The Grenada sentinel., 1896-11-14
NEW WORKS WILD BEASTS.
Ehs WOLF. tho wildcat, the Lyas $50
Beaver Stili Linger In tho Woods.

xA0 WOLF. tho Wildcat the Ayo8 oo0
Beaver stiii Linger In the Woods.
Franklin county, although tired Of
paying for the ears of slain black
bears, has recently reimposed tie
bounty on wolves, though wolves are
extremely scarce in this county, as else
where in the Adirondaclis. A veracious
old guide, more than 40 years in the
business, says that the wolves disap-
pearcd from his part of the county in a
single year That occurred a quarter
of century ago. They seemed one
season to be bowling from every square
yard about Wolf pond, and the next
year there was not wolf to be seen or
heard in the whole reg:cn.
Five or six years afterward. however,
this same guide rallied 20 of his neigh
oors to hunt down pack of five fero-
cious creatures--part dog, part wolf
tina: ravased sheeg-folds and roamed
about the farm buildings in broad day.
light. The farmers surrounded the
pack and slew three of them, but the
other two. including morgrel-half
wolf, half hulldog-escaped, after
whipping all the dogs that were
brought to the hunt. Since that time
lie has never seen nor heard wolf.
Panthers or catamounts, as wildcats
are called in these parts. are now very
scarce save in the true wilds of the
Adirondacks. Some one now and then
reports having seen wildcat while
deer hunting, but the creatures are
seldom killed, ana they are oftener
heard than seen. The males have
way of walking by moonlight and yos*l-
ing for their mates. The sound is
about the most blcodcurdling one that
the wilderness knows. but the wildcat
is not really dangerous creature save
when brought to bay. The lynx. still
found in these parts, is no more danger
Gus than the wildcat or the bear, but
he has m unpleasant habit of following
the human pedestrian. The guides tell
stories of being followed all night and
half the day by these tireless creatures.
The Adirondack lynx, however, does
not attack man, though he is danger
Gus creature Tor any dog to tackle.
There are yet lingering traditions OF
the days when moose roamed the Adiron-
dacks. An old guide recalls that his
elder brother shot moose nearly so
years ago on Lower Saranac lake. 1t is
many years since any have been seen in
even the widest parts Of the wilder
ness. Caribou had been thought ex-
tinct in these parts for some years when
Il guide shot one of n pair near Meecham
lake, in lonely corner of this county.
They were probably the last pair in the
region.
Even the almost extinct beaver still
performs his miracle of instinct upon Il
few streams of this county. Most Of
the beavers were trapped out Of exist
cncc 20 or 25 years ago. but now that
they are specially protected by law
they may survive for long time to
come. A beaver colony has long oper
ated on the outlet to Mcdonald pond,
20 or 30 miles from this point. They
| have several fine dams on the stream,
one of them hacking up a large area
Of water. The outlet to the St. Regis
lakes flows not far from Mcdonald
pond, and on this little stream there
was recently colony Of beavers at
work. They had five dams on single
mile of the stream. and it was vastly
improved for the guides by the opera
tons of the beavers. for the little Adj
rondack boats easily hoated on the Wa
ter thus deepened and slipped without
difficulty over the Jam breasts.-N. y.
Sun.