The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-09-01
WHAT | KNOW ABOUT
WILD ANIMALS
Big Yellow Birches
OF Aroostook
Yarns and "reminiscences of the
Parkhurst Man.

man.
Il have taken a course In woods
craft which should qualify me tt
write intelligently on the subject
When | was three months old, one
J,ne morning, mother took out the
old half sash of 7x9 glass that served
as window In the Sam Works cab
In, and set it on the banking. She
tfen went out to pick some cedar
boughs for broom, leaving me In
the cradle A gaunt loupcervier thai
had litter of half grown, hungry
kittens under some hazel bushes 6
few rods away, jumped through the
window, seized me and dragged me
through the open door. l suppose
was frightened, for | am told thai
screamed and howled.
Mother heard my cries and coming
around the house strenuously OBJ
jected to the lynx carrying me away
When she finally got me and started
for the house, the brute followed heI
and tore her skirts to ribbons with
teeth and claws. But daddy, who was
short distance away making shin
giles, heard the cutlery and came on
the run. The beast was still sitting
on a stump splitting and showing her
teeth. A charge of buckshot soon fin
ished her.
The little ones were found and kill
ed, and one of them was skinned and
the hide stuffed and 1t was given to
me to play with. l had 1t when l was
ten years old and used to call 1t my
Lucy" l suppose today If child
had toy like that to play with, 1t
would be called a Teddy loupcer-
vier."
Since that day l have been chased
by bears and freed by moose and
wolves. I was once alone and asleep
in an old camp, when big bear came
up onto the roof and fell through; /
managed to get out through the hole
in the roof, but as my rife was inside
had to go six miles to get man to
come shoot him.
l once had ride on the back of a
live caribou. The story has been print
ed and widely copied In sporting pa
pers, and there Is at least one man
still living, who was an eye witness
to that wild tide.
/ have slain the giant moose and
stolen the cubs from the she bear.
once carried a cub 10 miles wrapped
up in my jacket. In my boyhood days
helped to kill the snarlng bears in
traps, helped to skin and dress them
and tack their hides up on the old
barn door.
During my life In the woods
have eaten the flesh of all the game
animals from the rabbit to the moose
and many times 1t has been more
rabbit than anything else. have also
learned how to make canoes, moose
calls, snow shoes and moccasins, and
how to tan skins by the Indian meth
cd, which is very simple. Now, l am
not telling this to boast, as very many
of the natives of Aroostook have had
the same experience, but to show that
know something Of the wild animals
OF my native land, the greatest game
county in the United States.
THE BULL MOOSE.
And, If you are going to admit that
| know anything about the wild
beasts of the great north woods, al
low me to say that there Is only one
animal in the Aroostook woods but
what will run from man II they have
a chance, and that Ia the bull moose.
In the fall of the year those monsters
are positively dangerous, and they are
in no hurry to get out of the way at
any time. Those who 60 forth to
stalk moose should either be good
shots or good tree climbers. Bull
moose fight each other and are some
times found dead with their antlers
locked together.
The pigeons that in the pioneer
days used to come in clouds and de-
your the settlers growing grain are
gone, not only from Aroostook, but
from the continent. The early set
tiers used to shoot and trap them In
great numbers; they were excellent
for food. The panthers have gone
also, and today wolves and caribou
are almost unknown on Aroostook
soil. If the wolves ever come back,
and they are liable to, the deer will
leave and the caribou will also re-
turn, for wolves cannot run down the
fleet, long winded caribou.
BIRCH TIMBER.
Before we get too far away from
the past let US take glance at the
birch timber industry which was once
carried on to some extent in all the
border towns of Aro0stook as we'll as
along the Aroostook river. Now l will
venture to say without fear of sue
cessful contradiction, that there is nc
place on the continent where the yell
low birch grows so tall and large