^. ^^<.^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) y ■1^0 o /!/ t*'^ Ux V. 1.0 I.I ^ ■■- III II 2,5 2.2 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 -< 6" - ► Wa & /a 'm ^3 '^■ ^/, on M Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. MS80 (716) 873-4503 L. 1 '# I I i" CIHM/ICMH CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Collection de Series. microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Tachnical and Bibliographic Notas/Notaa tachniquas at bibliographiquas Tha Inttltuta hat attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. Faaturaa of thia copy which may ba bibllographically uniqua. which may altar any of tha Imagaa in tha raproduction, or which may aignificantly changa tha uaual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. D □ D D D D D Colourad covart/ Couvartura da coulaur r~~| Covars damagad/ Couvartura andommagta Covari rattorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura raataurAa at/ou palliculAa I I Covar titia misting/ titra da couvartura manqua r~1 Colourad mapt/ Cartat gAographlquat an coulaur Colourad ink (I. a. othar than blua or black)/ Encra da coulaur (i.a, autra qua blaua ou noira) I I Colourad platat and/or illuttrationt/ Planchat at/ou illuttrationt an coulaur Bound with othar matariai/ RaliA avac d'autrat documantt Tight binding may cauta thadowt or dittortion along intarlor margin/ La raliura tarrAe paut cautar da I'ombra ou da la dittortion la long da la marga int^riaura Blarik laavat addad during rattoration may appaar within tha taxt. Whanavar pottibia, thata hava baan omittad from filming/ II ta paut qua cartainat pagat blanchat ajoutiat lort d'una rattauration apparaittant dant la taxta, mait, lortqua cala Atait pottibia, cat pagat n'ont pat «t« film«at. Additional commantt:/ Commantairat tupplAmantairat: L'Inttitut a microfilm* la maillaur axamplaira qu'll lui a At* pottibia da aa procurar. Lat ditailt da cat axamplaira qui tont paut-Atra uniquaa du point da vua bibllographiqua. qui pauvant modlfiar una imaga raprodjita, ou qui pauvant axigar una modification dant la mAthoda normala da filmaga tont IndiquAt ci-daatout. □ Colourad pagat/ Pagat da coulaur Tl to D D n D n Q Pagat damagad/ Pagat andommagAat Pagat rattorad and/or laminatad/ Pagat rattaurAat at/ou palliculAat Pagat ditcolourad, ttainad or foxad/ Pagat dAcolorAat, tachatAat ou piquAat Pagat datachad/ Pagat dAtachAet Showthrough/ Trantparanca Quality of print variat/ QualitA ir.Agala da I'lmprattion Includat tupplamantary matar>al/ Comprand du matArial tupplAmantaira PC of til 0^ bi th tic ot fir ti( or I — I Only adition availabia/ Th th TIJ w» Ml dif| am bei rig rec mc Saula Adition diaponibia Pagat wholly or partially obtcurad by arrata tlipt, tittuat, ate, hava baan rafilmad to antura tha batt pottibia imaga/ Lat pagat totalamant ou partiallamant obtcurciat rar un fauillat d'arrata, una palura. ate, ont AtA filmAat A nouvoau da fafon A obtanir la maillaura imaga pottibia. Thit itam it filmad at tha raduction ratio chtckad balow/ Ca document att filmA au taux da rAduction indiquA ci-daaaout. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X / 3 12X 16X 20X a4X 28X 32X re lAtaili M du modifier •r une Hmage IS Th« copy filmed her* has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. Ail other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres sion. and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last rscorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol —^- (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc.. may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Leiiemplaira filmA fut rep'oduit grAce a la g*n*rositA da: Library Division Provincial Archives ol Bniith Columbid Lea images suivantes ont AtA raproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition at de le nettet* de lexempleire ttim*. et en conformita avec les conditions du contrat de filmege. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimAe sont filmAs en commengant par le premier plet et en terminent soit par la derniire page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le ces. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmAs en commengant par la premiere pege qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminent par la derniire page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la derniAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le ces: le symbols --^ signifie A SUIVRE". le symbols V signifie "FIN ". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc . peuvent Atre filmAs A des taux de rAduction diffArents Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA. it est filmA A pertir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les disgrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. trrata to pelure. n A 32X I 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 a .« ^", I- jl i Hi Xoinii ;;}r\. .•it«hrf"8ii .,.>< ■ -I, W*tOT«.M. WW. w; inrtt, IVii ri LKr (> »IIWl>riii;H f^UK.-i* ■#*!?« Kr.i TtH,}Vl^A'), ■-«-•**• **'■ - !TH."' 'ti«l» M'n SAMPS( K! vi^^*r.Tn\' I > 1 i . I 232fi94 ■■■Mr /v/' '*V?iit, =\ -^2-\ THE Big Game of North Amertca. I "te ITS HABITS. HABITAT. HAUNTS, AND CHARACTERISTICS; HOW, WHEN, AND WHERE TO HVNT IT. JfDOK John Dkak CatoM, Nkwton HibbrC'Roxkv Nbwtou"), W. A. Pcbrv ("SiLLAUri'M"), Wm. p. Lktt ("Aivn)N(jfiN"), Arthi'h W. I)u Bray ("Uai'cho"), Waltbr M. Woi.ki: ("Bhoshonb"), Rev. Joshia Cookk ("Boonb"), T. 8. Van Dykk, Vm. B. Lep riNowBu, T. a. Farrku^ Db. R. B. Caktreli, Col. Geo. D. Auounder, M. E. AU.IHON, Key. Ur.W. H. Rainhporo, C. A. Cooper ( "Hibyllene"), Dr. M. G. Ei-lzey, J. C. Nattbabs. Ohin Belknap ("Uncuj FULUEU"), H. BlEDERBICK, JoHN FaNNIN, SEROT. FrANCIB Lono, Daniel Arrowbiiith ("Sanoamon"), Cvrub W. BUTLBR, AND A. Q. ReiJUA. Edited by O.'o. SHIELDS ("Coquina"), ADTBOB of "CRUWIN08 IN THE CASCADW," "BUSTUNOH IN THE B0CKIE8," " HUNTINO IN THE OBKAT WEST," "CAMPINO AND CAMP OUTPIT8," "THE BATTUC OP THE BIO HOLE," ETC. ¥ LONDON SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON LimU«a dt. Ounstiui's Jtjoiist Fkitkr Lank, Fi.ekt Strret, E. C. 1890 232694 .^ ifton iiY G. O. SiiiEi'D"- CorYHItlHT, low, "T "• "• All right* reierved. mg UM v^rU Piinttd by U. S. A. .1 I desii-e to expmss thus publicly my patimdH f„ n.y collaboratoi-s for tii« prompt and generous mniiiiHr in which they have responded to my re(pie.sts for contrii)iitions to this work. For any one man to produce a hook of the scope and size of this, would require the work of many yeai-s, and then it obuld not l)e so complete as this. It is only by the heaHy and 8ymi.athetic cooi)eration of such ardent sportsmen, trained natundists, and big-hearted num as those composing my staff, that 8<> comprehensive and valuable a work as this is possil)le. They have dfuie the world a service of givat and lasting value, and one for which all lovers of nature bhouUl feel as grateful to them as does The EDinut. Chicaoo, May, itm. (») •.v>i A'^.X II /V/^1: CONTENTS. PAOC. INTRODUCTION. Th.- Hoxorabijc Joiis Dmm C'aton, It Aiillior i>f "Tin' Aiitflo|it- aud l>»vr nf Auwrk-n.'" " A Kiimiiikt ill Sorway." vw. MOOHK-HrXTINU IN TIIK K ■■ WAlMUIIMIill. " 71 THE CAKIBUU Wiluam Pittiiah Lrrr (•■.(/f/(»iif;iiiH ■). 73 THE WOODI^ND CAMBOU In- K 11. (ASTHiCfX. m THE MULE DKKK R«v. Joshva t'<«>KK (" //-...ii. "). I:IT THE MULE DEER OK SOUTHERN CAUKOKXIA. . . T. S. Van Dyke, 173 Author of -Tlu-Ktill Hunter." >-U: THE roU'MBiA BLACK T.ULED DEER. Thomas (>. Karhkix. 115 THE VlHdlXIA DEEU. A DEER HUNT (roein). HUNTIXd THE I,AU HEAR Walter M. Wolfe ( " Shuihum: "). 185 "WAHBAll-mUl. " 801 w .s. rain-fohd, d. d. nm SKIIOT. KlIANIlx I.ilMI. -Mt if till- (Jrwly Arctic Expe. THE MUSK-OX. •Ui CoI,. OKOIIQK I). ALEXA.NUEH. 'J-17 < mix Hr.LKNAI- ( •' CiiWc h'^tllrr "). •JTlt H. HiEtiF.RIIK'K. :»W of the Greely Arctic ExihnIUIoii. STILL HUXTIXt) THE ANTELOl'E Arthir W. nr Bray (■ (,'.n(r/i.r). SI.1 CX»UR8IXG THE AXTEUJI'E WITH tJREYHofXDS. THE DEATH OK VENUS (Poem). THE KOUKY MOUNTAIN GOAT THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP. («) . M. E. AI.MHON. ;m.s WiLLLAH P. Lett. Ml John Faxni.v. .143 O. O. Shields C Coijitnni "). 8C8 PMB. r.AN Caton. U A Hummer .Wiifoii '"). 1" iUuUcuiH '■). '^ -BAIIXI-M'' " *> 11. Canthki.i,. U>7 S, Van Uvke, 1":» CONTKNTS. 7 THEPEtVARV x.u.n^v/"'m ™^^^'^«^ '. w.A.,.K„.u m THE LV5X. , ,. f,j^„^^^ ,^ "•^^^■'"•'" ■ ■ ■ W,U.U«1..K.1T ivi (HURHrNu THE .JIUY WOLF. I.. S. ,a..k 175 THE Wc.LVERIXE C. A Poor.H r«6W/.„.' " > ITT. THE Mil lM*iT *' Daniki. AitKcWMiiiTM (••.S.iii,/(i»imiERXILLIX,)I8. . Lasu.. Ahbowh„.th .V» K..X.HUNTLXU IX VIWilXJA. ... I.h. M. () Eu...v. .V.M ALUOAT.>R^Hm^X« IX FLORIDA f 1). Al.EXASl>KK HI •H7 Vncle f'ii"<'f ■■)• '^ II. BlEDERIlUK, 308 M. K. AU.IHOS. 'W* WILUAM P. LBTT. :M> John Fasnis. 343 LD» (.••<.'<«;'<"'" >• SG3 f PULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. PAOK. rROSTIHPIKCK, ....... It A uri.i. MiKtH*:, w riKOWKINU OpiXMiti- 3M THK lUTTLK OK THE IlVLlJ*, " 86 BIO CARIHOt' HdKNH. » tt CrRIOHITY HATlHKIKIi " UB THK U1'>K AWAKKXINU. •' US HARD PRESSED " Ki r)EI.nJKH.VTION. ... •• 880 A NOVEL CHASE, • 888 HEiVI) OF MUSK OX " 808 A ROfNULT ON THE MISSOURI " MB THE FINISH, . .... . . " 849 WANTED -A FKIENDI.Y HAND. " 888 CAMPWaRD bound, " 886 AT BAY " 8BS ONLY WAITINO " 408 SURPRISED " 408 POACHINO •• §: I PMC. i tpiMMltl' M M 19B 140 178 IW »6 >74 aso 188 808 aae 840 an 888 8W 408 40« 440 4U8 noH 510 M4 0(U OTHER ILLrSTRATlONS. KLK CALF. ... ''*"*^ WOOI)I..VN'lJ t'AUIBiir . 74 HAKKE.V-OKOU.N'K CARIBOU y. UI'>4TIN(), A I'OUTKAIT .„ • • • uv ON Ot'AKI) ,_ I8r SHII'I'KD . -_ aBS OOATS-FKJIALE ANI> YOUK(J ^^ MOTHKR AND HON, ... .^ ••'•••..., BOO THK HLLTAX « iK CHOI'ACA, ... -.. oil COCdAK AND YOUNd ^^ \VOI,VKKINK. ... _ M UAt'COON, BIO BLOWN (JUT, . • 510 (9) INTRODUCTION. By Jons Pean t'ATON, Author of "The Antelope and Deer of Aineric INTUODUCTIO.V. 18 most into a ear as named I'ies of st-oov- sature. ! cases, i of the ents by le fatal ing the t> lieath. ortsman icientific L'h in it, mill his- les. As he only )ng ago, na; bat, ttention :)f bones, li careful tv of an a prac- general land even leveloped niost of liin meas- k part of lomain of licientists. may be studied with the aid of tlie dissecting knife, othrr facilities are required for the proper study of the mental tndowments of the animal, and for this, observations of the aninuil in life are indisi>ensable. Here, then, especially may the natu- ralist find many valuable le.ssons in the seveml papers col- lected and given to the world in this volume. The hunter alone has complete opportunity to study the habits, char- acteristic'3, and capabilities of the animals whicli he pur- sues, lie observes and studies carefidly the sag;ici.y and cunning of the Fox, the Wolf, and many other animai.s, in securing a supply of food or in avoiding danger, showing capabilities with which they are endowed for their well- being. In the American Anteloi)e, for instance, he sees a curiosity manifested which often leads it to destruction. The sportsman, I say, studies and observes all these characteristics, not alone because they interest hin» and fur- nish him food for thought while on the hunt and for dis- cussion by the camp-tire, but because he is aware that he must know all the resources of the game in order to hunt it successfully. I repeat, therefore, that he who would scientifically study natural history, will find much in the i)apers, written by these skillful, practical hunters, and given to the world in this volume, to aid him to a full understanding of this vast subject, for which he might look in vain elsewhere. And, then, what an array of subjects is here ])resented for study! Every species of Big Game inhabiting this conti- nent is here served up; and several species that do not strictly come within that classification are treated, because they occa.sionally affoi-d sport or incident to the hunter when in search of other animals. Amf)ng the most important paj)ers are those on the Buffalo — now, alas! practically extinct— in its wild state; those on the Polar Bear and the Musk-ox, furnished by survivors of the memorable (ireely Arctic Expedition, who hunted and subsisted largely on these and other wild animals while battling with icebergs, starvation, and death in the frozen North. The Rocky Mountain Goat, that mysterious and little-known habitant If 14 BIG Ci.VME «»F N(JUT1I AMKUICA. of the snowy cliffs, is written (»f l>y a man who has lived half a life-time beneath the shadows of its Alpine home, and who has inol)al)ly killed more goats than any other man, living or dead. Then there is a most interesting and valnable chapter on the Peccary, or Mexican Wild Hog — an animal that few Korthei'ii sportsmen have ever seen, and yet one that swarms in certain portioiis of Arizona. Texas, and onr sis- ter liepul)li(\ Its habits, habitat, and lange are accurately describfd, and thrilling accounts are given of sevei-al hunt- ing e.\ [(editions after this animal, in which large numbers of them were killed. We all have read many articles descriptive of Moose- hunting in Maine and Canada, but heie is a novelty. Mr. Ilibbs has given us a i)aper on Moose-hunting in the Rocky Mountains, embellished witii valuable notes as to the habits of the great ruminanl, under its rugged environment, and with such thrilling episodes and adventures in hunting it as could only have been exiJtriem'ed in that strange and pictures(pie land. "Sillalicum" has given lis a .sttidy of the Cougai', and Nattra.ss one of the Lynx, n»ner before ecpialed by any writers, and which could not have b»'en produced by other than the enthusiastic huntei's and naturalists that they are. Mr. Lett's i)aper on the Caribou throws much new light on vhe habits and character of that strange denizen of the great northern wilderness. lie has lived half a life-time in its woodland home, .nd has had exceptional opportuni- tit's for studying it in its wild .state. Mr. Cooi)er contributes the most complete and comi)re- hensive numograph of the Wolverine that has ever been written. He has lived in the various portions of the country which it inhabits, for twenty-tive years, and, in addition to his own exi)erience with it, gives many inci- dents and anecdotes collected from other hunters and trap- pers. His paper conii)ri;ies over seven thousand words, and will prove of inestimable value to all who wish to learn the true life history of this, heretofore, little known aninud. INTKODUOTION. IB lived e, and r man, )tev on lat few ^e that >ur sis- \iiately il liunt- lunibers Moose- ly. Mr. e Rocky u' habits lent, and imting it inge and There are many other names and subjects tliat I shouUl like U) spt*ak of in detail, but time and sjiaee forbid. Tlie editor of this work has not overlooked the fact that this is preeuunently a practical age -an age of object- teaching. He lias, therefore, illustr.jted his l)ook in a way that he and his contributors may justly feel proud of. Altogether, there is ^iven liere such a study of the natuial history of our game (luadrupeds, and of the tlirill ing incidents encountered in hunting tliem, as has never before been offered to the reading world. Each chapter in this l)ook is in itself a couiplete work, and the book, as a whole, is a most valuable library. Any one of the names on Mr. Shields' list (»f contribu- tors should insure the .sale of an entire edition of his book, and when wo multiply this po.ssibility by twenty-six, the whole number of names on hits title-page, the result obtained indicates the magnitude of the success that should, and that we hope will, crown his labors and tliose of his collaborateurs. igav, and by any by other they are. new light ,Mi of the life-time ,ppor tuni- ever Ins o Il compi'*^- l)een [ the and, in ^lany inci- nnd trap- ds, and Ivor learn animal. the IW V y bk; (iamk of nokth America. MOOSE-IIUNTIN({ IN TTIE ROCKY MOUXTAINS. Hv Newton lliiiiis (" Hoxky Nkwton"). \ Where C'clioes sleep in deeiiest forest sliade, Wliero legend says the chiel'laiii slew his bride, And airy ]>haiUi;iiis tloal from side to nide, 'I'lic nioiiareh of the inouiitaiii ranges madu His home. In coal of somhre hue arrayed, With e3'es of li(iuid, beauteous brown, and wide, Ih' stood sujireme, a liing of power and jiride. From beaten paths a sturdy luiiiter sirayecl Tlirough silent, shadow haunted, ancient wood; And near the lair he came. An antlered head Was raised, the nir wa.s sniffed, anil then the sound Of heavy hoofs Wi's heard, lie stamped — he stood In stupid awe. A > v^ish! The monster, deail. The hunter's ])rize, lay weltering on the ground. N Ilia far western habitat, the Moose usually lives higher up th<^ iTioiiutaiii sides than either the Elk oi" the Deer, thoufih on some parts of the western slope of the Rockies ^ he is migratory, and changes his abode as the .seasons change. In summer, lie is found only in the little i)arks at the sources of creeks, as near the summits of the snow-dad ranges as he can find the peculiar foliage phmts suited to his fastidious ttiste. He will .seek the food he likes best, even at the risk of his life. Shy and wary as he is, he has been known to defy men and dogs in order co spend an hour on the bordeis of a swamp where grew water-lilies and other herbs and plants on which he was wont to feed. On one occasion, a party of hay-makers were camped on a prairie, near a lake, high np in the Bitter Root Mount- ains, fourteen miles from the timber. A lone bull Moose wiis seen to pass near the workmen, and between the wagons and the kitchen tent. His trail was within thirty yards of the fire that blazed np and sent its curling smoke a (IT) i' 1: 18 ni<} (lA.MK OK N'OIMIJ AMKItrCA. heavenward, yet lie iiassfd sldwly al(iii. I was slow to believe the invalid's story; but he insisted, and reiteiated. and 1 was at 1 ist c(m- vinced. The need of meat and the love of siiort combined were sufficient to send me (Men in i)ursuit of a forlorn hope; so. exchanging the i)itchfork for the rilie, I started toward Uie supposed feeding-ground of the great deer. It was in September, 1888. The season was dry, and in that country there were no swamps, even in the tim))er, on or near the summit of the range, as is usual at the head of water-courses; so I thought it not imi)r()bable that a Moose might seek the hike for a feeding-ground. 1 ajjproached it cautiously, and began to skirt the bank, witli eyes and ears strained for the faiidest evidences of game. After an hour of hard work, wading and creeping through willows, around and about the arms and sloughs which ( rept out liere and there from the main body of the lake, I saw a dark object above tlie flags, or cat-tails, about four hundred yards away. I knew at once it was tlie game I was in seaicli of; but it .«I(K»SK-!IUNTIN(* IX Till'. I!0( KY MOlNTAINS. less of I their rve hia „> some ock-like mI to be i\\\i\ was \\ of tlie ■h in ihe proi^'i'ly lit with a l-i»utlt'VHd n((iiiiiii^^- ^ed of ids tlie Weil- l's. ,. iiivnliiVs t 1 St cm- CMwbined lovu hope; ted toward |\ry. and in timber, on Ihe head of i;it a Moose Lroaehed it res and ears Iter an hour Avs. around lit here and Idark object ^-ards away, •h of; but it was too far away for a surt; shot, and li(»\v to uet nearer— a little nearer, at least — was the puzzle I niiist solve. I had learned well tlie lesson of the cunning' of the ani- mal I must outwit. Even if he iiad been Ixild on the liail, in his run of fourteen miles for a feed upon ids favorite lily-i'ads, he would now start at tiie snap of a twi^^ or the first breath of air that came to him from me, or even from the tracks I had left beidiid. and would soon j)ut miles of pi'airie between himself an nmcU 'iiUy stH'ii el passed lin to the )()intnient, Moose, us I, jind the water was [e stoppt'tl tired auain, iivon^h the ' his insen- bhu'k and )i()\vu with were clean, ppioaching e weighed, epticism of 11 and good i,y that they never made t that they ntelope and at mammal •m. lleail long ul fovereil witU I i-oarse; autlcra (81) ff ! • ill! I ; 1 • y^ 22 MKi (iAMi: <>y NniiTII AMKItK A. lat'vc mill >-|iri'iiiii! fjland. Tnixal ^liiiid Inside till' liock |iri"-iiii. lull Mii.ill, mil! covind wjili \>\:uk i-cvci^nl linii. Iliiir lonjj, coiii'M', :iiiil rMtlii r lirilllc. Iiiii,l'i'>I iilioiit liic iirck; colur v:irlmil I'mni liliick to brown and ycllowisli ^.tiiv. Atillcrs whhiIiil'' mi ilic Iciiialc. which Is snialkT than till' niiilc, mu! liuhlcr inlnrc'l in winirr. 'I'lic vcnisdii of the M(i(»sf is uood. winitM' or snTiiiTior. It is coarse-^MaiihMl even iiiorf so than lliat oI'iIh' Klk- but ])()s,sf'ss«'H SI flavoi' iK'ciiliarly ilsowii. I liavc licaid it jtro- iKtiiiicfil musky in llavor. hut the I'licnds of tin' animal — tlic men who lovi' to hunt it in its t'oicst home -do not (lt't<'ci the miisk. When, in niidwinti'i'. tlic Deer aic too l)oor to t-at, tht' nionntaiiii't'i' ^(H's in search oI'Moosr. which, owiiiic to tlicir o;reat si/cand stren^tli. can procnif their food despite the (h'cp snows and Mi/.zards. lie knows that the Hesh of the ^reat ruminant is dark and uninviting' to the eye, hnt sweet and jnicy to the palate. The liiinip of the liulfalo is a (h'licacy widely celehrnted jimoiiu' spoi'tsmeii. Tlie Moose has a hnni]) on Ins nose, and for a delicious m(»rsel it excels any other meat dish I have evei- had the jtleasnre of sampling. The Jieaver's tail has many admirers, and the nose of the Moose resembles it in some ways. l)ut is far better. 