by the Beaver's
struggles, its whereabouts may be discovered. This oil,
or " castoreum," as it is properly called, is also used as a
bait for attracting the lynx and other animals.

The trappers esteem the tail a great delicacj^, and
the flesh of the young Beaver is really excellent,

**~Wg"?f1

'.mi ■■.«■■ ..J HWWWHWilWi

'"immm

SCIUIUD.K.

I i

and very like that of young pig. The ortliodox method
of cooking it is to roast the animal in its skin, but as
this is worth several dollars, it is not often that a trapper
is willing to make the sacrifice.

The favourite food of the Beaver is the stem of the
water-lily called Nuphar luteusn ; it also feeds upon the
bai'k of several trees, as the poplar and birch, and especi-
ally the willow, and lays up a store for winter use.

At the present day, the Beaver is found on lagoons
and streams in tiie country about Lake Superior, and
the Roseau River. Eastward it is tolerably plentiful
on many of the small tributaries of the Restlgouche;
and in the more remote regions of British North
America is abundant.

CAN.VDr.VN I.AOOON.

CHAPTER III.
^lumimmtiii.

THE MOOSE— PAHTS OF CANADA IN WHICH IT IS FOUND— DKRIVATION OF
NAME— COMl'AUKD WITH KLK OF EUKOP-UO-ASIATIC CONTINENT— ITS
EAIILV DISTUinUTION— PLEISTOCENE AND P EIUSTOIUC UEMAINS—
GRADUAL DIMINUTION OF THE MOOSE — WANTON DESTRUCTION —
ERRONEOUSLY CONFOUNDED WITH ANCIENT IRISH " ELK"— FORM AND
DIMENSIONS OF THE MOOSE AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION— ITS WINTER
COAT— GROWTH OF ANTLERS IN DIFFERENT STAGES— FORMATION
OF THE MUZZLE— ITS FOcn—PECULIARlTV OF HOOFS— " COW "-
MOOSE— YOUNG MOOSE OR " CALF "—MODES OF HUNTING MOOSE-
" CALLING "— " DRIVING "—GAIT OF MOOSE WHEN PURSUED— HERDING
OP MOOSE IN CANADA— « STILL HUNTING "—SUMMER HAUxNTS -
WINTER RESORTS— " MOOSE- YARD"— WINTER HUNTING- MOOSE FLESH
—PROBABLE LONGEVITY OF THE MOOSE— PREPARATION AND USES OF
SKINS, HOOFS, AND SINEWS.

/^l

CHAPTER III.
Iliimmantia.

rpHOUGH greatly ditninished in numbers during the
J- last lialf century, and year !)y year retreating
within more circumscribed limits, tlie Moose (Cervus
alecs) still ranges the wooded country north of Quebec,
away up to Hudson's Straits; is found eastward as far as
the Saguenay River, and frequents in considerable abun-
dance the districts of Rimouski, Gasp(5, end Bonavcnture.
Westward of Quebec, it exists only on the northern
side of the St. Lawrence, but below the city is found
on both shores of the river.

The North American Elk, or Moose— the latter tenn
being a corruption of the Indian synonyme "Moosoa"— I
believe to be specifically identical with the Elk* of Northern
Europe and Asia. For excepting that the Moose is of
greater size than the European animal, there does not
appear, on the most careful examination, to be any real
difference whatever between them. The form and growth

• The term Elk (i„ Scundinavia EM) is in America applied only to
the Wapiti.

(KiiviD,*;.

of the nntlers ari; closely similar;* the colour of the
Imir, the- n.it.iro of tho food, and the goncnil habits of
tlio two animnls are precisely ulikc: mid i„ Asia, whcro,
I belicvv, th(-y occupy m rly th(, same hititudes as in
Kuropc, cvou tho difTcrcncc in size c(.ascs to be observ-
able, and the identity is complete.

Thou-h, Generally spcakin-, the latitudes inhabited
by the Ktu-opea.. animal ran-c rather hi-her than those
occupied l>y the Moose, the climate and te.nperature
will be found to be nearly the same in both eases.
According to the just quoted writer, the entire range
of the North American animal "extends, at the present
clay, on the west coast, from the shores of the Arctic
Ocean nearly to the Columbia Kivor. Further cast, the
northern limit is about latitude 65^ and thence through
Canada to Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the
northern parts of the State of New York, where a few
are killed every jear, although, owing to the com-
paratively inaccessible nature of their resorts, their
pursuit has become extremely diftieidt."

That the Old World Elk formerly covered a much
more extensive area than at the present day, is manifest

* Baird, in liis " ZooIol'v of tlu- Piicifio IJnn«,.c "

THK MOOSK.

^^m

from the discovery of fossil remains in various Kiiropean
covintries wlicn; it luis heon (extinct for a^es.

Mr. iJoyd Duwkins siiya : In the turbaries of North
Germany, luid esijceialiy in Pomcrania, its n^mains arc
very uhundaut, and are there associated with those of
reindeer and other animals.

Even our own land ai)[)ears to have been once inha-
bited by this noble animal, for its bones have been
found in a eave on the coast of l*embrokeshire,
associated with those of Ursiis speUom and the mammoth,
proving that it lived in liritain, as it did in France,
during the Pleistocene times. According to Dr. Percival
Wright, an antler attributed to the true Elk was found in
Ireland, and exhibited at a meeting of the Dublin Royal
Society last sjjring. And the case adduced by Mr, llowse
proves that this animal lived in England also after the
disappearance of the mammoth, cave-lion, and other
Pleistocene mammalia, in the period that, for want of a
better name, we call prehistoric. In his "Notes on the
Fossil Remains of Extinct Mammalia foimd in North-
umberland and Durham,"* he says, "The former
existence of the true Elk or Moose Deer of the Canadians
in England rests upon the authority of a very fine antler
which was found in Chirdon Burn. The perfect appear-

Tnins. Tynuside Nat. Field Club.

I ■'

CERVID^.

ance of the burr or boss shows it to have been shed, and
the number of joints or digitations indicate it to have
belonged to an individual six or seven years old, and
therefore im2nature, as the Elk is said not to complete the
groAvth of its horns till the fourteenth year. Though the
above-mentioaed instance probably belongs to the pre-
historic period, the following quotation, if it may be relied
on, would lead us to infer that the true Elk existed in
this country at a much later date. In Maxwell's "Hill-
side and Border Sketches," it is said that a medal of
Trajan, a patera, a fibula, and a Moose Deer were
discovered near North Berwick. There is no historical
account of the former existence of the Elk as a native of
Britain by any Roman author, though it is particularly
mentioned by Caesar, among other animals, as living in
the great Hercynian forest during the Roman period.
With the progress of civilization, it has, however, gradu-
ally disappeared from the countries formerly occupLl by
this extensive forest, and occurs now in Europe only
in northern 'Prussia, Lithuania, Finland, Russia, and
Scandinavia."

Unfortunately this process of extinction is going on
slowly but surely, among the Moose of Canada, aided by
the yearly inroads upon the forest, and till lately by the
barbarous destruction to which they have been exposed-
not alone on the part of the savage Indian or the ignorant

i^'-*^.-

THE MOOSE.

settler, but, less excusably, at the hands of men claiming
to be sportsmen, yet slaughtering indiscriminately old and
young, pregnant mothers, and half-grown "calves," and
leaving the useless carcasses to rot on the ground. Such
deeds have been perpetrated to within a very recent
period in Nova Scotia — deeds which, to the disgrace of
our country, characterize the presence of Eng! hmen alike
in the elephant jungles of the East, the buffalo prairies of
North America, and the noble plains of South Africa. It
is indeed to be feared that in thne the Moose may
become as completely extinct as its prehistoric congener,
the so-called " Irish-elk,"* in comparison with which the
proportions of the Moose sink into insignificance.

Perhaps some of the most perfect existing specimens of
this magnificent deer are those in the possession of Sir
George Abercromby, at Forglen House, N.B.; namely, two
entire heads, with part of a third, and portions of four
skeletons, which were found on his Irish property at
Fermoy, at a depth of fourteen feet below the surface of a
peaty swamp, resting on a solid bed of clay and gravel,
and lying close together, as if washed in by some eddy.

These, or rather, similar remains, have often been
erroneously confounded, under the name of elk, with
C. alces; but the Irish "Big-horn," or 3fegaceros, is not

'til

* Meffaceros Hibernicus,

CERVID^.

an elk, but a true deer, intermediate between the fallow-
deer (C. dama) and the rein-deer (C. tarandiis) ; and its
horns are of a very different type from those of the elk,
Avhich have no stem, and are also of much smaller
growth.

The finest of the specimens of antlers just alluded to,
at Forglen, measures no less than eight feet two inches
across from tip to tip; the stems of the horns at base
are nearly a foot in circumference, and some of the tines
are Uvo feet three inches in length.

Though of greatly inferior proportions tc his colossal
animal, the Moose is of far larger dimensions and more
imposing appearance than any other existing species of
the Cervidce, though, at the same time, of such strange
and ungainly form that we can hardly wonder at the
absurd fables concerning it which are to be found among
Greek and Roman writers ; some of whom gravely
describe it as having no joints to its legs, antlers
growing from its eyelids, and only able to graze when
walking backwards. Its habit, when pursued, of blindly
stumbling over fallen trees and the like obstacles, owino-
to the elevated carriage of the head, also gave rise to
the belief that it was subject to fits, and recovered itself
by smelling its hoof

A full-grown Bull-Moose stands from seventeen to
eighteen hands liigli, and weighs nearly twelve hundred

THE MOOSE.

pounds. He has a bristly mane about five inches in height,
and from a lump under the throat hangs a tuft of coarse
hair. The coat is very long, and so exceedingly brittle
that it breaks when bent. Except on the legs and belly,
where it is of a much lighter hue,- it is of a varying ash
colour, having the extremities of the hairs tipped with
dark brown. The tail is very short, and is white on the
under side. In winter, unlike many other animals inha-
biting the higher latitudes— as the hare and the fox, which
at that season become as white as the snow on which they
move— the Moose assumes a much darker shade, the bull
being often nearly black, and consequently more conspi-
cuous to his enemies; and this coat, which is not shed till
spring, is much longer and coarser than the summer one.
The horns of the young Moose are in their first year
only an inch high ; in the next they rise to a foot, and are
shaped somewhat like a large spear-head; in the followino-
year they are forked; in the fourth season they have six
snags, and at five 3'ears old are of triangular form, with
points on the external edges. In the mature animal the
points are sometimes thirty in number, and the antlers
frequently measure as much as six feet from tip to tip.
Thiy are shed in January and February, and are so
rapidly developed again, that by the month of June they
arc restored to their full size. The young males do not
lose theirs till spring, and they are in consepuence corre-

CERVID^.

i ;"

spondingly later in reappearing. A better idea of the
size of the full-grown antlers may be conveyed by a
comparison of their weight with that of the antlers of
the Highland red-deer. These, in a fuU-grown sta-
seldom weigh more than from twelve to thirteen pounds,
whereas the horns of an old Moose often attain to fifty
pounds and upwards, and have, I believe, been known to
weigh as much as sixty.

The muscles of the neck are of extraordinary size
and development, and the neck itself, as if intended the
better to enable the animal to support the above enormous
weight, is excessively short, measuring not more than
twelve inches from the shoulder to the back of the head.
The fore legs at the same time are disproportionately
long, so that it can only graze with difficulty and in a
posture apparently extremely irksome, one fore foot being
awkwardly placed in front and the other thro«rn back
under the body. That this attitude is really inconve-
nient is proved by the fact that whenever possible they
give the preference to herbage lying on a slope, as being
more easily accessible.

Nature has, however, in some measure compensated
for so inconvenient a neck by the extraordinary length and
prehensile power of the upper lip, or '-mouffle," and also by
endowing the animal with a liking for young twigs,
tree-lichen, bark, and the tender brandies of the birch,

THE MOOSE.

moose-wood and willow, which the giraffe-like formation
of his body and limbs enables him to obtain more easily;
while water-lilies, which are also a favourite food, he is
likewise enabled to procure with facility by wading.

There is another peculiarity in this useful muzzle,
namely, the formation of the nostrils, which are of such
extraordinary size that I have heard of the lower end of
a quart bottle being introduced into them without the
slightest difficulty. The space between them is very
broad, and almost entirely covered with close short hair,
only a very small patch of bare skin being visible in the
centre. The Moose, as is the case with most of the
order to which it belongs, has no incisors in the upper
jaw.

Though the fore feet are perfectly straight and well-
formed, the hind hoofs, on the contrary, are splayed and
awkward, and the horny points, which are very long
and loose, strike together at every step with a singular
clicking sound. This expansion of the foot is, doubtless,
intended to support, to a certain extent, the weight of the
animal on the snow-fields in winter, as well as on the
vast swamps it loves to frequent in the heat of
summer, though, on ordinary ground, it appears to in-
crease the naturally somewhat shuffling gait.

Using their fore feet with great force and wonderful
dexterity and quickness, they are enabled, with the heavy

ft ■

' 'i

ri W!

it I

fj-'i

' I

1 ■ •

I, 1 1

CERVIDiE.

sharp-edged hoof, to inflict a most severe and often
dangerous wound, and are therefore not to be rashly
approached when wounded or at bay, though under or-
dinary circumstances they are by no means pugnaciously
mclined. In fact, their natural disposition, as is the case
with many other animals of great size and conscious
strength, is rather to avoid combat than court it; and
when taken young they may be easily tamed, in which
respects they diflfer widely from the caribou.

The "Cow-moose" seldom exceeds sixteen hands in
height, and has no horns; her coat is also r'^dder or
more sandy than that of the bull, though in both there
is at times a very considerable variation of colour. She
has only one calf at a birth for the first few years, but
after that period has generally two. They are of a
light brown colour, and are usually born in the spring,
at which time the mother retreats to the deepest and
thickest parts of the forest, chiefly in order to hide her
young from the bulls, which would infallibly destroy

thCiTl.

The calves continue to be suckled by the mother for a
longer time after their birth than is the case with
any other animal that I am acquainted with. They
follow her likewise for a period of unusual duration;
generally indeed until she lias another family to look
after. The slow growth of their horns as weapons of

THE MOOSE.

defence, and the time that the young animals are in
coming to maturity, are thus ^om^onsated for by the
maternal protection ; for, as a recent writer* has noticed,
the affection of young animals to their parents does not
extend beyond the period when they are able to provide
for themselves, and varies in its duration in accordance
with the time uecessiuj- for attaining that end. Its
intensity also ceases !=imultancously both in parent and
offspring, and aftor the period of its cessation not even
recognition appears to remain.

During the rutting season, which is in September,
the Moose seldom quits the covert, and is not to be
approached without considerable risk, the bulls being
especially dangerous at tuat time.

Moose hunting lasts throughout the autumn and
winter, and there are several different methods of
pursuing the sport, as "calling," "driving," "creeping,"
and " tracking," or hunting on snow-shoes, sometimes
called " crusting."

" Calling," which is practised generally in September
and October, as soon as the bellow of the bull begins
to be heard at night, is thus managed, and though it
may at first sight appear unsportsmanlike, is neither
without danger or excitement. On a calm, light night,

* Thompson's " Passions of Animals."
E 2

V:i

.1!

ill?

CERVlDvE.

the hunter, accompanied by an Indian or Canadian,
skilled, not only in woodcraft, but in the imitation of
the call or bellow of the Cow-moose, repairs to the forest
or swamp in which the animals are known to be feeding.
The instrument by which the " call " is produced is a
cone or trumpet of bark, generally that of the birch,
about a foot and a half in length. With this the native
mounts a tree, in order to enable tho sound to travel
further; the shooter below concealing himself cither
among the chance bushes, or, if necessary, behind an
artificial screen of lopped boughs or sapins.

After the startling sound of the call has echoed away
through the dusky forest, the ordinary deathlike silence
again ensues, till the answer of the bull is faintly heard
in the distance, for the range to which the call reaches
on a still night is almost incredible.

When necessary to guide or encourage the advance
of the approaching Moose, the call is repeated ; but he
generally makes straight to the point with wonderful
, accuracy, even from a distance of a mile or more.

The caller at this juncture, descending to the ground
retires, with a reserve gun, to the rear of the sportsman,'
and, motionless as the dark tr.mks around, they await
the appearance of their prey. However cramped or con-
strained their attitude, they must not move a finger, for
tl.e suspicious animal invariably approaches up-wind if

THE MOOSK.

practicable, often making a very extended circuit to do
so, and is not easily led into ambush.

Listening for the first response to the call, and still
more anxiously for the slightest indication of an ap-
proaching animal, is a period of some excitement, but
the moment the formidable beast is heard actually
advancing nearer and nearer, crashing heavily through
the obstructing branches in his onward course, now
emitting a dull hollow grunt, now striking his antlers
sharply against the trunks of the trees, every nerve is
strung to the highest pitch, till the mighty tenant of the
forest stands before the concealed hunter, who hardly
dares to draw his breath as he steadies his hand for the
fatal shot.

A bull, on approaching the whereabouts of the sup-
posed female, will often stand in full view bellowing
in tones that ring startlingly through the forest depths,
stamping impatiently, and turning his shaggy head, now
in one direction now in another, the large cars moving
continually backwards and forwards, the mane erect, his
enormous antlers glancing in the moonlight, and his
breath wreathing in the night air.

When, as is sometimes the case, two bulls chance to
meet at the spot, laying back their ears and gnashing
their teeth together, they will rush at each other with
the most sudden and apjjalling fury, roaring, bellowing.

CKHVlDiE.

f I

and clashiMg their untlons together in presence of the
hunter, who, in utfer ibrccffulness of his rifle, stands
rooted to the ground at the sight of the rnagnifieent
struggle.

Sometimes, also, an animal, on approaching, comes to
a stand, apparently seized with vague doubts, and the
adler lures him on again with a suppressed grunting
sound, tiie imitation of which at close quarters is the
most difficult part of the accomplishment. In this the
"red men" are unrivalled; for though many of the
French-Canadlan hunters imitate the ordinary bellow
very successfully, they are generally inferior in this most
critical point. If the sounds are clumsily executed, tne
disappointed animal, though lie would not hesitate, if con-
fror.ted, to attack any one rash enough to meet him, takes
alarm at an invisible danger, and beats a rapid retreat at
the very moment when the anxious watcher is about to
realize the reward of his toil and patience. When this
unfortunately happens, the sport is over for the night,
and there is nolliing to be done but to light a fire Ind
smoke, or lie down to sleep till a little before daylight,
which is a very favourable hour for "calling," and^by
that time the alarm has generally subsided, or other
moose have fed up to within call. A temporary bivouac
IS also not unfrequently rendered necessary by the sudden
springing up of a breeze in the early part of the night.

.*'-«'

THE M008K.

If the panic has been so complete aa to prevent either
"calling" or stalking with any chance of success, the
Indians resort to " driving," and while the sportsman lies
concealed in a likely "run," they make a considerable
detour in order to get round the covert, and advancing
through it, drive the animals towards the rifle.

When moving rapidly in this way the Moose carry
their heads thrown back, their noses high in the air,
and the hind logs wide apart, in order to avoid striking
the heels of the fore feet, and, as may be imagined, have
a most singular appearance as they shuffle swiftly away
through the forest, twisting their huge horns in all
directions to escape contact with the trees. Though
their usual pace is a slouching trot, they can, when
necessary, gallop ; but, except when very hard pressed
and on firm ground, seldom exert themselves to that
extent; their ordinary pace, easy as it appears, being
sufficient in most cases to distance their pursu'^rs.

It not unfrequently happens that a small herd is ascer-
tained to be feeding in some open glade at the edge of the
forest, when of course it is simply necessary to advance
cautiously up-wind under cover of the trees, and select
at leisure the best or nearest, as the case may be.
But they will never be found in such a position in thick
or stormy weather; for thougli they are said by the
Indians to hear the snap of a bough, even in the highest

CERVIDiB.

Wind, the extra caution they exhibit in avoiding proximity
to any covert under such circumstances, seems to argue
the contrary.

"Creeping," or " still-hunting," which, except as
affected by the nature of the country, differs in no
respect from deer-stalking at home, may be followed
both in autumn and in winter; though the former is
certainly the pleasanter, and in some respects the better
season of the two.

Few sports in the world, perhaps, more test the skill
of the hunter than Moose-creeping, and I have stalked
wildebeest and springbok on the plains of South Africa,
the Great Rusa on the Neilgherry Hills, and alligators in
Malabar (than which, not many animals more difficult of
approach are easily to be found,) and therefore speak
advisedly.

Shy and watchful as the deer, the Moose is even more
cautious and keen of scent, and the eye, though so
comparatively small, is extremely quick. The open
forest, too, while certainly affording some degree of
cover, adds difficulties unknown on the heather. Though
not perplexed by the shifting winds of mountain corries,
the hunter has to contend with the more dangerous
stillness of the forest atmosphere, and the echoing dis-
tinctness with which every sound is borne on the^clear
air, and has to pick his hazardous path through clustering

TFIE MOOSE.

trees, over prostrate iiMi>.<« and among rotten boughs,
where a chance blov fror,> his rifle-barrel, or a careless
step on an unnoticeu »;ick, vhile he is eagerly noting the
wind, the ground, the ' «»ign," and fifty other essential
points, may ruin in a. distant results achieved only by
hours of toil and exertion.

Nor are the feeding herd and watchful bull the only
objects of his cautions regard. He must pay attention to
the smallest birds and animals in their vicinity with equal
care ; for a chipmunk scampering through the dry leaves,
or a chattering jay startled by his too sudden a])pcarance
or rapid advance, will probably scare away a whole herd,
or excite such a degree of suspicion and alertness that
further approach is a matter of doubly increased diffi-
culty. These lesser inhabitants of the covert, how-
ever, often aflford information of the greatest value to
the i)ractiscd hunter. Posted on a run, or crouched
in his cache of green boughs, silent and alone, he knows
that the bird darting suddenly from the thicket, or
the squirrel abruptly arrested in his gambols, announces
the unseen approach of the wished-for deer. The ex-
perienced in woodcraft discovers at every step signs to
him as plain as day, where others see only accident or
the merest trifles; he follows tracks invisible to unaccus-
tomed eyes, with a sort of instinct ; and pushes on Avith
equal speed and certainty over dead leaves, elastic moss,

I^'i ■ i

CERVID^.

!
J}'

y ■

if
if

and rocky ground. By the elevation of the newly
broken twigs, by the height of the rubbings, or the
appearance of the gnawed bark on the larger trees, by
the form, the depth and size of the slot or footprints, by
the droppings, connected or separate, he will tell whether
the Moose in front are male or female, old or young; and
knows their weight and antlers, and whether the animals
are flying, or retreating leisurely. By the springy grass,
still prostrate, or just recovering from the pressure of
the hoof, he will judge his distance to a nicety, and
by a hundred other minutiae comprehend as clearly
every movement of the invisible objects of his pursuit
as though they were within reach of his eyes.

When I^Ioose are close at hand, a faint warm whiff
of musk scents the air, and he who has learned to thread
his way with the stealthy tread of the panther may
sometimes manage to creep pretty close in upon them.
From the resemblance, however, in colour which their
bodies bear to surrounding objects, it is often so difficult
to detect them that the flappi„g of tlieir long ears is
the first indication of their whereabouts.

Some are lying, some standing; some stamping their

large heavy hoofs, and others tos.sing hack their viust

antlers, impatient of the tormenting flics, whie!i during

the sununer and autumn montiis attack them in myriadi

if an alarm is given, in the twinkling of an eye

THE MOOSE.

everything is changed, the herd is off in a moment,
madly rushing onwards, heedless of every obstruction,
and bearing all before it. It is singular that the mere
sound of firing does not appear to alann other Moose
in the neighbourhood ; though the sight of a flying
animal will scare away every herd in its course, and the
forest will be deserted for days after.

In spring and summer, the Moose frequents the
swamps and lagoons in search of rushes and aquatic
plants, and in the hot weather stands, sometimes for a very
long time together, immersed up to the neck in the cool
lakes in order to escape the flies, or to browse on the
broad lotus leaves floating on the surface, as well as on
their stalks, which it procui'es by immersing its head
under water. At such times they are much more easily
ap[)roached — either in a canoe, or from the thickly
wooded bank — thnn when In the forest ; though the
more common method is for the hunter to take up his
position before daylight within sliot of the place which
lie has previou-*ly discovered by the trail is a favourite
resort. Hen! lie lies in ambush as quietly as he can,
seeing he is probably half devoured by musquitoes, till
about mid-day, when the cracking of dry branches and
tlie rustle of dead leaves warn liitn of the approach of
the antle' monarch, which presently emerges from the
shade, and after looking cautiously round, wades into the

'■* -t

CERVID^.

^-kl

water, to fall an easy prey to the pot-shot of the patient
watcher.

Even more illegitimate modes of destruction are un-
fortunately practised against these unoffending animals.
The settlers hunt them at all seasons, with packs
of yelping curs of every kind and breed, and though
seldom successful in bringing them to bay, the country,
after such runs, is entirely forsaken by the Moose for
many months, if not altogether. The Indians also, when
the snow is thickly crusted, which is generally the case
late in the season, are in the imbit of driving them into
the deep drifts, where, being unable to escape, they are
butchered in cold blood; and a system in vogue with
the lumbermen is that of trapping them by means of
a springe. This is formed by bending down a strong
young ash tree, and laying a running noose of rope on
the path they are found to frequent ; by this means the
passing animal is caught and hoisted up lugh in the air,
where it struggles till the gradually tightening cord ends
its painful throes.

In Avinter, the Moose, being, from their great weight,
unable to travel without much difficulty in the deep snow,
select some sheltered part of the forest, which also affords
a good supply of food, and there form what is termed a
" yard " or ravage; not, as a writer on tiie field sports
of North America tells us, "by regularly trampling

THE MOOSK.

down the snow in due form,'* but simply by confining
themselves, for the above reason, to one spot, which, of
course, very soon produces the same effect, the interior
being screened and protected by the deep drift around.

Unless disturbed, they mil remain in one of these
places for a considerable time, gradually enlarging the
area, often to the extent of twenty or thirty acres, and
browsing on the buslies, and on the branches and bark
of the surrounding trees, as long as there is anything
left ; the trunks being peeled to a height which it appears
almost incredible the animal should be able to reach,
while the young and lower trees are stripped bare of
every branch ; the spruce alone appearing to escape.
The maple, mountain-ash, and " button-wood," or plane,
are especial favourites.

There is little doubt that the Moose is capable of
undergoing long privation, and in proportion to its
great size is at all times a sparing feeder, and able to
subsist on very little nourishment. The old males gene-
rally "yard" together, for as they advance in years
they keep more und moio aloof from the females and
young animals ; ..11.] ;m last become so unsociable thai
they even dislike c&cli other's society, and live an entirely
solitary life.

The v'xccrior 'i tiie ravage is often found thickly
trampled ]>y woIvlj, ^\ hich, tliough mortally afraid to cress

CERVID^.

the rampart, will notwithstanding lay siege to the place
night after night, howling round it with impotent rage.
Indians sometimes come in to report the discovery of
these "yards," just as on the Neilgherries the Todas and
Khotas come in to the European garrison to report a
tiger, and, in like manner, parties are organized to go in
pursuit ; but more generally expeditions start for the most
likely districts, with the object of searching for and
finding their own game, and are of course invariably
accompanied by skilful guides and hunters. "Paul,"
and the elder and younger " Francis," Lorette Indians,
who still act in these capacities, are names which will be
familiar to all who have hunted Moose in the neigh-
bourhood of Quebec.

Long and sometimes tedious marches through the
snow, up hill, down dale, and through thick forest, have
to be undertaken, and it is necessary to be prepared for
an absence of several days.

After reacliing the farthest point practicable for
sleighing, or even using a calash through the narrow
difficult paths, the camp supplies, blankets, biscuit,
pork, coffee, and so on, are transferred to tarhoggins,
or light hand - sledges, which are drawn after the
hunters by their dusky attendants. When the snow
has accumulated to any depth snow-shoes are of course
indispensable, but these are not to be used without

THE MOOSE.

practice, and even when their use has been mastered, a
little preparatory exercise is advisable before starting on
one of these expeditions, in order to accustom the ankles
to the unusual strain upon the muscles, which, under the
name of mal a raquette, frequently confines the tyro to
his room. The snow-shoe, which it is perhaps hardly
necessary to describe, is a light ash frame of an oval
form, varying in dimensions according to circumstances,
the full size being about thirty-nine inches in length by
seventeen in breadth at the widest part, which is near
the centre. This framework, strengthened by a couple
c rail erse bars, is laced across with a strong and
bt . ^lly made net- work of caribou or laoose skin,
which is cut into fine strips resembling catgut, and
interwoven close enough to prevent the feet sinking
even into the softest snow ; this part of the work is
generally performed by the squaws, the men manu-
facturing the wooden frame. When in use the snow-
shoes are attached by stout straps to the fore part of
the feet; and if necessary while hunting, to remove them,
in order to advance more noiselessly, are generally hung
round the neck.

Each night the party bivouacs in the sombre snow-
laden forest

'• Manet sub Jove frigldo venator ;"

and a convenient and sheltered spot being selected, the

I ,

■ i

(

■

CERVIDiE.

snow is dug out from an area proportioned to the shelter
required, and piled up by the aid of the snow-shoes to
windward, either simply as a screen, or in the form of a
rude hut. The ground is strewed with sopms, buffalo
robes are laid over them, and in front a blazing fire is
built on large logs. Though this is comfortable enough,
the latter part of the night is intensely cold; and in
spite of blanket-coats, sleigh-robes, and fire, it is neces-
sary to lie very close together to maintain the animal
heat at all.

In Canada Moose more frequently form into small
herds than they do further north, but it is not an un-
common occurrence to come unexpectedly on a sino-le
bull lying in the snow. As it starts suddenly to its feet
and bounds forward, the novice in all probability fires a
snap-shot at random, either missing it altogether or
merely wounding it; but the practised hunter, knowing
well that it will turn round in a moment or two to gaze
at the cause of alarm, raises his rifle and steadily awaits
a surer aim.

When a herd is in flight the animals keep in Indian
file, each treading in the track of the one before it, for
the crust on the surface of the snow, obliging them
to lift their feet perpendicularly out of the deep holes
made at each step, very much hampers their flight ; while
it is further impeded by the dogs used in the chase.

THK MOOSK.

which, barking close at their heels, yet always keeping out
of harm's way, cause them constantly to stop and charge.

Though the hunter's broad snow-shoes bear him lightly
on the glistening surface, while the flying Moose sinks
to the knee at every step, it holds its own, and keeps
the lead in a manner which, considering its awkward
gait, appears incredible, and is not to be overtaken with-
out a trial of strength and endurance which none but
the robust need attempt.

Keeping to leeward of the tracks and cutting off all
angles possible, the intervening distance is gradually
lessened, and the excited hunters, straining every nerve,
gain sensibly on their prize. Again, however, it struggles
with more desperate energy through the crusted snow, its
tracks stained Avith the blood that flows from its lacerated
fetlocks, and once more regains the advantage. Strong
thews, sound wind, and determined endurance, however,
know no defeat, and the chase leads on and on, till at
length the furious animal, with heaving flanks and
distended nostrils, is brought to bay; or perhaps even
till the descending sun crimsons the western horizon,
and the quickly succeeding shades of night put an end
to the pursuit till the morrow. With a two-year-old
bull the latter is the more frequent occurrence of the
two, as they have much greater powers of endurance than
the others, l)ut the old males, though more easily run

CERVID^.

fil

n:'

down, are more dangerous and vicious when brought to
bay; indeed they will sometimes even r3fuse to run at all,
in both which cases a steady hand and dry powder are
essential points. As to the weapon suitable for Moose,
Caribou, and Deer shooting, a light double-barrelled
smooth-bore rifle is, in my opinion, of all others the most
convenient and useful ; but every-one has his own ideas
on these subjects.

When a Moose is slaughtered, the tongue, palate,
mouffle, and marrowbones are reserved for the white-
hunters, while their attendants feast on the flesh. This,
though coarse in grain, is, when in good condition, very
tender, and rather like beef, with the addition of a
slightly gamey flavour; it is largely preserved by
means of smoke-drying. The fat, unlike that of the deer
tribe in general, is quite soft, and the layer on the
chine, known as the depouille, is highly esteemed by
the trappers and Indians; though that of the Caribou
ranks, I believe, still higher in their estimation. The
fat and marrow in both animals, when mixed with the
pounded flesh, form " pemmican."

The Moose have been lately very much hunted for
the sake of their skins, which have risen in value within
the last year or two. Mr. Bel), of Montreal, in an in-
teresting paper on the "Natural History of the St.
Lawrence District,'" mentions the fact of a huntino-

THE MOOSE.

party having, during the winter of 1857-8, procured
three hundred skins ; while another, consisting of only
three Indians, had on a single expedition the same
season killed nearly one hundred Moose.

The uses to which the various parts of this animal are
put, says Mr. Ross,* are many. "The hide supplies
parchment, leather, lines, and cords; the sinews yield
thread and glue ; the horns serve for handles to knives
and awls, as well as to make spoons of; the shank bones
are employed as tools to dress leather with ; and with
a particular portion of the hair, when dyed, the Indian
women embroider garments. To make leather and
parchment, the hide is first divested of hair by scrap-
ing ; and all pieces of raw flesh being cut away, if
then washed, stretched, and dried it will become parch-
ment. In converting this into leather, a further pro-
cess of steeping, scraping, rubbing, and smearing with
the brains of the animal is gone through, after
which it is stretched and dried, and then smoked over
a fire of rotten wood, which imparts a lively yellow
colour to it. The article is then ready for service.
Of parchment, as such, the Indians make little use,
but the residents avail themselves of it in lieu of
glass for windows, for constructing the sides of dog-

* Can. Nat. Gm. -. Montreal., Dec, ISUl.
F 2

CKllVIUiB.

1. 1

r '

cariok's, and for making glue. The leather is serviceable

in a variety of ways, but is principally made up into

tents and articles of clothing, and in the fabrication of

dog-harness, fine cords, wallets, &c. The capotes, gowns,

' fire-bags,' mittens, and moccasins made of it are

often richly ornamented with quills and beads. The

lines and cords arc of various sizes, the larffest beinff

used for sled -lines and pack -cords, the smaller for

lacing snow-shoes and other purposes. In order to

make the sled-lines pliant — a very necessary quality

when the temperature is 40° or 50° below zero, Fahr.

the cord is first soaked in fiit fish-liquor; it is then
dried in the frost, and afterwards rubbed by hauling it
through the eye of an axe. To complete the operation it
is well greased, and any hard lumps masticated until they
become soft, by which process a line is produced of great
strength and pliancy, and which is not liable to crack in
the most severe cold. To obtain thread, the fibres of the
sinews are separated, and twisted into the required sizes.
The Moose furnishes the best quality of this article, which
is used by the natives to sew both leather and cloth, to
make rabbit snares, and to Aveavc into fishing nets."

The long white hairs are used by the squav/s in
the oi-namental eml)roidcry of their different articles of
clothing and finery ; and the hoofs of the fore feet with
about tAvelve inches of the skin attached, and fiattened

THR MOOflR.

(59

•

out, are manufucturcd into pouches, or bugs called
capuches, on which a largo amount of labour and in-
genuity is generally expended. The beautifully inter-
laced and durable net-work of the snow-shoes before
alludnd to, is made from carefully cut strings of the
undressed or raw hide.

I have not been able to obtain any reliable informa-
tion as to the longevity or otherwise of the Moose ; it is,
however, believed by the Indians to live to a great age,
a supposition wlil h, considering the turdiness of its
attainment to muturity, is not improbable.

TRE MOOSR.

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IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-S)

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Photographic

Sdences
Corporation

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23 \' £ST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 873-4503

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CHAPTER TV.
Uluminanlia — continued.

THE CARIBOU — TWO VARIETIES — COMPARED WITH THE REINDEER — PRE-
SENT RANGE OP REJNDEEH AND ITS FORMER LATITUDES — EARLY
EXISTENCE IN WESTERN EUROPE — REMATN8 FOUND IN FRANCE, GREAT
BRITAIN, AND IRELAND — DIFFERENCE IN SIZE BETWEEN CARIBOU AND

REINDEER — INTRACTABILITY OF FORMSR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

THEIR ANTLERS — EFFECT OP FOOD ON ANTLER GROWTH DESCRIP-
TION OF CARIBOU HORNS ANTLEiS IN FEMALE — IMMATURE HORNS

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CARIBOU — INFESTED WITH jESTRUS

DISTRICTS WHERE FOUND — NATURE OP ITS POOD ITS CALL

STALKING GREAT FLEETNESS — THE WAPITI ITS SOUTHERN LIMITS

SIZE, COLOUR, AND ANTLERS MISNAMED " ELK " ITS HABITS,

FOOD, ETC. THE AMERICAN DEER ANTLERS AND GENERAL DESCRIP-
TION — COLOUR OF FAWNS ABUNDANCE OF DEER — THEIR FOOD AND

HABITS — TORCH AND FIRE-LIGHT SHOOTING— DRIVING — STALKING

SEASONS FOR — WINTER STALKING — MODE OP SECURING CAPCASE —
VALUE OP DEER SKINS.

CHAPTER IV.

Ilummrtnlm — continued.

rriHE Caribou of Canada (Cervus tarandus, var. Caribou)
-*- is not to be confounded with the smaller variety
(Groenlandicus) which inhabits the more northern
regions lying between the sixty-fifth degree of latitude
and the coast of thu Arctic Sea; and is an equally
disthict variety of the typical reindeer* of the Old World.

As Sir John Richardson remarksf — " Neither of these
varieties of Caribou has as yet been properly compared
with the European or Asiatic races of reindeer, and the
distinguishing characters, if any exist, are still unknown.
So great is their resemblance in habits and appearance to
the Lapland deer, that they have always been considered
to be the same species, without the fact having ever been
completely established."

These remarks, written more than five- and- thirty
years ago, are still true, for no complete skeleton of
American Caribou exists in any European collection

* Cervus tarandm.

t Fauna Borccilis Americana. I. 238.

|!> ti

CERVIDiE.

for comparison, and specific characteristics cannot of
course be founded on mere antler variation; but I shall
as briefly as possible point out the dirferences that exist
between them, and show them to be in reality only very
distinctly marked varieties of one and the same species.

The Eeindeer has its modern range east and west, from
Kamtschatka to Norway. Pallas mentions it as existing in
the Ural Mountains in his time — namely, from 1760-80;
and according to Wilson,* " herds are still found among
the pine woods which stretch from the banks of the Oufa,
under the fifty-fifth degree, to those of the Kama. They
proceed even farther south, along the woody summits
of that prolongation of the Uralian Mountains which
stretches between the Don and the Wolga, as far as the
forty-sixth degree. The species thus advances almost to
the base of the Caucasian Mountains, along the banks of
the Kouma, where scarcely a winter passes without a few
being shot by the Kalmucks, under a latitude two degrees
^o the south of Astracan. This remarkable ine.^ ality of
the polar distances in the geographical positions of this
species, according to the difference of meridian, is of
course dependent on the laws which regulate the dis-
tribution of heat over the earth's surface, as explained
by Humboldt. It is well known that physical climate?

• Enc. Brit., Ed. 1857.

THE CARIBOU.

do not lie, as it were, in bands parallel to the equator,
but that the isothermal lines recede from the pole in
the interior of continents, and advance towards it as we
approach the shores. It follows, that the further any
northern animal is naturally removed from the amelio-
rating climatic influence of the ocean, the more extended
may be its range in a southerly direction."

In former ages the reindeer appears to have ex-
tended very nearly as far south as this in Western
Europe also. There is no evidence of its having ac-
tually crossed the Pyrenees or Alps; but remains have
been discovered at no great distance from the northern
base of the former chain, and vast numbers of others
have been traced thence through France, Great Britain,
and Ireland.

In the caves of Bruniquel in Southern France, the
Vicomte de Lastic found in a group of cave-remains
immense numbers of those of reindeer, which had evi-
dently served for food to the human denizens of the
cavern, whose relics in skulls, bones, worked flints, and
horns were afterwards secured by Professor Owen for
the British Museum. In many of the caves of the
Dordogne quantities of remains of C. tarandus have also
been brought to light ; in one instance an artificial
flint weapon was found deeply fixed or embedded in a
vertebra of one of this species.

ft
I

I'k

1 1

CRRVID^,

^'1'

The Rev. S. W. King, F.G.S., discovered numerous
remains in ti.e cave of Aurignac in Haute Garonne, in
1864, wliere they had also been found to the probable
extent of some ten or twelve individuals by M. Lartet,
associated with Pleistocene remains.

Sir Charles Lyell* also notices remains as having
been found in Brixham Cave, near Torquay, and in the
ossiferous caves in Glamorganshire, from which latter
no less than a thousand reindeer antlers were extracted,
several hundred more being estimated to remain there.'
Professor Owenf records their occurrence in a cavern in
Devonshire, also in a peat moss in Norfolk, and probable
specimens in a marl-pit in rorfarshire. Others have
recently been dredged from the bed of the Thames.

In the West of England, Mr. Boyd Dawkins ar.d
Mr. Ayshford Sanford detected two varieties of fossil
reindeer in the Pleistocene caverns of the Mendip Hills:
one very large {query, Caribou?) the other very small,
and corresponding with the extreme variety of C.
tarandus— the Cervus guettardi of Cuvier.

In Ireland reindeer remains were found with those
of mammoth, cave-bear, and brown-bear, in a cave near
Dungarven. Professor Oldham records, as quoted by

* Antiquity of Man, pp. <)a, 172.
+ British Fossil M.iminals, p. 479, ct .sry.

II (

THE CAKIBOU.

Professor Jukes,* that in a cutting through a bog at
Kiltiei'nan, near Dublin, in a layer of mud and vege-
table matter, covered by sand, and again by peat, two
heads of reindeer, with perfect horns, were found,
together with iieads and antlers of thirty elks {Megaceros
IIib.)\ and in a note Professor Jukes adds, "I believe
these horns were more like those of the Caribou {Cei'f
hoeuf) of North America than those of the Lapland
Reindeer."

The latitudes which the reindeer frequents in the
Old World at the present day, — viz., in Europe, from
Southern Scandinavia to the Isle of Spitzbergen, and in
Asia, throughout Siberia and Kamtschatka, are — with the
exception of the Caucasian range before alluded to —
much higher than those occupied by the North American
variety, which inhabits the tract of country lying be-
tween the southern shoi s of Hudson's Bay and the
frontiers of Maine, extending westwards as far as
the northern shore of Lake Superior ; and it is a known
fact that in both continents they increase in size as
they are found further north ; yet the Caribou exceeds
in dimensions the largest Asiatic specimens. A iiiature
male weighs, when gralloched, full SOOlbs, and measures
upwards of six feet in length, standing also about ten

* Jour, Geo. Soe, JJub.

CERVID.B,

and a half handa high; whereas the >vild reindeer of
Lapland seldom approaches within an inch or two of
these dimensions, nnci the domesticated one is still
smaller. This, however, may possibly be attributable to
the effect of food, and facilities for procuring subsistence.
It is a remarkable fact that there is not a single
instance on record of the Caribou having ever been
tamed to domestic use, like the well-known friend and
companion of the Laplander; on the contrary, even
those that have been reared by the hand of man from
their very birth, have invariably proved wild and in-
tractable on attaining maturity.

The Caribou also differs from the reindeer in the
formation of its antlers, which are less slender, and not
80 much curved as those of the latter. It is true that
in both a considerable variation is common in this
respect, even among individuals of the same herd; but
the dissimilarity between the two varieties is of another
nature, and neither casual nor accidental.

The size of the horns in all the Cervida) is probably
the result of food; if that be abundant then the antler
growth reaches its maximum, and both diminish in a
direct ratio. This curious fact is proved by the animals
with the larger antleis being always found in areas
where their food is plentiful, which is the case in a
marked degree with the red-deer of oui- own country.

TIIK CARIBOU.

Partly palinated and partly cylindrical, the Caribou
antlers are of singular and fantastic form, and though
of great expanse — apparently but ill adapted for a forest
life — are so slight that their Weight eldom exceeds 91bs.

The stem of the horn is considerably curved, the
concave side being to the front, and the extremities of
the palmated brow-antlers project nearly fifteen inches
over the face. Sometimes only one of these brow-antlers
occurs on one or other of the horns, though they are

■UMI

t'KKVIl)^.

