THE FUR COUNTRY AND ITS FAUNA.*
THE extraordinary quantity of peltry which yearly reaches us from America cannot but excite curiosity as to the districts which furnish such enormous and ever increasing supplies, and we are inclined to ask how it can be possible that even so vast a country has not by this time been denuded of its fur animals. But when we read Mr. Murphy's book, we discover that no such fear need for the present trouble us, since although the hunting-grounds have indeed, so to speak, receded as population has advanced, and it is necessary in these days, if one would have good sport, to cross the Rocky Mountains in search of it, yet between that range and the Pacific Ocean and between British America and California, there exists an area of nearly six hundred thousand square miles—about five times the extent of Great Britain and Ireland—which is only to be ap- proached by the Indian jungles or the impenetrable forests of Africa in variety and abundance of game ; an area also still so sparsely populated, that it is likely to afford a splendid field to sportsmen for many years to come. Over this country it has been the delight of the author to wander, quite as much, he says, for the purpose of studying the fera3 naturce, as with a view to killing them ; and hence we find in his book an agreeable absence of that bloodthirstiness which seems usually to characterise narratives of sporting adventure, although the reader has by no means to complain of the lack either of audacity and enthusiasm in the pursuit of game, or of exciting in- cidents. The Far West is, according to Mr. Murphy, a perfect paradise for the lover of hunting and fishing, provided he be willing to camp-out at a distance from settlements, and is of that genial, open-hearted character which is capable of making its way with the sturdy Western guides, men ready to do anything for him who is kind and friendly, but who cannot brook the smallest attempt at dictation or arrogance. Indeed, these important personages are very capable of punishing misdemeanours of this kind by leading the unlucky offender weary miles through precipitous canons and over dreary plains, for no other purpose than that of thoroughly fatiguing him, and making him glad to take a rest on the sue- ' ceeding day, when he might have been enjoying a stirring buffalo or moose-hunt, or gaining his first experience of combat with a grizzly. There is plenty of good fishing also to be had in this region ; and as the author says that by taking ordinary precaution life is safe there from the attacks of savages, fierce animals, irritating insects, or deadly diseases, and that the expense both of reaching it and carrying on sport is exceedingly small, it would seem to be just the place for the enthusiastic Nimrod, who may also utilise any kind of sporting dog he wishes to bring with him,--pointers, setters, and hounds being, however, considered undoubtedly the most valuable.
Mr. Murphy gives a great many instructions as to the equip- ment and modus operandi of the hunter, but with these we need not concern ourselves ; but may remark that what he says about the necessity of being well provided with comforts is extremely sensible, since the want of them in reasonable measure will make protracted hunting even to the most enthusiastic sports- man rather a toil than a pleasure.
Of all the wild animals of the Far West, the grizzly bear, or " Ephraim," as he is called in local phraseology—" Cuffey " being the sobriquet of his black congener—naturally bears away the palm. Indeed, Mr. Murphy does not hesitate to say that only a want of knowledge of his strength and courage could have induced naturalists to give to the lion the title of " king of beasts." He even claims for his clumsy prot6g6 the attribute of magnanimity, averring that although essentially carnivorous, it has been known (of course when not hungry) to let a wounded buffalo escape, although perfectly able to kill two or three of these animals at a time with single strokes of its huge paws ; and it can drag a heavy bull, weighing from twelve to eighteen hundred pounds, for a very long distance. The grizzly is the bear of the mountains ; it hibernates in the northern regions, but still an old male in quest of provender may often be met with abroad, even in very cold weather. The Indians sometimes take this bear in pitfalls ; the Sioux formerly chased it on horseback, and the Mexicans used lariats for its capture ; the present plan, at least in the neighbourhood of farming settlements, is to destroy it by poison ; but a grizzly-hunt is most exciting sport, for the creature is possessed of amazing vitality, and is dangerous even in the • Sporting Adventures in the Far West. By John Mortimer Murphy. London : Sampson Low and CO.
death-struggle. Mr. Murphy gives several accounts of these combats, in some of which foolhardiness has been the cause of horrible fatalities. Black bears are also extremely numerous beyond the Rocky Mountains, and the sportsman may there ravel in bear-hunts to his heart's content. In that district it is quite usual to keep young bears as pets, and as many as seven or eight may be seen tied up round a farm-house, for during the first year of their life these animals are playful and interesting. They are exceedingly fond of honey or anything sweet, and a brace of cubs will quarrel violently over the most minute lump of sugar. When they get older, however, they become exceedingly mischievous, and even dangerous, but as their flesh is considered very good eating they are valued accordingly. A necklace of bears' claws is extremely prized by 'the red man, but as the hides do not fetch so good a price as formerly, bear-hunts are not now carried on as a matter of business.
