USA > New Hampshire > Coos County > Lancaster > History of Lancaster, New Hampshire > Part 32
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The splendid forests of a century ago were gradually cleared by the pioneers of the town and their descendants. Lumber was of no value. The gigantic pines of the intervale were cut and burned so far as the fire would consume them, and thousands of the uncon- sumed trunks were thrown into the Connecticut and carried down the stream. The hard woods were utilized by being burned to ashes
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THE NATURAL HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
and made into " salts of lye " as the people called the potash thus obtained. For many years this was an important article of com- merce, and in the great scarcity of money furnished a common medium of exchange.
Among the shrubs of Lancaster worthy of special mention are the following :
The American yew ( Taxus canadensis). This is a low, strag- gling, prostrate bush, found in moist woods. Its fruit is unique resembling a red berry, round and pulpy. Within this pulpy disk and nearly inclosed by it is a small nut-like seed. One would never suspect from the berry that it belonged to the cone-bearing family ; and yet the "berry " is really a disguised cone. It is the only species of yew in the United States. The mountain ash is another of our indigenous shrubs. It has a wide range of growth, and is found on rocky mountain sides and along the banks of streams. Its ample clusters of bright red berries give it a remarkable bril- liancy in the autumn. In Europe it is called the Roman tree, where it is associated with superstitious notions, being used for divining rods, amulets, etc. As the European variety grows a little larger than our own, it is preferred for cultivation.
The hazelnut is quite common, and is gathered by the children for its sweet, nutritious kernel.
The high cranberry ( Viburnum opulus) grows quite abundantly along the roadsides. Its tart, red berries are often eaten as a sub- stitute for the meadow cranberry, which is also indigenous to the town.
Blackberries and raspberries are abundant, and so are blueberries, The huckleberry (Gaylussacia resinosal) is not found here. The wild gooseberry and black currant may be found here and there by roadsides and in pastures, particularly on Stebbins hill.
The purple-flowering raspberry or " mulberry " ( Rubus odoratus) grows luxuriantly on Mt. Prospect and elsewhere. It is a very showy plant when in blossom in July, and its berries are edible.
One or two of the smaller species of sumach is found here; but not the poisonous variety commonly known as "dogwood" (Rhus venenata). The poison ivy which belongs to the same genus is occasionally seen.
The common and the red-berried elder both grow along the roadsides. The moosewood, the alder, and the willow are all found in their proper habitat. There are several species of cornel, which are the true dogwoods, and all innocent. Among these is the pretty dwarf cornel or bunch-berry.
We have also the rhodora, a species of rhododendron. It grows abundantly, flowering in June before the leaves are developed. This beautiful flower suggests Emerson's lines written in its honor,
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
" Dear, tell them that if eyes were made for seeing Then beauty is its own excuse for being,"
Of the smaller plants, Lancaster presents a great variety. A com- plete list is not at hand, and if it were it would have little interest in a popular history., The following are a few of the most interest- ing species :
The hepatica is the first plant to open its petals in the spring. There is a sunny spot on the southeast slope of Mt. Prospect, on the Jacobs farm, where the blossoms of this charming plant open by the middle of April, while the snow yet lingers in its neighborhood. It is a member of the crowfoot family, and is therefore first cousin to the buttercups, anemones, marsh marigolds, etc.
The Mayflower or trailing arbutus (Epigæa repens) is another of the early blossomers. There is one place in town where it may be found, though only in small quantities. This spot is near the outlet of Martin Meadow pond. It is a small, attractive blossom, with a most delicate fragrance-a universal favorite.
The spring beauty ( Claytonia Virginica) is also one of our early flowers, blossoming about the first of May. The plant grows from a small tuber, and has two narrow opposite leaves from three to five inches long and a pretty rose-colored blossom, its petals being streaked with pink veins. It grows abundantly on our mead- ows. It belongs to the purslane family.
The twin-flower ( Linnaea borealis) was named for the great . botanist, Linnæus. It belongs to the honeysuckle family. It is a tiny plant with small, roundish leaves, and three peduncles, each bearing at the top a pair of nodding, bell-shaped, roseate, fragrant flowers. Its month is June. It is a charming little flower and should be more generally known. It is partial to moist, rocky shades, and may be found in large quantities by the roadside in the woods just beyond Baker's hill. It was one of Emerson's favorites.
" The slight Linnæa hangs its twin-born heads."