:il')

more freque-.tly present on both, especially in the case
of the oick males; and it is doubtless their peculiarity
of form which has led to the belief that they are in-
tended by nature for the purpose of removing the snows
of winter in search of food. The fact, however, that
the male animal sheds his horns about the commencement
of that season demolishes the theory in his cuse; and it
i8 well known that he usee for this purpose his fore
feet and muzzle only, the skin of which latte- is ex-
ceedingly hard and tough.

It is a singular fact that the female of this species
is furnished with antlers as well as the male, and
equally curious that while the latter shed their horns,
as just mentioned, at the beginning of the winter, she
should retain hers until the spring. If for the purpose
of enabling her to procure food as above, in the ^vinter,
we may ask why should she be provided wich facilities
for such a purpose which are denied to the opposite sex ?
The horns of the Caribou in the earlier stages of
their growth bear wonderfully little resemblance to those
of the mature animal. I have in my possession a pair
which I brought from Quebec, believed to be those of a
three-year-old, in which each horn is simply a plain,
slender, and very slightly curved stem, bearing equally
slender cylindrical brow-antlers, or rather tines, with
no appearance of any tendency to palmate.

TIIK t'AIUUOU.

The Caribou is not n graceful unitnul, Imving shorter
and thicker legs and a larger heod, together with less
general symmetry, than most of the family to which it
belongs.

The hair, which in summer is a reddijli brown, be-
comes rougher and changes to grey in the winter,
the throat and belly alone remaining white. Cuvier
says,* "11 chan/e, en general, du brur-atre au blan-
chatre et au blanc ; mais en qualite d'nnimal d' icstlque,
ses coulcurs ne sont i>oint constantes, et chaquc individu
a presque les sienncs."

The coat is composed of two kinds of hair : an under

one, of a woolly texture, which is very short, and so

close that it is difficult co reach the skin, and an upper

one of long straight hair of a darker colour. It is a

peculiarity of the latter that when rubbed or roughly

handled it breaks off short instead of coming out by

the roots. The hair under the neck is long and pendent.

This animal is much infested in summer with the larvuj

of the (Estrus, which brood beneath the skin, causinir

open wounds, apparently very troublesome and even

painful, and so numerous are they at times that the

skin is worthless for any purpose of manufacture. As

Mr. Ross, before quoted, states, " The only hides service-

* Ossemens Fossiles, p. 125. Paris. 1835.

CKRVll)^,.

I'i

able for converting into leather ..re those of animals
killed early in the winter, which, when subjected to a
process similar to that detailed in the case of the
moose, but l)leached in the frost instead of being smoked,
furnish a most beautiful, even, and white leather."

The districts in which the Caribou is now most
commonly found are the wilds north of Quebec, and the
country about the upper waters of the Restigouche, and
he -a they are met with in considerable abundance,
roaming the picturesque forests and solitary tracts in
small herds or broken parties of six or seven ; seldom or
ever being seen singly, like the moose. Mr. Robert Bell,
in his Report on the natural history of the St. Lawrence
District, already mentioned, states that they are also very
common in the Shick-shock range of mountains in the
Eastern province, and that "some of his party reported
having found on the extensive table-top of Mount All^ert,
one of this chain, a large area covered with immense
quantities of Caribou horns, most of tliem evidently of
great antiquity." Mr. D'Urban also, in his Report on the
fauna of the Valley of the River Rouge, says the
Caribou is found in the districts of Argentcuil and Ottawa,
on Trembling Mountain, » the gneiss rocks of which are
covered with its peculiar food, the Cladonia rangi-
ferina"

This lichen is what the settlers call " white moss ;"

THE CARIBOU.

another kind is found on the trunks of forest trees, to
which the Caribou is also very partial, though it occurs
more sparingly. When neither are to be procured, grass,
leaves, bark, buds, and young twigs, are readily devoured.
Its flesh :1s tender and well flavoured in the early
winter, and is considered superior to that of the Moose.

The call of the Caribou is a sort of bark, though it
is not often heard, and would hardly be recognised by
one unaccustomed to it.

Though not so suspicious as the less agile moose,
this animal is not to be approached without great care
and circumspection on the part of the stalker, who, as
en all similar occasions, is better mth no other com-
panion than his Indian guide. Many a disappointment
has been caused by the indiscretion or ignorance of a
friend and fellow-hunter, or by the presence of more
attendants than necessary. In following up either
Moose, Caribou or Deer, it is w^U ahvays to bear
in mind the advice given by Scrope.* "In all cases of
approach, when it is necessary to advance in a stooping
position, or to crawl, you hud better keep a constant eye
upon the man in the rear, for, believe me, no man is im-
plicitly to be trusted. One will most unconscionably put
his head up because, forsooth, his back aches insupportably ;

* Deer-Stalkiiig in tlie Highlands.
G 2

CERVID.E.

another likes to have a peep at the deer ; a third (and he
is the most unpardonable of all) does not like to have the
burn water enter the bosom of his shirt, which is very
inconsiderate, as nothing tends to keep a man more cool
and comfortable than a well applied streamlet of this
description. So look back constantly to the rear, that
every gillie may do his duty, and observe that no man
has a right to see the deer in approaching to get a quiet
shot, except the stalker."

In ponit of s-sviftness, the Caribou possesses a great
advantage over the moose ; and partly from its lighter
weight, partly from its feet being larger and wider, is able
to travel over snow which would not bear the weight of
the other, while at the same time it is gifted with greater
powers of endurance ; whence it is that they do not form
"yards" like the moose. On the contrary, they collect
together as soon as the snow comes, and form wander-
ing herds, which vary in number from a dozen to a
hundred, though often attacked and dispersed by the
wolves.

If it fairly takes to flight, it is useless to attempt to
fol'ow the Caribou, even on snow-shoes, unless when there
is a crust on the surface sufficiently strong only just to
break through with its weight at every step ; this, lace-
rating the animal's legs, and so crippling its movements,
places it more on an equality with its pursuer. The

]

THE WAPITI.

females, however, being generally fatter than the males,
are more easily run down. The prints of the Caribou
footsteps in the snow resemble those of a bullock, though
they are longer.

In the summer and autumn, if pursued, the Caribou
betakes itself, whenever practicable, to the nearest swamp
as a refuge. If pressed, its pace is very rapid, and it
takes extraordinary leaps in its stride ; at such times,
however, it Avill occasionally turn and stand at bay, show-
ing fight with the utmost determination. When moving
quickly the same sharp clicking sound is made by the
hoofs which has been previously adverted to in describing
the moose.

The Wapiti {Cervus Canadensis) would appear, from
its specific name, to be entitled to a place among the
large game of Canada, but is, in fact, found no further
south than the limits of tlie North- West Territory;
ranging as far as 06° or 57° in the opposite direction.
It is, however, so beautiful an animal that I gladly
avail myself of its name to give a short description of it.

Though frequently classed under the genus Ela])hus, it
is included by Baird in the present one, as keeping
all the deer with naked muzzles together.

It stands about four and a '.alf feet high at the
shoulder, or nearly a foot higher than the red-deer
of Scotland, though in general furm both are very

CERVID^E.

similar. In summer its prevailing colour is a light
chestnut red, darkest on the neck and legs, the throat
and centre of the beUy being almost black; the
chin is dusky, with a narrow patch of light yellow on
either side, and a broad one of the same colour under
.the head. The rump is yellowish white, bordered by a
dusky band extending down the hind legs; the hair is
very brittle, and the tail much shorter than that of
the European stag. In autumn it turns grey, and con-
tinues so through the winter. The ears, though lav^e,
are shorter in proportion to the size of the animal than
those of the moose, and are more sharply pointed. The
antlers, wliich are exceedingly handsome and of great
size, often between four and five feet in height, are
cylindrical, brown in colour, and of very rough surface
except at the points, which are worn quite smooth and
white. All the snags spring from the anterior face of
the horn: the longest two from the base, the one
•ove the other; while two and sometimes three others
spring at nearly equal distances higher up; they are
usually shed in March and April. In the young animals
Baird* describes the horns as being " club-shaped spikes,
truncate at the end, curved as in the adult, and with-
out branches."

* iMaiiiiiial^ ol' North AiiK'rica.

AMERICAN UEER.

The Wapiti is called the Elk in most parts of North
America, excepting the Hudson Bay districts, where it
is called the Rcd-decr : a confusion of names which has
given rise to equal confusion in the various accounts
and descriptions of the animal. Similar misnomers are
of constant occurrence in North America, though I must
confess that even in India I have heard the lartje deer
of the Neilgherries also called elk.

The Wapiti move together in herds, keeping in covert
during the daytime, and likewise when not feeding.
They are not so cautious and watchful as either the
moose or caribou, and are consequently less difficult of
approach. Their principal food is grass and the young
shoots of the willow and poplar. The flesh is coarse,
but the skin is more valued as leather than either moose
or caribou hide.

The common Deer of America (Cervus Virginianus),
though very generally called " Red-deer," is not to be
supposed as at all similar to that inhabiting the High-
lands of Scotland. In its slight and graceful form it
more nearly approaches tlie fallow-deer, but the horns
difter widely in form and growth from those of either.

The principal stems l)end backwards from the base,
and then curve forwards and outwards, with from three
to five points or tines on each, the basal ones springing
from the anteiior face of thu lion., the remainder from

CKRVIDi15.

fcl

the upper edge of it. In several fine specimens of mature
antlers wliicli I brought home with me to this country
there are only three points on each horn. The general
surface of the antlers is also smoother, and the colour
lighter, than those of the red-deer, and their weight is
never more than six pounds, and probably on an average
about a pound or a pound and a half below that, whilst
the antlers of the Scottish animal reach to twelve pounds
or even more. They are usually shed in January or
February, begin to appear again in Mny, and are fully
grown by the end of August or the beginning of Sep-
toinbor. In young animals the horns may of course
be seen in every stage of development, from a simple
spike upwards.

In point of size the American Deer is decidedly
inferior to the Scottish hart, being about four inches
lower at the shoulder. Its colour is yellowish red during
the summer and autumn months, paler on the sides
limbs, and front of the neck. In the winler it changes
to a roan or greyish chestiuit, tliough during both seasons
the under |)arts remain white. In some animals a patch
is observable round the eye, of a nuieh ligliter colour
than the general surface of the body.

The hair in summer is thin, but the texture of the
winter covering is very extraordimuy, each individual
hair being thickened, in appearance resembling crumpled

AMERICAN DEER.

quills, which, when pressed, either break off short or
remain in a bent position. The tail, which is very
full, is white underneath ; the point of the chin and
the sides of the muzzle are also white.

The hind has one fawn, and occasionally two, at a
birth, generally late in the spring. During the earlier
months of their existence the young are marked with
white spots, which, however, gradually disappear as
they attain maturity.

The flesh of the Deer, when in season, is tender and
well-flavoured, but generally rather lean, though it fre-
quently happens that it is condemned on that score very
unjustly, owing to its having been killed at an improper
time. A hart at certain seasons is quite unfit for food,
and for several weeks afterwards docs not entirely regain
its normal condition, while a hind that has a calf never
has any fat whatever; yet both are constantly killed at
these times by traders and Indians, and sent into the
market in a state of course inferior to the poorest mutton.

The Deer is common in Upper Canada, though less
abundant in the Avestern j)ortion of the Lower Province,
and below Quebec is unknown on the northern shore of
the St. Lawrence. At the present time it is plentiful in
the Upper Ottawa country; to the north of Lake Simco;
and in most of the unfrequented districts or uncut and
remote forests in Canada West. In many of the more

CKRVrU.E.

open woods, whore there is a luxuriant undergrowth of
fine grass, they arc abundant; and as it is their habit to
return daily to the same spots, and even year after year
to frequent the same haunts, the hunter may in such dis-
tricts calculate with tolerabL certainty on finding them.
The tender shoots and young leaves of many of the
trees of the forest are likewise a great attraction, they
also feed on the pendent lichen which grows in such
weird-like fashion on the branches, and, accordin-^ to
Mr. U'Urban, the Indians declare that «' they arc very
fond of the leaves of the Kalmia aiigustifolia, from eating
whioli they become intoxicated, and are easily killed."

Their general hours of feeding are in the early morn-
ing, before the sun is high, and again in the cool of the
evening. In sunnner, during the heat of the day, they
lie under the shade of the trees, often creeping in under
quite low bushes in order to escape the persecution of
the flies, they al«o frequently batlie in the lakes about
noontide. If there is not sufficient water in the nei^h-
bourhood for this purpose they content themselves by
repairing about the same hour to the nearest spring or
stream to quench their thirst— a habit of which Indians
and others do not neglect to take advantage. In the
spring and winter they are said seldom to drink, findin"-
sufficient moisture in the dew of the "-pass.

Whenever they have the chance they will vcntiuv out

AMKIIICAN bEKR,

of the forest to luxuriate on the settler's corn, turnips,
pease, and even potatoes; but as they generally select the
night-time for these marauding expeditions, it is only
when the moon shines that they can be detected, and
even then it is frequently necessary to watch for many
hours for that purpose. Except, however, in India or
South Africa, I know no pleasanter climate for such an
occupation ; the summer nights are dolightful, and so dry
is the atmosphere that one may sit out in the lightest
costume, enjoying the sweet chirping whistle of the
piping-frog, which rings soothingly in the still air, while
fire-flies glance in every tliicket.

The "salt licks" met with in many parts of the
country are also a favourite resort of the Deer, and if any
at all are about the neighbourhood they are sure to be
found there, and are consequently watched for and killed
by shooters stationed beforehand in the nearest trees.

A mode of destruction, less common in Canada than
in the States, is practised on dark summer nights as
follows. A blazing light of birch bark and " ftit pine" is
kindled in an iron cresset fixed in the bows of a canoe
precisely as in salmon spearing ; the rifleman sits amid-
ships, covered by green boughs, and the steersman
similarly concealed, gently paddles the little skiff along
the dark wooded shores of the lake or river, at the hour
when the Deer, after the heat of the day, repair to the

CKHvri),!;.

cool waters. As the «tran«c ll^l.t ^Mldos nois.lossly
towards thorn they «tn.ui transfixed and ..pp.p,,.,,^
fascinated by the ^^hue, „„til its reflecti.,,. in their
fflitterinn: eyel.alls diseovers their positio,, to the eon-
coaled murksnutn, who, at elose <i,.arters, f.re^ between
the two with deadly eUect

Among the Yankees it is u.ual, I believe, for the
shooter to earry the blazin.r lire in a pan with a Ion..
l"."dle over his loft shoul.ler, and in this n.anner to
nmve stealthily on, with his rifle at the •« ready," the
I'andle of the fire-,,nn serving at the moment of taking
aim as a rest for the barrel! It appears a somewhat
awkward perfonnanee, and loa.ling must be attended
with even greater inconvenienee, while there is little to
be sa.d for the sport, if indeed it deserves sueli a
"ame. A somewhat similar plan is, I believe, pnietised
hy (he natives in Ceylon. Sometimes a fire is lighted
on the ground, and the shooter, concealing himself
behind the tn.nk of some neighbouring tree or bush
lies in ^vait for the doer, which the strange light is sure
to attract.

A method n.uch resorted to by those who do not
appreciate the superior attractions of the more noble
art of stalking, is that of 'Mriving/' which, as practisod
in Canada, only differs from roe shooting i„ Scotland
^n the fact that the -guns" are i.ot stationary. After they

AMKIIICAN IH'.KH.

have heen posted iit the difrcnuit poliitH or runs, wliuro
the deer iire likely to hrciik cover or ^ivc the chance of u
shot, the do<,'H and drivers enter the fonsst at a distant
point, and the intervening,' tract is liiinted witli loud
halloos and the barkin;,' and yel|>in^' of the motley pack.
These do^TH, liowever, are not tan;iht to keep together
on one deer, hut are allowed, or rather en-.-ouraged, to
chase dKl'erent, aninials, a part of thv. pack followin<r
tile original or first viewed one, while the rest iii twos
or threes are hunting others. These tly In diflerent
directions simultaneously, with the hounds in full cry,
and the guns make with all speed for the points they
are likely to cross. The regular backwoodsman rarely
adoi)ts this jjractice, for he seldom fires at a deer unless
it is statiomiry, and never attempts very long shots.

The only really sportsman-like way of deer-killing
is "still-hunting" or stalking, which in the forest is
similar of course in all its details to the stalking of
either moose or caribou, and may be followed
etpudly in autumn or winter, the proper season being
from the 1st of September to the 31st of January,
In the former period the months of September and
October are the best, and at that time the Deer arc
also more abundant, being driven to the lakes and
rivers as a refuge from the swarms of flies which
still infest the up-country forest. In stalking it is

CEnVII),f!.

to be borne in mind that Deer, when disturbed, in-
variably move up-wind; Avhen, tliereforc, n herd is dia-
covered a rifle should be posted at the point they ore
likely to make for, while another, taking a wide circuit,
gradually and cautiously steals round, till the herd
gets a slight sniff of him from a distance great
enough not to alarm them, and yet sufficient to cause
them to move off gradually towards the concealed rifle,
upon whom, at the right moment, a more rapid advance
or a shot will drive them with the greatest certainty.
In winter stalking, the time generally chosen is rather
early in the season, before the snow has accumulated
to any great depth. The Deer are then compelled again
to seek the forest, not merely for protection from the
biting blast and sweeping drift, but because the sheltered
surface, being less deeply covered with snow, affords
more chance of obtaining food.

Their presence at this time in any particular locality
is ascertained at once by their tracks in the snow, the
discovery of which immediately puts all the hunters of
the neighbourhood on the qui vive. TLis is, in short,
the season par excellence for deer-stalkir 2.

In the Canadian winter ice and snow assume the
most attractive and enjoyable aspects they are capable
of, and without our tedious prelude of cold and broken
'leather the season comes all at once. The glowing

AMKKICAN DRKR.

autumn woods rain down their shower of bright and
many-coloured Iciivca, mingled sometimes with the falling
snow-flakes, and in an incredibly short time the forest
stands cold and bare on the whitened plain.

As the full continues, the snow-drift gathers high
against the double-glazed windows, and enormous fires
of huge logs are piled in the wide open hearths. But
after a few days of storm the sun shines out again
from a cloudless sky of the deepest blue, though without
thawing even the smallest twigs of the frosted trees ;
and the white expanse of country, broken only by
snow-laden masses of dark pine, glitters to the horizon.

All the rivers are frozen overj even the broad and
rapid St. Lawrence is arrested in its course,

" Flumina constiterint acuto ;"

and like the streets is covered with horses, and sleighs
arrayed in rich furs, and with figures dressed in blanket
coats, red sashes, and moccasins. The wonderful and
glorious sunsets of this season cannot fail to strike the
inhabitants of our dull clime with astonishment. The
period associated in our minds with dreary afternoons and
leaden clouds, is here a constant succession of gorgeous
evening skies, suffusing the snov -fields with a rosy
tinge.

The moon, too, shines with a brilliancy, and the stars.

CERVIDiE.

doubled in apparent magnitude, flush with tints unkno\vn
in skies less clear ; while the aurora shoots nightly across
the heavens in ever-changing rays of prismatic hue.

On the great lakes, however, fogs of Newfoundland
intensity are not unfrequent. The larger lakes never
freeze over for any distance from shore, but Erie, beinjr
much shalloAver, is frequently covered with ice to a very
considerable extent. Every storm of wind breaks it up
again, and carries it over the Niagara Ealls; thus covering
the surface of the lower lake (Ontario) for miles out
with white and glistering floes, causing an extraordinary
depression of temperature.

On two diff'erent winters, I have seen this broken ice
come over the F Us in such quantities as completely to
block up the river below the cataract, forming a
solid mass of enormous blocks extending from bank to
bank, enabling us to approach to the very foot of the
Great Horseshoe.

Notwithstanding the low range of the thermometer,
25° below zero (Fahrenheit) being a common state
of things, the extraordinary degree of cold that really
exists is not felt to cuiything like the extent that might
be anticipated. In fact, excepting in the case of wind,
which produces a painful burning sensation, I never
sufi'ered more inconvenience from it than I have often
done in many of our own winters, though huge trees

AMERICAN DEER.

are frequently riven by the frost-echoing through
the woods with thundering reverberations,— and a rifle
barrel incautiously grasped with the uaked hand will
adhere to it like red-hot iron.

The raw sloppy weather, the half-melted heaps of dirty
snow in shady corners ; the mud and slush, and dripping
trees, characteristic of the British winter, are almost
unknown miseries. From month to month the snow
rests pure and bright as on the day it fell, the azure
sky is without a cloud, and the weather is often so
ir.describably clear and brilliant, and the atmosphere so
exhilarating, as to impel one to almost boisterous
mirth. It is probably this that makes the winter so
pre-eminently the season of gaiety and enjoyment.

Braced with renewed energy the deer-stalker packs
his sleigh and prepares for work, preferring the keen
air and invigorating exercise of the winter "tracking"
to the relaxing heat and the clouds of musquitoes
which are the accompanim.ents of autumn huntin-.

His ammunition and creature comforts being stowed
away, and the warm sleigh-robes duly arranged, the
snorimg horses, with tinkling bells and gay - streamers,"
speed along the crisp and shining track, bound for th'e
distant deer-forest. Away along the silent roads, that
stretch through dark pine woods-away over open clear-
ings-through acres of blackened stumps-past solitary

CERVID/fi.

Ill

lo;>--lmts or groups of wooden houses— skirting miles of
high snakc-feuce, or of dark river covered with crashing
blocks of ice— they fly along, never relaxing their pace
except to pass some heavy-laden wood-sledge.

This manoeuvre, by the Avay, when the road is only
wide enough for a single sleigh (invariably the case
at any distance from a town), is not so simple a matter
as it may appear, neither i)arty being willing to yield an
inch more of the hard-beaten track than he can help
doing, well knowing that if he get one " runner" in the
soft snow on either side he nmst of necessity be capsized.
These large rough sledges, heavily loaded with firewood
— an article not easily spoiled — occupy, on these occa-
sions, much the same position in relation to a private
sleigh that a heavily-loaded waggon would to a small
pony-phaeton ; that is to say, they have it all their own
way, and wijen the driver is a recently arrived Irish
emigrant he generally avails himself of the advantage,
with an open rudeness which is in pitiable contrast to
tiie manly good-humour of the Canadian or the ready
assistance of the grinning ne<»'ro.

After sunset the temperature sinks ra])idly, icicles
hang from the horses' nostrils, and the breath freezes on
the beard or blanket-coat, as the north wind whistles
tlu-ough tile leaiiess forest, sweeping the drift in clouds
across the country. At night-fall a desolate wooden inn

■

AMKHICAN nEi'.U.

is luiilod with dfllght as their hultiiig phtce: a solitary
dwelling, half-buried in snow, at the edge of a.i endless
forest, and miles away from any other habitation.

At early morn, clothed in a blanket suit, and armed
Avith knife and rifle, the hunter is on his way to the
foreat, aceompanied by soine squatter or half-breed guide.
A slight fall of s.iow having taken place during the
•light is a subject of mutual congratulation, for the
crunching of a frozen stuface is obviously a serious
drawback to still-hunting, besides which, the freshly
sprinkled surface renders the trail more easy to follow.

After making a detour, more or less extended, in order
to get an up-wind beat, they hit fresh trail, and after a
careful rcconnoissance proceed with redoubled caution.
Shortly the appearance of moving objects causes then»
to crouch suddenly behind the nearest tree, and after a
whispered consultation one creeps stealthily round
towards a point for which the Deer are likely to make,
while the other is left to approach them with all the skill
and address he is possessed of.

After carefully noting the next point of cover for
an advance, he conunences cautiously to glide from tree
to stump, and from .stun.p to bush, watching with
breathless anxiety, at each point gained, the movements
of the herd before bin.. A noble buck with branching
uurlers drops behin.l l.is con.panions, to enjoy the luxury

n 2

'if

i ~1 ;

100

CKllVllKE.

of rubbln^r l.is nock against ,i tree — un oecupatioii
nppare.itly so agrccablo niul engrossing that the stalker
steals u hnndred yards nearer without giving any alarm.
Thongh there is not u nionu>nt to lose, and silenoe and
eiroun.speetion are momentarily more necessary, lie is
still too far off to hazard a shot, and to increase the
difficulty, he has i)rol)abIy got into such a labyrinth of
rotten sticks and fallen trees, that the possibility of
getting nearer v/ithout discovery seems lioix-lcss.

Strange as it may appear, it k not on tlie eye or
head of the feeding deer that the steady gaze of the
stalker is fixed, but on its tail. If that is jerked with
a quick nervous shake, he crouches lower, warned that
the animal is about to raise its head. Tf after a short
gaze round, it again twitches the tail, he prepares to
move on, knowing th(^ aninnd will return to its food.
Then seizing the opportunity-, with one or two swift
and silent strides, he is safely behind a giant truidv,
within easier range of his object. Mut though he has
"ot made the slightest appreciable noi.se, and the little
Mind moving is in his favour, .«*o acute are the deer's
senses of smell and hearing that it suddenly lifts its
head erect, and snitling the air suspiciously, begins to
move ofl'

Sinudtaneously with the sudden crack of the rifle it
gives a convulsive leap, and, throwing np elouds of

i»

AMKRICAN nEKU.

101

snow at every stride, boiindH away at headlong speed.
If the tail is down~o.hya,yf, a sicrn that the wound is
mortal-tho blood-stained tracks arc followed up with
«1I haste, and more than likely with many a fall over
the stumps and trunks of snow-hidden trees; a chase
which, according to the nature of the wo.md, and thp
age and^strcngth of the animal, may either be very
short, or > protracted that the hunter may consider
the loss ofhis prize a minor consideration in comparison
with the chance of losing himself in tlie forest. Sooner
or later, however, he Avill find it, eitlier stone dead or
stretclicd before him in its last struggles. Let him uot
approach incautiously in the latter case, or he may
chance to receive a kick that will lay liim up for
days: a fact which personal experience gives rae cause
to remember.

The Indian's usual method of temporarily securing
the carcase is by attaching it to the top of a young
tree, which, by climbing, he has bent to the ground,
this being let go, springs back with its lighter load
to its upright position, the flesh safe, not only from
prowling wolves, but even from the tree-climbing bear,
which has a mortal antipathy to venture up anything
unequal to its weight. The Canada-jay, however, will
not fail to attack the flesh at the earliest opportunity.

The backwoodsman, to whom the difficulty of obtain-

■nSii- T-figig;

102

rRitviD.v,

« f Ik

in^- supplies is a matter of coiiHJdorati.ni, coiisiderH the
recovery oi' his huHots a point of s.ieh importance that
he invariably cuts fhem ou( of the earease, to he
remeltcd in his wooden ladle for future service.

Valuable as are skins of the Moose and Caribou,
those of the Deer are still more esteemed on account
of tlieir o:reator softness and plii.bility, as well as their
property of better rosistin^r injury from wet.

AMi;iilCAN PKKH.

DIVISION II.

BuUs.

CHAPTEIi V.

SILKNCE OP THE FOUKSTS -INTEUKSTIKO B.nDS-WHlTE-nKADED EAOtE-
VAIUETY OF UAWKS-MU8QUITO IIAWK-OWLS-OREAT HOiU,KD OWL
-SNOWY OWL-ABSENCE OP BIKD8 ,K W1NTEH-8NOW-BIHD8-ES-
TEEMICD A DELICACY— TIIEIU UE8EMBLANCE TO OUTOLAN-FAMILIAR
ENGLISH BIUDS-CIIAU ■ TEniSTlCS OF COUNTUY-TUE FOUEST-
ABSrVCE OP TUE COMMON 8PAKK0W-PIUNC1PAL FEATUEUED IN-
HABITANTS OF THE FOREST-GAME BIUD8 OF THE COVEUTS AND
PLA1N8-WADEK8 AND WATEU-F0WL-OAME-8EAS0N8 OF THE UPPER
AND LOWEU PROVINCES-TUEIR DISCREPANCY-ITS EFFECTS-PRO-
POSED ALTERATION.

^ I

L'. ,1

■

CHAPTKR V.

rjlHOUGFI one might not iimiuturiilly '(imgiiu; that
-*- birds of every kind would enliven the vust tnicts of
wood clotliin/r the fiice of tlui country, the Cuniidiun forest
slumbers in everlustin;>: and almost oppressive silence;
and even beyond its precincts the general impression
produced on my own mind was rather that of the defi-
ciency than the number and variety, of the feathered
tribes, as compared with those of Great Jiritnin and
other parts of the world; though some of the species
and varicti(!s were both new and interesting.

Few sights of the kind can well be more so, than that
of the great-whiteheaded-eagle* on the wing: a spec-
tacle I had the gratification of witnessing in the neigh-
bourhood of the Falls. It was a bright sunny morning
when we suddenly descried it floating almost overhead,
with an immense expanse of wing, and apparently sus-
pended motioidess in the air. As we stood and watched

* ILalimtus leucocephalus.

I f-<

108

COMMON BIRDS.

". a,lrair«tion, i, „,ec,,d.d, without any pcrcoptiblo
■not,o„ of ,1,0 „i„g, «„d i„ „ ^^^ ^f ^.^^^^^^ ^^^^^

•..«l.er „„a Mghcr, till it dwirJM ,o „ ,„c™ .peck, „„d'
finally disappeared in the deep blue above.

1 «.„ fortunate ato in tivi™ seeing during an un-
"sually hot sunnner the somewhat rare swallow-tail
or n,usquito.h„wk,. in ,he neighbourhood of St. Davids
soaring i„ pursuit of inseeta, and performing the n.ost
»."gular and graceful evolutions. It has a most beautiful
blaek and white plumage, with very elegant for,n, and
« not often seen in sueh high latitudes, being peeuliar
to the Soutlierii States. '

There are a number of hawks of the more ordinary
kinds, most of whieh arc either similar to or varieties
of those common to own country : as the peregrine,
goshawk, and merlin; and there would be no difficulty
in training them for the purposes of hawking.- a sport
for the pursuit of which the cultivated parts of the
country are admirably adapted.

Owls of different kinds inhabit nearly every wood
>vaking the echoes at night, witi; loud unearthly cries
and melancholy hootings, startling alike the settler in
his lonely hut, the hunter at his fire, and the belated
traveller who hurries along the gloomy forest track

• ■Nauclerut furcatut.

COMMON BIRDS.

100

Those who have o.ily hoard the cries of the English
owls cat. have no eonception of the loud and startling
calls of mme of these enormous birds. The great-
horned-owl,* which is nearly two feet high, is perhaps
the most remarkable in this respect of oil its tribe; but
though often heard it is seldom to be seen, passing the
day, as it docs, in the impenetrable coverts of the
swamps. Of the snowy-owl.f I had the fortune to
inspect closely a splendid specimen, a female, fuliy two
feet in height, which, perched in a lofty hickory, was
fired at and brought down by a brother-ofTicer with
whom I was out shooting. Softly, and without a rustle,
it descended like a parachute to the ground, where it
liopped on a log, and sat staring at us with its great
round yellow eyes in the utmost astonishment, making
no attempt to escape, but hissing loudly when approached.
It did not appear to be wounded, and was evidently more
surprised than hurt, for it soon alter flew off as noise-
lessly as it had alighted. The greater part cf the
plumage was white, beautifully marked with light brown
spots or half moons, and it was literally a mass of the
softest down. The cry of the snowy-owl is most hoarse
and dismal, and has been well compared to that of a full-
grown man calling in distress for assistance.

Sirix Virginiana.

t Strix nyctca.

R i.i

110

COMMON BIRDS.

Few birds are to be seen in Canada during the winter
months except an occasional flock of Snow-buntings,*
flitting through the air with a jerking flight or running
cheeping on the snow. Somewhat larger than a lark,
^vith the upper plumage of a light variegated brown'
and the -nder pure white, these birds are very fat,
and the ^^-A ='ongIy resembles that of the ortolan of
Southerr -.. ^ . for ,vhich reason they are much
sought after, and are sold in the markets as an article
of luxury.

Though grouse may be found in the spruce districts
by .hose who will take the trouble to follow them up at
th.s season, and in some districts a stray covey of "quail"
.sat times to be seen huddled together on the snow, all
the wild-fowl, and the smaller birds which at other
seasons give an appearance of life ,o nature, are absent
m the more genial regions of the Souther,, States, and
the woods and waters remain silent and deserted till the
return of spring.

When the ice and snow, rapidly breaking up. convert
the whole country into a ,,uag„,ire, when pl„„„ ,,i
trees which for weeks past have been slowly vegetating
nnder their snowy garb, begin to bud with inc-edible
'■ai>.a.ty, and the air suddenly swa„„s witl, insect life

flectnphancs nivalin.

COMMON BIRDS.

Ill

then the familiar blue-bird,* the looked-for and wel-
corned harbinger of spring, first of all the feathered
tribes appears upon the scene.

In succession arrive the scarlet war-bird,t its gor-
geous hues glancing among the green leaves of the
forest; the orange oriolej displaying its rich black and
gold as it flies from tree to tree, and ruby-throated
humming-birds§ flitting hither and thither and hovering
among the flowers. Not the least interesting of the
summer visitors is the cat-bird, || which is constantly to
be heard imitating Avith extraordinary exactness the
mewing of the cat, and performing other singular coun-
terfeits, as well as the notes of most of the ordinary birds
of the country. Time after time I endeavoured to get a
sight of one of these birds which daily took up its
position among the liighest branches of a lofty tulip-tree
near my quarters, but I never succeeded in obtaining more
than an unsatisfactory glimpse of a slate-coloured bird
about the size of a thrush, to which family it belongs.

In strange contrast with those bright and novel
plumages appear the homely ciiaffinch, jay, and yellow-
hammer, with many other old friends: a mingling of
objects familiar and foreign, that here meets the eye in

•I

* Silvia sialis. f Tanagra rubra.

§ Trochilun colubrin.

I Oriolua galhula.
Turdusfelivox.

112

TIIK CANADIAN I'OIIHST.

0V(My direction. Side I,y ^,u]^. f

«i«li, and cliii, stand

>!• cxmnplc, with onic,

?i^nintic IiickoHt

hwti

s, Hijiriir

«'i'-iint trees J* while liro-fl

•irmj)lc'H,

nnd

liahit th

i<'H nnd ra,tfi(

sunk

t'H HI-

I' HI

tlio Jic'd.rohoir of

"110 woods Mlth the (H)innu)i

1 HqiiiiTcI and

one's boyish hunts. Fields of

<'r\ug nuiize nnd rows

oats (dterniitc wi(h those of tow

••'■ '"W" oran-e punipkins, hoed und ten,!,.! )

""*' nc--n>sscsj and (he romlsi<h> is lumlerod 1

coiriiuon

)y ne<fr()es

orchards, thei

I, tiieir ripe fruit wei<diin<r d

coverini; th

own tlie t

>y iH'iieh
I'c'os, and

\g the ^^n-oiind.

'-'«^n-ai.d forests, free of all hn.shwood, present a
'""'' •^^'■"^'"^' 'M>lK«arunee than anythin^r ,,se to the
c>yo ..f one jnst arriv.-d from the Old WorM. No one
-" -^-- <''-•• .^l.ad.nvs or tread their lon.-drawn vistas
of tall grey stems, spanned by over-arehin^. roof of ,larl<
loaves, withont the idea of a vast cathedral involuntarily
'•'-.^' i" the .nin.i. J,,,, ,„i,,,^ ^^,,,,,^,,^^ ,^^_^^^
prostrate trunks lie strewn aroun.l, some but new^
'''"^■'N -'l'«'--s nios..o,,,wn an.l v..r.lant, with .-reeping
plants ; while many show only a dark line of deeayd
-..table mouhl, the last and rapidly disappearing
vestige of their ti.nner stateliness. Here the ground is
Mno with hyacinths, there covered with beds of dry
l-vos, the resort of snakes, blind-worms, an.l huge centi-

* Ju()lans riiirrni.

¥.

'I'lIK (!ANAI)IAN KOKKST.

l;}

pedes ; or ch.iJied with ^rn-vu turf iu thickly sprinkled
with the pule orchiH, or thickly with the broad-leaved
May-iipple.*

'J'Ik- Milotice of tho forest is broken oidy, and rendered
<!Ven more strikin/r, by tho occasional loud tapping of
some busy woodj.ecker, of which industrious birds there
lire iin extraoi-dinary variety. I have preserved spoci-
mens of several of the most ititerestin<( among them:
viz., the y(!llow-winged W(jodj)(!ck(!r,t wliieh is the largest
(if the family, and is the workman by whom arc so neatly
drilled the large round IkjIcs, so often seen placed close
together high up in the trunks of old trees ; also the
bla(;k and whit(( woodpecker, the grey, tl..: "hairy,"
and tlie diminutive downy woodpecker, with its crimson
cmwn and breast of priniiosc;.

Emerging suddenly IVom the cool and solemn forest
shades on some sunny clearing, echoing with the shrill
chirp of locusts and fragi-ant with the sweet-scented
vine, gorgeous butterllies arc s(!en sailing from plant to
plant, and Hocks of tlu! red-winged starlijig, or Field

• Podophylluw prlfntum. Tliis in a dcliciouH and rufreshing wild fruit,
of n dcq) yellow colour, and al.out tho hI/.o of a Imntam'H eg^, Hornewlmt
Hiniilar in ai)i)earaneo to the loiiuat. When strippixl of itn outer Hkin it
presents a mass of juiey jiulp and seedn, not unlike pine-applo in flavour.
The plant i« of low growth, and Ims deeply indented broad leavea and a
»iuiple whit; ijlossoni.

t -t'ioun iiuratun.

114

COMMON BlUDS.

) i

! '!

h r

officer., with j.,ty ,,l„,„„go .,„d ilasl.ing epaulets of red
and yellow, el.atter round ,1,„ „u„|,j, j„„,, y^ ^ ^.^^
y /■.•„„, tl,e ,ylv„„ g,o„,„ ,,,,1,.,,,,^ -i,,. ,„ „„^ ,^
the bnght sl,ore of ,,„„„ ,„k,, „,,^.^<, „,^ ,.,^,^^,.,,^^ ^^,^^^^^

'"'"■"""• "'"' '■'■•™l'"« -und o„ „,e «.„dy beaeh.

M-.y a ,„id.day ,ie.,a have I thus eujoyed, and whiled

""•ay ,„auy a ha|,,,y !,„,„. „„ the shores of Krie and of

"h,.'.o, gating with untiHng delight on the ealu, blue

sudaee of ,|„. „,„„, ,,.,„„, ,,^„,^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^.^^_ ^^ ^^

™. 1, and n,i„gling the heated Ia,.e of i,s distant hori.on

with the cloudless snmnier skj.

A peculiarity of ,h«e l-A. shores is the groat nun.ber

-" ^-"Ipip™, and the lar,e proportion of liavens that

«.-eat tunes to be seen ther,._,hc fortner ru,n,ing al„„.

"- l"«l. i" large fl„ek,, and the latter, aft.,, every
iKt/c, buHly pn-Iunn. aniono- the weeds and
rubbish, or devouring the dead fish cast up by the
^vafers; c-nnvs bein. eon.paratively rare birds. The
Canadian .-o., I,, the way, is sn.aller than ours, and
iias a different note.

It is not necessary, however, to enlarge upon the
Ronoral ornithology of .^anada; bn, before passing „„ to

tI.ou,„re in,portant divisions ofit which the present work
P-ofosscs u^dcse,^,, , ,„„,. „.„ ,,^ ^__^ ^^^ __^___^ ^^

• Agehuus phwniceus.

rUV. OAME DIRUS OK CANADA.

115

mention the curious fact that, notwitiistanding the pre-
sence of so many of our conunon birds in Canada,
tlio ubiquitous sparrow is unknown there. I have
encountered its familiar plumage in Kgypt an.l at
the Cape, and abundantly in Madras, Malabar, and
Bombay, where hardly any other British birds are
knoAvn, yet in Canada where so many abound, it is
entirely a])scnt.

Of all the feathered inhabitants of the forest there are
but three of any importance; but these belon- to the
highest class of game-birds, namely, the Wild-Turkey,
the Spotted-Grouse, and the Iluffed-G rouse.

The beautiful and game little Colin is abundant in the
thickets and broken ground of the Upper Province;
Woodcock and Snipe swarm in the young woods and
swmnpy coverts throughout the country ; n.yria.ls of
wild-lbwl, such as can be seen in few other lands,
cover the face of the broad lakes and noble rivers; and
the Prairie-iren, though not properly belonging to the
game-birds of Canada, ranges the vast plains north and
south of its frontiers, within a distance so easy of access,
that to omit it would be to ignore a sport which few real
lovers of shooting leave Canada without having indulged
in.

The singular discrepancy that has hitherto existed
between the two Provinces of Canada, as to the seasons

'Hi

116

"AMK I,AVVS OK CANADA.

■n wind, i. i, „„„„,,, I,, ,,„ ,„ ,„ ^^.,„^,_ .^ ^ ^^^.^^
>vl.Kl, 1.,., r„,tuu-My 1,™,, n„tu,,l „„a ,,.,,„„ed „,,„„
!<.>' tJ.c. N,,„„„| |M,to,.j. s„eic,y of M„,„n,,l „itl,in ,he
1-t few ,n.„„l,„ »o tl,ut it is ,„-obaUe .l„.t, ,„ ft,. ,,
-Sunl, ,o,„e of ,1. ,,, „. Uni,oH.m g„,„„.|,i,.d,, „„„.„
■nay ore long bo a u„i.i,n„ law f„,. „,„ „,,„,„ „„„„j^y
""J one more i„ accorJaneo with their hahita.

The abovo.„,on,i„,.ed .S„dct/» Keport jurtly ,,,„arl,

tl.at tl,™ i» not ,0 groat a diversity of climate between

'■-'-cl West Canada .« to re„„iro separate legislation,

»';"l»t the ton,pora.nro differs less probably than that

"' "":'-"" '"" •"■ «-™' ""'■"-.. '■■<>■, Devonshire and

*...i.orland.forwhieh,l,eroisbutoneh.w;,oti„son,o
easos ga,ne n,ay bo killed in Upper Canada, twenty miles

™7' "'■ "" '"'"""'"•^' "'' ''"-^ Canada, twenty days
••«->- than in the latter provinee. In other words, the
caatorn bonndary of the Western Provinee overlaps the

-stern boundary of the Kastorn, therefore a bird whieh
fl-es across f,,„„ the one to the other after the 1st of

^T'. '"^™ "" ^ '» ">■«'-«»". though by rentaining

-vi.e,. ,t was it would have been sale for three weeks lon.o,
A un,r„ru,i.y of seasons and dates is the ,rore

"eeessary in a country where the ga,„e is not preserved
or ,1,0 exclusive right of any one, „nd where even the

1«« ,., „.espass is i|,.,,e,i„od as ,.e,.„.d.s ,na,.s,,es, in which
" great pa,-t of ,l,c grnne is to be tbund.

L'i

OAMK LAWS OK CANADA.

117

The caso (.r wild duck.s is oiu- of tlic most glaring
instances of shooting out of season; for by the present
law they niny bo I<illecl „ntil the 30th of May, which with
many varieties is the period of incubation, while there are
probably few that have not then commenced to lay.

Wild-turkey and Grouse ought, in short, to be pro-
tected from the 1st of February to the Isi of September,
and Wild ducks and Ptarmigan from the 1st of Mar(;h to
the 1st of Septeiribcr, which would allow the»^ proper
time to roar their young.

f f!i

'ill:

li i

R>' f

CriAPTFR VT.

lilts ores.

