FOREST AND STREAM. 



and Boston. If our fish coulri be iced, forwarded and intro- 

 duced into the northern markets during the winter mouths. 1 

 feel assured that they -would find ready rale. If a steam fish- 

 ing smack were used the fish could lie taken to Savannah, 

 placed on board one of the new steamers leaving for New 

 York, and could be landed in the latter city in a little over 

 fifty hours. In our river wo have plenty of Bhad, mullet and 

 sea trout, and if it was too rough to fish on the " banks," the 

 men could engage in fishing with gill nets and seines. The 

 mullet and trout would find a ready sale in Southern cities 

 and the shad could be shipped North. 



I have reason to believe that there is money for an enter- 

 prisiug crew in our coast fisheries, and if any of your readers 

 feel disposed to engage in the business and wish information, 

 they can address "Al Fresco," Jacksonville, Fla , and he 

 ■will communicate any facts in his possession. Al Fresco. 



Jacksonville, Fla,, June 85, 187*. 



S$\ tfWkff 



j THE MeCLOUD RIVER HATCHERY. 



Emtob Fobest and Stream : 



The season'3 work here is well advanced. We have a large 

 force of men tit work, about a dozen, and as many Indians. 

 The unusual high water of last winter did considerable dam- 

 age to the place. The McCloud was higher than ever known 

 before, and covered the whole place. The water rushed 

 through the hatching house and swept out tanks, troughs, and 

 every movable thing ; carried away all the fluming and 

 fencing, and it was feared at one time the buildings would go 

 as the water was several inches over the floors, which are 

 raised four feet from the ground, and tore away a part of the 

 piazzas. The water that supplies the hatchery is raised from 

 the river by means of a large current wheel, which rests on 

 two boats. These boats were securely fastened with a wire 

 rope and could not get away, but tbey were swept into the 

 bank, and, when the river subsided, were left high and dry. 

 Small brooks running across the stage road, that in ordinary 

 winters are easily forded, and early in the summer are almost 

 entirely dry, were rapid streams and impassable for the stage. 

 All the damage done is about repaired now. The boats have 

 been relaunched, flumes rebuilt, and the wheel is running, 

 sending a stream of twenty inches through the hatching 

 house, where new tanks have been built and one double line 

 of troughs put up. Four more lines will be added, giving us 

 800 feet of troughs, room for 10,000,000 eggs. 



The passage of salmon up the river was obstructed early 

 this month. " The piers were placed in the river the last part 

 of June, and by the 4th of July the racks were in place and 

 the river closed. Salmon are very abundant this year ; very 

 many have gone up to the headwaters, and below the racks 

 the river seems alive with them. We have counted eighty 

 jumping in a minute in the evening. On the 11th we made a 

 trial haul with the seiue and landed between a thousand and 

 twelve hundred. A great many were young salmon, two and 

 three years old. Of course they were all returned to the 

 river again. The prospects for taking a large number of 

 eggs this season is very good, and if we meet with no acci- 

 dent, hope to secure ten or twelve millions. The weather 

 i; very pleasant this summer, not as hot as usual, although 

 to-day has been rather warm. Temperature 3 p. m.: Shade, 

 102 deg.,- sun, 130 deg.; water, McCloud River, 60 deg. On 

 the 4th we had a little celebration among ourselves. The first 

 thing in the morning we raised a handsome new flag, made by 

 Mrs. Stone; then followed rifle and pistol shooting, foot races, 

 Indian bow and arrow shooting by the Indians, a swimming 

 match, and the most amusing of all, a wheelbarrow race. 

 The course was over rough, uneven ground, and each contest- 

 ant was obliged to wheel a large, round boulder the entire dis- 

 tance ; and the efforts to make quick time and keep the boulder 

 on the barrow were very laughable. In the evening there 

 was a display of fireworks, and the entire day passed very 

 pleasantly. I must mention a pet we have— a young cinna- 

 mon bear. Sunie two months ago an Indian brought him 

 here and Mr. Stone bought him. He was quite small, and as 

 ungainly looking a creature as one can imagine. At first he 

 cried almost incessantly, but as he had plenty to eat and per- 

 fect freedom, soon became reconciled to the situation, and 

 has improved very fast. Has increased in weight from eight 

 pounds to twenty-eight, has a new coat of hair, and, in fact, 

 is quite a handsome young bear. It is necessary to keep him 

 tied up now, for he is so mischievous. He has a half-grown 

 pup for a play-fellow, and they are excellent friends, though 

 sometimes in frolic they pinch each other a little too hard, 

 and then have a little spat, but it is soon made up. '" Jack " 

 is very sociable and does not like to be left alone at all. Mr. 

