Extinct Pennsylvania Animals, Vol II: Wolf Days In Pennsylvania
By Henry W. Shoemaker
INDEX
I. Preface
II. The Last 'Wolf- Who Gets the Credit
III. The Last Pack
IV. Three Kinds of Wolves
V. Description and Habits
VI. Former Prevalence
VII. The Biggest Wolf
VII. A White Wolf in Sugar Valley
IX. Cause of Extinction
X. Wolf Hunting in Pennsylvania
XI Possible Re-Introduction
XII. Superstitions
XIII. Bravest of the Brave
XIV. Catching Wolves With Fish Hooks
XV. Historical Data
I. PREFACE
That a new book treating on the much-discussed wolf can be written at all the animal must be described from an entirely different point of view, else it would be superfluous. Happily the author feels that there is a side, an important one, to the wolfish character, which has been overlooked or perverted. It is a side decidedly favorable to the animal, to its inherent right to live, to be protected by mankind. The wolf of Pennsylvania accomplished much more good than harm. At the time when the Indians ranged the Continent and Nature's balance was perfect, the wolf played an important role. With the panther it preyed upon the weak and sickly wild animals and birds, preventing the perpetuation of imperfect types and the spread of pestilences. It kept up a high standard of excellence among the lesser creatures, was the great preserver of type and perfection. Wolves having no animals to prey on them killed the sick and weakly specimens of their own race, thereby keeping up the standard of strength and virility. Charles John Andersson, in his remarkable book. "The Lion and the Elephant," in speaking of the lions of Central Africa said: "Destroy them and the hoofed animals would perish in masses of inanition." In addition wolves devoured bugs, insects, grubs and worms of an injurious nature. When the white man appeared on the scene and began killing all living things indiscriminately, the food supply of the wolves was affected. The wolfish diet required meat, and this at times became unobtainable. Crazed with hunger the wolves attacked calves, pigs and sheep, which slow of motion and easily captured, occupied the same relative position to them as had the formerly abundant weak and imperfect deer, elk, rabbits and hares. Just as some otherwise harmless men commit murder when crazed by lack of food, the wolves played havoc in farm yards that otherwise they would have left unmolested. But most of the sheep killed by "wolves" were slain by half-wild, vicious dogs. There are fewer sheep in Pennsylvania today than when there were wolves. What is needed is an efficient dog law. As the result, bounties were put on the...
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Windham Press is committed to bringing the lost cultural heritage of ages past into the 21st century through high-quality reproductions of original, classic printed works at affordable prices.
This book has been carefully crafted to utilize the original images of antique books rather than error-prone OCR text. This also preserves the work of the original typesetters of these classics, unknown craftsmen who laid out the text, often by hand, of each and every page you will read. Their subtle art involving judgment and interaction with the text is in many ways superior and more human than the mechanical methods utilized today, and gave each book a unique, hand-crafted feel in its text that connected the reader organically to the art of bindery and book-making.
We think these benefits are worth the occasional imperfection resulting from the age of these books at the time of scanning, and their vintage feel provides a connection to the past that goes beyond the mere words of the text.

This is a new release of the original 1927 edition.

Originally published in 1914 by the Tribune Press, Wolf Days in Pennsylvania preserves the fascinating history of Pennsylvania's lost wolves and their hunters, which was already becoming the stuff of folklore and myth during Shoemaker's lifetime at the turn of the twentieth century. With his characteristic penchant for juicy narrative and a naturalist's enthusiasm and respect for the animal, Shoemaker details the decline of the wolf in Pennsylvania during the westward progress of the state's settlement by whites, as its population dwindled over the course of the nineteenth century. He narrates stories of memorable chases and narrow escapes, and the hunters' bravery in their attempts to protect themselves and their communities. The book contains testimony gathered by the author, accompanied by interviews with some of the state's great wolf hunters and rare period photographs of the hunters and their prey.

Tales of the Bald Eagle Mountains in Central Pennsylvania, originally published in 1912 by the Bright Printing Company, was the fourth of Henry Shoemaker's many published volumes of fantastical tales about Pennsylvania's folklore and wildlife. Focusing on what Shoemaker calls the "dark and sombre" Bald Eagle Mountains of Centre, Clinton, Lycoming, Juniata, and Union counties, the book provides a tale or legend centered on each mountain in the range. Stories of hunters and wolves, giant bears, quirky innkeepers and mysterious travelers, nefarious magic, brave Native American warriors, tragic murders, and anguished lovers are spun with the author's usual flair for blurring the lines between myth and reality. Like Shoemaker's other books, Tales of the Bald Eagle Mountains preserves a rich oral history, capturing what the author calls "a passing phase, a time and mode of life that will come no more," and provides a window onto the cultural life and folklore of early central Pennsylvania.

Extinct Pennsylvania Animals, Vol I: The Pennsylvania Lion or Panther
By Henry W. Shoemaker
INDEX
Preface
History
Description
Habits
Early Prevalence
The Great Slaughter
The Biggest Panther
Diminishing Numbers
The Last Phase
Re-Introduction: Sporting Possibilities
Superstitions
Tentative List of Panthers Killed in Pennsylvania Since 1860
Ode to a Stuffed Panther
PREFACE
The object of this pamphlet is to produce a narrative blending the history and romance of the once plentiful Lion of Pennsylvania. While pages have been written in natural histories describing this animal's unpleasant characteristics, not a word has been said in its favor. It has never even had an apologetic. In reality the Pennsylvania Lion needs no defenders, as those who understand him realize the nobility of his nature. From reading John W. Godman's "American Natural History," published in 1828, one would imagine that the Pennsylvania Lion, or, as it is most commonly called, the panther, was a most terrible beast. Among other things he says: "In the daytime the cougar is seldom seen, but its peculiar cry frequently thrills the experienced traveler with horror, while camping in the forest for the night." Even Mary Jemison, "The White Woman of the Genessee," speaks of "the terrifying shrieks of the ferocious panther," as she heard it in her childhood days on Marsh Creek, Franklin County. In reality the panther was an inoffensive creature, desiring only to be let alone, yet brave when attacked by dogs, and respectful of man. A single hunter in St. Lawrence County, New York, met five panthers together, of which, with his dog and gun, he killed three at the time and the next day the other two. The first settlers finding it in the woods set out to kill it as they did with every other living thing from the paroquet to the heath-cock, from the northern hare to the pine marten, from the passenger pigeon to the wild turkey, without trying to study it, or give it a chance. Economically the panther was of great value for the hide, meat, and oil, and as the finest game animal which Pennsylvania produced. As former Governor Glynn, of New York, said in a message to the Legislature, "Game should be conserved to furnish a cheap food supply." In the following pages will be found the bulk of the information which the writer has been able to collect on the subject of the panther in Pennsylvania. It has been prepared from the point of view of the old hunters, whom the writer has interviewed. While there are some statements which are liable to be declared scientifically incorrect, they are printed for what they are worth, as the authorities...
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Windham Press is committed to bringing the lost cultural heritage of ages past into the 21st century through high-quality reproductions of original, classic printed works at affordable prices.
This book has been carefully crafted to utilize the original images of antique books rather than error-prone OCR text. This also preserves the work of the original typesetters of these classics, unknown craftsmen who laid out the text, often by hand, of each and every page you will read. Their subtle art involving judgment and interaction with the text is in many ways superior and more human than the mechanical methods utilized today, and gave each book a unique, hand-crafted feel in its text that connected the reader organically to the art of bindery and book-making.
We think these benefits are worth the occasional imperfection resulting from the age of these books at the time of scanning, and their vintage feel provides a connection to the past that goes beyond the mere words of the text.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.

This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.