THE PASSEKOEn PIOKON-ITS PERIODICAL FLIOUTS-imEEDlNG PLACE3-
TIIE WILD-TURKEY— PUOHAIILE PARENT OF DOMESTIC UIUD— IMPOR-
TATION INTO SPAIN— EARLY ACCOUNTS OF— MISNOMEUS— MEXICAN
ORIGIN— DIFFERENCES I.ETWEEN WILD AND FARM-YARD UIRDS— NEST
AND EOOS-CEIAFTINESS OP THE IIEN—YOUNO BIRDS— ASSOCIATION
OF "OOBIILERS"— FOOD OF WILD-TURKEY— THEIR WANDERINGS-
FORMER AUUNDANCE— PRESENT HAUNTS— DIFFICULTY OF APPROACH-
ING THEM— SEASON FOR HUNTING— .MIEIR GAME QUALITIES— GRADUAL
EXTERMINATION— THE GROUSE OF CANADA— THE SPOTTED-GROUSE—
PLUMAGE AND HAniTS-FEMALE— THEIR SIZE— THE PRAIRIE-HEN-
WEIGHT AND PLUMAGE— SINGULAR CALL— FEMALE DIRD— PUGNA-
CITY OF MALE niRDS— BREEDING SEASON— EGGS— YOUNG BIRDS-
SEASON FOR PRAIRIE-HEN SHOOTING- DOGS FOR— SIZE OF COVEYS
—FOOD OP PRAIRIE-HEN— WINTER HAniTS- QUESTIONABLE AD-
VANTAGES OF ACCLIMATISING— THE PTARMIGAN — PLUMAGE IN
SUMMER AND WINTER- WHERE FOUND— EGGS— THE RUFFED-GROUSE
-HABITAT— ITS SIZE AND APPEARANCE— " DRUMMING"— MANNER OP

WALKING— FLIGHT SHOOTING SEASON— UNFIT FOR FOOD IN WINTER

—THE COLIN-ITS HAUNTS— CALL NOTE— SEASON FOR SHOOTING
INTRODUCTION INTO ENGLAND.

■ .l

■

CHAPTEIi Vf.

Columbir ; 6!i(linic.

\yV '"'''' 'l"^i''ti!rc(l iit Fort MissisHi9au^''u<i (Arif^licfe,
kattloHiiakci), hm old frontier jxjst of earthwork
and palisades, near Niagara, I liad one year, in the month
of May, the gratiiication of witnessing a speetaclc I had
frequently heard of— namely, a grand migration of the
Passenger Pigeon {Ectopistes rnii/mtoria).

Early in the morning I was apprised by my servant
that an extraordinary floek of birtls was passing over,
sueh as h(> had nev(a- seen before. J lurrying out and
ascending the grassy ramparts, I was perfectly amazed
to behold the nir filled and the sun obscured by millions
of pigeons, not hovering about, but darting onwards
in a straight liiu.' with arrowy flight, in a vast mass a
mile or more in breadth, and stretchuig before and
behind as far as the eye coidd reach.

Swiftly and steadily the column passed over with a
rushing sound, and for hours continued in undiminished

122

COLVMBlDjf.

ill

•nyriads advancing over the American forests in the
eastern horizon, us the myriads that ha.l passed were
lost in the wef tern sky.

It w„, |„,c in the uftor„„„„ boforo „„y .l,e™»c. in
tl.o m,.,s ,va« porccptil,!., b„t tluy bcc„n,c gmdually
fes dense ,.. ,1,0 ,l„y ,,,.e,v .„ „ dose. At „„,sc. the
dotael,od floek,, bringing „,, ,1,. „„„ began to settle in
the forest on ,l,c Lalce-™.!, an,l in ,„ch „„n,bo™ „,
to break down branjivs from (bo iroos,

■ri.c d-.ration of tbi, fiigl.t being abont fonrteen

Lours, vi.., fron, four a.„, to si., r..,, ,bc eolumn (allow.

."g a probable velocity of si.xty n.iles an honr, as assn.nod

by Wilson), could not b.we been less tban tbree hundred

mdos in long,,,, with an average breadth, as before

stated, of ono ,iilc.

During the following day and for several days after-
-ards, tbey still continued flying „v„r in i„„„o„s„
tbongb greatly diminished nun.bers, broken n,, into
flocks and keeping much lower, possibly being weaker
or younger birds. As they were now wi.bin ca,«y shot
sometin«s flying .,o ,„w as to be brought down even by
«.cks and stones, every one fortunate enongh to own
anything i„ the shape of tircanns turned out with it
whether musket, flint-lock, Yankee rifle, or blunder-'
buss. For several weeks afterwai ,s sn,all flocks re-
mained behind in ,he woods, affording more real

f I

PASSKNOr.U PIPEON.

123

sport than the above wholesale slaughter, though we had
had quan. siij'. of pigeon diet.

During these flight; parties carrying lanterns and
torches often repair at nightfall to the woods, armed
with guns and long poles. The ruddy light cast up
into the dark trees revca: thousands of dazzled
stupified pigeons, weighing ,;, wn the branches hi'di
and low. In a moment tai long poles are rattling
among the lower boughs and the guns blazing away
at the higher, bringing down the birds by hundreds,
fluttering on the ground and showering on tlie heads of
the clamorous crowd that scrambles and scuilles beneath.

The Passenger Pigeon differs a good deal from the
common wild pigeon of Great J3ritain; its appearance
when Hying more resembling that of the si)arrow-hawk,
in the <harp pointed wings and long narrow tail. The
plumage is of a somewhat bluish ash colour; the breast
and sides being of a rich chocolate; the neck and throat
tin+<;d with iridescent green and purple.

Though these flocks, in greater or less number, pass
over the country every summer, they are not of course
always seen in the same districts. The time of their
appearance also varies considerably, depending as it does
on the scarcity of food in the regions they have left.

It is not the case, as stated by Wilson and other
naturalists, that the female lays and hatches only a single

w i

COLDMBIDyE.

egg at a time, for there are generally two bird, in each
nest, which are also said to be male and female ; but even
with this increased proportion of yonng their numbers
appear extraordinary, when it is remembered that they
have as many enemies to contend with as the quail
which has a nost of twenty eggs, or the wild-turkey'
w.th a brood of fifteen, both which birds are rather on'
the decrease than otherwise. Wilson,* who describe,
some of the breeding place, in the States as bein» forty
■mles in extent, with every tree killed, the ground
covered deep with their dung, and all g^, „„,
nnderwood destroyed, says, "As soon as the young
b.rds are fnlly grown, and before they leave the nests
numerous parties of the inhabitants from all parts of
the adjacent country come with waggons, axes, beds,
and cooking utensils, many „f ,hem accompanied by
the greater part of their families, and encamp for seveml
uays at these immense nurseries. The noise in the
woods-e..., fron, the pigeons-i, so great as to ,errify
the.r horses, and it is difficult for one person to hear
another speak without bawling in his ear. The ground
.s .strewed with broken limbs of trees, eggs, and voun.
«iuab pigeons precipitated from above, and on 'n-hich
herds of hogs fatten. Hawks, buz.ards, and eagles sail

American Ornitliology.

THE WILD TURKEY.

125

about in great numbers, ard seize the squabs from their
nests at pleasure, while, from twenty feet upwards to the
tops of the trees, the view through the woods presents
a perpetual tumult of crowding and fluttering multi-
tudes of pigeons, the sound of their wings roaring
like thunder, and mingled with the frequent crash of
falling timber; for now the axe-men are at work, cutting
down those trees that seem to be most crowded with
nests, and contriving to fell them in such a manner
that in their descent they might bring down several
others, by which means the falling of one large tree
sometimes produces two hundred squabs, little inferior
in size to the old ones, and almost one mass of fat;
on some trees upwards of one hundred nests are found.
It is dangerous to walk under these flying and flutter-
ing millions, from the frequent fall of large branches,
bi-oken down by the weight of the multitudes above,
and which in their descent often destroy numbers of
the birds then-selves."

The Wild Turkey of North America (Mekagris gallo-
pavo) is Avithout doubt the parent stock from which the
domestic breed of our farmyards is originally descended,
notwithstanding the existing diflcrences between the two
birds at the ])resent day, and the scepticism that prevails
among so many on the point.

It does nut appear unreasojiable to suppose that these

1 i

126

PHASIANID.E.

differences may have been brought about in the course
of generations by the change in food and climate, and
by the influences of confinement and domestication to
which the common turkey has been subjected, and I
shall show how little data there is to go upon in
assuming any other country than North America to be
the native place of its ancestors.

From r.onaparte's account we learn that it had been
introduced into Spain only a very short time previously
to its appearance in England, which was about 1.520 to
1524, having been taken thither by the Spaniards fro.n
Mexico, about the tinie of the conquest of that country,
and by them named Favo?i des las Indias.

This appellation was evidently bestowed under the
impression that Mexico lu.,1 originally been indebted to
the West Itidies for the possession of this valued and even
then domesticated bird: an assumption which is coun-
tenanced at the expense of his own country by JJaird,
the celebrated naturalist and latest writer on American
ornithology, who meets the fact of there being no wild
turkeys in any of those islands at the present day, by
the supposition of their gradual extinction, as in the
case of the dodo.

We learn however from Prescott* that Oviedo (Ilel.

* (I

Conquest of Mexico.

I'll

THE WILD TURKEY.

127

Sumaria, cap. 38), the earliest naturalist uho gives
any account of the bird, mentions having seen it in
the West Indies, « whither it had been brought from
New Spain." The former author further states, quoting
from Buffon,* that " the Spaniards saw immense num-
bers of turkeys in the domesticated state on their
arrival in Mexico, -here they were more common than
any other poultry; and that they were also found wild,
not only in New Spain, but all along the continent in
the less frequented places, from the North-Western terri-
tory of the United States to Panama." And again, in
the interesting relation of the advance of Cortes to
Cempoalla, he says that "Deer and various wild animals
were seen, with which the Spaniards were unacquainted;
also pheasants and other birds, among them the Wild-
turkey, the pride of the American forest, which the,
Spaniards described as a species of peacock."

Their abundance is evident from a fact which I find
mentioned in an old book, called " Gay's Survey of the
West Indies and Mexico," published in 1702, namely,
that in Montezuma's menagerie, the animals were "fed
daily with turkey cocks, decre, dogs, and suchlike; one
house having for da.ly allowance five hundred turkeys."
Nor were they by any means confined to this southern

• Histoire Naturellc.

128

I'H ASIAN ID.E.

i u 1}

.■i W!

'1 ' ' ii

portion of the continent. Ogilby, in his curious work on
America, dated 1671, quoting Hudson, the celebrated
North American explorer, remarks, that not only in
Maryland and Carolina were these birds common, but even
as far north as the State of New York; speaking of
which, he says, « the country abounds chiefly in turkeys,
whose plenty deserves no less admiration than their bulk,
and the delicious taste of their flesh; for they go feeding
forty or fifty in a ilocke, and weigh sometimes forty or
fifty pounds apiece. The natives either shoot them, or
take them with a bait stuck on an angle."

From the above evidence it will therefore be seen,
that while we have accounts of their existence at an early
date in great abundance over a very large area of the con-
tinent of North America, the earliest record we have of
.their existence in the West Indies, specially mentions the
fact of their having been brought thither from the main
land.

The slight value to be attached to mere local names
18 well exemplified in our own misnomer, "Turkey,"
which we have absurdly bestowed on this bird for no
better reason than that at the time of its introduction into
England most foreign articles were vulgarly supposed to
come from that country; while the French dindon,
which is a corrupted abbreviation of coq d'Inde; the
Italian (jullo d' India, and the German Calemtische Jfahn,

THE »VILD TCRKEY.

129

assign it to the Old World instead of the Xew, apparently
from a confusion of the East Indies with the West.

There is, I think, in short, no doubt whatever that
long before the landing of the Spaniards in Mexico, the
natives, who are to this day in the habit of trapping the
bird alive in great numbers, had been accustomed to
bring them for sale from the interior to the coast, and
that the name pavon de las Indias was ignorantly be-
stowed on them by the sailors or soldiers to whom they
were offered for sale; much in the same careless manner
in which our own equally inapplicable designation was
bestowed not long afterwards.

The most apparent and easily observed differences
between the wild and the farmyard bird are the
presence in the latter of a fleshy dewlap, extending from
the under mandible to the neck; the bare wrinkled
skin of its head and neck is much less blue, and is
sprinkled with a smaller number of hairs; and the tip
of its tail and the edges of the tail-coverts are gene-
rally white or whitish, but never so in the one of
which we are treating. There is said to be a variety
peculiar to Mexico, in which the white does appear
at these particular points.

The care and attention of man have not in this in-
stance improved the breed, for the fostered descendants
are less hardy, and also inferior m plumage and form to

I III
If;

I w

ido

PHASIANIDyE.

,1/1

\'\

fiilf '

y|.2i £

the uncared-for tenants of the forest. About sixteen
pounds is probably the average weight of the male
wild bird when in good condition, and they have been
shot weighing nearly double as much; but they vary
greatly in this respect, according to the season, and
to the abundance or scarcity of food obtainable. In the
summer months they are poor and lean, and much in-
fested with vermin, but improve rapidly when the beech-
mast comes in, and are in their highest perfection late
in autumn. The flesh is darker in colour than in our
turkey, and more game-like in flavour.

The length of the male bi- s nearly four feet ; its
head and neck are covered with purplish-red excrescences
on a naked blue skin, thickly overspread with bristles,
and a tuft of horsetail-like hairs hangs from the breast
similar to that seen in the domestic bird, but larger and
longer. The game-looking head is smaller than that of
the latter, and the general hue of the plumage is a beau-
tiful golden copper, with purple and green reflections,
mottled and banded with a deep soft black. The lower
part of the back is an iridescent brown, and the tail
which is of a darker hue, has a broad black band at a
short distance from the extremity, with an outer border
of dark yellowish brown.

The female, which is a much smaller bird than the
male, seldom weighing more than nine pounds, is also less

i I'r

THE WILD TURKEY.

181

showy. Her plumage has sometimes a grey tinge, and the
general colour is always less brilliant. The fleshy
process on the head is much smaller, and is without
bristles; she has no spur, and seldom any tuft on the
breast, though in old hens this appendage is sometimes
found in conjunction with a partial assumption of the
male plumage; appearances which are common in many
other gallinaceous birds, and may generally be traced to
some abnormal state of the ovaries. The legs are red
in both sexes.

Their breeding season varies a little according to the
latitude, though from the beginning of March to the
end of April is probably the extent of its range, and
during this period the forest echoes with their calls. The
note of the female sometimes brings several male birds to
the spot at once, when a battle royal immediately ensues,
the victor securing a harem of faithful followers, over
whom as well as over his vanquished rivals he acts the
tyrant for the rest of the sea- on.

The hen lays her eggs, varying from ten to fifteen in
number, about a month later. The nest is merely a
hollow scratched in the ground, unde - the shelter of a
bush or by the side of a fallen tree, and filled with dead
leaves. The similarity of these in colour to that of her
plumage is so great that she is not easily detected, even at
close (luarters: a circumstauv Df which, judging from the

K 2

132

PHASIANID^.

courage with which she remains on her nest when closely
approached, she appears to be fully aware. She is also
singularly crafty in guarding against its discovery, her
devices in this respect exhibiting rather the presence of
thought than of mere instinct. She never leaves it nor
returns by the same approach, and always covers the
eggs over with dry leaves, so as to resemble the surround-
ing ground, dui-ing her absence in quest of sustenance.
In spite, however, of her precautions they are frequently
destroyed by other birds or by the smaller animals of the
forest.

It is not uncommon to find a couple of hens on the
same eggs, and it is the opinion of some that they thus
become partners for the sake of mutual protection : one
or other in such instances being always left in charge.

The eggs differ a good deal in colour and marking;
those which I have seen were rather smaller and more
obtuse than the eggs of the domestic turkey, and in place
of the small reddish-brown spots with which the latter
are mottled, were marked with irregular blotches of a
darker colour.

When the young birds are hatched, the mother leads
them carefully to the driest ground in the vicinity, where
she endeavours to keep them until they are sufficiently
strong to wander more at large. In a very short time
they are able to fly to the lower branches of the trees, on

TITR WILD TURKEY.

133

which they roost at night, undur cover of the niaternal
wing, and in the month of August such us have escaped
the claws of tlie lynx and the attacks of the "old
gobblers," are able to take care of themselves. Except-
ing in the breeding season the male and female birds, like
our own pheasants, are seldom seen together, but feed in
separate flocks, though not very far apart, and roost with
similar unsociability on different trees.

According to Wilson's* account of this bird, "the
gobblers keep together in flocks varying from ten to a
hundred, whilst the females with their young form dis-
tinct troops, remaining at a distance from the old males,
which never lose a chance of attacking, and, if not driven
off by a posse of females, killing the young. The same
general direction of travel is observed by the troops of
both sexes in their migration in search of new feedincr
grounds, and the journeys are always performed on foot.
When their progress is interrupted by a river they will
hesitate for a day or two on the banks, as if unwilling to
risk so formidable an undertaking. AH this time the
males gobble continually, and strut about with absurd
importance ; the females and young also assuming much
of the same pompous air. At length the moment arrives,
and the whole mount to the tops of the highest trees and

i II

* Amoriciui Ornithology.

134

PHA8IANID.E.

take flight together towards the opposite bank. The
older birds cross, without much difficulty, rivers even a
mile in width ; but the young and weak often fail to reach
the other side and have to swim for it, which they do well
enough. If, in the endeavour to land, they approach an
inaccessible bank, they resign themselves to the stream
for a few moments, in order to gather strength for one
grand effort; but many of the weaker, which cannot rise
sufficiently high in the air, fall again and again into the
water, and are finally drowned."

The Wild-turkey subsists principally on nuts, beech-
masts, acorns, wild strawberries, graiics, and dew-berries;
corn, when it can be got, and grasshoppers and other
insects whenever they chance to come in the way. Though
properly speaking not migratory, these birds range very
widely in search of food, and the common impulse to
desert an exhausted country for fresh ground causes them
to wander as Avell as to assemble together, as just de-
scribed, in tlu; flocks which are connnonly met with in
the month of October; but they invariably return to
certain localities in which they may be said to be
resident.

Though formerly abounding in every part of the
country, from the Mexican Gulf to the Great lakes, the
increase of population and extension of cultivated tracts
have now confined them entirely to one or two districts.

*^l

THB WILD TURKEY.

IBS

In Cttnudu they urc met with in the detached belta
of wood west und north of Lake Superior, and in the
forests west of Arnherstburg. There are a few near
Chatham, and I am told that there are scattered birds
in the neighbourhood of Hamilton, at tlie upper end of
Lake Ontario, and also in other western townships; but
I never heard of them when in those parts njyself and
should be inclined to doubt it. It is a lingular fact that
they are unknown in the Eastern Province, though they
still extend from western Canada through the States, as
far south as Mexico.

As a sport, the pursuit of the Wild-turkey ranks
high in the estimation of the sportsman. I do not of
course allude to the practice of shooting the roostin"
birds on moonlight nights, Avhen they guide the gunner
by their continual gobbling, and sit helplessly looking at
their falling companions without attempting to escape;
or to the equally exciting amusement of calling the male
birds in the breeding season by imitating the cry of the
hen, and then riddling the unsuspecting dupe at close
quarters with a charge of buck-shot. Nor is the practice
of the Indians and settlers much more to be commended
who, immediately after the breeding season, when the
males are in the worst possible condition— poor, lean, and
reduced— hunt them on horseback, and with the assist-
ance of their curs run them down, at a time when they

lao

PHARIANIU.!!.

;ij

«ro scarcely l.alf their |,roi,or weigl.t, m,d altogether unlit
for food.

The p^oper senso,, for the logitimate sport U late in
the autumn, when, after a sunnner diet of strawberries
and wild fruit, they have had a six weeks' or couple of
months' run among the acorns and masts. It is then
a splendid bird in every respect, and so wild and diffi-
cult of approach as to require no inconsiderable amount
of skill in stalking, and even then is not often to be
reached without the rifle. A bird with these qualities,
excelling, also, in point of size, beauty of plumage,
and culinary qualities, may well rank a.nong game-bir^ds
of the highest order.

The difficulty of approaching within range, how-
ever cautiously the hunter may cor.ceal himself, has
led some to suppose that the Wild-turkey is gifted
with an acute sense of smell. In all birds, however,
excepting those of prey, this faculty is very imper-
fectly developed, and I do not think there is any reason
to believe that this individual one is any exception
to the rule. A quick ear and keen eye, combined with
great watchfulness, alone enable it so easily to detect the
presence of danger; for the old birds are always on the
alert even while feeding, and it requires all the cautioTi
and address of the practised stalker to steal in upon them.
The chief difficulty in finding them is the absence

THK WIM) TURKEY.

187

of sufficient trail to indicate their proximity, whence it
happens that one may cither never find a flock at all,
or inny come on it unawares, and frighten the birds awoy
before there is a chance of a shot.

For this reason the half grown birds are some-
times tracked with a dog trained for the purpose,
n-hich, on striking the trail, follows it up without an
ijistant's hesitation, and without giving tongue, till he
runs right into the flock. Thus alarmed, the birds at
once take to the trees, the dog sitting at the foot
of the trunk barking at them, and so engrossing their
attention that the guns, with a little caution, are able
to get within range. The old birds, however, if thus
disturbed, run so swiftly and for such extraordinary dis-
tances that few animals are able to overtake them, their
pace being a sort of flying stride.

Single birds, instead of running, crouch in the grass,
and lie till flushed, when they rise suddenly, and so close
as to give a fair flying shot. Flocks even of twenty or
thirty will occasionally rise in this manner and fly to
another thicket; but this is the exception rather than the
rule, and he who beats the woods in hopes of " walking
up" the birds will in general drive them all away long
before he comes near.

Their flight, except when pressed by some imminent
danger, is generally only for short distances, the bird's

138

PHASIANIDyfi,

bulk and small expanse of wing being obstacles to any
lengthened journey in the air.

The Wild-turkey, tiiough so shy, is not unfrequently
found in forests within reach of cultivated ground,
especially late in the year, when wild-fruit and berries
have become scarce, its partiality for the settler's grain
being the inducement thus to brave the neighbourhood
of man. In severe winters too in the early morning,
wh.n no one is stirring, they will occasionally venture
even into the farm-yards in search of corn.

Though the immigrant farmer cannot be blamed for
not preserving these birds, which are at times exceed-
ingly destructive to his crops of maize and oats, it is
to be regretted that they should be wantonly killed at
a season when they arc useless; for by sparing them a
few months he might supply his table with delicious
food, and in the interin. they could not eat more than
the domesticated ones fattened at home. But every
possible device is resorted to by the uneducated that can
assist in the work of gradual extinction. The landlords
of the outlying taverns catch them alive with the object
of enticing customers, a nu.nber of whom pay so much u
head for each shot with the rifle at an unfortunate bird,
which is secured at a certain distance, close behind the
trunk of a tree sufficiently hu-ge to conceal all but its
head. Whole flocks are sometimes caught in a cage made

THE WIJ.U TURKEY.

139

of sticks, placed on a sloping piece of ground, with corn
strewed around, and leading through a low entrance to
a larger supply within ; once inside, the turkeys raise
their heads in alarm, and vainly attempt to escape, never
stooping to look for any egress below their own height.

Though this nu^ ' ' of destruction is in Canada
forbidden by the game-laws of the country, it is obviously
impossible in wild and thinly inhabited districts to
prevent the lower md more ignorant class of emigi-ants
from imitating the customs of the free and enlightened
citizens over the border, in spite of any argument to the
effect that by so doing the ultimate extinction of the
objects of their selfish crusade is rendered certain ; and
thus the gi-adual extermination of this noble bird proceeds
slowly but surely year by year.

As a means of suppressing this slaughter, it was at
one time proposed to legalize the seizure of any birds
exposed for sale that did not exhibit marks of liaviii"-
been shot ; thougii this requirement was easily com-
plied with, as the poachers had only to fire a charge
of shot into a whole heap of trapped birds in order to
satiafy the condition.

Next in imi)ortauce to the Wild-turkey are the
different kinds of Grouse peculiar to North America,
which are arranged by IJaird in the following four
Divisions : —

\1' I

ill

140

TETRAONIDiE.

1. Those htiving the legs feathered to uiul on the
basal membnuio of the toes ; and witliout any ruff on
the neck ; wliich has, however, a bare extensible space.

2. Those with ilie legs scurcel} feathered to the
extreme base of the tarsus, the low'u- joint of wliich is
bare, with large transverse scutella).

3. Those witli legs feathci'(xl to th.i claws.

4. Those having the lower half of the tarsi bare, with
two rows of scutella? anteriorly.

Tetmo, belonging to the first division, Laf/ojms
formnig the third, and Bonum the fourtli, only frequent
wooded tracts ; while Cupidonio, which forms the second,
inhabits the open prairie: these four genera comprising
all that come under liotice in the present work.

Tiic Canada or Spotted Grouse {Tetrao Canadensis) is
better known in its o*vn country as the "Spruce Par-
tridge:" a glaring misnomer, which its marked charac-
teristics render inexcusable in British provinces.

Tiiough not a scarce bird, it does not exist in any
great numbers in tmy part of the country, nor is it easy
to lind, even in those districts where it is known to be
in toIe.Mble abundance, seeking, as it does, the most
tangled and di(?'cult recesses of unfrequented siiruec
forests and cedai- swamps.

It ranges from tiie confines of the Northeni Stages
to latitude G8", though never found to the westward of

li I

THE CANADA GROUSE.

141

the Rocky Mountains. They are common in many parts of
the Eastern Province of Canada, includln*,^ the Montreal
and Quebec districts, and are found plentifully in
the neighbourhood of Lake Matapcdiac, the Marcouin
River, and the Magdalen River; also near Penetau-
guishene, and in other parts of the Upper Province.

It is a matter of congratulation to learn from the
Fifth Annual Report of the Montreal Game and i^sh
Protection Chib that this bird is increasing in numbers.
According to the above report, the destruction by snaring
appears to have lessened considerably of late years, and
if the amendment to the bill asked for were passed, and
snared game could be seized in the market, there is
no doubt that the practice would soon cease, and this
fine bird become exceedingly abundant.

When disturbed the Spotted Grouse runs swiftly along
the ground, and does not take to the wing unless pressed;
then, rising with a clucking cry, it flies only a short
distance and rather heavily, generally settling in some
convenient tree where it is easily approached. I have
often heard Canadians and others repeat the assertion,
which is also common as regards the RuiFed Grouse,
that a whole covey, when treed, may be killed by merely
taking the precaution to shoot those on the lower
branches first; yet I have never been able to meet with
any well authenticated instance of its having been done.

142

TETRAONIDiE.

If •

There is no doubt, however, of the fact that it evinces
very little fear of the gun.

In appearance this is a very handsome bird, the general
colour above being a deep brown, beautifully barred with
black and dark grey; the throat and head are black,
with a scarlet semicircle over the eye, and a small white
mark near the base of the bill, which is black and rather
slender. The breast and sides are marked Avith lar^e
white spots, and there are a few on the tail-coverts; the
tail, which consists of sixteen feathers, and is about six
inches long, is black, slightly mottled with dull brown
and tipped with dark orange.

The female has a greater predominance of white be-
neath and yellowish brown above; has little or no black
on the head or upper parts, and the feathers on the legs
are of a lighter colour than in the male ; though she
has also, contrary to a very common opinion, the same
scarlet space over the eye.

They breed far north, up in the Hudson's Bay
country, and return to Canada in the winter. The
nest, which is formed on the ground, is most carefully
concealed among branches and long grass and is rarely
found, whence it is that the eggs have been so variously
described by different writers. According to a paper
in the '* Canadian Naturalist," they appear to be " white,
spotted with black and yellow."

THE CANADA GROUSE.

143

The food of the Canada Grouse is wild berries and
the buds of different trees and bushes, and in winter
spruce tops and the seeds found in the cones of the
pines. The flesh, which is dark, is very like that of
the common grouse, but more bitter, and in the latter
season has a considerable flavour of turpentine.

This is the smallest of the three kinds of grouse
inhabiting Canada, and does not exceed flfteen inches in
length. Its acclimatization has been, I am told, con-
templated with a view to its introduction into this
country, in certain districts of which no doubt it would
succeed well enough ; and where there is no other game
to be interfered with, might prove to be an acquisition
well worth the trouble of the experiment.

The Prairie-Hen (Cuvidoma Cupido), though bearing
a general family resemblance to the red grouse of Britain,
will be seen on comparison with it to be a much larger
bird, the male measuring about nineteen inches in length,
and averaging nearly three pounds avoirdupois in weight;
not far from that of an ordinary cock pheasant.*

The flesh is dark, very tender, and of most excellent
flavour. Individual birds often vary very much in
colour, as is the case Avith our own grouse^ which in some
parts of Scotland arc much lighter coloured than their

• The average weight of the Scottish grouse is 1^ lb.

) S

144

TETRAONIDifl.

normal plumage, and in others very much darker.
Generally, however, the upper plumage of the Prairie
Hen is a rich broAvn, banded with yellowish stripes. The
wings, of a grey brown, are barred with reddish yellow ;
a brown stripe extends from the nostril along the
side of the head, and another from the lower mandible
to the throat, the naked space above the eye being of
a bright orange. The lower plumage is grey, tawny,
and cream colour, barred and variegated with pale bro^vn.
The tail is varied Avith light brown and brownish-
yellow, marked most commonly with bars of darker
brown, though some specimens have the tail of a uniform
colour throughout.

The male bird has a small crest, and on either side
of the neck a tuft, consisting of five long black feathers,
and thirteen smaller ones of a very dark brown, striped
down the centre with a warm buff. These tufts, or
neck wings, conceal a wrinkled yellow membrane of bare
skin, which he has the power of inflating to a con-
siderable size, and by means of which, during the
breeding season, he makes a curious hollow sound, which
though not loud, may be heard nearly a mile off.
Audubon, in order to prove whether these bladders were
necessary to the production of the booming sound,
having procured a tame bird, passed the point of a pin
through each of tlio air cells, tiie consequence of which

' (

•"■frm

PRAIRIE-HEN

[Cu-ouxcra a, ,".v<o;ab''

londor. Hurat ic B:a.c]\£ tl 1866

1 I . !

I I

THE PRAiaiE IIKN.

145

was that the bird was unable to toot any more. With
another tame bird he performed the same operation on
only one of the cells, and next morning the bird tooted
with the sound one, though not so loudly as before, but
could not inflate the one that had been punctured.

Wilson* says, the call " consists of three notes of the
same tone (resembling those produced by the night-
hawksf in their rapid descent), each stron;xly accented,
the last being twice as long as the others. When several
birds are thus engaged the ear is unable to distinpfuish
the regularity of these triple notes, there being, at such
times, one continued drumming, whicli is disagreeable
and perplexing from the impossibility of ascertaining
from what distance or even quarter it proceeds. While
uttering this, the bird lowers its head like the pigeon,
and exhibits all the gesticulations of a turkey-cock.
Fluttering his neck-wings, and erecting them so that
their usual position is reversed and they almost meet
over the head, he wheels and passes before the female,
and close before his fellows, as in defiance. This drum-
ming continues from a little before daybreak to eight or
nine in the morning, when the parties separate to seek
for food."

The hen, which is rather smaller than the cock, has

* American Ornithology.

t Gaprimulgits popetue.

140

TETRAONID,^.

very much tlic same plumnnro, but is without the crest,
although she hns rudimentary nock-wings, covering a
somewhat similar though smaller naked space on the
neck; this, however, is not capable of inflation.

At all times of a pugnacious character, the male birds
are especially so at the commencement of the palri.ig
season, when they fight with one another like game-cocks"
strewing the sward with their feathers, returning again
and again to the charge, leaping from the ground with
«hrill cackling, and every feather erect with fury, those of
the neck forming a ruff which completely encircles the
throat. The Indians, who are inveterate pot-hunters,
often set nooses or lie in ambush with their guns at
these spots.

The breeding season is in April and May, and the
nest, which is very rude and simple, being in fact
nothing more than a rough collection of dead grass
and leaves, is most carefully hidden in the thick tufts
of long prairie-grass. It contains from ten to twelve
or even fifteen eggs, about the size of those of the
bantam, and of a very pale brown colour.

They are hatched within three weeks, and the young
birds leave the nest at once. When leading her brood
about, and teaching them to find for themselves the
various berries, seeds, and insects which are their peculiar
food, the mother, if surprised, feigns lameness, and while

Hi:

TUE PRAIRIE HEN.

147

I
,1

her little ones run to cover as fast as their legs can

arry them, she leads tlie intruder in a contrary direction.

Like the red grouse, this is a stationary bird, and

lo only met with on tiie vast tracts of prairie to the

north and south-west of the Upper Province.

As the mountain scenery of our Highlands forms so
great a portion of the enjoyment of grouse shooting,
BO does the majesty of these ocean-like plains add to
the fascination of Prairie-hen shooting. I'liere is some-
thing even supernaturally impressive in their vastness,
everlasting silence, and solitude, and in no other situa-
tion perhaps does man feel more strikingly what an atom
he is on the face of the earth than when fairly launched
on the prairie. With a glorious feeling, however, of
unbounded freedom, he wanders on over the grassy
surface, Avhich, dotted with bright flowers and brio-hter
butterflies, gently rolls in the undying breeze that ever
fans the plain. Here and there is a clump of stunted
trees or a patch of brushwood, but these can hardly be
said to break the uniformity of the surface, for they are
completely lost in the immense space and are rarely
noticed at all till close at hand. Indeed, so utterly
destitute of any landmark is the face of the plain that
a person unused to move alone in these reirions would
quickly lose his way, and might wander on with a
hundred miles of prairie before him, in vain search of

L 2

"' UM i i r ly ^i.'.t

148

TKTRAONID^.

■ 3 I

tlie point he had started from, eaeh inoment serving only
to increase his distance from it, and every weary step
leading him further away from human aid, fainting with
fatigue and parched with thirst. No one should venture
alone for any distance on the prairie until thoroughly
able to trust himself to steer his own way by the aid
of the sun.

Blackened tracts arc sometimes seen extendi no- for
miles on every side, marking the course of those destruc-
tive fires that so often sweep with resistless fury over
tlie wide expanse. During these conflagrations tiie
Prairie-hens fly before the flames in countless numbers,
settling after each succeeding flight, half stupified,
eitlier on the ground or on any chance tree, till
again driven on by the advancing tide of smoke and
heat. "Where the grass is short the fire sjircads more
slowly, and in a thin line easily passed through, even
by a man on foot, but when the waving mass of dry
vegetation stands as high as the head, the devourino-
flames travelling with frightful rapidity, roaring and
crackling in sheets of fire, scorch and sufibcate all
before them. The mode of escape reconimended, when
far out on the prairie, is to ride off at a gallop as soon
as the clouds of smoke are seen on the horizon, and
after gaining a sufficient distance, to dismount and set
fire in the grass in front, following down wind in its

THE PRAIRIE HEN.

149

wake. But any one unfortunate enough under such
circumstances to be surprised on foot would have little
chance of cscajiing the suffocating fumes and stifling
heat, which, almost insupportable oven at the distance
of half a mile, close in with fearful quickness. These
conflagrations must at dark be spectacles grand beyond
description; for the burning plains of South Africa
(on which I have many a time gazed far into the
night) are said to convey but a faint idea of their
grandeur.

The season for Prairie-hen shooting commences pro-
perly speaking on the iiOth of August, though a bar-
barous and destructive practice exists among Yankee
shooters of killing the half-grown birds or "chickens"
earliei", because they are easier to shoot than when
stronger on the wing.

Good dogs are, as in all other shooting, of course
necessary, and pointers will on some accounts be found
preferable to setters. Among other advantages, they
endure thirst better, or more probably experience it in
a less degree, and this on the [)rairie is a matter of some
importance, seeing that it is necessary to carry every
drop of water that may be required. Audubon, who
was a sportsman as well as a naturalist, preferfe setters,
giving as his reason that the t>ird3 do not stand so well
to the former. A iie.viv arrived do'' from "the old

»tA.v '^.^

vrfKa-. _.

150

li'^

m III

■

TKTRAONID.E.

country," for the first time ranging over the prairies, is
generally a good deal puzzled hy tortoiaeis, rattlesnakes,
and other novelties, whieh he points with vexatious ])or-
severance.

A good prairie dog should stand steadily for any
lengtli of time, not only because from the extent of
range it often takes some miuutes to walk up to his
point, but because the height of the grass frequently
prevents his being seen; lor this cause also a dog dis-
playing a large i)i-oportion of white is preferable.

When Hushed, the birds rise suddenly with the heavy
whirr <»f the grouse, and nyt unfre(piently with a loud
duckliuj noise, skimming awity in a straight line, every
now and then appearing about to alight, but still saiUng
on. The length of these flights is extremely deceptive,
owing to the vastness of the area, and to the unappre-
ciated vi'I(»city given to the bird by its weight and
strength of wing. On alighting they run very ra})idly,
mak'ng for some hollow oi- tuff, but never take to the
thieki't or <doise bushes, apptiaring to j)refer a clear course
rather than any attempt at com ■alment, which might
afterwards prove an embarraw,sment. Single birds, pur-
tieularly young ones, lie so close as to be with ditliculty
Ibund again, however t-arefully marked down or quickly
followed up.

The coveys generally consist of from eight to twelve

TIIK I'HAIIIIK II KN.

birds ; and so abundant are tbcy in many parts of the
prairie at the bc^finning of the season that twenty or
five-and-twenty brac(! a day may be easily killed to a
single gun. Later in the year they are not easily ap-
proached, especially if they have been disturbed and lired
at. It is at all times and seasons necessary to avoid
talking, as any noise of such a nature at once alarms
them ; and on a still day of course the greater caution
is requisite in this [)articulin\

Splendid s})ort may be had in the valley of the
Assineboine, or on the frontier prairies south-west of
Lake Michigan, which are reached by way of Detroit,
liocliellc!, eighty-four miles from Chicago, on the Dixon
line, is also a first-rate qmirter.

Tlie ripe corn- fields of the remote and isolated settlers
living on the borders of the prairie jtre favourite resorts;
and for one or two we(!ks before and alter harvest large
packs of these birds may there be seen feeding, morn-
ing and evening. Towards the end of ( )ct()ber it is not
uneonu.ion to see as many as two hundred birds, or
even more, thus collected togeth'r.

In summer they luxuriate on wild straw 'erries,
"partridge-berry," insects, and larvuc of di;! i nt kinds.
In winter the buds of various trees and the small
acorn of the dwarf oak, which groAVS iii '' • "prairie
scrub," I'orm their only sup[K»rt, and when tiie snow

' -I,

If):}

TI'.TRAONin.i',.

li'

ifteijiii

lies dwp on tlio <,n-()uii(l they i,,rc of courHc unable to
obtain tlio latfcr, and ^cnonilly sit porchod up in the
lealless trees : nn unusuiil position lor a grousi;!

Their usunl habit is to roost in a, eirele on the
^•ronnd, thon-h single |,i,.,ls will sometimes i)erch on a
tree, evi^n in summer. \\'iiy is it that in the New
World we see grouse, snip,-, i,nd ducks sittin<r on tlu;
branches of trees, (o the eonliision of all seientilic dassi-
(ieatiou ?

The paeks of IViurio-hen which renuiin unbroken at
the end ofthc sejison, or others colh>ctin;i' together from
:dl quarters in inuuense nund)ers, often form a sort of
"yard" in the snow, sipialtin^' closely t(\i^ether at uight,
as the ipiail do under similar eirrumstanees. At sneh
tiiui's the whole of them may be easily netted at once,
an<l it is principally in this way, 1 fear, that the birds now
so largely sent to ihi" ICnglish market, packed in barrels
xvith bran, iire obtained by Yankee dealers. An erro-
neous im|.ression prevails among n^any in this country
with regard lo the supposed poisonous state of the (lesh
oi the I'rairii' licM at certain seasons of the year. Such,
how(>ver, is not the ease, as they do not lei'd on anything
of a deleterious naiure. The error has .-trisen from con-
f-'imding this bird with another of the same family, and
also .\orth-American, namel), the Untied grouse, which
ist noticed further on.

TIIK rr All Ml (JAN.

163

Tliough the lon^ continuance of severe winter weuthcr
as well as its cuncomiliint sc^iircity of fo(<(l must be very
trying to the Priiirie-hcri, tluiy survive even tluj most
inclement seasons; and this hardiAirss has led to the
belief that their acclimati/ution in this eountiy would
be com|)aralively easy, their stationary habits and the
nature of their food seeming to favour tiic idea. Jiiit
the continual recurrence of (he cold winds, rain, and
fogs, characteristic of English weather, Avould probably
be less likely to be endured v/ith ini])unity than the
sharp frosty air with a bright sun Avhich is the
normal state; of the Canadian Avinter. There are also
few districts suitable to its habits, for as the Prairie-
luMi always avoids high grounds and hilly tracts,
and is exclusively a denizen of the driest j)lains, our
Scottish moors and mountains are necessarily ex-
cluded.

Supposing these difliculties overcome, the advisability
of turning out these birds in our country appears ques-
tionable, for from their pugnacious habits and superior
size, as compared with the red-grouse, there would be u
great risk of their driving oft" the latter; in the same way
that the red-legged French [jartridge has done the in-
linitely su[)erior one of our own country wherever it has
been introduced. And the less or diminution of the British
grouse would be but ill compensated for by the most

I r. t

TCTRAONIK^.;.

i: I

coini.lote c8(,ul)li8lnnont of tli(. I'niirio-hfu, with all its
gooil ((imlitioH.

The Ptanni-aii, WiIlow--n,u8c>, ov Whito-grcusc ( Lu/o-
pm allnis) is iuo.ui.)..cd by Dr. j laH* as „„^. „,• ,|„. ^.j,,,^ ,,,.
MicMMoutroal district, thougii its general rang,- is i„ mther
lilgher rogii.ns, its northern limit being about la( it n.Je 70".

The male bird weighs on an average about two
|>oundM, and its ,,I„„,,ge i„ ,„„„„,, j^ ,, ,.^,,,^,;^,^ ^^^^

on the n|.per parts, .-losely nrnvked with /ig-/ag lines.
On the breaist and sid.-s are u great n.nnber vi' biaek
ll-Hthers waved with a light reddish e<.lonr, and the
luider parts, breast a.ul wings, tog(>th..r with the f-et,
HH' purr white. The n.ale has a, biaek mark or s.'ripe
orossing t.W- eye, -nul a searlet deatrice oxer it,. The
female liatmeither ..f the hMter di»iiti,;i(>(,H.

The mii;terpi:j,,.a,i;e is peifettiy .vhite, with the cx-

ct.pti«,rfthe tot!; this i. .hiefly 14*,k, and there are

«Mie isartwo brown feathers in the wingM.

Tl»c frmule lays fr,„n eight ro t.. Iv, ,-g^s, a..d srmie-

times ,i».re ; they are of a yeHowis^ ,..K>ur. n.arked with

dai'lv brvwn spots

The rtarmigan liv^-s i« *T»(.er on tbe I mds, seeds, and
yc>yng tops of the i^iiicm., whence its other nan.e of
Wiiluw-ijrouse.

• Vm. Ill«t. Geo., M'Hlmd.

Till'; HUl'lM',1) (llUJUHl!.

155

TIk^ UtiU'cd-grouHo {liona.vi uinhellun) in point of
sizo occiipii'S a middle placd luitwiicn the Pruirie-Iieu
and (li(' Oiiimda-fifrouHc, iiiid like tli(! latter roaides
entirely in tliiek eoverlH. There is, however, this dil-
ference between the huhitH of the tw(j Hhadc-seekin^ birds:
that while the one, U8 already described, inhabits only tiie
low-ground forests and thick spruce 8wani[)S, this as
invariably frequents the mountain woods. Still their
HMmmer lood is sin»ilar in nature to that ol' the other,
which lives exclusively on the bare plains and low
open scrub of the prairie, invariably avoiding the
tiniltered belts so common in those regit)ns. Among
other berries and seeds, the Uuifed-grouse feeds hu-gely
on those of the small ('anadian eistus.*

The plumage of the Kiilfed-grouse is exceedingly
beautiful. The head, which is a yellowish-red, variegated
with dark brown and black, is ornamented with a crest.
The lower ])art of tlu' neck on either side has tt dark ruff
of long curved fciithcrs, wliich can be erected at will, but
otherwise cover a bare space above the shoulders; the
back is a bright brown, finely dotted with white; the
tail, which contains eighteen feathers, being of a similar
colour, crossed with wavy lines of black, and having u
broad band of the same at the end ; this bund in the

I' tl

* KdmnHmuum Oanadenne.

150

TETRAONID^.

'! V.

hen and in young birds is brown. The under parts are
yellowish white, marked with dark broken bars. The legs
are not feathered so far down as either in the Prairie-hen
or in the Canada-grouse. The female does not differ
very much from the male j but her ruffs are somewhat
smaller and of a browner hue. The general tint, how-
ever, of both male and female varies a good deal.