1 never knew any other ver- dict from those who had enjoyed a dinner with that best of game dislH's as a meat course. The >foose, the killinu' of which is described above, was devoted to tli(^ delectation of the deserving laborers in the hav-lield, and was, without dissent, voted tlie best meat in the world. Thei'e is. however, I will admit, something in the air that surrounds a camp, far away from civilized homes, that iits the palate to the enjoyment of wild meat. This unaccountable jteculiai'ity may be reason foi- the public to look upon t!ie indorsements of spi)rtsmen with a degree of allowance. The head of tln^ ^Moose was cooked in the best style of the hunter's art. It was coated with clay all over, by rub- bing the sticky, putty-like substance into the coarse, long £ MOOSlMirXTINti IN llli: 1::} |M)»ui»; neck at tlif li'l"*- jriaiiil iuHiile lliilv lontf. nun l>li>»k '"' It'll l« siuuIKt miiui'V. It IMT illi' t(H) I,, tl It'll' l"<'<>*^ ws that tlie , iliii^' ti) t^ie V ccli'bvnted lis Most". iHid (lisli 1 l>-'>ve vt-r'st-ail UiiH cniMt's it in V otlU'V Vt'V- tlmt best oC 'd -above, ^vi^3 (oivvs in tlie u- Ix'st inetit ii, soiuetUing I'loiu civilized ,1' wild meat, ior llie pii\)lic with a degree le best style of 1 over, by nib- lie coarse, long lijiir, till it was inclosfd. cuiiiiilcti'ly, in a I'a^e ol" iiiiid two indies thick. I niiiilit icnmik thai it was iiut |i;iilicularly Wfll dressed, aflei tlie manlier »d' niodein civilized Idilclieis, bni was coated and cociked with lotiuue intact. Tlie pro- cess ol' removing the Ikuiis was :iii excuse lor saving tiie biains jis a sepiirate dish I'or the com plain! iiu' meiiiber of the <'nmpanv. Yon liave;ill heiiid of the ^ie;it dish of brains jirovided from the Moose. TIk' writer who repeats that Well-worn story never knew ninch, ]»ersonally. about the ^loose. lie has either been deceived by the cook, and believed th»^ '•liiinip" was the biain, or he has written about that of which he saw nothing. The Moose has no more brains (in (pnmtity) than the beef .ste«'r. but w ith tlnit sweet meat from the hnini) a (juantity could be ]»repared that would make theuninithited think the head, horns, and all were tille(l with brains. But to return. Our Moo.sediead was coatt^l with clay. In the meantime, a hole was shoveled out, large as a i>ork- barrel, and was hlled up with dry wood, which was made to burn like a furnace till the sides of the oven were almost white with heat. The lu-ad was dropped into the liole and covered with live coals of lire. Over all was thrown the loose dirt dug from the liole, and the Moosediead was left to roast till the next morning. We all retired, feeling like a <'hild on Christnnis eve who longs for the coming of Christnnis morning. When that head was lifted to the temporary table, after ten hours of roasting, it was steaming hot, and the aroma made us ravenous as wolves. The clay was baked like a brick, and w'len cracked and torn off it removed the skin, and left the c. an, white, sweet meat ex})()sed. The flavor of the juicy h mp of the Moose 1 could not desciibe, but it had enriched every part of our roast with its deliciousne.ss, and few such breakfasts have been eaten by hay-makeis as we ate that morning. It is not the custom of the resident hunters,' in the Rocky MoK'itain region, to preserve the skins of Moose they kill, for these are of but little value. They are not II i u BIO GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. r^^l ^^>fl liil'' materially diffei'ent from those of the Elk — coarse and porous when dressed for leather. They are used by the Indians, however, for saddle-bags and for tents. They are heavy, and consequently regarded as worthless when the hunter has a long, rough Journey before him. The antlers are heavy also, and even more cumbersome; but the average hunter takes pride in the careful preservation of them. The largest pair of antlers I ever saw was taken from the head of a Moose tliat was killed in the Teton Basin, near the head of Snake River. When standing on the points, they encircled the tent door, and a man could walk under the arch by slightly stooping. They measured, from tip to tip, eight and one-half feet. The monaich which carried them was a grand specimen of the ruminant divis- ion of the animal kingdom. His weight was never known, but, as he lay on his brisket, his withers were higher than any horse in the outfit. An ordinary man could barely "chin" the Moose as he lay on tlie ground, as the horse- man would express that simi)lest way of taking a measure- ment. He was ' ' fifteen hands ' ' high without his legs under him. In the fall of 1884, in company with a hunting party of three gentlemen from an Eastern city, I shot and wounded a two-year-old cow Moose, in a small lake in the Cd'ur d'Alene Mountains. The ball passed through one shoul- der, and, of course, disabled her; but any man would have been foolhardy to have approached her. One of my companions had a well-trained dog, which was sent into the water to drive the Moose out of a clump of willows in which she concealed herself after being wounded. The dog swam to the little island, only to be driven back into the water. The enraged Moose followed, with lunges that were terrific. The dog was a strong swim- mer, but he could no more escape the mad Moose than if he had been chained. He was borne down, and would have been killed only for the depth of tJie water. As it was, he was well-nigh drowned, when a quick shot killed the cow, and thus made it possible for him to swim ashore. MOOSE-HUNTING IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 25 >arse and ed by the They are when the he antlers he average them. aken from ton Basin, ng on the could walk snred, from uc'h which inanr divis- ver known, liigher than ould barely i the horse- f a measure- is legs under ing party of id wounded the CciMir one shoul- would have dog, which of a clump [after being 1, only to be [se followed, krong swim- loose than if . would have Ls it was, he the cow, Dve. -t The coat of this Moose was almost black. Along the back, however, was a brown tinge, where the coat had begun to fade from exposure to the weather. The Moose, in his best form, is black; but I have never found one over two years old which did not carry some faded tufts of his old coat till his new coat became rusty from wear. A hunter, whom I timidly dispute, not because I do not know him to be wrong, but becau'e Lis records of hunting adventures are widely read, tells of killing ]\roose with a hand-ax, after running them down in the deep snow. This may have been done in Maine or Canada, but if so, it pro'i'es to my mind that the Moose there do not possess the same wild, savage, pugnacious natures as those found in the Rocky Mountains, for surely no sane man would dare to attack one of our vicious mountain Moose, single- handed, with any weapon short of ii. repeating-riHe, and before doing that he should be sure that he can control his nerves perfectly in the face of danger. In one instance, some men attacked one of our wild bulls without a ritie, but it cost two of them their lives. A few years ago, a party of river-men wounded a large Moose near the bank of Clear Water Kiver, in Idaho, and it took to the water. The eager, but -imskilled, hunters rushed upon the wounded animal with a bateau. It was a large boat, and was manned by six strong and fearless men. They were either without a gun in the boat, or scorned to use one, but determined to kill the Moose with axes, cant-hooks, and other woodsman's implements. They bore down by the si le of the swimming Moose, which was kept in the cur- rent by walls of rocks, and dealt him a blow. This inter- ference made him more desperate, and he turned to light. The men w ere brave, in a bateau that would stem the rapids of Clear Water River with a cargo of three tons aboard; so they rushed to the battle with shouts of deliance. The Moose struck the boat with his antlers, and raised it clear out of the water, turning it upside down so quickly that the men were all fiightened and stunned, and two of them were either killed or drowned. The other four were s if "T m BTO OAMK OF XOIMir AMKIMCA. ,(i t: i lii rescued 1)y tlieir coinpiinioiis on shore, after the Moose had been shot several times. These iiu'i(hMits convince nie tliat a man c:in not successfully battle with a Western Moose liiind to hiind — nt l-'ast. not in the water. The {Question of the best ritle to use in hunting Moose can not be settled to the satisfaction of all hunters by any one writer for there is a gieat diversity of opinion on the .sul)ject of guns. There are, however, some essential re- quirements that may be stated in general terms. 'J'he ritle, to give satisfaction to the Moose-hunter, or any other hunter of laige game, must be accurate, effective, and capable of rapid maiiiimlation. Hunters of long experience sh(K)t mechanically, andu't with conscious deliberation. For such marksmen no gun i , like the old gun, avoiii and rusty from faithful service. To such veterans I raise my hat, but offer no advice. Their success makes them honorary sports- men in every society, and also makes their word law with amateurs. There is, however, one maxim that no thinking man will dispute, and that is, that the new guns are better than the old ones, simply because modern rille- makers have prolited by the ex})erience of iheir piedeces- sors. The improvements in litles in the past few years, have been the greatest success of the scientilic world. It is unnecessary to note here the steps in the evolution from the old ilintdock to the i)erfect repeater of to-day. This has all been gone over in other Avorks. Being called ujion to choose the best gun for Moose-hunting, my vote would be cast for the new Colt's Lightning Rei^eater, forty cal- iber, using sixty grains of powder and two hundred and sixty grains of lead, twenty-eight-inch barrel, ten ptMinds weight, and carrying ten shots. This gun I unhesitatingly pronounce the most perfect in balance, the safest from pi'eniiiture explosions, capable of the most rapid work, and the least apt to fail to lire when subjected to the test of heat and to the manipulations of unsteady hands. The arrangements for working the gun with the left hand, Avliile the right hand and right shoulder support it, almost without disturbing the aim, is the most important advan- MOOSE-IirXTINO IX TIIK UOCKY MOUNTAINS. 27 vioose 1uk\ •e me tlmt 3ni Moose ing Moose eis by any lion on the sentiivl re- The riiie, any other -ctive, and experience ■ration. For n and rusty my hat, but )rary sports- rd hiw with no til inking iw guns are lodern riHe- ir predeces- l few years, c world. It olution from o-day. This called upon vote would r, forty cal- lundred and . ten pounds nhesitatingly safest from rapid work, ected to the steady hands. le left hand, ort it, ahnost ortant advan- tage this gun has over any others that 1 liave seen. It enables tht> operator to shoot more rapidly, when accuracy is cousidei'ed. than the common lever-actions do. With any of the new repeating-rilles, howevei'. all that is needed to do good work is good judgment, a good eye, and a steady nerve. I do not believe in the heavy guns of large caliber. Even for a Grizzly Bear, 1 would use no larger than a forty calil)'n'. This, however, is a disputed point. Men with morii experience than I have had use the larger rifles. It is genei-ally admitted that the best place to shoot any big game is through the shoulders. The 13ull'alo-hunt- ers discovered long ago that those large aninuils were most certainly secured by tiring at their strong and bulky shoulders. With the Moose this is suiely the best ])olicy. Their shoulders are massive and their chests aie very deei), so that there is danger of shooting too high. Tlie advice of the most successful hunters, with whom I have associated, is to shoot low, and well forward. A ])ullet through the lungs is nearly as effective as one through the heart. 'I'his rule should govern in shootuig Deer, Bears, and all other large game. In the winter of' 1884, I estal>lished a camp in the Tet(m Basin, at that time an unsettled region. The high, tim- bered 'J'eton liange of mountains was, and is yet, well srocked with game, and the wild meadows of rhe basin afforded then, but not now, excellent winter range for Moose, Elk, and Deer. In the fall, the Deer came to the low lands with the first snow; tlie Elk followed them as soon as the depth was im'reased to two feet or more; and then the Moose would come when the crust formed on the snow in the mountains. The Moose is as thoroughlv at home in soft snow as he is in the water; but when the heavy crusts foi'm, he retreats, and seeks more favorable feeding-grounds. My cabin was the first landmark of civilizati(ui in that now thickly settled valley. We had killed Deei-, in season, till we were sup- plied with meat to last all winter. Then came the Elk, and r ii ls i! i' M i i !■ ill! 98 BKi (iAMK OF NORTH AMERICA. they were so tempting that we were moved to go in search of tlie lirst that appeared. We killed two of the choicest to be found. This meat, too, we ijlaced in our larder, for the sake of variety. A month later, Moose were reported, by one of the trap- pers, to be plentiful half a mile up the creek. The story he told of the great, shaggy beasts lilled us with the ^\niit of the chase. We must have a Moose's nose. No other article of diet that we could think of possessed such charm for our party, just then, .-.s the Moose's nose; and a Moose's nose we must have. The snow was only about a foot deep, so we trampeil out along the trails, in the old-fashioned way, for a still-hunt. To our surprise, we found the game very plentiful, and as tame, almost, as domestic cattle. They evidently had taken jjossession of the winter range tliat had been theirs exclusively for ages, and seemed undisturbed by intrusion. The first Moose encountered was a cow. She wore a shaggy, faded coat and a sickly look, so we did not kill her. She nK)ved lifelessly, like a poor domestic cow. She moped about, and secluded herself in the willows where she had been browsing. We considted, and decided that she mu>st be sick; but imagine our surprise when the next one, a bull, was discovered trying to conceal himself in a clump of willows. We were all so near together that each waited for the other to propose the manner of attack; so one of the boys, being inexperienced and noted for his bad marksman- ship, was detailed io shoot the poor old bull, some of the more generous sportsmen declaring themselves too kind- hearted to shoot a sick animal. At the crack of the boy's rifle, the gi-eat, rough-coated mountain monarch reeled and, with a groan that was ludf a cry of agony, fell heavily to the ground. He was found to be in tine condition for the winter season. We feasted on liump, and discussed the peculiar action of the game we saw that day, until far into the night; they were so different from the sly animals we had hunted in MOOSE-HUNTING IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 29 ) in search le choicest cler, for the )f the trap- The aUnj L the spirit No other such charm id a Moose's n, foot deep, d-fashiuued lid tlie game BStic cattle, duter range and seemed She wore a aid not kill ic cow. She ,vs where she led that she le next one, a in a clump laited for the one of the d marksnum- some of the es too kind- of the boy's jh reeled and, 1 heavily to lition for the diar action of night; they Id hunted in other seasons, and amid different surroiuidings. ^Ve after- ward noted, however, that the Moose, when driven fiom his timbered mountain home to the valleys, where he remained a few weeks, seemed to leave his shyness l)ehind. This characteristic has been noted several times since. There were forty Moose counted near our cabin that winter. On one occasion, a bull Moose passed through Hexbiirg, Idaho, a town of considerable size. He went on through Elgin and other thickly settled neighborhoods. He was followed by more than one hundred men, and killed without more than the trouble necessary to butcher a beef steei. Mv conclusions are. from these seeminnlv conti-adiclory traits of this animal, that he loses, to a great (legre(\ the sense of fear upon changing from the familiar haunts, where he passes the greater i)art of his life, in the solitude of the forest, to the scenes so different in the valleys, when^ ilie marclies of hunger enforce a temporary sojourn. During the winter that 1 was the only householder in the Teton Basin, the Moose became so faiiiiiiar with the surroundings that they i^assed around the house at night so closely that we could hear them trauii)iug in tlie snow, and their fi'esh tracks were seen every morning within easy gunshot range of the house. They became so tame that the trappers often encountered them in their morning rounds, and they made no (r-ft'ori to escape. They were feeding on the dry grass and willows along the little river. They would wade in the water where it s})lashed over the rocks and did not freeze, in search of the sprigs of green water-plants and strings of moss that trailed in the water below the submerged rocks. The Moose would wade about when the cold wind blew, and icicles would hang from their coarse, long hair in gi-eat white spears. It is the delight of the Moose to paddle in the water even in winter. One of our trappers, while time rested heavily on his hands, in our camp on the Teton River, decided to try to catch a Moose in a snare. He i)rovided himself with a one and a quarter inch manilla roi>e, and selected a trail a liiiil » ■ t ^ll ao nUi (JAMK OF XOIJTH AMKltlCA. hundred yiuds from the house us tlie phice to make the experiment. The rope was secui'ely fastened to a cotton- wood tree, and the noose was hung IVom snuill willows, directly over the well-tramped trail, at such a heitihr as to jillow the ^[oost' to pass liis head through and at the same time to carry the lower i)ai't of the noose t'orwai'd above his knees till it caught him securely around the neck. The first night rewarded the lucky trapi)er, inasmucli as the success of his scheme was (h-monstrated. liis work was well done, hut the game was too stron- for the trap. The roi)e. which would have held the strongest tt^im of horses, on a dead pull, was snapjied by the Moose, and the fright- ened beast ran over hills anli tlie water rope of ice iggiiig- a k)g. oose to pull ■e it crossed [rute ever got ■a ring it, no im for years leavy forests s many trib- Moose to be -hunters, in derness, but St) rugged hunters sel- the summit, comparative loose never le more bar- le valleys to ange, so the ame in these northern ranges as they uve near the National Park and in the feM'tiie valleys of the Snake Rivei'. It is upon the trib- utaries of Clear Water River that the sportsman, ten years hence, may expect to find Moose in numlu'is tiiat will insure good sport to reward endurance and patience. Any man who can lay claim to the nanie of sportsman can reasona- bly expect to find a Moose in two or thi'ee days of still hunting in the Clear Water region, either now or ten years from this date. The Moose supi)ly in that wildernes.'. will be practically inexhaustible — as much so, at least, as in the forests of Maine. The best season for Moose-hunting in the mountains of the Far West is October and November, The first snow- fall, on the mountains, may be expected in Noveml)ei', and if the hunter is not discouraged by the hardships sure to come with the first storms of winter, he would do well to take advantage of that season, as that, too, is about the time the bulls go forth to battle for the favors of the females. This is the season in which the native hunters, in the north- eastern woods, are said to use the l)irch-l)ark horn with such terrible results to the unsuspecting game. The horn has never been used in the Rocky Mountains, to my knowledge, and 1 have never heard any such noise here as is attiibuted to the Moose in the woods of Maine and Canada. The cow Moose, 1 have reason to believe, never utters a cry of any kind, here, and the bull of our region simply whistles, like the Elk and Deer. 1 have often heard them make their challiMiges and utter their calls, but it was simply a whistle, such as a boy might make by blowing between his fingers, though coarser, and not prolonged or rejieated. My first experience with the call of the Moose was on the Upper Clear Water River, ten years ago. 1 was in canii) in the dense cedar forests of that great wilch-rness, and was not expecting to see large game. 1 thought the whistle which echoed from the canon, a quarter of a mile away, was the challenge of a black-tailed buck, and I went out to meet him with an antiquated Henry rifle of the lightly charged pattern. The gun was old, as well as lightly r m m\ : III m I'll 4 32 BIG GAMK OF NOIITII AMERICA. charged, and was kept coated with dust and rough with rust by the owner, who did not know tliat better guns luid been made in later times. I went forth to secure \'^nison, uncertain as I was of the accuracy of the siglits, as well as of tJie powers of the ritie's execution, and, hall" in a spirit of experiment, blew upon my hands as I had learned to do when a boy, after I had failed to locate the game just where I expected to find it. 