Feb. 1890.] 



AIS^D OOLOGIST. 





to suit him he attacked the cat and dogs, 

 lightinjj; on their backs and <j;rabbin<i some fur, 

 ticw off with it, nuich to tlie disgust of the 

 animals, wlio soon resented this familiarity 

 and stopped his egressions; but he soon dis- 

 covered another source of supply. Our horses 

 had shod their long hair, so after trying their 

 backs a few times he gave that up, but not 

 until he discovered tlie long hair left on their 

 fetlocks. Tliis he went for in a cunning, cau- 

 tious manner. He would creep up to the 

 horses' feet and make a grab and as the liaii- 

 was loose at this season he nuxuaged to get 

 some every time. Of course the horse would 

 raise his foot at him but -Jack was too nimble 

 to be hurt that way, but repeated the same 

 thing many times, esjjecially while the liorses 

 were out on the farm. 



Some naturalists argue that animals learn 

 their duties from their parents; it is hardly 

 p:)ssil>le that this bird remembered the old 

 nest at hoine. When we wanted to attend to 

 the nest .fnck always objected to our approach- 

 ing it, and even refused food near the nest. 

 One day I took a caieful look around for Jack. 

 Xot seeing him anywhere I tliought it a good 

 time U) see if the eggs wanted attention. I 

 leaned over the barrel to look in when down 

 came .Jack's sharp bill onto my bare head like 

 a tiash, so I was glad to beat a hasty retreat. 

 Things all went smoothly till this time, but 

 now .Jack wanted to be master (as he supposed) 

 of his own family, for when the chicks were 

 hatched and with the hen put out in a coop 

 Jack wanted to be inside with the chicks and 

 seemed to want to take part in feeding them. 

 This the hen objected to, and hustled him 

 out. When the chicks got large enough to 

 run with tlie hen Jack was tlieir constant at- 

 tendant, and tried to feed the chicks from his 

 mouth. When the chicks grew up he paid 

 them no more attention, but kept up the con- 

 stant shadowing the hen. Jack now began to 

 get a little troublesome. From the beginning 

 of this attachment he left his house and 

 roosted by the lu^n in the |ioultry house. As 

 cold weather advanced iuid the hou.se filled up 

 he made (piite a commotion every evening by 

 clearing all the ixmltry off the roosts for sev- 

 eral feet arcunid his hen. 'i'his caused so much 

 trouble that 1 removed the hen into a fenced 

 off ])nultry yard, hoping he w<uild not follow 

 lier. The next nn)rning, hearing a great hub- 

 bub in that yard, I went to ascertain the cause 

 and foun<l Mi'. Jack had discovered his favor- 

 ite and tried to keep her company, but every 

 time he alighted in the yard the whole lot, 



cock and hens, went for him in a furious man- 

 ner and made his feathers tiy rather too freely 

 for his comfort, till at last poor Jack iiad to 

 abandon her. The sorrowful plight of his 

 plumage showed he did not relinipiish his first 

 love without a hard struggle; but he soon paid 

 his personal regards to another hen in the first 

 house. 'I'his hen hatched in the poultry house 

 with the same voluntary contributions to the 

 nest-building. The hen was renu)ved to a coop 

 set out on gra.ss, with hev chicks, and here 

 Jack was anxious to proffer his paternal assis- 

 tance, which the hen resented by striking at 

 him every time he attempted to intrude in the 

 coop. About this time his first love also 

 hatched :ind was cooped out. .She also im- 

 pressed Jack that his presence was not required. 

 Between his two unreciprocating mates Jack 

 became very uneasy, and shortly after vindic- 

 tive and peevish, and visited his disappoint- 

 ment on the poor little chicks. He killed two 

 outright. We then put little wired yards in 

 front of the coops to protect the chicks, but he 

 became so bitter that he stood and watched 

 for the chicks' feet when they came near the 

 edge, he then got hold of them and pulled off 

 their toes Now came a crisis. Jack must be 

 got rid of or we should lose the two broods of 

 chickens, which were pure bred Dorkings. 

 As he had been very troublesome for some 

 time past I thought it best to confine Jack. I 

 tried to get him into the hen-house, 1 't Jack, 

 with all the cunning of his species, perfectly 

 well knew that some chairge was in store for 

 him, refused to be caught and became defiant. 

 Ending that I must stop his depredations I 

 took my gun, and with a heavy heart brought 

 poor Jack down upon the green sod. I shall 

 never forget that day, but here 1 must stop. 



The Evening Grosbeak Comes East. 



In the Boston Transcript of January .".O, ISUO, 

 Mr. Frank A. Bates made the first public an- 

 nouncement of tlie capture in New England, at 

 four ditferent ])laces, of the Evening Orosbeak, 

 a bird hitherto never seen here, having re- 

 ported the fact at the meeting of the Boston 

 Scientific Society on the previous evening. We 

 append detailed records as sent us. 



IN NEW VOKK. 



A male and two female Evening Grosbeaks 

 were shot liere yesterday, January 20. 



Ah-dti If. AlbprgfT. 

 Ithaca. N. V. 