A curious characteristic of this bird is its "drum-
ming," a noise well known to backwoodsmen, Avhich is
made by the male bird morning and evening from the
commencement of the breeding season, /. e., in April.
This sound, which is audible at a great distance, few
persons would readily believe to proceed from such a
source. Wilson informs us that the strokes, which begin
slowly and distinctly, are caused by beating the lowered
wings on the trunk of some fallen tree; increasing in
quickness, they end at last in a continuous rumbling,
resembling low distant thunder. During this drumming
the ruffs on the shoulders are elevated, the tail is ex-
panded, and the bird wheels and struts about with great
pomposity.

These birds make their nest in the month of May,
and the female lays about a dozen eggs of a pale
yellowish-brown, rather smaller than those of the
Prairie-hen. The nest, being artfully concealed among
long grass and briars, is seldom discovered.

I I

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II'

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II. ji

l>-»PT lW^O**f I

RUFFED GROUSE

CANADIAN GROUSE

I.ondiin Hwfal *t 2Ia<^^^et■t .1866

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

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22
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1.25

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6" —

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Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

^\^\, ^> /fi^ "^^X

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WfiBSTER.N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

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wmam

THE RUFFED GROUSE.

167

When moving, the RufFed-grouse jerks its tail
after the manner of the water-hen. It is not, as many
naturalists affirm, " always found single or in pairs ;"
for small coveys are much more frequently seen than
either, and large ones too are occasionally met with.
Though generally difficult to get near, they will some-
times lie pretty close in a thicket, or in high grass, and
then rise almost from under the feet with a whirring
heavy flutter, very like that of our pheasant; though
when under way the flight is swift and steady.

Like the Jungle-fowl of India, which, on the Neil-
gherries, I have constantly, surprised, picking about on
the ghauts or mountain passes at daAvn of day, the
Ruffed-grouse similarly ventures from the woods in
search of food, and :-aay be looked for on forest roads
in the early morning with more chance of success than
in the covert. Open grassy spots are also favourite places
of resort; but owing to their wandering propensities, it
is impossible to calculate on finding them in the same
neighbourhood two days successively.

The season for shooting Ruffed-grouse is from Sep-
tember, to the middle of winter, though after the snow
falls there is this objection : that as the birds have then
little else to feed on than the "American laurel" or
Kalmia, the flesli, if not thereby rendered poisonous — as
it probably is, if the bird be left to hang long without

wmmmm

U ?,

1 .

fif'jt

168

PERDICIDjE.

being drawn— is at all events in inferior condition. This
Kalruia is not to be confounded with that already men-
tioned (it. angustifolia), which is a much smaller plant,
and only thrives in low ground. The present one {K.
latifolia) is a very ornamental flowering shrub, growing
from three to ten feet high on rocky ground and hill-
sides. Both, however, have the same peculiarity of being
innocuous to certain animals and poisonous to others;
for instance, as Loudon* states, the latter or broad-leaved
shrub, '• though poisonous to cattle and sheep is not so to
deer;" and it is now shown to be as harmless to this bird
as it is the contrary to man.

The Ruffed-grouse is quite common in very many
parts of the Lower Province, and in the Ottawa country
and Argenteuil district, but does not extend further
north than latitude 56°.

This is not by any means an easy bird to kill, and will
often fly a long distance after being very hard hit.
When wounded, it is exceedingly difficult to find,
hiding in holes and hollow tree trunks, in such a manner
as to baffle the best retrievers and the patience of the most
persevering sportsman. When flushed they seldom fly to
any great distance, and invariably settle on the trees
instead of again alighting on the ground ; generally

* Arboretum Britannicum, ii. 1151.

'^%

Ih. i'

MMHHHHI

THE COLIN.

159

selecting tlie closest and most thj.ckly covered, so that it
is often almost impossible to discover more than half the
number of the covey among the sheltering foliage.

The American Colin ( Oriyx Virginiana) is one of the
prettiest and most interesting little game-birds of Canada.
Though called the "quail," and sometimes the "partridge,"
it is a totally distinct genus from both of them. Larger
than the former, it yet bears a general resemblance to it,
whilst at the same time it presents some points of simi-
larity to the latter, to which it is in turn much inferior
in size. In point of fact it belongs to an intermediate
family (Ortygince) ];:>'iliar to the Old World, and con-
stituting a sub-family of the Perdiddce.

With regard to its usual misnomers, Baird* says, —
" Whdre this bird is called quail, the RufFed-grouse, it
will be found, is generally called partridge ; and where it
is called partridge the larger species is known as the
pheasant. In reality, however, no one of these names
can be correctly applied to any American species ; though
to call the Ruffed-grouse a partridge is perhaps a worse
misnomer than to apply the same name to the Ortyx"

The latter is characterized by the great comparative
depth and thickness of the bill, by very short rounded
wings, and proportionally heavy body. The following

* Birds of North America.

1(1

IGO

PKRDICIDjI^

description of the plumage of the Colin is taken from an
unusually perfect specimen in my oAvn possession. The
upper part of the back is of a recMish colour, changing
lower down into a ycllowisli red, and tiic under parts arc
brownish-white, beautifully marked with black curves.
The head, which is slightly tufted, is of a reddish
brown, with a white streak ov(t the eye, down the neck,
and also on the chin, below which is a jjatch of black
spreading over the throat. The sides of the neck are
spotted with black and white on a ground of the same
colour as the head; the wings and tail arc dusky,
intermixed with ash-colour and brown. The bill is
nearly black, the eye hazel, and the legs a pale bluish
grey.

In the female, which is a smaller bird, the chi.; is
the same colour as the rest of the head; this is also
destitute of the white markings, and the spots on the
neck are yellow and black, in place of white and black,
while the breast is nearly white, and th'^ ge' >ral hue is
ligliter than that of the male. The colour and markings
of the plumage, as is frequently the case with other
game-birds, vary considerably in different parts of the
countries they frequent.

It is a singular fact tliat these birds are not
found in Lower Canada, though in most i)arts of the
Upper or Western Province they arc met with in abun-

•■y ^^m^^tmta. j».-.Bti9 Ai wffl|

TIIK f!OI,IN.

161

be heard " callin'r

dance, and in autumn evenings may
close to the roadside.

Unlike the quail proper, which is a bird of passage,
the Colin is stationary, and perhaps to a greater degree
than most non-migratory birds, often evincing extraor-
dinary attachment to particular localities. Though
occasionally seen in the woods, I have never myself
found them anywhere but in the open country; in the
vicinity of broken ground where long grass and twining
briars are interwoven; or about the tangU;d bottoms
of snake-fences, and in the neighbourhood of fields of
buckwheat or maize, to which they are very partial. In
such places I have found them in abundance, and enjoyed
the prettiest shooting imaginable. They are often found
hiding among the pumpkins, which in the latter fields
grow between the rows of corn.

It is in rough neglected places, like the ground first
mentioned, that they conceal their most comfortable
and ii.geniously-made nests, which are covered over with
a roof of leaves and fine grass, as a protection against the
weather, an entrance being left at the side. Tiicy pair
in March or April, and during the subsequent period of
incubation, which lasts about a month, the male bird sits
in the vicinity of the .nest, whistling to his mate.
Their eggs, which are perfectly white and rather pointed,
are often twenty or twenty-four in number. Notwith-

t^m

wmm

162

PEBDICID^.

Standing this prolific supply, they liavc two broods in
the year, while the young run about and take care of
themselves as soon as they leave the egg-shell, and are
able to fly in a fortnight; so that were it not for the
great number which are annually drowned in the heavy
rains, and either trapped or lost in the severe winters,
these birds would no doubt multiply to an extraordinary
extent. In 1861 there was a great abundance of them
in the western districts of Canada; but last year they
were not so plentiful, owing to the above causes operating
to reduce their number.

When the snow has excluded them from their usual
coverts they may be seen huddled together in a circle
on its surface, and renuuning in tiiis position during
the heavy storms, are often buried in the drifts. In
severe weather they appear to have little fear of man,
and at all times exhibit a preference for cultivated dis-
tricts, on account of the supply of grain which they
afford; from this cause they have been less disturbed
by the advancing tide of emigration than many other
birds of more shy disposition.

The call of the cock bird, which during the autumn
is loud and frequent, sounds so exactly like the words
" Bob White," as to have obtained for it that sobriquet
among the Americans.

In Canada the season for shooting the so-called quail

THE COMN.

163

begins on the 21st of August. When flushed they whirr
up suddenly, and will sometimes fly into the trees, but
more generally settle on the ground again ; notwith-
standing their very short flights, they are exceedingly
difiieult to find, so close do they lie after being thus
disturbed.

The flesh, which is white, is very tender and excellent;
and this is in every way a bird worthy of the attention
of the Acclimatization Society. Pugnacious enough to
defend itself anywhere, yet from its size not likely to drive
away any other game-bird, it is hardy enough to stand
any winter in this country, and appears to thrive, as
far as has yet been tried, equally well in tiie furthest
northern as in the most southern parts of England.
Yarrel* states that a small number were introduced into
this country many years ago, and that specimens have
from time to time since that period been killed in
Northumberland, Cambridi^oshire, Gloucestershire, Surrey,
Kent, and Sussex ; also that from the discovery of nests
and eggs they are known to have bred in Norfolk and
Stafi^bi'dshire.

Though, as above stated, they are very fond of buck-
wheat and maize, of Avhich they would of course find
little with us, they will thrive on any kind of corn, the

• British Birds.

Ill

lfi4

PKRDTCrDiE.

seeds of gi'asses, and of many of our wild plants, on
blackberries, bilberries, cranberries, as well as grubs and
insects.

There would be no difficulty in obtaining any number
of them, as they are taken alive during the winter in
great quantities in the States, by means of traps formed
of sticks, with a trigger in the centre, and are to be
purchased in many of the markets throughout that
season.

FOBT MISSISBISAUUUA.

M i:

ts, on
3 and

amber
ter in
jrmed
to be
that

CHAPTER VII.

6ru(luto«s.

AUEHICAN m'fTEKJJ — IT3 OKNERAL DISTRIBUTION— APPEARANCE — EOaS

AND NEST — EXCELLENT FLESH THE LITTLE BITTERN^-OOLDKN

PLOVEK — DIFFKRENT FROM EUROPEAN BIRD THE BINO PLOVER —

IIIQHLY ESTKEMED THE AMERICAN WOODCOCK — DISTINCT FROM

EUROPEAN ONE — DIMENSIONS AND COLOUIUNG — ITS RANGE LO-
CALITIES HABITS SEASON FOR SHOOTING COVERTS DOGS

NECEdSARV MIGRATION THE AMERICAN SNIPE — FOUND IN BUSHY

GROUND — COMPARED WITH EUROPEAN SNIPE — NEST AND EGGS —
MIGRATION TO SOUTH BIRDS LEFT BFKIND— SHOOTING SEASON-
DIMINUTION OF SNIPE— RETURN IN SPRING— CURLEW — ESQUIMAUX

CURLEW THE AMERICAN RAIL— ITS EXCELLENCE— PLUMAGE, HABITS,

AND FLIGHT.

^M ^

CHAPTER VII.
Ijcrobioitcs ; 6nill«.

rpiIOUGII tlio American Bittorn {Botatints lent'ninosus)
"*- very much "csemblcs the Kuropean bird in habit,
and makes the siune booming noise, it is fa dif-
ferent species. The plumage is a brownish yellow,
mottled with two other shades of brown, and the throat
is white, while each side of the neck lias a brofd stripe
of black. The feathers on the front of the neck and
breast are very long, rnd hang loosely, the Litter, as
well as those of the under parts, are of a buff colour.
The top of the head, part of the wing, and the tail are
a reddish cinnamon colour, the feathers of the latter
being very small. The bill is a dull yellow, and the
legs are greenish brown. The female is similar in
plumage to the male, and the young are a little paler.

It is common to all latitudes of North America and
extends through the whole of Canada, being especially
abundant in the swampy country through which Baptiste
Creek runs. The nest is invariably made in solitary
swampy spots, and the eggs, of which the number appears

r-TW

Mfli

MMMH

II H

168

ARDEIDE,

very uncertain, are two inches long and one and a half-
broad, and of an olive colour.

The American Bittern is known in most parts of the
country by the name of " Indian Hen," and is not an
easy bird to approach. It is generally used by the
settlers for making soup ; but when in proper condition
is considered excellent eating. Specimens of this bird
have been shot in Ireland, and Yarrell* mentions several
instances of i^s having been kiUed in England, and on
.ne occasion in Scotland, near the residence of Sir
William Jardine, in Dumfriesshire.

The Little Bittern {Ardetta eccilis) is much rarer, and
is confined principally to the swamps lying on the
southern shore of the St. Lawrence. It is not the same
species as the Little Bittern of Southern Europe. In
the male the head and upper parts are a glossy dark
green; the neck and shoulders purplish chestnut. In
the female the head is the same colour as the neck.

That excellent bird, the Golden Plover {Charadius
Virginicm), a variety of our species, is found abundantly
in different parts of the Lower Province.

Two other well-known plovers are the Semipalmated
or Tung Plover {JSgialitis semipalmaius) and the " Kill-
deer." The former, which is most excellent eating, is

* British Hir(l«.

■'^*«-„:

AMERICAN WOODCOCK.

169

also called the Ring Plover, on account of its having a
white ring round the neck. The throat and under parts
are white, and a black stripe encircles the breast, meeting
at the back of the necL below the white ring. The
upper parts are ashy brown tinged with olive. There are
a few white feathers in the wings, and the bill and legs
are yellow. The Killdeer,* familiar in most parts of the
country, is so called from its note, but its flesh is not
esteemed.

It is a generally received opinion that the Woodcock
of North America is identical with ours, and some also
believe that it migrates, not regularly, but frequently,
from the New World to the Old. The two are, however,
quite distinct from one another, and differ considerably
in size, plumage, and other points.

The American bird {Philohela minor) is considerably
the smaller of the two, seldom exceeding eleven inches
in extreme length, while the average measurement of
the European or 2 is thirteen and a half; the difference
in weight between them being nearly four ounces. In
the plumage the most noticeable difference, and one that
could hardly fail to be observed even on the most cursory
inspection, is that the whole of the under part is of a
red hue, growing brighter on the sides and under the

* A, vociferus.

170

SCOLOPACIDiE.

I' lf;f 9,4

\l:

wings. There are also minor differences, which wiU be
better understood by a description of the general plumage.
The occiput has three bands of black alternated with
three of pale yellowish-red, the upper part of the body
being variegated with pale ash or reddish-yellow of
different shades, and with Ihies of black. The throat is
ash colour, and a line of very deep brown extends from
the eye to the bill, with another of the same colour on
the neck. The wings are ashy-brown, and the tail a
very dark brown, almost approaching to black; this is
tipped with ash colour, darker on the upper surface than
on the under, where, in fact, it is often nearly white.
The bill is a light brown, and the legs a pale reddish
colour.

As to the theory of the transatlantic migration, it is
well known that the Woodcock never takes very long
flights, which indeed the disproportionately small size
of Its wings would seem to render laborious, if „ot
altogether impossible, and the only foundation for
attributing to it such a feat rests on the fact that a great
abundance of Woodcock is found on the west coast of
Ireland, where it was not unnaturally supposed birds from
/.merica would alight. That they do exist there in
larger numbers than in most other parts of the British
Isles I can testify from experience, having killed them
m extraordinary quantities in several localities when on

AMERICAN WOODCOCK.

171

detachment near the mouth of the Shannon ; but instead
of being the alighting point of the American bird, this
coast is in reality the ultima thule of the European one.

The American bird is confined to much warmer
latitudes than the other, wintering in the Southern States,
and in summer venturing no farther north than the
Great Lakes of Canada : climates compared with which
an Irish winter would be of a temperature almost fatal to
its existence.

It breeds in all parts of Canada from March to May,
and sometimes as late as June. The nest is very roughly
and clumsily formed, under any prostrate tree or
collection of dead branches, and contains four eggs,
neaxly equal in size to those of the pigeon, and of an
olive colour, mottled with pale brown spots. There are
generally two broods in the year, the earlier family being
watched and taken care of by the male bird during the
second incubation of the female, and even until the
younger brood is fully grownn, or at any rate able to
travel, when a brief journey northwards is undertaken
by the whole.

In many points, as regards their habits, the American

Snipe and Woodcock resemble one another very closely,

and are certainly more nearly allied than their congeners

of the Old World. The Woodcock, however, moves

farther southward than the snipe, and does not appear to

" r,i

172

SCOLOPACIUiii,

penetrate nearly so far northward. It may also be added
that it remains but a very short period at its northern-
most limit; and whilst the snipe passes through Canada
to its breeding grounds, the other rests and breeds there,
merely visiting a little further north for a few weeks
in the early autumn in search of new feeding grounds.

In these migrations they generally make very short
nocturnal flights from covert to covert, resting during the
day, and feeding at dusk in anticipation of the renewal of
the journey. In the spring their flights are generally
longer and more rapid, and at that season they are also
observed to travel in pairs; but at all times when on the
move they are to be found in almost any swampy ground
in the vicinity of covert, in second-growth woods, or in
low lying thickets in the neighbouriiood of open ground;
though never in tlie forest. Patches of alder, a tree that
flourishes in marshy ground, are favourite resorts, and
all low rich black soils, which doubtless abound more
plentifully in food.

During the heat and glare of the day the birds lie
close in the woods and thickets, only venturing forth to
feed in the dusk of evening. At this hour they may con-
atantly be seen on the .ving in proximity to open swamps
or along the margins of rivers ; and excepting in bad
weather, when their movements are very uncertain, they
conthme to feed all through the night, only betaking

AMERICAN WOODCOCK.

173

themselves at break of day to their shady haunts. These
remarks apply of course to the season of non-migration.

As the Woodcock, generally, revisits the place of its
birth, those that survive the shooting season will probably
return the following year to the coverts in which they
have been reared. The season for cock-shootinjr is
nominally from the 1st of August to the 1st of March,
but the beginning of November generally sees their
departure. It is the practice in the Upper Province to
commence on the T5th of July; which is too early, for
in some seasons birds are killed not more than three-
fourths grown, and in late years the old ones may be
taken away from half-fledgcd second broods. Though
a fortnight or three weeks makes a difference in this
respect it does not in the temperature, and August shoot-
ing is anything but easy work in the young woods.
Twining stems of the sweet-scented vine cross one's path
at every step, while dense briars and rank underwood,
meeting the low spreading branches of the black oak and
maple, render it as difficult to progress as to raise the
gun, or even to get more than a momentary glimpse of
the flapping bird, which suddenly rises and as suddenly
drops over the bushes out of sight. Add to this the
thermometer at 9U°, with myriads of musquitoes, and you
liave a fair idea of summer covert shooting in Canada.
In many places I have found these insect torments so

174

SCOLOPACID^.

ii u

pertinacious and in such extraordinary numbers, that in
spite of a previously well lubricated skin and the aid of
tobacco smoke, I have been obliged to carry a green
oough in the hand and constantly wave it round the face
and neck. However brief a cessation occurred, while
firing or loading, the smallest portion of skin exposed
was at once seized upon by a hundred thirsty blood,
suckers. I have knoAvn even a small rent accidentally
made in the clothes to be instantaneously discovered and
occupied by as many as could get their heads in.

In the more dense coverts it is seldom possible to get a
really fui,. shot; one fires by instinct, aiming rather at
the su,,posed whereabouts of the bird than at any visible
object. If the nature of the ground permits, or the
thicket is not too large, it is well to have the guns out-
Side, and let the dogs hunt it alone; but they must be
well broken in and accustomed to the work, or they will
do more harm than good. For ordinary shooting,
nothing is better than a slow old pointer or setter.
Under favourable circumstances from eight to ten couple
of cock to each gun is considered a fair bag.

At times the birds are so sluggish as hardly to rise,
and when flushed at close quarters will only fly very
short distances, dropping suddenly with closed wings, and
often immediately in front of the dog or gun. This
characteristic White has noticed in his "Natural History

AMERICAN WOODCOCK.

175

of Selborne" with respect to the woodcock in our own
country, and is of opinion that it may always be
attributed to the effect of a recent fatiguing journey.

On alighting the Woodcock invariably runs a little
distance before squatting, probably with the instinctive
idea of baffling discovery, and is always to be found in
advance of the spot on which "t may have been marked
down. When running in this way it carries the tail
erect and spread out.

In the beginning of August old and young suddenly
disappear, as already described, and only a atray bird is to
be found here and there, until about the middle of Sep.
tember, when they return in numbers from their trip up
country. At this time they are in first-rate condition,
and afford excellent sport till the first sharp frost strips
the glowing forest, when they finally depart for their
sunny winter-quarters in the far south.

The American Snipe {Gallinago Wilsonii) is, like the
preceding, also very generally supposed to be precisely
similar to ours, but there are several distinctions of
habit and plumage between the two birds.

Though delighting, like its English congener, in
swampy grounds, it displays at times a curious pre-
dilection for bushy grounds and the outskirts of woods;
indeed instances are not wanting of its having been
found within the forest itself. It is said also to have

t'i

jk'

176

SCOIiOPACIDiB.

! 'ii

! I

B i,

fi.il

if II
'1 {

1 '' •

-i

p ■

i <<

)

It ■

a peculiar and unsnipe-like habit in the sprini^ of occa-
sionally alighting on rails and branches of trees, to the
great wonderment of the sportsman just arrived from
the " old country," though I never saw it do so myself.

The plumage is darter than in the European bird,
the entire upper parts being of a very deep brown,
inclining to black, each feather marked and tipped with
light reddish- brown and dirty . grey. The neck is a
reddish colour, and the under parts are grey barred with
very dark brown or black. The wings and tail are also
brownish black, and the latter, tipped with a reddish
bar, has one or two light coloured feathers on each side.

In point of size also this bird differs from our
snipe. While the latter, as most sportsmen are aware,
measures thirteen inches in length, the former is only
ten and a half inches. These measurements refer to the
male only, the female bird of each species being rather
larger.

The nest of the American snipe is rude and simple,
and is made on the ground without the slightest
regard to concealment. It generally contains four pale
olive-coloured eggs, rather lengthened in form, and
spotted with brown, more thickly so at the obtuse end
of the egg. They breed only once in the year, and
almost exclusively in the higher latitudes.

The most northern limit of these birds is perhaps

'riSfiA^iitaSi^'i,'- ^i-\ '-.-.i

AMKIIICAN SMI'E.

177

the Great Hear Luke, and in Oetober they return through
Canada (their young broods by that time well grown,
and strong enough to accouipany them,) en route south-
wards to the rice States, where they pass the winter.

I have occasionally seen a stray snipe during the
months of December and January in the neighbourhood
of St, Catherine's, on the southern shore of Lake
Ontario, and in the low grounds west of Chippewa,
and have heard of similar exceptional cases in other
parts of the country. Tiiesc detached birds arc com-
monly believed to be permanent inhabitants of the dis-
tricts in which they are thus met with; but it is much
more likely that they have been from some cause or other
left behind in the autunm migration, possibly because
weak, or hatciied very late, and may in that case rejoin
the rest in sjjring on their reappearance in the north.
These continually recurring migrations are probably,
both with snipe and woodcock, more a matter of neces-
sity tlian of choice, and may be undertaken either in
search of food, owing to the exhaustion of their feeding
grounds, or in consequence of the extremes of frost at
one season or of drought at another so hardening the
mud in whicii they find their subsistence as to render
it impenetrable to their long slender bills. Their fre-
quent halts by the way evidently indicate a desire to
travel no further than is requisite, and a succession of

■I'! I

178

SCOIiOPACID^.

favonniblc spots may, by hmWu^r tlicm on from ono to
nnotliLM-, !)(' ratlicr Mio cmisi's of the; migration, than,
M8 ia usually supposed, uujivly liiilting pliicos for ro-
froshuK'ut on a previously proj(>ct(«(l journey to u distant
fixod tonuinus.

The begiinu'ii-,' of August is the h'gitiinato conunenco-
nieut of snip.' shooting, and ought to bo strictly adhered
to, though their destruction In the enrly spring (that is,
before the breeding time, instead of after it) is ii practice
so general, in (he Upper Province at least, and so com-
pletely established by custom, that no one u|>pearfl ever
to reflect on the fact that for every couple then kilhul
a whole brood is lost. This practice has contributed in
no small degret" to (heir nipid decrease, aided uo doubt
by u more general drainage luul improvement t)f the;
knd. Many faun)us snipe groiuids In Upper Canada,
which 1 have in former days found literally swarmin"-
with birds, are now comparatively deserted, and in order
to get good shooting it is necessary to go further alield
almost every succeeding year. Of course birds in a state
of migration arc ,ery uncertain in their haunts, and it
may luippen that a place Avhich abounds with sni[)e one
season may not afford more than a couj.lc or two the
next, and even on consecutive days a similar circum-
stance may occur; but tlicre is no denying the fact that
there is nowhere in Canada at the orcscnt day anythin-'-

AMKltl(7AN NNIPK.

179

like tluj (iimtitity of guipo Uint tlicro Uflc<l to bo a few
years ago.

Iinmcdiatoly on tlio break up of winter tlicy inako
their reai.pearaiici' from the Houth, that \h to Hay, about the
end of Maixh or early in April in the Western Province,
and about the beginning of May in the Kantcrn. In many
parts of the Niagara district I have at tliis time seen them
80 numerous as to rise in a succession of wispfi, in the
marshes and low-lying grounds, while scattered f)irds were
to be foijiid in every grassy •' swale" or hollow of the fiehls.

Saturated with the rapid melting of several months'
accumulated snow, the country literally steams under
the increasingly powerful rays of the northward journey-
ing sun, and the ground is so soft and deep that mere
widking is of itself severe labour, without the accompany-
ing toil which 8ni[)e shooting entails. Sinking ankle deep
in the warm mud at each step, and nersi)iring at every
l)ore, the shooter might fancy himself pursuing his sport
in the ncc fields of India, were it not for the toil, so
distinctively Canadian, which he has to encounter in
clambering over the ever-recurring " snake-fences," eight
or ten feet in height: an exercise which for fatigue sur-
passes anything I have met with in the East.

The Spotted Sandpiper* is common in summer on the

* Triiujoidcg maculariut,
N 2

IHO

11 M.I.I |)/«.

mIioivh of lu'iirly all Mic liikrs, iiimI f Imvo often m-on
tln'in on tli(< Niititls in oxlnionliniiry uImiikIiiiicc. (XIkm*
H|u'cii'H of Siin(l|ti|Mr nrc iiIno ronnnon in Ciiniidu.

Tho l.on^r l,ill,«.l (liiili'w {Xtniinn'u.'iloniii'roMtris) is hIho
very iihniMliint, Iiu» if viiricH no ^Mvndy in Ni/.c, foloiir,
nnd l»'n|i;«li of Itill, ilmt (liOVrcnt s|M'cinicnM liiivc olUiii
Itn-n iniHdikrn lor tliU'cnnl HjM'cicH or vniiclicH.

Tlic Kwinitniiux Curlew (/V. homih'.i of l.ntlinin, not
of Wilnon) is Hinuller iiml has ii Hliorter liill llimi (lie
above, nor is ii. so eoninion. The ii|)|H>r |iiir(s iih!
l)rownish Miielv, ninrked wilh dnll yc-llow; (he under
|mr(a pvy, wilh a reddish (iii;4e; the n.-el<, hroaHt, and
Hides are Imrred wilh diirk l.rowii. The (ail is I.rown,
wilh hlaek hands, and the hill dark and ralJier yiillow a(
(he Imse; the iej^s dirly pren.

T!«' Anieriean K'ail (lui//ns Vinfininnus) is an ex-

••ollen( lilMe l)ird, ils (lesh inueh reseinhlin^r t|„i(, „i' d,,,

wotuietK'k, and deservedly ranks anion^f (he ;r„iue of (he

eonnlry. In size i( is somewhat sniaMer I lain our K'ail,

aiHJ i(a i)lunia.i,M> is also radier dill'erent The (op of lh(>

head is lijaek, and I he eheeks ash-eoloured, wiih (wo

white marks on (hem; (he ehin is also whiir, 'Mie n|»|»er

par(s oC (h,- body are s(roaked wi(h black and brown,

the throat and breast are bri.i>:ht brown, and there are

a lew white feathers on (he sides and wiii"-s. The bill

is red uiul the K^s dark eoloured.

AMKIilCAiS HAM.

181

In nimiiri^ tlm |{ui| flJiM „|, i(„ t,,ii| \\h„ f|,„ watnr-lirn,
iiiifl Mil Ilii> Hli^flifoHf ulnnii hi.lcH um.ni;^ Mu, |(,||^ ^,.(inh nr
n-cdw, nwiiy (Vt»m wliidi i( hcMdim Miniyn very Cur. VVIn>ii
I'un'nl (u riHc, il. MiiH only hUdvI dmhiiKTM niid very
iiwkwnnlly himI willi ii|i|ihi-i>iiI, (lillinilly, krcpin^r nmr
Mir ki-miiikI, with ilH U-i^H Iniii^^Mii^^ l/iko mosf, ,,C \^f^
onlcr i( (»mmIh (•liiiMy on woi'iiih, ^'I'iiIih, iiiid iiiMi-ct.H. I'lic,
•'KX'* ••'' "liH i;,iiil iin- vrry lifiinliriil, IVotn ii^Ul U, (m
ill immlx'r, mid oC n. itcium coIrMir, wpoUcd wifli \mv\tUi
"■"•I ''•'•I- U. iiiij^'nilcH HdiilliwnnlH in winter, (ind, I
liclicvc, lircedH in iIk Nidr HwinnpH oC flic StalcM.

ill

.i,i;

■■•«^«»*

I'AM.H OK MONTMOIIKKOI.

CHAPTER VIII.

QUANTITY OP WILD-FOWL ANNUALLY PASSING OVER CANADA— BREEDING
GROUNDS IN THE NORTH— BRITISH AND AMERICAN GENERA, SPECIES,

AND VARIETIES— THE TRUMPETER SWAN— THE AMERICAN SWAN

THE WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE — DARK-FRONTED GOOSE — THE SNOW
GOOSE — THE CANADA GOOSE — THE BRENT GOOSE — THE WILD DUCK

OR MALLARD THE DUSKY DUCK— THE SHOVELLER —THE GADWALL

THE AMERICAN PINTAIL — THE AMERICAN TEAL — THE BLUE-WINGED
TEAL— THE AMERICAN WIDGEON— THE WOOD DUCK— OCEANIC DUCKS
—THE SCAUP— ORIGIN OF NAME — THE AMERICAN SCAUP — NOT
MENTIONED BY NATURALISTS— THE RING-NECKED DUCK CANVAS-
BACK DUCK— KED-HEADED DUCK THE BUFFLE-HEADED DUCK THB

GOLDEN EYE THE HARLEQUIN DUCK— THE LONG-TAILED DUCK

SURF SCOTER— HURON .S( OTER — VELVET DUCK— EIDER DUCK — RUDDY

DUCK— THE LABRADOR DUCK— THE SMEW — HOODED MERGANSER

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER — GOOSANDER.

.11

' 1

i 4

CIIAI'TKIi Vll[.

inserts.

A ('OUNTK Y Iil<c Caiimln, l)oiiHt,iii;r n, ffir lar/^nT extent
^-^ of lake uikI river (Iijmi niiy othur under the suti, will
l)e readily snpimsed to he inferior to none in the al)un(]anee
1111(1 variety ol' its waterfowl; and thcire are, I lielieve,
not h'HH than thirty-three dilHirent Hpeeies of Hwaris, geese,
aii(l(hiekH (cxehisive of 'Mivcrs"); while of many of these
;i;enera and specicH tiic; indivi(hial nunihcPH are ahtiost
heyond belief in the distriefH when; they breed, and
whenee they are untnially disperHed throu<,diout the
country.

Mr. iJarnston, of the Hudson's Cay Company's
Service,* says, " It is very diHicult ((. (nake any just
eah'uhition of (he niunher of (rccse in th(! northcTU breed-
ing grounds; but it is known that the inunber killed on
the eoast by the Indians and others as food, amounts to
about 7 ,()()() antninlly; allowing for woundcid binls
dying or being killed l.y wild aiunials, would make this

ilP

* Can. N'lit. (loo. Montreal, ()o(., IKdl.

filj

186

ANATlDiE.

I «

80,000. Calculating that for every bird killed, twenty
escaped untouched, and that large flocks remain entirely
undisturbed in remote districts, it would follow that the
number of geese leaving their breeding grounds by the
Hudson's Bay route for the south, must be about
1,200,000." Of the numbers that take their flight straight
across the country it is difficult to form more than a viry
vague idea, but the writer in question, computing it at
probably two-thirds or more of the former quantity,
estimates the flocks that annually pass over the continent
at not less than 2,000,000, without including the l^rcnt
geese, which are neglected by the Indian tribes generally.
Besides this enormous luunber of geese, the Swans
and the majority of the two great divisions of True and
Oceanic Ducks, also breed either in the extreme north of
Canada, and the Hudson's Bay territories, or just within
the arctic circle; and also migrate with their grown-up
families in the autunui to the Southern States and the
Atlantic coast, returning northward again in the spring;
thus traversing the whole of Canada twice annually.
Hence it is that Canadian wildfowl shooting is perhaps
the best in tlie world, and in the former of these tn-o
seasons especially, no sport could be more delightful.
The autumn forest literally glows with the brightest
crimson, purple, scarlet, and yellow, intermingled with
the dark pine; the atmosphere is warm, yet bracing.

RESORTS or WILDFOWL.

187

and when the blue haze of the " Indian summer" spreads
through and over the mellow landscape, the stillness is
such that the boatman's voice a mile out on the calm
lake, each blow of the distant woodsman's axe, or the
cry of far-off waterfowl echo through the air with
a distinctness which is perfectly marvellous.

Many localities are noted year after year as being
especially resorted to during these migrations : a circum-
stance which may be accounted for as well by the nature
and abundance of the food and shelter they afford, as by
the fact that the Anatida; generally, unless systematically
disturbed, will annually seek food and rest at the same
halting-places along their route.

As instances. Green Island, Cacouna, and other places
in the Lower Province ; Long Point Island on Lake Erie;
Turkey Point, nine or ten miles from it ; Burlington Bay,
on Lake Ontario; Baptiste Creek, and last, though not
least, the St. Clair River, have long enjoyed their present
fame. At the latter, Captain Strachan of Toronto, a well-
known sportsman, with only one other gun, lately killed
no less than four wild swans, ten wild geese, and 685
ducks of different kinds in sixteen days. The variety,
too, of the wildfowl in these and a hundred other
places is most remarkable, and whether with the naturalist
or mere sportsman adds immensely to the pleasure of
the day's shooting.

[

??9IS9iHHW

188

ANATIDiB.

Thouffli the qiiniitity of birds is so immense that no
amount of fair shooting will ever seriously affect it, yet
the systematic destruction and removal of the eggs which
the last Report of the "Montreal Game Protection
Club" states has been carried on annually in the spring
in a wholesale way, especially about lakes St. Francis
and St. Peter, and the marshes adjacent, must in
time do incalculable injury. The public protests of this
body and of the ^Natural History Society will probably
put a stop to the continuance of these practices, as well
us to shooting in the spring months, so that the wild-
fowl of Canada may be for many years to come pre-
served from the general destruction which otherwise
threatens them.

Several of the genera and species here enumerated
will be recognised as being also either permanent in-
habitants of, or winter visitors to Great Britain ; and
others as being common to different parts of Europe;
but many of the most beautiful and highly esteemed are
peculiar to North America.

The first- among the numerous host, from its size,
importance and great beauty, is the Trumpeter Swan
{Cyijnus buccinator), known also as the " Hunter's Swan,"
which is peculiar to North America, and is a magnificent
bird, in size exceeding the European Hooper. Wilson
says it breeds as far south as latitude 61°, but prin-

AMKllICAN SWAN.

180

cipally witliin the arctic circle, and in its migrations
generally precedes the geese a few days.

It is, with the exception of the eagles, the earliest of
all the migratory birds in spring. It arrives in the fur
countries earlier than the Canada goose, and frequents tlie
eddies under waterfalls, and other spots of open water until
the frozen rivers and lakes break up. They arc met with
both in the interior and on the sea-coast, sometimes in small
flocks, but more frequently in pairs. Tiie skins are an im-
portant article of commerce in the Hudson's Bay territory.
The American Swan (Ci/(jnus Americanus) is also quite
distinct from any of the swans of Europe. It is less
common than the above, and somewhat smaller, but still
of splendid proportions, its length being about four feet
six inches, and its average weight twenty-one "pounds.
The bill and fore part of the head arc black, with a
space of orange at the base of the former. The head
is tinged with yellowish red, but the rest of the plumage
is perfectly white. The female is of similar plurna<re,
though smaller in size. The legs and feet arc black in
both. The young birds are of a bluish tiiit, with the
bill and feet light coloured.

The food of the swan is e: tirely vegetable, consisting
principally of the roots and stems of water-plants ; and
the St. Clair Marshes may be named as one of its
favourite haunts within Canadian territory.

I I!'

190

ANATID.K.

i '

The Whilo-frontod Goose {Amcr nibifvom) of Cana.l.s
is the same bird us tlmt, mo well known as u winter visitor
to Great Britain, und in both countries goes also by the
name of the '• Langhin- Goose." The latter name it owes
to the peculiarity of its note or call, which somewhat
resembles the so.u.d of lau-hter. The former of the
appellations refers to the distin-uishin- band and frontlet
of white feathers at the base of the bill and on the fore-
Head. On this uceount (thou-h Generally adoptin- Maird's
I'omenelature) 1 have rejected his name of Cambclii, as
the wide ckrivatur appears less appropriate than that of
AUnfvons, by which too it is mor(> -enerally known.

It appears to be very wiiK-ly distributed, being equally
well known in Lapland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Ger-
many, Italy, China and Japan. In North America it
migrates a few days later than the Canada goose, and
breeds much further to the north. The eggs are a dull
blotchy green.

The prevailing colour of the plumage is a brownish
«sh; and the lower parts arc barred and patched with
black, merging into white nearer the vent. The legs
and feet are orange, an.l the bill a flesh colour. T!ie
plumage of the female is similar to that of the male—
which is a characteristic of the genus Amcr ; but she is
of smaller size. The flesh is excellent.

The Dark-fronted Goose {Amcr frontalis) differs

CANADA 0008E.

191

from the nbovo in havi.if» .i very dark mark round tlie
bu8o of tho 1)111 in place of a wl.lt(! one. It is found
mostly in tho interior of the country, and is believed by
Mnird to be a new and undeseribed species, not being
mentioned by any other writer.

The Snow Goose {Anser hyperborcus) is a inuch
smaller bird than the Canada goose, migrates later in
tho season, an<l is to be seen ^oth inland and on tho
coast. It has a high shrill note, entirely different from
cither the Canada or the white-fronted goose.

The plumage is perfectly white, with the exception of
the forehead, which is of a reddish brown; the wings are
marked with black and ash colour. The legs, feet, and
bill are of a purple pink, the mandibles of the latter
being serrated both abovt; an,, below. The food consists
principally of the roots of reeds and other aquatic plants,
and the ilesh is extremely delicate.

The Canada Coose {Ikrnida Canadeiisis), which is
the common wild goose of the country, in reality neither
breeds nor resides in it, but passes the sununer and
autumn in the Hudson's JJay country, or even in still
higher latittules, and winters among the Inlets and river
mouths lying along the Atlantic coasi,, ps far south as
the Carolinas.

It is during its migration to and from these opposite
points, namely, in September and October when moving

III

• fa

ANATID.K.

ill!

Ho.itlnvnrd, un,l in April ami M.iy on ivturnin.,^ to its
northern l.oinc, Hint it nmkos its upiu-uriince in Cani-du,
imhin- on (]u> way for rest uiul food, soinctiniua lor
Hovoriil (lii^'H to<i;i!tli(>r.

Obsorvin.ir (ixcd routes, it has hcon found that \iu\vsh
|>rov(«nfcd by fon^s, Htornis, or (ho prt'scnce of man, thcsr
birds also sekvt llu« s.unc spots year nftcr year as restin^r
places, attractive .is possessin^r Mu, i,„,,ortant desidc-rata
of sulHciency of f.)0(I, solitude, and openness of situation.
They invariably avoid any ui)proach to eover likely
to conceal an enemy, an.l seldom ali^dit where there is
not a clear space all round, at all times maintaining so
vigilant a look-out that it is exceedingly dinicidt to got
within range. Among other favourite halting places may
be mentioned Green Island, and Cacouna, in the Eastern
Province, where at these periods they are always to be
found in great abundance. On thc> wing it is impossible
to reach them except with the ride: a shot hardly
worth the experiment; for owing to their mode of
flight, which, according to the nund)er of the flock, is
cither in Indian file or in two lines converging to a point,
it is impossit)le to hit more than a single bird, while the
speed at which they fly* and the great altitude invariably
maintained would render this a great chance.

Ill the thick fogs which so often i)revail at the com-
mencement of winter they frequently alight, lumble to

TIIK CANADA COOSK.

193

disfin^riiisli tlR-ir lun.lmiirks arid iincortnin what direction
to i.ursu<>. When this happons they soinotiinoH (all au
easy pivy to tht- <ruu. I myself on one occasion cnmo
snddenly close upon ha!^a-dozen of thcin in a field by
the wayside.

The Crces and other northern tribes, concealed by
temporary eoverin-s of boii^rhs, erected at short intervals
in a, strai^rht line across c(;untry, attract them by s-ttin^r
np I's decoys on the wide marshes in their course several
of those previously shot, and then imitating the bird's
olurionet-like call. This they do so correctly as seldom
to fail in bringing the passing (lock within range of their
fov/ling-pieces.

To such an extent are the dilFerent methods of de-
struction carried on throughout their perilous route, that
though at its conunencement the (locks are large and
numerous, they soon become so broken up that further
south their passage ceases to be watched for.

The return of the survivors northward, sooner or
later, at the conunencement of the following year, is
always regarded as a sign of a late or early spring.
Though on leaving winter-cpnuters they are in very
poor condition, the change to inlaml diet appears to fatten
them so rapidly that b}' the time they reach the northern
regions, where they constitute an important item of food,
und are anxiously watched for, they are in first-rate

III

194

ANATIDM.

order. Whoii roHtin-r for the ni<;lif, tlieso l)inl.s, not-
withstundin<if their excessive cjuition, do not, like otlier
wary waterfowl, resort to the open waters of the lakes,
but roost in the middle of the swamps and nuirshea in
which they have fed during; the day.

In form and appearance the Canada goose is widely
different from that universally distril)nt('d domestic bird,
the nn-rninly fi^i^nre and attitudes of which are so apt to
sugge-t themselves to the mind as types of the genus.
There is a great difFerenco among them in colour and
size, but the Canada goose is always a larger j;nd heavier
bird than the other; its neck is much more slender, the
form altogether is more symmetrical, and the harmony
of colour more pleasing to the eye than tliat of any other
of its kind.

The head and neck, as well as the bill, are black, with
a remarkable white patch on each cheek, meeting under
the chin. The back and wing-coverts are brown, mar-
gined with white; the wings and tail black; the lower
part of the neck white; and the breast and belly light
brown. The rest of the under parts arc of a greyish
Avhitc, the legs and feet being nearly black.

The female, which is of precisely similar plumage,
generally makes her nest on the ground, and lays from
six to eight eggs, of a pale green. Though the male
bird does not assist in +he task of incubation, he care-

THK CANADA (JOOSK.

H).-)

fully ^nmnls his mute during tl.ut pcrio.!, and is ulw«y«
to be so(M, on Hcntry 1„ her innnodiuto n(=ighl.ourl,„od.
After it iH over the old birds .nouU, u„d iuunense num-
bers nro ehused wiiu dogs and canoes, and killed l.y the
IiHlians and other., when nnable from this eause to take
wing, and many of their young share the same fate;
HO that their whole existence is a scene of danger and
alarm from its earliest moments.

The flesh of the Canada goose is extremely nutritio.is
and well flavoured, owing doubtless in some mcas.n-e to
the nature of its food. In the winter months, when on
the coast, this consists chiefly, according to Wilson, of the
broad tender leaves of a marine plant which grows on
stones and shells, and is usually called » sea cabbage ;"
as also the roots of the S' Ige, which they are frequc^.tly
observed in the act of tearing u,,. During their inland
journeys and at other times they live on grass, various
kinds of leaves, and seeds, v-ith nuiize and corn when
they are to be obtained.

The Canada goose is often to be seen in a dotnestic
state among the settlers, and has for many years been
recognised as a valuable addition to our own farmyards,
being found to breed freely with other ki-uls, but its
superior size and flavour render it well worthy of far
more extensive and special propagation.

