strychnine.
There are two or three species of lynx, or wild-cat, also
troublesome to settlers near the forest, carrying off young pigs
and such small farm stock. When not stealing from the farmer
they subsist upon young fawns, hares, squirrels, and game birds.
These pests are numerous in the woods of the Lower Columbia.
We have seen numerous good specimens depending from the
limbs of trees, where they had been hung after shooting.
Of foxes there are the red, silver-gray, black, and gray varieties. It is thought that the black fox is a distinct species; as is also the gray, which is smaller. But the silver-gray is said by the Indians to be the male of the red species, the female only being of a reddish color. This species, in all its varieties, is very common on the eastern side of the Cascades, and the smaller gray is most abundant in Southeastern Oregon. Their skins, though not as handsome as the silver-gray, are still very fine. The gray is the “ medicine fox” of the Indians, a meeting with which brings misfortune.
Elk are found both in the Cascade and Coast Mountains, but are most abundant in the latter, especially in the Olympic Range. In summer they keep pretty high up, but when snow falls in the mountains descend to the plains and river-bottoms. They travel in well-beaten trails and in large droves, which make them easy game. When quite wild they, show considerable curiosity, stopping to look at the hunter, thus offering a fair shot. When wounded and in close quarters they are formidable antagonists, from their great size, heavy head, and large antlers. The immense.size of their antlers would appear to be an obstacle to their escape when 'running in the forest, but by throwing back their heads they drop them over their shoulders so well out of the way as to enable them to pass through the thick woods without difficulty. There still are immense herds of them in the mountains near the mouth of the Columbia, and may be hunted in summer by parties sufficiently hardy for overcoming the obstacles of the forest. But autumn and winter are better seasons for hunting elk, as they then come down to more open ground. Elk-steaks are no rarity in Astoria, and occasionally they are to be met with in the Portland markets. It is estimated that not less than one thousand elk were killed in one year in Coos County alone, for the skins only.
