New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-03

The pekan's trail Is an irresistible In
vitstion TO "see what the cuss is up TO.
A fox track is a monotone Of twisting and
wanderings: the pekans road is a diver
sion in wild life eccentricities. The pekan
will travel for years in great circie-a
circle thirty miles or more in crcumfer-
ence II may not wander rod from the
narrow line it follows. except in pursuit
Of game or 10 do something unusual.
II seems TO have some purpose for every
move 81 makes trapper will follow
g pekan ten or fifteen minutes md then
stop and demand:
Now what is the cuss up to-"
The unaccustomed eye would see no
change in the appearance OF the tracks
but q Bert" Conkln sees that the AMI
NAL has left its regular course to crawl
under q log. The trapper crawls under
the log, too and comes up on the far side
blowing snow from his mustache.
Just wanted to scratch his back-seel
Here's some hair he left in that bark.
The next time the trapper stops WIN
strong single swear word:
Bank! Look at that. Now whered he
get that pill?'
A IN the Idppcl
beef tallow doctored with poison for foxes
The pekan steals these pills. but seldom
eats them. Sometimes a pekan VIII carry
one a mile or more, and then drop 1t on a
snow hummock or bury it in the sno"
under a brush pile. Not only will "a peKah
steal poison pills, but II will steal traps
chain and all, and hide them, inspiring
under a log or brush heap.
The pekan has ways that would paHle
a detective OF the wilderness. Why' lot
example, do they always travel In a great
circle-why do they keep far back from
clearings and inhabited country! why
does a pekan sometimes climb trees ana
run leaping from tree to tree with no game
in sight? Why does pekan always rum
instead Of walking? The only time pekan
ever walks is when IL is caught in deep
loose snow and has 10 stop running
through sheer fatigue.
In energy the pekan is the most gifted
OF all animals known 70 the Adirondack
trapper who knows all the animals. A
pekan goes mile after mile in deep snow
or on hard crust. leaping along. Its
jumps vary from 30 to 60 inches. IL runs
I'D hill and down; II leaps from rock 10
rock. II gallops along the backs OF logs
# rushes through brush and tree tops; II
swings along the back Of mountain ridges
and. sometimes, crosses swamps. Rarely
one will cross a large stream, even on the
ice
Now and then something will stop the
pekan short and all four paws bunch on
the snow Of some hummock or rock. There
IL stands its head turning with little jerks
from side 10 side-in an instant, away IL
goes again on its long trail. II turns aside
10 plunge down into the snow where
partridge has buried itself from the 40 de-
crees below zero cold. II turns down into
a balsam swamp whence comes Whit OF
rabbit scent-and In a few swift snort
cruel Jumps. springs upon and tears the
/ life out of the surprised RABBIT
OF all the. things the pekan prefers TO do
| killing porcupines is its greatest Joy, and
eating them is its chief maintenance
Trappers say that pekans could eaten rao-
bits, squirrels, birds and even weakened
deer. with much less difficulty and pain
than they experience in killing porcupines'
| Utica Observer