 Stone frequently takes him out for a walk. He follows like 

 a dog, but if he loses sight of Air. Stone he immediately be- 

 gins to cry. 



Although there are many more Indians up through this part 

 of the country than whites, which in these times of Indian 

 uprisings causes some feeling of insecurity. I cannot think 

 there is any danger to be apprehended from those in this vi- 

 cinity. Some eighteen or twenty years ago they were very 

 troublesome and committed many depredations, but were SO 

 severely punished by the whites they have too wholesome a 

 dread of them to ever think of any more mischief. Alany of 

 them are quite industrious and find plenty of employment on 

 the ranches. Some are engaged in mining over on Fit River 

 and Squaw Creek, a few miles from here. Of course, there 

 are some restless, unruly spirits among them who, perhaps, 

 would like to "break out," but they are in a decidedly small 

 minority. 



The Pit River Indians mentioned in the papers as being 

 unfriendly belong away up near the head waters of that river, 

 some two hundred miles or more from here. We have heard 

 that there have been runners among these Indians from the Fit 

 River tribe, and also a Piute Indian, but think they did not 

 accomplish much. JE. B. Pbatt. 



destroying hundreds for every one tbey catch. If the farm- 

 ers, or others owning land around the lakes, or the hotel pro- 

 prietors (whose interests are especially at stake), would adopt 

 severe measures to protect the fish while spawning, an abund- 

 ance of fish, in a year or two, would well repay them for 

 their time and trouble. Dirmics. 



In the United States fish culture is at ils maximum, but fish 

 protection at its minimum. Tr.at is all there is about it. 



Fbom Seth Green.— Mr. Editor: In the year 1S73 Mr. 

 Newell sent us 500 California brook trout spawn. We have 

 now 300 fish raised from the above eggs. They weigh over 

 a half pound each. We took 40,000 spawn from them this 

 spring. We will raise 15,000 of them for breeding fish. I 

 think they are a good fish to stock many of our streams with. 

 They spawn in the spring, and will hatch in much shorter 

 time than our trout, and are a much hardier fish, and are 

 game to the last and a good table fish. I can furnish any 

 State or county or private parties with men that are practical 

 fish culturists, and who could take charge of any works. 



Address, Beth Green, Rochester, N. Y. 



The men Air. Green proposes finding positions for are all 

 practical and reliable persons, who have been in his employ 

 for the last five to seven years. They have not only a knowl- 

 edge of fish and how to hatch them, but ore conversant with 

 the waters adapted to fish. In fact, our friend, Seth Green, 

 keeps a first-class fish school. 



Trottt Fbt. — We invite the attention of interested parties 

 to the advertisement in another column of the Ludlow Trout 

 Ponds. * 



A Wise SUGGESTION.— MqO, Boston, Mags.— Editor Forest 

 and titrmm : Would it not be as well for the gentlemen, who 

 have undertaken the commendable task of re-stocking Lake 

 George with bass, to turn their attention, first, to some means 

 of checking their wholesale destruction ? Lake Mahopac was 

 Stocked with bass many years ago, and under the natural 

 course of things would now he swarming with them ; but 

 thoughtless boys, and men without conscience or considera- 

 tion, are on the watch, in season and out of season, to catch 

 them from their spawning beds as fast as they appear, thus 



Reports of the AIusecm ofWesleyan Uniyzbsity. — The 

 Fifth and Sixth Annual Reports of the Aluseum show it to be 

 m a very flourishing condition. Through the tireless energy 

 of Prof. G. Brown Goode its collections have recently been 

 gTeatly increased, not only in size, but in real value, since 

 they now contain the types of the numerous new forms dis- 

 covered by this naturalist during his connection with the U. S. 

 Fish Commission and his explorations in the West India 

 Islands. At the close of the report for the fifth year we are 

 told that the collection contained about 98,000 specimens of 

 animals representing 11,000 species, about 6,000 specimens of 

 3,000 species of plants, about 10,000 specimens of 400 species 

 of rocks and minerals, and about 500 specimens in ethnology, 

 a;total of 115,000 specimens. Since that report was presented 

 the results of seven months' exploration in the Bermudas, six 

 by Professor Goode and one by Professor Rice, have come to 

 hand and are represented by sixty-five barrels, boxes and 

 crates filled with alcoholic specimens, 'shells, plants and geo- 

 logical collections. This material will be submitted for study 

 to leading specialists, who will report to Professor Goode on 

 the collections. 