The forget-me-not (Myosotis) is universally admired. It grows in wet places, having a special fondness for the margin of brooklets. It is in blossom from May until August. Before opening the raceme is coiled up like a scorpion and for this reason the plant is known as " scorpion grass." It has a pretty blue blossom with a yellow centre and is first cousin to the heliotrope. It grows in several places in town, but is far more abundant in the adjoining town of Lunenburg.
The composite family has a large representation here. One of its most showy members is the cone flower (Rudbeckia hirta), with large yellow rays, spreading from a brown, cone-like centre.
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THE NATURAL HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
In August it is conspicuous in grass fields among the daisies. Then there is the golden ragwort of the meadows; the purple thorough- wort and the boneset, the elecampane, the pearly everlasting; the fireweed (Epilobium augustifolium), springing up where woods have been cleared and the ground burnt over; the bur-marigold or "beggar-ticks," of which the dry akenes adhere to the dress with their two-barbed awns; the wild lettuce, the dandelion, the wild sunflower, the fleabanes, and the whole troop of asters and golden- rods.
The lily family is represented by the bright Canada lily of the meadows, the Solomon's seal of the woods, the bellwort, with a yel- lowish blossom and commonly known as wild oats; the white and purple trillium or wake robin; the pretty smilicina, common in woods and low grounds and much used in bouquets, often called improperly " the wild lily of the valley"; the dog's-tooth violet, yellow adder's tongue (Erythronium Americanum), is everywhere conspicuous with its yellow blossoms in the month of May.
To this family belongs the beautiful clintonia of the woods. It may be recognized by its two or more broad, smooth leaves near the ground, from whose base rises a naked scape about six inches high, bearing an umbel of greenish-yellow flowers in June, and a cluster of bright blue berries in the autumn. In this connection may be mentioned the charming blue iris, or flower-de-luce of the meadows; the cat-tail flag, and the numerous pondweed family. Also the Nymphiads, including the yellow pond lily, a favorite food of the beaver and moose; and the white water lily, esteemed for its beauty and fragrance. The orchid family has many interesting plants, including the handsome lady slipper. The prince pine, the pyrola, the sarsaparilla, and the checkerberry ( Gaultheria) are all natives of our woods. The fumatory family is represented by the pretty mountain-fringe and the Dicentra or Dutchman's breeches.
Our milkweeds are conspicuous for their showy blossoms and their pods filled with a fluffy down, nature's wings for wafting the seeds. The strawberry should be mentioned both for its use and beauty ; nor should the sweet violets and bluets of early summer be passed by.
These are some of the more striking and interesting of our native plants, but to mention and describe them all would require a volume, especially if we were to add a description of the lower forms of vege- tation-the grasses, ferns, club mosses, mosses, and lichens, in all of which the town is especially rich. As these would awaken little popular interest, only a single example of each will be given. Of grasses, the blue-joint is the most showy, and is esteemed as a food for cattle. Of the ferns, the beautiful maidenhair easily bears
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
the palm and is not uncommon, especially in the Mt. Prospect woods. Of the club mosses, the three most common species are found here in abundance. Of mosses, the genus Funaria is, per- haps, the most common. Among the lichens, anyone may recog- nize the Usnea barbata by its hanging in fringes from evergreens in the swamps something after the manner of the "long moss" ( Tillandsia) of the Southern states.
FISH.
The darters ( Poecilicthys) .- Striped darter (P. lineatus) ; dot- ted darter (P. punctulatus) ; Johnny darter (Boleosoma brevi- pinatae).
Perch ( Percidae) .- Yellow perch (P. fluvescens) ; trout perch (Percopsis guttatus).
Bass (Micropterus) .- Big-mouthed, black bass (M. fluvidanus) ; small-mouthed, black bass (M. salmoides).
Sunfish ( Pomotis) .- Common sunfish (P. aurens) .
Trout (Salmo) .- Brook trout (S. fontinalis), several varieties.
Minnow (Melanura) .- Mud minnow (M. limi).
Esocidae .- Muskellunge ( Esox nobiliar) ; little pickerel (E. salmoneus).
Dace (Semotilus) .- Common chub, or horned dace (S. corpor- alis).
Shiners (Notemigonis) .- Common shiner (N. Americanus).
Suckers ( Catostomus) .- Common mud sucker (C. teres) ; red horse ( Teretulus duquesnei) .
Bull heads ( Aminurus) .- Common bull head (A. Americanus) ; bull pout (A vulgarus).
Eels (Aguillidae) .- Common eel (A. vulgarus) .
REPTILES.