Many instances are mentioned in which this bird has

o 2

1- i '1

a;afeM^i -reMi,;a,,L. -^47'/

%: .■:

196

ANATID^.

been met with in a mid state in parts of England— a fact
one can only account for on the supposition either of
its having crossed the Atlantic, or escaped from owners
in this country. I have myself knoAvn an instance in
which half-a-dozen, led away by the passing overhead
of a flock o" common Brent geese, deserted a farm where
they had ^a r>x.g domesticated.

The B ., J-: micla brenta), although common round
Hudson's Bay, and migrating annually, like its congeners,
to the Southern States, performs the whole journey far
out seaward, and is seldom P^en in Canada.

The common Wild-duck, or Mallard (Anas hoschus),
IS found during the summer and autumn in nearly every
district of Canada, and being jirecisely similar to that of
Europe, is of course too familiar to need description.

Though with us most abundant in winter, flockino- in
from colder and more northern regions, in Canada they
are similarly compelled by the intense cold and the im-
possibility of obtaining food to migrate further south, and
wend their way, on the first sign of coming snow, to
the Southern States, where they remain throughout the
winter, the majority resorting to the submerged rice
fields, in which they are said to find abundant food.
The vast numbers tiius on the move in all quarters of
the country aflPord excellent sport in the months of
October and November.

HilM

THK MALLARD.

197

It is not uncommon in some parts to meet with stray
birds in early spring; but whether these iiave passed the
winter in the neighbourhood where they are found, or
have simply returned from their winter migration earlier
than usual, I am not able to say.

Unlike the tame duck, which is polygamous, the wild
one invariably pairs. They breed extensively in the
wilds of northern Canada, and on some of the smaller
and less known lakes and solitary streams are met with
in almost countless numbers, associating there, as else-
where, with pintail, blue-winged teal, and other members
of the family. They are also known to breed in less
remote parts of the country, though not to any extent.

The nest, although generally placed on the ground,
is not invariably so, neither is it always in the vicinity
of water; and the eggs, which are pale greenish, vary in
number from half-a-dozen to a dozen. During the
period of incubation the male assumes the plumage of
the female.

The food of the wild duck is of various kinds: grass,
seeds, corn, small shell-fish, worms, young fry, slugs, and
insects all appear equally welcome.

Duck shooting is much the same sport all the world
over, though there are some plans in Canada which
would not so well repay the trouble in this country,
where ducks are not to be seen in such immense flocks.

!;:

i:1'

:*^l

l»

19S

ANATIU^E.

m
mm

■

H i

Sometimes the shooter, lying at his length in a small
canoe, is carefully covered over and concealed by sapins, or
green branches. Having his loaded guns ready pointed over
the bows, he either gently paddles himself, or is borne
along the stream, unheeded or unobserved, to within the
closest requisite range of his unsuspecting victims. In
early winter the stratagem is occasionally varied by the
substitution of a white-painted scow— which is a flat-
bottomed boat, square at both ends— the shooter
therein being either covered over with a sheet or dressed
in flannel. This plan, when the wa<or is studded with
floating masses of ice, answers most admirably.

A good shot may often be got at birds circling over-
head, as they generally do, after the report of a gun, if
ignorant of the point whence the alarm proceeds. On
many open waters wild-fowl may be got at under cover
of the tall grass or reeds growing on the edge, but in
l)laces where this is not practicable and they are equally
unapproachable in other Avays, it is a good plan to send
a im'&on round in an c)pposite direction to drive them
towards the shooter, who carefully conceals himself
beforehand.

I remember on one occasion stalking a pond which
every evening in autumn was known to be covered with
ducks, but lay too low to reconnoitre with the glass, and
in the centre .>i' a bare open phiin, with no cover but

THK MALLARD.

199

a few rushes and tufts of long grass close to the water's
edge. Approaching in a stooping position from the
leeward, a point gained by a considerable circuit, it soon
became necessary to go on hands and feet, then to worm
our weary way, ventre h terre, gazing wistfully in our short
intervals of rest, towards the friendly rushes. Pushing
our guns before us at each length gained, and plastering
ourselves with mud, the pond was at length gained with-
out our having alarmed a single bird. With fingers on
the trigger, we ventured to lift our heads inch by inch
over the coarse grass till the water under our very noses
was scanned, but not a sign of life stirred the face of the
placid pool.

In some parts of the LoAver Province decoy ducks
are used, though chiefly by those who make a trade of
duck shooting. A more legitimate practice, common
among sportsmen, is that of building screens of boughs
at spots frequented by the birds for the purpose of
feeding.

At a lagoon or stagnant pool on the southern Cana-
dian shore of Lake Ontario, overgrown with aquatic
plants, a good many du.-ks and teal were sometimes
to be found during the season, and by constructing
these caches at different points of the wood which
encircled the banks, we were enabled to rake and enfilade
the pool in every direction. Early in the. afternoon

200

ANATID/K.

l)iiifail, toal, and .nallartl come across from tl.e lake, on
the open w,..lcrs of wl.ic], they appeared to pass the
^nvater part of the day, and circling warily round mid
'•o«"uI alighted i„ successive flocks, apparently finding
abundance of food in the stagnant x^eed-grown water.

While lying in wait I have sometimes become so
absorbed in contemplation of the animal life around,
as to have forgotten what had brought me there. A
fVe,,uent fellow-watcher at our lagoon was a large osprey,
Avhich perched motionless on the bare worn bough of
an overhanging tree, sat for hours peering keenl)^ into
the pool below. On a sydden he would dart with
lightning velocity on his finny pri.e, and bearing it
"loft sail majestically away to his solitary haunti in
the neighbouring forest. Hundreds of tortoises, called
"terrapinos,"* covered the decaying tr.n.ks of the floating
fves, sunning themselves in long rows with outstretched
necks, ready at the slightest alarm or movement to dis-
appear instantaneously under the sheltering duck-weed;

ani ^77" ^'""f • ,''''"^- ^-" tortoises are of uni..r„. dark colour,

vato s ; the vory ,•.„„,. onos are seldon. seen. There is a larger species

A,u„d .n the lakes (.;,..,,„. ^„,,,,,„,)_ ,^„^, ,,^ ea,.' !^

ook ..a.te,. ...th a hit of M. ; thei. „esh is ve,, dei!eaie. 1 .e eg^ J

1 s s,.eeK.s Uv or sixt, i„ ..u.nh,.,.. are iou.ul i,/..ook. „f rock« ^tl 1

1^: :i "; '^'l' '' "-""'" ^^^ ^"^ Terrapine,which.ay be

iiuu.gl, ,t UHinble.. auythn.jr ,ather than (ur(h:

UUCK-STALKINO.

201

enormous bull-frogs* cmwlcl ut.d hopped in the shallows,
and musk-rutsf swam from bank to bank.

None but those who have thus idled away the hours
of a glorious autumn day can form an adequate idea of
the charm and interest attaching to such studies of
animal life.

Stalking ducks, however, affords by far the best sport,
requiring as it ofte.i docs very great skill, especially when
it is necessary to approach a flock some distance out on
the open water. The landmarks and bearings being
carefully i.oted, the shooter, after making a sufficient
detour, on arriving at the point of advance, commences,
according to the nature of the intervening ground, to
glide stealthily forward, dodging behind every tree 'and
hn^\x; sometimes bent nearly double, or in default of
cover crawling on hands and knees through the grass.
If the birds are diving or feeding, the moment mu^st be
watched when two or three are under water together, or
Imve their tails simultaneously upturned ; then dashing
'•Mpi<lly forward he should frighten away the rest, to
prevent their giving alarm, and gain the nearest cover
before the divers reappear. If this manoeuvre be sue
cessfidly accomplished, he may pause a moment to re-
cover his steadiness of hand, for the absence of the other

* liana pipicns.

t Fiber zihUhecu^.

V i

202

ANATID.^.

tlucks Tvill not bo regarded, even if noticed. If, there-
fore, he finds Inmself still too far from his objects,
he may wait j)atiently for the moment when they
again dive, which they will very soon do, and then
gaining the water's edge h^ will get a splendid right
and left, as they return t> t.e surface and when they
rise on the wing; which be it remembered, all wild-
fowl do with their heads to the wind.

The Dusky-duck (^1. obscura) is purely North
American, and does not appear to be of migratory habit,
having been found to breed in nearly all latitudes of that
continent, in the marshes of the interior as well as among
the rocks of the coast. Their eggs are twelve in number,
and white.

The whole plumage is of a dusky brown, the head
and a portion of neck being marked with a few streaks
of buff, and the wings relieved by an iridescent speculum
surrounded by dc.ep black as in the mallard. The
inner or tmder sides of the wings are pure white, con-
spicuous only when in the air. The bill is a greenish
yellow, and the legs dusky orange.

The female is smaller and rather browner in colour;
but she has the speculum as well as the male.

They do not appear to be particular as to the nature
ol- their food, and take anything that comes in the way,
notwithstanding which their flesh is considered very good.'

THE 8U0VELLKR.

203

They are a wild and easily alanned bird, and are not
to bo approached witliout the greatest caution, .nd under
the most favourable circumstances.

The Shoveller (Sj^atula dypeata) wlich is called
uleo .he Shovel-biU, the Blue-winged Shoveller, and the
Jiroad-bill, is abundant in some parts of North America
and its flesh is deservedly very highly esteemed, though'
Its food is by no means entirely of that vegetable
nature which is supposed to be so conducive to excellence
consisting, we are told, in u great measure of wonnj
leeches, fish, and snails ! Audubon says. « no sportsman'
who IS a judge will ever go by a Shoveller to shoot a
canvas-back." But without going so far as this, there is
no question as to the exceedingly delicat. and tender
nature of its flesh.

The Shoveller is called so from the form of its bill
which is broad and flattened at the end, and if not very
like a shovel in appearance, answers much the same
purpose in the shallow waters where the bird principally
hnds its food. Jn addition to its properties as a s'ade
It possesses also those of a sieve, the edges of both upper
and lower nundibles being curiously furnished with a
comb-like fringe, adapted to and corresponding with each
other in such a manner as to a' ,.sv the escape of water,
while retaining the most minute worms, leeches, or
aquatic insects.

^5!"""«

204

ANATID^.

»,

This admirable formation is not found to exist in
newly.hatchcd young, or even in those some weeks old,
but is gradually developed with their growth.* In
plumage, the Shoveller is remarkably handsome; the
head is a fine iridescent green and purple, extending
about halfway down the neck, the lower parts of which
and the breast are white. The belly is chestnut; the
back dark brown ; the smaller wing-coverts, points of the
wings, and tertials, are sky-blue; the speculum is bright
green margined with white, and the tail is short ami
dark. The bill which is so marked a feature, is nearly
black and about three inches long; the broad eml being
an inch and a quarter across. In the female, the under
mandible is a reddish hue, the head is a spotted brown,
and the plumage differs in one or two other minor points.'
The young of both sexes are similar to one another in
plumage for some time after they are able to run about,
and the distinguishing plumage of the male is developed
very gradually. This circumstance, common also to other
birds, is naturally accounted for by White,t who says,
" no doubt the reason why the sex of birds in their first

^ W.lson, Amer. Orn., says, " The young are at first very shapeless
anu ugly for the bill is then as bread as the body, and seems too great
a we.ght for the little bird to earry." He however writes this ont on
hearsay whde the contrary faet is vouehed for by Yarrell on his own
personal knowledge.

t Nat. Hist. Selb.

THE SnovULLER.

306

plumage is so difBcult to be distinguished L, because they
are not to pair and discharge their parental functions
*'" "'" ""'"'"S «P'-i"g- As colours seem to be the chief
external sexual distinction i„ „any birds, these colours
do not take place till sexual attachments begin to obtain ■
and the case is the same in quadrupeds, among whom, in'
*l.e,r younger days, the sexes differ but little; but as they
advance to maturity, horns, and shaggy „anes, and
brawny necks, &e., strongly .discriminate the male from
the female. We may instance still further in our own
species, where a beard and stronger features are usually
characteristic of the male sex; but this diversity does not
take place in earlier life, f„r a beautif,J youth shall be
so hke a beautiful -irl that the difference shaU not be
discernible."

The periodical assumption by the male bird, of female
plumage after maturity, is not so rationally to be ac
counted for ; the drake of this species, as with the mallard
pintail, and other ducks, assuming, at certain seasons, at
least to a great extent, the markings and general hue of
the opposite sex. In summer it entirely loses the green
of the head and neck, and in several other respects
adopts the garb of its mate.

The Shoveller's nest is never far from the water's edge
though always placed above the chance of .inundation!
It contains twelve or fourteen pale opaque green ec-gs

. Hi

WBLZ

200

ANATII)^,.

fill'

:irl

This is tl.e same bird ns the European Shoveller, which is
a frequent winter visitor to the eastern coast of England,
though unknown in Scotland.

The Gadwall (Chaulelasmus strepems) is a shy and
cunning bird, ever on the watch ogainst surprise, diving
at the slightest appearance of danger, and secreting itself
80 effectually in grass, reeds, or other convenient cover,
as generally to elude the strictest search. Even when'
forced to take wing it is not an easy bird to kill, its flight
being remarkably swift and strong. These two facts, taken
in connection with the excellence of its flesh, render it an
important and coveted addition to tlie game-bag.

Its food is chiefly vegetable, though it appears to find
abundance of other matter in the reedy ponds, where it
may be seen feeding during the day, as well as at the
more usual duck hours of evening and early morning.

Its note is harsh and loud, whence its specific nime;
the ordinary one of Gadwall, we are told by Yarrell, sig-
nifying Grey duck, though how or why is not clear. '

The Gadwall is well known in many parts of Europe,
and is an occasional winter visitor in England, though by
no means common, and McGillivray says it has" not
hitherto occurred in Scotland. In North America it
breeds in the Hudson's Bay country, and migrates like
the rest of its kind to the Southern States in winter.
The female lays six or eight eggs of a clear grey

THE AHKItlCAN PlNTAIl,.

207

shaded with greon, the nest being eompcod of dry
Sras. and lined with down from her own breast.

The head, and nppcr part of the neek are a specl<led
brown, the lower part and breast darker, thiekly ma^eu
w,.h semieirele, of light grey. The baek and side, are
grey, eovered with undnlating lines, the smaller win.,
covert, are ehestnut, and the speeulum blaek and whitl-
tad-covert, greenish blaek, and tail g,.y. The bill is'
dusky and the legs and feet orange. In the female the
colours are darker, and the brown more predominant

The American Pintail (Dafia acuta) , remarkable
for .t» flavour and exeeUenee, being even superior in
these respects to the mueh-esteemed Pintail which in
wmtcr visits our own coasts and inland waters, though
m most other points the two appear to be very similar "
The American Pintail is a handsomely.shaped duck
of a medium size, weighing about two pounds; the body
;s much elongated, and the neck unusually tapering.
The head is br»,v„; the baek of the neck, which is nearly
black, being tinged with purple. The back is pencilled
over with wavy black lines; the front of the neck, the
breast, and belly a,, white, and the wings brown, with
a «ree„ spot or speculum. The tail is long and pointed
and is remarkable for two projecting bkek feathers, whence
the origin of the birds name ; the rest are greyish brown.
The bdl .s slate ■ Jour, and the legs and feet dusky

208

ANATlD.fl.

w':'

In the female the centre tail feathers arc shorter,
and the outer ones darker, than in the male. The neck,
breast, and belly are pale brown, speckled with a darker
shade; the purple tinge on the back of the neck is
wanting, and the upper surface of the body is dark
brown, marked with black and lighter brown.

The Pintail Duck exhibits more remarkably than any
other the singular transformation of plumage already
noticed in the shoveller and mallard, and common to
others, of this family, the male during a part of the
summer exactly resembling the female. Yarrell's* minute
description of the change will better explain it. He says,
" This alteration commences in July, partly effected by
some now feathers, and partly by a change in the colour
of many of the ," ones. At first one or more brown
spots appear in the white surface on front of the neck ;
these spots increase in number rapidly, till the whole
head, neck, breast, and under surface have become
brown ; the scapulars, wing-coverts, and tertials undergo
by degrees the same change from grey to brown. I
have seen a single white spot remaining on the breast
as late as the 4th of August, but generally by that
time the males can only be distinguished from females
of the same species by their larger size, and their belly

• British Birds, iii, 259.

THE PINTAir..

200

remaining of a pal,> l,l„c colour. In the female the bill
18 always of n diirk brown.

"At the auttunn moult the r-ales again assume with
their now feathers the colours po'-uliur to their sex;
but the assumption is g-.ulual. Wliite spots first appear
among tlie brown feathers on the front of the neck;
by the end of the second week in her the front of
the neck and breast is mottled with wn and white,
and at the end of the third week in October a few
brown spots only remain on the white."

The Pintail, besides the usual productions of muddy
sn-umps and pond life, feeds largely in autumn on the
mast of the beech, in search of which it is often dis-
covered wandering about under the trees at a consider-
able distance from any water. Pintail are at tiines abun-
dant on and around the lakes, feeding in all the pools
and marshes in their vicinity, but are excessively cautious,
sleeping far out on the open waters by night; very
generally also they rest there during great pirt of the
day.

I have seen numbers of them late in the month of
October on Lake Ontario, sometimes in noisy chatter-
ing groups, though more often being lazily rocked to
sleep on the gently heaving surface of the deep blue
waters. Although apparently always dozing, they
evidently keep one eye open; for however many ducks

210

ANATIDjE.

lUnl

'l\^

I W

Iff

of other kinds may be around, the Pintail is always
the first to give the alarm. They are generally at a
sufficient distance to be out of range from shore, and it is
useless to attempt to get a shot at them by approaching
in a boat. The only plan, therefore, is to lie in wait,
secreted near the swamp or low ground which they are
noticed to frequent, and to which, late in the afternoon,
they are sure to flock for the purpose of feeding.

As this ambush should be continued so long as there
is any chance of fresh flocks arriving, that is, till after
dusk, it is necessary to mark carefully the spots where
the dead birds fall, in order that they may be afterwards
recovered by the retriever, which, till then, of course
should not be permitted to leave the cache, or place of
concealment, on any account.

The Pintail breeds in the solitary tracts far north,

visiting Canada in the Fall, en route to Mexico. Its

nes^ is formed amongst thick rushes, and the eggs are

eight or nine in number, and of a greenish blue, and not

"dull chocolate colour," as certain writers have affirmed.

The immature birds are often mistaken for those of

some other species, as they are without the long tail

feathers, and their plumage displays the characteristics of

both male and female equally.

Wilson, after a careful examination and comparison
of the American Teal (Nettion Carolinensis) with that of

THK AMERICAN TEAL.

211

Europe, says that both are undoubtedly of one and the
same species, and that there is no more difference be-
tween them in size, colour, or markings than such as
commonly occurs among individuals of any other tribe
Yarrell,* on the contrary, in his account of the European
Teal, says that it is quite distinct from that of North
America.

When such two high authorities differ so widely in
opinion, it is unnecessary here to do more than simply
describe the plumage and habits of the one found in
Canada, which generally goes by the name of the "Green-
winged Teal," and is as prettily marked and as excellent
a bird as the much esteemed teal of our o^vn country.

In the male the head is a beautiful chestnut, with a
broad patch of green running backwards from the eye
bordered above and below by a line of buff The sides
and back are closely marked with fine wavy black lines.
The primaries and ^^^ng-coverts are brownish ash-colour
and the speculum light green, with a narrow border of
cream colour above and l)elow, and one of black at either
side. The breast is beautifully marked with black spots
on a pale puiT^lish ground, the under parts are white and
the tail brown. The bill is black, and legs and feet
flesh coloured.

* British Birds, iii. 285.
p2

irl^'ii

||;jjiWIMp»-^»iafiyu ..iipjjgpppg

212

ANATID7E.

In the female tlie head is simply white, spotted
with black: the back is a striped brown, and the breast
a speckled brown. The males frequently assume this
plumage.

The green-winged Teal breeds in the northern regions
of Canada, but chiefly in that great nursery of ducklings,
the Hudson's Bay country, and frequents all the feeding
grounds southAvard throughout both Provinces during
the autumn. They go south in October, and further so
than most other species. The nest, which is secreted
among the long reeds growing at the water's edge, and is
not to be found without wading, is very large in propor-
tion to the size of the bird, being composed of an immense
quantity of dead grass, rushes, and leaves, and lined with
feathers. The eggs vary from eight to twelve in number,
and are white, spotted with brown.

Though these Teal are frequently seen in company
with other ducks of various kinds on the water, yet when
flying they keep exclusively together, and generally in
small parties, darting through the air also with great
rapidity.

Their food is almost entirely vegetable, and in search
of it they frequent swampy river mouths, shallows, and
lagoons, the wild rice growing in these localities beiuo-
a great attraction to them, as it is to most other ducks.

The Blue.winged Teal {Querquedula dlscors), which.

THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL.

213

If I am not mistaken, is exclusively North American, is
widely distributed through Canada, breeding also in
«^any parts of it, the rude and simple nest being often
found among the grassy tufts of rough sedgy swamps and
by the rush.grown margins of quiet inlets. It contains
half-a-dozen or more eggs of a dirty white, spotted with
brown.

Its food is cliiefiy . .gotablc, and in excellence of
flesh this duck is only equalled by the Canvas-haek, to
wh.ch, indeed, some even think it superior. It appears to
be always in first-rate condition, though it is a very small
duck, weighing not more than twelve or thirteen ounces.

The Bluc-wingcd Teal is extremely susceptible of
oold, and on the first appearance of autumnal frost
betakes itself to the Southern States and Mexico, where it
passes the winter in a climate more congenial to its frame
The general plumage is dark, the head and neck bein-
vaned with green and purple reflections, and the breasi
and back beautifully marked with buft; while the belly is
a light brown. The smaller wing.eovcrts are of a bri-ht
sky-blue, from which it obtains its name; the tail il a
nch brown, and rather long, The bill is lead colour,
but the legs and feet are a c'ull yellow.

la the female there is not much difl-crcnce of pluma.re
beyond the absence of the purple and green on the iJd
and neck.

wmm

214

ANATIDjE.

'I:

In the months of April and May the Blue-wing teal
reappear from their southern sojourn, and are again
dispersed over the country. Their flight, like that of
many other of their kind, is very rapid; but they have a
habit peculiar to themselves of alighting with great
abruptness, dropping through the air like a stone over
the spot on which they intend to rest. Their favourite
resorts are sheltered mud banks, where, after feeding,
they sit preening their feathers and enjoying the Avarmth
of the early summer sun. At such times it is not diffi-
cult to get within shot ; indeed they are habitually less
wary and cautious than any of their kind.

The American Widgeon (Mareca Amencatia) differs
from that of Europe in several re.-pects, the most im-
portant being in the formation and smaller size of the
trachea. The external diflf-erences are also sufl5ciently
marked, for it is u larger bird, and its neck and
cheeks, in lieu of chestnut, as in the latter, are yellowish
white, speckled with black; the top of the head is cream
colour and on either side green. The bill is longer, more
slender, and of darker colour than that of the European
bird. They migrate to the Middle and Southern States
in small flocks in October, but return generally in pairs
at the break-up of winter to the Hudson's Bay districts,
where they breed. Tiiey are not so couunon us many of
the al)ove kinds.

THE WIDGEON,

2l5

The Widgeon feeds entirely by day, and though
found during their inland life to subsist on worms
and inseets of different kinds, their food while on the
coast is prineipally the valisneria, for the purpose of
obtaining which, Wilson tells us, .hey frequent the
company of the Canvas-back duck, and being themselves
less able to dive for the much-prized root, live by plun-
dering the latter the instant they reappear on the surface
of the water with the hard-earned morsel; much in the
same way that the white-headed eagle robs the osprey.

The general description of the plumage is as follows:
the forehead and crown are dull yellowish white; the
neck and sides of the head brownish white, speckled
with black. Behind the eye is a streak of green; the
breast is brown and the lower parts white, the back
being covered with close zigzag lines. The tail is li^ht
brown; the wings are white and black, with grien
speculum; the legs and feet dark brown.

In the female the breast is much lighter than in the
male, and the back is a dark brown.

The Wood-duck (.1/.. sponsa) which is called also the
"Summer duck" and -free duck" is not only one of the
most beautiful of all its family, but is excelled in plumage
by few of the feathered race. It obtah.s its name frol
Its smgular and characteristic habit of frequenting and
building in forest trees, on the lofty branches of which

.i/>'*'

216

ANATIDiE.

its sharp hooked claws enable it to sit and move about
with perfect ease.

It is commoi, cougl, i„ the ..cighbourliood of the
Lakes of Upper Canad,., and „,ay constantly be seen
during the summer months, darthig noiselessly and
»-v.ftly through the water-side belts of wood or
-nerging from the hollow of son.e old gnarled trnnt in
wb,ch it has its nest; for it breeds throughout these
cUstnets as well as in many part, of the Lower Province.
Though they are sometimes sce.i in small flocks, I
have myself only met with then, cither singly or in
pairs; and it is a striking sigh, to watch them elcavin.
the air with the grace and speed o. he hawk, and
alighting suddenly on the branch of a tree. The first
time I ever saw one, I was excessively astonished, never
having heard of such a bird, and was divided between
anxiety to obtain the specimen and reluctance to shoot
anything so curious and beautiful.

The head of the male bird is ornamented by a pen-
dent tuft of green, white and pu,,,le feathe,., about
t-o and a half inches in length, ,,„ieli he has the
power of elevating: a fact which does not appear to be
..oticed by any naturalist. In the female this is merely a
rudimentary crest. The bill, which is a reddish orange

-hooked; the .sides of the head are white and purple'
a.Kl a band of pure white encircles the neck. The

THE WOOD-DUCK.

217

back IS a greenish bronze, the tail dark green; breast
rich brown spotted with white; the wings blue, green,
black, and silver-grey ; and the under parts white, tinged
with delicate violet. Many of these feathers are highly
valued by artificial-fly makers.

The female, besides the above difference in the crest
is a smaller bird, though both are below the average size
and weight of most ducks. She is less brilliant in the
colouring of her plumage, and is also less careful of it
tlmn her mate, freely stripping her breast of its soft
down to line her nest. She lays generally about a
dozen eggs, which are of a rich cream colour and highly
polished.

When the young are sufficiently fledged, the mother
carries them in her bill, one by one, from their compara-
tively lofty nest to the water, in which they begin to
swim about at once in search of food. From thil time
t>ntil they are able to fly they live among the reeds and
long grass, carefully watched and defended by their
parent.

The Wood-duck appears to be less dependent for food
on aquatic productions than any other of its tribe; insects,
seeds, grain, and acorns forming the most important part
of its sustenance. The flesh is well flavoured, though not
equal to that of the teal, and some others.

Tliey breed during the niontiis of May or June,

/!:

?i i

218

ANATIOiB.

' II :

according to the latitude they inhabit; and though
common in Mexico and the most southern of the States
of America, do not appear to venture further north than
the latitude of Nova Scotia, leaving again in the be-
ginning of winter for the warmer regions.

Though evidently unaWe to endure cold, it thrives in
even tropical heat, and is found-as in Ceylon-within a
very few degrees of the equator.

The Wood-duck is frequently domesticated in Canada
and is very easily tamed. A more beautiful and
interesting bird can hardly be found for such an object,
and it is to be regretted that it is not more generally
known and introduced on ornamental waters in private
grounds, being perfectly hardy in every way.

We come now to the Fungu/ina' which principally
frequent the sea coast or its vicinity, though u.any of
them are scattered through the interior of the country,
and found in the most remote lakes and inland waters'
They differ from the foregoing or true ducks, in havin.
the feet larger and the legs placed further back, and in
being altogether more especially formed for swimmin.
and diving. We znay begin with the Scaup (FulL
n^anla) which is precisely similar in all respects to that
of Europe, and like the latter feeds on shell-fish
sea-weeds of several kinds, young fry, and many other
aquatic pickings, the greater part of which are obtained

n X

THE SCAUP.

219

by diving. It frequents salt and fresh water indifTerently
and 18 invariably in good condition at all seasons of the
year, which circumstance is, however, a matter of small
importance, seeing that its flesh is held in small esteem
on account of its coarseness and indifferent flavour.

The origin and meaning of the term Scaup have been
variously accounted for, and we have no less than three
different derivations given by as many naturalists, though
that of Yarrell is no doubt the true one. He says,* "beds
of oysters and mussels are in the north called 'oyster-
scawp' and ' mussel- scawp,' and from feeding on these
shell-covered banks the bird has obtained the name of
Scawp-duck,"

The Scaup, or as it is generally called in America, the
Blue-bill and Black-head, breeds a long way north. Its eggs
are six or seven in number and of a pale chocolate colour
and are generally found either simply laid on the bare'
ground or but slightly raised from it, on what can only
by courtesy be termed a nest.

The Scaup has a black head, neck, and breast, the
former being glossed with green reflections. The back is
inottled green, the wings are chiefly grey and white, the
under parts are white and the tail brown. The bill
which is broad at the end, is of a light blue.

* lifitisii Dii'ds, iii. iiU.

220

ANATID^.

In the female the darker parts are brown instead of
black, and the bill is slate colour, as are also the legs and
feet in both sexes.

The Scaup is a very difficult bird to get within range
of, for though it only rise, from the surface of the water
slowly and with difficulty, on account of the shortness of
its wings, it is extremely wary, and dives with extra-
ordinary rapidity.

The Little Blue-bill (M. ajjinis) of Baird, the
American Scaup of Yarrell and Audubon,* by whom it
is correctly described as a distinct species of the above,
was apparently unknown to Wilson, and is simply men-
tioned by Sir John Richardsonf and other naturalists
as a variety. The following are, however, remarkable
points of difference between the two: the inferior
size of the present bird as compared with the other •
the lesser depth of its bill at the base, its smaller
head, the darker colour of its legs and feet, and the
deeper hue of the undulating mark on the back. The
breast and under parts are mottled grey instead of
being pure white; there is less grey on the former
part, and the plumage of the head and neck are plum-
coloured in place of black, as in the other. It is even
more difficult to obtain a specimen of this than of the

Ornith. Biog.

t Fauna Boreal. Amer.

THE CANVAS-UACK DUCK.

221

former, for while equally difficult of approach it is far
less common.

Tiie Ring-necked duck {Fvli^ collaris) I imagine to
be the same bird as that called by Wilson the Tufted
duck, in which name, however, he is evidently wron-.
for the "Tufted duck" is not found in North Americl!
Though the Ring-necked duck undoubtedly has a small
tuft, it is principally distinguished by a ring or band of
chestnut which encircles the neck about half-way up -a
characteristic which is entirely wanting in the Tufted
duck, properly so-called, of Europe and Asia.

The head of the Ring-necked duck is a glossy black
with purple reflections; the bill broad and partially blue
The neck above and below the chestnut ring described is
also black, as are the back and vent, the wings being
brown. It is a small duck, but the flesh is very tender
and excellent. It passes through Canada about the same
tune of the year as the generality of other ducks, but in
fewer numbers.

Tho Canvas-baok Duck (^Aythya valisneria), so well
known i„ this country a, an article of l,,.u^, is a species
exclusively North American.

The excellence of flesh to which it owes its value
ana celebrity, is due in a great measure to the nature of
Its food during the autumn and winter months, which
at that season consists chiefly of the Valisneria Americana

3 \
i

222

ANATIDiE.

an aquatic plant growing in rather almllow and brackish
waters vvitliin the influence of the tides, ar.d having
long narrow leaves growing to some height above the
surface. The root is white, and its flavour is said to
resemble that of celeiy. This, which is the only part
of the plant eaten by the bird, it obtains by diving, and
when abundant all other kinds of food are passed un-
heeded. So attractive is it, that wherever the plant is
found, there the Canvas-back is sure to congregate;
though the converse does not always hold good, as has
been asserted. Flocks are frequently met with on parts
of the coast where the plant does not exist, and they
are then found to subsist on molluscaj, different marine
plants, and alga3: a diet which generally deteriorates the
flavour and delicacy of the flesh to a greater or less
extent.

The most noted resorts of the Canvas-back have
always been Chesapeake Bay, the mouths of the Potomac,
and James River, with several other lesser streams and
river mouths in the same quarter, all which abound with
the valisneria. The recent warlike operations in those
districts must however have completely driven away so
shy a bird; and we may have to add to the other results
of the late American war the scarcity, and inferiority-
owing to its banishment to less favourable waters-of one
of the most delicious birds known.

THE CANVA8.BACK DUCK.

228

As most persons arc probably aware, the Canvas-back
derives its na.no from the resemblance which the marking
of the back bears in its appearance to that of canvas,
being of a light grey, curiously covered with fine
dusky lines closely intersecting one another like crossed
threads.

This peculiarity occurs also in the common Pochard or
Dun bird,* which being somewhat sinular in many other
respects (though not in flavour or delicacy) is often sold
by London game-dealers as the genuine Canvas-back.
The following points of difference, however, if attended
to, would prevent any one from being so deceived. When
m good condition the male Canvas-back weighs about
three pounds, and the female about two pounds and
three-quarters, while the pochard averages only one
pound and three-quarters. The bill of the Canvas-back
runs high up on the forehead, is perfectly black, and
an mch longer than that of the Pochard; or three
inches instead of two. In the latter it is also narrower
and slighter, and generally of a slate colour, with black
base and tip only. Further, the legs and feet of the
Canvas-back are larger, and of a much paler ash colour
than those of the other. There are likewise minor dif-
ferences in the colour and markings of the plumage,

iff

• Fuligula ferim, Yarr.

^"mmmm

224

ANATlDiE.

but the above distinctions are sufficient to enable any
person to tell the one from the other.

The following is the plumage of the Canvas-back.
The forehead and cheeks are a dusky brown, all the
rest of the head, as well as tlie neck, being of a bright
ches^.nut. The upper portion of the breast is black, ex-
tending round to the canvas-like marking of the back,
which has been already described. The lower plumage
is white, marked somewhat similarly to the back, though
more faintly, the sides being dusky freckled. The
wing-coverts are grey speckled, the wing feathers slate
colour, with a narrow edging of deep black on the inner
ones; underneath the whole are white. The legs and
feet, the latter of which are rather large in proportion
to the size of the bird, are of a pale ash colour. The
tail, which is short and sharp-pointed, is a brownish
roan, and the tail-coverts are black.

The female has the sides of tlie head and the throat
of a buff colour, and in lieu of chestnut her neck is
brown, which colour extends down to the breast and
replaces the black of the male bird. In other respects
there is no difference excepting in that of size as already
noticed.

The Canvas-back appears in Canada, like nearly all
the rest of the order, only at two periods of the year-
in autumn, on its way south, and in spring, on its

THE CANVAS-BACK DUCK. ggg

'•eturn. At these times, though If i.

difficult bird to aorrn I ' """"^ '^^ ^"^

to approach, a great many are killed on
the lakes and rivers alon<r fU ■

nn.v , " "'" '°"*^' though of course

nothmg to be compared with th u

Pdrea with the numbers killed at fh.
great rendezvous alon- thp a„ ,- ^''^

slau^ht ^ "''' '""'*' ^^^^^« they are

slaughtered merely as a m; er of f.a^ ^

reo-arrif ""^ °^ *^ade and without anv

-.ard to sport. Wilson gives the following description

- -e Of the various modes practised to'get X

gunshot of them. ^^ The most successful way is said tot
decoying them to the shore by means Of a lol It ^^^^

--hes closely concealed in a proper siturtln.^;
dog, .properly trained, plays backwards and forward

along the margin of the water, and the ducks, observt
his manoeuvres, enticed perhaos hv • • ^

approach the shore unti """'' "^^'"^"^

, , ' ^ ^^^^^ ^'-e sometimes within

es concealed, .nd f.o™ „,,eh he rakes the„, flit :„

chief, ,s fixed round the dog's middle or to his tail ,
;H. .re„ «U to attract then. wCl, ^Z
I«h^ the sportsman directs his stiff ,o,v„rds a floelc whosj

PO. , on he has previous,, ascertained, keepin, hi,„:
w.th.n the p.jec.i„g shadow of „ood, ban, or h "

land, and p^idies along so silent,, and impe^eptih,/!,
often to approach within flfteen or twenty yards of a

226

ANATlW.f;.

flock of many thousands, among whom he generally
makes great slaughter."

Their habit of thus collecting together towards evening,
and of sleeping all night on the water, exposes them in an
especial degree to this danger; but they generally abandon
a neighbourhood where they have been fired into at night.
They pass through Canada in great numbers on tlieir
flights north and south, and are mostly shot in the Detroit
river and the St. Clair Flats, but are not so easily got
at in the latter. The American Widgeon is almost
invariably to be seen feeding .. company with them,
attracted also by the valisneria, as already explained.

The Red-headed Duck {Aythya Americana), called
also the "Grey-back," very strongly resembles the Canvas-
back in general appearance, but on examination it will
be seen that it has a shorter and broader bill, that the
brown is absent on the head, and that the canvas-like
markings on the back are much darker.

It is also very similar in appearance to the F. ferina

of Yarrell above referred to, but is, I believe, a different

bird altogether. It is found both on the sea-coast and

on inland waters, and feeds chiefly at night. Its eggs

are twelve in number and of a greenish white.

The BufFel-headed Buck {Bucephala albeola) is as

common in the Gulf of «J+ t

^ult oi St. Lawrence as on the inland

lakes and rivers, and is generally seen in pairs.

THE GOLDEN EYE.

827

It is easily identified by the extraordinary and even
~ons,uio.„«wi* which it dives at the lightest

On this account, as well as from it, extremely rapid
aght ,t ,s not an easy bird to kill, and as the flesh i, not
-marlcablc for excellence the two facts together secure
.'a comparative immunity from destruction, so that it is
very abundant.

The feathers of the head and upper portion of the
neek arc considerably inflated, and give these parts the
appearance of being much larger than thoy are in reality;
h.s and their somewhat woolly look have obtained for
the b,rd the appellation of " BuA'alo-head," of which
Buffel-head is a corruption. The green and purple of
these feathers is varied by a white patch behind the eye •
the back is black, the wi„gs black and white, and the
breast and under parts pure white. The bill, leg,, and
leet are a bluish slate colour.

The Buff-el-head breeds in , be north of Canada, and
up .0 much higher latitudes, and its nest, are not
unfrcquently found in hollow trees by the water side

An exceedingly pretty bird, though not superior to

the a ove in a gastronomic point of view, is the Golden

r.ye (Buce,,lu^la Americana) which also frequent., both

salt and fresh water. It is a most active and vigorous

b.rd, constantly diving and swinuning about vety rapidly,

Q 2

' la

228

ANATIDjE.

and when in the air flies with such force and velocity
til at the pound of its wings is heard at a great distance.

With all this apparent dash and boldness it is a very
wary and cunning bird, and one of their number is in-
variably on sentry while the rest of the flock are feeding,
so that they are not easily approached.

They do not migrate regularly at set seasons, like
other ducks, but seem to move in a very partial and
uncertain manner; and as they are evidently indifferent
to the most rigorous winters, their migrations at these
times would appear to be occasioned solely by the
necessity of finding fresh feeding grounds.

The nest of the Golden Eye is found among rocks and
stones, and even at times in the trunks of hollow trees,
at some height from the ground. In this case the young
must of course be carried by the mother to the water, as
with the wood-duck already described. The eggs are
about ten in number and perfectly white; they are
generally covered over with down, which the female takes
for that purpose from her own breast.

The plumage of the head and neck in the drake is
green, with a violet gloss ; a small but conspicuous patch
of pure white near the bill has a singular appearance.
The feathers on the crown of the head are lengthened
into Avhat may be called a crest, and the eye is a beau-
tiful golden yellow, Avhence the bird's name. The lower

^ • J

.*!-

THE HARLEQUIN DUCK.

229

portion of the neck, the breast and under parts are white.
The back is nearly black, and the wings are prettily
marked with black and white. The bill is black, deep
at its base, and rather short.

In the female the bill is brown, lighter towards the
tip ; the head and upper part of the neck are also brown,
with a ring or collar of white encircling the latter about
the middle. The lower part of the neck and the back are
ash-coloured, and the wings white and grey. The legs
and toes in both sexes are orange, with the intervening
membrane or web of a dark colour. The plumage of
young males for the first few months of their existence
resembles that of the female.

The Golden Eye is a winter visitor to Great Britain,
and is well knoAvn in many parts of Europe, especially in
the north. In Canada it is abundant on Green Island
in October, and iii the month of May congregates on
Sixteen Island Lake in great numbers.

A still more beautiful bird than the above is the
Harlequin Duck {Histrionicus torquah>.s) which is tolerably
abundant on the northern coast of the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, where it breeds on the low lands lying between
the numerous fresh- water lakes that are met with a few
miles inland. A few are found on the Restigouche, but
its head-quarters are rather north of Canada.

Its neatly made and warmly lined nest is hidden in

[■

■I

:• 'i,

I I

^ j

' 'il

! 3

230

ANATIDJE.

the long grass at a short distance from the water's edge,
and the eggs are iive or six in number, and of a very
pale greenish white.

During incubation the female is left entirely alone,
the males returning in flocks by themselves at that season
to the salt water.

The Harlequin Duck is not only of excellent flesh
and beautiful appearance, but is singularly as well as
handsomely marked. The head and upper part of the
neck are black, tinged with a bluish colour and purple
reflections; the former having on either side two white
patches of unequal size, the' smaller behind the eye, the
larger in front of it, ending in a semicircle of white' and
red that extends over the eye, and nearly meets a perpen-
dicular line of Avhite running down the neck. The
lower part of the neck and the breast are curiously and
very prettily encircled by two bands of white edged
with black, the breast itself being a bluish ash colo'ur.
The sides are chestnut, and the back and wings nearly
black, the latter marked with white. The bill is slate
colour, with a reddish r^oint, and the legs and feet are
dark.

The female is much smaller than her mate, and of
more sober plumage, its prevailing colour being a
uniform brown. She has in addition to the two white
spots on the side of the head a third one on the fore-

I; I

TlIU l-ONG-TAILKD DUCK.

231

head. The youn/r males, as in some other species,
resemble the females so closely in tlieir eolour and
markings us to be with difficulty distinguished from
them.

The Harlequin Duck has been met with in England,
Hiough more frequently in Scotland, and especially on
its more northern shores ; I have a specimen which was
shot on the coast of Aberdeenshire, equal in beauty of
plumage to any thnt I have ever seen.

The Long -tailed Duck (IJurelda <jlaciaUs) inhabits
principally the coast north of Labrador, and passes
through Canada southward generally in November,
though more irregularly than most other ducks.

It may be termed almost exclusively a marine bird,
and its flesh is hard and fishy. The plumage, which is
exceedingly pretty, varies very much at ditferent seasons
of the year and at different ages of the birds. Two
long projecting black feathers in the tail of the drake
are, however, always a distinguishing feature, and from
them the bird's name is derived. The bill is black, with
a deep yellow patch near its base. Li the normal
plumage the head is buff-coloured, and on either side of
the throat, which is white, is a large spot of black,
extending down the lower part of the neck. The back
and breast are black; and the wings, which are chestnut
and dark brown, are prettily covered by the drooping

232

ANATIDyK.

scapulars and tertials of pure white. Its eggs, five in
• number, Imve been described as of a dull chocolate colour;
but are, according to Dr. Hall, a pale greenish-grey.

The Long-tailed Duck, whicii by the way, is common
in the north of Scotland in the winter, bears a near
affinity to the mergansers: a genus distinguished by their
large body, and great length of head and bill, the latter
of which, besides being rather pointed, is armed on
both mandibles with saw-like teeth, and terminates in
a hook curved downwards.

The Scoters, of whi<;h four kinds are found in
Canada, feed on fish and lar^e molluscs, and are rank
and oily in flavour, and almost uneatable when killed.
So strong is the flesh of the common Scoter that Yarrell
says it is allowed by the Roman Catholics to be eaten in
Lent, as being so completely identified with fish.

These birds have the bill rather elevated at the base,
and the body large and bulky ; and they fly heavily, and
very elose to the surface of the water.

The first, or oounnon Scoter of North America,
though nan.ed Oidernia A.^ricana by Baird, appears
to be precisely similar to the common Scoter of Europe
{Oidemia nigra, of Yarrell), which according to that
author, differs from every other species of the Anatidce
"1 having no bony enlarirement c,f the trachea or wind-
'ipe: a singular and unaccountable peculiarity.