As the Aluseum of Wesleyan University was first organized 

 in 1871, we cannot but feel surprised and gratified at its rapid 

 progress since that time, a progress wholly due to the earnest- 

 ness and enthusiasm of those who have it in charge. 



Fotjb New Birds from the West Indies. — We have 

 just received an interesting paper, describing four new species 

 of birds from the islands of Grenada and Dominica, through 

 the kindness of the author, Air. Geo. N. Lawrence. In this 

 contribution to our knowledge of the ornithology of these 

 islands, read before the New York Academy of Sciences, Air. 

 Lawrence defines Turdus carribmis, Thryotlcorus grenademis, 

 JUacii'M brunneKapillm and Quiscalus luminosus. Blacieus 

 brumieicaptUus was gi ven by the author as B. blancoi iu his 

 "Provisional List of the Birds of Dominica," published in 

 Fohest and Stream of Dec. 6, 1877, but additional material, 

 and an opportunity to compare the former with Dr. Gund- 

 lach's type of Blancoi, has convinced Mr. Lawrence that, 

 although closely allied, the two species are distinct. 



The specimens on which these descriptions are based were 

 recently received from Mr. Ober, and the types are now in the 

 Smithsonian Institution at Washington. 



Tub Waif of tiie Sea.— The Carolina rail, which was 

 caught 350 miles at sea by Lieut. Commander Evans, of the 

 LL S. steamer Saratoga, has been sent by us to Air. Conklin, 

 the Director of the Zoological Department al Central Park. 

 There the bird, in a largo and commodious aviary, will have 

 better chances of life than in a small cage in a newspaper 

 office. During the four days he was iu our office the bird had 

 become quite tame. H ever a bird deserved to live this Caro- 

 lina rail did. 



Satd and Baoiiita.— Two Nubians are they, and the pret- 

 tiest little hippopotami you could want to look at. It is not 

 often that in describing these beasts the final plural " i " cau 

 be used. We generally apeak about seeing a hippopotamus, 

 but in this case there are two hippopotawtwie*. These two 

 creatures, with the most engaging mouths in the world, 

 studded with nascent tusks, arrived here on the Minn from 

 Bremen on Saturday, and are now lodged in the Aquarium. 

 They were captured last February in Nubia by one of Reiche's 

 expeditions. The two beastes are male and female, Said, the 

 masculine representative, being somewhat the heavier of the 

 two. Both of the hippopotami will weigh together fully 500 

 pounds. Dr. Kohn of the Aquarium, who had the last hippo 

 in charge, will lavish now his affection on this pair, and will 

 make them as docile as the last one— Baby— which died. On 

 being introduced into the Aquarium, they took to the water 



with huge deligh*, playing in it like kittens. Their food is 

 milk, as they have not yet been weaned— the milk strengthened 

 with a dozen or so of the yolks of eggs. These are the 

 only pair of hippos at present in the world, and all New 

 Yoik ought to go and see them. 



. — ■♦. — . 



The Note off the MichbatOm Qtrur..— WiBuimfitot, Pa., 



July 3.— Mr. Editor ; I have taken great interest in the at- 

 tempts— which now promise to be successful— to acclimatize 

 the migratory quail in this country. There is one pleasant 

 feature about this bird that I am surprised none of your 

 numerous correspondents ever mentioned, and that is their 

 exceedingly pleasant, song or call note. We had one in con- 

 finement, procured from a New York bird store, for a number 

 of years, and every spring or summer morning, even before 

 the wood thrash or robin thought of shaking up their little 

 feather beds, preparatory to singing their morning prayers, 

 Che clear, metallic notes of the quail, in its German WachUl 

 haw, would stir the morning air. These notes, although not 

 as sweet and melodious as old Bob White's, can be heard a 

 longer distance, and, as before remarked, have a peculiar 

 metallic ring about them, from which I presume the expres- 

 sion, schlagen (German for "to strike"), comes. The German 

 does not say "The quail sings," but "The quail strikes 

 (scMit/t,)." After a preliminary strut aud a guttural cluck ! 

 the quail raises itself to its full height, and then from three to 

 eight times it repeats, as near as can lie written, " Pick-per-a 

 wL-k ."' There is a pause of perhaps a second between each 

 sharp and clearly defined note. After the last note there is a 

 pause of two or three seconds before repeating. Throughout 

 perfect time is kept. Bobolink. 

 ^»*^^. 



