V 1 C g 1 " X J Dutcher, Rare Long Island Birth. 2*1 "X 



met with an individual for twenty-five years in the woods or plains which 

 I have hunted over, and I am afraid they are nearly extinct." The Heath 

 Hen has undoubtedly been extinct on Long Island for at least half a 

 century, and it is important, therefore, to place on record all of its life 

 history that can now be obtained from living witnesses. Our esteemed 

 fellow-member Mr. George N. Lawrence is one of the few living scientists 

 who have had the privilege of seeing this species on its native heath. It 

 is with much pleasure, therefore, that I append herewith a letter from Mr. 

 Lawrence relative to bygone days and that extinct bird. 



"My Dear Mr. Dutcher : 



"Did you ever endeavor to trace the specimen of Pinnated 

 Grouse which I informed you I saw at Hempstead about sixty years ago, 

 mounted and under a glass shade? It was said to be the last example of 

 its race on Long Island, formerly so numerous, and known to the natives 

 as the Heath Hen. 



"I think it was in the summer of 183 1 that I accepted the invitation of 

 a friend to spend a few days with him at the residence of his grandmother 

 at Mastic for the purpose of shooting Bay Snipe in the Great South Baj'. 

 At that time the only mode of conveyance was by stage coach. We started 

 from Brooklyn in the morning (another friend going with us), and by 

 noon we reached Hempstead where, at the roadside tavern, while waiting 

 in the parlor for dinner, I was interested in the specimen above alluded 

 to; it was a fine specimen and in good condition ; possibly it may be still 

 in the possession of some member of the family. 1 At night we stopped at 

 Patchogue and did not reach our destination until the next morning. 



"The Grouse at one time were quite abundant in the scrub oaks of the 

 middle part of the island. I remember hearing of the successful shooting 

 of them by Mr. John Norton. One day he got in the midst of a covey, 

 which was scattered around him in a piece of scrub oak. On shooting 

 one, instead of securing it, he threw down some part of his wardrobe to 

 mark the spot, first his hat, then his cravat, coat and vest; — how far he 

 disrobed I am unable to tell, I suppose that depended upon the number of 

 birds killed. I remember Mr. Norton very well, he was a small man and 

 an enthusiastic sportsman. The family mansion where he resided was on 

 comparatively high ground, just west of Far Rockaway, and bordering on 

 the ocean. The old house was removed by the march of improvement, 

 and the grounds in which it stood are now known by the euphonious 

 name of Wave Crest. 



"As is known by ornithologists, the Long Island bird was considered to 

 be identical with the Prairie Hen of the West, but quite recently it has 

 been decided by Mr. William Brewster that they are distinct species. It 



1 A visit to Hempstead to see this specimen revealed the fact that it was destroyed 

 by fire a few years since. — W. D. 

 35 