Turtles ( Testudinata) .- Northern box turtle ( Cistudo ornatus) ; commong snapping turtle ( Chelydra surpentinus) ; soft-shelled turtle (Aspidonectes spinifer).
NOTE .- Hon. J. W. Weeks tells me that the eel was not known in Lancaster until the otter had become extinct. It was supposed that the otter destroyed them. The salmon was once so plenty, before dams were built on the Connecticut river, as to have been one of the recognized sources of food for the early settlers. Every family was expected to salt down a barrel of salmon for the year. They did not become extinct until about 1808. They remained in the river through the winter until about that date. Shad probably reached Lancaster in their ascent of the Connecticut river; but if they did they were not regarded as of any importance as salmon were so abundant. The two were hindered from ascending the river by the dam at Turner's Falls in 1803. At Littleton they were recognized, and an " inspector of shad and salmon " was one of the officials of the town. Trout were found here by the first settlers in inexhaustible quantities, and continued plenty until the streams were filled with sawdust from the mills. Since then they have not been so plenty, but by carefully stocking the streams the fish commissioner has kept them plentiful enough to make trout fishing one of the recreations of the town, and an inducement to summer tourists to visit it.
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THE NATURAL HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Snakes (Ophidia) .- Spotted water snake ( Tropidonotus sipe- don) ; striped water snake (T. liberis) ; garter snake (Eutaenia sirtalis) ; black snake (Scotophis alleghaniensis) ; green snake (Liopeltis vernalis).
AMPHIBIANS.
Frogs (Ranidae) .- Leopard frog (Rana haleciana) ; green frog (R. fontinalis) ; wood frog (R. sylvatica) ; bull frog (R. pipens).
Tree frogs (Hylidae) .- Tree toad (Hyla versicolor) ; spotted tree toad ( Chorophilus maculata) ; striped tree frog (C. triseri- atus).
Toads (Bufonidae) .- Common toad ( Bufo Americanus).
Salamanders and newts ( Urodela) .- Spotted triton (Diemycty- lus viridecens) ; red evet (D. miniatus) ; red triton (Spelerpes ruber) ; spotted salamander (Amblistoma punctatum) ; Jefferson's salamander (A. Jeffersonianum).
MAMMALS.
The order Felidae was once represented by the following species that have now become extinct :
Panther (Felis concolor) sometimes wandered through Lancas- ter. One remained for nearly a year in town during 1832. He was humorously named the "Sub-treasury," that political question be- ing one of considerable consequence at the time. He was hunted down and killed on Mount Prospect. Canada lynx were once plenty, as were also the Siberian lynx, known as the bob-cat. The black cat, or fisher as he was known here, was once so plenty as to have been a great nuisance to the hunters and trappers. He followed their lines of sable traps and robbed them of their game. The wild- cat (Lynx rufus) was occasionally met with in early times.
The fox ( Canidae) .- Red fox ( Vulpes fulvus) ; gray fox ( V. Virginianus).
The wolf ( Canis occidentalis) was once plentiful here, but long since disappeared. The first wolf known to have been seen in Lan- caster was killed by Gen. Edwards Bucknam December 23, 1776, for which the town paid him a bounty, the receipt of which I have before me. Judge J. W. Weeks informs me that they were not numerous in Lancaster until from 1815 to 1825, at which latter time they were a source of much danger to man, and destructive to the herds of sheep of which there were many, at that time. They are supposed to have followed the deer, which animal was seldom seen until about 1815, when they began to increase rapidly by migration from the West. A bounty of twenty ($20) dollars was
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
placed upon wolves at the time when they became numerous, which induced the professional hunters to destroy them so that they had nearly disappeared about 1835. Occasionally one was seen later, but no flocks of them appeared after that date. The last wolf killed in town was a black one in 1839, by Edward Spaulding. The gray wolf was quite plenty at one time. Judge Weeks tells an interesting anecdote of a dog owned by Joel Hemmenway, who lived near where Deacon Freeman now does on the east road. This old dog, named Smutt, was harnessed by Mr. Hemmenway and made to work in running a churn in his large dairy. This he did not like, and one day, when he saw his master getting ready for churning, Smutt set out and joined a pack of wolves that infested the woods near by. He was seen all summer to come into the pastures, and catch lambs from his master's flock, and carry them to the cowardly, lazy wolves lying in the woods. When winter came on, and Smutt remembered his old master's warm fireside, he returned one day as suddenly as he had disappeared in the churning season.
MUSTELIDAE.