'I'o my surprise, I heard the crackling of the brush within gunshot, the animal that caused it coming nearer. "1 will kill the Deer," I thought, and was soon in position, with the ai)proaclies well guarded. Sure enough, a dark form passed in view, but it was too large and too daik for a Deer. "It is a mule," I thought; but no! his gleaming antlers appeared in full view. I knew the stranger then, but was undetermined what to do. It was folly to shoot so fur at a Moose with that little old pop-gun, so I waited. The Moose came blindly on, snifTing the air and beating the brush with his wide-spread antlers, as if enraged aiul ready for battle. He came within thirty yards, standing with his great, bulky form above a log which lay between lis. He stood stock-still, as if listening, and I feared he would hear my heart beat; but I controlletl myself, drew a steady bead witli the coarse sight on the butt of his ear, and fired. The bullet penetrated his brain; he dropped like a beef, and was dead when I reached him. This Moose came at the call, but 1 believe he would have come at any other signal just as promptly. In fact, I have since heard of a bull Moose approaching camp apparently in response to the bray of a mule. These beasts are full of light when they are on these excursions, and they would almost tight a buzz-saw if it came in their way. I offer these suggestions in explanation of the success attending the use of the bii'ch-bark horn. The Moose approaches the source of the noise in a lit of rage at the intrusion, not knowing or caring what or who it is, and not because he is deceived, nor yet because the noise of the horn is an imitation of the Moose language. MOOSE-IirNTTNa IX THK KOCKY .M(M\'1'AI\> :j3 ougli with f^'iins luid rt' x-iMiison, as w«4l as ill ii spirit i-ned to do jiistwliere the brush iiii;- nearer, in position, igli, a dark )0 dark for is gleaming er then, but oot so i"ar at . The Moose ^ brush with y lor battle, h his great, (. He stood Id hear my teady bead liied. The eef, and was would have fact, I liave apparently s are full of they would I offer these ing the use the source knowing or [eceived, nor ition of the The cow Moose (hjes not grow bold lik<' iIk; bull who is so ready to l)artle for her in the fall of tht^ year. !''iirlh<'r- niore, it is only during one short month that the antlered nioiiarch of the woods is brave to deft'iid his mate Affci' the ruttiiig-season he abandons thf cows, and, in company with other bulls as sullen and ungainly as himself, retires to the most secluded lairs, and there skulks in cowardice -—afraid of his own shadow. All winter long the bulls are found in jiairs or in herds, with no cows or young about. They I'emain sepaiate(l till the calves are Avell grown and are able to run from danger by the side of the mother. While the young are .small, they do not depend upon flight to escape an enemy. They are effectively guarded from beasts of pi'ey by th*^ mother. She will drive Wolves, Bears, and Mountnin Lions in disorder from the field. When a man approaches the secluded bedding-ground, the mother silently steals away. She leaves the helpless young to hide in the ferns or chaparral; and well it liides, too. At the signal of the departing mother Moose, who caresses it with her nose, and may be breathes her "God bless you " in its ear, the little creature becomes, in looks, a part of its surroiinilings, and the hunter might step over it as a life- less, moss-covered stone or piece of wood. In 188'), I spent the month of June on the St. Joseph River, in the Canir d'Alene Mountains, and 1 had there an experience with a ycjung Moose whidi might be oi interest to sportsmen. It is a beautiful counti'y for a hunter to spend the summer in. There are great forests, dark and c(j()l with shade; there are lakes and streams alive with mountain trout; and there are Deer, Bears, Elk, and Moose in numbers to make glad the heart of the most sordid plodder. An English gentleman, with enthusiasm and cash, lilled me with the desire to find a Moo.se in the velvet and in the gloss of a summer coat. We procured a camp outfit, and sought the head-waters of the little St. Joseph River. There we found a great park of giant pines, the ground beneath all carpeted with soft ferns and velvety moss. The f Tf I pi !.:il 84 BIO OAME OF NORTH AMERICA. sun had no power to darken the pale-green ferns, and the wind never blew to tangle the slender fronds. The moist ground was untrarked, excHi)t by rli*- cautions feet of the wild creatures of the wviods, and all was silent, as if no echoes slumbered in those bowers. \Ve spread our camp on the soft, sweet floor of the green-canoi)ied and tree- studded home of tlie gods, and rested. Rich was the ])eace of solitude for a night. In the moi'ning we were longing for adventure, like rest- less si)irits in a new world, and went forth commissioned to exi)lore and to conquer the denizens of that Arcadian-like land of summer loveliness. We tramped far, far through an outstretched, unchanged expanse of forest, without sat- isfactory results as to the finding of big game. There were dozens of that species of grouse kiutwn as the fool lien, with its staring red (!ves and stuitid habit of sitting like a bronze image on limbs and logs, even within reach of our hands. There were other wonders for the a]>preciative Englishman to admire, but he was determined to see a live Moose in its native haunts, and nothing less would satisfy his longing. Finally, when he was separated from me about a quarter of a mile, I heard his deep voice in tones of agitation. I hastened to his aid, and found him standing with gun presented, a model for an artist, demanding an answer to his unintelligible " What is it '." He was pointing into a tangle of ferns near his feet, that was as dense as the rank clover in a rich meadow. I, as with an echo, answered. ''What is it T' when by his side I saAv a crouching little animal, with glossy brown coat, lying low and still as a frightened fawn. We could not at first determine what it was, but its innocent; eyes stayed our hands before we i^uUed the trigger. Xo, we could not shoot the crouching, beautiful cieature. "Ah," said the athletic foreign sportsman, "I will capture the bloody thing! "" and handing his rifle to me, he sprang upon it like a lion upon a lamb. A cry went up and echoed through the trees, plaintive, like the voice of Mtiu^K-IU-XTIX*. IN Tin; KiM KV MolN'TAINS. :C) Lnocent eyes n child ill •listivss. Tt was not roai'sr, lil\f tlif hlcnf of a cair, but st'eiiu'd to havf a softer and more patlictic tone, 8u^j;eslive <»f humanity. Its stni^igies were vain in tlie arms (»f its caittor. It was hfinn; subdued raiidly, wiieii a rusji was lieard. and thf mother Moose aiipcared with a I'ury that made us sic/k at heart. 'IMie mad lieast was siii'- l)rised, liowever. at the nianner of foe slu' encountered, and slie stojiped in treniblinsr doubt before rushin<;' to battle in defense of her itieadim.' ofFspriim'. In seU'-defeiise, I shot the ohl Mofise dead in iier tracks, and felt ower. It would stand sometimes on its liind legs, like a Kang:»roo, and look about, and bleat in that pitiful, halt-human tone, which often caused us to regret that we haen so designed as to guard against injury to its tender body, but it literally "beat against the bars" every moment of its captivity. We hastened out of the mountains with it to a ranch, and pro- cured milk for it. Thei-e we arranged a good stable, and gave it tender care: but it kept up its fretting ways. It would walk from one end of its stall to the other continu- ally, never resting and never slee^ung, to our knowledge. At each end of the inchisure it would rise up on its hind legs and bleat, and then turn about to repeat the same dh- 80 hUi <1AMK (»I' NOirni AMKItlCA. tressin^ adion iind i)itifiil cry at tli<* otlicr cxlu'inily (»f its prison. It livi'd l\v(» weeks, and died of a broken lieai't. 'I'iie Hoirowiii",' I'iiiuiisliiuan ^ave it a hiirial in a pretty, Hliady place, sucli as he tiioii,i;lil it lonued for in lil'e. Near tile noi'tiiein lujundary of Idalio is wliat is Ivnovvn as tiieiialie Region. Witldn a radius o I" seven niiiesniaylw seen I'oui'teen heautil'id laiiis, e\ cry one tiie I't'sei-ve source of a liisjiing, mad, mountain river, whicli lias a deep, locky euiKm for a Ijed, leading' ultimately to tiie same destina- tion—to the great wide and \vindinat not less thiin a dozen or fourteen had been feeding in the thicket and on the fi'ozen swamp when the alarm was given of my apijroach. 1 singled out the new-made trail that indicated a flight in the direction of camp, and started on a desperate run on the down-grade. The Moose will, when chased in deep snow, and especially if closely pressed, choose a course that gives him the advantage of gravitation, if there is an incline to be chosen. I shot through the trees at a reckless speed for at least live miles, but never sighted a Moose. They were breaking a neAv trail in the soft snow, and how they could cover a distance of five miles in so short a space of time was a mvsterv to me. At the end of that straight run they turned up a ravine, and made for the top of the mountain t.gain. These tac- tics surprised me; but I soon observed that they were fenced in by a wall of rocks to the lel't, and the ui)-hill course was the only means of escape from a pocket. From this I reasoned tliat the quarry was hard-pressed, and I used my pole with tMiergy for a long, tiresome climb. I knew, then, the game was far ahead of me, but their course was toward camp, with an assurance of a down-grade run. So steep was the incline, that the speed I made on my snow-shoes was only limited by the fear of obstacles to be encountered. I was reckless, and I indulged in a terrific vuv, barely missing a crag here and a precipice there. Alas! I did not miss every obstruction. The new-made road I was keeping just below me, to the left, turned through a pro- jecting ledge, at a sharp angle, in a narrow cut, and I plunged over the wall. I shot out into the air, and down, down, with the momentary horror of a nightmare! My speed hurled me into the soft snow, benumbed with fright, but withoiit a bruise. MOOSK-III^NTIXC IX Till-: ROCKY MOrNTAIXS. 4] a I hear, tlie head iinid their L-ee going 88 than a k'ket and en of my ed a flight \te run on d in deep •ourse tliat i an incline idess speed ose. They 1 how they a space of ip a ravine, These tac- [vvere fenced ourse Avas oui this I I used my mew, then, as toward lade on my u'les to be terrific n!r, Alas! I oad I was )Ugh a pro- cut, and I and down, mare! .My dtli fright, I recovered my snow-shoes and my pole Avith hnnentahle loss of time. I ruslied on, to fall again within two minutes. I slowed up, but in tlie excitement I ivpeated the acrobatic feat on(^e more in a disagreeably short time. If I had not fallen, I would have surely killed the two Moose 1 had singled out; for I came up to them, and was pi'eparing to shoot, when I fell — the last and hardest fall of the day. After that the course was more level, but I was too neai'ly exhausted to regain my lost advantages. I had run those Moose at least fifteen miles, in snow four feet deep. They were tired, and I knew they were failing; but 1 was even more tired than they. By the time I lost confidence in my ability to run them down, I was very near camp, and I slowly poled myself along to the place of needed I'est, pre- senting the aspect of a hungry, tired, and disai)pointed num. The snow continued to fall for four days after the day of disaj)poititment, the incidents of which are recorded above; and at the end of that time the little log cabin on the banks of Warm Kiver was completely hidden from view, except the shack chimney and the sooty line that marked the direction of the wind and smoke. The snow lay, soft and even, seven feet deep all ovei- the mountains and valleys around. With an enthusiasm inten- sified by the demands of appetite, I renewed my efforts to comply with my t;ontract to supply the camp with fiesh meat. Willi a riHe that weighed nine and three-fourths pounds strappei,' on my shoulders, and a very light dinner at my belt, I again buckled on my snow-shoes, again grasi)ed the hmg, light propelling-pole, and again started in search of the great ruminants. The depth of snow, when one is faiily launched upon it, does not enter into account when snow-shoeing. On that occasion, the great carpet was luuisually soft for so great ade[)th; but I was every way e(pnpi)ed for easy ami rapid traveling. Around the pole I (■allied was a disk of rawhide, stret<'hed upon a hoop like a (bum-head, that £)revented its sinking into the snow, and afforded a saving of jjropelling powei". IS I ■M\ 4-2 JUO (SAME OF NOUTI! AMKKICA. I hiid leivnied, by fonner experience and observation, that as long as the snow remained soft the Moose wei-e loath to leave the haunts where tlie quaking aspen and willow grew. In the region of Wai'uj River tiiey grow at the heads oi the little spring brandies; on the border of the psirks in the high regions. 1 began the task, always laborious with snow- shoes, of climbing the great, frowning mountain. As the engineer works out a switch-back for a railroad over a mountain summit, I wound my way up — how nuiny hours I do not knoAv; but after attaining an altitude of two thousand feet above the steaming river, I could look back at the black smoke from the cabin-fire, and it seemed only a stone's throw away. Yet I was rejoiced, for the feeding- ground of the game was even then before me. The furrows, broad and deep, partially tilled with the snow-fall of a day, told plainly that the Moose had been there only the night before. They had wallowed about like hogs in a meadow; they had broken down the brittle, frozen bushes, and had left the deep-marked roads to lead me to the next grove, a half the pine park. I moved silently, cautiously, and swiftly — full of hope that I might surprise this shyest of game in its lair; but I was doomed to disappointment, as I had so often been before. As silently as I moved, over the most noiseless of courses, I found only the beds and fresh trails left, in a hurried Hight, by two large Moose. They had plunged into the depths, and had left a I'oad such as a rotary snow-plow would leave — ten feet wide in places. These beds were on the snow, packed and hard, in the way to allow them to hear and see to the best advantage, by supporting ther/i as near the surface as possible. The coat they wear, of coarse, long hair, makes the best of wraps for a snow-bed, so that they suffer no hardships from cold or wet. Prom the evidences of hasty flight and speed, I judged that I must have been very near them when they started. Their plunging must have been desperate; but even on that still morning, and in a fleld suited for a nile over a low hill and through w .MdOSK-lirXTlNO IN TlIK UUCKY MOIN'TAIXS. 4'.^ tiou, that loath to low jirew. ids oi the ■ks in the •ith snow- a raiU'oad low many de of two look back jmed only e feeding- 1 with the } had been abont like ittle, frozen lead me to id through ill of hope r; but I was )een before, of courses, I a huiTied ed into the snow- plow lard, in the iidvantage, ^sible. The the best of dships from t and speed, them when n. desperate; suited for a fair view, I lu^ard n(it a sound nor saw the least flurry of snow. 1 felt rejoi(!ed, however, over tlie prospect of success in a run of a few miles, and bent to the chase with a will. The deep, wide road they made led across the undulating pine park, and I followed at one side, straining my eyes to select the best track and to locate the game; but in a run of tw(j miles, at fair speed, only the same new-made road and the same evidence of desperate flight rewarded me. At the edge of the great pine forest, the course led, at a gradual descent, toward the river. My speed was acceler- ated to the limit of safety, but the two Moose had also the beneflt of the down-hill cour«e, so that it was not an easy task to run them down; but I soon saw them pass over a ridge, and knew they were failing. As they were going by that time in the direction of the camp, I felt the thrill of exultation that comes with the certainty of victory. One rush down the smooth slope would bring me within range. My rifle was unslung and carried in my hand as I shot through the keen wind. Steadily I held my course, though it tried my nerve to guide my surging shoes, now around a curve, then past a i)rojecting crag. I was within a hundred yards of the struggling quarry. They were steaming and puffing like overworked engines. They snorted blood from their noses, and stained the snow on either side of the trail they left, but their speed was unchecked. My pole was dragging behind; I was steadying myself to fire, when the game turned to the left, around some over- hanging rocks. The mountain was steej) above, and the river was at a dizzy depth l)elow. I was all eagerness to make a good shot, when, from neglecting to watch my course, I rushed upon an obstruction of rocks, and fell. I was injured, but was on my shoes in a few seconds. Anotlier run brought me up to the game, and only thirty feet al)ove them. I fired at the great bull. He staggered, and kept on; but a ghastly line of blood on the trail told of the deadly effect of the shot. The second shot was aimed at the shoulder of the smaller Moose. He fell at the crack :||n.,| l;!^i li fS ! 44 llKi (iAMK <»l" NOUTII AMKUR'A. of the rifle; but the otiier struggled on, hleedinij, snorting, from a deadly shot through the lungs. I fired four shots into him before he fell, lie had grown frenzied, rigid, and would not fall till 1 api)roac'hed to within twenty feet and sliot him just back of the ear. He plunged forward then, and ))uried himself in the snow. I stood above the fallen monarch, stupid from exhaus- tion, and gave no further thought to the animal that I sup- posed lay dead four or five rods back. Suddenly I heard a loud snort and felt a rush from l)ehind. xis I dodged to one side, the Moose I had thought deatl charged upon me and fairly buried me in the snow. His rush carried him past me, but he turned and charged again before I recovered sufficiently to shoot; but his broken shoulder failed him whea he turned, and he tumbled down-uill so that he nussed me when he charged the next time. As he came toward me again, his eyes were green and his body was all shaggy Avitli bristles. I had, however, recovered my position and my nerve. My aim was true, and I placed a bullet fairly between his eyes. Although the snow was seven feet deep, and this Moose, had a broken shoulder, it was more good fortune than any advantage I had that saved me from being cut to pieces by his feet. I am satisfied that no man can safely battle with a Western Moose, in any depth of snow, with any weapon other than a rifle, and a good one at that. These Moose were both bulls. The smaller one had shed his antlers, but both were still in good condition, and our larder was enriched with a thousand pounds of the finest venison that the Rocky Mountains afford. I ^»*>' snorting, bur shots •igid, and yT iv-et, and ard then, n exhans- hat 1 sup- • 1 lieard a dodged to L upon me arried him I recovered failed him t he missed inie toward ; all shaggy osition and lullet fairly Ithis Moose, .e than any to pieces by battle with ,iny weapon ne had shed )n, and our the finest 3 ELK-HUNTING IN '^IIE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. By W. a. Pkuuy (" Sillalicum"). not ^ONARCH of the wildernes§! Lord of the mount- ain! King of the plain! What hunter, who has sought thee in thy pine-embowered home, whose heart-beat does not quicken and whose eye does ))righten at the mention of thy name! Foi- with it comes the recollection of boundless prairies, grass-robed and llower-decked ; of pine-clad, snow-capped mountains; of sweet breezes, gentle melodies, grand trophies. I once lieard a dying Indian speak his last words, and they were these: "To-morrow, in the Spirit Land, again sliall I chase the Wapiti." Many a wliite hunter, unstained by the vices of society and the snares of civilization, hopes, as did the dying Indian, that, when he shall leave the camps of earth for those beyond the unknown sunset mountains, in the happy hunting-ground, he shall again dnise the Wapiti. Eixcepting the Moose, the Wapiti is the largest of all the Deer family, and was formerly found in nearly all parts of the United States, in Mexico, and in British America as far north as the sixtieth parallel of north latitude; but he has vnnished before the approach of civilization, and is now found only in the remotest mountain fastnesses west of the Missouri River or in the great forests of British America. The largest herds now remaining, outside of the Yellowstone National Park, are found in the Olympic Mountains of Washington, and among t' e mountains of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. There are still many remaining in the Cascade and Rocky Ranges, but they do not congregate there in vast herds, as they do in the Coast Ranges. (45) 46 ni« GAME OF NOUTII AMKHICA. m The color of the Elk is: IIhjuI and neck dark brown, the head ii nhiulv lif,diter than the nt-ck; sides, l)ack, and thi<-'hs creain-c(jlore(l gray: under the i "lly, J)lack; legs are seal- brown; on the riin>i) is a large sjxit of white that extends down on either side of the tail, joining the white between the legs. This white spot is bordered with black on the lower edges. These shades, however, vary at ditlerent sea- sons, and on different individuals. The Elk h:is a bejtntifnl head, small and well-foi-nied. The antlers are cylindrical, with tint's long and slender. The pedicel, on which the anth-r rests, can be plainly seen on the calf at live months of age. This pedicel never appears through the skin in ?