Evening journal., 1889-06-26
CAPTURING WILDCATS.
IT TOOK TIME AND PATIENCE, BUT
HE HAD PLENTY OF BOTH.

Wildcats Kittens Looked Like-He Set
Trap and Caught the Mother. and tho
Boy Discovered the Young Ones.
Amasa Macomber got glimpse of big
abe wildcat in the woods on the south side OF
Shiny mountain, in Spring Brook township.
He saw she was going to give birth to kittens
before long, and be resolved TO locate her hid
ing place and find her litter of young ones if
it were possible. Macomber is an old Spring
Brook woodsman, but he had never seen
wildcat under the size of a half grown one
and be desired to find out how a wildcats
kittens looked when they were real small A
few days after that Macomber went 10 the
dark ravine again, secreted himself in a
elump Of bushes near little stream, kept
perfectly still and watched for the wildcat TO
make her appearance
PATIENCE ON LOG.
Macomber is an inveterate smoker, but he
put out his pipe before he got TO the woods,
and for four long hours he sat there watch
ing Tor the wildcat 70 show herself, not dar-
ing TO light up for fear Of attracting the ami
malls attention.
When he had about made up his mind TO
fill his pipe and start for home he had the
good luck to get sight Of the object Of his
search. She was creeping stealthily from the
hillside toward the rivulet, only few yards
from where Mncomber was concealed and
her movements showed that she was bent on
catching something. Within a few feet OF
the brook the wildcat stopped, and for five or
six minutes she sat perfectly still Then she
made a spring. and when she turned Macon
Der saw that she bad a mole and several
spears Of dry grass in her mouth. As she
cantered up the hillside with her prey Ma
comber took note Of the direction she went,
and he also noticed that she hadn't had her
kittens yet
A week afteryard Macomber watched for
again in the same spot. He sat in the clump
Of bushes for three or four hours without get
ting sight Of her. but on the following day he
saw her mousing near the brook. She caught
something and bounded away with it, and
Macomber saw that she went In the same
direction. BY that time the wildcat had a
nest of kittens somewhere in the woods, and
Macomber began 70 lay his plans to find out
how those kittens looked He might have
killed their mother when he saw her mousing
there, but he said he didn't want TO do it, be
cause her little ones would starve to death il
case he couldn't find the nest after he had
killed tho old wildcat
So Nacomber said he concluded to try e
catch her In box trap. 1t wouldn't hurt
her any to be caught in that way, and if h,
caught her he could hunt around I'm the wood.
for her nest without fearing to be tackled by
her. If he found her kittens he was going tC
take them home with him and her, too; bui
If he didn't succeed in hunting up her nest
he was going to bot the old cat loose, and b,
prepared TO slay her If she pitched on him.
THE BOY WAS A MASCOT"
On the following day Macomber and hi
oldest son, Archer, took box trap into th'
woods, baited it with piece OF chicken and
house mouse, and set it near the spot wher
the wildcat had caught the mole. Both o
thom went 10 the Tavine the next morning t.
look at the trap Before they had got il
sight OF it they heard wildcat yowling AM
screaming further up the ravine, and the,
hurried on, feeling satisfied that the mothe
wildcat had stumbled into the trap durinI
l the night. Mscomber said he was littl
taken back and a bit provoked when
looked through tbeiron rods on top Of th
trap, for, instead Of flndingt the she cat inside
| big buck wildcat had bis back bumped u
against the rods and was snarling and spil
ting and scratching ~ get out MAcombe
said be knocked tho malo wildcat in the heaC
hauled him out, and reset the trap with th
same bait, as the buck wildcat had not di
turbed IL.
Each morning Macomber and his son, wen
up to the Favine, but they didn't find the ira
sprung until the fourth day. It then had
screaming she wildcat In it, and Macombe
and Archer let her scream and began I
search for her nest They looked into ever
hollow log around there, as well as into ever
cozy spot that was shieided from the weather
amd slowly worked their way up the hiIlsid
toward tho spot where Aaoomber had see
the wildcat disappear in the bushes with IL
moIa For two hours the father and 50
searched, the trapped wildcat keeping up
constant yelling all the time Then they 81
down on a fallen tree to rest, and Macomb,
was telling his son that he guessed they woul
have TO give up, when the sharp ears Of Il
boy heard a faint noise near the roots of Il
tree.
Archer went TO passing around witho'
saying anything to his father about what
had heard, and underneath the butt of Il
log he soon uncovered four baby wildcat
two Of which be held up for his father
look at. Their eyes were just open, aud NJ
comber said the hungry little things NEW
good deal like domestic kittens when Il
boy handled them They were spotted gr,
and white, with nearly white bellies. Arch
took the four wild kittens away in his hl
and when they reached the trap the fierce Q
mother wildcat tried her best 70 break o
and made terrible fuss when she heard h
little ones new, Then they poked the kite
into the trap, and the old cat quoted dow
She got them into corner with as mu
care as a tame cat, Macomber said, and th
curled up and tried to hide them.
} They lugged the trap home from the cent
Of pole, and Macomber made a strong ca
for his savage captives pa &C
New York Sun.