24 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



these last two names will not be applied to this 

 bird by an intelligent person. 



Sharp-tailed grouse (Tetrao pedioecetes), 

 sometimes called prairie hen or chicken, and 

 sharp-tailed partridge. 



COLIN GENUS. 



Colin, or Virginia colin (Orlyx Virgini- 

 anus). Synonyms — Quail, partridge, Virginia 

 quail, Virginia partridge, Maryland quail or 

 partridge, and bob-white. 



These synonyms are all inappropriate or be- 

 long to other birds, except the last, and should 

 not be applied to this excellent and useful 

 species of game. Bob-white is not inappropri- 

 ate, and has been used considerably ot late by 

 certain enthusiastic name-makers, but we like 

 the name Colin best. It is euphonious, easily 

 spoken and written, and has the merit of age 

 and the claim of priority. Webster defines 

 colin : The American partridge — Perdix Vir- 

 ginianus or OrtyxVirginianus, and gives Baird 

 as authority. Chambers' Encyclopedia says : 

 Colin — see Virginia quail. On turning to that 

 page we find : Virginia quail or Colin (Ortyx) 

 a genus of birds of the family Tetraonidce% 

 closely allied to the quails and partridges, but 

 differing from both. * * * The best known 

 species is the Virginia colin (0. Virginianus), 

 &c. 



Why this old and appropriate name has 

 been dropped is an enigma, but the propriety 

 of reviving its use is clear. 



*Note. — There is another variety inhabiting 

 the North, viz : the Barren-ground Caribou 

 (Ii. Grcenlandicus). It is smaller than the 

 woodland, and may lie the true rein-deer of the 

 Lapps. Its range is generally on the plains 

 north of the limit of pines, but an occasional 

 specimen has been shot about one hundred 

 miles north-east of Quebec. I am informed 

 that two well-defined species are found in 

 Newfoundland. Th« horns of the barren- 

 ground are more typical and lighter than those 

 of the woodland. — Ed. 



(Concluded,") 



OUR FOREST TREES. 



We have given, during the first three months 

 of this journal's inception, a reasonable paper 

 on the Game Nomenclature of Canada and the 

 adjacent States. We now change the matter in 

 order to give our readers information regarding 

 our Forest Trees. 



White Pine ; Pinus sirobus. — The tallest 

 and most stately tree of the New England 

 forests. Full grown trees vary in height from 

 100 to 200 feet, and Dr. Dwight mentions one 

 in Lancaster, N.H., which measured 264 feet, 

 a 7nast was made from a white pine on the 

 Penobscot River in Maine, which after being 

 hewn was 1)0 feet long, and 3 feet in diameter. 

 The qualities of the wood are lightness, soft- 

 ness, and durability; and for the extent and 

 variety of its uses no other timber approaches 

 it. In the construction of a dwelling it may 

 be used with advantage in every part except the 

 floors. It is little known in the Southern and 

 South-western States. The pine forests of 

 Maine, New York and Pennsylvania, once the 

 chief sources of supply of this invaluable tim- 

 ber, are rapidly disappearing, and we are now 

 deriving large supplies from Michigan and 

 Canada. 



Pitch Pine ; Pinus rigida — A smaller and 

 less attractive tree than the preceding, with 

 rough bark and deep green foliage. It is com- 

 monly 40 or 50 feet high, and 1 or 2 feet in 

 diameter at the base. A few trees are still 

 standing in Massachusetts that are 100 feet in 

 height and 3 to 4 feet thick. It. is largely used 

 for floors of houses for which purpose it is not 

 interior to the southern pine. Unlike the white 

 pine, it is very durable in damp situations, and 

 is therefore used for sills, railroad ties and mill 

 timbers. Its resinous nature makes it valuable 

 for fuel. 



Hemlock Spruce; Abies Canadensis. — This 

 is the most beautiful of all our evergreens, and 

 in early summer perhaps no tree rivals its rich 

 and varied verdure. It is a favorite tree in orna- 

 mental planting, and is well adapted lor hedges. 

 It grows to the height of 80 to 1 00 feet. The vv< >< m 1 

 is used in the Eastern and Middle States for the 

 frames of houses, for rough boards and plaster- 

 ing lath. The bark is much used for tanning 

 leather, and is mixed with oak bark to produce 

 the best results. 



(To be continued.) 