Fisher (Mustela pennantii), once very plentiful, but now ex- tinct; white weasel ( Putorius noveboracensis) ; mink (P. vison) ; skunk (Mephitis mephitica) ; otter (Lutra Canadensis), once very plenty, and a source of revenue to the early settlers, but now for a long time extinct; wolverine ( Gulo luscus) was once plenti -. fully found, and a source of trouble to the settlers. It has long since disappeared with many other animals familiar to the inhabi- tants of the town.
Bears ( Ursidae) .- The black bear ( Ursus Americanus) has always been known here, and is still taken near the village. W. C. Sherburne, the clothier, shot one on Stebbins Hill in 1895 that weighed over four hundred pounds. Others were seen in the same vicinity that year. The meat of the bear was an article of food much sought after in early times.
Coon (Procyonidae) .- The raccoon (P. lotor) has always been found here, and is occasionally met with at the present time.
Cervidae (the deer family) .- Common deer ( Cervus Virgini- anus). This beautiful animal was not known here until about 1815, when it began to make its appearance in the southern part of the town. At first it was not much hunted, and from the natural increase and migration, supposed to have been due to their being pursued by wolves in New York and Vermont, became very plenti- ful in a few years, since which time they have been much prized for their flesh and skins. They are still quite common, so much so as to have been seen on the roads near the village in 1895. During
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THE NATURAL HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
the summer of 1895, the writer saw several in the woods within a mile or two of the village. The moose (C. alces) was abundant for a long time after the town was settled. Moose meat was a standard article of diet for three generations of the first inhabitants. There are several men still living who remember seeing the moose.
Bats ( Vespertilionidae) .- Brown bat (Scotophilus fuscus) ; little brown bat ( Vespertilio subulatus).
Moles ( Talpidae) .- Silvery mole (Scalops argentatus) ; star- nosed mole ( Condylura cristata).
Soricidae .- Mole shrew (Blarina brevicauda) ; Cooper's shrew (Sorex Cooperi).
Muridae. Mice, rats .- Common mouse (Mus musculus) ; white- footed wood mouse (Hesperomys leucopus) ; meadow mouse (Arvicola riparius) ; pine mouse (A. pinetorum). Brown or Norway rat (M. decumanus) ; muskrat (Fiber zibethicus).
Squirrels (Sciuridae) .- Gray squirrel (Sciurus migratorius) ; red squirrel (S. Hudsonianus) ; flying squirrel (Ptermys volu- cella) ; chipmunk (Tamias striata) ; woodchuck (Actomys monax).
Hystricidae .- Canada porcupine (often mistaken for the hedge- hog), (Hystrix dorsata).
Leporidae .- Gray rabbit (Lepus sylvaticus) ; northern hare (L. Americanus).
The beaver ( Castor fiber) .- In the history of Lancaster the beaver deserves more than mere mention as an animal now ex- tinct. The beaver, long before this country was visited by the white man, had erected dams along all the smaller streams, and after a time killed off the timber on their borders, in some places covering many acres. After the first hunters and trappers had fol- lowed the Indians in the chase of the beaver, hunting him for his flesh and skin, these dams fell into decay, leaving nice, level, and fertile meadows to spring up to grass. These "beaver meadows " furnished the first settlers with grass and hay for their animals until they could clear land and produce tame hay. Gen. Edwards Buck- nam located on the Beaver Brook meadows in the south part of the town, and others soon followed him, so that at one time the larger portion of the population was in that locality. David Page took advantage of a beaver dam on Indian Brook to use its waters for the first grist-mill erected. In many localities the industrious bea- ver played an important part in preparing the country for the occu- pancy of man. The last one seen in town was taken about eighty rods from Capt. J. W. Weeks's house on Prospect farm about 1815. Mr. Weeks is authority for the statement that the bank beaver abounded on Beaver Brook and Martin Meadow pond in his day.
The first rats appeared at the house of Coffin Moore, near Martin
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Meadow pond where Mrs. James McIntire now lives, in 1822. Mice became a plague in 1851, destroying grass, grain, and even pota- toes in the ground. Some fields were completely stripped of their crops by them. Several species of birds came to prey upon them, among which was the labradore or white owl which has remained ever since as a permanent resident.
INSECTS.
Lancaster is rich in insect life due to its luxuriant vegetation and other conditions favorable to the life habits of insects.