The cougar or puma is also commonly found in the Rocky Mountain district, but is not often a dangerous foe, unless roused by hunger or brought to bay, in which cases it will face the largest animal and man himself without the slightest hesitation ; and whatever may be its prey, whether small or great, it immediately cuts open the throat and drinks the blood, after which, if not satiated, it will devour the flesh, cover- ing up any of it that may remain, just as a dog does, to form provision for a future meal. It is well known that when captured young the puma becomes an attached and playful pet, but Mr. Murphy assures us that even in a wild state this animal has been known—much to the terror of the person towards whom it displayed its amiability—to come up to a traveller, purring pleasantly, and to rub its huge head against him, and gambol around him, accompanying him in this manner for a mile or more, varying the entertainment by occasionally swinging its tail from side to side, and giving utter- ance to a bloodcurdling scream, until startled by the approach of a vehicle, the creature fled into the woods terror-stricken ; while the man thus unexpectedly rescued almost fainted away, and will not, says the writer, ever forget his agonizing half-hour's tete- a-tete with a cougar.
Wolves, foxes, buffalo, moose and other deer, antelopes, Rocky Mountain goats, the Bighorn or mountain sheep, and many other animals were hunted by Mr. Murphy, sometimes alone, and sometimes in company with other sportsmen, and of each of the creatures he has something interesting to tell. The wolves, though cowardly, and of course predatory, are, he says, good mothers and faithful guardians and providers, never de- serting their young until the last moment, and even then doing so in order to mislead the hunter and take him to a dis- tance from the rest. The author believes that the wolf might be domesticated and made useful to man, having in fact known a tame wolf which would chase deer as well as a staghound, while its powers of endurance were much greater. It was also remarkably obedient, answering promptly to a call. The .domestication of the buffalo is of course an accomplished fact, but at present has only been tried as an experiment, and not, as it should be, brought into general practice, for it is known that the milk is rich and sweet, yielding a remarkable quantity of cream, while by careful feeding the fur becomes longer and finer than it is in the wild state. It is a pity therefore that so useful an animal should be destroyed in such numbers, 210,000 being about the number slaughtered annually, 5,000 having fallen in one season to Dr. Carver's rifle alone. This wonderful shot has also killed 33 elks in one straight run, and 230 in a fortnight by running and stalking, and has been known to destroy a whole herd of antelopes before they could get beyond the range of his deadly weapon.
The author, however, is more tender-hearted, and confesses to feeling no small degree of pain when seeing tears in the beautiful and appealing eyes of a full-grown, wounded antelope, or in those of a young fawn when captured by the lasso. We must not conclude our notice of Mr. Murphy's interesting volume without alluding to his description of the sewellel or showtl, one of the most curious and least known mammals of America. This little animal ,which is only found in a few isolated and barren parts of the North-West, its geographical range being bounded on the north by British Columbia, on the south by Oregon, and on the east by the high, rolling plateaus near the Cascade Range, inhabits for the most part, the small, -sandy prairies adjacent to the rivers that run through the dense forests of Western Oregon and Washington Territory. The Indians have a tradition that it was the first creature endowed with life, and curiously enough trace their own origin to it, having, however, not the smallest objection to cooking and eating their remote ancestor, the flesh of which they esteem a great delicacy. The showtl much resembles the musk rat, with this striking difference, that it does not possess a tail. A full-grown male measures about fourteen inches in length and six in height, has a well developed head, with large, round muzzle, short, velvety, rounded ears, and exceedingly sharp teeth, short, stout legs, broad feet, long, thick, curved nails, by means of which it can burrow a home for itself in an incredibly short time. The creature is extremely gregarious, living in colonies of from a dozen to a hundred families ; it eats only vegetable food, and lays up considerable stores of provision in its underground dwelling. Its fine, thick, reddish-brown fur caused it to be sought for by the Chinooks for the purpose of making robes, which they called " she-wel-el," and hence one of the names of the animal. By chirping for a little while near its hole, the showtl may be induced to come out, and it can then be shot with a bow and arrow, while seeking to regain its burrow, as the conformation of its feet prevents it from moving quickly. The meat is tender, and forms, we are told, quite a tonne-bouche for the hungry hunter, who, however, can seldom be in want of a good dinner, to judge by the accounts given us by Mr. Murphy of the results of a few days' sport, and his description of the Lien are generally of the forest ranchers.
Previous page