^lk of any age, and will vary in height fiom one to three inches in Elk of dilVei'ent ages. At one year of age, the antlers sprout from the base, and at eighteen months of age we have a spike-buck, an incip- ient bull Elk. These spikes sometimes grow to a length of thirty inches before the si)ike-buck is two years old. The siiike-buck drops these horns, not as his elder brothers do, in the last of December or early part of January, but in March or April. lie is proud of them, and after the old bucks h.ive shed their horns, does not fail to remind them of the fact by goring them frecpiently. In traveling at such times, he assumes the old buck's place at the head of the column; and should the band be attacked by Wolves or Cougars, a circle is at once formed, with the spike-bucks around the outer edge, and a Cougar oi- Wolf who makes the accpiaintance of the young warrior will remember the introductU)n to the last day of his existence. In the summer of the second year, the antlers develop two points, in the third threp. in the fourth four, and in tl'.e fifth five. After this, it is impossible to estimate accu- rately the age of a bull Elk, as there is no further regular- ity in the occurrence of points. In some instances, there are more i)oints on one antler than on the other. The older bulls usually .shed their hoins in the last of December or the first half of .Tanuary. When the time comes to droj) his horns, the bull leaves the herd, seeks a ELK-nrXTIXti IX THK OLYMPIC AKMNIAINS. Di-owu, the iuul tliijJilis ;s art' st'ul- at t'xt»Muls te between ick on the tl'ereut sea- t-ell-foi'iiied. ind slender. [)lainly seen (licel never 1(1 will vary IVeivnt ages. lie base, and •k, an ineip- >ak'ngth of ITS okl. The brothers do, uiary, but in il'ter the okl eniiud them traveling at the head o£ V W(jh »"H or spike-bncks wlio makes emember the tiers develop lour, and in stimate accu- ther regidar- tances, there t^r. 8 in the last hen the time herd, seeks a secluded tliieket. and nibs his horns against a .small tree until they drop off, wben he at onct^ rejoins ihe lierd. '"lie to]) of the i>Hdic»'l, fn>m which the antlers have been diopped, will soineiinies show sores as large in circumfer- ence as a silver dollar. These siiots, however, soon heal over, and llie antkTs .sprout anew in March or A])ril. About the muldle of July tbey are in the velvet, when tln^ bull again leaves the henl, and seeks an open meadow on some lonely mountain-i»ejik. wiiere there are plenty of bushes. He then devt all other bidl Elk, strides up and down the canons and mountain -sides, and collects a harem of cows, over which he rules with Turk-like severity, unless deposed by some stronger and more formidable bea-; oi' his kind. If so dejKjsed. he loses no time, but starts at uace in search of another harem, that is, perhaps, ruled over by a weaker Elk Than himself. A battle royal now takes place, and if vicT<»rious. the roamer is iiiler once more; if not, he continues his search for a weaker potentate whom he can dethrone. In May, the Elk leave the foot-hills, and seek the higher ranges of mountains, going as near the snow-line as pos- sible, and yet not so high as To be beyond the timbei'-line. The cows leave the herd, and seek tangled thickets, where the calves are drfjpped. The cow is a tender and affec- tionate mother, and is immensely i)roud of her graceful, si^otted infant. She ^vill fight for it to the death if need be. Should a Cougar or Bear appear, or a Wolf come prowling near, she will at once utter a loud call, stamp her \ ); 48 UrO OAMK <.K NOIlTir AMKHIOA. fct't, and grind lier teHli .sjivagvly. At the sound of lici* cry, all llici Elk in tlic vicinity (^nnd the bulls at this time iirt^ never I'ar awayjconiH rushing in wild haste, and woe betide the inti'iider; I'or, although their horns are at this time but feeble weapons of offense or defense, their hoofs are sharj), and, surrounding the intruder, they Iea]» uiiou and trample him to pieces. ]iy a wise ])i()vision of Xatuie, the calves endt no scent to attiact prowling carniv •', and so such attacks are not fretjuent. Should the cow be alarmed while feeding in -I'any with tile calf, she will at once stamp her foot, and the calf will diop to the ground and lie motionless. It will also "'possum," and should it Ix; liftet:>n south - Ivs of the snn. ELK-nUNTIXG IN THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. .f)l While resting in the middle of the day, they can be easily approached. About four o'clock in the afternoon, they leave the sand-bar, or sunning-ground, and again seek the nieado- /, where they graze until dusk, when they retire to the sand-bar for the night. In winter, they gather in large bands, and are constantly on the move; v/hile they may not travel out of a small valley, yet they are in motion, seeking food. At this time they develop very hog-like characteristics for so grand an animal. With them it is the universal rush of the strong against the Aveak; and if the tiny calf of the band paws up a tender mi/rsel of lichen, the grandest bull in the circle does not hesitate to drive her away and appropriate it himself. The feeding-ground of a band of Elk, in winter, often resembles a farm-yard, the snow being trodden down, ar.d packed as hard as ice, and the trees, if aspen, birch, or willow, have most of the bark eaten off. All the smaller branches within reach are eaten, the animals often standing on their hind legs in order to reach the highest. A popular method of hunting the Elk when he inhab- ited ihe great i rairies was to run him on horseback. He is usually still-hunted in the forests and mountains, dogs being but seldom used. The weapons u.- ■! by the Indians were bows and arrows, spears, and giui-,. Since this noble game lias been driven from the prairie , there remains only the still-hunt and the Indian method of waiting on run- ways, surrounding the band, and then driving them over some ])recii)ice. In iovmer d:>ys, when Elk were hunted on horseback, almost anything in the shape of a gun (or large caliber pistol) was considered sufficient for the i)urpose, as the trained horse would bring the hunter so near that he could place his gun against the animal, and could h.trdly fail to bring it down; but in the mountains this condition of things is reversed, and in pursuing this game the very best arm obtainable sliould be used. True, when compared with others of the Deer family, the Elk is easily killed. A shot that a Black-tailed Deer Ill ill I ''i I I f)3 mo GAME OF NORTH AMi:HrCA. would carry for several miles before lying down will lay an Elk out in one-third the distance. In winter, whtn tli«n'e is a good tracking snow on the ground, a wounded Elk may l)e followed, though at a great expense of tim^^ and labor, and will sometimes be found in a phve where it is almost impossible to secure the antlers or meit, as when Avounded they will endeavor to reach the most inaccessible places. In my opinion, the best arm for hunting the Elk is the Winchester, in the larger bores — 40-8:2, 4y-*J(), or, best of all, the new 110-3<»(» Express. I have given this gun an exhaust- ive trial on large game, and do not hesitate to pronounce it the best rifle for big game hunting that human ingenuity has yet produced. Liglit, strong, and rapid ol" manipula- tion, terrific in killing power, there is no aninud on this con- tinent that can escai)e from a cool, nervy uum armed with one of theije superb weajjons. Some s])ortsmen object to the heavy recoil of tins rifle, but a recoil that is uncomfort- able when shooting at a target is never felt in the excite- ment of game-shooting, and it is evident, from my own experience, that a wound from one of these bullets leaves such a trail of blood that it can be followed over bare ground by the veriest novice. The 40-82 is a good substitute, when tlie Express bullet is used. So is the 45-90; but while tliey will do the Avork, I do not consider them as sure as the 110-300. One of my hunting comptuiions, a man who has killed more Deer and Elk than T\ny man of my acquaintance, uses a 44-caliber Winchester, iModel " 78. Witli liiiu that gun v as the only gun Avorth owning luitil he tried my Express. Since then, when a diftlcult shot is to be made, when we are hunting together, he stands back, and calls me to use the " thunderbolt.'' One disadvantage in using a common small-bore rifle is that, in moments of excitement, the novice frequently for- gets to elevate his sights, and so frequently undershoots his quarry. With the Express, I And that it is aliuost point- blank up to two hundred yards, so that uo olianging of ele- vation is necessary. ELK-IIUXTING IX THE OLYMPIC MOUNTA)NS. 53 vn will lay .;,: inter, when a wounded of tin;^ and ''Z e where it i^ 1 •it, as when inaccessible he Elk is the ir, best of all, I an exhaust - pronounce it lan ingenuity of nmnipuhi- II on this con- n armed witli nen object to is nnconifort- in the excite- froni my own bullets leaves A-ed over bare .xpress bullet [l do the work. One of my iiore Deer and ■s a 44-calibei' jis the only gun Lce then, when ting together, liderbolt." lu-bore rifle is jrequently for- y nndershoots almost point- .auging of ele- ■4 The principal Indian me»^hod of hunting the Elk, in the Olympic Eange, is by driving them over jirecipices, Select- ing a well-kn; nu spot, on a "well-trav'dt^d Elk-trail, they will lie in wait for weeks, until a band appears coming down the luountaiii. The place usually selected '*s one where the triiil curves around some great rock, just at the edge of a precipice a hundred feet or more in height, A scout, stationed high up the mountain, gives notice of the approach of a band, and then the Tndians mass at the lower end of the curve, while others conceal themselves above the curve. As soon as the baud passes these latter, th^■> spi'ing to their feet, rusli down the ti'ail, yelling and tiring guns. The Indians at the lower end of the curv<' do the same, and the Elk, linding themselves surroundea. :ip over the cliff and are crushed on the rocks below. Tli< Si wash is hiz\ and cruel. Sometimes, after driving a large heif some coulee, or clump of bushes; then, the tt'rrllied Elk would turn and run directly up the hill again. The hunter who had chased them down would now turn and gallop up the hill and doAvn the other side as fast as his horse could carry him, and at the foot of the hill he would hide in a clnni]) of bushes, a ravine, arition that had so terrified them on the other side would lise before them again; swiftly they woidd wheel jind head up the hill again. Great spots of foam now clot their sides, and is wreatln^l about their mouths. The leader chnnges his sweejnng trot to a lumbering gallop; the hunter in pursuit utters a ringing whoop, which is faintly echoed l)v hunters in the distance again and again. Soon, mounted luiuters are riding up the hill from every (quarter. The lumbering gallop of the Elk grows slower and slower. Presently, the proud leader falls, pierced by an ari'ow or a bidl; the.i,the band falls into confusion, and gallops aimlessly al)oui in all direcrions Nearer come the riders. ISo well do they sit in the sad- dle, that the horse and the rider seem to be one creature. They rush tipon the doomed l-'lk. Then, the trainod Buf- falo-horse selects his victim .md gallops alongside. If a cow, the frightened animal hastens its speed; if a bull, he lowers his head between his fore feet, and charges his pur- suer. Ills mad rush is, however, easily eluded by the trained horse, who leai)s away, and in another second is again at the side of the panting Elk. The Indian places his gun at the Elk's brisket, and tires. If the victim does not drop instantly, he fires again; and the noble brute falls, dying, cm the grass. ELK-IIUNTING IN THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. 55 ;ht, would ts summit, 'ould tliey 1, sweeping V'lien tliey . rise, lilie shes; then, up the hiU would now side as fast I the hill he other Cover. ;, with their e foot, the other side 'ould wheel am now clot The leader gallop; tlie ch is faintly a in. hill from Elk grows [alls, pierced ■J confusion, t in the sad- iie cri^ature. ;rainod Buf- ;side. If a If a bull, he i his pur- fded by the 'r second is 1(1 ian places victim does brute falls. -•s The horse continues his wild pursuit; the Indian, stand- ing in his stirrups, drops a charge of jiowder, from a tiask that hangs at his side, into each barrel.* Then, sinking into his saddle again, he takes from his mouth two bullets that lit loosely in the barrels. Now, raising the gun in his left hand as high as possible, he strikes a heavy blow on the stock with his right, in order to settle the bullets in their places; then, cocking both barrels, he quickly places a cap on each nipple, striking the gun another heavy blow in order to jar the j^owder into the nipples, and he is ready to slaughter another Elk, if all have not already fallen before the murderous guns and arrows of the other Indians. This was the most exciting of all methods of hunting the Elk, and many an old hunter, who reads this sketch, will recall the wild scenes of the day whefi he rode on such an Elk-hunt, in company wath the degraded, tilthy, unprincipled Crees, wdiose only redeenung virtues were a good seat in the saddle and a bright eye for game. May this reminiscence also bring back the breezy freshness of the boundless praiiit;, when the trembling hand that, per- chance, is now weak and nerveless was strong and brawny; when the step that now falters wiis bounding and elastic; when the eye that is now fading w^as as i)iercing as that of an eagle in its searching gaze. Still-hunting is now the most sportsman-like method of hunting the Elk. True, it lacks the wild delirium of excite- UK^nt that is felt in nuidly galloping over a prairie with such noble game in sight, vainly endeavoring to escape; for this was a sight that must send the life-blood bounding through every vein. Yet, the still-hunter, when he stands over the fallen monarch whom he has followed stealthily for many hours, when the match was cunning against cun- ning, when it was reason against instinct, now has ample Cuuse to be proud of his work. * Tlio guns used l)^- the Creo Iiuliiins, in llic hunt tliat I liuve (lesrribed, wore nuizzle-loiiding sliotguns, 10 bore, uiid had the barrels sawu off until only lifteeu inches in lenijth. W> ■! ' 1 ' i! ik-'r 'h I i i 6@ HI(} (JAME OF NOKTII AMEHICA. The Elk, tliougli not so wary as Vlie Black-tailed Deer, is far more difficult to approach than the Virginia Deer. It has sharp scent, and unusually good eyesight; and, in stalking it, these facts should be remembered. If in level v/oods, work against the wind; when you sloi^, scan every- thing within the range of your vision. Then, if you fail to see what you are in search of, look for a tree in line with you that is easy of approach; make for it as swiftly and noiselessly as possible. When you reach it, keep behind it and take a view, first on one side, then on the other. If you see nothing, select another tree in advance, and keep on as before; avoid springing on or over liigh logs. . If yon see the slightest motion, stop instantly; the Elk has a large, mule-like ear, that it is constantly moving during insect-time. When you see what you think to be the shadow of a passing bird or a leaping scpiirrel, stop. If, after intently looking, you can not distinguish what it is, try and get another tree in range, and approach nearer. Look close to the ground; your Elk may be lying down. Cautiously approach still nearer. When you reach the spot, a covey of blue grouse rush into the air with a startling whir. Fooled, weren't you? No, you were not fooled; you did just as every experienced hunter would have done. Again you i)roceed just as before, dodging behind the trees, with the wind in your face. Soon you reach a pebbly brook. You lay your gun down, stretch your- self at full length, and imbibe; then you smack your lips. Never was wine so sweet. When you raise your head, an odor, subtle and sweet, greets your nostrils. It is the breath of the balsams; yet no balm from Araby could be more grateful. What is that sound that comes sighing like the song of the sea? Nothing but the gentle breeze among the cedar and fir branches overhead. As you step across the brook, you see a track in the sand. You start! Yes, he has been here. Again you look intently. The firm imprint of the sand defines the track as clearly as if it had been carved there by a sculptor. ■■% KLK-IIUNTINO IX THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. 57 1 Deer, is Deer. It and, in f in level an every- ■oii i'ail to line with aftly and ip behind the other. advance, over high y; tlie Elk ly moving hink to be irrel, stop. Lsli what it acli nearer, ying down, reach the air with a Avere not ater would e, dodging Soon you retch your- your lips, y^our head. It is the )y could be les sighing ■ntle breeze lack in the 1 jon look the track I sculptor. A quiver of excitement thrills your frame, old hunter though you are. Then you begin to advance quickly and swiftly against the wind. Recollecting yoiu^ell", you stop, look around, and then advance slowly, keei»ing concealed a.s much as iiossible. The single track has multiplied into many. See, the moss has l-een pawed olf that log, and there a little branch has been torn from a bough of that birch. Yet you move slowly onward. ^ Half an hour has passed since you saw the foot-print by the l)i'ook-side. In all that time you have not come more than a hundred yards. What if you haven't* you have done just right in moving slowly. Presently you reach a little opening. You stand behind a tree, and look on one side; then, turning, you look around the other. What was that that caught your eyeJ Was it the shadow of a birdi! No, it could not be, for it is repeated again and again. Looking intently, you are able to discern, through the tangled undergrowth, a small head crowned with branching antlers. You m'>ve a step to the right, and now it is clearly dehned against the green back- ground of lir-bouglis; there is another, and still another. Your heart gives a great bound, and then grows almost still. The Elk are too far away for a sure shot, \'et they are within one hundred yards of b^'ing in line with you. Every moment you expect to hear the shrill whistle of alarm, and to see your long-sought-for quarry vanish in the greenery beyond. Like a shadow you sink to the ground. Over the sward yoii creep like a serpent. You grasp a stick that lays in your wa\% but drop it like a flash. It is only a "devil's war-club," old and dry, but it has left a hundred spines bristling in your hand. If you are human, you will swear, but softly, and with bated bieath. Onward you creep. The stream is reached. You spring to your feet, and swiftly move, at right angles, away from the point where you saw the Elk. As you move, your angle grows less. Then you stop, turn around, and again, like a shadow, flit from tree to tree. You fear you may have failed to mark correctly. It iilii! my W ■''i; m BIG GAME OK NORTH AMERICA. ill ■i ! lint no! See that towering dead cedar? Just to the right of it is the spot where liis regal antlership stood. Tliat tree is yet a hundred yards aAvay, and between it and you the hranc^hes are low and interhieing. Your steps grow painfully slow. You can heai' the beating of your heart. Even silence makes a sound. Slowly you advance. Again does that, deadly fear cause your heart to beat slo 'dy, faintly. They have heard you, and have lied! Suddenly you stop, then start as though you had received an electric shock. There, standing not twenty-live yards away, is the monarch. Such a picture he is, too! Standing sidewise, with his head turned and his nose elevated so that his horns lie directly over his shoulder, he snilt's the tainted air. He has not seen you, but he has scented you. Ilis large ears flip forward and back. You become aware that other forms are behind him; that other eyes are looking for the danger the i)atriarch has signaled. Quick! They will be away in a moment. Up with the rifle! See his shoulder!! There is where his heart is— an inch or two behind it. Hold but a fraction of a second. Think; some- times he will run for two hundred yards if shot through the heart. Bang! He won't go far. Click! click! bang! A good shot. The sjiike-buck's neck is broken. A still better shot, for he was stopped at full trot. Click! click! See those funny white jpatches that are vanishing, and then appearing over where the old buck galloped; Don't stop to cut the bull's throat. Find the old fellow. What great splotches of red on the ground! The Express has done its work well. Run! you can't alarm anything now. Swiftly you dart away. Ha! what's this; Struggling iu death lies the fallen monarch. Over him, looking intently at him, is a large cow. Beyond are several pairs of horns and ears. Eyes are peering at you from the underbrush. The cow sees you, and, with a squeal of alarm, starts off on her long, swinging trot. You see the least glimpse of light on the ivory bead, and press the trigger. You held just half an inch in front of her fore leg. She ELK-IIUNTINO IX THK OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. 