The writer, in three seasons, has identified over five hundred species of lepidoterous (four winged) insects, and nearly as many nocteridae. Nearly all of these are injurious to man, beast, or vegetation. These, with as many more that are less noticeable, furnish food for a large number of insectiverous birds that are either permanent residents of the locality or else are regular visitors during the summer season. There are several species of small animals that seek them as food also. The butterflies and moths are con- spicuously plentiful and beautiful in Lancaster, affording pleasure to the eye but much mischief is done to gardens, fields, and forests by their larva.
Grasshoppers are so abundant some seasons as to be very de- structive to crops and pastures. During that of 1895, they were exceedingly numerous. Fortunately they were assailed by a para- . site (Aphidius) and destroyed so rapidly and effectively that as many as thirty-seven dead hoppers were counted on a single stem of herd's grass.
The beautiful shade trees (mostly elms), for which Lancaster has long been noted, have suffered from the ravages of the imported elm bark louse, a coccid ( Gossyparia ulmo), that made its appear- ance here about 1890. It now infests several species of shade and fruit trees. The oyster shell bark louse infests apple trees largely throughout the town much to the injury of trees and fruit.
Lancaster, and the whole region southward to Northfield, Mass., was visited by an army of worms in 1770, and again in 1781, which caused much suffering among the early settlers through almost com- plete loss of their crops. They ate everything except peas, pump- kins, and flax. In some sections the people were compelled to subsist almost wholly on pumpkins and pigeons, then very plentiful. This insect, always present in this section though very seldom nu- merous enough to be harmful, was no doubt the common army worm (Leucania unipuncta). The meager descriptions given of it in various prints, notable among which is Powers " History of the Coös Country," describe the army worm quite accurately.
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293
THE NATURAL HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
THE BIRDS OF LANCASTER.
Few localities have so large a variety, and number, of birds as the town of Lancaster. Nearly all the birds seen here at any time are regular residents, or visitors, of the locality that appear every season. The list of migratory birds is a long one for so small an area, and the chief change in the variety is one of increase of new species. The town lies in a section of country that is most favora- ble to bird life, containing a great variety of food and the best of nesting facilities for them.
Nearly every season brings new species to increase the variety of useful birds. Some species, once quite common, are no longer seen. Among that class are chiefly the game birds, which have been very nearly exterminated by man and beast. The advent of the English sparrow has been accompanied by the steady decrease of the more social birds, like the robin, bluebird, and swallow, that like to build their nests near the habitation of man in order to get farther away from their enemies in nesting time. In some sections of the country the barn and chimney swallows have been entirely driven away by them; and Lancaster seems to have been affected in the same way. The English sparrow is a noisy, pugnacious, and irrepressible intruder, hated alike by men and birds everywhere. So far their number has been quite limited, but they have shown no promise of being anything but an almost unbearable pest to man and bird. As they are seed-eaters and scavengers they linger about the streets of the village where their kind of food is most abundant. It is a well-known fact that they will not eat hairy worms, or insects having hard wing-cases. In August, 1894, I saw one of them wrestling with a worm, the first and only instance I ever saw, and yet I have watched them closely for nearly twenty years. The worm in this instance was the common cabbage-worm (Pieris rapae) which it pecked, and half swallowed several times, but finally left and flew away as if disgusted with the prospect of making a meal out of such creatures. This worm is eagerly eaten by our common field sparrow, and also the ground sparrow.
During June and July, 1895, English sparrows were seen to eat vast numbers of grasshoppers in the village of Lancaster, as well as several species of insects they have never before been credited with eating.
The number of our more social birds have been greatly lessened also by ignorant and cruel boys who frighten them away from the close contact they seek with man. There is a wanton destruction of both the birds and their nests. Too often the innocent and valu- able creatures are ruthlessly shot to gratify the passion for killing simply because furnished with guns. Another lingering relic of
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
barbarism that should be suppressed is the so-called " squirrel hunt." It leads to the destruction of birds, and can serve no val- uable purpose; but it brutalizes those engaged in it, and destroys large numbers of the most useful birds.
Every spring the bird-nesting and egg-collecting craze breaks out among the boys, most of whom ignorantly and cruelly destroy large numbers of nests and eggs of the most useful birds. In most all such "collecting" the nests and eggs are thrown away after the first flush of the craze is worn off. The much-hated and severely condemned " millinery hunter " has not shown himself in Lancaster yet, and may it be many a day before he does.
Taking all of these abuses of our birds into account, it is a wonder to the thoughtful and observant mind that we have so many birds as we have, to help us in the struggle of life and to cheer our oft- time burdened lives with their cheerful songs.
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