Nesting of the AIessina Quail.— We are very thankful 

 for the welcome tidings given below. We shall promptly 

 publish information of the young birds, sent by our 

 numerous friends all over the country who have promised to 

 give us the earliest news of the mating of these new-comers i 

 • Mr. Editor : I have good reason to believe that a pair of the 

 newly introduced European quail has nested and hatched the 

 present season in this place. Visiting a friend who lives on 

 the outskirts of the town yesterday, he reported having twice 

 seen a quail (with young) which he was sure was not our 

 common bird, having apparently longer and more pointed 

 wings. I shall take an early opportunity to follow this up ; 

 but a sure identification can of course be made only by shoot- 

 ing one of the birds, which must not be done yet awhile. Will 

 report further when able. F C Buown. 



Framing/iam, Mass. , August 2. 



Mr. Editor : The migratory quail imported by the Salisbury 

 Game Club last spring are doing finely, several broods of 

 young ones having been seen, and their catling, which as much 

 resembles the "twit, twit, twit "of a young turkey as any- 

 thing, is to be heard all over our fields. If sportsmen gener- 

 ally will let them have a few years to get established here, we 

 feel sure of success. We should like to hear from the other 

 importations of this spring. If al! have been equally fortunate 

 with our club, we should have a fine start by fall. Our 

 farmers like the birds very much, aud think that tbey kill bugs 

 and worms enough to more than pay for the grain they expect 

 them to eat this fall. W. H. W. 



Lakeeille, Conn., Aug. 5, 



« ■» « 



An Albino Swallow. — Air. W. B. Garrahout, of Newark, 

 informs us of having killed an albino swallow, but unfortu- 

 nately his choke-bore spoiled the bird as a specimen. He was 

 not pure white, our correspondent writes us, having two light 

 buff colored feathers in his left wing. His eyes were black, 

 with legs and feet of flesh color. 



Abnormal Bied's Eggs. — Editor Forest and Stream ! June 

 20, 1878, Air. John H. Sears collected a nest of the golden- 

 crowned thrush (Smnis nuri^piliu^ at Borfcrdj Mass., con- 

 taining four eggs, three of which were of the normal form, 

 aud with their usual markings. The other was of an elliptical 

 form, of diminutive size, and with markings uniformly dis- 

 tributed over the entire surface. The series which is now in 

 my cabinet present the following measurements: No. 1, 

 .7SX.03; No. 2, .79x.lJ2; No. 3, k3x.i;2 ; No. 4 (abnormal), 

 .43x.S8 inches. No. 4 contained no yolk. Air. Raymond Li. 

 Newcomb, of Salem, informs me that he suw an egg of the 

 golden-winged woodpecker (Cvlaptes auraius) of about ene- 

 half the usual size. 'The rest of f he series were of the usual 

 form, and were collected this spring. Arthur F, Gray. 



liantersport, Mass., July '2$, 1878. 



. — ■♦- » . 



Read the Paper More Carefully,— A correspondent, 

 writing from Pittsfield, Alass., under date of July 15, says; 



" Is it a usual thing for the red squirrel (Xcitmis laulmnius) 

 to be carnivorous ? Having always considered them Strictly 

 vegetarian, was more than astonished to see one eat a young 

 robin, taken from the nest on Thursday, 18th, We were in- 

 formed by the farmer and his.family, who were much ex- 

 cited over the occurrence, that lhat was the second bird taken 

 from the nest in two days. On further inquiry we learned 

 that the red squirrel also catches and eats mice." 



We dislike to have to give up our really valuable space to 

 questions that we have answered time aud again. If our cor- 

 respondent will refer back to our issue of June 27 he will 

 find his question answered in the "Natural History'' 



column. 



. ■». 



A Fond Fostee-Fatheb.— Our friend, Mr. S. W. Williston, 

 writing to us from Manhattan, Kansas, relates the following 

 very interesting incident. He says : 



"My sister here has a male Cr ianus that 



has always lived in a cage. A pair of newly-hatched Balti- 

 more orioles were put in his cage a few wetks ago, and since 

 that ha has devoted his whole time to rearing them. He has 

 stopped his singing and feeds them assiduously, and when 

 turned into an empty room is trying to teach I hem how to fly. 

 It is extremely comical." 



_.«-_ 



Robins Poisoning their Young.— The Lancaster Intelli- 

 gencer says . 



"Two robins in Westchester recently fed their ofl 

 poison vine because the children had caged them. It ia char- 

 acteristic of these birds to poison their caged young when no 

 hope Of their liberty is offered." 



A very old idea, but whether it has 'tuy foundation in fact 

 is aoubtiul. 



