Museum of Wonders, or Curiosities of the World

A cabinet of curiosities in book form, 1890: monsters of the ancient world, wild animals, queer wanderers in the vasty deep, famous inventions and sublime scenery — assembled to astonish the young and, the preface admits, their elders too.

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Timber Rafts on the St. John

1 amunk Lake. Theodore Winthrop wrote sound by the fond imagination of some it Mollychunkamug, and conjecturing, lumberman, finding in it a sweet memorial after his humorous fashion, as to the of his Mary far away in the kitchens of derivation of the name, he remarks: the Kennebec-his Mary so rotund of "When it cleared-when it purveyed blooming cheek-his Molly of the chunky us a broadening zone of blue sky and a mug." heavenful of brilliant cloud-creatures- In like manner of Mooseluckmeguntic, the we were sailing over Lake Mollychunka- name of the lake next above Mollychunkmug. Fair Mollychunkamug had not amunk, Mr. Farrar gives us the following smiled for us until now; now a sunny odd tradition: "A hunter, who was out after Moose, the noble animal. In a gentle way he met with such poor success that he almost gave us to understand that Moose were famished. He said: 'I had been four days not quite as plenty as they used to be; without game, and naturally without any- also, that there was a 'law against killing thing to eat, except pine-cones and green them; and, furthermore, when pressed chestnuts. There was no game in the hard by us, he as good as told us that it forest. The trout would not bite, for I would be of no use to go hunting Moose had no tackle or hook. I was starving. then, for the best of reasons: there were I sat down and rested my trusty but no Moose at present. futile rifle against a fallen tree. Suddenly understood."

Fred's Moose Story.

son, or Mollychunk-
son, or Mollychunk-

I heard a tread, turned my head, saw a But Moose do sometimes come about Moose-took my gun-tick! he was dead. these lakes; and a few years ago, in May, I was saved. I feasted, and in gratitude 1877, our guide had had a most exciting named the lake Moosetookmyguntick.' The ride after a bull Moose on Lake Cupsupname has undergone some modifications tic, the third lake above Welokennebasince its origin, but it cannot be mis- cook. He was at that time "guiding" for two gentlemen named Sargent and Chase, Upper Dam is called very good fishing- and that morning they were out in a boat ground. The waters in great volume trolling for trout. Not far off were two plunge through the sluice-ways of the other boats with two gentlemen named dam with a thunderous rush, making Lewis (father and son), and two guides those yeasty maelstroms which the trout named Haley and Haines. It was a fine, love so well. cool morning. The lake lay black and We fished there with both assiduity still. They were having fair sport, when and a long-lived patience for two or three Mr. Sargent's attention was attracted to hours--and Fred caught one! It was a what looked like the blanched roots of a pretty fish, and would have weighed a pound, I think. The ten-pounders did not show that day. pine stump, floating along at no great distance. "What is that?" he asked. "A Moose! A big buck Moose!" were Next day, Stein, Rike and Karzy fished Mosquito Brook, two miles below, and the almost simultaneous exclamations Karzy caught three trouts as large as from the whole party. small cigars.

At the end of this day's sport, Moses O. summed up as follows: "Where could he have come from?"

Then came a scramble. Lines were hauled in, rods were shipped, and the guns were seized. "Fellows, this is a very pretty region of country these lakes and mountains. But But a voice cried, "Don't fire; it's it is getting rather thickly settled with against the law. Let's catch him!" city sportsmen and their camps. The Every paddle was at once brought into game is mostly on paper. If we want to requisition. Meantime the Moose, which see any real sport this vacation, we had had probably been taking a morning swim to free itself from flies, took alarm at the better move on."

We have heard a great deal about hubbub, and struck off for the shore. Moose-hunting down in Maine, and were It was an eager race now. The pur. anxious for our guide to take us to hunt suers gained, and were close upon the

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