THE 8COTKR8.

233

The male is entirely black, the knob at the base of the
bill alone bein^' yellow; the female is of a brownish
tinge. During the time of incubation the males associate
in flocks together.

The Huron Scoter (Oidemia bimaculata) is a smaller
bird than any of the other three. The upper plumage is
a dead black; the breast and throat behig a dark grey,
and the under parts a lighter shade of grey. There are
two white spots on the side of the head, and the wings
are white and grey. The bill is a dark slate colour, and
the legs and feet orange.

The Surf Scoter {Pelionetta perspicillata) Wilson
considers to be peculiar to North America; and though
Yarrell* and M'Gillivrayt mention instances of speci-
mens having been killed in England, Scotland, and the
Orkney and Shetland Isles, as well as in other parts of
i:urope, these can I think, only be considered as ex-
ceptions; moreover it is always seen in America in large
flocks, and never alone as in the iristances narrated.

The male is bhick, with the exception only of two
white marks on the head, one on the forehead, the other
behind the crown. The bill and legs are red.

The female is brownish black, and has little or no
api)earance of the enlargement on the base of the bill.

Hritish Birds, iii. 324.

t Mmi. Brit. Oru., ii. 181.

234

ANATIDJE.

I i I

1 J

\
1

i*i 1

W ^'

v'\'[

(|f^

The Surf Scoter, or Surf Duck, as it is sometinies
called, may be .eeu in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in great
numbers, and generally in the stormiest weather, cresting
the waves in evident enjoyment, but it is very difficult of
approach.

The Velvet Scoter (JManetta velvetina) which is
precisely similar to that so well known on the easter.i
and nortaern coasts of Sc:otland during the winter
months, is black, with a wlute band across the wing
und a small white spot under the eye. The bill
and legs are orange. The female is browner, and lias
more white feathers than the male.

The Eider {Somateria mollissima) is at times to be
seen in considerable numbers on the north shore of the
Gulf of St. Lawrence, but it breeds much further north.

Thougli generally known only as furnishing the
valuable down which goes by its name, it is by no means
to be despised on the table, notwithstanding that it is
strictly a marine duck and is never met with inland.

Its habits, and the mode of procuring the celebrated
down witli whicii the nest is lined and filled, are too well
known to need repetition. Tiie plumage and appearance
of the bird itself however may not be familiar to every
sportsman who may liave the luck to kill one, and may
therefore be described, for there is a greater difference in
appearance between the male and female of this species

)

THM PIED DUCK.

235

than ia found in almost any other: so wide indeed, U8
frequently to lead to the belief that tlie two are different
spceif =• or varieties.

The male is considerably larger than the female, being
a bird of upwards of six i)ounds' weight, and his bill,
which is a dusky greenish yellow, runs up very far on
the forehead. The top of the head is black, with a white
streak, its sides light green, and cheeks white ; the li-ont
of the neck is also white, as well as the back, the wing-
coverts, and sides ; the breast, under parts, and tail bein^g
black. Ii, short, with the exception of the two small
green patches on the sides of the head, the whole plumage
is black and white.

The female, on the contrary, is a reddish brown
marked with streaks of a darker hue; the whole back is a
dusky brown; and the bill does not extend so far up into
the frontal plumage as in the male.

The legs and feet in both sexes are a dusky clouded
yello^v.

The Pied Duck or Labrador Duck {Camptolcemus
Labradorius) is common in the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
and breeds on its northern shore, a short distance inland.

It derives its name from its magpie-Hke plumage;
the head and throat being white, with a black stripe at
the back of the head, and u band of black encircling
the neck and extending over the back; while the rest

r it!

ill

i A

236

ANATIU.t;.

of the plumage is alternate black and white. This cha.
racteristic is extended even to the bill and legs, the furnier
being buft- and black, and the latter white and black.

Its flesh is dry and fishy, and as an addition to the
bag it is not worth shooting.

The Ruddy Duck {Ermnatura rubida) Wilson says is
extremely rare and an entirely new species, while Baird
asserts it to be quite common; so that we may perhai .
consider it ordinarily plentiful. I have only seen one
specimen myself, and believe it to be very unequally
distributed, which might account for the discrepancy
between two such eminent authorities on American
ornithology. It is found in the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
and on many of the rivers flowmg into it.

This is rather a small duck. The bill is blue and
somewhat peculiar in form, being broad at the end, some-
thing like that of the Shoveller, and having the under
mandible nmch narrower than the upper. The head is
black, with a white patch on either side of it. The front
of the neck, the back, the sides, and the tail-coverts, are
a bright reddish-broAvn, from whence it has its name.
The breast is covered with curious bristly feathers, of a
grey hue striped with dark brown, the under parts being
very similar in colour and marking, though the feathers
are of the ordinary description. The wings are of a
stone coloui-, and the tail black, and sharply pointed.

|i m.

THE MER0ANSER8.

237

Tho i aale is about the same size as the male, and
h.^ > me peculiar bill and sharp-pointed tail; but
uiffers . ^.tly in the colour of the plumage, the cheeks
bein^. !,,«; and the neck and breast a dull brown and
grey; the under parts white, shaded with ash colour.
The feet and legs are dusky in both.

The Smew {Merijellus albelhcs) i.s well known in our
own country, and in the form of its bill, its general
appearance, and habits, may be considered intermediate
between the above sub-family and the merganser.,
which follow. It is a handso„.e and beautifully marked
bird, although simply black and white.

It breeds in the far north, and appears in the Gulf
of St. Lawrence only in winter. It is a difficult bird to
get near, but is of no value except to the naturalist or
collector, the flesh being poor and fishy.

The Hooded Merganser {Lophodytes cucullatus) is
also a very handsome bird, but its flesh is very little
superior to that of the other.

This merganser, though an accidental visitor to
England, is really a North American bird, breeding in
the extreme north of that continent, and migrating to
every part of it in winter; appearing rather to prefer
mland waters to the sea, It has a beautiful crest of
black and white feathers, which it has the power of
elevatmg and depressing at will. The head, neck, and

238

ANATIDiE.

I i

back are black, the wings barred with black and white,
and prettily covered by the long drooping tertial feathers!
which are black, with a white streak do^vn the centre.
There are two semicircular black marks on either side
of the v.hite breast, which have a very pretty effect.
The under parts are white, and the sides covered with
fine lines of black. The legs are flesh-coloured.

The female has also a crest, though she is smaller,
and far less striking in size and marking. Her nest is
more carefully made than is usual with the order gene-
rally, and contains six or eight white eggs.

The Red-breasted Merganser {Mergus ^errator) is
more common than the above, and appears to prefer fresh
water to salt,' though frequenting both.

The Goosander {Mergus Americanus) feeds on fish,
and is very wary and difficult of approach, diving long
before the shooter can get within range. To an ordi-
nary observer, or one not acquainted with its habits, it
appears to remain under water altogether; for it' is
cunning enough, when obliged to come up for nir, to
raise only its bill as far as the nostrils above the Sur-
face, so as to be all but invisible even in perfectly
open water. When among grass or aquatic plants,
which ,t always resorts to if practicable, it defies
detection, owing to its singular faculty of keeping the
body submerged close to the surface of the water.

THE GOOSANDER.

289

The Goosander is a handsome bird; but, like all
the rest of the sub-family to which it belongs, has no
culinary qualifications, the flesh being lean and fishy.
It breeds in the north, and migrates in the autumn
to the Southern States.

This bird affords another instance of the stupid mis-
nomers bestowed by the Yankees on the animal creation
of their country, where it goes by the name of the
" "Water Pheasant" !

WOOD-DUCK.

■:;wn

p • ] i

DIVISION in.

JFifi|)Cfi,

'j4«^- .

r I

if.

f ;

r
1

I f

3, i

CHAPTER IX.

;;^..»-,«o,.„.. „,,.,.:,::;:;:: 3-™-™

II a

V^VZ-'V-V:)./:

'i '

1 tli

' Iff

■ S|'

CHAPTER IX,

ryiHE immense value and importance of the Fisheries
of Canada are very imperfectly known and in-
sufficiently estimated in this country, for it is only few
who have ever visited them, and fewer still who care to
take either the time or trouble necessary to inform them-
selves on a subject of which the following is a mere
outline.

In Upper Canada, the coast-line of the great lakes
and the higher St. Lawrence, entirely excluding the
smaller lakes and all tributary streams, is estimated
at about 5000 miles in extent. In Lower Canada,
the river and gulf of St. Lawrence alone a,dd 1000
miles more of coast-fisheries for salmon, cod, mackerel,
and herring, including upwards of seventy salmon rivers
which are under the immediate care and protection of the
Government; the whole affording employment to many
hundreds of hands, and sustenanre to thousands of
inhabitants, while forming one of the most lucrative and
important branches of ti-ade in the country.

i P

24G

J'lSIIEHTES.

«. Un,to.l state,;,, U„cH„„Up„ia for „art„ :„,,„,
^«.p«.-%;„ Africa,, ,o„<. T„„«„l„:,j
Edward, GoaciC, Cape R,U, and Co„i„,„od, . pH„.

;oguia. agents i„ Canada and the State, and ia paid for

." oas.THe .™a,-,,d. a,,d far greater po. J. *„

n L ke Supenor, Georgian Bay, at the i>nek, Maniton-

in, Cookburn, and St. Joseph Wa„d, Mississisaugna

"y the Hudson Ba, Stations and one or two others, i

a'so 3ent to the States and paid tor With Atneriean „oo^s
payinff no duties A i o^'J^s,

fe .ng ,at,o„s to the eaptains of American schoone,.
™dpa.d for With smuggled goods .nd Whisk,, th^

r" :c'^ "''"""'"""-- "-

tiicering a Canadian port.

I'rom the Report of ikKo v

Huron FUl • ^ ^^^^ ^* ''^W^^^^''^ ^^^^^t the Lake
nuron Insheries voided in lunt^

barrels, or at iL . , """"^ "^ ''''''

The ta in' I \ n ° " '""'• ^•^^^•''2» "*■

Report ,„enti„n . ,„ado of 47 700 W T'^ , . ' "'

*',700 fth,tc-flsl> (nearly 400

PI8HKRIK8.

247

barrels) being taken two years previously at Wellington
Beach at a single haul. At Burlington Beach, during
1856, 1,900,000 Herrings and 86,400 White-fish were
taken. At Port Credit, 470,000 fish were captured,
two-thirds of them being Salmon, and at other fisiiing
stations on Lake Ontario, 200,000 to 300,000 fish. The
entire take for the year, according to the lowest esti-
mate, amounting in value to $500,000. Although as
above stated all the less important lakes and streams are
excluded from these Returns, their aggregate quota is an
item of no inconsiderable importance to the inhabitants of
the districts in which they are situated. In the Western
Province the up-country lakes and their feeders are ex-
ceedingly numerous, and abound with fish of great
variety. In the Eastern townships, which are the
English-speaking portion of Lower Canada, lying south
of the St. Lawrence and between the French country
and the States, these minor waters are also as prolific as
they are numerous.

The variety of fish inhabiting this vast extent of
waters, which are for the most part of great depth and
extraordinary clearness, is as great as their quantity is
extraordinary, comprising, in addition to nearly all the
fresh-water species of Great Britain, several altogether
unknown in our country.

•About thirty or five-and-thirty ycai-s ago most of the

348

••'ISHKRIKS,

fifl il

fi* to „„ extent which we in .,,i, ..untr, can hardly
conceive IVft. \f n • *^ '•'iraiy

0. Mr. MeCua,,, writing from Hamilton, say, ho
'"■"'■..It aaw salmon from 1812 to ISK •

river. ,0 thic.kl,- that ,1, '"""""" ""=

"^Ki), that they were thro,™ out with .,

^I'ovcl and even with the hand C„, . .

another; the erection of mill > '' '^ °'

-on from ascending tirri::::;j:t ~«'
--.-s.eamswithsawd„J„/;,::~

«n'::r:;:r^'""'''^''''-^--ti„g,ando:

"'o "uc ot season, o-rn,],,o]N, . j
able results 9 " ^ ^^'^^"^^^ ^'^^^^^ inevit-

-.-"eoonthej7r;r~^^

:::r:Lt:::: :--

- wer 'z 1; ::::r;;;r :. "°™ ^^^*-'-

Oovernor-Ceneral. himse;^ ., IT "' T '"•'

-h.mdehtedrort,,ointeresthet„o.,-„J;2::
This eventually resulted in ,l • "^""'es.

fishery Act pL , ■ r ■ "'""'° '"' "■" P™""'
^ ^t,r, piior to M^hich there wn« ..^ i

■ation on the subicet JV " "'' "'^"-

' '■ '•^"•>' P«"»n fished when, where,

* Sir Edimind Ileiui.

FISHERIES.

249

and how he chose; m,\ the principal rivers were in the
hands of the lludson's Hay Company, wliose agents were
continually embroiled in dispute and strife with other
fishermen. Some idea of the extent to which over-fishin-
was carried, may he gathered from tlie fact that on one
river alone no less than twelve thousand fathoms of net
were found set, besides appliances for sweeping every
pool of its upper waters. Tlie Government, at the
sugg. Hon of Mr. Nettle, re-entered into possession of
all tJH; salmon rivers flowing through the Crown pro-
pel y-lisheries which each succeeding year will increase
in value— and the existing system of " leave and licence "
was thereupon organized: the former for the season, the
latter for a term of years, the one applying to rivers, the
other to fishing stations along the shores of the Gulf.

These measures were adopted not so much with a view
to benefit the revenue as for the purposes of protection
and increase, for the enforcement of which fishery over-
seers were subsequently api)ointed in each district.

The result of this system, the working of which has
now been iairly tested, has been the complete preserva-
tion of the salmon fisheries from impending destruction,
an increase in the take of fish of at least fifty per cent.;
and a reduction of their price in a corresponding ratio,
besides an addition to the revenue which far exceeds the
whole expense of the supervision.

:•:

1%.

.9U \%^

rMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3j

,A*

P 4?

.<y^7^^

*v ^^

1.0

2.2

1^6 |3.2

If 1^0

L25 III u

2.0

11.6

Phutographic

Sciences
Corporation

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'*?>

23 WEST MAII * STRErT

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

250

ITSHERIES.

'•\

•?(•,

In the iate. and river, of the Upper Province fish
of t „ost valnable Mnds are now increasing per.

ept.hi„ whUe the aa,„on rive,. „n,.e Lower one '

f-tos„rpa.th„,eofSoot,ana,andare,ear.,invtl
over our eount^^en in growing nnmbers. '

Important and valuable aa are the above fish, there is
one which neither figures in the R.,
lovpr. f .1, '"''"" "or attracts the

ove. of the gentle craft, and ,et deserves mention before

poceed.ng to the higher groups, or. a,.connt Of its ;r

nine, to,, rge class of Indians, hahitan, and settC

ywh„„.t«taien in very great quantities. This is Z

I-ongbee" or Common Eel (Anmilla „ , ■

both wh™ , I, y^'mtUa vulgam), which

both when freshly caught or when dried fonns a moat

»P«antartie,eoffo„d in many parts of the eonntry

.ead^tv""" T"' "™ ^" '^^"^ -"> '-■■-
leaders, they are often apeared by torchlight on a lar^e

soale, a sight which one ovenino- i„ ,i " ^

. „ , tvenmg m the month of Julv I

had an opportunity of witnessing at Cotoau dn r
take St. Francis. ^otcau-du-Lac on

Darkneaa had barely deaeended when, aa if by ma.io
he whole laKe, Which is twenty miles in length ,:;::

ii':: r? '-"" - -■* ^-^^ «-

iignts proceedmo- imm ^\^,^ *

r ^""Jq irom the canoes eno-oo-nrl ;«

FISHERIES.

251

The blazing torches of birch-bark in the nearer
canoes, brightly illuminating the picturesque dress and
and attitudes of the French Canadians that manned them,
completed the picture. In each canoe were two men
equipped in blue shirt and loose trousers, with Indian
sash round the waist: one sitting in the bottom using
a broad paddle, and the other standing upright, spear in
hand, in a cranky little craft, which, even to sit in,
requires as much skUl and caution as a Cambridge
outriggei'.

After we had watched the scene for some time, the
blue heaven with its glittering stars was quickly over-
spread with black angry clouds, a sighing wind moaned
through the woods, folloN. ed by bright flashes of rose-
coloured lightning, revealing for an instant the dark
outlines of the swift canoes, which, with extinguished
lights, were deserting the roughening waters, and
leaving aU in deeper darkness. The lake was soon
covered with white breakers, and the low rumblinf^
the thunder grew louder, tiU it burst in terrific claps
overhead. For an instant or two a distant rushing sound
was heard, and then down came a perfect deluge of
rain.

One is at first surprised that spearing could be carried
on at all in a lake of dimensions which would lead one to
suppose it of considerable depth; but on the "eel

252

FISHERIES,

«" or fla.Mho wateHs not ™„« than fou. 0. five

in depth, being very narrow.

Though ee,s nsnan, ,„;,,„,, ,,,,, ,„ ,,^

: ' *" ■"" *™ "-^ -"^ ™«"g in the brackish water of

-e.tnane,an<,retnr„in,inear.,sn„»er,the":
.V and breed perfeetl, „e,I in inland lakes and rL !
d.aanee, or ™der eirou»3tanee3 rendering L
possible for them tn v.„

St. La«Tence-.f which there are „«,.

'"" ™^ '"^^'--P- "P and down the rapids which
lie between them and the Gulf.

MI. »P<»K,.<„, ,,.,„ ,.,,, ,„^.,^.,^

CHAPTER X.

hlntc^Uxl

THE SALMOX-DISTANCB POUND FKOM 8EA~ASCENT OP RAPIDS-BREED-
INO m PRESH WATER-SCARCITY OP SALMON IN ONTARIO-IRREOULAh
DISTRIBUTION -PREPERENCE OP SALMON POR COLD RIVERS - PRO-
POSED RESTORATION OP ^ , RS OP ONTARIO-" OPEN SEASON "-NO
ROD-PISHINO IN UPPER PROVINCE-PISHINO LICENCES-RENTALS OP
PISHERIES-GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT OP RIVERS-HOW TAKEN-
THE .ACQUES CARTIER-RIVERS NEAR QUEBEC>-MODE OP RE^^CHINO
LOWER SALMON STREAMS-SALMON PLIKS-PISHERIES OP NORTHERN
SHORE OP GULP -THE SAGUENAV AND TRIBUTARIES - PRINCIPAL
SALMON RIVERS BELOW THE SAGUENAY-LISTS OP PISH KILLED IN
THE GODBOUT AND MOISIE-SALMON RIVERS OP SOUTHERN SHORE-
GASP^ DISTRICT-ITS RIVERS-SIZE OP PISH-THE TROUT-VARIA-
TION OP COLOUR-INSTANCES OP TRANSPORMATION-PISHINO SEASON
-AVERAGE SIZE OP TROUT-TROUT NOT TO BE NETTED IN CANADA
ARTIPICIAL PLIES-TROUT STREAMS IN NEIGHBOURHOOD OP QUEBEC
-THE LAKE TROUT-ITS SLUGGISHNESS-THE MACKINAW TROUT-
PECULIAR TO NORTHERN LAKES-THE SEA TROUT-ARTIPICIAL PLV
POR-THE WHITE-PISH-PECULIAR TO NORTH AMERICA-DESCRIPTION
0P-D3LICI0US PLESH-DIPFICULTT OP TRANSPORTING

rif

1 !^:

CHAPTER X.

Jlljirominales.

rjlHOUGH rarely taken hy the rod higlier up the
St. Lawrence than the mouth of the river Ottawa,
the true Sahnon (Salmo salar) is netted as far inland
as the western extremity of Lake Ontario, a distance
from the open sea which may be roughly estimated at
about a thousand miles.

In the case of small rivers, it is well known that
Salmon generally wait in the vicinity of the mouth until
the waters are sufficiently swollen by the rains, when they
run up in great numbers, seldom resting in the pools
along its course as long as the water continues in spate,
their instinct teaching them to advance while it is possible
to do so. In large rivers like the St. Lawrence, how-
ever, they run up in greater or less numbers almost daily
throughout the usual season, entering it as soon as the
ice begins to melt along the shores of the Gulf, which
they usually leave with the reflux. The sooner the ice
disappears from the river, therefore, the sooner the
Salmon enter it. They are said to arrive in greater

if'^ U

), ' i

266

8ALM0NIDi«.

^ ifficult to fin,, . ,„„,, ,,^

i ma., „Uh an Ms b„,«.ed sMU ™a «o„c'

and the „,„„„„« of stcu,„,i. „„„„,„„,, ,„„3„^„,

The apparent hnpossibility of any living thing swin.-
™»« up tho rapids of the St. Wrcnoe ,od, ot
— .«.ttot,.eeon,oe..eandtbento.;.:;
r*;;"'7"°^^"'-'°-''->'---.y confined t

!"' *" "^'™'^^ -% '0 trcA water, eease to bo

joduefve, led in the s,™e manner to the story of th
-s^nee of tracts of water in the lake itself so i '

-d with sait springs as to obviate the neeessity of :
*^h v,s.t.ng the oeean. But the breeding of sLn i,

-.™.er,,fnoteon,n.on.isatanyra.eafaetofasee
-e oeeurrenee. Serope says, ■■ It appears that sahnon
w.« hve and even breed in fresh water without ever

-k,ngavisitt„thoseaat„,ir„„di,.snpportofthis

op».on, notes Mr. Lloyd, who, in his wort on ..Ki,;

Sports Of the North Of EuroDe"...vc uv t^

,, . Europe, says, "Near Katrineburo-

there is u valuable fishery for Sahnon f
+1 , ^ oaimoii, ten or twelve

thousand of thes(> fioK i • , ^'v^ivt

tuesc fish being taken aiumally. These
salmon are brorl \n n i„i, j •

bled m a lake, and ni eonsequenee of cataracts

TlIK SALMON.

267

cannot have access to the sea." They are however, it
must be added, small in size and inferior in flavour. Not
long ago, an instance was published in the Field in which
salmon sinolts, after seven years' confinement in a fresh-
water pond near Bedalc, were found full of ripe roe. As
was remarked on this occasion, Salmon have been known
to grow to six or seven pounds weight in other parts of
our own country without visiting the sea; so that this
convenient combination of salt and fresh water is not
necessary in order to prove the permanent residence of
the Ontario Salmon, and its existence — though fully be-
lieved in by many at this present moment— is in reality
purely imaginary.

Another suggestion was that these fish were not
salmon at all, but simply Bull-trout.* The difference, how-
ever, between the two is unmistakeable. In the latter
the spots on the gill-covers are larger and more numerous
than in the former; it has a greater number on the back
and shoulders; the scales are proportionately smaller, and
the teeth longer and more powerfully made; while the
flesh is of a fainter pink and inferior flavour. There a^'^
other and more minute differences in the fins and in
the form of the tail, as well as in the number of the
vertebrd3, wliich is one less than in the salar, or fifty-nine

* Salmo eriox.

258

SALMON 1 1),|.;.

>» of nu,„iUo,. „,.,, ,« „,„, „, „^ ,^

mouths of t|,o Cmlit „„d T,v„f f,,, „

V , ^"'^^ ^"^ t'lc extent n all „r

': 7. ™° ""■' "™ ' ■'-" «^- i" .1.0 >,,„„e of .,.

-o,„U.s..eveH„.,„«,U„„k„,„„.„^„„,.,^

IW f„i, .ravoi:;,,. ,„,,, ji,,,.,,^^,^ „_^

their way back so unorriiH.lv .„ ,]

"KMuigly to the ,v,ite.-s tlioy liiid Mt

'« a marvel tlmt ,,m only 1,0 „eeo„„t,.,W 1

them to be o„.l,„,I ■,; ^ """"""'S

':""""""-'™-™>'m"rhon,bc.irc„ur»„.
rbe fact of their bei„g ,„oro ,„,„ti,ul „,„„„ .,,„
northern shore of fl,n i i , ^

bated to «■ "'' ''*° """■ ""■-™"-" i» attri.

toed to,,, greater eoldaess of the streams e„teri„. „,.
that side; but it is ,,„„„,„ ,,, , „ , """« °"

'"oumi rnut the only r vr>i. m' -ti

- of greatest vo,,.,„„, ,,,„,,,,,,, ,,.^,.-^^
lake, namely, the Niagara • a riv.,- ,

f-imp,.ritie,a„d:,ear fa ' :'r""""^''^°
ol.str.,eti„„s b„t <■ '"'"'"' """l o'J'"-

i'--re: 7'";*™"- --«--,

^I.al,o,vs : " 1 ' , ? ™'" ^''""^ --' of

■.aps suffl .^t ": ^'^ '''''"^'-^-P-in«, are per.
to aecount for fi,. „„. ,,.^^,,. ^

TIIE SALMON.

ifoiind tlio

<I in Liikt'

lliiiubcr

lie of fhe

i Ulld (III!

in uU ()('

30 of" th(!

lit.

1 to find

iMid loft,

Pposirig

ifllcic'ut

fig tlio
J attri-
ing on

cither
)o the
3f tlie
Y free
other
ency.
t of

per-
lere;

S69

but na it afTords abim.lmico of food, their niurked alwsMco
is a negative corrohonition of thu truth of flic- propensity
or habit attributed to theui of ulvvuvs revisiting the i>laco
of their birth.

I am intiiuntely actpuiinted with every purt of the
Niagara, from the bar up to tlie foot of the Falls, and
have fished it, and been on it at all seasons of the year,
but never saw or heard of a single parr, urnolt, grilse, or
salmon being taken, or even seen in its waters.

With regard to their evident preference for the colder
rivers, it is perhaps hardly necessary to mention the fact
that a high tenjperature is fatal to the salmon, which
has no power of resisting heat, and is indeed limited to
ccuntries lying north of the foi-ty-(irst parallel of latitude.
J)r. Davy's experiments proved that a continued tempera-
ture of eighty degrees is suflicient entirely to destroy the
vitality of its ova. Injurious, however, as is the efTect of
heat, the most extreme cold seems to have no such ell'ect,
for the eggs may be packed in ic;e without danger.

It has been proposed, with a view to restoring the
salmon to the rivers of Lake Ontario, which the s^z-ar of
the savage, and the saw-mills and lumber establishments
of civilized man, have almost destroyed, that two of the
most suitable streams should be set apart as nurseries,
in which netting should not be allowed : the rivers Credit
and Moira being those recommended for the purpose.

s 2

860

SAI.MONIDiB.

Were tl,» orrriod „.„, „„j, „, „,„ s,,,„ri„.o„,,e„t ,ay,,

"'" '" •*""' ™""™'. ">• «»l"™y, c„,„.r,....od
-Unoc,,. ,„ ,,„,„, ,r„tectio„ Wi„. „„„ ......UcJ to ,,,„„„.

;"° "f "' '•' "■« -c, i„ „,;, ,,„„ict would ore

>ong 1,0 p,o„,if„„, ,,„eU.d wi,h »,U,„on „„co ,„oro.
The co,„p,„.o removal of i,,„ .,„,,i„^ „„,, „,„,

»o"th.do„fu,eS..U.„„,„e,f„,s, TI,„,„„,L,,
■■."«"y .0 Tl„« iUvor, i, ,,„„,„, „ ,„„^,^,^ ^^

■m|«.r.a„ce, as „,ore i, „„ a.nU ,.y ,,.vo ,,:,>,'rto
greatly impeded fl»h ascondiiig the river

WI,o„ .1,0 tril„„aries of Ontario again abound in
-l."on u will 1,0 interesting to know whether the Nia„an
eontinues to remain deserted by them.

The Canadian Sahnon does not differ at all from ou«
0.. er n, for™, flavour, or halu.s, and the two „u.y be
-cl to be identical, the ..,„, heing the only species of
.he Sa^no ia„ „,,;,„ ;, „„,^^„__ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^

■New Wor](].

The "open season" is fr„m the 1st of March ,o the

' "l ^""""' ""'' ♦'■"••gh *« period of fiy.fis,,i„„

extends to the ,s, Of September the. is little sport t:
be had during the last fortnight, nor is it at its best

earher than the first week in June. At that time also
the fish are ,n their highest condition, of which there is
perhaps no better criterion than that of their colour ft -
.t »dl invariably be found that the deeper the red of

'I'llK SALMON.

ient sayg,
iistructed
to spttWh-
voulcl ore
"C more.
•loii<j the
w Mont-
»( equal
hitherto

)un(l in
Niagara

ra ours
nay be
cies of
Id and

to tlie
ishiuff
>rt to
I best
! also
;re is

d of

261

the flesh is, the greater is the proportion of curd or
ull..nnii,ou8 fat, as well of course as ol the rich oil which
contains the colouring n)atter.

From what has been said above it will be manifest
that there is no sidmon fishing to be had with the rod
in Ontario or its feeders, r.or indeed is there any to bo
found ab.)ve (iuebee, excc'i.t in the Jacques Carf r,
which is not far from i\ and the intending iishcr should
lose no time in shapiuw his course towards that un-
cient city, which connnands all the salmon fishing of the
country.

Though I shall ever regard the sail down the St.
Lawrence as one of the most enjoyable reminiscences
of my sojourn in Cumuhi, it is not necessary here to
describe the lovely "Lake of the Thousand Isles," reflect-
ing on its glossy surface the grey roclis, sondjre pines,
and waving foliage of the countless islets, which, of every
size and form, stud the glassy stream for miles; nor the
glorious Rupids, down which the [)assive steamer is borne
like a dancing straw on tlie hesMllong rush of waters ;
the calm beauty of Lake St. Louis; Montreal, with its
bright tin roofs and spires; or the first view of the far-
famed citadel of Quebec on its lofty eininence.

Arrived in this city, it is only necessary to go to the
Crown Lands Office in order to get leave to fish, and
obtain all requisite information on the subject. A

2G2

' ii

if >

SALMONID^.

licence i, either granted f„. ,„„e r-r^r .pecialty „an,ed
he™„, „. ,,,,, „,„,;,^ .^ ^.^^^ ^ ^^^ ,^ ^_^ ^^

that may not be lei already.

The rentals va^ fr„,„ ,50 to ^400 per annum, the

J '''^".'•'■■"" °f ™"- *"» P-Perty of the lessee,
h generahty of whom p.e.™ their surplus take, b;

:"7;. ™°'='"°"' - P'"''""^- The rivers are us.„y
eased for periods Of five years, and are divided into uet

«.„ and «y^hshings,uo.et being aiiowed above tida.
"• ^''^ «overnment exereises the sole right of

that there arc no conflicting interests to contend with
«3 must be the case whenever th,™

Many resident gentlemen rent rivers and make their

™p.rtyeac,. succeeding year, according, the si.e of

the r.ver and the state of the fishing, wMeh is of course
very much affected by the dcnth „f , •

y tno depth of water in different
seasons. In arrangements of ,1.- .
of rent c,. • f '"'"""' "" '^^P«"*»

; "*', "'"'"«• "-'■'■-. -1 attendants, is divided

among the parf,y, and this is not only the most congeni^
:*;^r"-'^-'-'.oa dditionaiadvantaC:

ons,dera ,y lessening the cost. Other rivers are retted
h English sportsmen.

Quebet '""'7 °''*^' "S'"™- ™™i<s drive from
Q-bec, .s „ ,„ve,y and picturesque river, abounding in

. I

-^aSBM

■i

THE SALMON.

263

beautiful pools and rapids. At Dery's bridge, which is the
general rendezvous of amateur fishermen, and about twelve
miles from the mouth of the ^-iver, is a fall of about ten
feet in a narrow gorge, at the bottom of which is a fine
pool in which the fish congregate before ascending.

There are other salmon streams within easy reach of
the city, as the St. Anne, St. Charles, Port Neuf, &c. ;
but being on that account a good deal frequented, it is
better to proceed at once to some of the rivers below,
where one may revel in unfished pools and the undis-
turbed enjoyment of wild life. Formerly, and indeed
till very lately, the only way of reaching these rivers
was by means of a pilot boat or fishing smack : a mode
of transport still preferred by many, and in fact in-
dispensable for getting access to the more remote rivers.
These boats are always to be hired at Quebec, either by
the month or by the week, crew and all; or a simple
passage may be negotiated for to any particular point.
The chief drawback attending sailing boats, namely, the
uncertainty of reaching one's destination in a given
time, is greatly aggravated in the Gulf of St. Lawrence:
the dead calms and contrary winds which seem always
to prevail there at this period of the year, frequently
detaining the impatient passenger a prisoner on board
his boat for many days together in the height of the
fishing-season.

■^1.

*■

264

SALMONID^.

A more convenient and cerf.in r.a
bv th. r passage is afforded

by the Government steamers, which in f I, ,. • •
June take the half v 7 '''^^""^"« ^^

-y '-ave «e„ fishi,,! Co ' Tj" "'''' ''"'

iouui^s. Lominii baclr ia h^,
matter nf rv,^ *= ^^ however a

The Sto a ' "° ""^ ''^ °^«-'' 'o Quebec.

^ ^te. Marguerite is easily rearJi^^ i .

a week from n u ^ '*'^"^^^ ^vvice

'"" '^"^^^^' ^^ -e also the Gaspd rivers on th
opposite sliore. °" ^^^

It is of course necessary to be wpH
evervthinc. fn. .1. i • ^''^^'^^^ ^^th

y Inng for the bivouac, not forgetting a smaU tent
though on mnrnr r.p +1 • . '^J

will h f r P™"'"'' ^^ *>=* of bark

""' '^ ''""■•'• -'■-'' l»vo boon erected by former fi
men and repaired from time to time bv tl '

">oaium.i.ed one, .itb bri,„t brot o j ^ ZT'

Z:: '-'' '■"'" •"^- "- >^»- XbeTo oJw
taken by permission from Mr Netfl.', h ■

^'l .Hed flic, and no one can do ' "° '"""™

•..--If^banyoraliof:,:: °"™""'"^~^»"«

''arItck,eti':;T''"^^^"'"'°''"'^^°''^-^=>-c-
'-.sameaa:;::"™'"''^"^™^--'"-'^-

THE SALMON.

afforded
nning of
ihe diffe-
J holders
ch they
vever a
2 rivers
" other
Quebec.

twice
on the

Avith

tent,

bark
sher- .
isors.
vers,
•dies

ino"

ing

265

" No. 2. Grey mallard wing ; orange body, gold tinsel
and ginger hackle. Same with black hackle very good.

"No. 3. Grey mallard wing; body, dark green; black
hackle, silver tinsel.

"No. 4. Grey duck wing; body, grey; ginger hackle,
silver twist, antena) same as winir.

"No. 5. Dark turkey wing; yellowish brown body;
red hackle; peacock's herl and head ; antennae, green pea-
cock herl.

" No. 6. Mallard wing ; dark green body, turkey's
green and brown herl interm:;ied, tipped with red; an-
tenna3 black.

"No. 7. Grey turkey wing; body, straw coloured;
black hackle, silver tinsel ; antenna), long, straw coloured.

" No. 8. Wing, turkey, or mallard and bustard mixed ;
claret and orange mohair body ; black hackle, gold tinsel.

"No.9. Wing,Englishjay; distended lightish green body;
silver tinsel, black hackle ; antennae, green peacock herl.

"No. 10. Wing, grey goose; body, claret, tipped with
red; a twist of peacock's green herl; black hackle; an-
tenna), thin herl of peacock green.

"No. 11. Wing, grey goose; body, peacock's green
herl and yellow tip, black hackle ; body large.

"No. 12. The 'Nettle fly.' Wing, brown bittern;
body, yellowish brown mohair; red hackle ; twist of pea-
cock's green herl around the body ; antenna same as wing."

ft I

X>(](1

To this list 1

'^'•lx^s<:Mulimvsfi>vnomll

"Ai.MONin.rc.
'""«f ««>M. wl„„ is p„,i,n

P" '>r nil ofh

lOI'B

«» 'ly frioii <

'H'W, >vll,) i.s vvoll

«» P'M'Uvnon l.v Alox«n,l

vs,uvos«r„I.vi,.,,|u-VS„„„,i

Illy

lov MiirKciizio, I

^h\M\\ fishing-

«^'M"'<info,i In- potNonal

liver

i>r (

injiy ho oifl

'""'• iv,l, 1,1,
'"'•vourito l„x,w„, ^vl.i.l, is I

''''•'''•''. ^vIM, a „vi,sf or iv,l

'"•""'»• Tlu> Inuly of th
"N pvni. or hlm-k,

«>X|u>ri('iu',Mvi(lHli,.

'Sfiinlii

"■ «>!' II vt>ry

"« <i c.nv-.lii

«>v iloiiM
otlior Ii

"' "n' slioiil.Ior. Tl

'N «Mio p„ir ot" _i.oMni „|

lit' Wll

II^^N

''"viiig on,. .i,|o or nuilh.nl

'"" •'•^"•" <'MM""K, "11.1 (I

»»• >vood ,luok. A

"'"' "•<> o(li,T of (,.al

foil f I

''^^'' is liii,| (|.,<

V'-ry siiimII ivoM,,,, p|

1">''- of Mllfoi

•'vor (ho u^iny,,^ ,„ ^^,,j^,,^

P'lt'iisiiiK, iiook-

'>*' l»Iiio kitli.(i.s|

""»' '^'' I'Ino mul vol!

i'* luldoil

.yiKslior r,«iUli,-rN i

">v iimouw. A I

>tiir

•lupivvoniont.

T'l*' iiorihorii si
'\v (ho Si

" Noiuo(inu>N

I'Ollsidoivd MM

"^>v oC (1,0 S(. I

«h\s(

i|H'nii(oii,Ioii(, oC I-'isi

'iwiviio,. is ,iivi,|,,|

'•'^'f-S viz. : (Vom (ho .S(. a

'»'^^"> ff'o St. CImrhN I
Ji«y to the Sa<

niio I

vivor (o Miirriiv M

till

'"«'""y; tho Si

'*"'"'^''* '"<.. (ho foilowi,,^-
"»''vort,othoS(,. Ch.irloH;
"y; Iroiu Miirriiy

■los ; .,

lul (

''"«^ni (ho S;

i«<«oimy Kiv,.r ,„„1 i,s „.il

Mi-

Sahl

:oii.

'.-"»'"HV ,„o„(h (o A

'lOl

V ji ro .sovoral

<X'd wiiliiioii

iic(> ail

i^trviitUH iihovo (h

c. "'" ""«'iii s Hhovo «li..

^"^••'.U'lciiay. ..,„d ,|,,,( rivor i(s..|r ,• , •

«^"J one or (ho wiKlosi , ' ""'"^ "'* •'••""''•>',

TIIM BAI.MON.

liiiH Minny «nltiif.inpf. wliirli nl(.)tin«l in Hiilinoti, Mm pHii-
'"ip'tl OK,. iM'iii^ th,. S«('. Mmyni'i'H.', in wlii.-li lliiHy (ibIi m
y nmy Ito {,\h>u Ity n Hin^rl,. |.,„|, Imi, nni'Mfliitiiilfiy

<fii

flllWO WllfPlf* (ire ti-MV li'( (III II JMiiir I

IK It'llNfV

It, i

« n

t'urioiiH liict tliiil no F)iiliiiiiii nn< roiinil in (In. ||„itn nt
illditiu^ji It Ih one uC llio liimt<Hf

I'oiiin

ff'Hi nxrvn lluwiii/r inid tint

(inir.

'I'll

111! hvHl iind nitml ini|ioi'(iiii|. Rulnion Hvors lii> Iiclnw
Sn|rn(.niiy nidiiiJi, „imI im- m CmIIuwh: Mic S(. I'lmcmH,
MiHiNm<|nili(ilt, ilir (iniiid hihI IN-Iid- Mciyci'oniin, «|io
l''.Ht'ouniiiiH, IVirlm-iii; hjnncii, flir lovely MiiHiiniH (nt»w
giv(-ii ii|) ii. III,. ImliniiH), III,. IVpinncliniH, Oiifurdow,
Miniiicoiiii/rnii, ,S|.. AiiHlin, Mniiilon (,.i- "(utiK, Sjiirif"),
«Im> (iudlMMil, 'I'rinily, iV-nlpfosI, S(o. Mnrfrijcritn en Imih,
flic M.iJHi,', 'I'rniil, SI. .InlinV, ili,> Miii;.,in (lifilMMl hy
I'riiicp AH'ivd), III,' NiiliiHlM(iiiin, llic MiiM<|iiarr(.(,, Miq
I'lHiininiimx, mid lowi-r pnrt of flic Nclii;r,iimi. In mtcli a
viiricf.y of rivcrn if, nuiy lin W(«ll iimi^riiM-d (hnf overy kind
of /ground \H cnroiinffTt.d, lryin;r |.||,. |.iHc,ii,,ri(il skill, und
flic liitdily ciicr/^ry, i.rili,. iiiohI i'X|.f-ririi(fd (iMlicrincn, iind
i»n'Hciirm<_r 11. MiicfCHHii.il nC Iriily licuniirul Hcciicr-y : f.lio
«(»(■(. Iind pic|,ni'cH(|iic hh well hh iIic wild iitid gnuid.

.SdiiiclinicH flic liiinkH iiro clotlicd wifli dcnnc wodd, ho
cIdHO t,(» llic wiifcr'H cd;r,. |||„|. i|, \» iK'ccHHJiry cirlicr f,o
force II |mHH(i<,n' flinin/rli |,||„ inn^dcd CorcHl, or, at, llic risk
of licin^' Hvvcjtl awiiy Ity tlic rapid c.iirrcnl, f,o leap from

208

SAl.MONin.R.

7' ' .■"u.,.,;,,,;:;,; r-^- '

•'10 OOJlNf is f',,,. ,1, .

— - ::;.:::, rir^'"' '"-

— c ;::;":':"' ""^ ' u,

K'H„,„. , •„;""-"^": -^-y-^'w

Co."l'Hny i,, ,1,0 I ■''''''"''''''•■'''*'"•» ''"3'

»■- ^ ^;^ Xr:::;ri;r: :>• - «

-«"' h- .i.o N,.«. , '"■" " "■- «■•«'

"oHolf.,,, oi..|,t 1„,„ „. , '"'I""*- -In- Mi,„„

"<■.«», ,1,0 ,„„,,,„ ,;,„„ ,, . , . """ '"•'■"'<« <!!>■ »tm-

'''■"-"■">■"- - ..>-.:^..iin;.: ;:i:r '■

«-co,l, li,on,nv ,lu. .. „i„„ ,f .. "■"«'■""•■

J I'll I'lMO of l)«mp„ ' / r ■ 1

.-"f''-'"l^ ^•^^""•"'•HVS Its wild OVO-

TIIK HAI.MON.

»(t»

Inf

ions, und Iho nniniKir oj' i\\o rl

vcr, mid tho plniiitlvn

10 IIIIIK

1 in(

<) a Hiafn nl"

iM-y of (liHtniit, wiitiM-Jowl hooIJio tl
tmiHuiil ivp.mo unknown to MuMlcnizm ol' llio I.UHy world.
A fiiii- idni ..(• (1,0 s|M„.(, f„ |,n had i„ „,„„„ „,■ ,|,^, ,,^,^^
rivers niny i)o giuhcivd iVum (|,„ nvt«rii^r,.H „n Mi(< (ul-
lowin^r ,,„^r,.H, ror lHr.2 nnd IHd'J, „, M,,, (5„dl,onl.

'riiis Hvor JH hIho I(.i, nl. l\w prownf, (imp, uh w«<II ns

tho MoiHir, Itiit Mu-ro iiro iilinndiirn (' ^ruo^\ nvi>i'«

Rtill aviiil(d»lt> (o tlio viHilor.

Tho rolIowinfT \h a lint ,,1' HMlinmi killed l,y M,.,it..
Oolonol Dninunond liny, Into 12nd Ili^hliindorB, n(, {Jio
firHt KnpidM.tn (lin Mmw rivor, ut (ho end of .hdy nnd
in I ho l.cfriniiin;r of August, in tho H|mco of u singlo
fortnight, to his dwu rod.

InI .Inj. Niiin (Isl,, VV..iKl.iM« II \\m., it, », Id, 21, H, |H, |!), 'J I.

2nil

.'Inl

<ttli

nili

(Itli

7 Ml

Hill

illJi

KiUi

liih

12(.li

l«tli

Hlh

'I'lim.

TIlOMt
'I'hOM.

Hoven

Hix

Seven

Si'vcii

I''(Hir

Til ICO

i'Viiir

Tlinio

.Six

Two

»»

„ 10.12,20.