50 sinks down in lier tracks before you liear the report, shot through the heart and lier shoulder shattered. Now out with your knife; seize her by the ear and sLasli her aci'oss the tliroat. Pick up your gun. Now do the same for tlie okl l)ull. Not much bh)od in lunu eh J Well, he pumped lots of it out in making those few jumps. Pick up your gun. Now for the spike-bull. Hark! A crashing in the bushes, and a bull as large as the monarch comes striding along, with his nose pointing straight out and his horns Hat along his sides. BangI bang! lie stops, wavers, reels, then falls, shuddering, to the ground. Confess the truth. You were startled. You are not sorry you brought your gun with you, instead of leaving it where you cut the cow's throat, are you? Fill up your magazine, and then cut the throats of these two. AVhen you reach tlie last 1)ull, Avhat do you see* Blood gushing out of four wounds, and all of them fatal. Now cut the throat of that spike- bull, and sit down on him. What is that crashing you hear among the bushes in various directions? Only Elk hunting for their leader. You rise and seize? your gun. Sit down. You, are a gentleman; not a prowling market-hunter; nor yet a filthy reprol)ate of a skin-hunter. Haven" t you heads and antlers to adorn your home richly, and beef enough to last two families a whole yearf Sit down. What more do you want? H' you are a cuss as writes, you will send a description of this scene to some s].)ortsman's jiaper. You will tell how guilty you felt, how you blushed, when those bright, appealing eyes were turned on you, Avhen their owner felt the cruel knife. (They were all dead Avhen you reached them.) Then you will wander off, and gush about rose-tinted forests, and the winds sighing requiems through the pines. All these brilliant and intricate lies you will tell, Just because it is the custom to tell tlieni. Try and be manly about it. You did kill those beautiful creatures. You are glad you did so. It was a difficult thing to do. It was intellect against instinct. It was reason against cunning. You have won your laurels; and as the eyes of the monarch gaze down 1 ' ¥ > ! 1'" I i ' WW. !! i i I 60 llKi (iAMK OF .vomit AMFltK A. niton you I'loni the walls, yon proudly tell your boys the story. As u skillful woodsnum, an expert hunter, they will always have cause to revere you. If you are hiiutiuiu; in company with others, and are not too far J'roui cauip, go to where the cow lies. Cut around her hock, split the skin up to the center of the body, above and then below. Don't be afraid of spoiling the skin, for, exce})! as a memento, the skin of the Elk is worthless. Then, from the round, cut a plentiful supply of rich, juicy meat for all hands at camp. Then start olf on your homeward way. But stop. Consider a moment. Hadn't the intestines better be removed? Yes; a good idea. If you are a practi- cal hunter, this won't take you long; but if you are a novi(!e, it will bother you considerably. When done, no matter how roughly, you will feel better satisfied. Now, can any- thing else be done< Yes; set the big cedar on tire, if the woods are damp, so that there is no danger of the tire spread- ing. It will serve as a beacon to guide you back to your game, and wall also serve to frighten jjrowling AVolves and Panthers away. To think is to act. The great c(\lar is hollow. A few dry branches piled in the cavity, the flash of a nuitch, a cloud of smoke curls up, and the tire roars like a furnace. Now you may start for camp. Arriving there, you approach with all the dignity that becomes a victorious warrior. When your companions see your load, they will cluster around you. and beg of you the tale to unfold. But this is no time for unfolding; so you calndy state that you are ahungered. and likely to die of starvation, and that a thrilling tale will be lost to the world if you are not soon fed. Then your comitanions will bring forth the standard food and the thickest drink that the camp aflfords, and you Avill dine like a i>rince. After dinner, you will take a seat near the fire, on some- thing soft, with your head pillowed on a convenient tree. Then willing hands will fill your pipe, light it. bring it to you, and vou find that you, who were this morninir abused and chafed as a tenderfoot and a sorrv hunter, are the honored ELK-IirXTIXG IX THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. 01 l)oys the ;liey will are nut t aioiind y, above ikin, i'ov, s. Then, cy meat jniewaid utestines a i)rat'ti- a novi(!e, ) matter can any- te, if tlie e spread- to your )lve!s and cedar is i tlasli of rs like a ity that liions see you tlie ; so you die of lie world [11 bring Ihat the in some- [nt tree, to you, sed ;ind honored one of the whole outfit. Then, as the smoke of your pipe curls slowly upwanl. you will relate, in measured cadences, the story of the Wapiti that fell victims to your skill in the odorous foivst jn-een: and, as you close, you point to the lialo of light that rnldt-ns in the t'vening sky from the great cedar, and sjjv: "Now to rest, for to-morrow at day- break we must go forth and bring in the meal'^aud heads." Your friends do not n^tire. however, till near morning; and, as they tarry by the camp-tire, oft and again is h<'ard the siz- zling of steaks over th*' coals. Long will the flavor of those juicy steaks be rememliered, for there is no animal that iiins on legs whose tl^'^h is so d:iinty, so tender, and so nutritious as that of the Wapiti. Mr. L. L. Bales, an old-time hunting companion, sends me the following description of an Klk-hiint in Sultan Basin, Washington: '• It was on the lii"sr day of June, 1887, that my compan- ion and self arrived at the Horseshoe Bend mining-camp. We were surprise<] to find a good log house, well sui>plied with 'grub," and all the mining-tools necessary to run a hydraulic mine, where we expected to iind nothing but a 'lean-to.' We were on a cruising expedition for the purpose of locating hunting and trapping grounds for the ensuing season. After a short consultation, we con- cluded to send our pack-animals back to the Skikomish River, and make the camj> oiu' headquarters for the next month. •* We were puzzled over the appearance of everything in and about the camp. It looked as though the occupants had left but yesterday: but from knowledge we had gained in the settlements, and fr«j»m a few lines written on a piece of iiaper and tackt-d on the door, we learned that the last occupant had left just six months before; also that we were welcome to the use of the house, Init were cautioned to be careful of fire. With this understanding, we pulled the latch-sti'ing and walked in. when a wild-looking house-cat rushed out. ' 1 ■ ■' i ! ii h'' m ' I ■ I w. 01 HKJ (iAMK (IF N'OKTH AMi;i{I(\\. "In a Hlun't time we liad cooked and eaten .supper, and be^^in to i»lim our luoveuicnis for tlie morrow. My com- l)anion concliidt'd to cruijse near (liiiuj), while 1 was to tul' appeared like a white ribl)()n below. I soon niiide my camp, caught a few line trout, had supi)er, jiud turned in for the night. "The next morning T started early to explore the basin, look for game and fur signs, calculating to use my first cami)as a home-camp while stopping in the basin. The river was low, as the dune freshets had not yet come down, and in every bend of the river, either on one side or the other, were great gravel-bars, sometimes one hutuUvd and tiftv vai'ds wide and one-foui1h of a mile long. I soon struck one of these bars. Elk-signs were jjlenty; also the natural enemies of the Elk, the Cougar and Timber Wolf, had been there. "There were some Cinnamon and Bald-faced Bears, and very few Beaver signs. As 1 calculated to stay in the basin a few days, I wanted some Elk-meat. I kept a shai'i) look- out for that kind of game. I would take a few steps, and look carefully at everything within my range of vision, occasionally looking over that portion I had just passed that was still in range. "Thump! thumi)! thump! Listen! Isn't that a Deer jumping^ (Jh, no. my boy! that is your heart beating. And, reader, if thei'e is a heart in you, and you had been with me, your heart would have beaten too; for what had looked like a mass of dead tree-limbs, I just then discov- ered was the velvet-covered horns of six bull Elk. "And now to stalk them. I felt satisfied that I was, as yet, unobserved. They were fully three hundred yards away, in plain view, lying down with their heads toward me. They were on the opposite side of the river, near the water. You will recollect this was about ten o'clock in the day, and how I had come into full view of those Elk with- out their seeing me, when there was not so much as a twig between us, is something I never could answer satisfac- torily; but T did take ten minutes to get from a standing to a lying position, and twenty more nunutes to roll off of tliat gravel-bar to the friendly cover of an alder-thicket near by. The rest was easy. In another lialf-hour I was within forty I If % 1 'i] nfn m, 64 LIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. yards of the Elk, with nothing but the river and a salnion- l)erry biisli between us. "And now for a hall'-liou)' of cdose obsei v'ation tliat money can not Imy. There they were, six noble fellows, tli(^ smallest being a spike-hi'.'' and the largest a six- ])()iiiter. Do Elk. chew the ciid^ Yes; just the same as th)inesti(' cattln. I now perceived why tiie Elk were lying neai- tlie wate»' There seemed to be a cold strata of air, kept in motion by the water, that drove the mosquitoes fi'om the open bar bi'.ck into the brush. "The Elk were all lying with their heads down-stream. How grand they looked in rep(»;-oi How 1 did long for a canieral There vera sets of antlers there (in the ^•elvet) that would have weighed seventy live pounds. How leis- urely the old chaps clunved their cuds! How unconscious of danger tlun* seemed! 1 leveled niv nlie at the h.uid of a thre*' point bull (being tlie smallest I could get a shot at), and pressed the trigger. "The othei's never ceased chewing iheir cud. They seemed to think the sound luul been caii-^ed by the break- ing and falling of some dry lindt of a tree. A defect- ive cartridge^ Nc, I guess the ^•ights of my ritie must have got moved some way. No, they are all right. May be the gun is excited^ No, it .seemed to be as cool as j)()ssil)le under the cii'Mimstances. I then began to exan; ine myself. I thougut I was all right, too; .so I tried again. "Now all was confusion. Yes, I hit the Elk, l)ut too low down on the In^ad, breaking the lower jaw. The Elk were turning in all directions, yet I kept my eye on m}' Avounded bull, and iired again, breaking a fove leg. A nothei shot broke a hind leg. This kft him tlourdering in the wate.". I hurried across, and as I approached him, he turned his hair forward and nuide a lunge at nu'. As his lower jaw was l)roken. his mouth lookeil as large as an alii gatoi's. I finally succeeded in killing him. I skinned him. and took about forty pounds of meat; and that, with th-' hide, was all I could carry. ^ Ah salmon- tion tlitit ; fellows, it a six- : same as ^•ere lying Ta of air, . losquitoes 'u-stream. long t'oi' a he velvet) How leis- iiconscious ! h.^ad of a a shot at), ■ud. They tl>e break- A defect - litle must ght. May as cool a> to exam so I tried [k, but too The Elk ^xe on my .\nother ling in tln' Id him, h'' le. As his las an alii inned him. with thf KLKIIUNTIXG IN THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. 05 % "By this time thi^ sun was nearly down, and I started for camp. I had just crossed back to the other side of the river again, and had sat down to rest near an Elk-trail, in an alder-thicket, when I thought I heard a light foot- fn 11. I could see about twenty feet back on the trail, and there sat a liungry-looking Timber Wolf. lie had struck my trail, smelt tbe fresh meat, and follow<.-d me. I quietly unslung my pack, leveled my rifle, and shot liim in the neck. As I took his scalp I gave a good old Comanche yell; for if there is anything I like to scaliD, it is a Timber Wolf and a Cougar. The next day I killed six Timber Wolves around the remains of that Elk. I have often killed two or three Ell<. in one dav, and could have killed more, yet I never was on an Elk-hunt thill I enjoyed as I die. diat one. " At four o'clock in the afternoon of the tenth day, 1 was back to the mining- canip, and found that my partner had killed two Bears and caught ten Beavers while I was gone.'' And now to relate another piece of my own experience in W^apiti-hunting. In the fall of 1887 1 went, with a party of friends, on a hunting expedition to a large lake that nestles among the pine-clad foot-hills beneath the shadows of snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains, Washing- ton. The Makah Indians, whose village, Osette, stands at the mouth of the niuon up which the only trail to the lake leads, guard this beautiful sheet of water with supersti- Elk Calf. i.t' 1 It. • 4M mi yfl mi 4 ii»l m BItt GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. tious veneration. No white man had ever before been per- mitted to visit it, and it was only bj^ the exercise of a great deal of diplomacy that we were able to overcome the objec- tions of the chief and gain his consent to hunt on the shores of tlie lake. He finally consented, however, and sent tliree of his young men to guide us in and carry our camp equipage. On arriving at the lake we separated, two of our party going on one side, and 1 on the other. I soon came to an arm of the lake that extended at least two miles into the woods, and that was a quarter of a mile wide. While looking toward the opposite sh ore, I saw water splashed high in the air, and began to wonder if whales inhabited the mystic lake. Keeping in the cover of tlie woods until I reached the bank opposite where the disturl)- ance was, I saw a band of eighteen Elk, sixteen of them standing in a body, watching a territic battle between two large bulls. Although the lake was at least a quarter of a mile wide, I could hear the clash of their horns when they rushed on each other. A grander sight than these two majestic forest monarchs i^resented could not be imagined. Whirling round and round went the two gladiators, each endeavoring to find an unguarded point on his adversary's side. When one was off his guard, the other would rush at him, and the report would come plainly to my ears. I grew excited, and determined to have a hand in the fray. The only way in which I could reach them was to circum- vent the lake; so I started on a run round the head of it. The beach afforded a splendid running-ground, and 1 lost no time until I reached a i)oint within half a n:ile of the place where I knew the Elk to be. Stopping a moment to catch my wind, I could not resist the temptation to look and see if the Elk were still lighting; but the battle was over, and the defeated Elk was walking ui) the beach toward me, roaring and bellowing as he came, while the victor had rejoined his liareni. The conquered Elk then turned off tlie beach into the marsh. As a xjath led from the beach to the marrh, from een per- i a great le objec- le shores Jilt three ar camp )ur party i at least 3f a mile saw water Lf whales er of the e disturb- i of them tween two arter of a v'hen they these two imagined, tors, each .versary's kl rush at ears. I the fray, o circum- lead of it. id, and 1 '. a n:ile ol" a moment on to look l)attle was •h toward ,ictor had li into th«' \w\u from I m m O 1 1 I to KLK-IIUNTINO IX THE OLYMl'IC MOUNTAINS. 07 where I stood, I started on a run to head him off. I reached the center of the marsh just as he emerged from the woods, not more than one hundred yards distant. He stopped, and began to bellow and jxiw up the ground; then turned and looked in the direction of the herd he was ban- ished from by liis younger, stronger, and more active rival. At last he turned and came slowly up to within thirty yards of me. I tired five shots, each of which took effect beliind his shoulder; but the little 44 Winchester, with which I was then firmed, was too light a weapon for such heavy game, and not until I ran up and planted the sixth ball at the butt of his ear, did he stop. Then he reared on his hind legs, his horns looming up like a small tree-top, ami fell backward, driving them deeply into the soft ground. My dog now inished forward and grasped him by the ear. The bull tried to struggle to his feet, but his imbedded horns held him fast, with a twisted neck. I ran up to him, cut his throat, and secured one of the finest pairs of antlers I have ever seen. This was a large animal, and would have weighed at least eight hundred pounds. Leaving the Elk, I went cautiously np the trail, and found that the others were not alarmed by my tiring, but were standing in a group near the place where I first saw them. Creeping up with noiseless step, and keeping behind a large fir, I drew within one hundred yards of them, and, selecting a fat cow, tired, and broke her back. At the report of the rilie the herd started up the beach, with their long, swinging trot, the cavalcade headed by the victor in the late unpleasantness. I lired several shots at the leader of the band. He fell behind the herd, broke into a clumsy gallop, and went crashing off into a thicket. That was the last T saw of him, for the underbrush was so dense that it was ini[)ossible to follow him after he left the beach. My •log by this time had the herd at l)a.y, on a point about two hundretl yards below. Reloading my magazine as I ran, when I came within one hundred yards of the confused mass of Elk T fired a shot at them; a yearling buck left the group, rushed into the water, and fell dead. The band i; : II 4 -^ -.:'> w Mi 68 BIG (;ame of NOKTii amp:kica. ran around the bend, closely pursued by the dog, and in a short time I knew by his barking that he had them at bay again. Running in the direction of where the dog was barking, as soon as 1 rounded the bend I saw a beautiful sight. About one hundred and lifty yards distant, three Elk were in ihe water up to their knees. They were standing in the form of a triangle, with their heads outward, and the dog- was circling around them. Their method of protection was complete; it was death to the hound had he dared to venture within reach of those horns or hoofs. Raising the sights of my ritle, I fired three shots, each of which fortu- nately found vital spots, and the three Elk soon lay dead in the water. As the majority of the herd had run up the Elk-trail which wound, broad and well defined, up the banks of a creek that emi)tied into the lake at this point, I started in pursuit. I had not gone far when I heard the dog barking, and a few moments later an Elk came rushing down the trail, with the dog howling at his heels. I sprang into the bushes, and holding my rifle at my hip, fired, striking him in the heart. He was so near me that the burning i)owder singed the hair on his side. After I cut his throat, the dog lapped the blood, and then started off into the bushes. As it was near sunset, I concluded not to venture farther in the woods, but to sit down on a log and rest. In a short time I imagined I could hear the dog baying faintly. Tlip sound gradually drew nearer, and at last I could hear ;i great crashing in the bushes. This finally ceased, and all was still save the distant baying of tlie dog. AVhile watch- ing the trail intently, I saw a large object come swimming down the creek. I stepped toward it, when it saw mr. turned, swam to the other side, and began to ascend the bank. This proved to be another Elk, and with three tell- ing shots I brought it down. I now walked down the lake, and on rounding a bend in the shore saw a camp-fire blazing, half a mile below. I went to it. and found mv friends bivouacked for the night. Thev -m JCLK-IHXTINO IX TlIK OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. (i9 had also been fortunate enough to kill three Elk. We liacl no desire to kill more, and early the next morning dis- patched a runner to the Indian village for men to come and cai ly in the meat. ^Vllile \ve were engaged in skinning and quartering the game, toward noon a shout heralded the approaoli of a l)hito()n of dusky packers, and before sundown we were at the village with all onr trophies. We gave the natives nnarly all the meat, we reserving but a small quantity of that, together with the heads and skins. 