Feb. 1888.] 



Am) OOLOGIST. 



27 



black ink, also to use the stub-book for record- 

 ing every set taken, wlietlier it be a duplicate 

 one or not, tbcreby prcservin>; a concise rcconl 

 of oulof^ical Held work. 



The need of a convenient arrangement where- 

 by the memoranda received in exchange can 

 be filed so as to be easily accessible, has sug- 

 gesteii the use of a blank book in which they 

 may be attached with narrow hinges (like post- 

 age stamps in an album), in the order in which 

 they are received. The hinge will admit of 

 their being removed without damage, which 

 could not be done if they were pasted down 

 like scrap-hook clippings. 



When removed, any items concerning the 

 set or exchange can be written ui)on the space 

 occupied. The space not to be again used tor 

 otiier data. 



Deer Hunters' Assistants. 



HV WALTKK HOXIE. FKOCiMOUK, S. C. 



For some time past my only days atiilil have 

 been devoted to deer hvinting. My somewhat 

 phenomenal success has been due entirely to 

 my past years of ornithological work, and the 

 following notes on the subject seem jieculiarly 

 appropriate for the pages of the (). A: <>. 



The common Crow is somewhat noticed as a 

 talker. His distinct voice in the woods on a 

 windy day occasionally bears a slight resem- 

 blance to the questing notes of a young hound. 

 IJut the warning cry to his companions is an 

 unmistakable sign that the deer has passed un- 

 der his lofty percl). If a man is the cause of his 

 alarm, he tlies off at right angles with the in- 

 truder's course, and his warning is only echoed 

 by his companions as they also take wing from 

 impending danger. But above the fleeing buck 

 he pauses for an instant with excited notes : 

 his comrades start towards him with similar 

 cries, and as they course over the tree tops the 

 story is told. A few silent, rapid steps, disap- 

 pointment is avoided and the tragedy occurs. 

 Without the assistance of the crows, the deer 

 would have passed on the other side of the 

 ridge and been off and away to the next island. 



IJut the Crow is by no means the hunter's only 

 feathered assistant I know. I have in mind one 

 stand now. (Deer are always shot from a 

 stand on these islands and with buckshot, be- 

 ing first roused by dogs. The cover is too 

 thick for the rifle, and the shots that are got at 

 them are more like woodcock shooting than 

 anything else in my experience). This stand 



is known by a name which benig translated in- 

 to the polite vernacular means, " a suit.ible 

 place for profane ejaculations." The deer sel- 

 donis comes out home with a rush, but sneaks 

 past one or the other of four little open strips 

 in the woods. Upon the numerous dead trees 

 round about, the woodpeckej' keeps up a steady 

 tatoo. When stationed here, I keep my ears at 

 their widest stretch for any cessation of work 

 among the little carpenters. If detected, his 

 silence is to meat once more elegant than words. 

 I raise my gun along the little sun-lit alley th.il 

 he has indicated, the sparrows scatter to the 

 right and left, and — well, 1 came very near 

 shooting a man there one day. I saw his axe 

 in time though, and sank hack in a cold sweat. 

 I5ut a buck came through that same afternoon 

 and met his fate. 



One of my favorite stands is close by the sea, 

 at the end of a narrow strip of high grass. The 

 waves keep up such a steady roar that no other 

 sounds except the loudest are audible. This is 

 a spot that the deer always approaches with ex- 

 treme caution, for this olijective point when 

 getting the crow is a mile of clear, open sand 

 beach, and at the end of it a long swim in rough 

 water. So he comes through the grass and 

 scrub palmetta, gliding low and noiselessly as 

 a coon. But all winter, this thick, warm coveit 

 is the chosen feeding ground of iimumerahle 

 towhees, song sparrows, wrens and other close- 

 ground fre(iuenting birds. Their flight, radiat- 

 ing upward to higher twigs and bushes, gives 

 me ray clew, and the muider is ottenest done at 

 about twenty paces. 



In closing, I cannot forbear a remark w hicli 

 to the thoughtless will sound puerile, but with 

 the true love of nature will carry its due weight. 

 I always feel a regret at killing a deer, hut I 

 feel still more regret at missing him. Us he- 

 cause they are so beautiful. 



Notes on Some Minnesota \A^in- 

 ter Birds. 



BY (;i:0. <i. lANTWKl.L, ,MINNKAl'<)t.l>. MINN. 



The following birds have come under my no- 

 tice within the last five years during the winter 

 months, in this northern locality : 



1. Boh White. Very scarce in this hualily, 

 but are occasionally seen. 



2. Ruffed Grouse. Common hi all liaid wood 

 timber. 



3. Prairie lieu. A few Hocks are to be found 

 in large fields wherever there is a tall growth of 



