12 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 17-No. 1 



curely fastened to one of the sharp wire barbs 

 and dead. The bird had evidently been tliere 

 several days, a..d suffered a slow torture. 

 One of tlie wires had gone entirely through 

 between the bt)nes and cords of the wing near 

 the body and jiinioned him with a grip of 

 death. A very peculiar trap surely. 



We have received two fine skins of the 

 Newfoundland Caribou, both bucks with hue 

 antlers, and suitable for mounting. Tbe 

 antlers are much heavier than those that we 

 have from other sections in the East. 



Any person having information in their pos- 

 session relating to the first arrival of tiie fol- 

 lowing sjiecies in Newfnuudlaml, Labrador, 

 Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, 

 Magdalens, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, 

 Urand Manan, Maine, Province of Quebec, or 

 Manitoba, for the sjiring of 188.5, will confer 

 a great favor by communicating the same to 

 Harry Gordon \Vliite, Department of Agricul- 

 ture, Washington: Robin, Bluebird, Baltimore 

 Oriole, Catbird, Summer or Yellow Warbler, 

 and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 



Extinction of the Giraffe. — The giraffe 

 is in danger of extinction. Ten years ago 

 herds of seventy or eighty could be found, 

 where to-day thirteen would be a large herd. 

 An African chieftain, however, Khama, has 

 taken the giraffe under his protection and 

 preserves it, just as the czar of Russia has 

 preserved in a forest of Lithuania the 

 European bison from extinction. — Clipping. 



It Makes a Diffekence. — Wife: "'My dear, 

 that horrid man next door has killed tlie dog." 



Husband: "Well, never mind, my dear, I"ll 

 get you another one some time." 



Wife: " But it wasn't my Fido that he killed: 

 it was your hunting dog.'" 



Husband (wildly): "Where is mvgun?" — 

 N. Y. Herald. 



W. E. Clyde Todd, Washington, D. C. 

 (Division Ornitliology Department of Agricul- 

 ture) wrote us a few days since requesting the 

 names of our subscribers wlio resided in 

 Pennsylvania. The list was sent to him and 

 in return he very kindly sent us quite a list of 

 ornithologists in the state who were not in- 

 cluded. Siiould this reach the eye of any 

 ornitliologist it miglit be of assistance to Mr. 

 Todd if tliey would drop him a postal giving 

 their address. 



Much discussion w<is evoked sometime since 

 by the question of the change of plumage by 

 the Mallard Drake. Mr. Geo. E. Board man, a 

 vetei'an naturalist and a careful observer, on a 

 recent visit to our office, stated that the $ Mal- 

 lard loses its green head every season about May, 

 and resumes it again in the fall. In the inter- 

 im it does not particularly resemble the 9 

 as it has the green wing-patch, and the curled 

 tail, with a sort of mottled gray plumage. Mr. 

 Boardman has shot this bird in New England 

 and in the West at all seasons of the year, and 

 is positive whereof he speaks. It is somewhat 

 curious that this fact has so long been hidden 

 from the ken of the run of collectors if it has 

 been known. 



No Longer Tabooed. — There was a time 

 when peacock's feathers were tabooed because 

 considered too unlucky to be admitted to the 

 house. Now my lady is not at all up to the 

 mode if she has no screen of the vain bird's 

 plumage in her boudoir. Not only that, but 

 she ties the unlucky plumage about her neck 

 for a boa, fringes her garments with the glossy 

 feathers, and even sets them against the 

 warmth of her fair shoulders in the neck of 

 her evening bodice. — Boston Globe. 



All birds seem to have an instinctive knowl- 

 edge that if they once surrender to the force 

 of the wiiul and allo.v themselves to tlrift like 

 leaves, there are unkno-n dangers in store ft)r 

 them. They will hardly ever do so except to 

 escape pursuit, and then only for a few minutes, 

 when their pace is so marvellously rapid that, 

 in the case of land birds, a few minutes is 

 sufficient tt) carry them out of the district 

 they know into others from which they will 

 perhajjs never be able to find their way back to 

 the fields which are their native home. — 

 Science. 



A woman in Indiana has gone to eating dog 

 to cure consumption. Probably the medicinal 

 quality is in the bark. — Post. 



A Pelican's Pouch. — In Gray's Harbor, 

 Wash., the Pelican is a common sight. Capt. 

 Bergman, of the steamer Typhoon, shot two of 

 the birds the other day. and, in order to find 

 out how much water the pouch of this bird 

 would hold, he cut oh" the head of one of them 

 and tied a string tiglitly alxuitthe neck. Water 

 from <a faucet was allowed to fiow in, and 

 when the pouch was filled it contained six 

 gallons. — Dover (N. H.) Star. 



The United States Government now issues 

 $ & ^ Postal Cards. 



December and May. — Tiie old man who 

 mariies the "dear little duck" usually gets 

 " iienpecked," and acknowledges himself an 

 "old goose."- — New York Herald. 



Wanted. — A copy of Minot's liand and 

 Game Birds. Will give satisfactory exchange 

 or will pay cash, if price is not too high. 

 Frank A. Bates, care of O. & O. 



tacking. 

 'Xeath tropic suns and arctic seas 



He gaily sailed a wlialer; 

 Anfl when he wished for exercise 

 He gaily whaled a sailor. 



— Clipping. 



Mistook a Snake for a Fence Rail. — 

 Joseph Graham of Jones district had fed his 

 hogs the other morning and was leaning on 

 the fence looking at them eat, when he felt 

 something chilly fondling and caressing him 

 in a peculiarly earnest way about the head, 

 face and neck. He saw at once that he had 

 placed his elbow about midway on the body 

 of a king snake, several feet long, and was 

 holding him fast down on the rail, and, as you 

 would suppose, both ends of the snake being 

 loose, they cut up vigorous and rapid capers 

 about Mr. Graham's countenance. Mr. 

 Graham says he took his elbow off as soon as 

 he found that the snake did not want it to 

 stay on. 



A happy New Year to you all. 