1 I ! i i' % J THE WAPITI {Cei-ms Canadensis). By WAnnAii-Mi-.Mi. ROWNED king of hill and woodland green ! With lionis branching wide, In majesty he bounds along, Peerless in antler'd pride ! lie stands in beauty all alone, " The monarch of tlie glen " — A giant, dwarting into naught The lordliest stag of ten. The Elk of Scandinavia's hills. His congener, the !Moose, Tl>e graceful red Virginia Deer, The &nnl)uv and the Rune, The gentle, smooth-horned Caribou, The Reindeer, tame or free, The Fallow, nor the Axis-buck, Can match the Wapiti! i ! The springing Black-tail of the wood, The White:tail of the plain. The Mule-Deer and tall forest stag. May flaunt their forms in vain — Hum, Tarandus, liusina. Aires and Ringifer, Sink into insignificance Before this conqueror. On Ottawa's shores he roamed of old. Before the white man came. To cut the shadowy forests down, And frighten back the game. He's going, like the Indian race, Toward the setting sun. And yet he finds no resting-place From the hunter's deadly gun. (71 J m^f ::fti 72 IJKl (JAMK (»K NOKTII AMKHICA. The pldwsliiiri' turns iij) liis iKiriis — Gniud icllcMof the piisll— Coeval with the iniglity tree* Which heiit l)eiiLiith the liliwt; » C'Deval with the stately trihes Which trod the Ottawu's shore, Who, with our fadiug forestn, Shall soon be seen no more. THE rARIBOU. T3y William Pittmax Lett ( " Aloonqiin " ). fllE Woodland VarWitnii Jtnni/ifi r y'/rr/z^r///*?) is simi- lar, in t'eneric character and Tonn, to the Barren- ground Carilxm, but averages nearly twice as hiige, «r(^» and lias shorter and stouter horns in prt)poi'tlon to its size. It inhaliits Ltfihnidor and Northern Canada, and thence may be found south to Xova Scotia, New Bruns- Avick, and Newfoundland, the northern part of the State of Elaine, and Lower Canada on lK>th sides of the St. Law- leiice; thence westerh'. in the country north of Quebec, to the vicinity of Liike Sujierior. It never migrates toward the north in sunnner, as is the habit of the T((raii(Ji(S Arcficus, but makes its miirration in a southei'ly direc- tion. In this jtarticularit acts in a manner directly oppo- site to the course pursue^l V)y the smaller s])e('ies. Following is the description given of this Beer by Audu- l)on: Larger and less gruceful than ihe ciimmon American Deer. Body short and heavy; neek stout; hoofs thin aotl tiattened, broad and spreading, exca- vated or concave beneath; acooxuy lMx>rs large and tldn; legs short ; no gland- ular oi)ening, and scarcely a perx^piible iniifT tuft on tJie hind leg-*; nose smiifwliat like tiiat of a cow, but fully covered with soft hairs nf a somewhat moderate length; no beard, but on !Le under side of the neck a line of hairs, aliout four inches in length, hanging down in a longitudinal direction; ears small, blunt, and oval, thickly c-'iverwl with hair on both surfaces. Horns one foot three and a half inches in height, slender, one with two and the otlier with one prong; prongs about five inches long; hair soft and woolly underneath, the longer hairs, like \b'r* of the Antelope, crimped or waved, and about one to one and a lialf inches long. At the roots the hairs are whiiirh. bt*oming brownish -gray, and at the tops light dun-gray, whiter on the neck than elsewhere; nose, ears, and outer sur- f;ue of legs brownish; a sliglit shade of the Sijme tinge behind the forelegs. Hoofs black, and throat dullwhii*; a faint whitisli patch on the side of the shoulders; forehead brownisL-white: tail white, with a shade of brown at the root C:3> ■■ : ,1 :, "" ill 74 lira (lAMK OK NctKIII AMKItlt'A. uiiil oil tli(' wliiilcuppur siirfiici;; oiilNidc of lev's liniwii; a liiiml of wliilc iiroiind all the IcfTs iirljoinliii.' the lionfs, mill cxlcndiiig to the siiiiill siiondary lioofst; horns jillowMilniiwii, worn white in jiliites. Tliis (Icscriiition is, in tlif- in;iin, ronwt, Tlif latlipr arbitniiy (liint'iision.s ^ivcn of the lioni.s is scai-ct'ly l»orne out or corrobomlecl by tlie practical iiatui'alist liiiowii as Woodland Caribou. tlift liunter. Tlie horns measured by Audubon for this description were probably those of a female, which are much smaller than the antlers of the male. I have two sets of horns of the Woodland Caribou, l)otli of which came from the vicinity of the Kakabonga Lake, above the Desert, on the (ratineau River. They are singularly dissimilar in ajjpearance, and, from the size, I judge that both belong to male heads. •5 THE CAUTBof, 75 I s!i\v a pair ol" (Jarilxjii-horns some years ngo wltich weie iiiuch luiger, more massive and wide-spreading, and liad many more and longer prongs, tiian eirlier of these, liil^f cvciy other variety ol" the genus rVyvvVA/, tlie horns of the (Jariboii are ih'cidnoiis. (^aribon drop tlicii" iioins between tlie first of Jannaiy and tlie end of iA'l)ruary. The new liorn.s then commence growing sh)wly until tin* advent of wai'in spring weatlirr, when they slioot up witli amazing rapidity, and reach their full si/e by the first of September. They are then covered with velvet, which the aninuil gets rid of by rubbing them against small trees. Both male and female of this species have horns. Those of the J'emale are much iiuer and lighter than the horns of the male. I saw, recently, a beauti- ful I'enmle Cavibou-head, which was killed in .Fanuary, and I have, also, the head of a tine doe, killed within the month of .Tanuaiy, ISi»(», from which the horns had disappeared, leaving the usual indications in the skull that the antlers had dropped naturally. I shall refei-, further on, to the largest Woodland Caribou ever killed in this countiy, whicli carried the grandest set of antlers I have ever seen. The height of a full-grown Woodland Caribou is about four and a half feet, and the weight of its carcass about three hundred and iil'ty pounds. Large l)ucks ire occasion- ally met with that weigh nearly four hundred iwuuds. The food of the Caribou consists of mosses, lichens, and creej)- ing i)lants found in the swamps in summer, and in seardi of which, and certain grasses, it ])aws up the snow with its broad hoofs in winter. The tlesh when fat is most deli- cious venison; wIumi lean, it is dry and insipid. The Cari- bou is the fleetest of American Deer. In galloping it makes most extraordinary bounds. As a trotteA the slow-uoing two-tifteen horse that might attempt to compete with him would be simply nowhere. Like his useful congener — some authorities believe them to be of the same species — the Reindeer of Northern Europe, the Caribou is possessed of great powers of endur- i! ti i i!l. -i;: ,! Im r6 liKi (i.VMK Hi' NdlMlI AMEUU'A. ii !i: Mt: nurt'. iiiaiiy tiiut's f'sciipin^j;' I'ioim iln' Iiidiitii IjuiitiTs nfter tlu- Hifi^niH ami stai'vnfion inseiiantV)]^ from four or tiv« (lays (if a re iitimicil followin.ir-up hunt. Wlien the liuntf^d iiniiiial ^'Hts iipoii uiaiv-icc. ovt'i wliich li<- can trot at a rate tliat -.v(»iil(l iloiihlt' tii)oii tli<' tlt'etest skater, tin- luintt'r is oliliLrt'fl to ahainloM tlu' ciiase. Tlif t'ariboii is ;i ,shy and exceedingly wary animal, and is most difliciilt to still-iiun!; neitliei' can he be successfully liunted in deei) snow, he being enabled to go ovei- its sur- face, ui)on his broad, tlat hoofs, like a hare. So far as I have been able to learii, it is oidy time lost .o attemjit to hunt the (jariboii with dogs. The hounds might follow the scent, but they would scarcely ever be in at ;h ^ death, as it !:. a wt'll-known fa-t that dogs can not drive them to Avater. They ar*-, however, successfully still-hunted by Indians, and also by white humers skilled in the craft. Large numlx'i's of them are sometimes slaughvered. when discovered swinnnl'ig across a. lake or river, m ilieir migra- tions. I have heard of fourteen having been killed l)y a citinp of Indians, as they were crossing the River du Lievers. in a few minutes. The Caribou i^ still to be found in considerable numbers nn the last-nan-ed river as close as sixty or seventy miles from its confluence with the Ottawa; also on the Gatineau Rixrr I'bove the Desert, and in more limited numbers above Pembroke, in the neighborhood of lihick River, and on the shores of Lake Jsipissing. They are also plentilul on both sides of the St. Lawrence, beyond Riviere du Loup, below Quebec, and are abundant on the northern shores of Lake Supierioi'. 1 have no recollection of Ca)ibou having been niet with in any numbers on the south shores of the Ottawa River. Odd ones have been occasionally .seen many years ago. In each of such cases the aninuils had evidently strayed from the north side, which has always been their true and natui'al habitat. '''he skin of the Caribou, wnen tanned, is made into moc- casins, and in the ra-w state is used in the manufacture of snow-shoes. Ic is line, thin, tough, and dr-able. Frank I ! /« TIIF. ( AKIIiiir 77 I'lUTosttM' has (If'S(M'il)tMl huiiiiim- tai- Woodland Caiilxtii in tilt; following ti-rnis: As to its liuliits, wliilc lln' Laiiland 111' Sihormii Rciixlcci- i^ llir liiini'-ii ;iiul must (Idiilo of its L'ciius, tlic Aiut'iii mm ( Miiboii i- llic Hen i-^l, llci'icst, wilor^l, .slivist, aiul niosl uiit:iniiilili'; ^^o imiu li >o tliiit lluy iili- t:iiily piirsiuil liy wliili> liiiiitt i>, or shot liy thciii, I'Xcipl !!ii"n.;li cmsumI good foriiiiif, IiuUmiis nUine liMving the iKitiuiiic iuul iiisliiutivi' ('.mH which ciialili >> tlirm Io iiawl uhsicmi, iiii-MKlt— for till' liosi.' of llif ( 'iiiitioii cMii (hti( I liu' siii:illisi laiiit iiiioii llii' nil', of iiiiyiiiiiii; Iminaii, at least two mik's up wiml of him— ami uiisiisiu'cti cl. If 111- takes alarm, and starts on the run, no one driams of pursuing. As well put sue till' wind, of wliich no man kiioweth whence it cometh or whitlierit goetli, Siiow-slioes against iiiin. alone, avail little; for, proppid up on the hroad, natural snow-sliois of his lung, elastic |)a>leriis and widcclifl, clacking hoofs, he shoots over the crust of the dci'iiist drifts uiihrokeii, in wiiicli the lordly Moose would soon lioundcr, siHUildcrdeep, if hard press<'d, and tiie gracefid Deer would fall despairii.'/, and Ideal in vain for mercy, Jjut he. the ship of the winter wilderness, cutstrips tin wind among his native pines aiui taiiiaraeks — even us the desert ship, the Dromedary, miitrots the red simoom oil the terrible Sahara; and when ouce started, ma;- he seen no more hy human ej'es, nor run down hy the llectest feet of men— not if tin y pursue him from their nightly easual camps unwearied, following liis trail liy the day, liy the week, by the montli, till a fresh snow effaces his tracks and leaves the luuiler at la^t as he was at the first of the chase, loss only the fatigue, the disapi)oint- ineiit, and the folly. While \ve luivt? no liistorical record of the Woodland Cai'iltou ever having- been fonnd in any t'onsitlt'ral)le nnm- bers on the wouth .shore of the Ottawa, I thiuk thert* <';in be little donbt of its having benn qnite plentiful on the north .side of the stream, within ;i few miles of its ))anks, in the l)ast. As mentioned before, stray members of the family have been, to my own knowledge, seen on the ,sonth side of the Ottawa, one ha\ing been killed at L'Origintil about twenty-five years ago. The Caribou migrate.s in herds of from ten. to one. two. ev^n five hundred: and it is ji notable i'tict that a concealed hunter, with the wind in his favor, if he doe.s not show himself, has ammunition enough, a good rifie, tind the m:in beh'nd it is llu^ riglit m:in in the right placi'. can slaughter ;r wiiole herd. Under ordinary conditions, the Woodland Caribon is the most di.thciilt to approach of all the Deer g(?nus; but wdien accidenttilly encountered, under circum- stances such as I htive mentioned, the tmimals seem to be 4{. 78 Wir OAMK <>!" Ni.lfTir AMERICA. (■i>iiii»lHtely panic-fstrickHii mikI unul)lf' to make any attempt t<» t'scaiH'. I^'^l)|•(■tin^• iutt only tlif ililftM'emv in size between the Aiftic ;iii;ni\. The BaiTen-groiind Caribou Ims liorus sut-cpiim liarkwnid with a long, grace- ful curvf. usually with few points twcept near the suniniit or crown, which bends forward. The antlers of this species arc small in diameter, almost round, and uniform in thick- ness up lo t lie palmatiou at 1 lie crown; and, u. it withstanding their great length and general extent, ai'e not mucii more than one half the weight, of those of the Woodland Caribou, The horns of the Woodland Caribou are shorter in the beam, flatter, more mass'.ie in build, more vertical and erect in jiositiou, and very Jiiuch heavier and thicker than are those of his les.ser congener. Jiesides, they biancli otF on both sides, a short distance fi'om the .skull, or .somewhat faintly defined burr, into extensive iialmations, with many jioiuts around the npiier and outer edges. In both s[)ecie.s the horns are smooth and of a yellowish- brown color. In the strange and almo.st grotesqne tortuosi- tie.s of the brow antler.s, they are singnlarly beantiful and interesting. In rouchiiui' u[)on the ])oints of difference between the Arctic and Woodland species, 1 shall have occasion, in a snb.secpient stage of my subject, to refer to the positive difference in the antlers, as being, in my ()l>inion. sufficiently well defined to indicatt^ a distinctness of species. While on this subject, or rather on that of horns, I may mention an incident related by an old to//ar/ei/r of the times of Doctor Kane, Captain Biick, and Sir John Franklin. While traveling in the habitat of the Barren-ground Caribon, he relates that he found the carcasses of two large bucks with horns interlocked, having become so while fighting. The skeletons only were to be seen, the Wolves and Foxes having eaten all the flesh. This, as the reader is aware, is a com- mon occurrence amongst every species of the genus Ctnu'die. !? !1 TIIK CAlMIior. 7t EvHii tilt' males oi tlu' giaui Mouse have frequent and deadly combats. It may not be out of jilace to state lit>re that the 'Moose has fre(itiently lu-en vanquished liy tlie buck of the \'iii:ini;i sjiecies. The cuntlk't soon ends when the red l)nclv is a s]iike-h(nn. The Woodland Caribou, altliorifjh somewhat more shy and wary than its sinallrr congener of the Arctic^ wastes, is, nevertheless, uiuler certain conditions, a very stupid animal. J)nring the periodical migiations of a herd, they are easily killed iu vast nund)ers l-y taking advantage of the wind, and shooting them as they pass ahmg. They are, also, frequently surprised crossing- rivers or lakes that intersect their line of nuirch, when they become an easy ])rey to hunters in canoes. in winter tiiey are often seen upon the ice (m iidand lakes. On such i»ccasions they can be easily .>hol, as referred to elsewhere in this pajter, providing they neither see nor siriell the hunter. The instant, however, they catch the scent of their hidden foe, they vaiush like a, streak of light. I have lieard it said by those who have seen them scudding ovei' the ice, like shadows, that in an incredioly short sjtace of time they appeared to the luiked eye not larger than Rab- bits. 'i'hey are shot sometimes at long range by hunters on (he barren plains whii'h they frequent, in !New Bruns- wick. Newfoundland, the Province of Queliec, and other places, liy a keen and careful hunter, nuiiiy may be thus killed out ui a herd. It is much more difficult lo approach a. single Wood- land Caribou than it is to stalk a herd. When two or three aie killed in a iierd by a concealed hunter, the remainder seem to become comi)letely demorali/ed, losing, for the tinn being, their natural instinct of self-preserva- tion; and instead of fleeing, a.-> they Avould from a vis- ible oi- otherwise ]»erceptible enemy, like a solid stpnire of heroes in battle, they stand their ground, inspired, howevei', ])y a dilt'erent and unaccountable impulse, until m HKi i.AMK OK N'OIMH AMKIMCA. tln' last oiu; is shot dcnvii. Under the loregoiiiu' roiiditioiis, hn>;<' numln'is of tlie.se line aiiiiiials are. to say the least, wantonly and iniprovideiuly slaughtered. li«'t me say here, by way of digression, something with whicli I believe all true sportsmen will agree, and it is this: In my opinion, especially in the pursuit of large game, no true sportsman will ever niake a practice of shooting merely for count) .■ a large l)ag. Even in ihe (pie.st of featht>red game, the true sportsman can always be distinguished from the mere butcher who hnnis for game alone, or from him who slaughters to win the (piestit)nable reputation attached to the exterminator who boasts of being able to kill a greater riuniber than his mcjre conscientious neighbor. Xo true si)ortsinan will ever kill large numbers of either large or small game which can not be turneeen cast loose, the good dog, "Curr" — so called from the twist of his tail sotm scented the game; and forthwith the melodious music of his tongue, coming down the ravine, was heard, as, with fierce howls and ra|)id strides, he followed in tiie wakc^ of nine magnilicent bucks, in rapid lliglit before him. On I hey came at a swinging trot, the voice of stanch old Ciui increasing in distinctness and volume at every stride. At li'iigth, in single lile, headed by a grand buck \vith wide- branching antlers, they burst upon tlu' huntei''s \ iew. Sud- denly, from the edge of a tliicket, rose a i)ulf of smoke, followed by a loud report, and the king of the startled herd fell in his tracks, a.s a heavy bullei from a l)reech- louch'r tore through his .shoulder. The remainder of the Jierd instantly heciime demoralized. Some of ilieiu stood stilly while others jumped about in con- fusion. As rapidly as the ritle coukl be lired and reloaded. ^ m 82 Hl(. (.AMK <>1' N tongue of the aiiiiioachiii^ dog, llfd and escapfd. The ei;Li:ht Deer were killt'din pi-ohably n(jr more than three miiiiites, IVoni a dis- tanee of one hundred yards, the hunter not havinu had to move fiom the spot on which lie "stuud to discliarge tlie lirst sliot. Wiiile stilldiuntinu' on anotiier occasion, Macnab dis- covered ;i herd of al)our eighty Woodland Caribou feed- ing on ii large, open [ilain. After < ousiderable strategic maneuvering on diliicult ground, he managed to approach within three hundr<'d and lifty yards of the herd, and, from a well-concealed covert, opened lire. After discharging tliiee or four shots fruitlessly, he finally got the range, and in a shoi't time dreer, and possessing great speed and iinnieuse vitality. It requires a strong, paralyzing shock to kill, sudth'uly, such lormidable game. Consequently, taking for granted the expertness and nerve of the hunter, a repeatiiig-ritle f>f not smaller ■I I I •7 I ^ III THE CAKIHor. SM tliiiii titty ("ilil)t'r, ciirryiii^' tin- maxiiiuiiu ( of Aiii'Ticaii Ufiiidi't-r art- disiinci in .s|M'cics— an o|iiiii(»ii sjijiciiiidiiccd not oidy r!f liflwcfii the two varieties, alllioiiuh tlie sontliriii niiLi'iatoi'N' limit of tin' one ovcrlajis the noil hnn ini^iiatory limit of the oiImt. Hevond t'Vfii this, natmalists uciUM-allv auicc that the food Ix'si suited lor tlif liai'i'en ui'oiiml ('aiil)on. of the most nntiilious (jiiality. is aliiindant in its northnii hai>itai ; notal)ly the Heindeer moss and lichens which constitute its stajile diet. The nu.urations of th<- noi'thei'ii vaiit'ty aie doubtless regulated, as are the migrations of I'irds, l)y the climate, and m)t sjiecially l)y the scaicity ol' I'oftd. The saini- cause induces the pei'iiHlical iniiiiatioiis ol" the Wood- land Cafil'oii northward. On this tlispnted point, \ shall close w itii a (puitation ftoni .ludge Caton's history of the Barren uromid (-aril)o-M: Tlic slMlciuciit of l)«K!or Kiiitr, as quoted l)y T?Mii'ou has the ualll)laddri' alliu lied lo the liver. This eerlaiiily»i- not so; for the gall hladiler is wanliiig in the Woodland ( arilioii. as «ell as in all olher nieniliers of the Deer family, a fail long .since ii||s|>j-v|'|| iljllj itt!i[*^lf"l I'i' sevetal naliiralisis, and (ifleii eontirnied l>y ediieill t'^!ll|lt|ti|i|llj| Nilis them as di'llliel spei ie>. In a paper lead some yejirs auo liefoiv the J^''|e|i| Nii|l|- riilist.s' Clnh of the Cily of Ottawa, on "'\'\\^ |leei of llie Ottawa \'alley," I stroniiiy iirue(l my belief tliat jhcie is n dilVeielice, liol yet rationally iiccoimted for, belweell the branching and spike horned Ueerof Iherv/vv/.y Yirii'tuia- ////.v species. 