The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1898-01-11
A HUNTERS WOOD LORE
PALACES CONCERNING BEASTS.
BIRDS AND REPTILES.

Newspaper Bear StoricS-Iore I<iilc,S A.,
Fiction Than Inhabit the C,t.LiIIS
Queer Facts About Snakes Animal.
and Birds That Are Fond of Fish.
\ man learns many of the subtle
and interesting secrets of nature when
he lives in the woods as LONG as 7
nave, said Zenas Cartwright. the
woodsman and Catskill guide. al
often read bear stories in the New
York newspapers which are dated in
the Catsklll Mountains, which, If they
Were true, would completely throw
awry the infallible laws of nature
and cause the wheels of the machine
to clog They are, in fact, what You
newspaper people call fakes, and are
manufactured out of whole cloth
Living IN the woods has taught me
many things that the ordinary writer
OF bear stories don't know, aud one of
them Is that the reporter who writes
about old she bears being accompan.
led 10y young cubs from spring to fall
Is an Ignorant liar. He don't know
that the bears all cub, if at all. in
certain season of the year. and that the
old she bear sends the young ones
about their business as soon rs they
learn to dig sweet roots for food. steal
corn from n cOrntield or a sucking MO
from pig pen. The fellow who
writes about fierce encounters with
huge she bear weighing go pounds
accompanied by sucking cubs in the
early spring, in the month of August.
and Just before snow flies, is n pure
and simple liar, as the she bear of
these mountains seldom. if ever
weighs more than 100 pounds. and
nor cubs, which are born during her
alternating period, leave her not later
than the month of May to shift for
themselves.
Il have lived in these mountains for
nearly half a century," he continued
and have hunted and trapped them
from the Helderbergs to the Delaware
River, aud over in PENNSYLVANIA. and
while | have learned many things or
binary people are ignorant of, r
haven't found ont all the curious
secrets OF the woods vet. but am find.
ing out more every day, as L travel the
woods, fields and swamps.
Now, you read in the natural his
tories that the mink aud the muskrat
are water animals and subsi,t LARGELY
on fish. This is true to a large ey.
tent. yet these two fellows are AMONG
the most persistent and unconscion7
able of robbers. l have known both
mlhks and muskrats to lay in hiding
pehlnd a tutt of grass, a furze' bush. or |
ciump of heather waiting for hours /
until the rabbit whose burrow was
near their hiding place came home. !
anu when he came, jump on him and /
rob him of the cabbage leaf which he (
was bringing home for the young ra5-
blts, and bite the uususpecting bunny
II death, aud suck his blood The
skunk and the weasel will do the same
trick, except that the skunk will eat
the rabbits flesh, while the others
only suck the blood.
" There are many things about
snakes which are curious. also. Tftbc
writers OF snake stories only knew this
they wouldn't be filling tile columns
OF the newspapers with stories about
snake dens where rattlesnakes. CON
perheGds, adders, blacksnakes. ana
all other kinds, venomous and non
Tenomous, live together \ venomous
ShaAe and anon-venomous snake never
Heh together, bat the veuomous snake
Is deadly afraid Of -venomous
reptile, aud viii run from il upon all
occasions, even If it is nothin, buttbo
little striped garter or milk snake
These snakes always give battle To tho
Nenomous kind, but the latter will
never fight unless they are cornered.
and then, conditions being anywhere
even, the victory, ninty-nine times ont
OF a hundred, hes with the non.ya1-
omous snake.
Il have also noted that In. rattle
snake never sounds his rattle to give
warning Of his presence ezcept wban
ne Is lying OF, taking n rest. and does
not want to be disturbed. He is law.
and, although he will 60 miles ont
OF a straight course 70 avoid meeting
niaeksnake, when he is summing him
sell he don't want TO be disturbed so
he sounds his rattles to keen on in
truders, merely because he is too law
and shift!ess TO change his position
When he wants 20 strike his fangs in.
10 anything he never springs hisratfe
DHt whatever is bitten is done so with
out warning He is foxy aud never
osirays his presence when he bites
Some Of the most instructive
things you see in the woods are tine
queer traits Of birds The eaylc. for
instance, never mates but once n
the male dies the widow bird remains
'o during life. In the clse Of the
male bird 1t is tie same. The oa,,e
AWAY builds its nest Of sticks in
lead tree or on some high Graz OF
rocks. SO it can sweep the lanIsr,pe
Tor miles with its terrible eve r. is
no. an ater'iouate bird to its vaury
'n as soon rs the eaelets are fsatb-
'rs ! oUt u pushes them out Of the
nest and on the rock. compelling 4.
hem 20 fly. They are then Def. 10 0
Init Tor themselves or die of -tsrro ,
ION. IT only takes n young car1e Z
''7t half ON hour TO learn 20 Hy al. j
most as well as the old birds
Did you ever hear of any one find. ,
nC an owls nest} No Well o-gis
ioHt build nests No owl since {
.renuuu ever built q nest in which +.
iltehei ont Us own young. The owl
ay only two eggs. almost as LARGE ma.
hen egg, and these it laws in "a
laVN nest. squirrels hole. or any
pot where there is heat They have
wen been known 90 lay them in j