», M, I. 'I.
.. .. loj. lOjJ, 10.

„ „ H, H, H, II, HjJ, Hj, !(!.

», 17, 25, HJ, !4, II.

ir-, 7i, !l, HA, Mi, 7, H|.

">- 12, IHJ, 1 1 J, Hi, 10, 10.

«*, II, 2.'l, HJ.
.1 „ H, 10, in.

Il.ili, HJ, 7i.
Hi, Hi, 10.
7i, H, Hi, 7i, lOi, IH.
«, Hi,

In all, 07 fiBh, weighing 7/'>1i lbs.

I>'

,iil\:

270

SALMON ID.E.

Salmon u.ken ,m rt„ Fl,, l,y Thre AW,, i„ «.
iiiver Godbout^
DtriiiNO Jink ani. Jri.y^ i,s(;2.

DATSa,

WKrcHTS.

7, 8, 1 1

Smuliiy,

'^^. 1<. 17, 8, 10, 10.)
'1.10,10. . . ./
11. 13, 8,. S, 11
21, 18, l(i, 11
7. ^, 10, 21, 7, 7, !), f),

11.15. .
1'. 11.11,8, 19

-'0.11,21,9,9
vSumlay,

18. 15, 18, l;i, 10, 10,

Pt,AC«l AND OnHKIlVATIONH.

(Jlas.sy ; one a Kelt.
Kafo, n,.lIo; one a Kelt.

(^.lassy. Hollo, Kntc nnd C,„n,..

Uolio, Slioa, Iniiiaii.
Cain|., Moll,., I„,]i„n_

Camp, K||,ow a,„i Uppor P„ol.
('lassy, 8I,o„, Kafo, Indian.
Slica, L'lhow, Cayloy's Stone.

I iJcar, tonnop.
SIio.T nnd irpper.
I'iiworth nnd Upper.
I'l'l'iT, Hawortli, Kate
m\ Eddy, Hollo, ITppe,.
Ilawortli.

July 1

10, 10, 13, 11

12, 10, 10
». 3, i>.9,8, «, 1!), II, J)

13, 13, 7, 9, 20, 9, 10,
11, 11

*^'ll- 17, !), 19,11, U.
Sunday

11. !^><, 11, 10, 12,8, \
12.0,19, IG, 11,8,'
11.9,13,9,12 . .)
12.11,11,11,10,12,9,)
11,10,10,11,11,9,8.1

12, 9, 4, 13, 10, 10 . f

Bollo, Kato, Fall Ed.Iy, Isl„„,i

I'^'I'ly, Upper, Shea, Hawortli,
Indian.

Fall l<;.ldy, Bello, Upper, Shea,

nawortJi, Indian.
l"ver rising; Ilawonh, Shea,

Belle, Eagl... Chartcris.

ill" '^
11 i ^ii

lUlip.

THE SALMON.
Join AMD July, 18G2--wn/mM«/.

871

DATRR,

July 3

NO. or

PIHII.

WIIMUTH.

10
17

13. 10, I0,!MI,1«,7,
'<», 12,11, 12,11,10

10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
S». 13, Ifi, 17,8,11, IJ),
10,1(5, 10, !»,!»,!),«,
'0, 10,10, 10, 11,1).

10, 10, 12, 10, 10, 10,
10, !», 1.1,r.,H, H, 10,
12, 10, 10, <», M ,,

5», 9, 10,-1, 10, II, 11,)

iJI. 12,10, 12, !», 10,
10,13,12,;). . .
10,10,11,10. . .

11, 12, !), 12, 10, 10, 1
10, 10, 10, 10, !», 12

10,8,11,8,8, I.'), 12,20

10, 13, 9,11, 10, 12,4,
!>, 10, 1!), 8 .

Suiulay.

12, 10, 11,11,-1, 10, 10^
10, 11,8 . .

11, 11. 10, 10, II, 11^^
!>, fi, 10, II, 11, 11,
^11, 10, 10, 10 .

!M1, 11, 17, . . .
i», 12, 12, 10 10 . . .
12,13,11, 11,4,4, 8,|
10 ... .

rCAOB AKD OBMnVATIONH,

<!lftH.Hy, IhIiiiuI Kddy, n,.|Io,
I'nicr, ShoH, Hawordi, In-
ilian,

Hollo, ITppor, Eiiglo.

Ifpjwr, Hhoii, lliiwofUi, IiKJiim,
Coiiiiop,

'■^IiPd, IiKJinn, Kaio, \<]^\^]y^
Uppor I'ndi.

Islan.l E,l,|y, Hftwoiil,, I„,ii„„,
Connop, Uppor.

';}

^lioa, ITppor.

I'lildioH, Shoii, Indian, (;..imop

and Uppor.
HIhni, Hiiworth, Indian, Uppor.
Slii'a, Iluwortli, Indian, Uj.por ;

torrnifs of ruin, river risimj.

n<'llo, Siioa, Indian, Connop,
Upper; River rining.

Hlica, IJolio, Fall, (ilassy, Upp,.,-.

Shea ; Storm and ruin.
Hollo, Uppor, Eaglo.
Upper, Kaglo, Indian, Ilu-
wortli ; two Grlhc.

Total number of HhIi 27!)

^"^''' ^^■^■'Sl't ; ! 3110 lbs.

Average weight 11^11,8

272

\ I

■ALMONtD.fi!.

S..!,non ,„ken u,UHJ,e My ,.„ Unc n.U in ,U

Jitver dodbout,

Ilriimo 3mv. and JiTr.y, i^ca.

I'hI Glassy.

•A0« A»D ODSIBVATIOKS.

Bollo, Cnyley.
BoJlp.
GInssy.

Cliylcy,

Bollo. Upper, R.-nr.
Rt'llo, (Jlassy, Kate, Uj.per,

l^;. ^2. 1V12, ,2, n . I Fult'tn:, Upper.

^Mio ^'^''^n'''T'^■'•'^'^''-'^^'-
il, 12, 2i, 10, J), 12. [ Kato, Kclle, four in Iluworth,
12, 14,10, 10. <) J I Upper.

"^ I ••• I Sunday.

^i^ I 12 j 12, 9, 13, 9, 10, 8, 10,1

11. 9. 9, 12, 8 .

^^1 « I 12, 11,0,8,12, 10,13,)
14
July 1 I 9

Shea, Ilaworth.

3 I
'} I B^"°' Upper, Ilaworth, Indiau.

11. 12. 13. 12, 12, 11,^
11. 13, 11 . . . J *' ^PP*'"

ammm

TUP. RAI.MON.

27:)

'NK AND .Jui,v, lHGl]—eiU,tm,f(f.

OATIR.

July 2

NO. or
rmii.

•i I:

WfiniiTH.

I'l.Al'H AND •iimitllVATIONII,

''A I-'. "-^I, I.I, 1(1, it,
l.'t. I2II,M. . . .. ,

'-'. '^, I"', 111, II, lO.lO : Fall (

liiiliiiii, I

I'l-cr.

'-. I I. !>,!», Ill, \'} I

I'piT, llnworlli

I". !», M, 111, 12 . !( I "I'l'T, IWii., ,SI

, rtiicn.

10
II

i:i
II
\->
ii;
17
IH
1!)

2.'!

2.1

Hiiiidiiy.

". ". 10, 12, H . .
II, 10

'I'lniiiilcr timl miii, (IhIi

lIllWll.

'•'. ", l''l, !), !» . .

«. I 2. M , .

PjXT.

lluwdrtli, IJpppr.

7
1
1
;i
1

;}

2
2
1

'. '^t l<M2, II, II. 10,

III. !)

SiiiKJiiy.

"". 10, H, II, !1, 12, !»

". Ki. I<!, 12. . .

". 10, 12, 12 . . .

", '-, 10 ... .
C,

12, «

Suiuliiy.

12, 7, 10

10,8

Ii?, !)

!•'. •''N 21, 11,1 . . .

Sunday.

8 . . .

Hjipor, Hhrn.
Imliiiii, ninicr.

I'l'lMT.

I'^PpfT, Ifnwortli.

l'|>p<T, lluwortli, rndinn, .Shoft.

Iluworlli, Indian, Ui.jn.r.

I'pptT, ncjlt..

l'j>|)or.

Indian, IJjipor.

Upper

h-ivcr rising.

Shea ,

Kail, Kddy, Ilawortli, Upper,

Shea,
Upper.

Total number of fish . 194

T'""' ^^■^■'k''^ '.'.'. 2,l!.0lb.s.

Average weight lljlbs.

SALMON I Die.

■"""'^"' " '■■»'" ""V". Ik. „.,.„i, , „„,

.."'", ■••"■"'"■■"■"-- i'.-.io„i ,,.„„„ ,,„r,„., .,

"""";".' "•"■ "-" .,i„j,„, ,

;::;.7''^"""'-""" -^ '■■>"■.• -...J

l»iofoc(o(l waters In wi

'^••'^- 'n ofh.r Avufnvs n,„al i„j,„.y i...^

;r " T ''■ '"' '"-'"- ■■■ '■■ - «»

clnvi'ii away by (lu> Mn.wJ # • i ""

"'"""^•"^" ' .---,..,,„„.„, ,„, „^,^,

Bnmll t™,lors i„ ,1„. . , , ""■"• "•"..„„« ,l„.

'"ui-rs 111 (he I'omoto (lisfricfn

The rivo. „„ „,., „.„„^.,.„ ^,-_^.^ ^^^^^^^
o-c„k.d,l,„„i„M,..Nc,,V,. „„„,,„„,,

" Approaching the .asU.,, ,ho„. a,„l nvc. „f „„.
-"'y ...■ Kin,o,.U, a,. „,„ ,.„o,v,-„g,v,.,.. 2

f"-- ' » H.. : . j:: rr ::

«- - ^^"■^' -^^0., .,e Ta...,,., n,a„„, L,:;:

N'-'ttleV. Fisheries of the «t. Lawrence."

TIIK MAI.MUN.

' '<> Hliimst
tlio iiuturo

'<!, tuul ill

>' llM-S |))>(>||

vc hi'vu ill
arly vavU
'I'vi'd 1111(1

Umy lias
lial)i(, of

inIi lu'iiiof
iimii;Tl(.,|

ioii uill
[)«»ai'lii.'r.s
on^' tlu!

5 bettor

of tho
* : the
at" two

; tJic
atune,

275

mm\ Olmtt«: all with cxtoiiHivo and vulu.il.h^ hi.!,.,.,.,
fisluTicH.

Th(. who!,, of tl„. (ia,,,,; ^\^^^^^,■^,,^ ^^^ i,„orNi..'tt..| |,y
inmuu-oiiM 1.11,1 f.,.I,.ii,li,| rivn-H, tl... priiuipul „r which am
tho St. Ann,., tho RIn^r,l,n,.nc., York. St. ,lul,n'„, M„l|,„i..,
(^ran.l Ifivr, .ukI ll„. (;,,,it and Lidl.- I'.d.us. TIicho
nvc'i-H rmuvo many v.dnul.l,, h-ihiifarioM. ninl uw nil
«""«•«, or IcHH notcl lor th.-ir vast ,,nantiticH of (IkIi, h.it
tl... fact (,f then. |„.i„^r a <linrt Ht.iiinlioat .•oniin.ii.i.-ation
l>ctW(.,.n (iuob.r „nd (Ins,,.', mrnvn vnilu'v too ^ront nn
inlliix of (i.slu'niu.ii.

'" «l'<' Hay of ClmlnirH aro tho (i rand n<.navontni(.,
"'^' <''''''i' '""I l^'XlIu Nonvollo.mul thotirontand l/U(l..
CaHon;.odiuo; and Hsc,.|,dii,^r M,o l{,,.sti;ro,n.|K,_whioli in a
•x.blo Mtivaiu abounding with rapids an.l llowiii;; for two
'"•ndrod n.iloH through a bua.itiful and |,i,;t,„rH,,un
o..untry,-aro tho Matapo.liac, Pahipodia.-, MiHfonoh..,
and otl.or tribntarics on the Canadian hi.hs which tc,,,
with Hahnon. Formerly much lai-cr (ish w.ro tak.n
than now. A few ycam a^'o a Halinoii was taken in tliiH
<li8tri,-t, measuring four foot oi^ht inches in jcn^'th.
Thirty and forty ponnds was not an uncommon wei;r|,f,,
and instances have occurred of the e.ipturo of salmon
weighing sixty pounds. Now the average is fn,m twelve
to fifteen pounds."

Several of the tributary streams entering on tho

T 2

irlli

111

276

SALMONID^.

opposue bank of this ™„p,i«ee„t riv„ abound c,uaU,

Canada ,n„.t leave *o rive, of X„„ B.un. J to
Others to describe.

Trout (&fo„y„„,„,,,) ,„ ^i„,,„^ ^^ ^^^ ^^_^^^^

four own strea,„,, .bat I an, rather ine.ined to eonsider
" a vanety than specifically different.

They have been considered bv son,,, n. ,
fl.i , „ ■' "'^ "' " "lore mact vc

fish, and as affordinn- less snort .„ ., ,

but th. ,■ ° ^ ' •■'"«''='■ """> »"».

but .h read.„ess with which they t„ke the fly varies in

»rents.™s, this propensity being, as is well l.,,ow„

to fisher,nen, as n,.,eh affected by the nature of the
« ers they frequent as their colour is. I„ ,.„„ ,„;

-''-rs.heyareofte„sos,u,,ish.l,atitis,„e

body and their hnes are wanting i„ ,Hl,ianey.
In other streams, which, though equally dark, are rapid

;-e «sh, while retaining the sa^e dull appearance, ar!
-ore vely; but in clear pebbly, sunny, swift . ers

"^'^ "'^-""=" "'-"^-oe of insect food, the '
combn,e the ,nost brilliant hnes and silvery brightn !
WUh the higl,est degree of activity.

It is well known in Smflmiri *i ^
, , Scotland that moss-water dulls

»^^ecpe„s the tints, asi„theso.ea,led"bo,tro„t,. and
Mown,g ,„stance .nentioned by Lord H„,ne shows

'd equally
undary of
msAvick to

ound in a
ion trout
' consider

inactive
lan ours,
i'aries in
1 known

of the
T dark
lifficult
irvades
liancy.

rapid,
"e, are
rivers,

they
itness

dulls
' and

liows

THE COMMON TROUT.

277

that one and the same fish may go through all these
changes of appearance in succession, according to the
water it inhabits at the time. He says, "when fishing
in the height of the season for trout in the Tweed, it hal
often happened, that out of two or three dozen I have
caught, there should be five or six, differing not only
from the common trout, but from each other. These
trout come down into the Tweed during winter and
spring floods from its different feeders, viz., the Ettrick,
Yarrow, Jed, Trale, ^den, Leet, &c., all differing com-
pletely from each other. These trout retain enough of
their original appearance to distinguish them from Tweed
trout, but after a few months' stay they gradually lose
their original marks, and excellence of flavour, and
become like the common Tweed trout in every respect.
There can be no doubt tliat tlie nature of the soil throu-h
which the different streams flow is the cause of the dif-
ference of appearance, not only as to colour and size, but
also particularly in the superior excellence of their flesh
to that of die TAveed trout. I liave also ascertained that
the Tweed trout after having been a month or two in the
Leet change tlieir colour and assume tlie appearance of
those of the Leet; while again, not only the Leet trout,
but ^hose of the other small burns, soon lose their beauty
and other good qualities after they have been any tune in
tiie Tweed. I may mention that the food in the two little

278

SALMON ID.B.

of I! "°"™" "' ™""' »"••■""■ < »-•-'. .-. Houds

.,„ ''''"7 "''■""*""•»'• "■ n.nna,i„„» „„, „„,, ,,„„.

. . N'linonm," mentions nn

:";::::.'■";• «-"-—-"-.. .'

r"^"'" '■*'-'— • .vw,„., «„,,,„

from t le niiM('ii,.,> ,>r ^« i , "^fr'<-<-«,

ocnrai to tront m cvorv .»,...f <• ^i

t^o.y part of tl.o worl<! wWc ti.ov

:;: t "'"^" " *■• ■■' - - -'*.. :

Tlie spawnin^r tinio fli,.nn.i. ,
tu, , ' "^'' ''•''^"'^^ '^ Jittic between

tiie cxtromi's of the fwn P.. • •

or the, two I rovincrs, is al.ont Septen.l.er

and the yoiuiff fi-v main fl • -4>tuni)er,

^ - ''y '"""^^ then, appeamneo in the shallows

Tin', COMMON TllOtir.

271)

'ny opinion
oxoc'llonco.
mid clouds

not, how-
■ ill many
liiinplircy
'itions im
'. I'ciimrk-
<'*'tl info
J rotninod
ipppnr to
I'lMvliioh
y known
d(>^reoH,
' <'lmng(>
iiportod
"mIi, but
variety
'e inci-
they
ion to

'tween
inl)or,
illows

nnd siniillcr strcnnis in cnrly spring. The fishing hcuhou
also diflcrs in the two rrovincca, extending from the Ist
of April to the 2()(h of Oetoher in the Upper, and iVoin
the l.st of 1<\-I>ruary to the 2()fh of Octolxjr in the Lower.
The height of the season is from the latter end of May (o
the end of dune; during this period too the trout are in
their fniest condition.

Their usuai run is from two or three; ounces to two
pounds, size (htpcnding always h'ss (in age than on
the ubiUKhuice and nature of their food. In respect to
the latter point, the uiost fattening is undoubtedly (lies:
a fact which has been satisfactorily proved by an int(!rest-
iiig series of experiments made; for the purpose of testing
their nutritious ellect as compared with that of worms,
minnows, and oilier objects.

The minnow is (•ommonly considered the most
successful bait in the earlier months of the season,
though the fly is the best later. In the beginning of
May then; is such an extraordinary visitation of inse(;t
life on the surface of almost every water, that for tlu;
short period during which it hists no fish will look at an
artificial i'^. Thesi! May (lies, if not identical with ours —
n point which I regnit I did not investigate ut the time, —
very much resemble them, and alight in such jiiyriads on
th(! wat(;r, that it is often literally ke[)t in continual
agitation by the rising fish.

ISO

SALMONID.R.

WJlilst th

one of (1,0 ,„osf

'^ ^'-^^"t is one of the most

voriu'ioiia it Is nl

^■"""•"^^ »n<l wary „f ,,11 fish

•'"■-^^■•.""-"..t,,... „„„„,; """'."^ • '

"<W-.,f,„o ' " ""•"•-'"■■•"ft and

-...«...i;;t; """■'* ""- -»

- i:;;;;.;:;;r:,;::: r"- '- '"-'^-

'■°'»-oa,I,..,M,„,„, ,,„,„„ '■•'>• '""-very

■"""-'■<' o,.,„„,,„ ,,; ;,rr''':"';™-'^

'rii.MnM,ti„c,uuui„o„i„vs,ni„„
''™'' 'I- .i-iiiost ,,r ,1, . ' ''■ '■"' "^

.k. rivcTS, ,, '''""■'"■"l"""l.-""to|„„t„f

••- ::v:;:;;: ::;::;/;■":; ^' ■'-

^\ ith ivoaid to the fii,.s 1.,. t i
«ome still and do.,, otl..,.. • ^ *'<>'«>nml,

■■"--•' "■■"--..i..:,;: :i"'"'''"r"

.11-: COMMON THOUT,

s it i.s also
• In (h(>
"lar (liiui
'» nnd ifs
I'mf't iiiul
lU) loss

"<lly the
'0 fVi'oIy
ho very
ic early
ly fake
is from

iniiiiy
ii life,
'irt of
iOWer
lie of

lilliflf

V of

red,

-to

Jud

<ed

281

liooks (1 «o 12 Miueriek) tuay he ined for l.olli lake and
le followiii^r list, Uy (,i„, Su|.frin(,eiideM(, of Jho

river,

ower

roviiiec

l<'isl

K-rics may he eoiisidercMl superior to

most, Iiavin^j; heeii scleelcd li

y Ko oxcelleiif, a itraetieiil

I'oviiieeH,

lese iiro (lie.s

iislier, 1111(1 tested in the waterrt of hoth I

1. The red-haekle and rcd-|ialin('r ; tl
that iiivariahiy kill in i\w early seusons.

2. The Dm, (|y_bitt,>n, win;r, brown hody, and red
hackle, tinsel ^'old.

.'I. thrown lly, for Jmic-Kn^liHl, partrid^r,, wln^ ;
hody hrown mohair; red haekK", twist of green peairoek's
h<-rl.

'1. <.ir(y-drake-win,i,s hiack Ix.dy and ha.^klc, with
silver tinsel.

5. The ()ran;;c-,lmi— starling's wing; hody, squirrers
I'lir ; red hackle, and gold tinsel.

(5. I?lack-ant— light coloured wing; ostrich hiack
herl ; hhick hackle, twist of peacock's green herl.

7. English partridge wing; fur of hare's ear for hody;
dirty red hackle, silver tinsel; untennie, purtridgo wing
lihrcH.

H. r.lue-hottl(!— pale wings; hody, of p.jucock's green
and copper herl mixed; hackle, hhick.

!). (;ulnea-fowl wing ; hlue hody, hlack liackle, and
Hilver tinsel.

10. <ireen-driike — mallard's mottled wing, stained

llHI

ml I

:' r *'

'V!

iiS2

SAMMoNin.R,

o'Jvo; Iiond mid f.,ii .

,„.,",;.":::;""V ' •"•""•"•"■«-.-"»

I '.-'•r, luxly, wlllfo floss silL ,.;m. I ...
J-. I'iirtri(|<re,.y|„f^. , ,

'■"I'l'-y 1..T1 ,„ix,.,l; „„, ,„L„ '-"■'■""

I3- Orouso - ■wi'tkt • 1. . I .

"'",::::"'; '■^—■-.■w. „„,«,,„„,

A» to t\K l,c,t. tr„„(i„,, ,v,,tor, i, i. ,

. -^ I. b. ,e ro„„.,„b™,l, „c d..«..rt..,|

fcp ,v„tor of (lio lakes. "'"

° ■'1'"'' ""J iN'MtifuIly wood,,! i,l . •

most romantio Tl,„ „ , '"'"'"' '»

"luiu llicansrlcr wll (iii.l .1

I"-" hero ,„.o or ,h„, ,,„,^,„ . i""? '""' "'"' '"'y ™-'y

TIIF, roMMON THOHT.

888

I'rowii :

of n niorning. In tavt, all tlio rivors of Luko S.ipcrior
Bwurm with trotit.

'riio Mimitouliii IhIoh, oti tin. I.r.md rxjmtiso of Lnko
Huron, tliomsclvcH contnin miitiy Hinnll lakclotH, most of
which arr Htockod with trout, and in the priniipal hike,
m well as in the rivcrH on the hirgcHt iHl.m,! „r the group,
th,.y aro very al),in(liint. Tho ManitouliiiH, which arc-
rxdnHivcIy inhahit.-.l by Indinns, may he rcachod from
rcnotiuiguishonc, and aro wc-ij worth viHiting.

'J'hc Upper St.. liiiwronce also aflWrds fair tronting.
No way inCorior is the ITpp.-r Ottawa, alrea.ly dc-
8mh(!d, and in.h«cd the whoh; eourse of that heautifid
river; alHo th(« (latinenu atid its trihntarios.

Ill Lake St. IMiilip a party of three of the HiHe
J{ri;j;n(l(>, from t^iehee, last year took upwards of 700
trout with the lly in fourteen hours' fishing The
greatest ahnnduneo of fine tront is met with in the upper
l>iirt of the Montinorenei, u river renowned both for its
spkMidid eataraet and picturestpie scenery.

With the exception of the (h-ive to Jacques Cartier,
J know few more agreeable than that from (Quebec to the
Falls of Ab)ntinorenci in one o, tliose antiipio and most
comfortubh! veliick's called n "calasho."

After leaving the steep nnd narrow streets, with their
lofty rows of (jiiiiint old Innises, tiie road is shaded by hny
trees, and alfords at many points beiiutiful vi( ws of the

284

8ALM0NID.B.

"oble river covered M-ith sl,ipni„... the nnml
""(I tlie disfant son. Ti.

«'h1 shrines by tJie wiiv^iW., ^

^ lilt wii^suie, are su<r-'cstiv.. .w y *i

forcible r™,i,„,e« of A,„„ic„. '"^I><"- «..

"'at .spring from ,!,„ ,,,«, ,f ,, "; "I""'"'"'" "^

«Wy."g pool into ,vl,i<.l, one looks i, ,

"IK. looks, IS covered w t i nlmf
npi>enr fro,,, ,|,c l,,.:,,!,, ,„ . .. , "" '"'"'
,., . , .,. ' " '" '"^ ""'•'<'' or strmv, spi,„ „„

! T'"^' """''• '■'" ■"■•• ^" -"-. >...,„ ,i,.. ::

^>'..cl. ..ave bee,, „,„,,od over ,„e e„e„,,.e..
There is „b„„d„„ee of ..-out „,,,,, ,„ „^^

-iAinafe,v„,iIesofQ„ebec asthef >1 • ,
Mr JVofHn'o* J • . '''^^"'fc' I'^t tukon from

1; . Nettle description of the lakes and rivers ailbnhW

this sport will slunv: "La'co Sf T. it, ^

T .,v T ^^- '^"'^'l'^'' r-'iJ<c St. Charles

^aU I.„„re„t, L„te Jo,„„ UU. McKe„.i, L„ke Be,.„f '

Charles, Joa„,S..i,e...e„.„d„„„„i„fe,.,o,. St e„„.;

# Pi

i'W.eries Of the St. Lawrence.

TIIK ((tMMON TllOUr.

285

Lftkc St. .T„,s..,,|,, ,liHt„„t Hl,o„t, twenty inil,«s fnmi

Q«ielH«c, is a nm.st umrrmlu'vut sluvt „r water, an.l has

.oxcc.|l,.„t lisl.i,,.. ,;,, ,,.,1, f,,„„ ,,,„, ,„^^^^.. ^,,,^ ^^.^^^^^

<i«lm.^' In ,I,nu. an.l July. Tl.o oth..,. luUes ubonn,! in
^••'^'•^ l'"t n.usc that aro nearer to (,i„el,ee, have boon
"'"<■'' '"jiire<l l,y (iHl.inn. .h,,.;,,^, „,„,,^.,i„^, ^.,,,^^

J.uke St. Charles has Ion- noc..,, ,ii„„„„ f;„. ..n;,,,,;,,^,
HI>l.M..li,l sport. This lake is in shapo like an hour-glass,
""mnving at the centre; innnense fish are oeeasionally
t"ken in it, though lorn.erly th.y were nn.ch n.ure
''•"""'""t- Tlu> Narrows is a (avourito spot lor fishing.
At the hea.l of the lake- there is a diMerent speeies of
trout caught-called th.. Silver-tro.it-owing their pecu-
liarity solely, r l,eli,.ve, to the existence of (in. sand
'"inks in that locality. S„n„> persons prefer fishing in
the lower lake. The large lish arc generally taken ut
day-break with bait lines.

I^Hke I'...aufort is my favourite lake, and hero the
^i"cvst fish in Canada, are taken. In shai.e, <-oIour, and
'lavour no <,(her trout can e.pnd them. Jt is indeed a
l'"i.-y spot, en.boso.ned on all sides by woo.ls, with here
and there a fann. I can conceive no enjoyment ec,ual to
a <lay or two spent in the n.onth of July at this h,vely
l.lace. I consi.lcr one Lake JJeaufort trout to be worth
l.alf-a-doz.m from any other lake, and any evening in
the months of June, July, or August, you may clauice to

286

SALHUNIU^.

■I'M

get .o„,e vor, g„„., ,p„, ^l.e ,„,„ j,„,^, .^ ,,„

Gu,f„„at.,ake of .„„3™e „„,„„, f„,„ „,,,,,_;

r:'';^^^"^""-'«^'-i"«- Also on .he „„„,.„„„„:
^e. of the Sa,„o„a,. „..,,,„ „„„„,;

of..hIWefo.gotte,,.,lcUaeWa.,oaetotJ

1 OoV "' '""'"" "" ""= *'<"-• '" "-toon

duy, 200 dozen of ..out, weighing 3,800 lbs. , one of .he
%s producing no lo. tl.an 226 fiah, the weigh. „f
wh.ch amounted .o 390J lb,. The grater pa« of ,.e«,

fish were 3 lbs. and 3^ lbs. wei-rht and „ f
., ,, . , ' "'-i^nt, and a few weighed

4i Bs. A leuer which I have j„,. received Ln.
Quebec reports an e.cn.io„ to Snow Lake, flft, „i,e,
from that cty, on which occasion two rod, alone Med in
seven day, about 90 tish, late trout and speckled trout,

wn^. Of w.ch weighed fro. , to 12 ,b,. each, an
one 141b,., the majority being from 2 to 41b,. They

-etakenwith the minnow, through hole, in the ice'
he larger one, were almost a, black a, ink on the back
bemg bronzed and ,peckled on th. sides, and very fat

TIIK LAKK TROUT.

» the fly for
le fish with
L'llovv; and
I hacklo."
5ro of tho
1 it issues,
lern shore
the name
we to the
instances
It. Col.
e above
nineteen
e of the
ight of
of these
v^eighed
[ from
y miles
illed in
trout,
I, and
They
e ice;
back,
it. .

287

The Common Luke Trout {Sahno conjlnis), which
inhabits the deepest waters of the Great Lakes, is the
least to be commended of all tho Salmonid«, and is indeed
an unworthy member of the family to which it belongs
never taking the fly, and even when hooked with the
minnow, or a bait of fat pork, ignomiruously allowing
Itself to be hauled passively into the boat. The fles', too
which is of a dirty yellow tinge, is poor and tasteless!
To complete its list of bad qualities, it is a voracious
destroyer of the young of the Coregonus alius; pamper-
ing its own worthless carcase with the most delicious
and valuable fish of the Lakes.

It is dark coloured, mottled over with greyish spots,
and is rather broad in proportion to its length ; it com-'
nionly averages from eight to nine pounds in weight,
though I have seen cuts on the table, at Toronto, wllh'
must have come from fish of far larger size. Fish of five
pounds' weight up to fifteen may be caught with " the
spoon" in Lake Superior almost as fast as they can be pulled
out. In winter tliey are caught weighing as much as sixty
pounds, in some of the Lakes, through a hole cut in the ice.
There are several varieties of Lake trout, though
very similar to one another in habit and qualities; the
Mackinaw-trout {Sahno amethystus) being the chief in
point of exceUence as it is in size; attaining frequently
enormous proportions.

288

SALMON I |>,B.

' 1

, ' '""" '""""• "' '•■'""■' ">io or Ontario, i, i.

,t":" '," '"' •"" ''""" ■'""" '>-« -< ■ .,

;"'';;'"'' ■" •"•■ - '^ — .» -o » ,. „,.;

parta „f tli,.s,, „nnuMi.s,. ii.„.rv„ir,,.

■"'" ""^'' '■' ■■'■''• ""■' ™-y -"l-i,.,. ,o „,„» „f „,„

I'ltlier swHrout or »„|„„,„.

TI,o JI,u.ki„„w.t,.o„t will no, look „t „,„ ,1 .

7""":": '■"""■ ^» «.„.,,.,:;,,„,

. "'V:™' ■' "'•■ ""^y -■""" .".™c.ion. Tin, «,.
-t ,„.,.,„,„,,„,„,,,„„,. „,.„,,,„3,„, ,„ ,^^

V ' '"" '"'" ""■^- '""' '-y -lily. Tl,„
2 .~..l n,o„„ on, ,,,„.,,,,_

Tl- .s™.,ront (,SV,„„ „.„„„ ,„„,,„„) ,„ ,^„

:rr:7";"-. •-■■»-•■""-"' - uiiL::

"ul ™ ,,,.rnnn,a,cf Sa„„o„.,rout, Wln,„..rou,, or

;"""■' "r"' ">■'- «"^'- I or.,, In ...r'

denary al.un.lancc. [„ tho S. at

-f. the Ne,„„.„,„. j; , " "'*-':'""^' '■' •'■= '•'•■■'■

river on H , " '""""' "''"■'•' M"'"'™-

«ou„.U„,-a,,,,ro„.,,osonrtc,.„.i„. ' " "

-ii^iii, in tlie rivers flow-

i;tt, i

TUB TRorr.

fiirio, it ig
"I'm, Hiul is
'•'<>r. Kx-
l'>w water
lie ilcepobt

lit. of the

t-'quul to

y, indood
-'I' it, and
riiis /l.sh
ow; but
Y- TIic
II I)oat,
ier.

n's|<ect8

like it
>u<, or
ya and
-'itraor-
tl''eady

Port-
iiitou-
in tJio

ilow-

ilNI)

inff into na«|u< ilay and tlu- IImv <.r ClmlnirH; i„ th,.
'IWi;,.,, Ul.n.cl,,. M.Unnno, (^Imtt.., nn.l in n.any oflurH,
tlu.y arc al.undant, wri^d.!,,;; IVo.n run,- to „,.vrn |,u,m„Ih.'

''''" «'^"'* '•'"' '"^'''"y <'til in ohiainin;. n.a^M.ili.rnt

Hl>ort in any of ih,.,, (nun tl... r..mnu.nn.n„.nt of fl,,.
Hnwo,., and ind.-rd nnMI .1,. sal.non W^Wnv, |H.ui„s |„,
'"'«•«» "Of wiHi. Cur |,dhT. Mr. Ncttl.. in lonr Imnrs'
liHl«i>.^( has taken fron, 150 to 2(10 II,h. wd^d.t of Sca-
front, avora^M,,^, jVon. ono to live pounds eacli.

Tlu.y may l,,- (isl„.,l for fv,,,,, th.- 1st of I.\.|,n.ary
'•> ♦''•" l.'ifl. of Novemhrr, and will fak.- IWrly nx.st
'>'"M'»' •"•i-l.t ni.din.n-si...d or s.nallor sal.non Hirs; t..o
^i'^^'\y indeed lor saltnon-fisln^rs, who nUvu fin.l (heir
nport interfered with l,y them. A scarlet (ly is in hi;r|,
estimation at (^m-hee, a„,l may b(( ^^ot at any ..f the
taekle shops there, which for (he hays an.l salt water
is the best that can be used. The body is of Hcarlet
wool, ribl,e.l with -old fi„se|, and (he win-s ..f scarlet
il>i« fnith,,.. I„ ,|„ I,,,,,,.;,,, ^,„j,,,. ^^,j„^.^^ ^,^^^ ^.^^^^^

»nd as far np as tlie (ide extends, there is no(hi„;r better
than a yellow or bri-ht brown salmon-fly, (h.ai^di the
two foUowin^r ,1,,. „,„^|, ,„,,,i._j YnAy, red mohair,
claret haekle; tnil of claret haekle, with -ohl tip; win^rs,
Idnc-jay win- feathers. 2. p,„,,^, „,■ ^,,.,,,.,, ^j,,^^ ^.,^^^^^

with gohl; dark or pale green hackh-; ho.)k No. 4.

By fur the most favourable time is when th... tide is

'Ifi

. '» ■

^ll

290

SALMONIDiB.

of these handsome and delicioua feh, which, averaging
ftree pounds in weight, and not „nfre,„e„t.y runlg
up to seven, afford no inconsiderable sport

They feed on sn,all f^, „i„„„„_ „„j ^^^

atter for,. ,ng i„ spring a large portion of their daily

ttr /'""■•■'"' ™ ■'™"'"" "««"— to

fine fla ,..,; ,e flesh, which is ve^ fim, „„a pin,,

and .h,c ,y .nrded. In the month of J„„e, when thev

a-e m the,r best condition, the flesh is not to be dis.
tmguashed from i„e very best salmon.

The s„,,„„„.t„„t, is an exceedingly handsome fish,

pai taking, as its name indicates of tl,.

"luicates, ot the qualities and an-

pearanceof these twodifent„.„be. of thesame family.

Accordn," to Yarrell, the g.l, cover is intermediate .C

.t form between that of the salmon and the grey trout
The act .s a dark bluish tint, and the sMesld beHy

and pale yellow spots, the fins bein. of a li.J.f i

than those of the sahnnn T r ^ '°^°"^'

ot the sahnon. In the smaller fish the tail

;: ''"'-'^ ''' ^" '-- ^^ ^'- yea. old and ^Z
It IS square. "pwara

ful It '''"'^■^"' ^'''"^''"" '""-^' "-«h a bea,-ti.
fi^^ « .s unfortunately very deficient in those game
h.=e,ualu,es so essential in .he eyes of the angler, L

Mir

jH;

'■.I

i-^* ».-Wlif*i,,«Hw,^ , ,

z
w

I-
z

iji

J-';

i -i

\ I

i. i .i i

THE WHITE-FISH.

291

f ts dohco,,, flavour, i.. tap„,,„„, ., ^„ ^^,.^,^
food ad .., ^„^^^^^^_^_ ^^_^^_ ^_^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^

of w .eh can „„ty be estimated b, a pe™.a. „f the

offlca, .etu™. That r„, I860, f„. i„3ta„,, give, 50.000/.

r ": T'^ "'" "^'"^ ^'-'"=-«"> "-e, whieh passed

«.o„s„„B.«tHve. and Late Erie, to say „otKi.;
of .he enormous quantity cons„n.ed in the eountry, t!
wh.ch I shall refer presently.

The White-fish, which is peculiar to North America,
of a pure br.ght pearly hue, without spot or mark, the

«Ppen-t of the back o„,y, being of a siightly darker
fngo. t ,s in form and general outline ve.y like a
g"K only that the snout is more obtuse. I,s ordinary
wcght ,s ™m two to four pounds, but in some of the
more northern lakes, in the eoMcr water of which it seems
.0 thnve better, five and even eight pounds is not an
uncommon wei'>-lit.

U is not only gregarious, bnt swims in immense

Bhoals, and .s strictiy speaking a lake fish. It sometimes

enters the rivers in autumn, generally i„ October, for the

purpose of spawning, but perhaps more frequently deposits

... ova on the gravelly shallows of the lakes, in either ease

.mmed,a.ely afterwards returning to the deep water.

u 2

■

! * ■
.4

292

SALMONID^.

" '■"' l«^™ ormneously ^aserted that the Wlute-fiA
'» only found in the Lake, al.o.e the Falls, h„. it ha,,lly
-q".res „,y te»tin,„ny ,„ having seen them taken with
.l.es„ine.net by hundred, :. Lake Ontario, „„d having
eaten then, fresh from , .a.ers n.onth afte. .nonth

,;!'"*:/"^''°'™"^»"-ng'l.o.nost„r„d„etive
of t ese fisheries, as already shown in a forn,e,. ehapter,
." wl„ch ,t was stated that no less than 47,000 White-
Ssh were on one occasion taken at a single haul

VFhen it is remembered that it thus abounds through-
out the whole chain of lakes as far „s Lake Winnine.
l-etrati„g also to the mouths of the river, emptying
' .-.selves into the Arctic Sea, its im„„r,a„ce may be
duly appreciated. Great ,,uanti.ies are taken at the
^aHs of Sault Ste. Marie, until lately a fishery of the
Cinppeways, who in their frail canoes ran the fall, which
.3 about eighteen feet high, and in the eddies at its

foot took the fish in scoop nets; but now, as Mr. Catli,,
-y^, "it has been found by n,o„ey.,naking nu., to be
too valuable a ,,p„t for ,he exclusive oecupaney of the
savage, like hundreds of othe,.. The poor Indian is styled

."" 'T'""' "'"■ ''' ''""■" '"'* '■' -- ''"J^-S ..bout
... the coves for a .scanty subsistence, whilst he scans

"" ; ''"' '"^ ■"^""■■'"« 'e .-an , ,g hi, barrels

and boats, and sending the.u to n.arkc, to be converted
...to .noney.- These scoop.ne„ arc un,or,un„,elv still

ii ii 'ii i .) ,

I !

THE VVHITK-Pr8H.

293

'n use, and according to the evidence of the Overseer
of Fisheries for Lakes Huron and Superior, two men
m a canoe, with poles and one scoop-net, can during the
season catch two barrels of White-fish per day; the
average value of each barrel being about 10.

The food of the White-fish is stated by a Canadian
gentleman, whose authority I do not presume to question,
to be entirely vegetable, and to consist mainly of an
aquatic moss and of a species of Algce conferv.^ with
which a considerable tract of the bottom of some of the
lakes is covered, intermediately between the shallows
nnd deep water. It is believed by others to feed largely
on an aquatic worm about an inch and a quarter" in
length, which is found in immense numbers in places
where shoals of White-fish appear; numbers of these
worms, which are also found in the stomach of the fish,
are brought up adhering to the nets, from which circum-
stance it would appear as if they swam in mid-water, and
in shoals. But from personal examination of the contents
of the stomachs of different specimens, and from inquiry
made of Ontario fishermen, I incline to believe that its
chief subsistence is on moUuscaj of various kinds.

As an article of food the Wmte-fish is invaluable.
Up country it affords the chief sustenance of hosts of
Indians, squatters, fur-traders, and voyageurs, who without
this inexhaustible resource would be unable to remain

:i '<i

i I M

304

8AI,M0NIDjE.

.n d,s.ri.te where they now live in comfort and plenty
Ow,ng also ,0 its peculiarly delicate, gelatinous, and
nutnfous qualities, its constant use is not productive of
the distaste or dislike which under similar eircumstanees
would no doubt be produced by almost any other con-
tmuous diet. Settlers and travellers always before aecus-
tomed to a variety of food, have lived on this solely, for
twelve months together without tiring of it, and have
declared themselves able to stand more fatigue than when
livmg on flesh.

Were it possible to introduce this fish into some
of our larger Scottish Lakes, and find suitable sub-
«steaceforit, it would indeed be an acquisition to our
waters.

A fish of another family, which is exceedingly abun-
dant in the Upper Lakes, and is becoming in many
other parts of the country, is the so-called » Lake-
herring," otherwise Shiner, Moon-eye, or Shad-waiter
Yet beyond the fact of its great abundance, its readiness
to take any bait, at almost any season or hour, and its
very close resemblance in general appearance to the

common herring, less is perhaps really known about it

than of many other less common kinds.

It would be difficult to persuade most of those who

know the fish by sight that it is not a herring; and the

few who have troubled themselves at all with any inquiry

1(1 plenty,
lous, and
luctive of
nnstances
ther con-
>re accus-
olely, for
nd have
an when

to some
ble sub-
to our

y abun-
many
' Lake-
waiter,
idiness
and its
to the
>out it

e who
id the
quiry

THE " HERHIN(i SALMON.

295

»i3 to its family and genus will probably tell you that it is
H Hyodon, quoting Cuvier as their authority.

It is true that the Hyodons have the form of the
herring; and that the above naturalist describes under
the name of Ilyodon claudalus the Lake-herring, Shiner
or Moon-eye. It is. however, not the least of the dis-
advantages and inconveniences arising from the use of
such local names, which are generally bestowed in the
first instance by fishermen, farmers, and ur,educated
persons, that they are applied to more than one object,
as in this instance, where the fish named by some local
authority to Cuvier as the Lake-herring, &c., is of a
totally different family to the Lake-herring of which we
are treating, and which is generally known as such.

The absence of teeth (exceedingly abundant in the
HyodontidcB), and the presence of the adipose fin in this
fish, place it among the Coregoni, and I believe it to be
the C. Clupeifoimis described by Cuvier under the local
name of "Herring Salmon." He says:* -Cette esp^ce,
tr^s commune en Am<5rique, a re9u, comme la plupart dcs
poissons qui sont observ,^a successivement par plusieurs
naturalistes, plusieurs noms. Les riverains du lac
I'appellent 'Herring Salmon;' on voit par consequent,
que les pecheurs des diff^rentes contrdes du globe ont

• Cuv. et Val. Poiss., toin. xxi. l\

aris.

896

SALMON in^.

'uus 6ti frapp& d„ ,„ resemblance qui cxistc entrc co

dans los habUudc, do so r&nir en bandes considdrablca."

Tins la.tar propensity is frequently the cause of
embarrassn>ent and annoyance to the angle, fron, the
Sree incss with which they seize the bait intended for
nsh better Avorth takiinr

When fishing f„r Basse in Lake Ontario, either with
the fly or ,nin„ow, but especially with the latter, I have
been co,«tantly engaged in taking " Lakc-herrings" off,„y
hook and replacing the bait, and when unlucky enough

to M.n with a shoal of these fish, it was difficult to
get ., chance of hooking anything else.