1)1' this as it may, llie dls|illc|U(^ss ilJnl ills- similarity, ill many iiaiticiilars, between the t'arren gioimd TIIK CAIMllt'l- S.'» ] P nn]iini()n, .siifli())netimes. when the mouth and throat of a fresh- killed Caribou iiie examined, they are found tilled with a hlnck jnoliiijg nmciis, leseiribljiig thin mud. This sub- '<|||||('(', hoW'MVf*/', Js Hilprnmnl to Im of/ly ii portion of the piiilliilly dlgemled bhick mosses n|/o» wUU'U it h/w) fed, probably fo/ved MpNvnrd into the throat and motifh In its death-struggles. It the necoiints given of the speed and endurance of the European Uehulner aie correct — f^f] animal (o which the i^i'l I St; nui (i.wii: iiavt* folldwcd only on those lai'e occasions when snow of nnn>nal deptli is ciiisted o\ t'f to the ipoiiit at which it is not siifliciently slr(»n^' to siiifport the game. Then the toil is too gieat e\i'n for his iniiihty ])oweis of endiuance. and In* can he iiiii down by men. on sn(tw-shoes. innred to the spoft and lo the iiai'dshijis and jirivations of the wilderness, Init hv such men oidv. Indians in the Canadian Provinces, and many linnteis in the Eastern States, can take and keep his trail, in suitalile weather, under the <'ondilions referred to. The liest time for thisiiKuleof hunting is the hitter end of h'eliriiaiy or t he heginidng of March. The best weather is when a light, fresii snow of three or fonr inches lias fallen on top of deep drifts, with a crust nndeineath snHiciently strong to l)ear tlie weight of the hunter on liis broad snow- shoes, enal)liiig him to follow the trail with swiftness and silence. Then the hunters crawl aronnd. silent antl viirilant, always np-wind, following noiseh'ssly the well-detined foot- jirints of the wandering. i)astiiring, wantoning herd; jndg- Mig, by signs, unmistakable to the vetenin linnter, undis- tingnishable to the novice, of the distam-e or i»roximity of the game, nntil at length, as the reward d-cnift, none is so difftciilt, none requires .so rare a combination as this, of quickness of sight, wariness of tread, very instinct of the THE r.\KIBt»r. 87 cnift, iind i»»'rfH<-tioii of ju«luin»'ni." I''iiiiiiii.itt'ly, linw- ev«M'. llif WfjitluT ndi'lilioii'* that favor llii>. MKiilf of litiiit- \n>i usually roiiit' only within tli»' dose .si'iisun, so that it i.s scMoiii ifsoritMi i<» hy t\u- trii»' s|iori>nian. ill idt'iitifyiiij.' tile rvliiiion-liip lni'twcfii tlii- wild Itriii- clt'tT (jf Kuriii>»' and tli*- \V.onal study and carcfnl cxann- iiaiion, iliai tht^iv *^x\>t many similaritifs and iii-ciiliar ciianictfiistics in both of th»*s^ tine animals. The ant It-is, liowtvcr. ol' the Anit'riojin >|*-<'i»'s wonld appear to he somc- wliat li<'a\ ier and nioiv ]i:ihnated than are those of the ani- mal of the Old World a.-* ninch more massivp, at least, as the American \Vossibiliry of utilizing those qualities which, in L:ii*himl and (rreenland, have made the iieindeer so valuable, and fven so indispensable, to the exist- ence of the inlial)itant!* of those cold iiortluMU countries. I have already ivferrvd to the speed and endurance of t lie Reindeer w." Kiirojie. an animal so closely allied to the Woodland r'arib-ji; and from knowledge gleaned from authentic soi vc-'s. of the *ii>ee«l and stayinii' (pialities of the latter, 1 am in- !in' d to lielieve that there is no exaggtM'atiou used or intended. When fbe robust build, clean-cut, bony limbs, and general active make-up of the Woodland Cari- bou are taken into account. I find no difHcnlty in believing that one of those animals, in full health and in good travel- ing condition, in Ms wild state, could easily trot twenty or twenty-five miles an hour, aiid keep up that rate of s[)eed, on favorable ground, for at I» (/j ^ 6"^ <^ 88 HKi (JAMK OK NOIMII AMKHKA. rMfiboii coiiM jrt't beyond liis riiiitr*' of vision in liiilf nn iioiir. 'I'lit'i*' ran !••• no iloubt that the C'jiril)ou is thechnni- l)ioii trotter of AinerifJi. The <;enei'iil ehanu'tev of tile ishind of NewfonndhnHl is thiit of ii in^'.m'd and hanen countiy, with hills neveiexceed- ing one thousand feet in liei<;ht. I^jirixe lakes and jxinds, tlie hreedin^-^n'oiinds of p'ese, frulls, and ducks, aie so nuinei'ons that proiyaMy oiie-ei^hth of the entire island is under water. The uneven sui'i'aee of the land is covered by woods, marshes, and barrens. The trees c(»nsist (»f tir, si)rnce, pine, juninei', birch, witch-hazel, mountain ash, aspen, and ahler. The inarslu's are as often upon the slojtin^ sides of the hills as in hollows, the mcdsture l)einj; held iit suspen- sion by a deep coating; of moss, which renders walkinjr, under a load, extieniely laborictus. The barrens are in many jdaces interspersed with larp* patches of " tuckin^-bushes," or dwarf junii»er. which ^row al)out breast hi^rh, with strctni:: i>ranches stifHy interlaced— so tirm that you can almost walk on them — and the labor of sirugglin^^ thi(»ugh them be;x;rars description. The ••Heihiik," or "H(i»othic" — the aboriirinal "Red Inilians" — so named from tiie Deer's fat and red ochre pigments with which they anointed theii- bodies- a le now extinct, althoiijih the miles of Deer-trap fences made by these people, and which are still in a fair state of jjreserva- tion. prove them to have been numerous in the «'arly part of the present century. During the summer months the Caribou are to be found in the woods to the north w^jrd; but every fall they migrate, in vast herds, to the barren hills near the southern shore, where the comjiarative less depth of snow and the winter thaws enable them to obtain the moss and lichens upon which they chiefly subsist. It was duiing such migiations that the Indians used to slay the jinimals necessary for their winter use, as they followed within the fences until the outlet ter- minated in a lake, when the animals fell an easy \hv\ to the arrows and spears of their ambushed and cano»'tl foes. Tin: cAKinnr. S!> Tin* r»'cl\I«'ss sliiii>;lit«'i'of ('iiiil)()U fur spurt oiilv— iln'car- ca.sM's Immii^ It'll to i(»l oil t Ik' ^froiiiid liiis foiii|M-l|i-i| tliH Goveriuiu^nt of N«*\vfouii(llaii(l lo ciiart Ntiiii;;fiit lav\> for tl»«'ir i)r(»t«'c*tioM; but it is still a^raiul comiiry for tin* trin- Hportsiiiati, as Im' is certain to liixl ;:'aiii)' in al)uni'ew found land an«l Can- ada. A remarkal)leand unusually pondeiouspairof Woodland Caribou-horns, now being remounted l)y Mr. Henry, taxi- dermist, (»f Ottawa, happily (»btained for the writeithe fol- lowing brace of interesting ane<'(httes connected with their possessor. When crossing Newfoundljinower to that of an ordinary lield-glass. " Me see one. two, three, four Caribou! " exclaitned .b»e, gently. "Come this way;" and the binocular conlirnied his statement. 4 i)(> lUO OAMK <»K NORTH AMKUICA. Tlit'v were advancinif (l()wn tli»* sidc^ of a liill fully two niiU'M distant, on a loiiK. Hat niaish int»'r.sj)('rs»*d with d*M>p pools of still wat*'!- and unknown depths of bo^ mud. Tin* beatiMi l)«M'r-|»atli tmv«»rsHl tli«* ct'iitiT of the marsh and sl\iit»'d llic t'i\!H' of th»' lariicst pond. Tln'if was no slit'ltcr (•r cover of any kind, «*xci'plin^ a little ^love <»f d\\..if HpiMU'f, in which was the camp, distant a (piaricr (tf a mile from tlu! path; and when the lierd ivappcaied jipoii the marsh, and proved to be one old stag, one live-year-old stag, and two does. ,|oe added: " Fine meat, white stag, but no man can stalk him! " Nevertheless, Mr. (tisborne jirepared for the attemi)t, despite the half-scornful look of .loe. ('rawling along on his siMinach, he slipjied into the ice-cold water, feet first, holding on to the lotten edge of the bank, which was about a foot above the water; and with his body lloating, he quietly slid his ritle along the edge, and thus advanced to within two hundred yards of the J)eer-path; when, linding himself chilled to the bone, he with the utmost difliculty cravled out behind a slight rise in the gntund which ha PI leiied to !)«• between himself ;ind the herd, then eight hundred yards distant, and quite beyond the range of his Lilliputian ritle. The old stag, lutwever. sniffed the air, and then walked gently down to and around the pond; but the other animals .sauntered on, quietly feeding, until one of the does noticed the hunter, who lay with eyes nearly closed, as still as a log. and at once moved after the old one; the second doe then follow«'d down the path. No doubt, .loe was muttering, "Ah! Me say no uiau, no Indian, can stalk that white stag! Now he run!" But the two were running -the stag, and the liunter i\\ shorten the distance f(»r a Hying shot at one hundred and si.vt.v yards. Then came an almost imiudible crack, in the intense excitement of the moment, and away bounded the noble animal, with his nose high in the air, ahmg the pathwa.v. '•Ooh!*' shonted J(>e. "Ilim hit— mon Wen!" (all of the Conn Indians speak better French than English; "him hit!" 11 Tin; < AIMMiM iM And. suiv «MKm;^'li. nl'fei' ninniiij^ sevpriil liimdivd yards, tlw siii;r ulu'flcd loiiiid. ran l)a<'k nii tin- niarsli. and IVll dead, with a Itall lliioiiuh liis licarl. within ten yards ttf tilt' sjxir where in- leceived th»^ fatal Itnllet. "Yon all some Indian — y»in ' Waaheck All»int»'" (Aiit//ii-'\ "While Intlian"). said .Foe, with his eyes on tile, as he pat led (iishorne's wet shoulders, with the nlTec- tionafe jiride of ji youn^ maiden fctr a vietorioiis lover; and then lioth fell to work cookiiiir venison steaks. II * f N'(»w. .loe Paul and I'eler .leddoie ai«l Mr. (Ji.s- horne's young hride, in the year 1S.'»7. to the dev(»ted Indian servitors (not servantsi. who were a,uain to nccoin- pany her husband ui)on a uiineralo.uical survey inir trip north of Trinity Hay. Xewfoundlaiul. " mind you bring iiie home a line set of Cariboir-hoi'is." Siipposi' the Captain (the synonym of boss in Ne w- f(niiidland) kill him. me carry him,"" resp(»nded.loe. reuard- ing her not too allectioiiately. as the worthy fellou was it " wee bit '■ jealous of her iieiitle aillllolitV. In or — soon dark,'' said .loe. Standing erect on a large boulder, clean-ci'l against the sky-lines, .loe gazed long and earnestly north- ward. "('aril)ou coniel"" he said, gently; "come very (piick — believe frightened; n(tw me see — Wolf after iiim."" .loe subsequently shot a line buck that was being chased by a Wolf at Deer Harbor. (»iily a few miles iidand from l?ay of Jiulls, and always insisted that the same Wolf had iwice driven game to their lardei-. In a hollow beneath the hunters ran a stream, the banks of which were skirted by alder-bushes and a broad -triii of juniper anil sprut-e trees on either side; and down theoppo- n '\ Tr 11 '^mhj'f:"'^. 1' 93 mo (i.vMK OF Noirrii amkkh a sit*' liill-sidt; lushed tlu' Dwr for cover at the liead of tlie ilrokr (Newfoiiiidlaiid fenii foi- ^rove) of iiiul)er. wliich coiimiaiKh'd almost lialf a mile (h»\vii-streain, and for wliich point (lisl)orne ran "for all he was woi-tli." whih* Joe started for the upper end for a chance shot if the Deer was turned from below. It was a nii»-and-tuck race; for, wlien (tisborne reached the brook and proceeded ui)ward, tiie freshly splashed boulders proved that the stajj; had been turned. Hii>eared in mid-air as he cleared the broi>k at a bound and dashed into the opposite growth; but not until a ping fi'oni (fisborne's rllle had placed a bullet a little behind his shoulder, which landed him, dead as venison, upon his mossy bier. A few niinute.s later Joe waded down the stream, with a (piiet look (»f exultation in his eye. " Me know you git him." he said. " Wolf sit top of hill — watch if he come out — but he dead somewliere. OhI" he added, "one shot — <>v»' tlie ordinary size and wfiglit «»v»'ii of N»'\vfoiiner of Moose or Carilxui can still be found near the eastern coast. The Micmacs, or Hed Indian^ of Newfoundland, in ancient times were in the liabit of destroying both species foi- their skins alone, leav- ing tiie carcasses — tlie liuest veinson in the world— to rot where they fell, or to be devoured by the cariiivora of the woods. In Cape Jireton alone, the Indians destroyed, in (»ne winter in tiie olden time, live hundred Moose, taking away nothing l)ut the skins. This shameful slaughter of Caribou was accomplished in the following mann<>r: Brush fences, miU's in length, were constructed on each side of their line of march in their autumnal ndgrations. These feiu-es narrowed at SI jtoint where there was a lake or river to be crossed, wichMiing out laterally for many miles through the wilderness. The i»oor animals unsuspectingly passed along through this fatal defile, which ende(l at the edge of the water. The day, even the hour, of their ari'ival was known through the agency of the scouts: and wIh'U they entered the water, they were set upon by the con<'ealein;^ sketch of tlin Caribon— the Ileindeer of America — wliile adlierin;; strictly to zcndotjical facts, I liave endeavored to make the jiaper as interesting to natnralists, iscientilic and jtractical, as I iutpe it may jjrove to sports- men, wiio liave liad many oitportiinities of learning, amid the wild haunts of our larg»* game animals, minute and use- ful particulars beyond the reach of the mere scientist, whose reseai'clies have been <'onlined t(» i)0()ks. I met recently with an article <'lassifying black and silver- gt-.jy Foxes as distinct species, as well as distinct from the large red Fox, which, if commonly accei)ted history is cor- rect, is not a native of America, but has descended from English ancestors, imported i»y Sir Guy Carleton in the Colonial period <>f the I'nited States, who had found that the small, grayish-colt)red native Fox had neither the speed nor endurance to hoUl his own before a pack of Fox- h(»unds. From the fact that (me hundred and tiftv vears ag(t there was a greater number of black and silver-gi'ay Foxes in the Canadian part of this continent than red ones, I was always ;romi(l ('iiiil)()ii lia.s nillnl l,'iiii;/it'i r TiirtiniluK; in Aiiilulii ii and liiK linitin- " CJiiailrii|ii'ils of Norlli Ann lira." Itiiiii/ij'i r I'liritKni ; liv many uiillior.x, Crniin 'I'll III ml UK ; liv IlnCrei' Iniliaii". .Ulilik; liy llic ('liip|ie\vyiins, hllhii.; Ei«klm«— lileriilly, a "si)imie o.\." 'riii.H animal is not. howrvt-f. strictly (onlinnd to tli«> tHi-- riloiy !il)()Vt' mciitioniMl a- its pfrsistt'iit ami pt>i'ii)>tita1 lial)- itat. In lli«' atiliimii it migrates tovvanl tli«' south, iiml Hpcnds th<' wintfi' in the woods; and !i>;ain, toward the northwest, it iaii,i,n's nearly across the c(»ntineni. This is the Deer so l"ie(|iientlv nieiitioned hv the hardy adventurers who have i)eri(»iMalt>.s lia\«> i ins, \v|ii<-li tall oil' and aiv r('iif\v«'d aiiiiiially, as in otiitr |)t'»'r. 'I'hf ••ars arc Mmall and oval, and are covpivd, cxtfrnallv ami iiitei-iiallv, Willi tliit'k hair. TIm- I'c«'' uv luoad Hal, and roncavH hi-nt'ath. and Wfll aixiy iliinl and sixiy- sixth p('im iron, ice-chisels and various otlier utensils were liliewise made of them. Tlie liunter breaks tlie leg bones of a reeenlly slauL'htered Deer, and w'lilc the marrow is still warm devours it with relish. The kidneys, part of ilic intestines -particularly the thin folds of the third >tomach. or niany-]ilies — are likewise oeeasioiially eaten when raw; and the summits of the antlers, as lon^ as they are soft, are also delicacies in a raw stale. The colon, or lartr*: inle-'ine, is inverted, so as to ])reserve its fatty ;ipi)end- aires, and is, when either r" .-teil or boiled, one of the richest and nio^t savory morsels the ccmntry allords, either to the mitive or white resident. The reuuiinder of the intestines, after being clcaueil, are hung in the smoke foi n few days, and then broiled. The stoniach and its (•(mtents — termeil by the Eskimos uerraokn, and by theCtreenlanders neirikiik lerrioobik — are also eaten: and it would Jippear that the lichens and other veget.d)le matters on wliich the Caribou feeds iire njore easily digested t)y the human st(;.nach when they have been mixed with the salivary and gastric juices of a ruminating aiumal. Many of the Indians anounded between two stones. This pounded meal is dry and husky \iheu eaten alone; but when a (juantity of the black fat, or iJepouiUi, of the Deer is added to it. il is one of the L'reate.st treats that can be offereil to a resident in the fur countries. Tlie Caribou travel in herds varying in number from eight or ten to two or three hundred, and their daily excursions are generally toward tluMiuarter whence the wind blows. The Indians kill them with the bow and arrow or gun. taki them in snares, or spear them in crossing rivers and l;ikes. The Kskimos also take them in traps ingeniously formed of ice or snow. Of all the Deer of North America, the Harren-ground Caribou i.s the easiest to approach, and they are slaughtered in the greatest numbers. A single family of Indians will sometimes destroy two or three hundred in a few weeks, and in iminy cases they are killed for their tongues alone. Tiiis Deer is tlescribed ;is of an unsuspecting but inipii>iiive disposition. The northern hunter, when he sees a Caribou feeding in the open i)lain, li TIIK CAIMHoC 1(1] (ipproaclu's tis nciir iis possible without Ituiiiir swn, then throws h'liiself on the gruiiud, (Iniws his coat of skins ovit his hcml, and arrant: ■* it so as to resemMc somewhat tnc form of a Ihrr. He then altraels ti.e aii'mal's attention by a loud bellow. I'l'ireil on by curiosity, the silly Caribou approiuhes to uxatnine the mysterious object, caperintt about and running ' >und in eirck-s. Meanwhile Ine Indian lies ])erfeclly still, well knowing that his prre»ent anioiig.'^t nearly all the North American trib"s— the Indiaiis used ihiir Iiows and arrows, however simple itnd rude in construction, with sinj,'uli',r expertne.vj and ileadly elTect. Another minle of capturing the Arctic Ciiribou may be thus cc 'crilR-il, and it may be easily imagined that the process results in the most extensive and deadi}' shiughter: A larire indosure of brush, sometimes a mile in circum- ference, is constructed, with a narrow entrance, situated upon one of the most frecpientetl paths or runways of the Deer. Within are a multitude of winding lanes formed of the same material. In these they place a great niany snare-s made of Deer-skin thongs of great strength; ami then by various ex|H-dients the hunters manage to drive a herd of Deer into the indosure. The lerritied .-uii- nials run about in all directions through the winding avenues. iK'Coini' entan^'led in the snares, antl soon the whole herd i- killed. (Ireal numbers, it is said are slain in this way; and some families are so successful that they do not require to remove their tents more than two or three times in a sea.son. The late Elkauah Billings, one of the leatling pah'ontojo- gi.sts of his time, and it naturalist of distinguished al)ility, thus si)e!dvs of the Barren-ground Caribou: Fnnn all the information we have been able to collect upon the subje of the United States. In cvi-r^ part of .Vrctic America, including the region from Hudson's IJay to far within the Arctic Circle, the Barren-ground Caribou is met with in gre.tter or lesser abundance. I have devoted considerable space and as much earn as possible in the foregoing authentic — so far as my researches 'il^iJ I m k^^''f '-r^ 102 Hl(i (iAMi: (»!' NOIITII A.MKKIIA. il, r Ifl'l V' '(': warrant — (Ipscripfion of the Hiaraoteristic ppculiaritiHs, habits, habitat, ufographical distrilxition, and piiy^ical con- formation of tilt' liarr<'ii-;;,roiin(l Caribou. I liave done this for two reasons: First, Ijecause the Ta rami us Arcticus is one of tlie most curious and intt-it'siinij; animals of the entire cervine f^enus; and. secondly, because this beautiful animal is, i)erhai)s, the least known, g»'nerally spealvinf>:, of the hirne fauulv of the t'eroidw. In anatomical structure, and in all other rfspects, the Caribou of the Far North is admi- rably a(hi|)ted to the cold and iidiosi)itable regions in which he linds his home. Without the Cariliou, the native inhab- itants indigenous to the frigid legions in which Nature has fixed their congenial ha))itat could not exist. The pre- carious supply of Walrus and Seals would inadeqtuitely compare with the al)undant provision found in the Rein- deer, an abundance which must soon become limited, should the unwise and improvident slaughter t(» which 1 have referred l)e much longei' permitted to continue. From the view of a sportsman and a naturalist, it seems to me that wise and rational legislation should be nuide to control the Indian, as it does, or ought to do, the white man. Culpable and bari)arous extermination of lurge gauie, which constitutes the glory of the lorestsof any land, is worse than willful setting of lire to the woods. Societv should protect itself against crimijials guilty of either act; and the law, with a wise, strong, an-d relentless hand, should protect the Indian against himself. The Barren-grcmnd Caribou is less cunning and less wary than any other speci'^s of Deer; and, conse(}uently, when, as shortly will be the case, the iron-horse plunges through the frigid habitat of the Musk-ox and the Tarandxs Arciiciis, and the roar of the steam- whistle startles the affrighted denizens of the Arctic Circle, the enterprising sportsman, armed with the deadly rei)eating-rifie, will soon decimate the mighty herds which still exist, desjjite the deplorable butchery of the Indians on the constituted highways of their migivitions, as well as l)y means of the pens already described. Tin-; rAi:iH(»r. tm On this head, Parker (lillmore says: Cupul)!" of resistiii!