The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1857-10-17
INTERESTING from tbc nlcst.
For Tile Cecil Whig
Letter from Oregon.

|
ty, has written letter, dated Fail Creek,
Oregon, august 9th, 1857. to an old friend in
this county, giving some interesting informa.
ton in relation to the Natural History of that
distant country, which has been handed us
for publication.
The writer after stating that the country
is mountainous and Astounding in timber and
water, proceeds under separate heads, as fol-
lows:
! TIMBER.--The fir, the master of the for
est is first: standing three hundred feet high
and from that down to a fishing pole the
cedar is the second the oak not growing
near the above but standing as sentnels on
the praires-l call them white-oak but some
of the people here call them post oak--some
of them are three feet thick and have very
old appearance, hanging moss, two or three
feet long, covering them all winter; the balm h,
of the poplar tribe, five or six feet in diameter
the water maple, very large, and the vine
maple with leaves like the sugar tree, the
bark green and the top and limbs growing
in the ground hence the name: the dogwood
almost like yours the chinqucpin an ever
green, bearing nuts like your tree of the same
name alder. like yours, but large. say two
feet thick : elder Or bore tree, 10 or IL inches
i'll diameter.
SHRUBS AND FRUIr.-The hazel grows all
through the timber: the snow-drop blooms
and bears in solitude the thimble berry
which you see along the Susquchanna, are
plenty here; its bloom is white while with
you it is of pink color; the little blue
whortle berry is here, and red variety grow
| tall hnS h.c tbn ~,
your blue kind: the running black berry :
three va,ities of straw berry; service berries ::
salad berries, which grow on an evergreen
shrub something like the Usage orange.
ANIMALs.--Of these we have the elk, the
brown bear, black bear, some say the grizzley
bear. Ianihcr. cat. cougar. wolf, wolverine.
two sorts OF dcar--the common and the black
tailed; the grey fox, very beautiful the
skunk, your kind and smaller sort, no two
OF them alike lin color); the rahbit-a small
sort about half as large'as yours wcazcl: a
large k'rd OF wood rat, squirrels are here,
but none of those with you, except the chip
monk. the ground squirrel larger than your
| grey squirrel, and two other sorts, one an.
swcring to yonr squirrel. and the other q
clumsy fellow which when disturbed in a
tree let go their hold and Of course fall off :
|
| nave also the common swamp mouse, another
like the chip-lhonk in color, with tail twice
as long as its body, and another small mouse
with false pouches in lis checks. OF aquatic
animals we have here the beaver and the
otter, and at Oregon City have seen the hair
seal pursuing his prey in the waters Of the
Willamette; he is large and has The appear
ance Of a large dog.
EIsu w. b,,, H. ,.,..-.
much as 300 pounds it differs frpm yours
in color and habits and is taken here by
hook baitcd with salmon or eel salmon are
numerous some weighing thirty pounds,
their average weight about II lbs the lamp
rey is here in millions: the trout, two varic-
ties; salmon trout weighing lbs two kinds
| of suckers.
REPTILES, &c.-We have the rattle snake,
not plenty or large; garter snake; snake
called the bull snake. and very handsome
and harmless snake. Lizards like the fence
lizards with you, and kind that are larger
aud run very fast; the scorpion is here and
It's sting is said to be deadv-hogs cat them
and no thanks to their venom they are like
the craw fish but live on the land the ma.
tivcs are afraid of their bite We have one
small turtle (terrapin) of no value, and one
small frog. There are no land terrapins or
toads here.
BlRDs--The grouse, of a dark color and
much larger than the prairie grouse of the
Western states; he is not seen in the winter
months but is said to Stay in the high fir
trees. In May the cock begins to strike
or hcat-a noise like with maui on a log
he makes it with bis mouth and throat The
quail here is very beautiful but not abundant:
Ior ha oau1l Ia r., ~, Al
neck and plume on the head of three fcatb.
crs four inches long his note is not "boJ
uhite"; when startled they are like your quail.
and their call is like that of young turkics.
The pheasant is the same as yours pigeons
also and the dove, robin, wren. lark, buh-o.
link and sparrow the snow sparrow is dar-
ker and is hue all the season; the iay is
| deep blue and as mean a bird as yonrs
| crows like yours; ravens numerous mag.
pies, owls, two large kinds and two small
knds--thc smallest not so large rs the robin:
hawks, one, in appearance like the grew
gull of the Chesepeake the osprey or fish
hawk is the same as yours so also, the
kingfisher, snipes, plovers and killdcers
water crows look like your cat birds but are
of the nature of plovcrs.
A New ANlMAL.-We have one animal
| here unknown to naturaliSts of which will
| give brief description. 1t is vulga,ly called
| a tlack for but it is not q fox. Its head is
like an offers and it isabout The size of small
otter; it climbs trees very well; its tail is like
that of u house cat but longer than that of a
cat of equal size: the fur is about the same as
a cats his back and hams are not unlike
those of a monkey; have one which | keep
tied around the body; he is not very vicious:
he feeds on flesh and chaiters like monkey.
A New TREE.-NNe have an undescribed
tree here, which we call laurel: it mouls it's
bark every season and some call it cinnamon:
it is an evergreen and is four and sometimes
six feet thick. In May it is full of blossoms
like the locust, but finer.
CLIMATE. &c.--The climate is so fine that
cannot describe it and do justice to the coun-
try and not disgrace the land that gave me
birth. We have now an Italian sky, and 1t
is cool and dry. can see the snow-capped
mountains between you and us, but are not
near enough to fear their coming in avalanche
down on our log cabins. Our streams are
the drains of the eternal SHOWS, and are too
cold for pleasant bathi' G. Tut they contain
trout in 9umhy forall who can throw
grasshoppcr and hook to the ware Then
our evergreen hills always in light and shade
that would shame the pencil and canvas for
the artist would not dare to try to mock
their Creator. The atheist, if he ever did