A Lake-herring just caught, cut into portions and

used as a hait, was instantly daned at by the shoal of
wl-ch .. ,„d a n,o.nent before fbnned a p.rt. It is i„

r' 7 , '"' '"'^ "'"' "™ '^ "-O- Ti.ese fish,
»«gh good enough when freshly caught, at. not much

teemed, and arc not preserved to any extenMhe few
hat are annually dried being chiefly f„r ,oca. con-
sumption.

With the „,,,p,i„„ „, ^^^^ ,t„ve.,ne„tioned two
c aractenstics, the appearance and size of .his fish are.

hornng that it is unnecessary further to describe it
fhough a few years ago confined to , G«at Lakes

THE lIERRINn SALMON.

207

and Upper St. Lawrence, the " Lake-herring, " like
several other fish, has latterly become more widely dis-
tributed by means of the cat.als, and is now found i„
parts of the country in which it was previously unknown.

TUE CEDAU IIAI'IDS.

CI I APT KU A I.
|]fta(;uop(cri — continued.

THE CANADIAN 8UA.>-COMPAUK„ WiTH THAT ..K K.Um.rK-KXCK.,LKNCK
OK ITH FI.KHU-0ONFINK1, TO I.OWBU HT. l.AWKKNCB-.TH HIZK AND
API.KAKANCK-TMK ■•IKK-H..KCIK.C:A..LY nn^TWAL WITH omi8-
NATIVK OK NOKTII AMKKICA- WII.KLY I.IHTU.I.UTKU_MKTII(,.,S OK
THOLUNa-UAI..T8 OK PIKI^-TUK.U PUKSKNCK ,N ,Ho..ATK.. WATKHH
-THK MA8«ALI.ON(i^<_I,RH,VAT.ON OK NAMK-UKHKMI.LANCK T.. TUK
,.,KK-1TS KN'.UMOim H.ZK-l,Al«T8-CAni,UE OK-WATKUH IN-
HABITKU IIV-T.IK OAHP-T..K Cmm-TUE AMKIUCAN •lUKAM-Ti.K
UACK OK "H.nNKU"-TUK UOACU-Taa HVVKm-TUK CATKISli-
ITS UULY AI'l'EAUANCK.

'lii

CHAPTER XI.-

^-h^ommnhn—continued.
JHE Canadian Shad (Aiosa pr^stahilis) differs mate-
rially from our fish of the same name, and is much
larger. In shape and appearance it resembles both the
bream and the herring, being of a somewhat oval form
and having large silvery scales. Its average weight is
from 2 to 4 lbs., and though rather bony it is an exrdlent
and delicately flavoured fish, especially when freshly taken
It IS cured in large quantities, and the roe is preserved as
a bait for other fish, for which purpose it is in high repute.
The Shad is said to take readily almost any bright
% m the months of April and May, but I think this is
an error; they are seldom taken with the rod, and can
barely be classed an.ong the game fish of the country
tor they are chiefly taken in " brush fisheries."

They leave the salt water and ascend the rivers in
spring for the purpose of spawning, and at that time are
abundant in the lower St. Lawrence, though not found
b'gher up th.n the nunUh of the Ottawa, and even at
tliat point only in small numbers.

■fe »

-.ll_l«iM]Up[

302

CLUPEID^,

The common herring,* generally called in Canada
the Gulf Herring and Labrador Herring, constitutes one
of the most important articles of commerce in the
country, and therefore demands a passing notice, though
not included in the category of either game or fresh-
water fish. They generally appear on the coast in
October, at which time they leave the depths of the
northern seas, in large shoals, for the purpose of de-
positing their spaAvn; the increased temperature obtained
in the shallower waters being a necessary condition to its
coming to maturity. These shoals are often miles in
extent, and from two to three feet in depth. Having
spawned, they retire to deep water again, and the fishing
ends for the season.

For the encouragement and development of the

herring and other fisheries, Canadian owners of Canadian

built vessels employed therein, are, under certain other

conditions, entitled to a bounty of so many dollars a

month per ton.

The trade in these fish is immense, but might be
even more considerable than it is, were greater care
exercised in their curing than is sometimes the
case.

The common Pike of Canada {Eso:c Lucius) is pro-

JIareni/ut marina.

THE PIKE.

303

nounced by Cuvier ,o be speci«oalIy the same as the
-CiUropean one.

The Pike is one of the native fish of North America,
wh,eh country has been not inaptly termed the head-
quarters of the family, for while we i„ Europe have
only one species, it has several, and among them one that

-y well be called the chie, of the elan, and of wMeh I
sliaU speak presently.

The common Piie abounds in all the waters of
Canada from east to west, and many have supposed
from .ts .dentity with ours, that the latter, which is
an .mportation into Britain from some other countty,
n.ay have been brought over from Canada; but VarrJl
tdls us that pike are mentioned in an Act of the sixth
year of the reign of Richard the Second, viz.. in 1382
or long before North America was even discovered It

;■ ' ''■'"''' ™°^' '*"'^ *at our fish originally came
irom Germany.

Though spread over a very large area of the globe
bemg ,t is said geographically distributed with the spruce'
fir, the pike undoubtedly arrives at its greatest perfec
..on m the cooler regions. Its average weight in Canada

»rom five pounds to ten pounds in ponds and rivers,
but n the Great Lakes it often attains a much morl
cons,derable size, possessing also when taken from these
clear and beautiful waters the advantage of being per.

304

ESOClD.iE.

i'\

fectly free from the earthy taste which is in general so
great a drawback to its flavour.

August, September, and October are the best months
for trolling, as the pike are then in first-rate condition,
and take most freely; for though they may be captured
with the natural bait throughout the summer, either
morning or evening, and if the sky is at all cloudy at
almost any hour of the day, they are generally lazy and
indifferent to food in hot weather, and not easily moved.
In winter they will take readily any ordinary bait
dropped through a hole cut in the ice, darting on it at
once, from beneath the overhanging stones and stumps
to which they retire at that season.

On the lakes it is best to fish from a boat, which
should be stationed over the weed-grown bottom of
some quiet bend or inlet where tliere is no current, and
where the surface of the water is comparatively smooth.
The boat should not be too close to the shore, and the
greater the length of line the better consistently with
convenience in casting the bait, which it is hardly neces-
sary to remark cannot be too lightly dropped into the
water. The best sized hook is No. 5 salmon hook. In
river trolling, where slow running streams are bordered
by reeds, or covered with patches of surface weed, it is
better to fish from the bank.

I><irii.g the Full pike .-ippear generally to prefer

A.,.

;eneral so

it months
iondition,
captured
r, either
loudy at
lazy and
7 moved,
ary bait
on it at
stumps

t, which
ttom of
3nt, and
smooth,
md the
y with
' neces-
ito the
)k. In
)rdercd
d, it is

prefer

deeper ™ter .h„u i„ ,„,„,„,,, ,. „„^,, ^^^^^^
frequent the middle depth, or ba»k i„ the sun under
floafng water-plants. Though the pike is not gregarious
yet where one i, taken others will always be found in'
the same neighbourhood, and the troUer should by no
means abandon his ground under the impression, whieh
« a very common one, that it k a solitary fish : an error
tat propagated by Isaak Walton, who says, "the Pike
■» observed to be a solitary, melaneholy, and a bold fish •
melancholy because he always swims or rests himself
alone, „„d „,,„ swims in shoals or with company, as
roach, and dace, and most other fish do; and bold be-
cause he fears not „ shadow, or to see or to be seen of
anybody, as the front, and chub, and all other fish do »
Yarrell however, mention, ,he fact of an annual
T7 "' '"'' "»■' "-S place in spring in the Can,,

mtowh,eh river he says "they come in great shoals,
doubtless, from the fens in the neighbourhood of Ely

*""'"^ ■"»"-"■•• I '-e myself often seen pike in
company; and it almost invariably occurs that when one
« taken fron, a hole he is succeeded at once by another.
The most successful lure, when it can be procured

" "" "P'"""'^' f™«-" '' »-» ami singularly n.arked'
c-eature. A minnow, or a small " lake-herring," bre.m

or any other sin,i,ar fish will however .iways answer.'
Ar.,hc.al bait or flie, seldom attract, and the angler

30G

ESOCIU^.

need not waste his time or patience in experimenting
with them.

A large pike will frequently run the whole line off
the reel, darting away with a strength and velocity which
call into play all the skill of the angler, who should be
provided with a good rod with a stiff top, and plenty of
strong silk line, the nature of his other tackle being
matter of choice and preference, though gorge-tackle is
undoubtedly the most simple and efficacious.

Pike are also taken in other ways, as by spear-
ing, which in winter is effected through a hole cut
in the ice, to which the fish are att. ^d by bait ; and
ill summer by torchlight from a canoe or a scow, and by
other means even more uninteresting to the sportsman.

Though the finest pike are found in the Great Lakes
and in the St. Lawrence, some one or other of the various
species belonging to North America, exist in almost every
stream and pool tliroughout the country. All these are
indiscriminately called "Pickerel," and are popularly sup-
posed to be one and the same fish at different stages of
growth. The distinctions between tliem however are not
sufficiently important to render any separate description
necessary. I have thought it more desirable to notice
the abundance of the Common Pike (B. Lucius), as its
existence in North Americ.i has been denied by more
than one writer.

THE MASqUuONoi,

307

ihe small lakes „„ the Manltoulin Island, contain
yy large pike ,■ and in the lagoon on the shore of Lake
Ontario, before alluded to as the rcort of wUd ducks,
I have frequently seen largo ones sunning themselvos;
but .n this place they are not easily te.nptcd by any
ba,t, probably on account of food bdng so plentiful, for
the .ator literally swarmed with frogs and young fish.

It .» not easy to account for the presence of pike in
many of these isolated pools and small lakes, where as
.n the ease of this lagoon, there is no stream whatever
flowmgintooroutofit. Yet it is conceivable that in
some .nstances by ordinary causes, such as floods or the
alteration of land level, fish may have found their way
.nto such places, without our supposing with Gcssner
that they are bred from acjuatic plants by help of the
sun's heat!

One of the most remarkable inhabitants of the Great
I^kes belongs to this family, nan,el,, the celebrated
Masq allonge (Eso. a,or of Cuvier) generally but erro-
..eously called Maskinonge, Mascalonge, Muskalinge, Mas-
kalungc, and other barbarous corruptions of two simple
iirench words, signifying "long lace."

It bears a very strong resemblance to the fore^oin.
though on ovamination several specific differences Trc t"
be observed in addition to the very obvious ones of its far
greater size, and the deepness of the body in proportion

X 2

* :

808

KSOCID.E.

! I

1 . 11

to its length. Its habits are nearly identical with those
of the pike, though it is very seldom if ever to be seen
basking, and appears generally to inhabit only the deepest
waters.

The back is of a very dark and somewhat greenish
luie, and the under parts of a beautiful silver-grey,
the two colours meeting and blending together on" the'
sides, which are marked with a few irregular patches.
The scales are very small and extend over, and cover
the cheeks.

Masq'allongd of twenty pounds weight are common,
and instances are recorded in which they have been
captured with the rod as heavy as sixty and even
seventy pounds. The voracity of those monsters appears
to be proportionately enormous, for it is no uncommon
occurrence to find fish of several pounds weight in the
stomach.

The sport afforded by the capture of such leviathans
may be easily imagined, and as they are neither rare
to find nor difficult to tempt if properly dealt with
masq'allong^i trolling may lay claim to considerable
attractions.

According to the provisions of the Canadian Fishery
Act it is unlawful to take them between the 15th' of
March and the 15th of May, but they may be fished
for at any other time of the year.

th those
be seen
deepest

greenish
er-grey,
on the
)atches.
1 cover

mraon,
5 been
; even
ppears
mmon
in the

thans
rare
with,
rable

ihery
h' of
shed

(

i '

i I

ii^iig

yiiii

,'•5

''1

3 ?

>ui

nl ;

^ '

-1
-I

•«

■«>

■«p

^ t

! ^-^

1 H

i' ' ■

j" :'

i '

'111

■A

•! ,

'»

TOK MASQ'AU,0N0t5. j^qq

The natural hait is not often found to answer, perhaps
from the insignificance of the size ordinarily employed,
and the fly is never successful ; in fact, as ,nay be'
supposed, it would be quite useless to try it with a fish
habitually keeping at so great a depth. The usuai and
most deadly lure is the "spoon," which, though resembling
nothing in nature, and devoid of taste or smell, appears"
for what reason it is difficult to imagine, to be perfectly
irresistible to this as well as to many other fish. This
attractive instrument, which is simply a piece of brass
or other bright metal shaped like the bowl of a spoon
with a large hook fixed on it, is made to spin by
means of the swivel, in the same manner as the
mmnow in ordinary trollir.g. The angler, provided
with this simple and enduring bait, with a stout rod and
very strong tackle, is pulled gently and slowly along in
a scow over the weedy depths of the lake, having "out
sufiicient length of line to keep his hook as far as possible
away from the oars or paddle, which are otherwise apt to
scare away the fish.

In this way Masq'allongd of 30 or 40 ll)s. may often
be taken, not of course so plentifully as trout or salmon,
yet the amount of time and excitement involved in a
single capture is almost equal to an ordinary day's fishing.
I do not of course allude in any way to the practice of
affixing the bait, as is sometimes done, to a sea-line or

i I'

310

CYPRINID^.

Stout cord wound round the wrist, and so hauling in the
fish by main strength: an uninteresting and unsportsman-
like business of two or three minutes.

Masq'allongc inhabit chiefly the " Great Lakes," pro-
perly so called; but abound in the Upper St. Lawrence,
especially in the quiet and less frequented channels of
the Thousand Isles, in Rice Lake and Clear Lake
north-west of Kingston, in the Ottawa, Gatineau, and
in many other waters.

The common Carp {Cyprinus carjns) is found in
most of the lakes and rivers throughout Canada. The
Chub {Cyprinus cej,halus) is common, as is also the
Bream {Ahramis versicolor), which I have killed on the
Niagara River and creeks, with the worm, a bait they
take readily. The Dace {Leucisms argeniatus), which,
in common with one or two other fish, as already men-
tioned, goes by the name of the " Shiner," and the Roach
{Leucisms rutilus), are also abundant, all the above differ-
ing very slightly, if at all, from those of Britain.

Unimportant, and generally despised as these minor
fish are in Canada, where there are so many far superior
ones, some of my old comrades who may read these pages
Avill recal the amusement, rather than sport, that they
afforded us on various perch-fishing expeditions. How,
when our horses were unsaddled and picketed, and a fire
lighted at the water's edge, we commenced to pull out

COMMON PISH.

311

fi-t one kfad and then another as fast a. the most
unreasonable angler could wish; and how, as they were
caught they were split o„on, fried on the wood-ashes,
and eaten with a relish whici> their own merits never
deserved.

A very common and inferi. fi«Jn u^i
., ^ . "' ' "^'i' belonn^ing also to

the Cy,,™,rf.is the Sucker iC.>os,on,us co,n„u«,^, th,
body of which is fron, eight to twelve inches in length
rounded and tapering, the colour varying at different
— The head is smooth, and the mouth protracted

■n order to enable it to grovel in the sand, where it is
very destructive to the ova of other fish.

A frequent source of annoyance to the angler for
P.keand basse is the Cat-fish i&lurus pi^Mus), which

:;, T"7T! """"" '■" """■ ■^'-'^ '» ™ "S'y fooling

" -'T ' "™"' ^"* » ^"=^->' y^""- *n devoid
of scales; about the mouth are some six or eight fleshy
horn, or filaments, from one to two inches or more in
length, according to the size of the fish. These probably
serve t e purpose of feelers, for I have more than once
observed the fish in shallow water swimming round a bait
at the full extent of these tentacles, and suspiciously
touchmg .t with them before venturing nearer. This
reconnoissance however, if s„ch it be, does not appear to
avad them much, for there is no fish more easily taken.
Tbcy are of all sizes, from the length of a finder to

-if ill

I ■'

M Ml

'M'2

srr,uiun.t:.

that of iui arm; very large ones nre sometimes brought up
in the lakes by the fishermen's nets, for they keep mostly
at the bottom, being what is termed a "ground fish."
They are said only to leave their depths when boisterous
weather is impending, a curious instinct causing them to
approach the surface some hours in anticipation of the
coming storm. It is not true, as has been stated, that
when taken they tnake a noise resembling the purring
of a cat; this pee.diarity belongs to a totally different f.sl^
The flesh is very fat and saJ ' to be excellent; but
though I have caught them in scores, involuntarily, I was
never tempted to try the taste of one.

IIP

NIAflVUA KIVEU, AND LAKE ONTAKIO.

•mmu'ti/fiim'iimii*

CIIAI'TEU XIJ.
3l"«cantl)ini ; ^canthoptm ; (<r,nnoibei.

Til« .CK_MUC,«,N,. AN,) UMSUfiC.TATrON-T,.,, VKU,OW ,,,„,„__

lECULIAll TO NOIITII AMKIiICA ITM (-ni,,,,..

'^^ HH C'OLOUK, FOKM, AND WKinilT

-WUKUK .OaK»-«„K<.AK>„„.S C„AHAC..r.K-.ASU,; .UANH l "'

-WOHTHV OK AC0MMAT,.A.O.-.„„ HOCK-nASH.-n. , "^

.T AK„ KaKSn WAT,.-... O..AT H...-MAK.C.KO.S AN,. ,, .^ „!!

T n.: oswKoo „ass._k„,.o,.h conc,.:„x..o ,t-t..k commo.v 1.

-AKKH - ,TS .U.:s.„,„.ANC.. TO ..K,<C„ _ K.V.KU.KNT K,H,r - t, .
TU..OKON_n. .MMKXS. 0„OW..„-A,.nN„ANC. ,K ONTA.UO
ABS,CNCE ,K N0„T„.„^, „.ve.« -STU..OEON MBAT

CIIAPTlilJ XII.

3ni.tm.tl>ini; |t„„(l,oi)(«i; cJnmib.i.

rj^llE Tom-Cod, so,ncli,„c» uko clled tho Frost-foh
(Gad,^ to,„-c«fe.,), the Petite M„™e Fraiche,
iucaud, and Code M„„et of t,,e Frencl,.Ca„„di„„,, i,
peculiar T believe ,„ North America. It i, be,t known
". the Lower St. Lawrence, along the shore, of the Gnlf
■n the Bay of Chalours, and on the coast of GaJ
oveially at the mouths of the rivers and iarachois '
These fish n,ahe their annual appearance in tho
above w.atcrs, in autumn and early winter, at which time
tI.oy leave the sea for the purpose of spawning, and are
taken for some distance up the St. Lawrence in great
ahundanec during December and January. In the lower
part of the Eastern Province they are taken with lines
and nets, and also in boxes made for the puri,ose. This
l.«t named apparatus is u,,cd with much success at
Champluin and the neighbouring parishes on the north
shore, where the fish are not unfrequcntly used for
feeding cattle.

At Montreal and Quebec they afford a very favourite

816

OADJDiE.

Winter pastime to large numbers of all classes, who fish
for them with a bait and line through holes cut in
the ice. Huts or cabans are built for this purpose on
the frozen surface of the river, and to these the
good citizens resort at night in friendly parties. Many
jovial gatherings of this kind will be recalled by
the sojourner, especially the military one, at Quebec,
where they are held on the St. Charles river, at its
junction ^vith the St. Lawrence and just opposite the
city.

Sometimes as many as eighteen or twenty dozen fish
are killed in one night. A great proportion are cooked
and eaten in the cabans there and then, but those in-
tended to be preserved are thro^vn outside on the ice to
freeze, the excessive tenderness of their flesh rendering it
impossible to preserve them in any other way. Thus
treated they soon become stiff and hard, and so brittle
that they may be snapped in two like glass; but it is a
curious fact that the fish thus frozen will, on being taken
home and Immersed in cold water, recover their vital
powers and shortly begin to swim about. This singular
suspension of animation is entirely dependent on'' the
freezing being allowed to take place immediately on their
withdrawal from the water, for naturally thoy are by no
means tenacious of life.

In the frozen state they may be preserved in an eat-

THE TOM-COD.

317

able condition for a long time, provided the air be
carefully excluded from the vessels in which they are
kept. -^

The Tommy-Cod varies in length from six to ten
mcho., and in weight from a quarter of a pound to a
pound. It is a very pretty little fish, and in appearance
so much resembles the common cod, that were it not for
the fa. r of its coming „p the river to spawn, it would be
<liftcult to persuade the ordinary observer of the fact of
Its bemg a full-gro^vn and distinct species.

The Common l>crch of our own country is not found
-Canada, but the Yello. Perch (Perca flavescens)^
which IS a variety, is a very handsomely marked fish, the
under parts being of a golden yellow, the back a dull
green, tiie dorsal fins dark, the pectoral and anal ones
red. It IS common in almost every lake and river, and
takes both minnow and worm very boldly.

Among other varieties is P. acuta, which is found in
Lake Ontario, and in other waters, but among so many
larger and better fish none of them attract much notice

Except the salmon, there is hardly any other fish
that afi-ords more thorough sport, or deserves to rank
h.gher in every way, than that prince of fresh-water
fisli, the Black-Basse {Huro nigricans).

Though not particularly difficult to tempt, it is yet
sufficiently so, and must be approached only with a fine

318

PERC^D^.

\1 m

;* '

1^ If!

4 I

line and a skilful hand. Well-made tackle is however,
equally indispensable, for when hooked it will run a lot
of line off the reel at once, shooting away with extraor-
dinary fury and impetuosity, leaping madly out of the
water, darting in towards the angler, and not unfre-
quently under the boat, and with such strength and
activity as demand all the care and address of its
captor. Last, though not least, game as it is in its own
sphere, its firm flesh and extreme delicacy and riclmess
of flavour, rank it as high in the estimation of the epicure
as in that of the angler. ,

Exclusively North American, the Black-Basse is a
perch-like fish, averaging from three to five pounds in
weight, and with a depth proportionate to its length as
one to three; it has, I believe, been taken weighing as
much as eight pounds.

In colour it varies very considerably at difterent
stages of its growtli, the young fisJi being a dull liglit
green, changing year by year in hue till full grown,
when the head, back, a. I shoulders are almost black,'
shaded off- on the sides into a dull bronze, which again'
merges imperceptibly into a bluish-white belly. The
young, besides their difference in colour, have a s.naller
proportionate depth of body.

They are fished for from the 15th of Miiy till the
15th of March. During their spawning time tliey will

vever,
a lot
traor-
if the
mfre-
i and
f its
own
■iness
icure

is a
is in
h as

g as

rent

iglit

iwn,

ick,

jaiu

rhe

Her

the
vill

!, I

1 1,' '

'St I

I/)

u
<
-I

■r

THE BLACK-BASSE.

810

not toiKh *h^ most tempting bait, nor arc they fit for
food even . Mt otherwise, but they may be taken with
the r,,d from the commencement of the proper season
till the cola weather begins, when they can onl; oe ob-
tained by means of the net.

During June and July they will not only take the
minnow or the "shiner," but rise freely to the fly, and
so long as they are in the humour to take this, no true
fi.sherman would think of trying anything else. The
best and most successful flies, according to my own
experience, are the following:—

Body of scarlet wool, ribbed with silver; with two
pairs of wings, one of silver pheasant, the other pair of
scarlet ibis; or.

Scarlet wool body, with wings composed of two white
feathers from the goose, and under wings of the same
dyed scarlet. Either of these flies may be varied by
the substitution of very light mottled turkey feather
wings.

With (hesc two I have enjoyed many splendid days'
sport in the Niagara, anchored in a scow on the bar of
the river: a soft warm air gently rippling the surface of
the water; the blue Ontario stretching to the horizon on
the one hand; and on the other a lovely reach of seven
miles up stream, the lofty wooded banks terminating in
the cedar-sprinkled heights of Queenstown, and the dark

IS ' ■ i

•ift

320

PEllC^D^,

gorge in which the river is lost. In a single after-
noon I have taken as many as eight or ten magnificent
fish, weighing from four to six pounds each, and afford-
ing even more sport than salmon of similar weight would
have done.

After three years' experience in Basse fishing at
Niagara, I would recommend any one angling there, to
take his boat across to the American side of the river
in preference to remaining on the Canadian shore, and
to anchor under the fort, not too far from the bank, as
these fish always take more readily in-shore than in mid-
stream.

In a place such as this, it is best to anchor, but
ordinarily the boat should be pulled gently along, the
angler having out a line of considerable length, as the
passage of the boat over the feeding-grounds disturbs
the shoals, which will not again return to them until it
is some thirty yards away.

The best hours for fishing arc from daylight to about
eight A.M., and again about three in the afternoon ; at
the latter hour they begin to feed, and up till dusk
may generally be taken in abundance.

In very deep water they are rarely to be moved at
all. I have tried every kind of bait and fly out on
the Lake, but never succeeded in hooking a single fish
at any distance from land.

THE BLACK-BASSU.

821

In addition to the Niagara bar, the best waters for
Basse are the Lake of the Thousand Isles, Lake Erie
and the rivers emptying themselves into it (especially
the Detroit river), the St. Joseph river, the principal
tributaries of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Simcoe, and
Ontario; also along the shores of those Lakes themselves
in about three fathoms of «^ater, and in the Upper St
Lawrence. Though found abundantly in many other
places besides these, they are not known north of the
Great Lakes. They love stony bottoms, and reefs of
rock, especially where there is an eddy. In large
rivers they will generally be found to lie near the sides,
and in smaller streams only in the deepest pools.

The Black-Basse appears to be gregarious, at all

events it is seldom taken singly, and the angler may be

pretty .ure of capturing several in the same place. I

have heard of two officers at Niagara taking with tlie

rod ^ many as tinrty-six fisL in the same place in the

Cf urp of a few hours.

I have not the smallest doubt that th.- Black-Rasse
is quite capable of acclimatization in our own country,
and that it would thrive in any suitable vaters; and I
believe that this might be accomplished with les. amount
i' ^rouble and expense than would U incurred in the
transport of most other foreign fish, or t^^ir ov., and
certainly with the a.nplest reward in the event of „,ceess.

PERCiEU^.

' il!

■rM

Placed in a bucket or tub of water, covered over with a
cloth, large fish bear removal very well, and in instances
where they have been transferred to American waters
in which they were not previously known, they have
multiplied with extraordinary rapidity.

Besides the Black- Basse, there are the Rock-Basse,
the White-Basse, and the Striped- Basse. The former
(Centrarchus ^neus), which is found in all the Great
Lakes, is smaller than the Black-Basse, attaining not
more than half its weight, and is of a greenish bronze
colour above, and of a bright coppery hue below, with
a few dark spots on the belly. By the latter markings it
is readily distinguished from the innnature Black-Basse,
the appearance of which, as already remarked, varies
so much at different periods.

The Rock-Basse bites very freely at the minnow
or cray-lisli, or at a jiiece of " lake-herring," which is
the bait commcnly employed by the Ontario fishermen
on their set-lines, anJ I have taken them with the rod
in this manner almost as fast as I could bait my hook.
They are caught plentifully by the inhabitants of all
the towns and villages around tlio shores of Ontario, but
are very inferior in flavour to the F.lack-Basse.

The White- Basse {Labmx ulbklus), which is gre-
garious, is connnon in som,- of the Upper Lakes, and
especially so in Lake Krie. It is not only a bold bitei,

THE STRIPED-HASSE.

823

taking the minnov. even greedily, bt.t gives plenty of
play when hooked, and is tolerably well flavoured. It
is smaller than the Black-Basse, weighing from 1^ lbs. to
H lbs. The under parts and sides are white, slightly
Htreaked, the baek being of a dark semi-transparent\ue.
The Striped-Basse (Labrax Imeatus), which in Canada
generally goes by the name of Bar, or Barr, though
belonging rather to the sea than the river, frequeiits
alternately salt and fresh water. It is a most excellent
fish, and frequently attains a very large size; several
weighing thirty pounds and upwards, have, I am in-
formed, been taken in some parts of the St. Lawrence,
especially at the Sorel Islands and Crane Islaf.d.

The Striped-Basse is so called on account of its
liaving seven or eight dark lines or strip,., on its sides,
running parallel one witli another from head to tail.'
The general colour of the body is brown above, with a
blus tinge, the sides being bright and silvery. It breed,
in spring, in the S;. Lawrence and several of its tribu-
t«ries, ia the Restigouche and other rivers emptying
t'nmsdv'^, into the B.iy of Chaleurs, and in several mo^v
on the i^outhern shore of the Gulf

"Oswego Basse" ap'pears to be only a local American

ittuie tbr the above tish, although it hrs been described

HS having larger scales an.l ■, more forked tail, with

other imaginary diflerences, and I have met n.an- per-

324

PERCED^.

i ^m

:• li'

sons in Canada who regard it as a distinct species, and
expatiate on its great superiority over all other Basse.
Having, however, very carefully inquired into the
matter, I am satisfied that ihe two are identical, and
am glad to learn by a private letter from the Fisheries
Superintendent of Lower Canada that he is likewise
of this opinion.

Though Pickerel is a term often applied to young
Pike, it is also used to designate a fish properly called the
Pike-perch, or Sandre (Lucioperca Canadensis), the
Ptccarel of the French Canadians, which partakes, as its
name indicates, almost equally of the appearance of the
pike, and perch, though it belongs to tlie latter family,
and has really nothing to do with the other.

It is a dark green colour on the back, and is marked
with a few yellowish irregular spots on the sides, those
on the fins being dark. In form it is shorter and deeper
than the pike, and the scales arc i-ougli ; it has also in
addition a spiny dorsal fin, like that of the perch. It is
taken by trolling, but though exceedingly voracious,
and feeding almost entirely on young fish, it does not
take the bait freely. It grows rapidly, is met with plenti-
fully in many waters, and is much esteemed.

The Shcepshead {Coroina oscula) also belonging to the
Perch family, is a dry insi]»id fish, of a grey colour, with
bluish tints on the back. It is connnon in Lakes Eric

TlIK Itl.ACK S!IKK,1>.SI1KAI).

325

and Ontario, nnd is often tiilcen witli the rod, thondi
hardly wortli putting into the basket.

The Black Sheepshead (Conu'na Richanhonii) which
is only foinid in Huron and other Upper Lakes, more
resembles the ordinary perch in colour and markings, and
unlike the former is a most excellent and highly esteemed
fish.

IJesides the monsters already described as inhabiting
the depths of the (ireat Lakes, are immense Sturireon
{Acipmser sfurio), quantities of which are taken, measur-
ing from eight to ten, and even twelve feet in length, and
weighing from 75 to 100 lbs.

On the southern beach of Lake Ontario, near the
entrance of the Niagara river, I have seen as many as
fifteen such fish brought in at one time by tlu; boats.

An account of the Sturgeon in the latest edition
of the " Encycloptcdia Uritannica," states that it " does
not inhabit any of the North American rivers which
flow into the Arctic Sea, and therefore is not found
to the nor*'i of the water-sheds between the 53rd
and 54th parallels of latitude, where the mean tem-
perature of the year is about 33° of Falirenheit's scale.
It seldom enters clear cold streams, but at ccrtiiin
seasons ascends nuiddy i-ivers in vast numbers, so that
many populous native tribes subsist wholly on the
Sturgeon fishery during the summ* r. h\ most localities

J
1:

1 1

U'= t

; I H

326

ACIPENSKRTD.E.

two forms are readily recognised, by the comparative
length and acutcness, or the ahoitness and bJuntness of
their snouts; but almost every water-shed has its own
species, varying in more or less important points."

The "meat" as it is called, which, when stewed,
somewhat resembles veal, is much eaten both by Indians
and settlers, and up country affords the chief means of
sustenance to large numbers, by whom it is also dried
and preserved for winter use. The "sou)ids" form a
considerable article of trade among the tribes of the
Northern Lakes.

I-aWEU NIAOAUA RF' ijb,.

827

APPENDIX.

U^'trait des Lois relatives a la Pkhe et a la Chasse,
dans le Bas Canada.

^POqUE DURANT LAQUELLE II, EST D^FENDU DE PRENOIU: I.K POISSON ET LE
GIBIER CI-DESSOUS MENTIONNl^S, DANS LE BAS CANADA.

GIBIEB, ETC.

ENTKB

Cerf rouge ou gris, Orignal,* Elan * Che-

vreuil,f Caribou

B^casse et B^cassine

Coq de bruyere, Perdrix, Ptarmigan, ou Faisan
Cygne sauvage, Oie sauvage, Canard sauvage, ^
MaUard, Canard gris, Canard noir, Canard '-
I branche, Sarcelle ou macreusp .... 1

Saumon

Truite

Tniite Saumonnee

Masq'allong^, Truite de ruisseau ou Achigan.

1 Fevr. et 1 Sept.

1 Mars et 1 Aofit.
1 A[ars et 20 Aofit.

20Maiet20Aoftt.

1 Aofit et 1 Mar*.
20 Oct. et 1 Fevr.
15 Nov. et 1 Fevr.
15 Mars et 15 Mai.

* Both applied to the Moose.
+ The Long-tailed Beer of NaiSfe-west Territory, C. Leucuru

l:?i

'■• IB

III

fir i

\{\

'^,'\

328

I.—

Table of Large Game.

OBDEB.

1. Bapacia.
Sub-Order )
Carnivora. J

FAMILY.

3. Rodentia

6. Euminantia

FelidsB
Canidso

MustelidsB
UrsidsB

Sclurida)
Leporida)

SUB-FAMILY. GBNDS,

LupinsD
VulpinsD

Lutriiiffl

• • •

CastorinsB

Folia
Lynx
Can is

Vulpes

Lutra
Uraus
Procyon

CervidtB

Castor
Lepus

CervintD

Cervus

II. — Table of Game Birds.

ORSBB.

4. Easores.
Sub- Order
Coluiubffl
Sub-Order

FAMILY.

Colutubidro

SUB-FAMILY.

•iub-Order ) _, . .,
Galliufc I i;''««'an'd
letraonid

5. Grallatores

Sub-Order ) . , .,
llerodiones [ ^""^^'^^

Ava

PerdicidsB

ColumbinsD
Meleagrinae

GENUS.

Ortygi

nro

Sub-Order
Gralla;

Cliaradriidffi
Scolopacit'.BB

I
Rallida)

Ardeinro

ScolopacinsB

TotaniiifB

Rallino)

Ectopistes

Meleagris

Tetrao

Cupidonia

Bonasa

Lagopua

Ortvx

SPKOIES,

Concolor.

Canadensis,

Occidentalia,

var. Griseo albua.
Fulvus,

var. Decussatus.

var. Argentatua.
Canadensis.
Aniericanus.
Lotor.

Canadensis.

Americanua.

Campeatria.

Syjvaticua.

Alcea.

Tarandus,

var. Caribou.
Canadensia.
Virgiuianua.

SPECIES.

Migratoria.

Gallopavo.

Canadensis,

Cupido.

Umbelliis.

Albua.

Virginian us.

Ardetta
Botaurus

Ciiaradriua

^Egialitis

Pliilohela

Gallinago

Numeniua

Hall

Exilis.
Lentiginosua,

Virginieua.

Scmipalniatus.

Minor.

Wilsonii.

Longirostris.

Borealis.

Virginianua.

829

III.— Table of Wildfowl.

albua.

itua.
atua.

OBDEB.

FAMILY.

SOB-FAMILY.

0ENU8.

BFE0IX8.

6. Natatores

Sub-Order

Anaerea

AnatidiB

Cygninaj

CygnuB

Americanua.

AnserinsB

Anaer

Buccinator.
Albifrona.

Frontalia.

Bernicia
It

Hyperboreus.

Brenta.

Cauadenaia.

AnatinsB

Anas

Spatula

Chaulelaamua

Dafila

Nettion

Querquedula

Mareca

Boachua.

Obacura.

Clypeata.

Streperua.

Acuta.

Carolinenaia.

Discora.

Americana.

FuligulinsB

Aix
Fulii
»

Aythya

))
Bucephala

>»
Hiatrlouieua
Harelda
Camptolaemua
Melanetta
Pelionetta
Oidemia

jt
Somateria

Sponaa.

Affinia.

CoUaria.

Marila.

Americana.

Valianeria.

Albeola.

Americana.

Torquatua.

Glacialia.

Labradoriua.

Velvetina.

Perspicillata.

Americana.

Bimaculata.

Mollisaima.

Eriamaturinaa

Eriamatura

Eubida.

MerginiB

Mergellua
Mergus

Lophodytes

Albellus.
Americanua.
Serrator.
Cucullatua.

330

IV. — Table of Fresh-water Fish.

I «■

ORDER.

FAMILY.

BUB-FAMILY

OKNUB.

SPKCIKS.

2. Malacopteri

Sub-Order.
Apodes

Auguillidffi

. . . .

Anguilla

Vulgaris.

Sub-Order. \
Abdominales]

Salmonida)

• .

Sal mo

Coregonus

Salar.

Eontinalis.

Trutta Marina.

Confinis.

Amethystus.

Albus.

Clupcidn)
Esocidro

. . . .

Alosa

Clupi'iformis.
Prjcstabilis.

• . . .

Esox

Lucius.

Cyprinidro

CyprinuB

»
Abramis
Leuciscus

Estor.

Cephalus.

Carpis.

Versicolor.

Argentatus.

Siluridffi

....

Silurus
Gadus

Rutilus.
Pimelodus.

Anacanthiiii Gadidae

. . . .

Tom-codus.
Acuta.

Acanthopteri

Percffidro

. . . .

Perca

Flavescens.

Huro

Nigricans.

Centrarchus

-32neu8.

Labrax

Albidus.

)»

Lineatus.

Scienidae

Lucioperca
Corviua

Canadensis.
Oscula.

»?

Richardsonii.

Ganoidei Acipeuseridro

• ■ . .

Acipenser

Sturio.

831

SCIENTIFIC INDEX

LARGE GAME, GAME BIRDS, WILDFOWL, AND
FRESH-WATER FISH.

Abrainis versicolor, 310.
Acipenser sturio, 325.
-^gialitis scinipalmntiis, 1(18.
Aix sponsii, 215.
Alosa prrostabilis, 301.
Anas boschus, 1 0(i.

,, obscura, 202.
Ar^'uilla vulgaris, 250.
Anser albifrons, 1 90.

„ frontaIi.s, I'JO.

„ IiyporboreiLs, 191.
Ardi'tta exilis, 1(58.
Aythya Americana, 226.

„ valisneria, 221.

Bernicia bronta, I9(!.

,, Canadensis, 191.
Bucephala alboola, 22(;.

I, Americana, 227.
Bonasa umboilus, 155.
Botaurus lentiginosus, 167.

Camptola;mus Labradorius, 235.
Cania occidcntalis —

rnr. griseo-albus, 1 1 .
Castor Canadonsi.s, 33.
Catostomus communis, 310.

Centrarchus icneus, 322.
Cervus alces, 41.

„ Canadensis, 85.

„ tarandus —

var. caribou, 73.
Virginianus, 87.
Charadrius Virginicus, 1G8.
Chauielasmus streperus, 206.
Coregonus albua, 290.

„ chipeiformis, 294.
Corvina Ricliardsonii, 325.

I, oscula, 324.
Cupidonia Cupido, 143.
Cygnn.s Americanus, 189.

„ buccinator, 188.
Cyprinus carpis, 310.

„ cephalus, 310.

Dafila acuta, 207.

Ectopistea migratoria, 121.
Erismatura rubida, 236.
Esox estor, 307.
„ lucius, 302.

Felis concolor, 1 6.
Fuligulina;, 218.

IMAGE EVALUATIOr;
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

..^•

1.0

I.I

11.25

2.2

Ui 12.0

JA 11.6

Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

:i>'

.'is

33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872 4503

'^ ..V

%'■

^X^Q

m^^^mmmm

, 1

332

Fulix affinis, 220.
„ coUaris, 221.
„ marila, 218.

Gadus tom-codus, 315.
Gallinago Wikonii, 175.

Harelda glacialis, 231.
Histrionicus torquatus, 229.
Huro nigricany, 317.

Labrax albidus, 322.

„ Hneatus, 323.
Lagopus clbus, 154.
Lepus Americanus, 25.
„ campestris, 32.
„ pylvaticus, 31.
Leuciscus argentatus, 310.

„ rutilus, 310.
Lophodytes cucuUatus, 237.
Lucioperca Canadensis, 324.
Lutra Canadensis, 18.
Lynx Canadensis, 15.

Mareca Americana, 214.
Meleagris gallopavo, 125.
Melanetta velvetipa, 234.
Mergellus albellus, 237.
Mergus Americanus, 238.
„ serrator, 238.

Numenius borealis, 180.
„ longirostris, 180.

SCIENTIFIC INDEX.

Nettion Carolinensis, 210.

Oidemia Americana, 232.
„ bimaculata, 23o.
Ortyx Virginiana, 159.

Pelionetta perspicillata, 233.
Porca acuta, 3 J 7.

„ flavescens, 317.
Philohela minor, 169.
Procyon lotor, 10.

Querquedula discors, 212.
Rallus Virginianus, 180.

Salmo amethystus, 287.

„ confinis, 287.

„ fontinalis, 276.

,, salar, 255.

„ trutta marina, 288.
Silurus pimelodus, 311.
Somateria mollissima, 234. •
Spatula clypeata, 203.

Tetraonida;, 140.
Tetrao Canadensis, 140.

Ursus Americanus, 5.

Vulpes fulvus, 13.

„ var. argentatus, 14.
„ far. decussatus, 14.

fiff

333

■

Basse, Black, 317.

„ Oswego, 323.

„ Rock, 322.

„ Striped, 323.

„ White, 322.
Bear, Black, 5.
Beaver, American, 33.
Bittern, American, 167.

,, Little, 168.
Bream, 310.

Caribou, 73.
Carp, 310.
Cat-lish, 311.
Chub, 310.
Colin, 159.

Curlew, Common, 180.
„ Esquimaux, 180.

Dace, 310.

Deer, American, 87.

Duck, Buffel-headed, 226.

„ Canvas-back, 221.

„ Dusky, 202.

„ Eider, 234.

„ Gadvyall, 206.

„ Golden Eye, 227.

„ Harlequin, 229.

„ Labrador, 235.

„ Long- tailed, 231.

„ Mallard, 196.

„ Pintail, 207.

„ Red-headed, 226.

INDEX.

Duck, Ring-necked, 221.
„ Ruddy, 236.
„ Scaup, 218.
„ Scaup, American, 220.
„ Shoveller, 203.
„ Wood, 215.

Eel, Common, 250.

Fisheries, 245.
Fox, Cross, 14.

;> Red, 13.

„ Silver, 14.

Goose, Brent, 196.
„ Canada, 191.
„ Dark-fronted, 190.
„ White-fronted, 190.
„ S.10W, 191.
! Goosander, 238.
Grouse, Pinnated, 143.
„ Ruffed, 155.
„ Spotted, 140.

Hare, American, 25.

„ Prairie, 32.

,, Wood, 31.
" Herring," Lake, 294.

Lynx, 15.

Masq'allonge, 307.
Merganser, Hooded, 237.

ill

334

Mcx-ganser, Red-breasted, 238.
Moose, 41.

Otter, Canadian, 18.

Perch, Pike, 324.
„ Varieties, 317.
» Yellow, 317.
Pickerel, 324.
Pigeon, Passenger, 121.
Pike, Common, 302.
Plover, Golden, 168.

„ Ring-necked, 168.
Prairie-hen, 143.
Ptarmigan, 154.
Puma, 16.

Racoon, 10.

Bail, American, 180.

Roach, 310.

Salmon, 255.
Scoter, Common, 232.

„ Huron, 233.

„ Surf, 233.

,, Velvet, 2d4.

INDEX.

Shad, Canadian, 301.
Sheapshead, Black, 325.

» Common Lake, 324.

Smew, 237.

Snipe, American, 175.

Sturgeon, 325.

Sucker, 310.

Swan, American, 189.

„ Trumpeter, 188.

Teal, American, 210.
„ Blue-winged, 212.
I Tom-Cod, 315.
I Trout, Common, 276.
,, Lake, 287.
» Mackinaw, 287.
„ Sea, 288.
Turkey, Wild, 125.

Wapiti Deer, 85.
White-fish, 290.
Widgeon, American, 214.
Wildfowl, 185.
Wolf, Grey, 11.
Woodcock, American, 169.

THE END.

!■ >

324.

; i