^ wiili coinpurativc iiiipnnity the pn-ati-st .scvcriiy of cold, ihcy sulTer severely from heat, to avoid wliieli they iniike two migrations uiiiiiially to tile iiortli in sunimiT, ^'razinj; haeli to the south in winter. Dnriau; these journeys the greatest destruction to the species takes place, for they almost invariiil)!}' follow the same line of niarcli, willi which the natives are acquainted, and where they wait for the herd, either entering mountain defiles or crossing rivers, when they are surrounded and indiscriminately slaui;htere(l. They are also hunted on snow-shoes, after the manner of hunting tile .Moose. When tlie time roraes to which T have referred al)()ve, the interminable plains and hills of the Arctic Circle will, by the itnnihilation of time and sptice, be almost next door; then we shsill liave many an interesting and tiirilling tide of flood and held for the si)ortin,sf joiirntils, to delio-ht the soid of the .sportsman who has neither the time nor the money to spare to enable him to visit those, at prt^sent, f;ir-oif fields of siKH't. We shall all then become as well actpiainted with the iMnsk-ox, the Polar liear, the Wtilrns, the Btirren- groiind Caribou, tind the iields of ice which glisten beneath the eternal si)lendor of the unsetting sun, and the distinct crackling of the aiii'ora borealis, as we now ai'e with the gtime animals and birds of our own country. Spoiling litera- ture, notwithstanding what mere humanitiirian writers and thinkers may stiy to the contrary, litis an elevating :ind liunuinizing effect; and the true sportsmtin, wherever you fin HHI ; ; ■ i: i i 1 ■i ! i 104 IU(i posite horn there are two points, but the antler is not italmated. Immediately above the brow-antlers there is a branch, or jtronii', on each horn, about fourteen inches in length, terminating in three points; these prongs incline lorwaril and inward. About half the length (»f the hoin from the sktdl, there is another prong on each, about two inches long; beyond these prongs each horn con- tinues al)out the same thickness, spreading out ward sligiitly to within a few inches of its extremity, where on*^ diverges into live points and the other into six. The horns are but slightly channeled, and are dark yellow. Between the tijjs, where they approach each other, the horns are two feet apart, and at their greatest width two feet eight inches. Nature has been so lavish in bestowing all this parureof horn on the favored Caribou, that the small ears can hardly be criticiseil. Five inches, posteriorly, in height, tlattened, very broad at the base, and tapering to the end, they are less in size than those of the Elk, but more active. As an olfset to the advantage of the Elk in the size of ears, the Caribou boasts of a somewhat longer tail. It is about four inches n/ir/j/'iP, and, including hair, six and a half inches long. The hoof of the W(»odland Caribou gives it an advan- tage over every pursuer, (^xcept the nimble Wolf. The Ixjues I 1. 1 TIIK W(»(»I)LAM> » AKIIIOU. Ill coiinectcd with tlic nccossory hoof in thr ('nribnu arc morn than It'll lilllt'^^a.s hir<;t' as they air in tiic cnnnndii Dfcr. In '* Koicst liil'f in Arcadit',"' Captain Ilanly's enthusiastic description reads as follows: 1 ciiii iivtr timt its foot is ii liciiiitifiil ndaptiition totlie Hnow-cnv('r('licil. Tlu! fion is al)Morl)cil by tlie latter end of Noveiidier, wlien llio lal,• him, a third bound linished the performance. Mr. Danforth found himself in such a bat- tered condition that "he thought every bone in his body ' p "f '1 iii :1, ' by the blood before 1 found him, and considei'ed myself in luck, as the Caribon 1ms great vitality, and will sometimes go live miles, after being fatally wounded, before stopping. A brief summary of the points touched npon, must form the conclusion oi this paper: Summer pelage, brow-n and white; winter vesture, grayish ash and white; hair, soft and woolly underneath, the longer hair porous and brit- tle, fronj one to one and a half inches long; skin, thin, soft, and makes pliable leather. Hi U\ M i ■I I v^lt' 1 ; lit Bk be to ( inff i.sti( upo him own ble, grea mosi stat<^ parii logic arriv So mate the ci fa mil Til by msi ains, i 'It If. THE COLUMBIA BLACK-TAILEI) DEER. liv Thomas G. F.viiUKi.i.. P^S the Virginia Deer is to the Eastern States, so is the Cohimhia Black-tailed Deer {Ceroii.s (JolumhidtniH) f/y\^ to the Far West — /. e.^ the latter sjjecie.s constitutes ~ the connnon Deer of this region. By the term Far West I refer to that j)ortion of North America which lies between the llocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. There are many who suppose that, besides the Elk, the Black-tailed Deer is the only representative of tlie Ceir'nUt to be found in this region, and before I proceed furthei; I wish to correct this erroneous imi)ression. A person seeking information regarding the varieties, habits, and chaiactHr- istics of the game of a certain region, is likely to think, upon meeting with a iinnter of large experience, that from him he can gain all the information desired; but, from my own experience, I tind that these people are often unrMliii- ble, for, although honest in their opinions, they dilfer greatly. One will make assertions which the others will most emphatically contradict, and the only menus of arriv- ing at anything like a correct conclusion is to take the stat*^ments of large numbers of these people, and, by com- paring these and sifting out what appear to be the most logical and accurate of their statements, 'he truth may be arrived at. SoniH writers not having followed this or any other legiti- mate course of investigation, this region has been robbed of the credit due it as the abode of several species of the Deer family. The Moose, the grandest of this grand family, supposed by many to be found nowhere west of the Rocky Mount- ains, is met with in considerable numbers in the Bitter Root (115) ■' 'I' I % i! :% : i:l,l-:,: lii ■ nv 51 Hill ! ■ i B' !i i Vtf I iin I!I(i (JAMK <>1- N'oltlll A.MKKK A. Rnn|,^e, and along tin- headwaters of tlic Clear Water HivtT, a tril)iitary of the majestic (Jolmul)ia. It is also I'omid on the Jiig Hole Itiver and its tributaries, in Western Montana. The Mule Deer is als(j to be found in the .same region, as well as on the eastern sloi)e of the (Jaseade Mount- ains. Caribou are jilentiful in Biitish Cobunbia; and in Noithern Washingtoii and Idaho there is still another member of this interesting family, which is a native of this region, and whose existence has l»een almost universally overlooked. It is the White tailed Deer to which 1 lefer. This animal is undoul redly a distinct species, as it is smaller, and has a longer tail and shorter ears, than the Black-tail. In color it is lighter than the other Deer, and it usually iidiabits lower ground. So the reader will see that the Deer family is well lepresented on the Pacillc Coast, tliere being at least six different species. But by far the most common member of this family, on the Pacilic Slope, is the Cohnnbia Black-tailed Deer, .so named because it was first noticed by Lewis and Chirke, while th<\v were in the region of tht^ great river of that name. This animal is to be met with from Lower California to Cook's Inl'^t, in Alaska. In size he is intermediate between the Mule Deer and the \'ii'ginia Deer, foi\ although no taller than the latter, he is more comi)actly built. I know of a Black-tailed buck having been killed which weighed two hundred and seventy jjounds after having been disemboweled, and there are authentic reports of still larger specimens. Such animals are rarities, however, the average weight of a full-grown buck being from one hundied and seventy-live to t\\o hundred and twenty-five jiounds. In summer the animal is of a light cinnamon color, but it is in the late fall and winter that it attains its most beau- tiful pelage. The color of the animal at this season is a beautiful steel-gray on the back and sides; the throat, inside of legs, and belly being white. The tip of the nose is black, but just back of it. and on the lower jaw, the color is white. Between this and the universal gray there is a beautiful black band encircling the muzzle. The forehead i)e an iiii ar* D, ris] sj.i Tin-: (oMMiiiA i!i.A(K-iAii.i;i» i»i;ki! 117 [)!■, but beau- 1)11 is a tliroat, he nose [e color Ire is a U'eliead and back are slitiiitlv darker than the rest ol" the body, and the tiiil is entirely covered with luiir. 'IMie c()h)r of this a|)p<'nt'n "ountries, this fact is sometimes taken advantage of by hunters, who lure him on to destruc- tioii in a manner similar to that in which Antelope are often stalk, d; l)ut let the P)lack-taii once scent the hunter, which he can do at almost twice as great a distance as any other Deer, and there will i)e but little likelihood of his gettiitg a shot at that particular Deer for some time to come. When disturbed, he goes oif with a bounding motirnsh — nsnally to the high monntains^ theie to I'eniain until his new head-ornaments — or weapons, if yon i)lease— have attained their entire gi'owth. This jn'O- ceeding takes place in the almost incredibly short time of fi'om four to six weeks. By this time the antlers are as huge as they ever will be, but ai'e sof;, and covered with that beautil'ul brown substance known as the velvet. If cut. the horn will bleed, and if one slioidd kill a buck while in the velvet, and there should happen to be any dogs about caniii. he will have to keep a watch on them, for the dogs liave a great fondness for the soft horn. Indians and China- men nr(? also very fond of it. While the hoi'U is in its extremelv soft state, the animals are generally in i)oor condititni. It does not take them long to pick up what they have lost, however, and by fall tliey are enormously fat. When the antlers aie grown to their entire size, the animal seeks the ridges and elevated spots, where he may be found sunning his beautiful head-ornaments. Under this treatment, or from other causes, the horns soon become covered with creases, and appear to shrink. They get hai'd, and the auiuial proceeds to rub them against overhanging limbs, or the bodies of snudl shrubs, tlius removing the vehet. The antlers dc not become perfect until fall, when the velvet is entirely removed, and the horn is hard and highly polished. The rutting-season occurs in October and November, and at this season the actions of the bucks are very peculiar, not to say ludici'ous. Their necks swell to a large size, so that the hitherto loose skin of the same becomes actually tight. With bulging eyes and wide-sjn'ead legs, they plunge through the forest as if possessed of an unclean si)irit. It Tllb; COLIMBIA ULACK-TAILKU DEER. and ,, not Ithat ]ght. |iinge It is a well -knoAvn fact that at this season of the year th*y seem to lose almost all sense of fear, hardly noticing even a hunter when they meet him, or, if they should do so, plainly showing that they would almost as soon fight as llee. During this season, the bucks have terrific; combats among themselves, during which they sometiuies get their horns interlocked, in which case both animals perish miserably. The venison of a buck during the rutting-season is tough, and has a strong, disagreeable flavor. After the buck has won for hiuiself a mate, the two animals may be found together until the fawns are born, which event occurs dui'hig the following spring. A doe of this species generally has two, but sometimes three, most beautifully sjiotted fawns. The spots are almost white, antl remaiii on the voung arnmals until tliev are about five months old. The buck takes but little interest in the welfai'e of his offspring, but the doe is a devoted mother. When sur- prised in company with her fawns, there is a general scattering, but it will not be loug before the mother will be seen tinudly returning, to find out how her young are faring. The hunter who takes advantage of the mother's devotion must be hungry indeed, or else possessed of an inhuman desire to slaughter. The killing of spotted fawns is forbidden by the laws of most States, but this does not prevent the killing of a great numy of them by Wild- cats, Panthers, Wolves, and other beasts of prey. In mountainous countries, where the snow falls to a great depth during the winter, the Black-tailed Deer form yards, as do the Elk and Moose. This term applies to a tract of country which is selected by the animals on account of the al)undance of food, in the form of deciduous trees, mosses, and li(!hens, that is to be found there, and in which a large number of Deer make their headquarters during the entire winter. It is in such a place, and under such circumstances, that the ruthless Indian gets in his deadly work. In tlie Bitter Root and CoBur dWlene Mountains, where Indians are . ! I % I : i •II r 111 I i : I'JO IU(i (lAMIO OF XOirril AMKUICA. IP JS '•^ t , i ■ » ' ntil ^ 'Mil 1 i 1 ■ w ■ ' n ' • t Hi ■ i n ■ i ' 'U i i ;' 1 ; [ s ^ ■ [ ^ ^ "^ ^ 1 ! j H' 1 1 ' ! ! 1 ,, Jl I'M, (| fl ' t It ' H . I ■ p ; 9 ■-■ f k ^- M tjlll m III 1 ; 1 mm'' 1 ! i Klfr Ft nuniHion.s, tlu'y gather togctlier tn-ery winter for a great aumial slauglitei'. Witli .snow-shoes and repeating-riHes, tht'V will swoop (h)wn on a Deer-yard, and before tlie affrighted animals can escape througli tlie deep drifts, many of them will be stretched out on tlie snow. Their tiesh is cut into strips, and converted into jerked venison. One of the localities where the Black-tail are found in the greatest abundance is in Southern Oregon, among the foot-hills of the Siskiyou Mountains. Here the country is largely tind)ei'ed with huge pines, with but little under- bmsh, which makes hunting easy, and the recollections of the evils that have been perpetrated in this fair region, by the skin-hunter and jerked-venison fiend, are enough to chill the blood of any lover of the CertiiltP. These skin- hunters are about as mean a set of scoundrels as ever went unhung. A couple of these sneaking apologies for men, who are thoroughly acquainted with the country, and well armed, will start (jiit, and, will, in a single day, kill and skin a dozen, and sometimes two dozen. Deer. The hides only are taken, the (*arcasses being left to form food for birds and animals of prey. The jerked-venison fellow is one degree higher than the skin-hunter, for he saves the hams also, nhich he cures and sends to market. I have known a single shooter — I cannot call him hunter, much less sportsman — to sit on a ridge which commanded a couple of ravines, and in a single evening shoot d(nvn fourteen Black-tailed Deer as they came down to the creek to drink. Thanks to our sportsmen's clubs, these matters are being looked into, and the evils somewhat abated. As Black- tailed Deer inhabit almost all kinds of country, they are hunted in different manners. Still-hunting is doubtless the most humane and sportsmanlike manner of hunting them, but some gentlemen, who are undoubtedly sportsmen, insist upon pursuing them with hounds. The only instance in which this is excusable is where the brush is very dense and the game scarce, for, as a hounder ex- plained to me, one might, under such circumstances, still- TIIK ('((I.l'MHIA Itr.ACK-TAlLKl) UKKI!. 1:^1 le to in as ouv hunt a week jiud never ciitch sight of a Deer. Tlieir sense of lieiiring and smell is so acute tliat tliey will disf'over the hunter long before he suspects the presence of the game. When chased by hounds, they will take to watei- to throw oflE the dogs; but this they do not do as readily as do the Vir- ginia and White-tailed Deer. Tliey seem to prefer leading the hounds awhile before resorting to this their last expedient. Hounding undoubtedly has a bad effect on any species of Deer, for the sight and sound of dt)g.. pursuing them frightens them so that they frequently desert a secti(ni entirely when they are persistently hounded. Another bad feature about this sport is that, in a (country where hound- ing is carried on to any great extent, the ranchmen or farmers soon learn what the music of the hounds means, and upon hearing them they immediately repair to the nearest runway, shotgun in hand. The reader will doubt- less understand the difficulty the Deer will experience, in such a case, in getting through the line of pickets which soon encircles it. The venison of an animal which has been running at its highest speed for two or three hours must, of necessity, be far inferior to that of an animal which meets death in a milder manner. I have known a, nuin to take great pride in telling how his dogs, which were part Blood-hound, and which were allowed to run freely in the woods, would take the track of a Deer or an Elk and run the animal to death. But there are certain circumstances under which I can see nothing unsportsmanlike in hounding Deer. Let us take the following as an instance: A party of gentlemen, worn out with the cares of business, decide to take a day in the woods. Hounds arc procured, and they repair to some part of the country which is but little settled, and where Deer are to be found. The stands are taken and the dogs put out. They take the track of a Deer, and away they go. Probably for an hour or so the hunter has nothing to do but smoke his pipe, keep his eyes open, and connnune \yitli Nature. Seated on a moss-covered h)g, with his gun by his side, he watches the antics of the birds and scpiirrels, which .! i III 1-1 H 1 132 mo «AMK OF NOinil AMKHICA. are not long in linding lihn ont. Pmsently he involuntarily cliHckx his liantl as it has almost convej-ed Ills pipt* to his month. Hark! What was that sounds He holds his breath, and listens. The l"ar-a\va> baying ol' a liound causes him to jnmi) to his ieet, ritle in hand, and his heart in his throat. Nearer and nearer comes the incomparable music of the hounds, now rising to the crest of a lull, now sinking into a val'ey. Loudn' and louder it rings out in the still I'oi'est, for the birds and squirrels are quiet now. If the hunter has an ear lor nnisic, the ininutahle voices of the dogs nudie his blood tingle and liis hair almost stand on end. Suddenly, with a rattle and a bt)und, a magnificent buck dashes down the path. The ritie is thrown to the shoulder, and the trigger pressed. Perhaps the hunter has the satis- faction of seeing his game tumble end over end; perhaps he sees his black-and-white tail vanish among the trees with a defiant flourish. 1 say the rifle, for to use a shotgun on a Deer is murder, i)ure and sinq)le. One easy manner of hunting Deer i« to lay in wait for them at a salt-spring, or "Deer-lick." In various sections of the Far AVest there are deposits of clay which contain salt, or alkali, and in these the Deer and Elk have licked cavities capable of hiding several aiumals at once from the sight of a man at some little distance. But, reader, think of the feelings of one who has suc- cessfully captured a noble buck bj"^ still-hunting! Let us suppose that the sportsman starts out early in the morning. As h(» wends his way through the forest, the sun is just com- ing up over the distant mountains, and the eastern sky and clouds are jjainted with gold and purple. The birds twitter, and the squirrels chatter merrily, as if to welcome the advent of day. As he approaches the singing brook, the trout dart under the shelving bank, and a covey of grouse si:)rings into the sui'rounding trees. A large section of country is traversed, and although the sportsman sees plenty of fresh signs, he has been unable as yet to discern a single animal. He ascends a ridge. Slowly T|[K ('((LI'MHIA HLACK-'I AII.i;i» DKKK. 123 lie and stealthily hn nears the top, and infers over. His hejirt gives a (siiddeii leal). ''"' ^'^ ^'"" 'i'tle glade, just out of gun- shot, thei'e ai'e a huge buck and a <'oiii)l(M)r (h)es feeding, all nnconscious of dangei-. 'i\t get within gunshot, he must reti'ace his steps and make a detciir. Afteragi-eat deal of patient work, he gets on the let^ side of them, and now begins the dillicidt part of tiie performiince. To get within safe shooting distance, he should reach that litth; clumi) of bushes out there in the glade; but the ground between him an (lAME OF NOIJTH AMKHICA. I: tilt' l)iick liear.s the faint sound of a twig scratdiiug over tliH hunter's clothing-. "All! whiit's tliiif^ One of my kind!' Or is it ii row, or a iiors*'!" Ills iintltTHl licjul is up: Iih snilfs the air, looks, and listt'iis. " N<»; as I live, it's one ol' those still-hunters, I'll just lay h)w, and if he don't come dose to me lie can't see me, sheltered iis I iim hy these brush. liut lU); he is coming my way. Well, a